Die Landschaft ist wie ein Gemälde

Kapitel 16

Memories are like a refreshing breeze, unforgettable; while pain, with its icy thorns, strikes like the Arctic wind.

"You're thinking about him again?" Apple shook my shoulder. "Let's go! The past is gone."

Yes! They're all gone. Everything has changed.

The women's restroom on the fourth floor of the library now has two new skylights, providing ample natural light and eliminating the dark, gloomy atmosphere of the past. The heavy padlock is nowhere to be seen anymore. Hopefully, there won't be any more ghosts of the unjustly killed here. The school has revised its rules and regulations, and most of the management team has been replaced. After all, students like Yu Qing are still a minority.

There were quite a few students borrowing books, and the aisles between the bookshelves were packed with people.

I ran my index finger along the rows of books, my gaze wandering until it settled on Charles Baudelaire's *The Salon of 1846: Selected Essays on Aesthetics by Baudelaire*. I pulled the book from the shelf, and suddenly froze. My body felt as if it had been struck by a shockwave, paralyzed and unable to move.

I saw a familiar, longed-for face walking towards me from across the book, moving incredibly fast, like a drifting cloud, weightless. If the breathtaking back view I saw in the auditorium last time had almost suffocated me with excitement, then this face, which I could clearly see from one side today, left me completely stunned and my mind went blank.

It's him!

It must be him!

"A great forest!" I silently chanted in my heart. No noise was allowed in the library, but the emotions surging in my throat were beyond my control. I pushed through the crowd in front of me, hoping to rush to the other side of the bookshelves as soon as possible.

On the other side of the camphor wood frame lies the person I miss...

The room was empty, a chill seemed to be blowing, and all was quiet. I stood at the top of the aisle between two rows of bookshelves, feeling utterly alone. There was a wind, a frigid wind, but it only brushed against my heart, not my body…

He's not in now.

From one end of the corridor to the other, just a dozen or so steps... I still lost you.

Why not stop? Amidst the hurried footsteps, I heard the sound of a heart breaking.

It's empty, my heart is empty.

That shadow I longed for, I couldn't catch...

A soft hand rested on my shoulder, and a woman's voice whispered gently in my ear:

"Ruoxi... if this continues, you'll go crazy..."

I turned around and smiled at the apple.

Am I smiling? I feel like crying inside, but my lips are curved upwards in a smile. I'm trying not to worry you.

"Let's go! He's not here."

She put her arms around my shoulders, tilted her head to look at me, and her eyes were equally forlorn...

A sliver of the setting sun painted the sky crimson, and the clouds, as if bewitched, shimmered with iridescent colors—scarlet, orange, cyan, and pale purple—as if painting themselves with golden light. We stood before the library, lost in thought, gazing at the sky. What lay beyond the horizon?

"What are you thinking about?" Apple asked me.

"Such a beautiful sunset view, you can't see it in the big forest."

She frowned and deliberately said something unrelated: "Ruoxi, the skating rink outside the East Gate is open."

"What?" I was a little confused.

"I said the ice rink outside the East Gate is open."

Section 41: Case Investigation (10)

"Oh." I didn't pay any attention.

“Mo Yan wants to invite you ice skating!” She blinked her bright eyes and looked at me. “You know, he’s a bit reserved, and he’d be too shy to ask you himself. Da Jipu might be a little too eager, always trying to help him. But we don’t mean any harm… we just want to make you happy…”

I turned to look at her. Why did Apple, who is usually so cheerful, look troubled?

"I can't ice skate." Seeing her worry, I felt a little sorry for her.

"It's okay, we can teach you. The three of us will support you, you definitely won't fall." Her eyes shone brightly, and her smile returned to its usual radiant spring-like brightness.

I smiled at her and said, "I'm never lonely when I have friends."

"You agreed?"

"Won't it fall?"

"That's right! I'd rather you fall than let me fall!" She laughed, giggling nonstop, a relieved and comforting laugh.

"Why can't I fall even though you're the one who falls?"

"Of course! My butt is so fleshy!" She realized she'd gone too far and burst into laughter again, still the same lively and cheerful little rascal.

When I first tried ice skating, I discovered that people wearing ice skates could be so crazy, just like Nezha riding on his Wind Fire Wheels, speeding like lightning.

Apple's tartan kilt twirled and danced like a butterfly fluttering on icicles. She was a true athletic prodigy, adept at any jumping or lively equipment. In comparison, the Jeep looked far too clumsy.

"You can't skate? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Apple said with a playful smile, reaching out her hand to the Jeep.

"You didn't even ask me!" Big Jeep waved its hand, stopping Apple from pulling her. "No, I'll do it myself. If you pull me, I still won't learn. Falling down is good... falling down will teach me a lesson..."

