When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Yun Li’s thoughts were still lingering on the fact that Fu Shize had pulled her wrist, and she blankly took the balloon from him.

In her impression, this seemed to be the very first time they had engaged in physical contact.

Was he completely unfazed by it?

Did he not care about this sort of thing, or...

Did he not mind holding her hand?

Yun Li looked up at the balloon floating mid-air. The bunny wore a comical, exaggerated smile, just like the crescent moon of his profile picture. The lingering displeasure in her memories melted away completely.

Clearly, she was already twenty-three years old, and holding this balloon looked rather childish, yet Yun Li didn't want to let go.

After making a full circle around the area, the two of them returned to the vicinity of the coffee bean stall. At this moment, a shadow puppet show Halloween special was being performed. The curtain wasn't hung very high, and a dense, impassable crowd had already squeezed together in front of it.

The two of them went over to join the fun as well. Standing at a little over one meter sixty centimeters tall, Yun Li couldn't see a single thing amidst the sea of dark heads, so Fu Shize stood right behind her.

Yun Li could only rely on Fu Shize for live commentary: “What are they performing inside?”

Fu Shize: “Four pumpkin people.”

Yun Li: “What are they doing?”

Fu Shize: “Walking a pumpkin dog.”

Yun Li: “...”

This didn't sound particularly interesting either, yet the people all around were cheering repeatedly. Yun Li had already backed out and was preparing to leave when a couple in front of her made a sudden move—the guy hoisted the girl directly onto his shoulders.

Seeing this, several other couples trailing behind followed suit, leaving the unattached individuals awkwardly stranded in place. The girl standing right in front of Yun Li witnessed this and tapped the male friend accompanying her: “Let me ride on your shoulders for a bit?”

“Come on, don't. I don't even have a girlfriend yet...”

“Isn't this the perfect practice? If you're a real man, let me ride!”

Yun Li felt inexplicably awkward watching this scene and turned her head to look at Fu Shize, only to find that he was looking at her as well.

Fu Shize: “Do you want to see that badly?”

Unable to decipher the intent behind his question, Yun Li thought for a moment before answering honestly: “No. But,” curious about how he would react, she followed up with, “what if I did want to see it?”

Fu Shize: “Then keep thinking about it in your heart.”

Yun Li: “...”

On the way back, Yun Li remembered the matter regarding Fu Zhengchu: “Oh right, I chatted with Fu Zhengchu today. I had misunderstood him before.”

“Mhm.”

Yun Li didn't have many friends, and back when she first met Fu Zhengchu, she probably barely spoke a few words the entire day, yet he had never once made her feel like she didn't fit in. Yun Li genuinely remarked: “He’s actually a pretty good person.”

Fu Shize: “Are you considering being with him?”

Fu Shize’s question was far too direct, seeming almost absurd and bizarre from Yun Li’s perspective, to the point where she sat frozen for ages without reacting, having no clue where he could have possibly gotten such an idea. Speechless, she said: “Fu Zhengchu is so much younger than me, and besides, he’s already dated four or five girlfriends...” Yun Li cut herself off, stating with absolute certainty: “In short, impossible.”

...

After arriving home, Yun Li hung the balloon at the head of her bed. Opening her computer to check the class schedule, she realized that next week was already the autumn semester's exam week.

“You came back way too late last night and were in a rush today—how’s the wooing going?” Concerned about her progress, Deng Chuqi called Yun Li immediately after getting off work.

“Don’t use a word like ‘wooing’ so casually, it’s a pursuit.” Yun Li corrected her with a serious tone, “I asked him out to stroll through the Halloween night market tonight. We just got back, and he even gave me a balloon.”

“Little Uncle agreed to go out with you alone? And he even gave you a balloon?”

“It doesn't quite count as a gift,” Yun Li said, unable to hide the smile in her voice, “but it was given to me by him.”

She tapped the balloon twice in one direction, causing it to spin around twice in reverse before settling back to face her directly.

The next day, Yun Li woke up bright and early. After packing her schoolbag, she grabbed some bread and chocolate milk and headed toward the school.

It was early winter, and the slant of the morning sun pierced through the morning mist, illuminating the rising and falling dust. The temperature wasn't overly low, and Yun Li wore a knitted sweater, yet an occasional gentle breeze brought a hint of chill.

