At noon, neither of them had slept.
On the way to the art academy, they had to pass through a long corridor covered in vines, which filtered out much of the intense heat of the midday sun.
Occasionally, there were students' graffiti on the walls, wildly expressive and distinctly different from the style at the computer science department.
When the clock struck 14:15, Xiang Ran and the chubby guy arrived at the door of C301 in the art academy.
He looked at the graceful figure seated with her back to them, her hand propping up her chin, silky long hair styled in gentle waves cascading down to her waist. A white shirt tucked into a skirt highlighted her long legs, with one toe lightly touching the ground.
Those legs looked somewhat familiar, and so did the person.
Was it really that fate could be this coincidental?
Probability theory describes and quantifies the likelihood of random events: if the probability of an event occurring is not zero, then it will inevitably happen.
This made Xiang Ran unsure whether it was fate’s design or the torment of academic credits.
Inside the room, a few scattered people were chatting and laughing. Liu Shuyao didn't join in; she simply rested her chin on her hand, listening quietly. Occasionally, she would narrow her eyes and smile lightly at something someone said, appearing much cooler compared to Zhao Ying, who was laughing uproariously to her right.
As if sensing something, Liu Shuyao turned to glance towards the door.
Their eyes met.
Perhaps out of consideration for the others present, Liu Shuyao stood still, but her eyebrows raised slightly, and her eyes couldn't hide her surprise.
Xiang Ran had yet to react, but the chubby guy was so shocked that he kept tugging at the sleeve of the person next to him.
Even through his voice, one could sense his excitement:
“Wow! It really is Liu Shuyao!”
“She just smiled at me! Did you see that???”
The chubby guy's commotion was noticeable and drew the attention of others.
“Teacher Wu said someone from the computer science department would be helping us?”
Zhao Ying saw Xiang Ran standing at the door and felt quite surprised.
Xiang Ran nodded. With a mindset of "since I'm here, I might as well get comfortable," he stepped into the classroom and greeted everyone: “Hello, I’m Xiang Ran, a sophomore from the computer science department, introduced by Teacher Li.”
Though he often joked around privately, the chubby guy was still quite shy in this setting: “I’m Yang Ping, the same as him.”
Liu Shuyao heard Xiang Ran's introduction, her heart racing. It had been several days since they last met, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that her boyfriend seemed to have lost a bit of weight.
Since it was a project led by the art department, several of Liu Shuyao's teachers arrived shortly after.
Teacher Wu was still very welcoming.
“Xiao Xiang, Xiao Yang, right? Come on, have a seat. Teacher Li says you two are his most prized students!”
“Xiao Xiang? Xiao Yang?”
Though the zoo-like nicknames were a bit awkward, they lightened the mood for both of them.
The meeting officially began. Xiang Ran initially intended to bypass Liu Shuyao's spot, but was quietly blocked by someone. He braced himself, thinking she might say something shocking in front of everyone, making all his muscles tense.
To his surprise, as they brushed past each other, Liu Shuyao's smooth, fair fingertips grazed his hand, leaving a subtle sensation in his palm, as if he could feel the delicate rise and fall of her touch.
His throat felt a bit dry.
When he glanced back, Liu Shuyao wore a satisfied expression, her cat-like eyes glinting with mischief as she fixed her gaze on the opposite side without blinking. Xiang Ran had no choice but to switch seats with the chubby guy, wanting to distance himself from her to avoid being distracted.
Compared to the serious and tense atmosphere during their department meetings, this gathering felt much more casual, though it lacked focus, with a myriad of imaginative ideas floating around.
After discussing initial intentions—such as the theme and goals of the art exhibition, the selection and solicitation of works, and the layout of the exhibition space—the conversation shifted to the key points of the meeting.
“Xiao Xiang, we want to innovate with this exhibition. Most art exhibitions today are dominated by static paintings, and if it's in a completely open setting, it might not leave a lasting impression on visitors.”
Xiang Ran nodded, fully understanding Teacher Wu's point.
