When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Was that an illusion on her part?

Yun Li had no way of knowing.

...

Yun Li received a phone call from Yang Fang.

"Your younger brother hasn't been playing on his phone much at all in the evenings lately. The moment he gets back every day, he sits straight at his desk. Has something set him off or stressed him out?"

Yun Li immediately thought back to Yun Ye's puppy love endeavors and replied dryly, "No way. Mom, stop worrying over nothing."

Yang Fang said with concern, "Help me ask your brother how he's doing lately. Is his study pressure too high? If this keeps up, I'm worried he won't be able to hold out."

Yun Li: "..."

It probably had nothing to do with his studies.

Not daring to explain casually, Yun Li agreed, "Alright, I'll go ask him."

Figuring it was about time to have a chat with Yun Ye regarding this matter, Yun Li initiated a video call.

When the call connected, the young man's handsome features appeared on the screen, his lower lip drooping in an unwilling scowl: "You didn't even look at the messages I sent you."

Yun Li: "Oh, really?"

Flipping through the chat history, she saw that after she had previously sent Yun Ye the message [Yun Ye, I have ten thousand points of respect for you!!!], he had indeed replied for several consecutive days.

Yun Ye: [?]

One day later.

Yun Ye: [??]

Two days later.

Yun Ye: [???]

...

Earlier, Yun Li had been completely overwhelmed by her own emotional entanglements and hadn't paid much attention to Yun Ye's message-less replies.

Remembering how Yin Yucheng had made a special trip out that day, Yun Li pouted: "Oh, I got busy and completely forgot about it. Around the time I texted you, that student Yin's older brother tracked me down, saying you send Yin a couple of postcards every single week—" Yun Li teased sarcastically, "You must be so busy that your older sister doesn't even deserve a reply?"

Yun Ye: "..."

Yun Ye: "How did he know I was the one sending them?"

Yun Li felt speechless: "Yun Ye, can you use a bit more finesse when you're pursuing someone? Over twenty postcards, and at a single glance, every single one of them has the exact same handwriting! The girl's older brother tracked me down directly!"

After holding it in for a long time, Yun Ye blurted out: "What the hell, her brother snooped through my letters."

"..."

Yun Li: "Well, I suppose he probably did snoop."

Yun Ye said angrily: "Damn it, that's so shameless."

Thinking it over, Yun Li chimed in: "Damn it, it really is a bit."

Yun Ye quickly accepted reality and complained with dissatisfaction: "Such a huge deal, why are you only telling me now?"

"Didn't I just tell you I forgot?" Yun Li felt not an ounce of apology, instead lecturing him earnestly: "If you keep doing this and end up messing with the young lady's grades, that wouldn't be very good. Yun Ye, we need to, you know, rein it in a bit."

Yun Ye protested: "No way, Yun Li! Your younger brother's letters were snooped on by someone else! Aren't you going to help uphold justice for me?"

"Oh." Yun Li bypassed his point entirely and shifted angles: "Besides, so you sent those under the name of your entire class? I actually thought you were being bold before and totally misunderstood you."

Yun Ye turned his head away, refusing to look at the camera, his tone tinged with impatience: "Mind your own business."

Undeterred by his tone, Yun Li calculated the return on investment for Yun Ye's self-sacrificing behavior and warned him: "So you sent all those postcards, but what happens if she thinks someone else sent them?"

He took on an indifferent attitude: "As long as she receives them, that's enough."

Seeing him completely impervious to reason, Yun Li thought of her own situation and sighed sentimentally: "Yun Ye, blindly giving of yourself only ends up hurting you in the end. Do you know you need to love yourself more?"

Yun Ye: "..."

Yun Ye: "Why are you suddenly saying things like that?"

Yun Li: "..."

Yun Li: "I'm just giving you some advice as someone who's been through it..."

Yun Ye: "Does that older guy not like you?"

After a brief silence, Yun Li bypassed the question entirely: "Let's get back to your matter. Her family doesn't seem to plan on interfering, as long as it doesn't affect her studies; they just came to me to confirm the situation."

With her biggest worry resolved, Yun Ye breathed a sigh of relief, wearing the unique smile of a youth: "Then tell me, can I still keep mailing them to her in the future?"

