When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Fu Shize buckled her seatbelt and started the car, driving forward. Along the way, his expression remained cold and stern as he kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The car moved at a rapid pace, and within a few minutes, the sign for a hospital emergency room appeared before them.

"We could have just gone home and treated it with medication." Yun Li paused; it hurt quite badly this time, but in her impression, only severe illnesses required a trip to the hospital.

He didn't reply, parking the car and pulling Yun Li into the emergency room. From registration to consultation, the entire process took no more than two minutes. While the doctor treated Yun Li's wound, Fu Shize stood close by, watching quietly.

Once the treatment was finished, the two returned to the hallway and sat side by side on the rest benches. Fu Shize kept his head lowered, his ten fingers interlocked between his knees.

He hadn't spoken a single word for half an hour.

Yun Li placed her right hand on his knee. The gauze was wrapped in loops right across the web of her thumb, and Fu Shize turned his head to look at it, gently pinching her fingertips.

Suddenly, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

It was a very forceful hug.

Fu Shize's arms locked firmly around her shoulders, the pressure from his five fingers gripping her shoulder blades pronounced, as if he wanted to knead her into his very body. Yun Li didn't react in time, but a few seconds later, he buried his face in her hair.

She could feel his cool cheeks and straight bridge of her nose pressing against her neck.

At that moment, whether Yun Li was overanalyzing it or not, she could feel that she was an essential part of his world.

After holding her for a while, Fu Shize released her. The doctor had instructed her to keep it away from water and assured them there were no other major risks. Yun Li hadn't taken the injury to heart, but thinking of the gift that had been snatched away, she felt somewhat dejected: "The gift hadn't even warmed up yet before it got swiped."

"..."

Fu Shize hooked his finger lightly against hers: "I'll track it down for you."

He didn't look like he was joking in the slightest.

"Don't bother, that guy looked really fierce. What if you get hurt? The loss wouldn't be worth it," Yun Li said hastily. Fu Shize didn't answer, prompting her to confirm: "Did you hear me?"

He hummed in acknowledgment. Lost in silent thought, an inscrutable expression rested on his face.

The main entrance of the emergency room looked straight out toward the Nanwu Ferris wheel. Catching sight of the neon lights glowing over there, Yun Li remembered their original itinerary for the night and asked: "Can we still go to the restaurant?"

Fu Shize checked the time: "We've missed the reservation slot, let's go home."

Just as she moved to get up, Fu Shize beat her to it: "I'll carry you on my back."

Yun Li: "..."

Although she knew Fu Shize was unlikely to mix up which part of her was injured, out of sheer confusion, Yun Li reminded him: "It's my hand that's hurt..."

Fu Shize stared at her and let out an amused, low chuckle.

He made no effort to conceal his intentions: "I want to carry you."

Yun Li glanced around—there weren't many people about—and mentally prepared herself: "Fine, I suppose. Other people won't know my hand is the part that's hurt anyway."

It probably wouldn't attract unwanted attention from strangers.

"..."

Seeing her reluctant tone, Fu Shize was left speechless. He turned around and crouched down, presenting her with a wide, solid back. Stealing glances around like a thief, Yun Li slowly hooked her arms around his neck.

His arms brushed past the underside of her thighs, effortlessly hoisting her up onto his back.

She had no recollection of ever being carried like this before. Unaccustomed to this sensation of bodily imbalance, Yun Li tightened her grip around his neck and buried her face in her scarf.

The scarf carried a faint trace of tobacco. Fu Shize came to a halt: "It's a bit warm, help me take it off."

Obediently, she removed his scarf and looped it around her own neck instead.

Fu Shize: "Hold on tighter."

Yun Li tightened her hold around his neck.

Fu Shize: "Like just now."

"..."

Yun Li: "Like what..."

She muttered under her breath, blushing as she slowly buried her face back into the crook of his neck, pressing against his skin with supreme reluctance.

She could feel the strength in his arms increase.

Seemingly amused by her mismatched words and actions, a low laugh rumbled from his throat. Catching the teasing undertone, Yun Li shot him a look laced with a hint of warning.

Fu Shize turned his head to look back at her as well. For reasons unknown, Yun Li lifted her chin and brushed her lips against his. Catching him off guard for a split second, she felt the sweet satisfaction of revenge.

His astonishment lasted only a fleeting moment. The next second, gazing right at her, Fu Shize spoke as if casting a spell: "Come closer."

"..."

Though she put on a reluctant expression, her face still edged closer to his. His gaze was crystal clear, his nose defined as if shaded with makeup, and his features sharply chiseled. They were close enough that even the shadows of their eyelashes were clearly visible.

Fu Shize leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

Yun Li instinctively pulled back, but the corners of his lips quirked upward as he repeated: "Come closer."

His voice carried an irresistible allure, woven with a gentle, husky timbre.

Feeling the back of her own neck grow hot, she drifted closer to him as if her cognitive faculties had abandoned her. Fu Shize lowered his gaze, his lips pressing down over hers. This soft contact lingered longer than any of their previous encounters. Following that, he began to gently and tentatively nibble at every inch of her lips at an agonizingly slow pace.

Every single nip he took was accompanied by a fixed, smoldering gaze. Yun Li's mind was completely saturated by the man before her; even her breathing was filled with his scent, and those nibbling sensations ignited every nerve ending in her body.

Yun Li's hands tightened involuntarily. At that precise moment, his warm tip of a tongue probed past her teeth, brushing against her own.

The affection blazing in his eyes held her reason hostage, and Yun Li passively surrendered to his guidance, letting him hook her tongue into the interior of his mouth. Amidst the merging of lips and teeth, she gradually found her rhythm again. His breathing was ragged, and his gaze mirrored nothing but her.