To ordinary people, art might just be something they glance at and quickly forget, and while Xiang Ran had been to a few exhibitions, he could only express his thoughts with a simple, “The paintings are nice,” without any deeper resonance or reflection.
“So this time we want to combine traditional art with new media art.”
“New media art?”
The chubby guy interjected with a puzzled expression. He had thought their task was simply to create a backend for displaying artworks, but now it seemed like it was something much more complex.
“It's about emphasizing innovation; we don’t want to be stuck in the same old routines,” Teacher Wu explained further, but the chubby guy’s expression remained confused.
In that moment, they seemed to grasp what it meant to deal with an unclear client—being given a boat and a paddle, then being told to wait at the destination without any navigation details, only emphasizing the need to stay on time.
“So, do you have any ideas?”
This was their first collaboration, and even Teacher Wu didn’t have a clear direction, just hoping to create something different.
“We?”
The chubby guy shook his head in bewilderment.
Aren't we here to gather requirements?
However, since the client had asked for input, Xiang Ran felt he had some direction. Since it was a collaboration with the computer science department, it made sense to incorporate elements of technology.
“We could use data visualization and add some interactive design on top of that.”
“Data visualization?” Xiang Ran's suggestion piqued everyone's interest; it seemed they hadn’t considered how these two areas could be combined.
Suddenly, the meeting room buzzed with discussion, and whispers filled the air.
“Can you elaborate?” Teacher Wu was also intrigued.
“We could use an online platform to showcase everyone's works, emphasizing audience interaction and participation. This would allow viewers to explore, alter, or influence the development and presentation of the pieces.”
“We can design a user-friendly interactive interface to achieve various interactive effects, like clicking, dragging, and scrolling.”
“For the historical aspects you mentioned, we could incorporate textual meanings in a digital space.”
“Data visualization techniques can be employed to transform data into visual charts, graphs, and animations to convey information and trends.”
Xiang Ran projected his notes onto the meeting room screen, sketching out a rough framework with his pen.
Today, he wore a crisp shirt that accentuated his straight shoulders, making him appear even more upright. As he spoke, whispers began to circulate among the onlookers.
“Boys who know technology are really handsome,” one girl remarked.
“Who says all computer science students are unsociable nerds?” another chimed in.
“I wonder if he has a girlfriend,” someone else pondered.
“After the meeting, I should ask for his WeChat~”
Liu Shuyao watched her boyfriend gaining confidence, her brows furrowing in response to the comments. Jealousy bubbled up inside her, and she found it hard to contain.
Liu Shuyao’s small hand gripped the edge of her skirt tightly, her lips slightly pouty, looking like a little hamster stuffed with nuts, silently screaming in her mind:
“Yes! He has a girlfriend! She’s sitting right here!”
Zhao Ying noticed Liu Shuyao was on the verge of exploding and quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, subtly signaling her to calm down.
Finally, as the meeting came to an end, Liu Shuyao was thinking of how to interrupt anyone who might ask for WeChat. To her surprise, Teacher Wu specifically asked them to stay behind and made a special introduction.
“Xiao Xiang, this is Liu Shuyao, our top student and one of the project leaders. She'll be your main point of contact, so if you have any questions, just reach out to her.”
Before Xiang Ran could respond, Liu Shuyao contained her emotions and extended her hand, as if she had been waiting for this moment. She intentionally reached forward to grasp his somewhat hesitant hand.
It was just a brief touch, yet her slender fingertips gently pressed against his knuckles.
Warmth intertwined between their fingers, sending a subtle spark up their hands.
Xiang Ran’s arm trembled, forcing him to look up at her. Her long lashes fluttered like playful feathers, the tips slightly curled upward, resembling a mischievous kitten.
She tilted her head slightly, her smooth hair cascading in the air, a few strands brushing against the back of his hand.
After a moment, a sweet voice broke the silence.
“Xiang Ran, hello. I’m Liu Shuyao.”
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