Chapter 24

After the lunch break, Yun Li bumped into He Jiameng in the hallway.

“Miss Lazy Cloud, are you going to the Halloween event tonight? How about we go together?”

Yun Li told the truth: “I’m planning to buy some coffee beans tonight. I saw in the break room that Fu Shizhe was out of beans, so I asked him to come with me.”

He Jiameng giggled: “Are you just going to buy beans?”

“Really.” Yun Li tried to sound more confident, “Why don’t you come along?”

“No, no, I can already see the huge third-wheel lightbulb over my head.”

“…”

Just a few steps away, He Jiameng called out to her again: “Oh, Miss Lazy Cloud.”

Yun Li: “What’s up?”

“The marketing department asked me to see if you could post a promotional update on E-site. The ad payment would be the same as last time.”

“Are there any specific requirements?”

He Jiameng thought for a moment and said, “Just try to record some of the equipment inside the experience hall, make it look fun.”

Not sure if filming was allowed, Yun Li didn’t immediately agree: “I’ll think about it.”

In the afternoon, Fang Yuning said the experience hall was short-staffed and asked Yun Li to help decorate. Yun Li then carried a large box of decorating materials to the experience hall.

Exiting the fire escape, Yun Li arrived at the entrance of the experience hall and found that quite a few people were already there.

“Li Li!” Yun Li looked around.

Fu Zhengchu came from the entrance, saying, “I heard there was an event tonight, so I came to check it out. I was hoping to grab some afternoon tea, but ended up being roped into laboring here.”

Yun Li responded: “You have it rough.”

Fu Zhengchu grumbled: “Right, and then I brought Uncle along, and he just sits there watching me work.”

Yun Li looked in the direction he pointed and saw Fu Shizhe sitting on a chair inside the hall, resting his cheek in one hand, leaning on the armrest, and looking their way.

“Li Li?” Seeing Yun Li not responding, Fu Zhengchu called out to her again.

Yun Li snapped back to reality: “You’ve grown up, it’s time to help out the elders.”

Fu Zhengchu: “I’m going back to work.”

“Hey, wait!” Yun Li hurriedly called out to him.

Fu Zhengchu stopped: “What’s up?”

Yun Li covered half of her face: “Fu Zhengchu, I’m sorry.”

Fu Zhengchu was even more confused: “What happened?”

“It’s just—last night when we were drinking,” Yun Li wished she could bury herself in a hole, but plucked up the courage to say, “I told your Uncle that it seemed like you liked me…”

Fu Zhengchu: “…”

Yun Li explained the whole story to Fu Zhengchu, knowing she had done wrong, and after apologizing several times, Fu Zhengchu’s focus wasn’t on what Yun Li initially said, but he gasped: “Li Li, do you like Uncle?”

Yun Li: “…”

“No wonder you were defending Uncle just now.”

Yun Li: “…”

Yun Li: “Can you keep this a secret for me?”

Fu Zhengchu: “Okay.”

Both fell into a silent accord.

Suddenly, Fu Zhengchu became serious: “Li Li, Uncle’s health isn’t very good, his stomach is sensitive.”

“But really, Uncle is a good person. I won’t say much more, go for it, Li Li!”

Yun Li felt a warmth in her heart: “Thank you.”

The work of decorating the experience hall was mainly physical, involving affixing streamers, light strings, and various holiday decorations to the higher areas of the walls. Yun Li surveyed the surroundings, moved a ladder over, and prepared to get to work.

Just as she climbed the ladder, Fu Zhengchu brought Fu Shizhe over: “Li Li, come down quickly. I called Uncle over.”

Yun Li: “…”

Yun Li climbed down the ladder and said tepidly, “Why did you call him over…?”

Fu Zhengchu replied, “I can’t just let Uncle, a grown man, sit around while you, a young lady, are climbing up and down. I’m off to work elsewhere.”

Realizing Fu Zhengchu was setting things up for her, even though Fu Shizhe’s presence was justified, Yun Li still felt a bit embarrassed. She pointed to a chair nearby and ventured, “Maybe you could sit here?”

Fu Shizhe glanced at her and said, “Sit here and watch you?”

Yun Li imagined the scene and felt suffocated: “That’s not what I meant.”

“Give it to me.” Fu Shizhe took the ribbon from her hand.

Yun Li was puzzled: “Huh?”

Fu Shizhe paused, his words sparing: “Help you.”

Not wanting to stand idly by, Yun Li held the ribbons and ornaments next to Fu Shizhe’s ladder, passing him one each time he hung something.

Yun Li felt that this was—rather nice?

Caught up in the small joy of handing things to Fu Shizhe, the box gradually emptied.

“Can you wait here for a bit?” Yun Li looked up at Fu Shizhe.

“Okay.”

Yun Li, clutching the box, trotted off to another area to fetch a fuller one.

When she returned to the ladder, Fu Shizhe was looking at her expressionlessly.

Yun Li immediately felt guilty and silently handed Fu Shizhe an ornament.

After work, Yun Li went home to redo her makeup and changed into a white dress.

