Chapter 69: Boldly Closing the Distance

Lin Yuyao said, “Then you should eat a little, don’t worry, I’ll cook some porridge and make something light.”

“Alright, thank you for the trouble.”

Lin Yuyao smiled and replied, “It’s no trouble; you’ve helped me a lot before without complaining.”

She invited him in, offering him the only decent stool in the room, which was the one in front of her desk.

Then, she intentionally left the door wide open.

Fu Huayi noticed her action. Being perceptive, he naturally understood her intentions.

He said, “You have no engagement, and I have no engagement; we are different from Lu Jiangting and Fang Qing.”

Uh…

“If anything gets out that could tarnish your reputation, I… I…” He hesitated for a moment, gathering all the courage he had accumulated over the years to say, “I will marry you.”

Lin Yuyao’s mind buzzed, and she looked at him in disbelief.

Fu Huayi’s ears turned red.

As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

He hurriedly explained, “The fifth floor is the top floor, and there are only two families. The apartment across from you is empty, and no one lives there. That means no one will come up. Don’t worry, no one will see us.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

That said, she still didn’t close the door.

Fu Huayi didn’t say anything more.

Lin Yuyao had a small stool as well; after putting the rice in the pot, she sat on the small stool and started to prepare the vegetables.

These were bought in the morning and were a little wilted, but still good to eat.

Meanwhile, sitting at the desk, Fu Huayi happened to see the book on the table.

The cover depicted only a profile.

Although it was illustrated and had an ancient style, he immediately recognized it was Lin Yuyao.

“Yaoyao, is this the book you wrote?”

Lin Yuyao: …

She wanted to correct his way of addressing her, but… would that be too deliberate?

He said that was how they referred to girls in their hometown.

Is there really such a way?

Even if there is, it must be for someone they are quite familiar with.

But were she and Fu Huayi that familiar?

They seemed to be friends now.

“Yaoyao?”

Lin Yuyao felt awkward and could only respond, “Yes.”

“Can you give it to me?”

“This…” She looked troubled.

Fu Huayi: …

Still treating him like a stranger?

She didn’t want to give him a book?

Lin Yuyao explained, “This is a sample book, and there are only two copies. I lent one to Sister Zhou and the others; this one I plan to send back to my parents.”

Oh, so there’s none for him.

“Brother Fu, when the mass printing comes out, I will definitely give you one.”

Now that sounded better.

“Great! Can you sign it for me?”

Lin Yuyao smiled and nodded, saying, “Of course, you will be the first reader to receive my signed book.”

Hearing this, Fu Huayi’s heart soared.

“Can I take a look at it now? I will be careful not to damage it.”

“Sure.”

He only had the time while she was cooking, and it wasn’t a thick book; he read it at the fastest pace of his life.

After all, he came from a scholarly background. Although he couldn’t read at lightning speed, he could read faster than most.

Just as she called him for dinner, he was reaching the end.

“Just a moment, I’m almost done.”

Huh?

He was finishing up so soon?

This was over a hundred thousand words.

“Go ahead and read, it’s fine; dinner can wait. It just came off the stove, and it’s still hot.”

“Okay.”

He responded while reading.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, the porridge was no longer too hot, and Fu Huayi finally finished reading.

He closed the book and said to her, “This book…”

Lin Yuyao quickly raised her hand to stop him. “No, no reviews.”

Fu Huayi: …

She felt a bit embarrassed. “I know there are many flaws; I actually don’t want familiar people to know. If it weren’t for Sister Qin saying that becoming known among those around me was inevitable, I wouldn’t even mention it.”

Fu Huayi seemed to understand her meaning and said, “It’s common for beginners; once you become a great writer, you’ll get used to it.”

Lin Yuyao: “Brother Fu, do you really think I can become a great writer?”

Fu Huayi hesitated for a moment and said, “What you wrote… it feels like something not many people in this era could write.”

Huh?

“Your thoughts are quite advanced; even ten years from now, people might not write like this.”

Lin Yuyao: …

She was still influenced by the books she read in her previous life.

Although she couldn’t articulate the specific contents of those books, some ideas had already shaped her mind.

“Oh, I see? So… do you think it’s good or bad?”

Fu Huayi: …Didn’t she just say no reviews?

“It’s quite good; that’s an advantage.”

That’s good.

Lin Yuyao smiled and said, “Brother Fu, come eat now.”

“Mm.”

She handed him chopsticks; the meal was simple: porridge, a plate of greens, two fried eggs, along with flatbread and pickles.

As they were eating, they suddenly heard an exclamation, “Hey, you’re really here!”

Fu Huayi looked up, his gaze towards Yi Yunshuo was displeased.

Yi Yunshuo looked back and forth between them, too shocked to speak.

“You… you…”

They were sitting together eating this late at night?

Were they living together?

Lin Yuyao felt incredibly awkward.

She said no one would come, didn’t she?

She smiled and said, “Brother Yi, have you eaten?”

Huh?

Who wouldn’t eat this late at night?

“Come in and sit, I’ll serve you some rice. You should eat something too.”

Yi Yunshuo nodded woodenly and sat down on a small stool.

Lin Yuyao helped him serve rice and gave him a flatbread she had made.

Yi Yunshuo looked at Fu Huayi with some apprehension, lowering his head and not daring to speak.

He took a small bite of the flatbread, finding it quite good.

He silently ate the whole flatbread and was about to take a second one when Fu Huayi warned him.

“Ahem.” His chopsticks tapped Yi Yunshuo’s chopsticks.

Yi Yunshuo was sitting on a small stool, while Fu Huayi was sitting on the chair in front of the desk.

Therefore, Yi Yunshuo had to look up to see Fu Huayi.

“What?”

Fu Huayi said, “Eating too much at night is bad for your stomach, one is enough.”

Yi Yunshuo: …

It was such a small piece, how could one be enough?

However, seeing his warning gaze, he could only retract his chopsticks and drink porridge instead.

Hmm?

The porridge was well-cooked, with just the right consistency.

He drank a bowl in a few gulps and was about to get another one.

“Ahem.”

Yi Yunshuo: …

“Didn’t I say? Eating too much at night is bad for you, that’s enough.”

Yi Yunshuo: “It’s porridge, I can just go to the toilet if I eat too much. It’s fine.”

Fu Huayi: …

When Yi Yunshuo was taking the flatbread, Lin Yuyao hadn’t noticed anything.

Now that he was being stopped from drinking porridge, she understood.

Fu Huayi must have thought that she only cooked enough for two people and was worried that Yi Yunshuo would eat too much and there wouldn’t be enough.

Lin Yuyao said, “It’s alright; I’m full. There’s still plenty in the pot, enough to drink. Brother Yi, let me help you serve some.”