Chapter 26

To the girls, Yun Li’s words sounded like a declaration of sovereignty. Her tone was as soft as cotton, but her eyes and brows carried an undeniable certainty.

After the girl left, Yun Li sipped her mocha coffee when unexpectedly, Fu Shizhe asked, “You still remember that?”

Yun Li turned to look at him. The man’s features were sharp and cold, yet they didn’t conceal his youthful appearance. His demeanor was as calm as any other day.

A sudden sense of oppression overcame her, and Yun Li feigned composure, “Not really remembering, per se. I just wanted to encourage her, since she’s a fan of mine.”

Fu Shizhe put down his knife and fork, “Encourage her with what?”

“We’ve known each other for a while now, we’re friends, right? Friends can help friends find potential matches.”

Fu Shizhe replied, “I thought we weren’t close.”

“…”

Fu Shizhe only teased her briefly before continuing the earlier conversation, “What kind of person are you looking for?”

His tone was as neutral as usual, but to Yun Li, it seemed laced with temptation and seduction.

All the thoughts she had kept hidden came rushing to the surface in an instant.

Unable to suppress her anticipation and nervousness, she just wanted to confirm whether Fu Shizhe could possibly like someone like her.

Swallowing nervously, Yun Li stared at him, her voice tinged with probing, “Someone good-looking and quiet, introverted with others but extroverted with you, always revolving around you. What do you think?”

She didn’t even give him more options.

She didn’t want to know any other answers.

Fu Shizhe paused for a moment, leaned to the right, took a sip of water, and then flipped through her textbook.

“This is a key point.”

Not getting the answer she wanted, Yun Li’s attention returned to the cryptic flowcharts and formulas.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the agreed time, and Fu Zhengchu still hadn’t arrived. Yun Li checked her phone and saw a message from him from fifteen minutes ago.

Fu Zhengchu: “Li Li, should I still come over?”

Yun Li: “Why wouldn’t you come?”

Fu Zhengchu: “I feel a bit embarrassed. Wouldn’t I be a third wheel?”

Yun Li: “You have a point.”

Fu Zhengchu: “…”

Yun Li: “You should come anyway, qaq, otherwise my intentions are too obvious.”

Fu Zhengchu: “On my way.”

In reality, Fu Zhengchu had arrived near the café early and found a corner to hide in, reading a book while keeping an eye on the two. After watching for a while and finding it too dull, he texted Yun Li.

After entering, Fu Zhengchu sat opposite Fu Shizhe and read his book, barely speaking.

Fu Shizhe found it odd and poked Fu Zhengchu’s book with his pen.

Fu Zhengchu didn’t respond.

Fu Shizhe poked the book again and asked, “Feeling down?”

Fu Zhengchu shook his head, “Uncle, I’m reviewing. Don’t bother me.”

At that moment, he just wanted to be invisible.

Fu Shizhe, rarely shunned by Fu Zhengchu, shifted his focus to Yun Li.

After explaining the core knowledge points of each type of problem, two hours passed. Fu Shizhe looked at past exam papers, selected one of moderate difficulty, and placed it in front of Yun Li.

His only instruction was a simple word: “Do.”

As Yun Li worked on the problems, Fu Shizhe propped his face in his hands, watching her paper intently.

…

Yun Li felt like she was back in third grade, with her math teacher standing beside her, glaring menacingly, continuously slapping a ruler in his hand as a warning.

Every bit of progress required her to read his expressions carefully.

Fu Shizhe hardly ever hid his feelings. Every time Yun Li tackled multiple-choice or true/false questions or made a mistake in her draft calculations, he would show subtle expressions, like frowning or squinting.

Half an hour later.

Finally, after completing twenty problems, Yun Li was sweating profusely.

Fu Shizhe checked her answers. All correct. His brow relaxed, and he seemed very satisfied with the result.

Yun Li didn’t understand. Was this the joy of a top student?

Not only did he have to get everything right, but the person he was watching had to as well?

Yun Li stared at his face and couldn’t help asking, “Did you used to help others cheat?”

“?”

Yun Li added, “You seem very practiced at it.”

