Chapter 32

Having calmed down completely, Yun Li reflected on her words and realized she had been impulsive. She awkwardly said, “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“Mhm.”

Fu Shizhe didn’t seem to mind.

Yun Li breathed a sigh of relief internally. Recalling how he had crisply tossed away the beer, she bit her lip and tentatively asked, “Did you throw away the beer because… I got angry?”

She watched for any change in Fu Shizhe’s expression. He placed his spoon back in the bowl without denying, “Maybe I was startled.”

He appeared detached, without any excess emotion, and even when he looked up at her, his eyes were so clear they betrayed no other meaning.

It seemed it wasn’t as she had imagined; he had no other intentions.

After sitting for a while, Yun Li remembered how his stomach had hurt at noon. She couldn’t help but say softly, “I don’t want to interfere too much in your life, but with your stomach condition, drinking is harmful.”

“If you’re feeling down, you can talk to friends. If you don’t have any, I can reluctantly be your friend…”

Fu Shizhe interrupted, “You don’t seem very reluctant.”

Yun Li was frank and direct, “Then what I want to be isn’t just a friend.”

“…”

For some reason, after being so decisively and coldly rejected by Fu Shizhe, Yun Li found herself speaking more freely than usual.

She didn’t get angry when she spoke like this.

Having spent more time together, she didn’t need to be as cautious as when they first met.

Yun Li asked, “Why did you get in the car?”

Fu Shizhe replied, “To discuss tomorrow’s matters.”

Hearing it was about work, Yun Li put aside her other thoughts, “Go ahead.”

Fu Shizhe tidied up his things and then sat playing 2048, casually outlining the next day’s schedule.

Yun Li watched his profile as he swiped confidently on his phone, playing a while before politely saying, “I’ll sit for a bit; can’t quit midway through.”

“Oh, no rush, I’m not busy right now.”

Fu Shizhe didn’t ask why she was at his hotel; he wasn’t a fool, and Yun Li didn’t hide her motives or intentions.

After playing 2048 in the car for over an hour and having a brief chat, Fu Shizhe got out of the car.

Once home, Yun Li sent Fu Shizhe a WeChat message to check in. He replied in a few minutes with a simple ‘Mhm,’ which was enough to make her secretly delighted.

The next day, Yun Li arrived forty minutes early by car at XiFu Sci-Tech University and picked up the brochures from the print shop across the street. She parked inside the Control Academy and, carrying the brochures, walked to the coffee shop at the corner of the first floor.

Yun Li ordered at the counter and chose a seat on the outside.

With the meeting room next door and fifteen minutes until the conference, teachers and students started trickling into the coffee shop. Yun Li eagerly awaited and waved at Fu Shizhe as he followed the crowd inside.

Fu Shizhe walked over.

Yun Li pulled out the chair beside her slightly, “Do you want to sit here later?”

Fu Shizhe didn’t answer directly, “I’m going to order.”

Yun Li’s gaze followed Fu Shizhe to the counter, where he stood for a while before several older individuals approached him for a chat, appearing to have known him for some time.

“Hi, we meet again.”

A familiar voice. Yun Li looked up to see the bespectacled man she had met the day before. He hung his bag on the chair and sat down uninvited.

Yun Li stated, “This seat is taken.”

“It’s not taken right now, is it?” The bespectacled man seemed to think Yun Li’s words were just an excuse, his demeanor nonchalant, “Why don’t you reconsider adding me on WeChat?”

Yun Li shook her head, “No, thanks.”

Undeterred by the rejection, the bespectacled man continued, “Even though you say you’re Fu Shizhe’s girlfriend, everyone in the academy knows he’s gay. You’re a beautiful girl; don’t be fooled.”

Yun Li was speechless.

“I’ve been at XiFu Sci-Tech University for eight years, I know quite a bit about Fu Shizhe. If you’re curious, I can tell you, we could meet up more often.”