After grinding through some practice questions in the classroom, Yun Li felt as though she had been transported back to her undergraduate days. Because of the heavy course load, final exam seasons were essentially spent pulling all-nighters to prepare, memorizing the material for a different subject every two days. Back then, she at least had dorm mates to discuss problems with.

Once her class ended, Yun Li consciously took out her phone: [Fu Zhengchu, if I paid for tutoring from your little uncle for my coursework, would he agree?]

Fu Zhengchu: [Little Uncle is very wealthy, so probably not.]

Yun Li: [Oh, do you have any exams coming up soon?]

Fu Zhengchu: [Yeah, I have two exams next week. What's up, Sister Lili?]

Yun Li: [How is your review coming along?]

Fu Zhengchu: [I feel like my review is—okay, I guess?]

“...”

Seeming to have realized something, Fu Zhengchu sent a few more messages.

Fu Zhengchu: [No, no, no, my review is terrible! Sister Lili, let's review together!]

Fu Zhengchu: [I'll call Little Uncle over to tutor us.]

Fu Zhengchu: [Family members should help each other out.]

Yun Li inwardly marveled at how quickly Fu Zhengchu caught on. In a flash, he locked in the time for Saturday morning at a cafe near the Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

When Saturday arrived, Yun Li prepared early and arrived at the cafe the moment it opened its doors. The cafe featured an industrial aesthetic design, with grey concrete flooring and a high ceiling webbed with crisscrossing pipes.

Yun Li found a large table in the corner, sat down, and pulled out her laptop and textbooks, studying while waiting for Fu Shize.

Fu Shize arrived five minutes ahead of the agreed time. After scanning the cafe upon entry, he walked straight toward Yun Li’s spot and took a seat to her right.

Realizing it a beat too late, Yun Li looked up and smiled at him: “You aren't wearing a collared shirt today; you look like a young student.”

Fu Shize: “...It’s also possible that I actually am a student.”

Yun Li choked slightly on his retort, though upon a moment's thought, it seemed he was indeed correct.

Once he sat down, Yun Li picked up the water pitcher to pour him a glass. Fu Shize naturally pressed his hand over the lid of the pitcher and said flatly, “I’ll do it myself.”

Yun Li didn't insist and pressed the service bell instead. The waitress sported a high ponytail and looked to be in her early twenties. After placing down the menus, she glanced over them, and her gaze ultimately lingered on Fu Shize.

He wore a black hooded sweatshirt and sat by the window, the sunlight casting a glow across his figure.

Yun Li casually flipped through a few pages of the menu: “I’ll have a mocha and a chocolate waffle.” She then handed the menu over to Fu Shize.

Fu Shize didn't take it: “An Americano.”

Yun Li waited for a moment, but when he didn't order anything else, she reminded him, “Skipping breakfast is really bad for your stomach.”

Yun Li: “How about you order a matcha waffle as well? I kind of want to eat some too.”

Fu Shize replied, “Mhm.”

“That’s everything we need, thank you.” Yun Li closed the menu and handed it back to the young woman.

There was still some time before their food would be served. Eager not to waste the municipal top scorer’s time, Yun Li pulled out her textbooks once more.

Fu Shize: “Do you have past exams?”

“I have the digital versions.” Yun Li brought out her laptop, tapped away for a moment, and opened a document.

“That works.” Fu Shize stood up and moved to the chair directly beside Yun Li. “Pen and paper.”

A faint scent of mint and lemon drifted from Fu Shize, and the sudden closure of physical distance made Yun Li’s head spin with heat.

Obediently, Yun Li took them both out.

Fu Shize: “Have you tried solving these?”

Yun Li shook her head.

Fu Shize: “Then let’s start now, one problem at a time.”

After studying a problem on her own for a moment, Yun Li wore a look of distress.

“Do I have to solve it by myself right now?” Pausing for a moment, she said with troubled hesitation: “It’s not that I don't want to try, I'm mostly worried about wasting your time.”

Fu Shize: “...”

“Give me the pen.”

With that, Fu Shize began writing out the step-by-step process on paper, providing a corresponding explanation with every single line he wrote. Watching his profile, Yun Li drifted off for a moment. Ever since the past, he had never been the kind of person who merely received superficial praise within a small circle; virtually anyone who knew him willingly placed him on a pedestal. And yet, this exact person was currently sitting right beside her, making the whole thing feel unreal.

