We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

In a dormitory at Peking University's Yanyuan campus, a boy wearing thick glasses suddenly exclaimed, "Wow! It looks like it's snowing, guys!"

"Really? Let me see!" Another tall, thin man sat up from the bed, put on his slippers, and ran to the balcony.

"So what if it rains? It rains every few days in the north during winter. I've been watching it for decades." The burly guy by the window didn't even look up; he was scrolling through his phone.

"You've been watching this for decades, but we three southerners haven't seen it much," the bespectacled man called out to Li Mubai again. "Old Li, come and take a look."

Li Mubai put down his pen and went to the balcony. This was the second snowfall he had seen since coming to Beijing. He wasn't wearing his glasses, but he could see it very clearly.

Large snowflakes were falling from the gray sky, landing on the cement ground and quickly covering it with a thin layer of white. He took out his phone, took a picture, and sent it to Xie Shu.

Li Bubai: "It's snowing. How's it where you are?"

The bespectacled man peeked over and said, "Sharing your life with your long-distance girlfriend again?"

Li Mubai nodded without saying much. He had only mentioned in the dormitory that he had a girlfriend in a long-distance relationship, without going into details.

Another tall, thin boy shook his head, clearly not believing it: "I don't believe it. You're already a junior, and I've never seen you and your girlfriend meet. Is this just an excuse to fool other girls?"

Li Mubai smiled and said, "No."

The burly northern boy finally looked up, put down his phone, and leaned closer:

"I think even if there really is something, the feelings should have faded by now, otherwise why hasn't she come to see you all these years? Old Li, take my advice, let go of what you should let go of! A lot of female students in the college have asked me about you, and some of them are quite pretty."

"What do you mean by that? I, Old Li, am a warrior of pure love!" The bespectacled man glared at him.

"Only single people talk about love all the time. Someone like me, who has been through many battles, has long since come to terms with it. If it's time to let go, then let go and leave each other with some dignity."

The burly man waved his hand dismissively, then looked at Li Mubai:

"Old Li, do you want a wife? If you do, just say the word and I'll bring one to you in a bit."

"No," Li Mubai interrupted him, "I have a boyfriend, and we're very much in love."

"Really? You're already a junior in college? Where are the photos? Let us see them!" The tall, thin guy grinned and leaned closer.

Li Mubai ignored him. He didn't like showing off photos of himself and Xie Shu to others, always feeling like he was flaunting some kind of product.

Hey.

The WeChat notification sounded twice on my phone.

"Oh, my girlfriend messaged me!" The burly man raised an eyebrow teasingly.

Li Mubai opened WeChat.

Qinghe: "It's snowing!!! [jpg.]"

Qinghe: "Are you free later? Let's go eat mutton hot pot together. I made my first pot of gold from painting! Let's celebrate."

Upon seeing that it was Chen Qiuhe, Li Mubai's smile faded somewhat.

Li Bubai: "How much did you get?"

Qinghe: "Two hundred."

Li Mubai thought for a moment and replied, "Never mind, I'll treat you. Keep your royalties for yourself."

Qinghe: "Alright... fine, I won't compete with the big author for the bill. Remember to contact me anytime if you need illustrations for your books in the future."

Li Bubai: "Okay."

He looked up and saw the three people in the dormitory still talking about him.

"Wait a minute," the burly man lowered his voice, "is it possible that Lao Li's girlfriend is that girl from Renmin University? I've run into them at restaurants several times."

"Maybe. Is that girl pretty?" the bespectacled man asked.

"She's pretty, about the same size as Li Mengqi in our class."

"Wow! That's incredible!" the bespectacled man exclaimed in surprise. "I'm so envious that Old Li has such a beautiful girl!"

"You call this not being envious? You're practically wearing my name on your sleeve!"

"What classes do we have this afternoon?" Li Mubai asked, packing his bag and interrupting them.

"When you're doing a thorough reading of the prose of the pre-Qin philosophers, remember to bring the Zhuangzi with you," the tall, thin man said.

"Oh, I thought I had no classes all day because I didn't have any in the morning. It's the fifth and sixth periods in the afternoon, right?"

