Chapter 9: Blurred Boundaries, On My Body…

Red walls, brick tiles, corners covered with moss.

Some window panes were painted yellow and blue, and the evergreen trees in front of the apartment building were lush with branches and leaves.

In late August, on a sun-filled afternoon, Fang Fuyi and Sheng Sui left the small town with not too many belongings and moved into a new house in S City, which was not too far from both of their schools.

The new rental apartment had two bedrooms and a living room.

The furniture was a bit old, the walls slightly gray, and the basic infrastructure wasn’t the best, but it had the advantage of being well-connected by transportation, with a wide view. Compared to the cheap rental apartment in the old building, this place was far better.

The two of them gradually added some essentials, making it feel more like a home.

Fang Fuyi’s master bedroom had a large bay window. Through the window, she could see an artificial lake and a small garden, which reminded her a little of the room she had back home.

However, in Fang Fuyi’s mind, all of that was secondary. The most important thing was that this bedroom finally had air conditioning!

In the sticky summer, for Fang Fuyi, who was so hot she wanted to run around naked, air conditioning was nothing short of a salvation.

Bright windows, the evening breeze, bedsheets smelling of laundry powder, and Sheng Sui on the balcony in the living room, bare-armed, hanging clothes to dry.

On the first night in the new house, Fang Fuyi, wearing slippers, leaned against the wall and enthusiastically invited, “Are you coming to my room to enjoy the air conditioning tonight?”

Sheng Sui, holding a clothes hanger, hesitated, his hand stiffened. “You can enjoy it by yourself.”

“Although I really want to, if you’re not coming, I won’t turn it on either.” Fang Fuyi keenly caught the key point and urged, “Come on, come on, let’s enjoy it together!”

“When it cools down later, we won’t be able to use the air conditioning much, anyway, whether it’s one person or two, the electricity bill is still the same. It’s even cheaper if we share it!”

After a round of persuasion, Sheng Sui agreed, “Alright, wait for me to finish these clothes and I’ll come over.”

“Don’t set the air conditioning too low, and don’t point it directly at you. You’ve just recovered from a fever.”

Sheng Sui was still a bit too indulgent with Fang Fuyi, never realizing how many times she would use such excuses again and again.

“Got it!”

That evening, after taking a shower, the outside was boiling hot, but the room was cool.

White noise filled the air, and the air conditioning blew out cold air, filling the room with a refreshing chill. Just the sound of the air conditioning running made it clear how cool the room really was.

Fang Fuyi curled up the summer quilt into a ball, rolling around comfortably on the bed. She rolled to the edge and then stopped, her lips moving as her voice drifted into Sheng Sui’s ears, who was lying on the floor in the room: “Are you really not coming to sleep with me?”

“The bed is so big. If you don’t touch me, it’s fine. I won’t mind,” she said calmly.

The pillowcase was cool, and the skin on the back of her neck felt cold. The rustling sound of the cold wind surrounded her.

In the room with the curtains drawn, the scent of shower gel filled the air after their baths. They both used the same brand of laundry detergent, the same brand of shower gel, and even the scent on their bodies seemed to match.

The boundaries slowly blurred, and some things merged together, becoming hard to distinguish. Yet, in terms of their relationship, a clear divide was firmly drawn, sharp and distinct.

Sheng Sui spoke, his tone serious, but there was a trace of helplessness in his voice: “Fang Fuyi, don’t joke with me like this.”

Regarding their relationship, he had no selfish motives, nor did he expect anything from Fang Fuyi. He just wanted to be there for her, to help her get through this difficult time, until she could begin her new life—nothing more.

Fang Fuyi wanted to say, “How is this a joke?” She didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she said.

But before she could say anything, Sheng Sui spoke again, asking, “When does your school start? Which account should I transfer the tuition to?”

For once, he remained silent, and it was now Fang Fuyi’s turn to fall silent.

She had originally thought that Sheng Sui shouldn’t be lacking money, especially since when his family encountered difficulties, she had put every penny she had saved over the years onto a card and sent it to him through someone.

But one time, when she was fiddling with Sheng Sui’s phone, she accidentally saw his account balance, and it was vastly different from what she had expected.

She knew that Sheng Sui had taken a half-year leave from school, and of course, she also knew that he wanted to continue with his courses.

But if their savings were used to pay for both of their tuition, there would be little left. How would they live then?

The soft white noise now turned into an intrusive, loud sound.

After a long while, Fang Fuyi finally found her voice amid the buzzing noise and said slowly, “I won’t study for now.”

As soon as her words fell, the usually gentle Sheng Sui immediately sat up from the floor. His tone was harsh and brooked no argument, “No, this is absolutely not allowed.”

“Why not? You also took a leave of absence from school.”

“There’s no need to ask why.” Any hint of Fang Fuyi not wanting to continue studying was immediately shut down by Sheng Sui. His words were firm, with no room for negotiation. “I want you to keep studying.”

In his mind, if she finished university, life would be a bit easier afterward.

The situation in the broader society wasn’t good, and there were all sorts of people out there. The outside world and the lives of those people wouldn’t be as simple and naive as she imagined.

He didn’t want to lecture her too much or make her anxious about the harsh realities of life. She had come to him because she trusted him the most, and since that was the case, he would never let her down.

Even though the future would undoubtedly require her to face life’s struggles alone, that was a matter for the future. Those things could wait until later.

