Chapter 33: There’s Something Off About You

“Is Big Brother Fu’s illness, okay?” She asked sounding worried.

“He’s fine; the physician said he just needs to take medicine for two more days.”

“Did he start acting like this after he got sick?”

Yi Yunshuo replied, “Huh? Like what?”

“He’s just… a bit cold and a bit fierce.” Lin Yuyao uttered.

Huh?

Hadn’t he always been like that?

Yi Yunshuo wasn’t sure how to respond.

Lin Yuyao continued, “Why does that Miss Ming call him ‘Lord Fu’? It sounds like something from the old society like he’s a warlord.”

This topic piqued Yi Yunshuo’s interest.

He laughed and said, “If this were the old society, he really would be.”

“Ah?”

Yi Yunshuo glanced outside and lowered his voice. “You probably don’t know, but he has connections.”

Lin Yuyao looked surprised. “Connections?”

“His grandfather was a high-ranking official, but he’s retired now. However, even though he’s gone, most of the higher-ups are still his grandfather’s former subordinates and students.”

Yi Yunshuo briefly explained how impressive Fu Huayi’s grandfather was, and how powerful his parents and maternal grandfather were as well.

Lin Yuyao stared at Yi Yunshuo in shock.

If what he said was true, then Fu Huayi’s family background must be extraordinary! It was a level of status she, as an ordinary citizen, couldn’t even dream of—like the legendary wealthy elite.

Yi Yunshuo added, “I’m telling you this in secret, so don’t ask him about it.”

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t like people talking about his family background. He’s a stubborn guy with thin skin; he worries people will think he’s just relying on connections.”

Lin Yuyao thought to herself, isn’t that just what connections are?

Um…

Maybe he was the kind of person who liked to rely on strength rather than connections.

After Lin Yuyao finished registering the books, she packed them up and handed them to Yi Yunshuo.

“Brother Yi, all done.”

“Great, when do I return them?”

Lin Yuyao smiled and said, “Usually within a month, but since you’re a friend of the boss, a few days late is fine.”

Yi Yunshuo was momentarily stunned.

He thought about how the girls from Lu Jiangting’s hometown were quite pretty, but this one was exceptionally beautiful. When she smiled, she resembled a vibrant flower, with dimples that were just perfect.

It seemed such a waste to have this flower paired with Lu Jiangting, who was like a pile of cow dung.

…

After lunch, Fu Huayi, having shaken off Mingmei, was still reluctant to go back and wandered around instead.

He bought shampoo, soap, and towels…

They received these items every month; why did he need to buy them?

Surely, he had more than enough from the supplies.

Wait a minute, why was he buying milk candies?

Oh, right, he was on medication. Was he worried the medicine would taste bitter, so he bought milk candies?

And then… he bought a bag of fruit?

Yi Yunshuo felt puzzled, sensing something was off.

“Ah Yi, is something wrong with you?”

Fu Huayi replied, “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been shopping for hours and bought all this…” pointless stuff.

“Mm, if I need it, I buy it.”

Yi Yunshuo’s mouth twitched, thinking to himself, what could you possibly need?

“You like shopping?”

Fu Huayi didn’t respond. “….”

Do I like it?

After wandering around, they ended up back in front of the coffee shop.

“Let’s go have coffee.”

Yi Yunshuo was taken aback.

When did he start liking coffee?

He felt that something was off with Fu Huayi, but he thought it might just be that he was sick and acting a bit strange.

He didn’t say much and just followed him in.

They both ordered a cup of coffee, just in time to pull out their books and enjoy while sipping.

Yi Yunshuo got into the story and found it quite entertaining.

When he saw a funny part of the story he wanted to share with Fu Huayi, he noticed that Fu Huayi wasn’t reading at all; instead, he was staring out the window.

Wasn’t that the bookstore belonging to Leyi across the street?

“Hey, Ah Yi, what are you looking at?” Yi Yunshuo asked.

Fu Huayi snapped out of it, pulling his gaze back. “I was looking at the streetlight.”

Huh?

The streetlight?

“What’s so interesting about the streetlight?”

“It was broken last night; I was wondering if it had been fixed.”

Yi Yunshuo was speechless.

Was he really that bored?

They sat there for the entire afternoon, and each had three cups of coffee. Yi Yunshuo felt quite energized. However, this beverage wouldn’t fill him up, and by dinnertime, he was still hungry, suggesting they go eat.

“Let’s eat dinner and head back.”

Just as he agreed, Fu Huayi suddenly grabbed his things and rushed out.

“Hey, wait for me!”

He quickly grabbed his things and chased after him.

What did he see?

Was he tidying himself up?

He watched as Fu Huayi stood outside the café, carefully fixing his hair and clothes, glancing at his reflection in the side mirror of a parked car, seemingly satisfied before walking slowly across the street.

There, a girl was standing at the bus stop. She was very pretty; it was Lin Yuyao.

“Xiao Lin, uh, do you mind if I call you that?”

Lin Yuyao smiled. “It’s okay. Big Brother Fu, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I called in sick today, and since I was already out, I thought I’d buy some daily necessities.”

He gestured to the items in his hands.

Lin Yuyao glanced at them and asked, “Is your illness serious?”

“It’s nothing, just a common cold. They were just too worried and insisted I go to a big hospital.”

Lin Yuyao said, “If it’s a bad cold, you should still get it checked; a severe cold can be life-threatening.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s quite scary; I should get it checked properly.”

At this moment, Yi Yunshuo caught up, smiling and asking Lin Yuyao, “Comrade Lin, are you waiting for a bus here?”

“Yes, I’m not on duty today, so I finished work early.”

“Oh, where do you live?”

“I live on Lingxiang Street.”

“Oh, you work here, but you live on Lingxiang Street?”

Lin Yuyao was speechless. 

How should she explain? The apartment was rented by Lu Jiangting.

Anyway, the lease was almost up; she would move out after a month. Zhou Jing and the others had been helping her look for a suitable apartment, and she would move to the neighborhood once she found one.

“I found the apartment first, then the job,” she softly explained.

Just as she spoke, the bus to Lingxiang Street arrived.

Lin Yuyao hurriedly said, “The bus is here; I’ll go first.”

Buses didn’t wait for anyone at this time. Lin Yuyao didn’t have time to say much more; clutching her small bag tightly, she waved to the bus. Unexpectedly, as if it hadn’t seen her, the bus didn’t stop and drove away.

Lin Yuyao was speechless.

Fu Huayi looked at the bus disappearing down the road. “Buses are hard to catch at this time; it’s rush hour, and every bus is full.”

Lin Yuyao nodded. “The next one will be fine.”

“Don’t wait. I drove here today; get in my car.”

He pointed to the opposite side of the street.

Lin Yuyao followed his gaze and saw a military green car.

The car was parked conspicuously by the roadside; it had been there all afternoon. It was theirs.