Chapter 14

Now it seemed inappropriate for her to ask for the canvas bag. Knowing his intentions were good, Yun Li reluctantly took one last longing look at the bag before silently slipping the souvenir pen into her bag.

After arranging the VR and AR devices on the table, Fu Shizhe pressed the power button next to the VR goggles. From Yun Li’s perspective, she could see the lenses flash briefly to life.

Not wanting to seem presumptuous, Yun Li waited a few seconds before offering, “Do you need a hand with anything?”

Fu Shizhe casually pointed to a spot about a meter away, “Stand over there, and I’ll adjust the position.”

He then directed Fu Zhengchu to stand opposite Yun Li, positioning himself between them with ease as he donned the VR goggles.

Perhaps he was fine-tuning the boundaries of the virtual world; he held the controller with the front facing down, inching closer to Yun Li.

It was as if the two were in an enclosed space of their own, standing on a private path where the man seemed like a monk wandering in the outer world, his obscure presence briefly engulfing her space.

This made her want to step back and also yearn for his approach.

Fu Shizhe stopped a step away from her, tracing an imaginary circle around her with the controller.

“All set.” After completing the circle, Fu Shizhe removed the goggles with one hand, his hair disheveled. He looked at Yun Li and politely thanked her, “Thank you.”

Then he moved on to check the other devices for proper function.

Fu Shizhe had also brought along a small box filled to the brim with two thick stacks of brochures. As per EAW’s sponsorship terms, the “Aim High” club was tasked with distributing all of these.

Fu Zhengchu took note and his eyes widened, “We have to hand all these out today?”

His disbelief was similar to that of a child seeing a bizarre creature for the first time, prompting Yun Li to smile slightly, “Wasn’t it you who secured the sponsorship?”

“Well, yes, but this is outrageous. I’m just one person,” Fu Zhengchu complained with a glum expression. “This is too much. EAW only gave us a little bit of sponsorship.”

Fu Zhengchu seemed to have forgotten that just two minutes earlier, he had boasted to Yun Li about the hefty funding he obtained from EAW.

Seeing Fu Shizhe unresponsive, Fu Zhengchu pressed, “Don’t you think so, Uncle?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Why not!!”

Fu Shizhe glanced at him, “I’m not the one distributing.”

Fu Zhengchu might have been whining, but he didn’t dare to slack off, taking half of the brochures back with him. Seeing this, Yun Li felt she had nothing better to do and followed, “I’ll help distribute some.”

Without waiting for his response, Yun Li picked up the remaining half.

Fu Zhengchu couldn’t help but look at Fu Shizhe as if he were an oddity, “Uncle, see, this is the difference between you and Li Li.”

Fu Shizhe couldn’t be bothered to engage and nonchalantly said, “Wait a moment.”

He took half from Yun Li’s stack and placed it on the table.

Fu Zhengchu stuttered, “Uncle, why didn’t you take from mine?”

“Because…” Fu Shizhe replied indifferently, “This is the difference between you and Li Li.”

“…”

Carrying brochures, Yun Li trailed behind Fu Zhengchu when suddenly her right ear turned intensely hot.

That previous remark…

While it seemed like a comeback to Fu Zhengchu, it also subtly suggested that there was something special about her.

“LiLi, I’ll go and hand these out on the other side, you stay here, so you don’t have to go too far. If it gets too hot, just take shelter under the tent,” Fu Zhengchu said before heading to the other side of the square.

The plaza was still bustling, and Yun Li wasn’t long in distributing quite several leaflets. Fortuitously, from her vantage point, she could take in the entire view of the banner.

Sending Fu Shizhe for EAW’s campus promotion was undoubtedly a smart choice––his good looks quickly paid off.

Most of the people queued were girls, many arriving in groups.

For the first time, Yun Li watched Fu Shizhe work from the viewpoint of an observer.