At least for now, he wanted to preserve her naive innocence and let her live freely, doing whatever she wanted to do.

“Sheng Sui…”

Fang Fuyi wanted to reach out and hold his hand to soften his expression, but as soon as she touched him, he turned her hand away. His voice sounded again, “In the stage of life you’re in right now, I want you to experience it fully and enjoy your own life.”

In the room with the curtains drawn, the night view and stars outside were hidden. The shadows fell on the young man’s face, his narrow eyes glimmering.

Sheng Sui turned to lie down again, leaving behind a simple, “Go to sleep.”

In the room where only the sound of the cold wind could be heard, Fang Fuyi lay on the bed, her gaze drifting, frequently glancing at Sheng Sui. His attitude was so determined, as if he had the mentality of “No matter how hard it gets, I won’t let the child suffer, no matter how poor we get, education cannot be sacrificed. Even if I have to sell everything, I’ll make sure you finish your university education.”

At certain times, Sheng Sui was truly more attentive to her than her own mother.

Actually, under these circumstances, Fang Fuyi’s life wasn’t really that difficult. She had enough to eat, and nothing was lacking. When they moved in, the wardrobe was even filled with a few new clothes of good quality and style.

But what about Sheng Sui?

He bought her so many clothes, but he only had a few clothes himself, wearing them over and over until they were worn thin and faded.

Of all Sheng Sui’s strengths and weaknesses, Fang Fuyi hated the fact that he would sacrifice his own comfort for others, even if that “other” was her.

Now the biggest problem was money. If they had a little more money, things would be much better. So, could money just magically fall from the sky?

Money, money, come to me quickly.

Oh, how I wish the money gods would bless me once again! Fang Fuyi’s last thought before falling asleep was that she wanted enough money to buy enough things for Sheng Sui.

Thoughts always need to be acted upon. In the past few days, Fang Fuyi had regained her energy. While preparing for the start of school, she also began to search for ways to earn money.

While Sheng Sui wasn’t at home, she went around the neighborhood and near the school looking for part-time jobs, but it seemed that the timing wasn’t right. Most part-time positions were already filled.

However, a few small shops were still hiring. A middle-aged man with a large belly told her that there were no day shifts available but asked her in a lecherous tone if she could work the night shift, and how much she’d charge for the night.

“Five thousand for a night vigil, three thousand for a funeral, and at most, you’ll finish by midnight. For the vigil, family members have to be present,” Fang Fuyi smiled and said. “If you want to play the suona, I can give you a ten percent discount, and there’s a special offer if more people die.”

“Don’t worry, I really know how to play the suona. I guarantee it’s peaceful.”

The middle-aged man nearly fainted from anger.

See? Who said learning to play the suona was useless?

Since finding a part-time job didn’t work out, Fang Fuyi decided to try the most popular entrepreneurial option of the moment: self-media.

She, of course, knew she was beautiful. If her family hadn’t restricted her so much and if Liang Zhu hadn’t forbidden her from doing this, she believed she would have been a rising star in the short video world by now.

On the short video app, she picked a song and prepared to dance to it.

“And don’t know how sweet it tastes…”

She danced with great enthusiasm, sweating profusely. After finishing, she nearly collapsed onto the bed. However, when she checked the result, it looked more like little worms wriggling.

The bedroom door was open, and Sheng Sui came in to call her for dinner. He happened to see her dancing with her back to him.

The man hesitated slightly, asking gently, “…Did you twist something? Or is something uncomfortable?”

Fang Fuyi: “…”

Well, there goes her rise to fame in the short video world.

Those money-wasting dance and fitness classes from before really were for nothing!

In the past few days, there was a rainstorm, and the temperature dropped slightly compared to last month.

Before she could find any proper way to make money, Fang Fuyi had already started school.

Sheng Sui started school two days earlier than Fang Fuyi. He had an early class today and transferred some living expenses to her before going to class. He also called her to get up and have breakfast: “I won’t be back for lunch, but there are cooked dishes in the fridge. You just need to heat them up to eat.”

“If you can’t make it for lunch, just eat at the school cafeteria. If you don’t want to eat there, you can order takeout, but it’s best not to eat too much takeout.”

Fang Fuyi, still sleepy, replied, “Okay.”

After class, Sheng Sui was going to work at Tengxing, and he wasn’t sure what time he’d be back. “I might be back late tonight. If you can’t wait, just eat something outside. If you’re not hungry, wait for me to come back and cook.”

“Remember to take your house keys with you. If something urgent comes up, give me a call.” By the time Fang Fuyi had finished one pancake, the man had already said a lot.

Sheng Sui paused, as if remembering something, and worried it might not be enough. He transferred more money to her. “If you want to go out with friends, go ahead. If you run out of money, just let me know.”

Fang Fuyi nodded like a chick pecking at rice, nodding repeatedly.

Aside from that costly hobby, Fang Fuyi wasn’t someone who spent money recklessly. Sheng Sui had thought of everything, but she didn’t have any friends. The ones who came over to bother her were more like a hassle.

After closing the door and windows, and after Sheng Sui had been gone for a while, Fang Fuyi put on her backpack and went to school.

It was rare for them to see each other so frequently at this time of day.

Normally, at this time of year, both of them would be busy with their own things as school had started. They wouldn’t have as much interaction as they did during the summer vacation. The fact that they could still be under the same roof was already a rare thing.