Chapter 36

The meal was ready, just waiting for Yun Li to sit down and eat.

For the first time in such a situation, sitting across from someone she had given up pursuing, Yun Li felt awkward and unsure how to interact.

Fu Shizhe quietly watched her, the light casting shadows on his face.

Yun Li knew that for him, this was just a meal with a colleague, nothing more common.

She swallowed hard, moving at a glacial pace, and as that cool, indifferent face drew nearer, time seemed to slow even more.

She walked to the spot diagonally opposite Fu Shizhe and pulled the boxed lunch closer to her.

“I’ll just sit here,” Yun Li whispered, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Yun Li kept her head down, eating her lunch.

The person beside her barely moved, and in silent agreement, they didn’t speak.

They interacted as they normally would.

All she had to do was look up to see his dark brows and eyes.

Yun Li felt like she was on pins and needles. The emotions of the past few days surged up, and she fiddled with her chopsticks, pretending to check her phone, “A colleague is looking for me, I’ll go back to the office to eat.”

The atmosphere grew tense.

Fu Shizhe was silent for a while, then stood up without calling out her lie, “You guys eat here, I’m done.”

His boxed lunch was almost untouched. He closed the lid and left the break room without another word.

He must have noticed her discomfort.

He was being considerate of her feelings.

Yun Li felt a bit guilty. After all, this whole thing was just her giving up on the pursuit; Fu Shizhe hadn’t done anything wrong from start to finish.

She couldn’t interact as naturally as Fu Shizhe did, but she also didn’t want to be petty, making him constantly give in to her emotions.

As soon as the door closed, she went online looking for answers.

“Come on, you’re adults. If the pursuit fails, it fails. Be open-minded!”

“It’s normal for someone not to like you. Don’t take it too hard. Just get along as colleagues. Aren’t there always colleagues you don’t see eye to eye with?”

“Put yourself in your colleague’s shoes. They probably just want to socialize and work normally.”

Indeed.

Most people seemed to think so. This was just a very ordinary thing.

Fu Shizhe was different from her. He had no shortage of admirers, and for him, being rejected or others giving up the pursuit was all too normal.

It was just her caring too much.

…

As the year neared its end, EAW became busier with many projects reaching their year-end assessment points. Yun Li had heard He Jiameng complain about the recent crazy overtime, and even as an intern, she had to borrow materials from other departments.

The technical department needed a report by tomorrow, and Yun Li was tasked with the final integration, proofreading, and formatting of the materials. Different colleagues were responsible for different parts, and by the time they sent them to her, it was almost time to leave.

Before leaving, He Jiameng stopped by Yun Li’s desk, “Are you integrating this report? Are you going to work overtime?”

Yun Li, who had been sitting all day, tiredly replied, “Yes…”

He Jiameng cheered her on, “You can do it!”

“Oh, and,” she added before leaving, “I heard there’s a pervert in the residential area nearby. Don’t you live around here?”

Yun Li tensed up, “What kind of pervert?”

“The kind that walks up to you wearing only a thick coat and then—”

“Okay, okay, stop there,” Yun Li quickly shook her head.

He Jiameng adjusted her bag, advising, “Just don’t stay too late, and if you have to, call someone to pick you up.”

“Alright.”

Aside from Yun Li, the rest of the HR department was packing up to leave. Yun Li couldn’t handle their farewells and slipped into the break room to make tea.

Upon opening the door, Yun Li saw Fu Shizhe sitting on a bean bag, seemingly watching a video on his phone, the barrage of comments resembling those on E-station.

Before Yun Li could see the content, Fu Shizhe calmly turned off his screen.

Not wanting to repeat the awkwardness of the lunch incident, Yun Li took the initiative, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Fu Shizhe replied, “What about you?”

Yun Li said, “Not so soon.”

Not keen on extending the conversation, Yun Li filled her cup with hot water and left.

After three hours, Yun Li had processed the materials she received according to the requirements. One colleague said they hadn’t finished and would send it to her after getting home, but Yun Li hadn’t received it yet.

Having stared at the screen for a long time, Yun Li rested her head on the desk to refresh herself, thinking she’d wait a little longer.

Just past nine, Fu Shizhe finally emerged from the break room.

The lights in the HR department were still on. He knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Upon opening the door, the office seemed empty, yet he could hear faint breathing.

Approaching, Fu Shizhe found Yun Li lying face down on the desk, her face turned away, her computer keyboard pushed aside.

She appeared very small, occupying only a small part of the office chair.

Her other hand was still half-clutching the mouse, and one earphone had fallen onto the desk between her ear and elbow due to her position, while the other remained in her right ear.

Fu Shizhe reached over and picked up the earphone from the crook of Yun Li’s elbow, placing it in his left ear.

Soft piano music flowed from the earphones.

Fu Shizhe looked down at Yun Li. Her face was small, her tightly closed eyelids fluttering slightly, giving her an innocent and harmless appearance.

He stood there quietly for a moment before removing the earphone and placing it back on the desk.

Fu Shizhe spoke softly, “Yun Li.”

Yun Li didn’t move.

Fu Shizhe pursed his lips and tried again, “Yun Li.”

Still, Yun Li didn’t stir.

With no other option, Fu Shizhe reached over to remove the earphone from her right ear and called out, “Yun LiLi.”

Yun Li remained motionless.

The office was silent except for the few times he called her name, deliberately lowering his voice.

Fu Shizhe didn’t want to startle her awake. He leaned down, close to her right ear.

Before he could speak, Yun Li suddenly opened her eyes, looking sleepy and confused. Seeing Fu Shizhe’s face so close, she squinted.

Fu Shizhe paused, then silently straightened up.

