Chapter 38

After Fu Shizhe went downstairs, he sat to the left of Yun Li, with Xu QingSong following suit next to him.

Yun Li felt the presence of the person on her left was too strong, and she unconsciously leaned towards Fu Zhengchu.

Fu Zhengchu: “Li Li, why are you leaning so close?”

Yun Li whispered back: “I feel more at ease sitting next to you.”

Xia Congsheng, seeing Fu Shizhe, was visibly shocked: “Uncle, you’re dressed too sharply today. I never knew Qingsong’s clothes suited you so well.”

Although Yun Li thought it was appropriate, she also wondered why he suddenly dressed this way.

Fu Shizhe provided a reasonable explanation: “I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

“I think it looks good too,” Xu QingSong said with a smile, “Have you guys decided what to play?”

Xia Congsheng replied: “We just started a game of Uno.”

Xu QingSong: “Cool.”

Chen Renran suggested: “Let’s play the Grab Zero game, it’s more exciting.”

Everyone except Yun Li seemed to know the rules and agreed: “Sure.”

“I have no objections.”

Seeing Yun Li’s bewildered look, Chen Renran explained: “When someone plays a ‘0’ card, everyone must quickly cover it with their hand, and the last one to do so has to draw two cards.”

The game proceeded in an orderly fashion, and Yun Li found it quite simple after getting the hang of it, following her predecessor’s suit or number.

It wasn’t until someone played the first “0” card that everyone quickly covered it with their hands, piling on top of each other. Yun Li didn’t react in time and realized too late that she had to draw two cards.

After drawing cards twice, Yun Li became more vigilant, paying close attention to the others’ plays, until someone played “0” in the second round. Yun Li quickly covered it with her hand, followed by the others.

Lu Yu’s reaction was almost as fast as Yun Li’s, just a beat behind her with his hand on top of hers.

This time, Fu Shizhe was the last one.

Yun Li silently applauded herself for her quick reflexes.

Again, when Yun Li played a “0” card, she quickly covered it, with Fu Shizhe right after her. Until the last person was determined, their hands were touching, palm to back.

Yun Li could feel Fu Shizhe’s hand lightly resting on hers, and even so, the contact made her heart race.

She stole a glance at Fu Shizhe, who still had that calm demeanor.

After a couple more rounds, with Fu Shizhe always covering last after Yun Li, she felt her heart couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to say she was done playing.

Before she could speak up, Fu Shizhe said: “Let’s switch games.”

Yun Li looked at him, stunned.

The few people there who were close friends respected his suggestion and immediately agreed.

Chen Renran, not quite satisfied, asked: “Why? We were all having a good time.”

Fu Shizhe, propping his cheek with one hand, said casually: “I’m used to card counting. Winning too quickly doesn’t give much of a gaming experience.”

Chen Renran: “…”

The rest: “…”

Chen Renran: “Since we’re not playing Uno, what shall we play?”

Deng Chuqi proposed: “Let’s play High Card Draw. The person who draws the highest card can ask anyone here a question.” Everyone agreed without objection.

“Right,” Chen Renran added, “since we’re playing this, let’s have some drinks to make it more fun. I brought two bottles with me, I’ll go get them.”

After Chen Renran brought the drinks, he handed a bottle to Lu Yu and poured for everyone on his side.

When it was Fu Shizhe’s turn, he said: “I don’t need any, thanks.”

Yun Li was somewhat surprised to hear his refusal, as she almost always associated Fu Shizhe with alcohol.

The game started, and everyone showed their cards after drawing. Yun Li’s card wasn’t very high, and she let out a sigh of relief internally. She didn’t want to ask questions or be asked.

Chen Renran, after looking at his card, exclaimed: “I’m definitely the highest!” Then, he revealed his card.

The King of Spades.

There was indeed no higher card.

Xia Congsheng: “Then pick someone to ask.”

Chen Renran, with a clear target in mind, asked Yun Li: “Is there someone here you have a crush on?”

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Yun Li.

Unable to withstand the collective gaze, Yun Li answered: “No.”

Chen Renran immediately followed up: “What if you were forced to choose one?”

Yun Li: “…”

Xia Congsheng interrupted: “Nope, you can only ask one question.”

Chen Renran shrugged: “Alright.”

Following that, others also drew the highest card, but their questions were generally about past embarrassing moments.

Until Lu Yu drew the highest card, wanting to assist Chen Renran, he pondered for a while and asked: “Who do you think is the most handsome person here?”

Chen Renran: “…”

He was speechless and discreetly stepped on Lu Yu’s foot under the table.

Yun Li didn’t expect them to be so relentless with their questioning. Struggling weakly, she fixed her gaze on Fu Zhengchu: “Fu Zhengchu.”

