When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Coming home after work, the furnishings in the room looked no different than they had when she left, yet it felt as though everything had changed. Yun Li tossed her bag onto the sofa, and the cardboard drone she had pieced together a few days prior still sat on the coffee table.

It probably couldn't be given away now, anyway.

Things made of cardboard were relatively fragile and couldn't be packed away into a box, but leaving them out on the table took up too much space. Yun Li weighed it in her hands for a long time.

She still couldn't bring herself to throw it away.

She found a rather high shelf and cleared out a spot to place it up there. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying went.

Sitting in front of her computer with eyes swollen and red from crying, Yun Li scrolled through the comments on the EAW promotional short film released today. Most of them were inquiries about booking an experience session at the EAW pavilion.

The purpose of the dynamic promotional video had been achieved, yet Yun Li's mood was a complete wreck.

Skimming through the affectionate comments from her followers, most of them cheered her on with praises like "Wife is amazing" or "Wife is a tech genius."

Yun Li glossed right past a blank profile picture with a name made of just a few letters and a single word as her comment: "Pretty." The comment was instantly swallowed up by a new wave of replies.

For three consecutive days, Yun Li remained depressed, and falling asleep became a struggle.

Going through the motions of attending classes day by day, Yun Li still frequently picked up her phone, only to realize that the WeChat interface she used to check constantly was no longer accessible.

Fu Zhengchu even tried inviting her to a match of Honor of Kings, planning to rope Fu Shize in for a three-player team. Given Fu Zhengchu's enthusiastic helpfulness, Yun Li lacked the courage to tell him about her defeat, so she simply made up an excuse to politely decline.

Ever since that encounter downstairs, she hadn't seen Fu Shize once.

The two of them were like parallel lines that no longer intersected. Even now, even though it was her own unilateral abandonment, Fu Shize's side was likely still completely oblivious to it all.

She seemed to carry zero presence.

On Tuesday morning, Yun Li lingered in bed, refusing to get up.

She always felt that returning to EAW was a task that required overcoming numerous hurdles. One of the initial reasons she had taken on the internship was gone now, and if she were to run into Fu Shize at EAW again, Yun Li couldn't imagine how she would react.

After struggling for quite a while, Yun Li dragged her dark-circle-laden eyes out of bed to brush her teeth. She had spent the last three days giving herself a mental pep talk—there was no need to abandon her very first internship halfway through just because of a failure in romance.

Arriving at the company, Yun Li brought her usual bread and milk to the breakroom for breakfast. Scarcely had she sat down when she heard a commotion from the sofa behind her.

Yun Li froze slightly, raising her head to see Fu Shize walking closer with measured strides. How many days had it been since they last met? Six, seven, eight?

Yun Li couldn't remember clearly.

Fu Shize also seemed sleep-deprived, looking somewhat lacking in energy.

He stopped in front of the coffee machine, the grinding sound of coffee beans filling the entire space. Shortly afterward, Yun Li heard him ask:

"Want some coffee?"

Confirming that there was no one else around, Fu Shize had to be asking her.

Yun Li lowered her head: "No thanks."

She had imagined this scenario countless times, yet now that she was actually being asked, she only felt at a loss. Yun Li picked up her unfinished carton of milk and hurriedly stood up to leave.

Right now, Yun Li's behavior made it look as though Fu Shize were some fierce beast. He turned his head sideways, a slightly puzzled expression crossing his face.

Fu Shize recalled the events of a few days ago.

After dropping Yun Li off at Qili Xiangdu that night, he hadn't driven back from the roadside to Jiangnan Courtyard until three in the morning.

Before going to sleep, Fu Shize turned his phone ringer up to maximum volume to avoid missing a morning call from Yun Li, but by the time he woke up, it was already Saturday noon.

Hastily defrosting two sandwiches, he sat on the balcony and re-read the comments under every single one of Yun Li's videos.

As dusk began to fall, Fu Shize realized that Yun Li hadn't reached out to him all day.

Retrieving a bottle of ice water from the fridge, he checked the time—5:30 PM. He downed half the bottle in one go; the chilling liquid dragged back a shred of his reason, though it failed to pacify the turmoil within his chest.

He wanted to see her.

Before grabbing his jacket and heading out, Fu Shize caught sight of the scarf resting on the sofa, reached out to take it, and wrapped it meticulously around his neck twice while looking in the mirror.

Driving over to Haitian Mall, he bought some small cakes.

When he arrived at her apartment building, Fu Shize called twice, but Yun Li didn't answer.

Having nothing better to do, he simply waited right where he was.

From the shadows, Fu Shize watched Yun Li step out of a car. She was wearing light makeup and an emerald-green dress, the hem fluttering as she moved.

The person who brought her back was Yin Yucheng.

The two of them were prominent figures in their respective schools and had crossed paths to varying degrees.