By the time the food arrived, Fu Shize had already walked Yun Li through two problems. Working on her equations while her mind wandered, Yun Li murmured, “I feel like my brain doesn't retain much even after attending lectures. Did you go to every single class when you were doing your Ph.D.?”

“Aside from external competitions, I attended every lecture. After all, they all know me,” Fu Shize replied. “If I don't show up, they end up asking me if it's because their teaching was bad.”

“...”

Yun Li suddenly conjured up a mental image in her head.

A professor standing on the podium lecturing, while Fu Shize sits in the front row evaluating.

After finishing a sub-section, the professor smiles and asks Fu Shize: “Student Fu, do you have any questions about this?”

Fu Shize nods in acknowledgment: “No questions.”

Or perhaps the professor notices Fu Shize's absence that day and is struck with deep sorrow.

The professor goes to ask other teachers after class whether Fu Shize attended their lectures, and upon receiving confirmation, other professors make him deeply reflect on why Fu Shize chose to skip his class.

Suddenly, Fu Shize tapped the tabletop with his finger, asking her: “Daydreaming?”

Yun Li hastily shook her head, indicating that her mind had just drifted off.

“I can tell.” Fu Shize pulled out his phone again to play 2048.

“Let’s eat something first.” Yun Li pushed her laptop aside and carefully placed the A4 paper Fu Shize had written on into an L-shaped folder.

Fu Shize took the matcha waffle placed before him, picked up the knife and fork, and after cutting it into bite-sized square blocks, pushed the plate back toward Yun Li.

Yun Li stabbed a piece, then slid the plate right back: “I just wanted a taste.”

Fu Shize forked a piece of the waffle. He ate very slowly, chewing each bite for over half a minute, which in turn forced Yun Li to slow down her own pace as well.

“Excuse me.” It was the same waitress from earlier, who had likely applied a light layer of makeup in the meantime, making her appearance look somewhat more refined than before. “Are you Xianyun Dida-jiang?”

Ever since she posted that robot video, aside from a massive surge in followers, the view counts on Yun Li’s older videos had also multiplied significantly. Nowadays, she occasionally got recognized as “Xianyun Dida-jiang” out in shopping malls.

Whenever fans asked her for photos together, Yun Li still felt somewhat flustered, unsure how to properly interact with them. She had even consulted other content creators for advice on handling such situations, though she was still unaccustomed to taking photos with fans.

“Um, yes, I am.” Yet what puzzled Yun Li was that this girl’s gaze had remained locked onto Fu Shize the entire time earlier, only to turn out to be looking for her now. “Is there something you need?”

The girl suddenly turned bashful again: “Well, it’s like this—” Then her gaze shifted back toward Fu Shize, her words becoming a bit jumbled, “I watched your video on the ACG site last time—though it doesn't really have to do with your friend—um, may I ask if I can take a photo with your friend?”

Yun Li: “...”

Yun Li: “Why don’t you... ask him yourself?” Unwilling to meddle in a stranger’s affairs, she added, “I don't know him all that well either.”

Fu Shize: “...”

Fu Shize looked as though he hadn't heard their conversation at all. His gaze remained cast elsewhere as he continued eating at his leisurely pace.

“Mister, hello, can I add your WeChat?”

Fu Shize’s response was ice-cold: “I don't use WeChat.”

Anticipating that he wouldn't hand it over, the girl pressed on: “Can I take a picture with you then?”

Fu Shize didn't reply immediately. He looked at her coolly for another moment, causing the girl's face to flush instantly.

Only then did he answer with icy detachment: “It’s not convenient today.”

Yun Li had fully anticipated Fu Shize’s rejection. After all, she had suffered her fair share of cold shoulders herself, and she held a shred of confidence regarding Fu Shize’s personal reactions. That confidence gradually morphed into a sense of shared misery with the girl standing before her.

Yun Li: “Please don't be too sad.”

The girl looked over at Yun Li, who was slowly chewing on her waffle, offering sincere consolation: “When I asked him for it before, he didn't give it to me either.”

Fu Shize: “...”

Yun Li: “But look, we’re sitting at the same table right now, eating the exact same waffle.”

Fu Shize: “...”