This man had ill intentions, and Yun Li initially didn’t want to get entangled. But his words struck a chord, as she rarely had the chance to learn about Fu Shizhe’s past.

Seeing her hesitate, the bespectacled man took out his phone, “Scan me.”

As Yun Li was still undecided, Fu Shizhe arrived with his tray and stood next to the bespectacled man, stating expressionlessly, “This is my seat.”

The bespectacled man didn’t argue further, quickly stood up, and gave up the seat, nodding politely to Fu Shizhe, “Hello, Senior Fu, I’m Chen Lirong, a joint PhD student under Professors Shi and Xiang.”

“…”

This guy, damn, he switches faces too fast.

Chen Lirong acted very smoothly, complimenting Fu Shizhe before eyeing the last seat at the table, “There’s one more spot here, Senior Fu, do you mind if I sit here…”

Fu Shizhe pulled the extra chair out and pushed it to the next

After arriving in the classroom, Fu Shizhe pointed to a box of water bottles at the door and asked Yun Li to place one on each seat. She was also to distribute the printed materials at each spot.

Once the classroom was set up, Yun Li finally had a moment to herself.

After some hesitation, she approached Fu Shizhe, “It’s all ending tomorrow. When’s your flight back?”

“Wednesday,” Fu Shizhe didn’t intend to hide it.

“I’ve also booked mine, for Thursday.” Yun Li opened a bottle of water, casually asking, “What time is your flight?”

Fu Shizhe looked down, recalling the specific time from memory, “Six fifteen.”

“Oh. It’s quite a distance from here to the airport. How about I drive you?”

“…” Fu Shizhe declined with a look.

Once Fu Shizhe started his presentation, Yun Li sat in the last row and covertly searched for Wednesday’s 18:15 flight to Nanwu using a ticket booking app. Luckily, there was only one flight at that time, so there was no worry about booking the wrong one.

Seeing only one seat left in economy class, Yun Li immediately made the purchase.

After booking the flight, Yun Li guiltily looked up; Fu Shizhe was still explaining the tracking precision of the VR devices to the people in the front row.

She opened her camera app and, while Fu Shizhe wasn’t looking her way, sneakily took a photo.

“To achieve precise tracking, this virtual reality product uses real-time differential GPS technology…”

Yun Li didn’t quite understand the content Fu Shizhe was presenting but still listened attentively. Throughout the presentation, he was relaxed and fluent, effortlessly using even the most obscure academic terms.

This was how he was meant to be.

The chair next to her made a noise, and Yun Li turned to see the same bespectacled man. She jumped and moved one seat over.

On stage, Fu Shizhe suddenly paused.

He continued, “Indoor and outdoor body sensing positioning…”

Chen Lirong, oblivious, moved another seat closer to Yun Li.

Fu Shizhe’s gaze shifted to the last row of the classroom, and for several seconds, he was speechless.

At that moment, Chen Lirong showed Yun Li a photo taken from across the corridor. It showed Fu Shizhe and another guy leaning on the railing, both holding cups of milk tea, seemingly chatting.

Yun Li wanted to see the picture more clearly, but Chen Lirong switched to his WeChat QR code. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Yun Li added him anyway.

“Sorry, I can’t quite remember the product details. I’ll get the materials.”

Fu Shizhe walked down from the stage nonchalantly, heading straight to the back row. His gaze met Chen Lirong’s for several seconds.

He reached for the brochure on Yun Li’s desk, brushing against her in the process, prompting her to move another seat away.

The brochure bumped into Chen Lirong, and Fu Shizhe lowered his gaze, waiting a while before speaking indifferently, “Sorry.”

After Fu Shizhe returned to the stage, Yun Li didn’t know why, but Chen Lirong didn’t insist on sitting next to her anymore and changed seats instead.

After the meeting, a few professors and students remained in the classroom. An older professor with graying hair approached Fu Shizhe, spoke a lot to him, and finally patted him on the shoulder.

He listened quietly and patiently throughout.

