Chapter 20: Li Zhi Takes the Initiative to Interlock Fingers with Fu Tingzhou

Zhou Yufeng caught up with Li Zhi and whispered behind her,
“Li Zhi, could I ask you for a favor? I need you to pretend to be someone’s girlfriend—urgent situation, please help me out.”

Li Zhi was puzzled. “Why do I need to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

“I said it wrong—not my girlfriend, Old Fu’s girlfriend. Here’s the thing: I came to a blind date today and brought Old Fu with me. But the girl I was supposed to meet took a liking to him instead and now wants to pursue him. So I told a small lie, said he already had a girlfriend to make her back off. But she didn’t believe it and insisted on seeing his girlfriend to be sure. Then I happened to run into you, so I wanted to ask for your help. Please?”

Li Zhi normally disliked lying and instinctively wanted to refuse, but then she remembered that she owed Fu Tingzhou a favor from yesterday. Pretending to be his girlfriend to get him out of a tough spot would settle the debt.

Debts of gratitude were hard to repay, and this wasn’t a difficult favor.

“Alright, but I’ll only pretend this once. If it needs to be repeated, you’ll have to find someone else. I’m returning to school soon and won’t have time.”

Zhou Yufeng quickly promised, “No need after today, just once.”

Whether the act would turn into reality later would be up to Old Fu.

…

Wang Jingyi noticed the two whispering, then saw Zhou Yufeng run off. She was now convinced Fu Tingzhou didn’t have a girlfriend and felt deceived—she was angry.

“Commander Fu, are all soldiers this dishonest? Why say you have a girlfriend when you don’t? So what if I like you and want to pursue you? Maybe it’ll cause a bit of inconvenience, but you still shouldn’t lie, right? That’s not honest at all…”

Her round, baby-fat face was full of anger as she lectured Fu Tingzhou.

Fu Tingzhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, calm and indifferent, his expression lazy but with an invisible pressure radiating from him. A chill seemed to surround him.

Wang Jingyi was a little intimidated, but seeing his uniform gave her courage. He was a soldier, not likely to lose his temper and hit a girl.

Fu Tingzhou remained silent, only giving her a brief glance before looking away—toward the entrance.

There she was.

She looked even more beautiful today. Her hair was tied back, neat and fresh, giving her a composed, intellectual aura that was more refined than when her hair was down.

Zhou Yufeng came over and nearly laughed at the scene but held it back.

Fu Tingzhou was a commander—usually the one scolding others. Even higher-ups didn’t dare scold him. After all, he came from the capital military compound.

Now he was being scolded by a twenty-year-old girl and couldn’t even argue back. It was hilarious.

If it weren’t for the situation, he’d be slapping his thigh laughing for ten minutes straight.

Fu Tingzhou gave Zhou Yufeng a cold, warning glare.

You caused this. And you still have the nerve to laugh?

Zhou Yufeng shot back a reassuring look and brought Li Zhi over.
“His girlfriend is here.”

“I don’t believe—”

Wang Jingyi turned around and froze, pupils shrinking in shock.

Oh my god, what a stunning woman.

Tall, elegant, graceful figure, porcelain skin, delicate features, and loosely tied long hair that gave off a laid-back but capable vibe.

Her beauty was gentle yet radiant and resilient—very rare for a nineteen-year-old girl to have such a unique aura.

Fu Tingzhou stood up and walked to her. He wanted to hold her wrist but stopped, thinking better of it.

“Sit over there.”

“Alright.”

As soon as they sat, Wang Jingyi questioned,
“You two don’t look close at all. You’re barely holding hands through your sleeves and sitting so far apart. Are you really a couple?”

Zhou Yufeng stepped in,
“There are a lot of people in this café. She’s just shy, don’t force it.”

“I still don’t really believe it. How about… you two hold hands for real?”

Fu Tingzhou didn’t want to pressure Li Zhi and was about to confess,
“We…”

We’re not a couple. Zhou Yufeng lied to you.

Before he could finish, a small hand reached out.

Her fingertips lightly touched the back of his hand, her slender fingers slowly interlacing with his—ten fingers tightly entwined, palms pressed together.

Her hand was cool, a chill that felt like a current piercing straight into his heart.

Fu Tingzhou’s fingers trembled slightly, his heart burned, and the tips of his ears turned red uncontrollably.

He forced himself to stay calm, not daring to look at her. His long lashes lowered, hiding the joy in his eyes—afraid it would give him away.

He wished time could freeze in this moment, holding her hand forever.

She hugged him yesterday.