Fu Zhengchu widened his eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed as he said, “Really?”

Yun Li suddenly felt guilty, “Of course.”

After answering the question, Yun Li felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. She wanted to take a sip of her drink, but her orange juice was already finished. She looked at the glass of wine she had just poured with some hesitation.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in her line of sight.

Fu Shizhe moved her wine away and placed his untouched orange juice in front of her.

He downed the glass of wine in one go, “You guys have fun. I’m going to have a smoke.”

After Fu Shizhe left, Yun Li played distractedly.

She stared at the orange juice in front of her, her mind going blank.

Deng Chuqi noticed her odd behavior and suggested, “It’s getting late. How about we rest for a bit?”

Xia Congsheng agreed, “Indeed, and there’s a hot spring in the room. Let’s all go back and relax.”

The group dispersed.

Xia Congsheng went to find her parents first. After returning to her room, Yun Li went to the balcony to fill the open-air hot spring pool. The low temperature caused the water pouring into the pool to steam.

Deng Chuqi was removing her makeup in front of the mirror and remarked, “Today, this unapproachable handsome put on a floral shirt and, at first glance, actually looked like a young master. I thought only Xu QingSong had that kind of charm.”

Yun Li brought a chair over to sit next to her and started to remove her makeup.

Seeing Yun Li’s preoccupied look, Deng Chuqi nudged her teasingly, “Hey, don’t tell me you’re smitten just because he changed his clothes?”

“I’m not someone who gets swayed by looks that easily,” Yun Li glanced at her and walked towards the balcony with her bathrobe.

The two of them undressed and stepped into the pool.

Their bodies were quickly filled with warmth. Yun Li scooped up water to pour over her shoulders, and the rising mist seemed to hit the wooden partition, causing her thoughts to drift.

She moved closer to Deng Chuqi and whispered, “Didn’t I tell you before, he was planning to date a girl he’s known for many years?”

Deng Chuqi confirmed, “That’s right…”

Yun Li leaned back against the marble edge, confused, “But I asked Fu Zhengchu, and he said the ones he’s known for a long time are all related by blood…”

Not quite understanding her point, Deng Chuqi pondered for a while, “Does Xia Xia’s Uncle have that kind of taste?”

“…”

Unsure of what Deng Chuqi was imagining, Yun Li denied, “That’s not what I mean.” She asked uncertainly, “I mean, do you think I might have misunderstood him?”

Deng Chuqi placed a towel behind herself to avoid the cold edges of the pool and disagreed, “Even if it’s a misunderstanding, the fact that he’s been rejecting you is true.”

Deng Chuqi added, “Li Li, my colleague really likes you. You should know that you’re a very popular person.”

Yun Li said, “Let’s not talk about your colleague…”

Deng Chuqi suggested, “Why don’t you ask him directly? You’re always guessing and making yourself miserable.”

Yun Li covered her eyes with a washcloth, “After being rejected so many times, how can I dare to ask?” She murmured, “Wouldn’t that be humiliating myself?”

Soaking in the warm water, her pores opened from the heat, and Yun Li relaxed completely, momentarily forgetting the troubles of the past month.

Fu Shizhe’s image appeared before her eyes, and Yun Li snapped back to reality. She pushed herself up on the marble edge and sat on the side of the pool, reaching for a towel.

Stepping out into the cold air, she heard a ‘thud’ and quickly dipped back into the pool.

Deng Chuqi looked at her with ill intent, “Li Li, your figure over these years…”

Before she could finish, there were two thumps on the wooden board.

“…”

The two fell silent.

Deng Chuqi asked, “Did you hear that noise just now?”

Yun Li said nothing.

In unspoken agreement, the two climbed out of the hot spring, put on their bathrobes, and rushed back to the room, closing the balcony window tightly.

Yun Li felt a chill, “Next door is…”

Deng Chuqi exclaimed, “Oh my gosh…”

…

When Xu QingSong returned to his room, he found Fu Shizhe engrossed in his phone by the poolside. Seeing him in a sour mood, Xu QingSong playfully scooped up water and doused him on the head.

“You need to cut back on smoking; we’re only halfway through.”

Fu Shizhe wiped the water from his eyes with a towel, silent, and shifted aside to continue with his phone.

Seeing him unresponsive, Xu QingSong didn’t press further. He stripped and soaked in the hot spring, feeling worn out from the day, and soon started to doze off.

When the water started running in the next room, separated only by a wooden panel, every sound was crystal clear.

Their tranquility was disrupted by the sudden intrusion of chatting voices.

It was Yun Li and Deng Chuqi.