Yun Li was slow to react, “Were you calling me just now?”

Fu Shizhe’s momentary lapse was fleeting; he had already returned to his usual indifferent self, “You were asleep.”

On hearing this, Yun Li’s face flushed, “Oh…”

“Is there something you need?” Yun Li sat up straight.

Fu Shizhe admitted frankly, “I saw the light was on.”

“Shall we go?” Fu Shizhe handed her the earphones.

Yun Li was slightly taken aback, “You want to walk with me?”

Fu Shizhe nodded.

Yun Li felt uneasy, “I can go back by myself…”

Fu Shizhe, “It’s not very safe lately.”

Hearing this, Yun Li hesitated. After all, personal safety was most important. She thought for a moment, “But I’m still waiting for a colleague’s document. Maybe you should go ahead.”

Fu Shizhe, “I’ll wait for you.”

His tone was devoid of any excess emotion, as if he felt it was a matter of course, just a simple gesture.

Yun Li tried not to overthink, but her mind was in turmoil.

Fu Shizhe stood by for a while before walking away.

When Yun Li finished with the documents and was about to turn off the lights, she saw Fu Shizhe coming out of Xu QingSong’s office across the way.

Fu Shizhe, “Let’s go.”

“Okay…”

As they passed by Fu Shizhe’s office, he said, “Wait a moment,” and went back to grab two baseball caps from the wooden coat rack by the door. Both caps were similar in style and shape, one black and one blue.

He put on the blue cap himself, pressing it down. His hair wasn’t long, and wearing the cap made his features stand out more sharply.

“It’s gotten colder.” Fu Shizhe handed the cap to Yun Li.

The cap was a bit large for Yun Li. She adjusted it and saw their reflections in the glass. They were nearly a head apart in height, looking like two teenagers in their awkward phase.

At night, the temperature in Nanwu had dropped to three or four degrees, and the high humidity after the rain intensified the chill of winter.

Yun Li followed behind Fu Shizhe, his hands in his pockets, his stride easy. Perhaps influenced by him, her mood had also improved.

The moment of longing didn’t last long. By the time Yun Li came to her senses, they were already downstairs. Fu Shizhe nodded towards the apartment, signaling her to go back.

Yun Li said softly, “You should get some rest too.”

Then she hurried back as if escaping.

After the busiest period, EAW welcomed its year-end trip, with this year’s venue being the Bar and Chill Inn. The departments took turns to go, and the HR department was scheduled for the Monday and Tuesday after Christmas.

Not long after hearing this news, Deng Chuqi called.

“Xiaxia told me you guys are going to their family’s guesthouse next Monday and Tuesday. She suggested we go over on Friday night in advance.” Deng Chuqi sounded cheerful, “It just so happens I’ve submitted my resignation, and they plan to celebrate my escape from misery.”

Yun Li stirred the noodles in the pot, “Will Xiaxia’s Uncle be there?”

“I asked Xiaxia who would be there, and her Uncle might not have time, it being the end of the year and all.” Deng Chuqi joked, “What, if Xiaxia’s Uncle isn’t going, you won’t celebrate for me?”

“That’s not what I meant…” Yun Li hesitated, turned off the stove, poured herself a glass of warm water, and only after everything was ready did she recount the events that had happened.

Yun Li wisely moved her phone a bit further away, and within seconds, Deng Chuqi’s voice was several times louder: “Li Li! Are you joking!! Did you ask him in person? What if he wanted to ask you out!”

Yun Li: “Because it’s a girl he’s known for several years, it definitely isn’t me.”

Deng Chuqi disagreed: “No, that’s what someone else said, you should ask him in person.”

Deng Chuqi always spoke her mind, and Yun Li suddenly felt less confident, bluntly saying, “But I’ve been pursuing him for so long, and he’s always been rejecting me. He’s declined all my invitations.”

Yun Li sounded downhearted: “And it’s been two weeks since then, he hasn’t reached out to me. He probably doesn’t even know I deleted him on WeChat.”

“Damn.” Deng Chuqi blurted out: “You deleted his WeChat?”

Yun Li: “Um…”

Deng Chuqi: “You’re still at the same company, and there are occasional interactions in life, right? Meeting like this would just be a huge awkward show.”

Yun Li: “Actually, I’m kind of regretting it… Should I add him back secretly?”

Deng Chuqi: “…”

Yun Li mumbled to herself: “He might not have noticed yet…”

Deng Chuqi was silent.

After a moment, Yun Li added, “But if he has noticed, wouldn’t that be even more awkward? Never mind.”

Deng Chuqi fell into a long silence, and then tried to comfort Yun Li, “It’s good to set boundaries with him. If you don’t want to come, then don’t. It’s not a big deal.”

Yun Li honestly said, “It’s setting boundaries… but you guys are the only friends I have in Nanwu. I don’t want this to affect my normal life.”

“It’s okay, Li Li.” Deng Chuqi tried to alleviate her anxiety, jokingly saying, “Let Xiaxia bring a couple of single colleagues along…”

Hearing this, Yun Li’s tone also lightened, “No, don’t. If you do, I won’t come.”

The atmosphere between them eased a lot. Deng Chuqi put the call on speaker, and together with Xia Congsheng, they confirmed the arrangements for that day.

Yun Li returned to the kitchen to reignite the stove; the noodles had turned soft and clumped together. She poked them with chopsticks.

She remembered the scene from a few days ago when Fu Shizhe walked her home.

In the end, she couldn’t help but look back.

Fu Shizhe was still standing there, his tall frame seemingly blending into the winter night. The moment she turned around, she unexpectedly collided with his calm and gentle gaze.