She met Fu Shizhe at the entrance of the Tech City. He was wearing a black trench coat, hands in his pockets, leaning against the red brick wall at the edge of Tech City, with the square in the distance twinkling with lights.

Upon seeing Yun Li, he lifted his gaze to her face for a moment, then looked away.

But that glance slowed Yun Li’s breathing.

“I want to shoot some material for a Halloween special tonight. It’s been a long time since I’ve updated.”

Fu Shizhe was alert. Yun Li took a deep breath, slightly nervous, “Do you think it looks good?”

He seemed not to have anticipated her question and remained silent.

Yun Li, who had tried her best with her makeup, couldn’t believe it: “Is it not pretty…?”

After a while.

Yun Li mumbled to herself, “Should be a bit better than usual, right?”

Fu Shizhe: “…”

Similar to the last children’s fair, various-sized stalls filled the entire square, with Halloween-themed decorations hanging from trees and walls.

Some distance from the coffee bean stall, Yun Li could smell the rich aroma of beans. Many people were gathered around, with dozens of ochre pottery jars neatly arranged on the table and several large stacks of coffee beans in kraft paper bags behind.

The stall owner asked Fu Shizhe what flavor he wanted and scooped a few beans into his hand, which he sniffed.

Yun Li: “How is it?”

Fu Shizhe: “Pretty good.”

Yun Li: “Can I smell it?”

Fu Shizhe nodded.

Seeing he didn’t hand her the beans, Yun Li hesitated before leaning in close to his hand. The roasted beans had an undercurrent of chocolate aroma.

“Why does it smell so good?” Yun Li marveled, looking up only to find Fu Shizhe staring at her, his expression unreadable.

After a moment’s thought, Yun Li’s face heated up again: “I was talking about the beans…”

“…”

Yun Li had little experience with coffee and let the owner recommend one, “I picked a flavor I like. Maybe you should try it too.”

Fu Shizhe sniffed the beans she offered: “Pretty good.”

Yun Li: “Then I’ll buy you a pack.”

Fu Shizhe: “No need.”

Her expectation of being rejected didn’t falter her, and Yun Li continued, “I want to give you a pack.”

“…”

Yun Li softened her approach: “You’ve paid for me so many times before, I feel like I owe you money.”

“If that’s the reason,” Fu Shizhe watched the stall owner pack the beans, his gaze not on her, “then keep owing.”

Yun Li glanced at the other stalls, spotting a humble sugar figure stall in the corner, the kind she occasionally saw near her school as a child.

Yun Li: “Can I buy that?”

Fu Shizhe: “Mm.”

Yun Li: “Then wait for me, I’ll go get it.”

After saying this, Yun Li ran off.

The old man ladled some syrup from a small copper pot, dripping it onto a steel plate to form shapes.

While waiting for the sugar figure to set, Yun Li remembered how close Fu Shizhe’s palm was to her face—merely two centimeters away—as she touched her burning cheek with the back of her hand.

She couldn’t recall the last time she felt this way.

Her heart was pounding, the image of another person lingered in her mind, and everything she smelled, heard, and saw seemed to carry his essence.

He must not… dislike her.

This thought emboldened Yun Li. Usually, she wasn’t one to take the initiative; she was always passive in her interactions, forced to converse with others.

The moon in the human world always seemed so distant.

But now, the moon had come to her.

Yun Li’s lips curved into a smile.

Yes, how fortunate she was—the moon was right in front of her.

Once the sugar figure was set, it was stuck onto a bamboo stick and handed to Yun Li.

It was pumpkin-shaped, with a wide grin.

Quite cute.

She handed one to Fu Shizhe.

“Is this for me?”

Fu Shizhe stared at the sugar figurine in his hand, its surface gleaming with a brownish luster, finding it hard to believe that such a delicate shape could be crafted in just two or three minutes.

But how was one supposed to eat this thing?

He looked at Yun Li. The pumpkin-shaped sugar figurine was larger than her petite face. She had just jogged back, her creamy cheeks flushed with a rosy tint. She admired the sugar figurine in her hands for a moment before slowly bringing it to her lips.

Then, she licked it.

…

Surely he wasn’t expected to lick it too?

Yun Li continued to lick her lips, and as she took a small bite, she noticed Fu Shizhe’s gaze and seemed surprised: “Are you… watching me?”

Fu Shizhe looked away, telling a rare lie: “No.”

The night air was cold, but he suddenly felt a warmth spreading through his body.

The neon lights seemed more glaring than before, and by the time he regained his senses, the pumpkin-shaped sugar figurine in his hand had been bitten into pieces.

“...”

“Hey, Yun Li?”

While they were wandering among the various stalls, someone suddenly tapped Yun Li on the shoulder, causing her to instinctively shrink back.

Looking up, she saw someone she never thought she’d cross paths with again in her life.

Qu Mingxin approached with a friendly greeting, “How many years has it been since we last saw each other? I never expected to run into you here.”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you remember me? I’m from high school—”

Yun Li interrupted her: “I remember.”

“Is this your boyfriend? He’s quite handsome.” Qu Mingxin didn’t notice Yun Li’s aloofness and continued to chat.

Yun Li replied, “No, he’s my colleague.”