He stood at the side, helping students navigate the VR gear while setting up makeshift safety zones with cardboard to avoid collisions.

His demeanor looked casual, not a smile in sight, his actions neither enthused nor impatient.

With thoughts aplenty, Yun Li would occasionally glance towards Fu Shizhe, only to quickly look away, purposefully handing out flyers in another direction.

It was like she was playing the thief, trying to cover her tracks.

Yun Li was slightly vexed, owning these eyes, but seemingly not their wanderings.

By quarter past four, the crowd had dwindled, and the leaflets were all handed out.

Yun Li headed back under the tent, where several booth attendants were sprawled out on the table, some even draping tissues over their eyes to catch a quick nap.

Fu Zhengchu brought a box of water over. Noticing the long queue at Fu Shizhe’s station, he handed two bottles to Yun Li, “There’s still quite a crowd at Uncle’s booth. Take him a bottle of water, will you? I’ve got more flyers to hand out.”

Holding two bottles, Yun Li approached Fu Shizhe.

He was still hard at work, assisting a student who was trying out the equipment and just then asking, “Should I press the button on the right?”

“The button on the lower right, hold it down to pick up objects,” Fu Shizhe directed.

Unsure whether to interrupt his work, Yun Li stood quietly to the side, waiting.

In a few seconds, Fu Shizhe reached out, palm up, towards her direction.

Taken aback, Yun Li passed the water over as if they had an unspoken understanding.

His gaze fixed on the student in the VR area, eyes betraying fatigue. With a glance, Fu Shizhe took the water, slightly unscrewed the cap, then tightened it and handed it back.

He then grabbed the other bottle, took a swig, and placed it at the foot of the table.

Almost as if done without conscious thought.

Yun Li was slow on the uptake, only just comprehending what had transpired.

She fixated on the bottle’s cap, the tamper ring that had been twisted open, as if visualizing Fu Shizhe’s hand over it.

Back at the stand, Yun Li was a bit lost in thought. It wasn’t something to fuss over, but it tickled something within her.

In the realm of social setbacks, Yun Li typically cocooned herself away from the world.

Several instances of Fu Shizhe’s seeming insurmountability had pushed Yun Li to decide to keep clear of what could be considered a long-term ‘frozen product’, likely without clear thawing instructions.

But various details kept smoothing out her urge to flee.

Her gaze lingered on his aloof silhouette, a smile sneaking across her face uncontrollably, like a child who had filched a piece of candy.

The line had thinned to just a few people when Fu Shizhe glanced around. The light was dimming, and many booths had started packing up.

Removing the equipment from a girl, he bent down to adjust the headgear’s length when she inquired, “Can I take this prize?”

Fu Shizhe gave a brief look back.

The girl was holding a canvas bag, with only some commemorative paper pens left on the table.

His silence somehow cast a shadow over the moment, making her ask uncertainly, “May I?”

After a long silence.

Fu Shizhe went on to help the next person with the equipment, calmly stating, “Sorry, someone requested that earlier. Please choose another.”

…

Yun Li helped Fu Zhengchu close up the tent, rolled up the banner, and carefully placed the application forms into the box. Fu Zhengchu said his goodbyes to the others, asking them to carry back the tables and tent to the office later.

“Uncle, are you all packed up?” Fu Zhengchu slapped Fu Shizhe’s shoulder in a carefree manner. “Hurry up, let’s go grab some food.”

The table still had some leftover prizes, and when Yun Li noticed a canvas bag, she paused. She sneakily glanced at Fu Shizhe’s expression, then at Fu Zhengchu.

After hesitating for a while, and once most of the stuff was packed away, she mustered up the courage to ask, “May I have a go?”

“Li Li, didn’t you play at EAW before?” Fu Zhengchu asked.

Feeling like Fu Zhengchu was calling her out, Yun Li, unable to lie, quietly said, “I haven’t played… exactly this one.”

Perhaps it was her guilt, but at that moment, time seemed to slow down.

