Chapter 29

After passing XiFu Sci-Tech University, it’s just a ten-minute drive to get home.

The last time she visited EAW was at the end of August. Now, three months later, she hadn’t been home. Yang Fang had tidied her room in advance, leaving it spotless.

Upon entering the house, Yun Li tossed her luggage aside and went straight to her room, collapsing heavily onto the bed.

The family dog, sensing a familiar scent, came padding over and hopped onto Yun Li’s bed.

Yun Li rubbed the dog’s head and called out, “Dui Dui.”

Dui Dui was a not-so-chubby Shiba Inu. After Yun Ye finished his middle school exams, Yun YongChang asked him if he wanted anything, and he said he wanted a dog. Coincidentally, Yun Li also loved dogs.

Yun YongChang had always been against it, but one day he brought home a little Shiba Inu himself.

Yun YongChang’s scolding voice came from outside: “You just know to lie on the bed as soon as you get home, what kind of behavior is that?”

Yang Fang pulled him back: “Let her be, she just got home. She’s been on a plane for so long, can’t you let her rest a bit?”

Yun Li let go of the dog, raised her arms, and covered her eyes. Once released, Dui Dui took it as a sign that their reunion was over and jumped off the bed.

So noisy.

Ever since she was rejected, Yun Li had been suffering from insomnia. Now that she finally relaxed, waves of sleepiness came over her.

When she woke up, it was already eleven at night.

Yun Li rubbed her eyes and groggily made her way to the living room.

Glancing at the sofa, she saw the teenager lying there engrossed in his phone, his chin resting on a pillow, indifferent to her presence.

Yun Li asked, “Want some late-night snacks?”

Yun Ye didn’t look up: “Sure.”

Yun Li was somewhat speechless. When she wasn’t home, Yun Ye would always ask when she was coming back every time they talked on the phone. Now that she was here, he acted as if it didn’t concern him.

Walking into the kitchen, Yun Li took out two pieces of hand-grabbed pancake from the fridge, poured some oil into a pan, and put one in. While waiting, she picked up her phone to check WeChat.

He Jiameng: [Yun Li~ where’s your place in XiFu?]

Yun Li saw the message and replied directly: [It’s near Xinguang Street. What’s up?]

He Jiameng: [Isn’t that close to XiFu Sci-Tech University? The company is sending someone to XiFu Sci-Tech University on a business trip next week, and the boss asked me to arrange an assistant to accompany them.]

He Jiameng: [I just remembered you’re in XiFu, want to consider it? It counts as attendance! Even if it’s less than three days, we’ll count it as three days!]

Yun Li thought for a moment. Next week, Yun Ye wouldn’t be home, and her parents would be at work. It would be boring to be alone, so she agreed.

[I love you so much!!!!!!!]

[I asked several people, but as soon as they heard they had to be in charge, they didn’t want to go.]

[But you probably won’t hate him!]

[You’ll probably love him!!!!!!]

[Super handsome!!!]

“……”

She felt deceived.

Seeing the words “super handsome,” Yun Li could guess who was coming.

Several days had passed since she was rejected. Yun Li lowered her eyelids, lost in thought.

The oil in the pan suddenly splattered with a pop, and she remembered the unfinished food.

She quickly flipped the pancake. After turning it over, she could see the side that had been fried had turned a coffee color.

True to her choice, the non-stick pan had evenly browned the pancake, even if it was a bit charred.

Yun Li poked it with a spatula, muttering to herself, “This should still be edible for Yun Ye.”

Just then, Yun Ye, who came out to get water, heard her: “……”

“Yun Li,” Yun Ye said somberly.

Startled, Yun Li felt guilty: “We can’t waste food, right?”

Yun Ye was expressionless.

She had no choice but to concede, dragging her words: “This probably isn’t edible anymore. It’s a reluctant waste of food; heaven will understand.”

After making two new servings, Yun Li carried two plates to Yun Ye’s room and kicked the door with her foot, “Yun Ye, open up.”

She placed Yun Ye’s portion on his desk and sat on the edge of the bed with her plate: “Someone from the company I’m interning at is coming on a business trip. They asked me to help out.”

Yun Ye turned his head: “When?”

“From next Monday to Wednesday,” Yun Li said, her mouth full.

“Do you know the person coming? Do you know where they’re going?”

“It’s at XiFu Sci-Tech University――”

Yun Ye called out to her a few more times: “Why did you stop halfway?”

Yun Li hesitated and finally spoke up: “I should know the person coming.”

Seeing her unusual reaction, Yun Ye suddenly asked, “Your boyfriend?”

Yun Li shook her head.

“Someone you like?”

Yun Li shook her head again and pushed Yun Ye: “Stop guessing, you wouldn’t understand adult matters.”

He Jiameng quickly sent over the relevant details. XiFu Sci-Tech University had recently established a new research center and was considering ordering some virtual reality products for research. If the deal went through, it would be a sizable order.

The research center was established by the Control Academy, where Fu Shizhe was located. Xu QingSong sent him over, booking a flight for Saturday afternoon, with the presentation scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of the next week.