Yun Li immediately distanced herself: "I do not support puppy love, and I am definitely not giving you money for stamps."

Suddenly remembering why she had placed this call in the first place, she added: "Right, Mom called me earlier today saying you haven't been playing on your phone and sit right at your desk the moment you get home."

Yun Ye muttered: "Isn't it a good thing that I'm not playing on my phone? What on earth is going through her head."

"Alright, I've given you a heads-up, so watch yourself."

"Oh."

After Yun Li hung up the phone, she saw that Yang Fang had sent her two more messages.

One was a photo of Yun Ye's report card.

The other was: [What if your brother burns himself out studying?! [Crying]]

Yun Li tapped it open to check the report card.

It really hadn't impacted his grades at all.

Yun Li clicked back into Yun Ye's chat window and transferred him two hundred yuan via red packet. After a moment of thought, she added the note: [Meal money].-

As the day for the guesthouse trip drew closer, Yun Li found herself growing uncontrollably anxious.

She had previously arranged with Fu Zhengchu that once she finished work at EAW on Friday, Xu Qingsong would pick her up at her apartment, head to a nearby supermarket for supplies, and then drive everyone to the guesthouse.

No one had told her whether or not Fu Shize would be attending.

After work, Yun Li returned to her apartment to grab her luggage.

The baseball cap given to her by Fu Shize was still resting on her desk. Over the past few days, she had occasionally run into Fu Shize in the breakroom, but upon returning to the office, she never wanted to make a special trip to seek him out again, and after dragging it out for so long, she still hadn't returned it to him.

There was a chance he might be going, too.

Yun Li tucked the baseball cap into her bag. When she headed downstairs, Xu Qingsong's car was already parked outside. The window was rolled down to reveal Xu Qingsong in the driver's seat and Fu Shize in the front passenger seat.

Yun Li let out a breath of relief and reached for the car door, but it swung open smoothly from the inside. Looking down, Yun Li caught sight of Fu Shize, with only a single black bag resting beside him on the door panel.

Fu Shize shifted slightly inward, clearing the spot where he had been sitting to make room for her.

"..."

Feigning calm, Yun Li ducked her head and climbed inside. The seat still held the lingering warmth of his body, and she placed her bag in the empty space between them.

Xu Qingsong turned sideways to greet Yun Li. Today he wore a cotton-linen floral shirt spliced in beige and brick red, layered under an outer jacket cut in a solid-color suit style.

Noticing Yun Li's lingering gaze, he didn't shy away and asked, "What is it?"

Yun Li pulled her gaze back: "It just feels like President Xu's shirts are always so bright; you rarely see anyone else wear them." Not particularly skilled at flattering people, she added vaguely, "They all look pretty nice, though."

At that, Xu Qingsong laughed, wearing a roguish smirk: "Really? Earlier I thought Ah Ze's clothes were too monotonous and wanted to gift him a few sets, but he rejected every single one."

Since the topic revolved around Fu Shize, Yun Li's inquisitive tone turned somewhat unnatural: "Oh, why is that..."

Xu Qingsong glanced at Fu Shize through the rearview mirror and teased, "Who knows? Probably thought they were ugly."

As the centerpiece of the discussion, Fu Shize offered no commentary whatsoever, only lifting his eyelids when he was mentioned.

Seizing the opportunity, Yun Li finally looked at him. He wore a white shirt and light-gray casual trousers, paired with a black wool overcoat.

After driving for two or three kilometers, the car arrived at a large nearby supermarket.

The moment they stepped onto the escalator, Yun Li blurted out in a rush, "Fu Zhengchu, I'll go with you," leaving the other two behind as she grabbed a shopping cart for Fu Zhengchu and headed straight for the snack aisle.

Facing a dazzling array of snacks, Fu Zhengchu tossed several large bags of potato chips into the cart. Noticing that Xu Qingsong and Fu Shize were a short distance away, he leaned close to Yun Li: "Sister Lili, I specifically sat in the front passenger seat today!"

"..."

No wonder Fu Shize had been sitting in the back seat today; under normal circumstances, he was always the one in the front passenger seat helping Xu Qingsong watch the road conditions.

Fu Zhengchu had never forgotten his mission as a wingman. "Sister Lili, I saw a drone in your latest video—was that meant for my Little Uncle?"