Yin Yucheng had intentionally gotten out of the car to open the passenger-side door for Yun Li. After he returned to the driver's seat, the silhouette of another person was visible in the back, yet Yin Yucheng only rolled down the passenger-side window, his burning gaze lingering on Yun Li for a good several seconds.

They were both men.

The intentions underlying such actions hardly needed spelling out.

Fu Shize fell into a momentary daze.

He looked down at the cigarette between his fingers. The wounds on his palm had already scabbed over. Recalling how he hadn't spent a single lucid day over the past year and a half, his sanity instantly returned.

——His approach might just ruin her life.

It was just that someone else was being even less rational than him.

A day later, a notification banner on his phone signaled an update from Xianyun Didajiang. The content featured the crafting of a cardboard drone, and at the very end of the video, she said—to give it to someone important.

For some reason, he let out a breath of relief.

He had given up on himself, yet there was still someone who hadn't given up on him.

And he also realized that he didn't want her to give up either.

He had originally planned to spend the whole day at EAW, but an elder in his family fell ill, so Fu Shize went to tend to the bedside for a few days. When Xu Qingsong came to visit, the two of them chatted in the hallway for a bit.

After discussing a few dining spots with Xu Qingsong, right before leaving, Fu Shize asked him: "Is there anything on my desk?"

Xu Qingsong replied: "I took a look before leaving, just a few books and a computer."

Fu Shize fell silent.

...

Returning to reality, Yun Li's demeanor carried clear resistance as she reached the doorway. Fu Shize lowered his head, rhythmically tapping his index finger against the handle of his mug.

"That drone... wasn't it meant for me?"

Yun Li froze in her tracks without turning around: "No."

Seeing that Fu Shize said nothing more, she pulled the door shut behind her.

Back at her desk, Yun Li placed the carton of milk on the table, staring blankly at the text printed on it. Having only wanted to flee the breakroom just then, she belatedly realized that her chest felt as heavy and stuffy as if a massive boulder were blocking it.

She closed her eyes.

Perhaps because she was the one who had pursued from start to finish and then walked away, Yun Li felt strongly as though she had been starring in a one-woman show. From the sound of it, Fu Shize had watched her video and even assumed she intended to gift him the drone, exactly as she had imagined—

Fu Shize had completely failed to notice that she had deleted him on WeChat.

A sudden wave of grievance welled up inside Yun Li. The entire process had been an unsmooth confession, an unsmooth pursuit, and even the act of giving up her pursuit was completely one-sided.

Yun Li wanted to message Fu Shize on WeChat to tell him that she had given up on pursuing him and to wish him happiness.

...

Except she had already deleted Fu Shize.

At noon, Yun Li unexpectedly received a call from Yin Yucheng.

The voice on the other end was deep and gentle: "Hello, I'm Yin Yunyi's older brother, Yin Yucheng."

Yun Li groped through her memory for a moment before remembering that this was Yun Ye's classmate.

"Since Yunyi lives on campus, I'm the one who picks up all the mail sent to the house. I noticed postcards being sent to her from her former class, roughly two a week, and this has been going on for three months."

Yun Li didn't quite understand: "Yunyi must be quite popular."

Yin Yucheng chuckled softly: "Indeed. Even though the return addresses all say Class 15 of Grade 2, I compared the handwriting and found they're all identical."

"Oh..." Yun Li said.

Yin Yucheng added: "Well, and they match the handwriting on that gift box from before."

"..."

"Our family is rather strict about Yunyi dating at this stage. I happen to be near Haitian Mall right now, would it be convenient for us to step out and chat for a bit?"

After agreeing on a time with Yin Yucheng, Yun Li sent a text message to Yun Ye: [Yun Ye, I have ten thousand points of respect for you!]

At this hour, Yun Ye was at school and likely had no time to check his phone.

Yun Li couldn't help suspecting that every time Yun Ye urged her to come back during their phone calls previously, it was just to trick her into bringing gifts for Yin Yunyi.

Meeting at the exact same cafe as last time, Yun Li found Yin Yucheng already waiting when she arrived. Upon seeing Yun Li, he reached out and handed the menu over to her.

"No need, I have to go back to work later," Yun Li said.

Yin Yucheng closed the menu: "Which company are you interning at nearby?"

"EAW, that VR experience pavilion."

Yin Yucheng rested his chin in his hand to ponder for a moment, and just as he was about to keep questioning her, Yun Li took the initiative to speak: "Were you implying earlier that my younger brother is in a puppy love relationship with your younger sister?"

Clearly not expecting Yun Li to be so blunt, he smiled and retrieved a stack of postcards from his briefcase. Most of them were simple kraft paper cards, interspersed with a few commemorative postcards from Xifu Experimental Middle School.