“You’re working already? I heard from other classmates you didn’t get into postgrad and were preparing to retake the exams—” Qu Mingxin was still as carefree as ever, “I came to Nanwu for work after graduating from university. My friend is studying for her master’s at Nanwu Institute of Technology University. I came to visit her today.”

“...”

Seeing Qu Mingxin’s enthusiasm, Yun Li couldn’t help but feel a bit bewildered and responded blankly, “I’m also doing my master’s here.”

“Let’s go.”

Fu Shizhe, standing beside her, suddenly spoke up and began walking forward without another word.

Yun Li, snapping back to reality, hurriedly said to Qu Mingxin, “We have to go.”

Qu Mingxin laughed, “Sure! Let’s get together for a meal sometime! It’s been so long since we last met.” Then she waved her hand and turned back to find her friend.

Yun Li caught up with Fu Shizhe, her thoughts returning to Qu Mingxin.

Why act so familiar?

Wasn’t it you who said it?

You despise people like me.

In her first year of high school, Yun Li was quite outgoing. She became friendly with her dorm mates not long after the school year began, especially Deng Chuqi.

Deng Chuqi was cheerful, and the two of them often performed together, making them popular in their class.

After the division of arts and sciences in the second year, Yun Li went to the science class, where she hardly knew anyone.

It was then that she met Qu Mingxin.

Qu Mingxin was warm to everyone, including Yun Li.

She would greet Yun Li with a smile that crinkled her eyes whenever they crossed paths.

Qu Mingxin was very good at livening up the class atmosphere and was an outstanding school host, always standing in the most prominent place. Her classmates liked Qu Mingxin’s vivacity, and Yun Li was no exception.

At first, Yun Li quite liked her new class. Although her close friends were not there, she was eager to foster new relationships and shyly tried to get to know her new classmates.

But strangely, no matter how hard she tried, her classmates maintained a certain distance from her.

The lunch break lasted two hours. Most would go back to their dorms to nap, but some would return to the classroom to do homework or chat and play games.

Yun Li wasn’t feeling sleepy this noon, aware that Qu Mingxin and a few classmates usually stayed in the classroom during nap time, so she decided to join in for some fun.

Before she even entered the classroom, the sound of chatting could be heard from inside.

“Should we invite Yun Li to play ‘Three Kingdoms Kill’ this weekend? She mentioned during the break that she knows how to play,” Yun Li recognized the voice as the girl who stood behind her during physical exercise.

Another girl’s voice said, “She knows how to play? I thought she was quiet and cute, and wouldn’t know how.”

Qu Mingxin hesitated slightly before admitting, “I don’t want to invite her, I don’t like her that much.”

The first girl asked, “Why not? Isn’t she quite cute?”

Qu Mingxin replied, “She just seems to be pretending to be nice. Her former roommate told me she used to be very close to boys in her previous class, seems angelic bitch.”

“No way…”

“I dislike that angelic bitch. If you’re inviting her, then count me out.”

Yun Li suddenly felt like she couldn’t understand others.

She knew there were many types of people in the world, from the tattoo-covered barbecue uncle with a beaming smile to the beautiful but cold-hearted executioner.

But she always thought these were far from her own life. Her understanding of duplicity was limited to Yun Ye secretly asking if his parents were looking for him every time he ran away from home, or Deng Chuqi copying homework every morning and then pretending to be diligently reading when the messenger announced the teacher’s arrival…

Just moments ago at the snack bar, when Qu Mingxin saw the orange juice in her hand, she even smiled and said she wanted to buy the same one.

Yun Li wanted to burst into the classroom and tell them that she wasn’t like what Qu Mingxin described.

She longed for the lively atmosphere, and enjoyed the harmonious vibe when everyone was together.

But she found that she couldn’t move her feet.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t take a step.

If only she could be a little braver.

Maybe it’s better to go back to the dorm.

Yun Li didn’t understand why she was so easily upset initially, she had seen people talk behind others’ backs before.

She suddenly felt that maybe it was because she actually liked Qu Mingxin quite a bit.

Perhaps she couldn’t handle the contrast.

Lost in thoughts about high school, Yun Li didn’t notice two pumpkin-headed mascots approaching. The mascot’s round belly bumped into her.

By the time she snapped back to reality, the mascot, twice her size, opened its arms to hug her.

???

Yun Li froze, unsure of how to react.

A cold hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, and with a gust of wind, she found herself behind Fu Shizhe.

Dazed, Yun Li followed the warmth of the hand holding her wrist and saw his hand still clasped around it.

Fu Shizhe hadn’t fully recovered either, having just seen Yun Li about to be engulfed by the mascot, he instinctively pulled her behind him.

The mascot seemed to freeze for a couple of seconds.

Then it continued its previous action, giving him a hug.

“…”

It even took a rabbit balloon from its tail and offered it to him.

“…”

Seeing he didn’t take it, the mascot insisted, pushing it towards him again.

Fu Shizhe reluctantly accepted.

The balloon was fully inflated, with two rabbit ears puffed up. Holding this thing, Fu Shizhe felt uncomfortable. He turned around and placed it in front of Yun Li.

“For you.”