Fu Shizhe tilted his head towards the source of the voices, moved a bit closer, and knocked on the wooden panel.

Subsequently, the sound of Yun Li and Deng Chuqi scurrying back to their room followed.

Xu QingSong snapped awake, leaning on the pool’s edge, leisurely watching Fu Shizhe.

Yun Li and Deng Chuqi hadn’t mentioned names, and Xu QingSong wasn’t paying close attention, but he could roughly guess what it was about. He smiled without asking further.

Seeing him amused as if he’d stumbled upon something entertaining, Fu Shizhe glanced at him, his voice carrying a hint of reproach, “About the restaurant earlier…”

Xu QingSong hadn’t thought of this question and was momentarily stunned, “Did Jiameng tell Yun Li?”

He stirred the water, chuckling, “Isn’t it just right to block some unwanted attention for you?”

Fu Shizhe closed his eyes, no longer engaging with him.

Yet, he was thinking about what Fu Zhengchu told him today and the conversation he just heard between Yun Li and Deng Chuqi.

Such a ridiculous misunderstanding.

…

Back in her room, Yun Li was in a state of collapse.

Desperately drying her damp hair, Deng Chuqi comforted, “Don’t overthink it, maybe they heard nothing… even if they did, it doesn’t matter…”

If they hadn’t heard, they wouldn’t have knocked on the panel to alert them.

Yun Li hung her head in frustration, “Just kill me.”

After comforting Yun Li for a while, Deng Chuqi mentioned that Chen Renran called them down to play mahjong. Yun Li, in a state of extreme introversion, stared at her phone on the bed, disheartened, “I’m not going.”

The next day, Yun Li got up at eight, planning to call Xia Congsheng and Deng Chuqi for breakfast. They had played until one or two in the morning and had drunk quite a bit, now deeply asleep.

Yun Li had no choice but to head out alone. Shortly after closing the door, she heard a door close behind her and turned to see Fu Shizhe coming out of his room.

Fu Shizhe: “Going for breakfast?”

Yun Li: “Um…”

Fu Shizhe: “Together.”

The cafeteria was in another building, offering a simple self-service breakfast with just a toaster and an egg fryer, aside from a few warm dishes of Chinese breakfast items.

“Want toast?” Fu Shizhe, standing beside her, Yun Li nodded, and he took the tongs from her hand, placing two slices of bread in the toaster.

While Yun Li waited beside him, Fu Shizhe glanced at her and said, “Go find a seat.”

After placing the breakfast on the table, Yun Li sat down, and before she could settle, Chen Renran and Lu Yu, with their trays, moved from another table to Yun Li’s, asking, “Can we sit here?”

Yun Li nodded, “Fu Shizhe is over there waiting for the toast…”

She looked up at that figure; he waited a while before transferring the toasted bread onto a plate.

Chen Renran ventured, “Oh, are you two in a flirtatious phase?”

Yun Li choked up instantly, hastily shaking her head, “No…”

This response made Chen Renran feel he still had a chance. He placed his plate across Yun Li, noticing her plate was almost empty, he asked, “Didn’t you get a drink? I’ll get you one, what would you like?”

Before Yun Li could refuse, Fu Shizhe returned with his tray, sitting next to Yun Li, answering for her, “No need, I’ve got it.”

After sitting down, Fu Shizhe transferred two slices of toast to her plate and added a sunny-side-up egg.

Fu Shizhe unwrapped the straw of a milk carton, pierced the foil seal with it, and handed it to Yun Li.

The milk was warm.

He casually mentioned, “Soaked it in hot water for a while, delayed it a bit.”

His breakfast consisted of just two slices of toast and an Americano.

Chen Renran observed their intimate behavior, and considering Yun Li’s recent denial, his expression was somewhat odd.

Throughout breakfast, the group exchanged only a few words. It wasn’t until they stepped outside that Yun Li realized she had left her little bag at the table. Fu Shizhe told her to wait there and went back to the restaurant to retrieve it.

Since yesterday, Chen Renran felt that Yun Li was closely guarded by Fu Shizhe. Despite Deng Chuqi repeatedly stressing that there was no romantic involvement between them, he couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Seizing the opportunity, he asked Yun Li again: “Are you and Shizhe really not in a flirtatious phase? Or are you already dating?”

Yun Li shook her head.

Chen Renran felt uncomfortable and, disregarding Lu Yu’s presence, candidly said: “Yun Li, I have feelings for you. If you have no intention of pursuing a relationship, you can just say so. You don’t need Uncle Shizhe to fend me off on your behalf.”

These words baffled Yun Li, and she responded blankly: “What?”

“If you and Uncle Shizhe are acting ambiguously in front of me to reject me, there’s no need for that.”