He Jiameng sent her several files, instructing her to print a hundred copies before heading to XiFu Sci-Tech University. The brochures were to be printed on higher-quality coated paper, and there were no suitable print shops near her home.

On Saturday noon, Yun Li changed her clothes, grabbed the car keys, and headed out.

Yun YongChang ran a small driving school, and he usually drove instructor cars when going out. Yang Fang’s company was close to home, so she normally rode an electric bike to work. Now that Yun Li was back, they simply left the car at home for her to use, making it more convenient for her to get around.

Yun Li drove to the print shop opposite XiFu Sci-Tech University. The brochures wouldn’t be ready until the next day, so she returned to the car and remembered what He Jiameng had said.

Fu Shizhe’s flight was this afternoon.

She didn’t know what time he would arrive.

She opened a flight booking app and found that there were five or six flights from Nanwu to XiFu in the afternoon. After sitting in the car for a while, she directly opened the navigation to XiFu Airport.

The navigation system’s female voice announced, “Heading to XiFu Airport, the total distance is 30 kilometers, with an estimated travel time of 59 minutes.”

Yun Li, on impulse, drove to the airport.

She didn’t tell Fu Shizhe about this, after all, she was just trying her luck.

On the way, she felt nervous and uneasy, almost committing traffic violations several times.

XiFu Airport had only one arrival gate, with many people waiting at the exit to pick up passengers. Fearing she might miss Fu Shizhe, Yun Li found a spot directly facing the exit to stand.

Whenever a flight from Nanwu was displayed on the screen as having arrived, Yun Li would be on high alert, searching for that familiar figure.

Fortunately, after waiting two or three hours, she saw Fu Shizhe walking out with his luggage. He seemed to have lost some weight in the few days since she’d last seen him, his deep-set eyes filled with fatigue and a sense of detachment that set him apart from the crowd.

When Fu Shizhe saw her, he paused and then walked over to her.

Yun Li pretended to be natural and gave the excuse she had prepared earlier, “Did Jiameng tell you? I’ll be your assistant for the seminar. I came to pick you up today.”

Fu Shizhe just hummed in acknowledgment.

“Let’s go.”

He followed her with his luggage in tow.

This meeting wasn’t as awkward as Yun Li had imagined.

Fu Shizhe was as indifferent as ever, walking silently beside her until they reached the parking lot entrance, when he suddenly said, “I didn’t tell the assistant my flight number.”

Yun Li: “…”

Caught in a lie and found out, Yun Li’s face heated up.

Fortunately, Fu Shizhe didn’t seem intent on delving further. After stowing his luggage, he opened the passenger door.

But instead of getting in, he walked around to the driver’s side, “You sit in the passenger seat, I’ll drive.”

After both were in the car, Yun Li noticed the bandage on his hand.

“What happened to your hand?”

Fu Shizhe glanced at the central console and turned on the air conditioning, “Just a scratch, it’s nothing.”

He navigated directly to XiFu Sci-Tech University.

Yun Li asked, “Aren’t we going to a hotel?”

Fu Shizhe’s grip on the steering wheel paused.

“No.”

Yun Li wanted to continue the conversation, but as the car started and entered a long tunnel, the repetitive lights and the stretch of road had a hypnotic effect. By the time she opened her eyes, the car had already stopped.

The car was parked in a secluded corner, with darkness outside the windows.

After the engine was turned off and the air conditioning shut down automatically, the temperature inside the car dropped significantly, indicating they had been parked for a while. Yun Li turned her head and saw Fu Shizhe leaning against the driver’s seat, playing with his phone, the screen’s brightness set very low. Combined with the dim lighting of the parking area, she had fallen asleep for quite a long time.

“Awake?”

She was still sneaking glances when Fu Shizhe suddenly spoke.

His gaze remained on the phone screen, and Yun Li, without time to guess how he knew she was awake, straightened up, “Have we arrived at XiFu Sci-Tech University?”

“Mhm.”

Yun Li glanced at her phone, realizing that more than two hours had passed since they left the airport. She blinked, thinking she had misread the time: “Did I sleep for over an hour next to you after we got to XiFu Sci-Tech University? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Fu Shizhe glanced at her and simply said, “Traffic jam,” before starting the car. They drove out of the corner and after a couple hundred meters, they were on the main road. A few minutes into the campus, he parked in front of the Control Engineering building.

“You should head home.”

Fu Shizhe unbuckled his seatbelt, retrieved his luggage from the trunk, and headed straight for the Control Engineering building.

Hearing this, Yun Li, who had been following him, stopped in her tracks and returned to the car, where she noticed an extra cardholder on the driver’s seat, with Fu Shizhe’s ID card at the front.

Looking at the ID card, she saw a photo of a young man smiling freely at the camera. Hesitating for a moment, she touched the face on the card.

Feeling a bit creepy yet somewhat satisfied, she noted the date of birth:

19940209

He was only a month older than her. Yun Li checked the calendar on her phone and found that Fu Shizhe’s birthday was on New Year’s Eve of that year.

He was born amidst fireworks.