"Plop—"

The jeep crashed hard, landing squarely on the ground.

I was changing my roller skates by the railing, and the sound could be heard from halfway across the rink.

"My God! Can his butt... take it?" Mo Yan grinned, as if he were the one who had fallen and hurt himself.

"Apple, are you really not going to do anything about it?" I asked the apple that was flying towards me.

She laughed: "Who told him to be so stubborn? I'll only help him if he calls for me, otherwise I won't."

"But……"

"Clang—"

Before I could finish speaking, he sat down again, this time even louder.

Most of the people in the rink turned to look: Was this young man practicing his sitting-on-the-ground kung fu? The marble floor of the ice rink wasn't a trampoline in a children's playground, yet he managed to bounce half an inch after landing. That shows how skilled he was; not to mention the impressive fleshy pads in his crotch.

I frowned, feeling a pang of pity: "Apple, are you really just going to leave him alone?"

She glanced away, feigning indifference, but her fingers were fidgeting with her white shirt: "Let him throw it! Men... they'll learn their lesson from a fall..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the jeep sat down again.

This fall was really hard; he couldn't get up for a long time. Apple finally couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed over like a gust of wind, her clear, loud voice immediately ringing out: "Honestly! You fell like that and didn't even call me? Were you doing this on purpose?"

The jeep grimaced in pain, and after a while, it clutched its backside and yelled, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Hurry up and pull me up! I heard a crack in my spine this time, could it be broken?"

"Huh?" Apple exclaimed in surprise. "Where is it? Let me see!"

The jeep, pulling on the apple, gave a sudden jeep pull, causing her to fall and trip over his chest: "Ouch—"

She and he embraced tightly.

"You fell, didn't you? You have to fall with me! Haha..." He laughed, a wild, arrogant laugh, a triumphant laugh of a little scheme, and even raised his fist in my direction as a show of force.

"Ha... That Jeep is really something." Mo Yan suddenly said this behind me.

"What?" I turned to look at him.

"He just made a bet with me, saying that Apple would automatically throw herself into his arms within ten minutes of entering the game, and he wouldn't win unless he hugged her tightly..." He quickly covered his mouth, realizing he had misspoke.

This silly child!

I chuckled: Boys always have a lot of tricks up their sleeves; the Jeep was trying to teach Mo Yan how to pursue girls in various ways.

Unfortunately, my heart is already full; there's no room for anyone else...

The neon lights gradually dimmed, and fewer and fewer people remained on the ice rink.

"We're closing down for the day, shall we go?" I said to Apple.

She was clearly still enjoying herself, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

"You and Mo Yan go first! Apple and I still have something to talk about." The Jeep winked at Mo Yan.

Section 42: Case Investigation (11)

He seemed to have a sudden realization: "That's right! Let's not interrupt their date. Let's go first! I'll take you home."

“Let’s go!” I agreed.

To get back to my dormitory from the East Gate, I had to pass twelve detached buildings in the East Dormitory, all pre-Republic of China era structures, ancient and tranquil, elegant and simple. The eaves of the buildings still retain well-preserved lintel carvings, the openwork and gilding are exquisite. I simply looked up, my eyes sweeping over the rows of architectural carvings, remaining silent.

The narrow path was dark and deep. There was a street lamp at the bend ahead, but its dim yellow light could not illuminate very far. Behind me, it looked like an endless black vortex, bottomless and boundless.

I walked to the streetlight and turned around: "You go back! I'm almost there."

"Let me take you a little further! There are still two more buildings to go around."

"I know the way," I said with a slight smile.

"……All right!"

He was persuaded to leave, but after taking five steps, he turned back and said, "Goodbye!"

I watched him walk away and called out softly, "Come out! I know you've been following me."

The old study room emitted creaking sounds as someone pressed down on the ancient wooden stairs. Upstairs, residents moved about, closed doors, and a night owl meowed. Then, deathly silence descended.

A chilling wind swept in, sending a shiver down my spine.

The ghostly apparition drew near, appearing before their eyes in the blink of an eye.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and the area under his eyes was dark purple.

"I've already notified your sister... I notified her last week." I didn't dare to look. The elders often say that staring into the eyes of ghosts for too long will weaken your yang energy and cause your soul to fly away.

"I know."

"Do you have anything else to say to her?"

"Why don't you ask me," he seemed to be waiting for me to ask, "has the murderer been caught?"

"Today your tone is less angry and more sorrowful."

"well……"

"The person who killed you has already gotten their comeuppance, hasn't they?"

He remained silent, head bowed.

"The murderer was caught on the third day after your father and sister issued the notice offering a large reward for information. Wasn't that right?"

"...My sister came to see you again?"

"No."