Yun Li had given up pursuing Fu Shizhe a while ago and wasn’t sure if her interactions with him still carried unintended lingering feelings, which might have led Chen Renran to such thoughts. After a pause, she asked: “Why do you say we’re not just friends?”

Chen Renran felt increasingly that Yun Li was trying to hide her true intentions and laughed sarcastically: “Friends don’t behave like that.”

Fu Shizhe returned just then, unaware of their conversation topic, and simply said to Yun Li: “Let’s go.”

After a restless night due to the hot spring incident and now Chen Renran’s words, Yun Li had a lot on her mind.

Fu Shizhe glanced at her: “What are you thinking about?”

Yun Li caught off guard, replied offhandedly: “Thinking about how regular friends should behave…”

To Fu Shizhe, her words seemed to carry a different meaning.

He didn’t respond but pointed her in a direction: “It’s Christmas Eve tonight, they’ve put up lights over there.”

The trees were faintly adorned with strips of lights and Christmas decorations. Fu Shizhe paused and then added: “The lights will be on after nine.”

Yun Li nodded absentmindedly.

Deng Chuqi and Xia Congsheng slept until the afternoon, and Yun Li didn’t bother going out either. Only after they woke up did she learn that Fu Zhengchu had also drunk too much the night before.

Once everyone was sober, they discussed playing cards downstairs that evening. Yun Li, not quite fitting into the drinking scene and feeling uncomfortable around Chen Renran, excused herself, saying she had a video to edit that night.

Deng Chuqi, probably having heard something from Chen Renran, didn’t insist.

Staying in her room until ten o’clock, Yun Li felt bored. Laughter from downstairs reached her now and then, and unable to sleep early, she remembered what Fu Shizhe had said earlier. She got dressed, grabbed her camera, and checked the temperature outside: one degree. She filled her hand warmer with hot water, wrapped it in a fleece cover, and held it tightly as she stepped out.

She could hear classical music coming from Fu Shizhe’s room at the entrance.

Unsure who was inside.

Yun Li went downstairs, where a few people were chatting and playing cards; Fu Shizhe and Xu QingSong were not among them. Avoiding Chen Renran’s gaze, Yun Li greeted them and left, using the excuse of photographing the villa’s exterior. She declined Fu Zhengchu’s offer to accompany her.

Once outside, Yun Li headed in the direction Fu Shizhe had mentioned earlier.

The lights were near the restaurant, a few hundred meters from their villa. Approaching the woods, Yun Li could already see the warm yellow lights winding through the treetops.

Further away, the sky was a grayish blue, dotted with clouds like splashes of dye.

She took out her camera and snapped a photo from a distance.

Yun Li wrapped her coat tighter around her, clutching the hand warmer as she moved closer.

A hammock hung from a sturdy branch about half a meter above the ground. As Yun Li approached, the hammock swayed slightly.

She paused.

The person on the hammock lit up their phone screen briefly before setting it aside. Although brief, Yun Li recognized it was Fu Shizhe.

Hesitant, she slowly moved closer.

He was curled up in the hammock, asleep, with a bottle of wine and a glass beside him, half-empty.

In such low temperatures, he wasn’t dressed warmly, his lips pale.

She felt a pang of distress.

Yun Li crouched down, poking his shoulder.

Fu Shizhe opened his eyes to look at her, his gaze sleepy. He sat up and said softly, “You’re here.”

“You’re here?”

It sounded as if they had arranged to meet tonight.

The outdoor temperature was extremely low, and Yun Li felt frost forming on the tree trunks. Fu Shizhe now looked up at her, his eyes clear and different from his usual demeanor, the sharp edges around his eyes softened, making him seem more like a boy.

He glanced at the space beside him and said softly, “Sit for a while.”

Yun Li stood still, not moving.

After a moment, she spoke: “You’ve had too much to drink.”

She handed him the hand warmer. Fu Shizhe stared at it for a while before taking it, the warmth reviving some sensation in his hands that had gone numb from the cold. He insisted, “Sit for a while.”

Not wanting to argue with a drunk, Yun Li reluctantly sat beside him.

The hammock sagged into an inverted triangle under their weight, forcing them closer together.

Fu Shizhe looked down, took her wrist, and placed the hand warmer back in her palm. The warmth in her palm and the cold at her wrist created a stark contrast, but all Yun Li could focus on was the icy touch.

Fu Shizhe didn’t let go.

He pulled her other hand over and placed it on top of the hand warmer.

Time seemed to freeze in this moment.

She saw the boy she met seven years ago looking at her.

He leaned in slowly, his lips touching the side of her right ear.

“Have you stopped pursuing me?”