Chapter 44: Exclusive to Jinjiang 1/2

After the club carnival, students returned to school, still excited and relishing the fun of that day.

Song Fuzhi walked to the platform with a roll of papers, solemnly saying, “Had enough fun? Now it’s time to focus on studying.”

The students quieted down, burying themselves in self-study. Song Fuzhi approached Yuan Jun’s desk, whispering, “Come to the office at noon; let’s analyze it together.”

Yuan Jun pursed his lips and nodded.

Yuan Jun didn’t perform well this time. In the eyes of the teacher, fluctuations in student performance were quite normal.

However, Teacher Song would never let it go; if he found a problem, he would solve it. Whether it was distractions, family matters, failure to understand, or just plain fatigue, Song Fuzhi wanted to clarify.

He spent almost a whole class talking to Yuan Jun in the office. The main issue was the excessive pressure from his parents, which only increased his anxiety. He had a fight with his parents before the exam, which affected his mindset during the test.

In such situations, understanding the parents’ perspective was crucial. Song Fuzhi advised Yuan Jun to relax, focus on studying, and not think too much.

Professor Song always gave people a reliable feeling when he spoke like this.

Although the exam didn’t go well, he wouldn’t blame you blindly; instead, he wanted to help you.

Yuan Jun mumbled a “thank you,” and Song Fuzhi told him it was okay, asking him to pay attention to balancing work and rest.

After Yuan Jun left the office, Song Fuzhi sat there without moving. He noticed Yuan Jun taking out a small object from his pocket and placing it on Song Fuzhi’s desk.

It was a small, plastic-wrapped ball.

Yuan Jun said, “This is the magical creature capsule we played with during the club carnival. It was quickly grabbed by everyone. We saved one for you.”

Now it was Song Fuzhi’s turn to be surprised. He took the small capsule, saying, “Thank you.”

Yuan Jun smiled and said, “You’re welcome.” Standing up, this tall figure of six feet walked out of the office.

As soon as he left, Mr. Zhou led students from another class into the office.

Lao Zhou usually has a smiling and kindly expression, but today his face is serious, and it’s evident that he is angry.

“Bringing a phone in violation of the rules and openly playing games during class, even dragging classmates into it! Does he think I’m blind?” Lao Zhou, furious, slammed the confiscated phones onto the table.

The students in front bowed their heads under the scolding.

Lao Zhou couldn’t contain his anger, “I’ll keep your phones for you. You’re not allowed to touch them until the end of this semester!”

His deep voice made the entire office tremble three times. Lao Zhou rarely got angry, and even Song Fuzhi slowly sipped water, glancing over at Lao Zhou.

Perhaps only when witnessing other teachers scolding students would Song Fuzhi realize what he is usually like.

Teachers often say things like “you must do this” or “you’re not allowed to do that.”

Song Fuzhi, for some reason, recalled a similar tone a few nights ago when he was on the phone with his husband. The other person also gave him a “not allowed.”

At that time, Song Fuzhi was lying in the bathtub, feeling as if his whole body was burning, on the verge of bursting, but Shi Zhang, with a light “not allowed,” was like a rein at the edge of a cliff, forcefully stopping Song Fuzhi.

The bathroom was already hot, and Song Fuzhi’s chest heaved laboriously, whether due to a lack of oxygen or an excess of it, enduring until the limit.

But he actually followed Shi Zhang’s words.

Since childhood, Song Fuzhi has been a sensible and obedient child, an exemplary student. No teacher had ever scolded him, and even his mother, who was a teacher, had no time to manage him.

For the first time in his life, someone had said to him, “Don’t move,” with a commanding tone.

An unprecedented experience made his spine instantly tingle.

Clearly, his tone was so gentle; clearly, he was thousands of miles away; clearly, he couldn’t see the situation on Song Fuzhi’s side; but there was a force in his sentence that made Song Fuzhi involuntarily obey.

Song Fuzhi, feeling dizzy, thought that he must be crazy. Adults have the freedom to act; he had no reason to obey anyone.

But if that person was his husband, if it was Shi Zhang… Song Fuzhi wiped the sweat from his cheek, helplessly thinking that maybe he would be willing to listen to him.

Song Fuzhi took a deep breath, and with a low, hoarse laugh, he said, “Is Professor Shi so strict just because I missed your call today?”

There was silence for a moment on the other end, and suddenly, Song Fuzhi heard Shi Zhang say, “Sorry.”

