1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

There were no classes this morning. Qian Mei, having somehow gotten wind of the news, woke everyone up before dawn, saying that the magazine "Contemporary" was releasing a new issue today, which included the second half of "Infernal Affairs".

The four of them quickly washed up, not even bothering to buy breakfast, and ran to the small newsstand at the back gate of the school to queue up.

When I arrived, there were already dozens of people in front of me, mostly students, but also a few who looked like teachers.

They squeezed into the crowd, waiting impatiently.

After the door opened, the crowd surged forward, and they barely managed to grab a book.

It was because Qian Mei was quick that she "snatched" a book from a boy in front of her. The boy originally wanted to buy two books, but when he saw that there were several girls, he muttered something and gave up the book. Zhao Wanwan and the other three were embarrassed and apologized to him.

Getting a newspaper felt like winning a battle.

They bought four steamed buns and four cups of soy milk from a stall at the school gate, carried them in plastic bags, and ran back to their dormitory.

Once the door closes, all that's left in the world is the steamed bun in my hand and the story about to unfold.

Zhao Wanwan took a bite of the steamed bun; it was a little cold, but she didn't care.

Her gaze fell on the latest issue of a contemporary newspaper.

She knew that Infernal Affairs was written by Xie Lu.

This secret had been weighing heavily on her heart for over a month, and she hadn't told anyone, including her three roommates who were also fascinated by "Infernal Affairs."

Sometimes, when she heard them enthusiastically discussing the plot and guessing what kind of middle-aged man the author was, she wanted to laugh, but also felt a little secret pride.

At this moment, as the plot unfolds, her heart tightens little by little.

When Qian Mei saw Chen Yongren confronting Liu Jianming on the rooftop, she even forgot to chew her steamed bun.

Upon seeing the chaotic gunfire in the elevator, and as Chen Yongren fell, Sun Fang immediately cursed, "Damn it."

Zhao Wanwan held her breath.

Although she already knew the general direction from Xie Lu, she still felt a strong pang of heart palpitation and sadness when she actually saw the cruel and impactful images presented in the text.

How could Xie Lu write about death so realistically?

The moment Liu Jianming held up his badge and said, "I'm a police officer," Qian Mei slammed her hand on the bed, her face flushed with anger: "That bastard!"

The subsequent commendations, the salute at the cemetery, the final flashback... When the young Chen Yongren looked back for the last time, the story came to a complete end, and the dormitory fell into a long silence.

The steamed buns had long since cooled, and a ring of white foam had formed around the rim of the soy milk cup.

Zhao Wanwan slowly closed the newspaper, gently exhaled, but something still felt stuck in her chest.

It was so wonderful, yet so heavy.

This kind of brilliance isn't pleasing; rather, it's like a dull knife, slowly cutting into your heart, making you feel uncomfortable, making you think, yet you can't help but be drawn in.

She simply couldn't imagine how Xie Lu, with his seemingly calm and peaceful exterior, could possess such profound, even somewhat cruel, insight, and express it with such precise and powerful words.

A heartfelt admiration and a sense of pride gradually washed away the gloom of the story.

She was happy for Xie Lu, genuinely happy.

His talent was recognized, and his works were read, discussed, and even remembered by so many people.

He did it.

The longing for Xie Lu that had been nagging at her surfaced quietly during this emotionally charged moment.

During this month, apart from her going to Wuhan University to see him on the second day of school, Xie Lu also came to see her at East China Normal University a few days later. The two walked around the school and talked about the situation at their respective schools.

Then, everyone went about their own business.

Attending classes helps you adapt to a new environment and make new friends.

Occasionally, she would think of him, wondering what he was doing now, how many classes he had, how well he was getting along with his roommates, and whether his writing was going smoothly... but that was all she thought about.

She is, after all, a girl.

Now that I'm in college and have seen more of the world, my late-night dorm conversations often revolve around relationships.

She seems to understand her own feelings better than before.

But precisely because she understood, she became even more shy and dared not easily reveal it.

Go find him? With what reason? Tell him I miss him? She simply couldn't bring herself to say those words.

Zhao Wanwan was staring blankly out the window, her mind in turmoil.

"Sigh." Qian Mei suddenly let out a long sigh, threw the newspaper aside, and slumped back in her chair with her limbs outstretched. "After reading it, I feel empty and suffocated."

"Me too," Zhang Xiaoli echoed, "I really didn't expect it to end like this."

"This author is ruthless." Sun Fang stood up and stretched her stiff neck. "But it's also good-looking."

Qian Mei sat up with a jolt, rubbing her face: "So boring. After watching something so exciting, I suddenly have nothing to do."

She glanced at the other three people and said, "Hey, we haven't gone out together properly since the start of the semester. How about today? We don't have any classes anyway."

Zhang Xiaoli's eyes lit up: "Great! Where to?"

Sun Fang also became interested: "Sure, the weather's nice too."

All three people turned their gazes to Zhao Wanwan, who had not yet spoken.

Zhao Wanwan snapped out of her thoughts, met her roommate's expectant gaze, and subconsciously nodded: "Okay."

"Where to go then?" Qian Mei stroked her chin. "Shopping? To Jianghan Road?"

"There are too many people, especially on the weekend." Zhang Xiaoli doesn't like crowds.

"How about the park? Zhongshan Park?" Sun Fang suggested.

"There doesn't seem to be anything particularly fun in the park anymore," Qian Mei said hesitantly.

They discussed it for a while, but couldn't reach a conclusion.

Zhao Wanwan listened quietly, but the same thought popped into her mind again, stirring within her.

Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress, her lips pursed repeatedly, and finally, as everyone fell silent again to think of a solution, she tentatively spoke:

"How about... we go to East Lake?"

Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she said it.

East Lake... Wuhan University is right next to East Lake.

"East Lake?" Qian Mei thought for a moment. "It's quite close, and the scenery is beautiful."

"Sure, we can go boating, take walks, and sunbathe," Sun Fang agreed.

Zhang Xiaoli nodded in agreement: "I've heard that East Lake is quite beautiful in autumn."

"Let's go to East Lake!" Qian Mei slapped her thigh and made the decision. "Let's pack up and head out now! We'll find a place there for lunch!"

Once the decision was made, the atmosphere in the dormitory immediately became lively.

Everyone started changing clothes, combing their hair, and stuffing water bottles, handkerchiefs, and some change into their military green satchels.

They chattered excitedly about which coat to wear and whether to wear a hat.

Zhao Wanwan also got up and took out her clean white shoes from under the bed to put on.

She chose a light yellow polyester shirt, put on a beige cardigan, and tidied her hair in front of a small round mirror on the table, tying her ponytail high.