After gathering the extra brochures, Yun Li followed Fu Shizhe out, his hands in his pockets, walking at a steady pace.

“Was that your supervisor just now, Shi Xiangzhe?”

“Mhm.”

“And that guy with glasses, is he your junior…”

Yun Li wasn’t sure how much of Chen Lirong’s words were credible. If he was Fu Shizhe’s junior, it shouldn’t be too far-fetched.

Yun Li didn’t want to be turned down next time with Fu Shizhe saying, “I prefer men.”

Hearing her question, Fu Shizhe stopped, his face cold as he pulled out his phone to call a taxi, “I’m leaving.”

A driver accepted the request immediately. The car was already inside XiFu Sci-Tech University and soon arrived at the entrance of the School of Control. Yun Li watched as he opened the car door, not even looking back.

“Wait a second.”

Yun Li’s moment of dejection didn’t last long. She stuffed another brochure into Fu Shizhe’s hand, blushing as she stepped back to let him get into the car.

Fu Shizhe, in a bad mood, buckled his seatbelt and coldly tossed the brochure into his bag.

After a while.

He took the brochure out again, opened it, and found a folded paper moon inside, smoothed out with a sticky note attached—

“Seeing you is like seeing the moon.”

…

On a Tuesday evening, Yun Li was prepping her luggage to take back to Nanwu. Sitting on the carpet, wrapped in a fluffy robe, she was checking items off her phone’s memo against what was in her suitcase. Suddenly, a gust of wind made her stop and look up.

The window was open. Again.

At that moment, there was a light knock on the door.

Silence for three seconds. The handle pressed down, the door cracked open. Yun Li looked over and, as expected, saw the only creature in the house that would knock before entering her room.

The youth’s features were clear, and he flashed a tiger-toothed smile just like hers. Clearly, he had come with an agenda.

But his entrance was thwarted by a gust of wind that sent him reeling back. Yun Ye’s handsome face twisted momentarily as he hopped from the cold, his youthful voice cracking, “Damn, Yun Li, why is your room so cold!”

Yun Li continued packing, “Close the window for me, will you?”

Yun Ye, ever so obedient, hopped and skipped over to shut the window. He tried twice but couldn’t latch it, puzzled, he said, “Yun Li, is your window broken?”

“Seems like it,” Yun Li said, “it won’t close properly, the wind keeps blowing it open.”

Yun Ye nodded, not too concerned. He sat on her bed, started to say something, then stood up, paced a few steps, and sat down again.

Then stood up.

Sat down.

Stood up and took a couple more steps.

As if he had ants in his pants.

Distracted by his antics, Yun Li asked with concern, “Got hemorrhoids?”

Yun Ye bristled, “No!”

“If not, then good.” Yun Li thought for a moment and soothingly advised, “At your age, sitting around studying all day, it wouldn’t be strange to get them. Go out for walks more often, drink plenty of water, and don’t eat too much spicy food—”

Yun Ye cut her off, “I don’t have them!!”

“I know,” Yun Li chuckled, unfazed, and continued, “just keep using the bathroom normally these days. If you really can’t, don’t force yourself.”

“…”

“Let’s observe the situation first, and if it doesn’t improve, we’ll go to the hospital.”

Soon, Yun Ye locked the door, creating an air of a secret meeting.

Yun Li paused in her packing, silently stuffing the wallet from the top of the pile under her clothes, preempting, “Don’t even think about it, I’m broke.”

“…” Yun Ye, having psyched himself up, was choked by her words, “What kind of person do you take me for!”

“Oh, my apologies for being so suspicious,” Yun Li said, “You still owe me three hundred and two yuan and fifty cents, remember?”

“I just sent you 252…” Yun Ye took a deep breath, not wanting to argue since he was the one asking for a favor, and even though he was usually the one acting like a creditor, he took out his phone and sent her a red packet.

“Here, I’m paying you back.”

Yun Li was amused, opening it hesitantly. When she saw the two yuan and fifty cents on the screen, her lips twitched with anger, “Is this what you call paying back?”