Song Fuzhi was taken aback.

Shi Zhang continued, “I… I shouldn’t have spoken like that.”

This time, Song Fuzhi fell silent. He seemed to sense a trace of indescribable self-blame in Professor Shi’s voice.

Calmly comforting him, Song Fuzhi said, “Professor, it’s okay.”

Shi Zhang’s voice sounded dim, like a sigh. “I just miss you.”

…

“You’ve only been on a business trip for a day.” Song Fuzhi pinched his phone, feeling a bit amused and helpless.

To be precise, it had only been a little over ten hours.

“Two weeks will pass quickly. I’ll call you every day, alright?” Shi Zhang said.

“Okay,” Song Fuzhi agreed.

After a pause, Shi Zhang added, “But you still have to promise me.”

Song Fuzhi asked with a smile, “Promise what?”

Shi Zhang lowered his eyes and said, “Wait for me to come back.”

Song Fuzhi, holding the phone, let out a vague “Hmm” from the depths of his throat and asked, “When are you coming back?”

Shi Zhang said, “Next Saturday, on the morning flight.”

So, every night, Song Fuzhi would have a video call with Shi Zhang at unpredictable times.

Only a few times, Shi Zhang was seen preparing to rest in his room. On most days, when Song Fuzhi called, Shi Zhang was still working.

This day was no exception. Song Fuzhi finished his preparations, lay down on the bed, and called Shi Zhang, who took a while to answer.

The screen shook a bit, and Shi Zhang was still in outdoor clothes, with other researchers and students visible in the background.

Liu Yang glanced at the camera and waved to him, “Hello, Professor Song!”

The research team had set up a temporary workspace in a room, covered with materials for drying and pressing specimens on the floor, and the table was filled with collected samples.

Every night, they would classify and process the day’s harvest, number and record them, and organize image data.

It was exhausting during the day on the mountain, and the night work was not easy either.

Shi Zhang said, “Wait a moment,” stepped out into the corridor, gently closed the door, and returned to the call.

Song Fuzhi asked, “Still busy?”

Shi Zhang nodded. “But it’s almost done.”

“How was today? Is everything smooth?” Song Fuzhi asked.

The light in the corridor was somewhat dim, and Shi Zhang’s sparse eyebrows looked gentle in the light. He smiled and said, “All good. We unexpectedly found a plant we’ve never seen before. When we bring it back for identification, it might be a new species.”

Every day, when Song Fuzhi asked about the situation on Shi Zhang’s side, his answer was always “smooth,” “good,” or “saw beautiful flowers today.”

This was a field that Song Fuzhi had never ventured into before. Every day, hearing a joyful little experience from Professor Shi and listening to him talk about those strange and wonderful plants in the wilderness was like entering a new and splendid world for Song Fuzhi.

It suddenly dawned on him that on Earth, in those places rarely visited by humans, there were so many undiscovered beauties.

The two talked quietly for a while. Suddenly, Song Fuzhi frowned and asked, “Did you get caught in the rain today?”

Shi Zhang paused and subconsciously lowered his head to look at his clothes.

There were no obvious signs of dampness, so how did Song Fuzhi notice?

Song Fuzhi said, “Your hair underneath seems a bit wet.”

Shi Zhang touched the tips of his hair, which were indeed wet. The parts that got soaked in the mountain rain hadn’t dried completely.

“It’s normal for sudden rain in the mountains. We don’t have weather forecasts here, and rain comes when it comes,” Shi Zhang said.

Song Fuzhi said, “I remember you brought a raincoat.”

Shi Zhang said, “Yes,” and smiled. “At that moment, the rain suddenly got heavier, so I used the raincoat to save the camera in a hurry.”

Song Fuzhi, with a hint of displeasure in his tone, asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you got caught in the rain just now?”

Shi Zhang replied, “Getting caught in the rain in the wilderness is very normal, a trivial matter, nothing worth mentioning.”

Song Fuzhi sighed gently. “After finishing your work, take a hot bath. Don’t catch a cold.”

Shi Zhang answered with a gentle tone, “I will.”

After a couple more sentences, they hung up. Professor Shi still had work to finish, and Song Fuzhi didn’t want to delay him too long.

Shi Zhang put away his phone and returned to the room. The researcher, who was currently pressing specimens, glanced at him and teased, “Oh, when Professor Shi came back today, his face was so dark. Look at him now, smiling.”