"Our family keeps a pretty tight leash on Yunyi; she's usually only allowed to use a smart band. That's probably the reason why your brother has to resort to mailing postcards," Yin Yucheng spoke in a tone that sounded almost like he was watching a spectator sport, as if he were simply waiting to see what happened next.

"It might not be what you think..." Before Yun Li could finish her sentence, the moment her eyes fell on the writing on the back of the postcards, she fell silent.

This stack of postcards numbered around twenty pieces. To Yun Li's eyes, the handwriting looked familiar, but unlike his usual scribbled and messy scrawls, every single character on these postcards was written with neat, meticulous strokes.

Yun Li pushed the postcards back across the table: "What are you guys planning to do about this?"

She had only glanced over them briefly, which caught Yin Yucheng somewhat by surprise: "Aren't you going to look at the contents?"

"Forget it, it looks like it was written by my brother, I don't really dare snoop through his letters."

Hearing her words, Yin Yucheng let out a chuckle: "You don't dare?"

Yun Li looked bewildered, having no idea what was wrong with what she had said.

Yin Yucheng stared at the green, inexperienced-looking young woman before him without making things difficult for her: "I just came to confirm with you whether this is indeed your brother's handwriting, just so we have a clear idea in our minds."

Looking at the postcards on the table, Yun Li asked with a complex mix of emotions: "These letters—did Yunyi agree to you bringing them out?"

"Yunyi is still rather naive; she probably just assumes these were sent by her old classmates."

Yun Li understood what he meant: it was a one-sided infatuation on Yun Ye's part, and now the other side was worried it might interfere with Yin Yunyi's studies.

This was Yun Li's first time handling this sort of mess for Yun Ye, so her tone carried a trace of apology: "I'll go back and talk to Yun Ye about it."

Yin Yucheng thought for a moment before adding: "We haven't fully decided yet either. As long as it doesn't affect her studies, we actually don't plan to interfere. Just give me a call if you get any updates on your end."

Yin Yucheng offered once again to treat Yun Li to a meal, but she declined. After much internal deliberation, she couldn't help asking: "Um, can I ask you one thing?"

"Go ahead," Yin Yucheng said.

"Does Yunyi ever write back to Yun Ye?"

Yin Yucheng mused for a moment: "Probably not. As far as I know, she doesn't have any pocket money to buy stamps."

"Oh..." Yun Li muttered.

She thought of how reckless and hot-headed Yun Ye was every day, constantly alternating between grinding math problems and playing video games like a pre-adolescent boy.

To think he had actually persisted for three months, mailing letters that received no response.

Involuntarily projecting herself into the situation, Yun Li felt a surge of intense sympathy for Yun Ye.

Yin Yucheng put on his coat, fell in step beside her, and said with polite courtesy: "Let me walk you to the entrance of your company. It happens to be a good chance for me to see where Yun Ye's sister works."

Just as Yun Li opened her mouth to refuse, Yin Yucheng raised his voice slightly, half-jokingly saying: "We might be family in the future, after all."

"..." Yun Li stayed silent.

Along the way, the two of them exchanged no further conversation. Yin Yucheng lowered his gaze to observe the young woman beside him; she didn't seem particularly adept at socializing with strangers, and he could vividly sense her awkward discomfort.

Reaching the entrance of EAW, Yin Yucheng didn't go inside, instead offering a parting smile: "You don't need to stress too much about this matter. Let's communicate again if there are any updates."

Yun Li nodded, turned around, and swiped her access card. The glass door reflected Yin Yucheng's figure—he hadn't left yet. Pretending not to notice, she kept her head down and walked straight back to the breakroom.

It was now 12:45 PM, and her lunchbox was still sitting in there. The breakroom was empty. Her boxed meal sat inside an insulated bag on the table; two boxes remained, and soup had leaked out into the bag.

Before the door could fully latch, it was propped open from behind. Fu Shize pushed it open and stepped in beside her, his shoe tips and trouser cuffs flashing into Yun Li's field of vision.

Yun Li only wanted to grab her lunchbox and bolt immediately. The person beside her shifted, gently brushing her newly extended hand aside.

"Don't get your hands dirty."

Using a paper towel, Fu Shize wiped away the soup spilled along the edges of the lunchbox, took both containers out together, and placed them side by side into the microwave for heating.

The air conditioner was cranked up to 30 degrees Celsius, leaving the room stuffy and oppressive. He pushed open half the window, and as the cold wind rushed in to equalize the temperature, Yun Li finally felt her breathing grow somewhat easier.

A familiar figure moved before her eyes, yet her legs felt as though they were glued to the floor, incapable of movement.

Ding.

Fu Shize opened the microwave, laid down two sheets of paper towel, and set the two warm boxes of food side by side on the adjacent table, opening them one by one before unwrapping a pair of chopsticks and placing them beside the boxes.

He pulled out a chair, lifted his gaze to look at the person standing motionless in place, and asked:

"Want to sit here?”