Chapter 12: When I Looked Up, You…

On the way, Zhou Jianqing answered a call from Zhou Chong: “Hello, have you sent my sister to her company yet?”

“She’s on the way, almost there.”

“Good,” Zhou Chong replied, sounding weak, holding his stomach. “By the way, where did you bring me lunch today? It was okay, but my stomach has been upset all afternoon. I’ve had to go to the bathroom several times and it won’t stop.”

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Chong complained that his stomach hurt so much he couldn’t even stand up. In the backseat, Fang Fuyi overheard this and couldn’t stop laughing, her waist sore from holding it in.

Having diarrhea?

Well, that’s just perfect!

The destination was a bit far from the school, but once they left the campus, the roads weren’t crowded. The car moved fast, and soon enough, they arrived, taking not much time at all.

The car came to a steady stop, Zhou Mian waved goodbye, and as she entered the nearby Tengxing Technology building, only Fang Fuyi and Zhou Jianqing were left in the car.

This was undoubtedly a prime location, with business districts and tech parks clustered around the area. In front of them was a commercial building that integrated a hotel, restaurant, and shopping mall. Just across the street was the local leading company, Tengxing Group’s headquarters.

The towering skyscrapers loomed high, and the few buildings visible from the school were now right in front of them.

Up close, the grandiose exterior was matched by the luxurious interior of the building as well.

“Hey, Ying Yulan, I’m here,” Zhou Jianqing made a call after arriving, gave his name, and then led Fang Fuyi into a private elevator. “Yeah, sure, thanks. I’ll treat you to dinner when you return to the country.”

They stopped in front of a Western restaurant.

This was a high-end Western restaurant under a five-star hotel, not only serving hotel guests but also regularly open to the public. Sometimes, the restaurant would take on additional projects, and important banquets would be hosted here.

The restaurant’s interior featured black and gold as the primary colors. Large metallic chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting soft, bright but not blinding light.

The space inside was vast and open, with glass partitions and floor-to-ceiling windows lining the sides, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.

The atmosphere was serene, elegant, and utterly luxurious.

“This restaurant belongs to a friend of mine, the one I just called,” Zhou Jianqing explained. “His name is Ying Yulan.”

Not just this restaurant, but the entire building was owned by him.

“The interior design was done by my friend himself. Everything’s legal, and all business licenses are verifiable,” Zhou Jianqing continued. “I’m not trying to deceive you, I have no need to.”

The job wasn’t too complicated, it was simply about playing specific music according to a set playlist, which happened to align with Fang Fuyi’s area of expertise. All those piano lessons during the holidays hadn’t been wasted.

Fang Fuyi was then led to the trial performance.

It was, after all, a five-star restaurant, and even the piano was different—visibly expensive, gleaming. The moment her fingers pressed the keys and the melodious sound echoed, she knew it was very expensive. She felt an urge to steal it.

The Fang family didn’t give their children pocket money, but the card could be swiped freely. Fang Fuyi wasn’t someone with high material desires. Rather than the satisfaction from spending, she preferred to see her savings slowly growing in her personal account.

The only expensive hobby she had was buying musical instruments, but now all of them had been sold off with her bankruptcy and assets auctioned and liquidated.

She hadn’t touched any instruments in a while, but fortunately, the basics were still there.

The piece was somewhat difficult, but under her fingers, it flowed like a stream.

The moment she touched the keys, it felt as if light was shining down. She could sense a stark contrast between the current state of herself and her usual self, like a fish finally touching the water after being thrown ashore, swimming freely in the ocean, filled with vitality as she regained the life force to nourish herself.

Everything clicked, and the job was quickly confirmed.

“Our part-time jobs here are on a shift system, and if you need time off, you need to request it in advance.”

“Considering you’re a student, we’ll try to arrange shifts after school or other suitable times. But if it’s after school, the workday may run a little late. Is your home nearby? Does your family approve?”

“Is this arrangement acceptable?”

The hourly wage offered was irresistible. Fang Fuyi immediately made up her mind and, even with some hesitation, she agreed, saying it was absolutely fine.

Although summer was not quite over, the days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

“Do you want to grab something to eat? There were too many people at lunch, and we didn’t have time. I’ll take you out for dinner on the way back,” Zhou Jianqing suggested as they drove back.

He had helped her a lot, and Fang Fuyi began to realize that Zhou Jianqing wasn’t a bad person, so she stopped being so confrontational. Her attitude softened quite a bit from the beginning. “Thank you for your kindness, but I’m going home for dinner.”

“Just drop me off at the station near my house. Thanks again!” Zhou Jianqing said, pulling over at an intersection while waiting for the green light. He saw through the rearview mirror that Fang Fuyi had clasped her hands together, thanking him.

He was actually curious. What did she mean by “going home”? Was someone cooking for her at home? Her parents weren’t even in the country anymore, so which home was she talking about?