Today she’s willing to hold his hand.

Does this mean she likes me too?

Thinking of that possibility, his heartbeat went wild. His eyes lit up with a mix of joy, surprise, and nervousness.

Zhou Yufeng said he was “a third wheel for love.”

Before meeting Li Zhi, he wouldn’t have accepted that role.

But now, for her, being the third wheel didn’t seem so bad.
He just didn’t know if she’d give him a chance.

…

Wang Jingyi bent over to peek under the table and saw their fingers interlocked.

She smiled with playful understanding.
“Okay, I believe you now. You two really suit each other. I’m backing off. Commander Fu, forget what I said earlier. You’re handsome, but I won’t be a homewrecker. Cheers to your love—I wish you two forever happiness.”

Zhou Yufeng had just taken a sip of coffee and nearly spit it out.

The third wheel is sitting right across from you.

Wang Jingyi suddenly stood and reached out to Li Zhi,
“You’re Li Zhi, right? Such a pretty name. Can we be friends? I’m Wang Jingyi. Just call me Jingyi.”

Zhou Yufeng didn’t expect her to switch sides so quickly—just a moment ago she was the “love rival.”

Now she wanted to be friends?

Hard to understand.

“Sure. Just call me Li Zhi.”

After finding out that Li Zhi was preparing to repeat her college entrance exams, Wang Jingyi chatted with her for half an hour.
“What a coincidence! I’m repeating the exams too. What school are you going to?”

“Yangcheng No.1 High School.”

“Another coincidence! Me too!”

They hadn’t finished chatting, but it was already lunchtime.

The four of them decided to eat together.

After the meal, Li Zhi wanted to return to the library to study.

Fu Tingzhou went with her.

He mentioned that next month he had a military theory exam.

Senior officers in the army must continuously study and be tested on military theory to keep up with evolving military environments and strategic needs.
Reading, newspapers, and studying were part of their routine.

Zhou Yufeng and Wang Jingyi, aware that Fu Tingzhou wanted to spend time with Li Zhi, tactfully went their separate ways.

Li Zhi didn’t think much of it.

She no longer believed in love.

Fu Tingzhou hadn’t confessed, and whether he liked her or not had nothing to do with her—for now.

Overthinking would only cause unnecessary trouble for herself.

When they walked into the library side by side, some young men who had secretly been waiting for Li Zhi were visibly disappointed.

They had noticed her earlier that morning and were hoping to get to know her, study together, maybe even date.

But seeing her seriously focused on her studies, they hadn’t dared disturb her.

In the afternoon, they deliberately sat near where she had studied in the morning.

Only to find that she didn’t sit there—and brought a man with her.

A man in military uniform. An officer.

Two stripes, three stars. A regiment commander.

They didn’t stand a chance.

Hearts broken.

To avoid disturbing her, Fu Tingzhou sat at the table behind her, not the same table.

He picked a few thick military books from the shelves and began reading and taking notes.

At one point, Li Zhi went to the restroom and came back to see him busily scribbling on paper.

They say a focused man is the most attractive—that’s no lie.

Fu Tingzhou was truly charming: handsome, gentlemanly, a great guy.
Far better than Lu Yanzhi, who had pretended to be perfect before marriage.

As the saying goes, “When love fades, only character remains.”
Find someone who’s good at heart—then even a breakup won’t destroy you.

It won’t cost you your life.

Li Zhi returned to her seat and pushed aside her thoughts, fully immersing herself in her studies.

Once she started studying, she lost track of time.

At 5:00 PM, Fu Tingzhou came to her side.
“It’s five. When are you leaving? You can eat dinner first, then study more. I’ll take you home tonight.”

“Let’s go. I’ll treat you to dinner. I won’t come back to study tonight—my family has a curfew. I have to be home by eight.”

That evening, after dinner, Fu Tingzhou walked her home.

The streets were quiet and still under the moonlight.

They walked side by side, about 50 centimeters apart—like they were deliberately keeping a distance.

Fu Tingzhou’s gaze lingered subtly on her face.

Under the moonlight, her pale face looked ethereal. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, eyes filled with melancholy—as if she was carrying a burden.

It made him want to take all her sorrow away and see her smile.

The night breeze carried the faint fragrance of gardenias from her—it tugged at his heartstrings.

He wanted to draw closer, wrap her in his arms, and commit her scent to memory forever.

But he worried about her reputation.

Once she breaks off the engagement, he thought, then I can move closer. Just a little closer.

The soft moonlight spilled on them, stretching their shadows long across the ground.