Fu Shizhe was speechless for a moment. Yun Li continued, “Actually, I find these problems really brain-burning. If it weren’t for exams, I probably wouldn’t touch them…”

Fu Shizhe watched her, seeing Yun Li’s face filled with a desire for agreement, and he managed a half-hearted smile, humoring her, “Yeah.”

“I may not be great at studying.” Yun Li started to justify her lack of scholarly achievements, “Being an up master is pretty good, though. My last video has already reached three million views, and it’s in the handmade technology category.”

She emphasized the words “handmade technology” to suggest that the video had some technical content.

“I reassembled a robot.”

Fu Shizhe said, “Let me see it.”

Yun Li opened the video and placed it on the table. Fu Shizhe watched the screen without a word until a small soccer ball appeared, which seemed to change his expression.

Remembering something else, Yun Li also asked, “I need to shoot a new update for EAW. Could you help me operate the equipment then?”

Fu Shizhe hummed absentmindedly.

Before the video was over, E-site bombarded her with dozens of notifications. Yun Li hadn’t intended to engage, but accidentally clicked and found a post with a string of comments all tagging her. The post contained nine photos from the same angle.

The first photo showed Fu Shizhe with both hands on the table, tilting his head to discuss a problem with her, as she listened intently, her gaze fixed on his face.

In the second, Fu Shizhe was writing something on scratch paper, while she propped her face with her hand, her eyes still on his face.

In the third, Fu Shizhe was moving a piece of waffle to his lips, while she was leaning on the table working on a problem, her gaze once again on his face.

The fans noticed that in all nine photos, regardless of what the two were doing, Yun Li’s gaze was always on Fu Shizhe’s face.

[@Miss Lazy Cloud, you two are so perfect together! I’m totally shipping this, waaaah!]

[@Miss Lazy Cloud, women are deceivers, my heart is broken, my wife has been stolen, unfollowing.]

[@Miss Lazy Cloud, waaaah, my wife is committing bigamy.]

Who the hell took these photos?

Yun Li was baffled, and looking from the angle of the photos, it was in the direction of the coffee shop’s restroom, where only a few pots of dried flowers were haphazardly placed.

Fu Shizhe glanced over, and seeing this, Yun Li quickly covered her phone.

Maybe it was because the comments had triggered too many reactions just now.

Yun Li blurted out without thinking, “Wife, let’s get back to the problems.”

Fu Shizhe’s hand stiffened.

Fu Zhengchu tried to maintain his invisibility but couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Yun Li, looking at the two of them, had only one thought—

So awkward.

Too awkward.

How could there be something so awkward?

Not sure if he hadn’t heard or just couldn’t be bothered to respond, Fu Shizhe didn’t say anything unnecessary. This silence layered upon itself a thousandfold, seeping into every cell of hers.

Averting her gaze, Yun Li covered her face, trying to cool down.

“I’m going to the restroom.” Yun Li fled, unable to lower her temperature.

Back at the table, Fu Zhengchu was still muffling his laughter, while Fu Shizhe tapped his head with a pen.

Fu Zhengchu didn’t mind and continued to laugh heartily, “Hahaha, wife!”

Fu Shizhe: “…”

“I have something to ask you.” He tapped Fu Zhengchu with the pen again.

Seeing Fu Shizhe like this, Fu Zhengchu immediately quieted down.

He opened his mouth, struggling to spit out the words: “Do I look like a woman?”

…

By the time Yun Li returned, the two men were composed. She calmly sat back down and wrote furiously, her mind racing.

“Hey, Yun Li.”

Just as Yun Li was battling with past exam questions, Qu Mingxin’s voice popped up above her. Yun Li looked up to see Qu Mingxin in a lace white dress, her makeup impeccable, as she casually draped an arm around Yun Li’s neck.

“I saw you from outside and was wondering if it was you.”

“Can I sit here? Is this the colleague from last Halloween?” Qu Mingxin pulled out a chair and sat down as if she owned the place, waving to someone behind, “Li Weyan, come over here.”

Only then did Yun Li notice another clean-cut girl behind her, who also pulled out a chair and sat down.

With the intrusion of strangers, Yun Li’s pores instantly tightened, and she greeted the two stiffly.

“Let’s sit at another table, my classmates are studying for exams.”

As she stood up, she realized the coffee shop was already full.