With clear, innocent eyes that radiated pure, friendly concern, Yun Li didn't want to lie and answered honestly: "Yes..." She paused: "But I'm not planning to give it to him anymore."

Fu Shize wasn't overly surprised, keeping his tone casual: "Why's that, Sister Lili? Did you guys have a fight? You hardly seem to talk to my Little Uncle anymore."

"No... I just decided not to give it to him." Yun Li instantly denied it, staring preoccupied at the chocolate sticks in her hand.

While Fu Shize appeared to be picking out snacks on the surface, he was actually burning with anxiety in his heart.

He had extended invitations in the group chat a few times, but both of them had declined. After getting into the car, the two of them hadn't even exchanged a greeting, and once they reached the supermarket, Yun Li refused to walk anywhere near Fu Shize.

Even with Fu Shize's dense nature, he could tell something was off with their dynamic.

Yun Li wasn't a child; she didn't want to blow this matter out of proportion, so she asked carefully, "Do I look like I'm ignoring him?"

Fu Shize answered honestly: "You do." He added emphasis: "And it's pretty obvious, too."

"..."

Fu Shize asked: "Did my Little Uncle do something to upset you?"

Torn for a long time, Yun Li couldn't bring herself to voice those words about giving up to Fu Shize. Lowering her gaze, she asked, "Does your Little Uncle have a female friend he's known for a very long time and is really close with?"

Fu Shize asked in shock: "Sister Lili, are you worried my Little Uncle is seeing someone else?"

"..."

That made her sound like a homewrecker trying to interfere with a relationship.

"That's impossible." Fu Shize racked his brains without managing to conjure up a single person, concluding definitively: "Any female acquaintances my Little Uncle has known for a long time are just relatives, bound by blood. My Little Uncle has great family upbringing; it's totally impossible, absolutely impossible."

Fu Shize insisted on this point, leaving Yun Li feeling perplexed as she muttered, "Really none?"

"..."

Back in the car, Yun Li's thoughts remained trapped in her conversation with Fu Shize.

So, the earlier rumor about Fu Shize asking someone out might have been a misunderstanding? Yun Li stole a glance at Fu Shize; he had his head down playing on his phone, chatting with someone on WeChat.

As they neared the highway entrance, Xu Qingsong reminded them, "We're hitting the highway in a moment, put your seatbelts on."

Yun Li's train of thought was broken. She fumbled for the right-hand strap, pulling it toward the buckle at her thigh. Fu Shize lowered his gaze as she tried and failed to latch it several times in a row.

Fu Shize said: "Let me."

Seeing that they were about to hit the highway, Yun Li didn't refuse: "Oh, okay..."

Fu Shize unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned forward toward Yun Li. As his breath drew close, Yun Li frantically recited inner peace mantras in her heart.

However, the moment his hand actually brushed against the strap, the skin he touched felt as though a rapid current of electricity had surged across it.

Yun Li sat rigidly upright. With Fu Shize keeping his head down, his fluffy, layered locks swayed slightly with the vehicle's gentle vibrations, and his well-defined fingers grasped the buckle, hovering mere fractions of an inch away from her tight jeans-clad leg.

He clicked it into place effortlessly.

Retreating slowly back to his original position, Fu Shize buckled his own seatbelt and closed his eyes to rest.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. Yun Li opened Station B, where her recent comments had been skyrocketing. She tapped open her notification feed and scrolled down. Aside from a few scattered messages in the middle, dozens of consecutive notifications all belonged to the exact same person. A blank profile picture, the username efe, and every single comment simply reading [Pretty].

This person had also showered her with tons of gifts; they must have been a wealthy new fan. Yun Li sent a direct message to the user with the words [Thanks ^^].

When Yun Li and the others arrived, Xiaxia and her group had already been there for an hour. Aside from Xiaxia and Deng Chuqi, there were two male coworkers they both knew, named Chen Renran and Lu Yu respectively.

Xiaxia's family had arranged a self-built three-story villa party house for them, featuring four rooms complete with open-air hot springs. The three girls would share a family suite, while the remaining two men would share another room.

The villa lacked an elevator; Fu Shize helped carry the luggage upstairs, while Fu Shize personally picked up Yun Li's handbag and waited for her by the staircase.