"right."

"Let's go then." The bespectacled man found the book and stuffed it into his bag. "Let's go get a seat early."

Li Mubai also put on his schoolbag and followed them downstairs.

At the dormitory entrance, people heading out to class opened their umbrellas and walked into the snow, quickly covering the umbrellas with a layer of white.

The bespectacled man paused at the doorway, looked around, and then his gaze suddenly fixed on something: "Wow! There seems to be a really pretty girl over there!"

"Where?" The burly man immediately peeked out.

"It's roughly in our one o'clock direction."

"Hurry up, don't be late." The tall, thin man had already opened his umbrella and turned back to urge him on.

Li Mubai shook his head, opened his umbrella, and walked forward.

He hadn't intended to look in that direction; he had only glanced at it casually, and then he stopped in his tracks.

"Come on, Lao Li, what are you standing there for?" The bespectacled man took a couple of steps and then turned back to urge him on when he realized Lao Li wasn't following.

"You guys go ahead," Li Mubai said, his gaze still fixed in that direction. "Class monitor, could you please ask for leave for me?"

The three of them were stunned for a moment, and then they saw Li Mubai lift his leg and walk towards the girl.

"...Is that girl the one from Renmin University?" the bespectacled man asked in a low voice.

"It doesn't seem so."

In their sight, the girl folded her umbrella, crawled under Li Mubai's umbrella, and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm off! I'm leaving! This is just a sacrifice for us single people." The bespectacled man waved his hand and quickly ran away.

He turned and left. The other two exchanged a glance and turned around as well. The three of them hurriedly ran towards the teaching building.

Li Mubai looked down at her, the edge of the umbrella tilting slightly towards her: "Xie Shu, why did you suddenly come?"

A year ago, Xie Shu was the one who had this question; a year later, he is the one who asked the question.

"Because I'm almost finished with my undergraduate degree." She looked up, her eyes crinkling with a hint of pride.

"End of... undergraduate studies?" Li Mubai asked, puzzled.

"In London, I only need three years to complete my undergraduate degree."

What about the remaining five years?

"I should have continued my studies and pursued a master's and doctoral degree with the remaining five years, but..."

"But what?" Li Mubai quickly asked.

"But my mom said it's not necessary."

"No need?" His voice was slightly tense.

"Yes, I don't need to continue my master's and doctoral studies abroad."

"..."

"..."

The surprise came so suddenly that he didn't have any time to process it. He stood under the umbrella, his mind blank.

"I'm preparing for the entrance exam for Peking University's graduate program. If all goes well, I'll be your senior in graduate school next year." She paused, a slight smile curving her lips. "Of course, I can wait for you and take the exam with you next year."

The wind, carrying snow, blew from behind him, landing on her hair and her eyelashes.

He threw the umbrella on the ground, reached out, and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Shu...you're so kind."

"Li Mubai, we don't have to be apart anymore." A tear slid down her cheek.

"We won't separate."

They have missed too much of each other's growing up.

"Thank you, Shu." He released his grip, and the girl in front of him had changed a lot; now her hair and eyelashes were covered with white snowflakes.

"Xie Shu, actually, I've always owed you a piece of advice..."

Xie Shu watched him quietly as they walked together in the northern snow.

Li Mubai hesitated for a long time before finally fixing his gaze on her face.

"I like you."

Xie Shu slowly closed his eyes, and then a soft touch gently touched him.

"I...like you too."

(The End)

"The Novel 'Summer's End' is Completed" (with Preface)

Last year, inspired by a period of eight months, I wrote a novel of nearly 800,000 words, about my youth, which was completed on the days of Bingwu, Bingshen, and Xinwei. I wrote this poem to commemorate it:

Looking back, the world has changed dramatically, and the campus buildings stand serenely by.

The snow and mud seem to offer no way back, yet words seem to seek out old haunts.

Clouds drift among the mountains, the sky vast and open; cicadas sing in the trees, their song serene and quiet.

As the book is finished and the pen falls, youth has faded; alone by the window, my temples are already gray.