“Let’s just sit here, I’d like to get to know your friends too,” Qu Mingxin took charge, naturally pulling Yun Li back to her seat.

The group fell silent instantly.

Yun Li didn’t like Qu Mingxin, but she was well aware that her high school days were long gone.

As the victim, this memory was vivid and indelible.

Yet, she didn’t want to define Qu Mingxin’s entire life based on actions made when her character was still unformed.

Qu Mingxin chatted with her about her job and asked about their mutual friends. Yun Li’s phone kept vibrating. Glancing at it, she saw it was a call from He Jiameng. Holding up her phone, she signaled, “I’m going to take this call outside.”

He Jiameng wanted to confirm the theme for a promotional campaign. Yun Li had already thought about it, so she replied directly.

“I’m thinking of making this EAW campaign a short video, about a minute long, themed ‘Trying’. How does that sound?”

Reflecting on her entire phase as a blogger, she had made many attempts. Starting from the food sector, gradually moving to crafts and lifestyle, and then to the recent viral robot video.

Driven by career aspirations, she chose automation for her bachelor’s and master’s, initially hoping to join the technical department at EAW.

However, being assigned to the HR department broke her routine but also brought new attempts and opportunities—she had longed to blend in with others; she wanted to prove that being introverted didn’t mean she couldn’t excel in this job.

Yun Li really liked this theme.

Trying always meant having hopes for the future.

She also had hopes for her and Fu Shizhe’s future, stronger than any others.

“I saw Yun Li chatting with you guys from outside. She seems much more outgoing now, and I’m genuinely happy for her,” Qu Mingxin said with a smile. “I’d also like to find out what Yun Li’s been up to, why don’t you add me on WeChat?”

She proactively took out her phone. Hearing this, Fu Zhengchu unlocked his phone and was about to hand it over when a finger pressed down on his wrist.

Fu Shizhe: “No need.”

It was the first time Qu Mingxin was denied her request to add WeChat, and the refusal came with a clear ‘keep out’ vibe.

Fu Zhengchu gave a sheepish smile to both women, “If you have anything, just ask Li Li directly.” They were Yun Li’s friends, and he didn’t want to come off as distant, so he asked, “Were you Li Li’s high school classmates?”

Qu Mingxin: “Yeah, we were close in high school. But Yun Li generally got along better with boys. Among the girls, her good friends were just me and Deng Chuqi.”

“I’ll order some drinks for you, as a treat from Li Li,” Fu Zhengchu said without overthinking and pressed the service bell.

Qu Mingxin casually chatted with Fu Zhengchu about the Nanwu Institute of Technology University, then the topic shifted to Yun Li’s high school days: “Yun Li had it tough in high school because she couldn’t hear well in one ear. She often couldn’t hear the teacher clearly, and when asked a question, she wouldn’t even know what was asked. Our teachers would accuse her of daydreaming and not paying attention.”

Fu Shizhe slightly stirred.

Fu Zhengchu clearly didn’t catch on immediately.

She continued with a tone of pity: “So, she was often punished to stand, and her grades weren’t great either. I heard she didn’t get into a graduate program because she couldn’t hear the lectures in college either. But it wasn’t her fault, she’s been hard of hearing since she was young. Because of this, she faced a lot of discrimination and drifted apart from us.”

“Many people ask how she’s doing now, but she hasn’t replied. However, seeing her so happy with you guys, we’re quite relieved.”

Fu Zhengchu was about to say something but, noticing Fu Shizhe’s expression out of the corner of his eye, he closed his mouth.

The waiter happened to bring the menu, which Qu Mingxin took, but Fu Shizhe quickly grabbed the other end and handed it back to the waiter.

Fu Shizhe: “You said—you graduated with a bachelor’s degree and are working now.”

Qu Mingxin nodded: “Right, I’m currently at…”

Fu Shizhe rarely interrupted people but made an exception, smirking, “I’ve been puzzled since the last time you talked about Yun Li’s shortcomings.”

“It doesn’t seem educated.”

Qu Mingxin’s smile faltered, and she tried to defend herself, “I was just hoping…”

Fu Shizhe: “Hoping we would see her flaws, is that it?”

Fu Shizhe: “I didn’t notice hers, but yours are quite apparent.”