The rest of the group chatted animatedly, while Yun Li and Fu Shize stood like outsiders, both remaining completely silent.

After heading upstairs and exchanging greetings, Fu Shize handed the handbag back to Yun Li.

"Thanks... right, this cap belongs to you." Yun Li unzipped her bag and fished out the black baseball cap.

"Keep it." Fu Shize didn't take it. He loosened the strap of the backpack on his right shoulder, pulled it open just enough for Yun Li to catch a glimpse of another blue cap resting inside, and said, "I have my own."

Clueless, Yun Li said: "I have one too..."

Without another word, Fu Shize turned around and walked back to his room. His room happened to be right next to Yun Li's, both located at the very end of the corridor. Xu Qingsong had already seated himself by the sofa, leisurely browsing his tablet.

"Why didn't you mention you were bringing coworkers along?" Yun Li sidled up to Deng Chuqi with a grievanceed tone.

She hadn't forgotten what Deng Chuqi had said over the phone about bringing two single guys along, and she felt like those two kept eyeing her like ravenous tigers.

"Well, I didn't think Xiaxia's little uncle would actually show up! Xiaxia said he wasn't coming at first!" Deng Chuqi whispered back, though she made no attempt to hide her intentions: "Originally, these two colleagues of mine were decent enough, but compared to those three uncles and nephews, they do pale a bit. Still, good looks come from heaven, while a good personality comes from later in life!"

Yun Li pinched her playfully: "You didn't say anything weird to them behind my back, did you?"

"Uh..." Deng Chuqi beamed ingratiatingly: "I only mentioned you were single."

"..."

Noticing her expression turning increasingly solemn, Deng Chuqi raised both hands in surrender: "Hey, we can't just hang ourselves from a single tree, right? If you interact with other guys more often, you probably won't obsess quite as much over Xiaxia's little uncle. And don't look down on them just because they look a bit plain."

Knowing her intentions were good, Yun Li sighed.

She didn't want to admit it, but her heart could only hold one person for the time being.-

A quarter of an hour later, the group reassembled in the living room.

The villa's living room was centered around entertainment, featuring an elliptical transparent light fixture in the middle surrounded by a ring of marble table boards suitable for board games. The rest of the living room space housed a pool table, gaming consoles, and a compact karaoke setup.

With the heaters turned on, everyone was dressed in light single layers. Chen Renran and Lu Yu sat on one side of the circular table, followed by Deng Chuqi, Xiaxia, and Fu Zhengchu, with several empty seats separating Fu Zhengchu from Chen Renran.

Spotting Yun Li, Chen Renran eagerly pulled out the chair beside him. Pretending not to notice, she walked straight over and sat down next to Fu Zhengchu.

Fu Zhengchu was entirely engrossed in his phone. Yun Li glanced over and caught sight of Fu Shize's familiar profile picture; as usual, Fu Zhengchu would send a flurry of messages while Fu Shize would respond with at most a single word.

She didn't press the matter after sitting down. Instead, Fu Zhengchu abruptly put his phone away with a somewhat flustered motion, his gaze drifting toward the stairs. "I was just checking when my Little Uncle is coming down."

For some reason, both Xu Qingsong and Fu Shize had yet to come downstairs.

The group unpacked a deck of Uno cards first, with Lu Yu taking charge of dealing. Nearby, Chen Renran poured Yun Li a glass of orange juice and efficiently arranged a fruit platter in front of her, making his intentions to curry favor completely transparent.

His smile only made Yun Li's scalp tingle. Refusing to make even eye contact with him, Yun Li mumbled a thank you and slid the fruit tray over to Deng Chuqi's spot.

Yun Li hadn't played this board game before, so Fu Shize—wait, Fu Zhengchu gave her a quick rundown of the rules.

Just as they were getting ready to play a round, Yun Li, feeling rather nervous since she wasn't good at it, leaned back in her chair and happened to raise her eyes to see Fu Shize walking down the stairs.

He wore a loose turquoise-printed shirt, his porcelain-white skin contrasting sharply with his ink-black brows and eyes. Enhanced by the shirt, his cold, weary face took on a strangely enchanting allure.

Only a single word echoed in Yun Li's mind.

Damn.