“I’m broke, so I can only make installment payments.” Yun Ye said defiantly, “I’ll pay you two yuan and fifty cents on the first of every month, I’ll clear the debt eventually.”

Yun Li did the math, “It’ll take you fifty years to pay back three hundred?”

Yun Ye was about to agree but feared angering her, so he reluctantly said, “Not necessarily, when my financial situation improves, I can pay it all at once.”

“Alright,” Yun Li wanted to finish packing, “What do you want?”

Yun Ye started pacing again.

Yun Li, getting impatient, “Hurry up.”

Finally, Yun Ye stammered, “I want you to take something to someone for me.”

“Who? I’m going back to Nanwu tomorrow.”

Yun Ye explained with difficulty, “A classmate. Her brother graduated from Nanwu Institute of Technology University and stayed to work in Nanwu, so the whole family moved there.”

Yun Li found it bothersome and flatly refused, “Oh, send it by courier.”

“The item is delicate, I’m afraid it’ll fall apart in transit,” Yun Ye pleaded with a change of tone, “Sis, please.”

Yun Li didn’t push back further and instead asked, “A guy or a girl?”

“…”

Yun Ye answered softly, “It’s a girl.”

Yun Li looked at him suspiciously, “Are you in a relationship?”

Yun Ye was at a loss for words, and after a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly said, “No, she’s just a very good friend. But please don’t tell Mom and Dad, or Dad will kill me.”

Yun Li thought for a moment and still refused, “Do I have to meet her? I don’t want to go.”

“Please, Yun Li,” Yun Ye pleaded, “I spent several nights working on this. Her birthday is coming up, and I promised to give her a gift.”

Yun Ye’s earnest expression reminded Yun Li of herself when she was pursuing Fu Shizhe. She reluctantly nodded, “Alright, give it to me.”

Yun Ye’s face lit up with surprise, “Really?” He quickly dashed back to his room and returned just as fast, handing Yun Li a neatly wrapped small box. He cautioned, “This side up, and don’t shake it.”

Yun Li tapped the table, “Put it here.”

Yun Ye looked worried, “You need to hand it to her personally.”

“…”

Yun Li found Yun Ye’s fussiness rare, “Okay.”

After sending Yun Ye off, Yun Li curiously examined the box.

The box was tightly wrapped in pink matte paper, making it impossible to see what was inside. Remembering Yun Ye’s instructions, she didn’t dare to shake it.

Turning the box around, Yun Li saw four elegant characters written on the back—

“For Yin Yun.”

The next afternoon, Yun YongChang offered to drive Yun Li to the airport. Yun Li wanted to arrive early, so they left ahead of time.

The father and daughter didn’t speak much on the way. As they neared the airport, Yun YongChang finally said, “Take care of yourself in Nanwu and avoid dangerous places.”

“I know.”

Yun Li felt a mix of emotions. After getting out of the car, she quietly said, “I’m leaving,” and hurried into the terminal.

The airline’s check-in counters were at row F. Yun Li found a seat and waited. With two hours until her flight, she waited for over forty minutes before seeing Fu Shizhe enter with his suitcase. He glanced around and headed to the first counter in row F.

Yun Li quickly stood up and walked to the yellow line outside the first counter. After checking in, Fu Shizhe turned and saw Yun Li smiling awkwardly.

Yun Li gave her pre-prepared excuse, “My flight got canceled, so I changed to today’s flight. Can you wait for me? I need to check in too.”

He didn’t seem surprised and waited for her outside the crowd with his luggage.

“That gentleman, his name is Fu Shizhe. He’s my friend. Can I sit with him?” Yun Li asked, showing her ID.

The check-in staff looked skeptical but didn’t say much, “That gentleman is in business class, and you are in economy.”

“…”

Yun Li’s lips twitched. She remembered that her company only reimbursed economy-class tickets.

Feeling a pinch in her heart, Yun Li asked, “What about an upgrade?”