Fu Shizhe lazily flicked at the remaining plastic wrapping on the table, his eyes lifting slightly: “The only prize left is the canvas bag.”

He meant that if she wanted to participate now, there were no other prizes to choose from.

Yun Li: “I just want to experience it.”

She tried her best to appear sincere: “The prize or anything like that doesn’t matter, it’s all good.”

In the crisp air, she thought she heard a low chuckle from Fu Shizhe’s throat, barely audible.

Just as Yun Li was about to confirm further, she looked up to meet Fu Shizhe’s usual silence.

“Li Li, you want this canvas bag, right? Just take it, it’s no use leaving it here.” Before Yun Li could delve deeper, Fu Zhengchu finally read her mind and pushed the canvas bag into her arms.

“Consider it a—” he thought of a great reason, “a reward for a loyal player!”

Fu Shizhe packed the equipment back into the foam bag, secured it with the lock, and placed it in the car’s trunk, seemingly indifferent to the proceedings.

The trio then went to the popular cafeteria on the second floor.

The cafeteria had already made a name for itself, and Nanwu Institute of Technology University had been teased as a breeding ground for internet celebrities. But that didn’t stop the local citizens and tourists from coming to check it out.

This was Yun Li’s first visit to this famous cafeteria. She queued at the XiFu noodle stall while Fu Shizhe and Fu Zhengchu headed to the Korean cuisine counter.

After getting her noodles, Yun Li met Fu Zhengchu at the exit.

Fu Shizhe had already found a spot and was waiting for them.

They both had ordered seaweed rice balls, neatly arranged on black glazed plates. The only difference was Fu Zhengchu’s portion was double that of Fu Shizhe’s, and he also got a Coke.

“Uncle, did you only grab your chopsticks?” Fu Zhengchu asked in disbelief.

Fu Shizhe silently stared at the chopsticks on Fu Zhengchu’s plate.

“It’s okay, I forgot to take mine,” Yun Li quickly intervened, placing her plate on the table to smooth things over.

The noodles on her plate looked plain and bland, just a few strands in clear water without a hint of oil.

Compared to Fu Zhengchu’s indignant look, Fu Shizhe didn’t seem to care much. He told her to wait, got up, and fetched her chopsticks and a spoon. He also brought back two bowls of appetizers, placing them on Yun Li’s plate.

Even though it was because her plate was too heavy to carry chopsticks, Yun Li felt embarrassed and softly thanked Fu Shizhe.

As soon as Fu Zhengchu sat down, he asked, “Li Li, are you from XiFu?”

XiFu was known for its love of noodles, and Yun Li hadn’t had them for a while. She couldn’t resist ordering some at the cafeteria.

She stirred the noodles in the bowl, too hot to eat right away.

Yun Li nodded, “Yes, I lived in XiFu before my postgraduate studies.”

“XiFu Sci-Tech University’s top student, huh?” Fu Zhengchu asked.

Hearing XiFu Sci-Tech University, Fu Shizhe paused with his chopsticks and looked up at them.

“I went to an ordinary first-tier university in XiFu,” Yun Li said modestly, shaking her head. “XiFu Sci-Tech University is almost the best university there. Normal people can’t just get in.”

“Right, I’m sitting next to someone who’s not normal,” Fu Zhengchu nodded in agreement.

“Oh…” Yun Li feigned confusion, awkwardly addressing Fu Shizhe, “You’re from XiFu Sci-Tech University?”

Fu Zhengchu’s face was a picture of shock: “Li Li, you didn’t know Uncle is from XiFu Sci-Tech University? He was the top scorer in Nanwu’s college entrance exam that year. They nearly hung banners up to our doorstep.”

“That’s impressive,” her lukewarm reaction caught Fu Zhengchu’s attention, and Yun Li quickly adopted an exaggerated expression, “That’s really impressive!”

Fu Shizhe: “…”