It was the evening rush hour, and the neon lights flashed along the way. The traffic was so jammed that it barely moved, and by the time they reached the station Fang Fuyi had indicated, the sky had already darkened.

The breeze in the evening was a welcome relief from the lingering heat of summer, making the air feel especially pleasant.

Above them, the plane trees stood tall, and the night sky was dotted with stars. The gentle wind ruffled Fang Fuyi’s hair as she bent over, standing on a stone step, and waved goodbye to Zhou Jianqing through the car window. “I really want to thank you, no matter what.”

After all, he had helped her get the job and even gave her a ride back. There was nothing to criticize about how much he’d helped.

Although her abilities were limited, Fang Fuyi didn’t like owing people favors. “If you ever need help in the future, just ask. I’ll help with whatever I can.”

“I appreciate your goodwill, but let’s leave it at that,” Zhou Jianqing waved his hand with a nonchalant smile. “Oh, by the way, let’s exchange contact info. If you need anything, you can contact me directly.”

They exchanged WeChat contacts.

When it was time to part ways, Zhou Jianqing couldn’t help but feel curious about Fang Fuyi’s current situation, her living arrangements, and the “home” she mentioned. He was pondering whether to ask her directly when, in the midst of his hesitation, a leaf fluttered down from the tree, landing softly on her hair.

“Hey…” Zhou Jianqing reminded her, “There’s something on your head.”

“What is it? It’s not a bug, is it?” Not fully understanding, Fang Fuyi thought it might be some sort of insect. She lightly touched her hair, hesitating before daring to remove it.

The streetlight cast a hazy glow, and the night wind carried a tranquil, deep atmosphere. The car window framed the scene like a movie screen, with the bus stop, the shadow of the plane tree, and the slightly flustered girl in front of him.

Everything felt so natural, sketching a vivid night scene.

But suddenly, the moment was interrupted. A hand, with clearly defined knuckles, reached out. The young man, appearing out of nowhere in the “frame,” casually removed the leaf from her head, and his voice followed, like the leaf falling gently to the ground.

“It’s gone now.” The leaf rested in his palm, and his voice was mellow. “See, it’s nothing, just a leaf.”

Sheng Sui raised the hand that had been holding the groceries and faced the evening breeze. His eyes met the slightly startled Fang Fuyi’s, and in a soft voice, he asked, “What are you doing here? Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

Her body tensed, startled by the sudden appearance of his hand.

Fang Fuyi pressed her hand to her chest, unable to tell whether it was anxiety or a fluttering sensation she felt. Once she realized it was Sheng Sui, her tone softened, and she playfully scolded, “Ah! How do you walk without making a sound?”

Sheng Sui wanted to explain that he did make noise when walking, and it wasn’t as if he appeared silently out of nowhere.

In fact, he had seen her when he was passing by the residential area. Perhaps she was so focused on what she was doing that she didn’t hear his footsteps, or maybe she wasn’t paying attention to him.

He had seen her standing next to a car, bending over as if saying something, then reaching up to touch her hair, but the leaf didn’t fall off. Instead, her hair had become a bit tousled.

The car horn honked, vendors shouted their wares, and the air was filled with the hustle and bustle of city life, with many distractions.

But for some reason, the rest of the scene seemed to fade away from his vision. Under the light of the streetlamp, the only thing Sheng Sui could see was Fang Fuyi.

The dust drifted softly, and the light and shadows fell on her profile.

The shadow cast over her seemed like a filter, and from Sheng Sui’s perspective, the girl’s forehead was full and smooth, her long lashes fluttered, and her pink lips were moist. He could see her throat move slightly, and he couldn’t look away.

Her intense gaze didn’t need much effort to be felt.

Fang Fuyi looked up, and their eyes met. For some reason, she felt like she had been caught doing something wrong, even though she hadn’t done anything.

They lived under the same roof now, and with their current relationship, there shouldn’t be too many secrets between them.

Fang Fuyi would have preferred to share everything with Sheng Sui—talk to him about her day, share her joy at finding a job. But when she took a moment to think about it, she realized these weren’t things she could openly tell him.

Sheng Sui had taken her in because her parents had abandoned her, and she was truly alone, with nowhere else to go.

But what if he found out that the Zhou family, her former marriage arrangement, had been secretly helping her, even offering a stable place to stay? What would happen then? If she had a place to go, would he kick her out? Would he stop taking care of her?

Looking into Sheng Sui’s eyes, which reflected the deep blue shadows, Fang Fuyi found herself unable to reach a conclusion.

“This is my classmate. He needed to talk to me about something, so he brought me back. Now that the matter is settled, I was about to head home,” she decided to avoid the topic, trying to get Sheng Sui to leave.

“Hey, let’s go home together.”

Her delicate voice, like fragile porcelain, seemed slightly distorted in the night wind.

Sheng Sui lowered his eyes, his gaze darkening as it reflected the night. Because he knew her so well, even the small gestures of hesitation didn’t escape his notice:

Fang Fuyi was hiding something from him.