His life should be as brilliant as fireworks.

Without flipping through the other cards, she found a parking spot, parked the car, and took the cardholder, heading in the direction where Fu Shizhe had disappeared.

She tried calling Fu Shizhe several times and sent him WeChat messages, but he didn’t respond.

Unfamiliar with the layout of the building, Yun Li wandered through the hallways and corridors.

After a while, she realized that Fu Shizhe had left a deep impression here.

Whether it was the posters at the entrance or the promotional videos in the main hall, his presence was there.

Yun Li walked around the first floor a few times, then stood at the entrance of the college, facing Fu Shizhe’s poster, which helped pass the time.

The temperature difference between day and night in XiFu was significant, and Yun Li, who had only worn a light jacket, buttoned it up all the way to fend off the chilly breeze at the college entrance, hugging her arms and pacing to keep warm.

“Excuse me, which school are you from?” someone suddenly asked, causing Yun Li to pause.

She turned to see a bespectacled young man approaching, looking gentle and refined.

Yun Li didn’t answer directly: “How do you know I’m from a different school?”

The bespectacled man chuckled lightly and confidently said, “I’ve been studying here for eight years, from freshman year to my fifth year of Ph.D. There isn’t a pretty girl here that I don’t recognize.”

“…”

He assertively showed his QR code to Yun Li: “Can I have your WeChat? It would be nice to meet again in the future.”

Feeling a bit awkward, Yun Li took a step back and declined, “No, thank you, I have a boyfriend.” Seeing the skeptical look on the young man’s face, she pointed to the photo of the model student in the promotional column and said, “That person.”

“Fu Shizhe?” The bespectacled man looked doubtful.

Surprised that he knew him, Yun Li felt guilty: “Is there a problem?”

She regretted her impulsive fib.

“I don’t believe it,” the bespectacled man bluntly stated.

“…”

“And he’s been on a leave of absence for over a year. Find a better excuse to reject someone.”

“…”

Yun Li was taken aback, not immediately grasping what he meant about Fu Shizhe’s leave of absence.

The gaze of the bespectacled man made her uncomfortable, and without a word, she turned to leave. That’s when she saw Fu Shizhe coming down the stairs. She rushed towards him like he was her lifeline.

The bespectacled man, not yet giving up, was about to call out to Yun Li again when he saw the person on the stairs looking at him indifferently. He stopped dead, muttering in disbelief, “Damn, it’s true.”

Fu Shizhe seemed a bit dazed, his eyes not quite focused. He stood there for a while before his gaze finally settled on Yun Li.

She was dressed the same as when they had parted earlier, in a camel-colored long coat, now fully buttoned up. Her slightly curled hair fell over her shoulders, and she wore leggings that showed off her slender legs.

Her hair had grown longer.

Yun Li looked up and saw Fu Shizhe, her eyes sparkling like stars. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and her ear tips were red from the chill.

“Your cardholder was left in the car. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to check into the hotel, so I waited here for you.”

Yun Li shook her phone, “I called you a few times, but you might not have noticed…”

The biting wind snuck in through his collar, and Fu Shizhe looked at her, asking, “Have you been waiting here all this time?”

Yun Li, feeling a bit embarrassed under his gaze, touched her ear and said, “Yeah, because I didn’t know where you were… But I haven’t been waiting long, and you came out quite quickly.”

She took out a cardholder from her bag, “Here, for you.”

Fu Shizhe silently accepted the cardholder and slipped it into his pocket. He picked up his luggage and walked to the side of the road.

“It’s so late and the weather is so cold. If you haven’t made plans with anyone else—” Yun Li followed him until he stopped, then whispered, “How about we have dinner together?”

There was a pause.

Fu Shizhe turned to look at her, his loose hair fluttering in the wind. He wore a dark coat over a white shirt, looking strikingly aloof and blending into the blue-toned streetlights as if he belonged to the night from the very beginning.

Yun Li waited anxiously.

Fu Shizhe’s lips parted slightly, and he uttered just two words: “No thanks.”

“Oh, okay…” Yun Li felt awkward standing there after being rejected outright, “Then let me drive you to the hotel. It’s inconvenient with your luggage.”

“Thank you. No need,” he said in his still distant tone, pulling out his phone to hail a cab.

Yun Li watched him, his gaze downcast, his dark pupils cold and detached, his whole being exuding a sense of isolation. If before she had mistakenly felt the thawing of his indifference, now she felt her presence was completely superfluous.

She had been rejected too many times.

Not surprised, yet overwhelmed by it.

Fu Shizhe glanced at her and suddenly said, “Step over here. There’s a car coming.”

“Oh…”

His words snapped Yun Li out of her thoughts.

Yun Li moved beside him, where the streetlight was dim, and she could see the corner of his face illuminated by the light from his phone screen, his expression indifferent.

He kept his eyes on the screen, watching the countdown for a driver to accept the ride. Yun Li, feeling redundant and awkward, also took out her phone, glanced at his screen to see the address, and booked a car to the hotel he was staying at.

Fu Shizhe: “…”

Fu Shizhe: “Are you planning to follow me?”