...

It was a little past seven o'clock by the time they returned home. Fu Shize opened the refrigerator to inspect it; Yun Li kept all her supplies neatly organized, making the ingredients clear at a single glance.

He picked out some vegetables and frozen steak.

Realizing his intentions, Yun Li studied Fu Shize's otherworldly, ethereal face before asking honestly: "Can you actually cook?"

Fu Shize offered no reply.

Yun Li stood up as well, intending to push Fu Shize back onto the couch: "Let me do it instead." Pressing down firmly on his shoulders, she discovered she couldn't budge him at all.

He walked into the kitchen, slid the door shut, and tinkered behind closed doors. Opening up two of Yun Li's past videos on Bilibili and setting them to fast-forward, he reviewed her detailed explanations step by step, replicating the process from memory.

Cooking only took half an hour. When he finally served everything at the table, Yun Li stared at the pink apron tied around him—the sizing was all wrong, looking cramped on his tall frame.

Matched with his somewhat aloof and detached face, Yun Li fought down a laugh, pulled out her phone, and opened the camera app.

Fu Shize expressionlessly asked: "What are you doing?"

She hadn't turned off the shutter sound on her phone, and a crisp click echoed through the quiet room.

Fu Shize: "..."

He stared straight at her, a look that made her scalp tingle. Deciding not to push her luck any further, Yun Li put her phone away. Seeing her act like such a coward, Fu Shize left the apron on, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Let me see."

He dropped only three words.

Yun Li handed him the photo she had just snapped. In the frame, the tall man wore an icy expression while clad in a pink apron a size too small. Because the photo was taken from a low angle upward, that haughty, overbearing aura and the cute, obedient attire formed a bizarrely harmonious contrast.

Fu Shize smiled without any warmth: "Not bad."

"Should I take another one?" She raised her phone again.

"..."

"How about a selfie instead?" She changed her tune.

Fu Shize didn't put up as much resistance this time, letting her lean in close. As Yun Li sidled up beside him, his expression remained severe in the frame while she nudged him with her shoulder: "Smile."

His expression didn't shift by even a fraction. Not forcing the issue, Yun Li pressed her cheek against his and extended the camera angle wide enough to capture his upper-body outfit.

Ignoring the fact that she was taking a selfie, he simply nuzzled her a few times whenever their cheeks brushed together.

She snapped a rapid succession of photos.

Dinner didn't take long. Once Fu Shize finished cleaning up the tableware, the two of them curled up on the tatami mat in the balcony. Yun Li had decorated this cozy spot herself after renting the apartment, and through the glass window, a section of the distant Ferris wheel was clearly visible.

They should be able to catch the Nanwu fireworks when the clock struck zero.

After watching a movie together, midnight was rapidly approaching. Leaning against Fu Shize's shoulder, the two of them silently stared out the window.

A video call ringtone shattered the silence. It was a call from Yun Ye. Sitting up straight, Yun Li answered it; he was outside, wearing earbuds and a thin jacket.

Yun Ye switched the camera view and panned around to show his surroundings—it was the permitted firework zone where they usually went to watch the New Year displays in past years, and the area around him was packed with crowds.

"I bought some fireworks," Yun Ye said, looking into the camera. "I'll reluctantly let you watch them, consider it ringing in the New Year together remotely."

Yun Li: "..."

She glanced sideways at Fu Shize, who was tilting his head to watch her.

...

Why did she always manage to back herself into a dilemma so quickly?

Noticing the rapid succession of expressions crossing her face, Yun Ye complained irritably: "Who told you not to give me money for a plane ticket so I could come to Nanwu and celebrate face-to-face."

"If you actually made it to Nanwu to celebrate with me, I'll swallow my phone," Yun Li retorted unceremoniously. The teenager furrowed his brows and ignored her. Yun Li watched the screen go black before lighting back up; Yun Ye had already lit two handheld sparklers and waved them around in front of the lens.

Yun Ye: "Yun Li, these sparklers went up in price. They're ten yuan for two now, and I bought sixty yuan worth today—split fifty-fifty. Hurry up and send me a red packet."

Time ticked away second by second, leaving only two minutes until midnight. Without delay, Yun Li sent him a hundred-yuan transfer, which Yun Ye snapped up instantly. Seeing the amount, he let out an "oh" as if encountering some rare miracle.

Yun Li: "I've paid you, I'm going to go ring in the New Year now."

Yun Ye: "?"

Yun Li: "Bye-bye."

Yun Ye: "..."

She hung up the call right then and there. Watching their interaction from the side, Fu Shize held no hard feelings: "You could have kept the video call running with your brother."

Yun Li shook her head frantically. This was their very first New Year's Eve together.

How could she possibly tolerate Yun Ye acting as a giant human-shaped lightbulb? The worst-case scenario was just sending him a couple more red packets later.

Making no further comment, Fu Shize pulled her into his embrace. Just as Yun Li opened her mouth to say something, a continuous barrage of fireworks erupted outside the window, sending streams of sparks soaring into the sky to burst into dazzling cascades of multicolored light.

On her phone, the Bilibili dynamic feed was flooded uniformly with posts shouting "Happy New Year." Some people were also posting their resolutions or plans for the coming year alongside the completion status of their goals from the past year.

Yun Li nudged Fu Shize beside her: "In this new year, do you have any wishes?"

Resting his head lazily on her shoulder, Fu Shize asked: "Do you?"

"My wish—" Yun Li tilted her head toward him, "is that you'll like me a little longer."

Fu Shize looked back at her as well. After a long moment, he lightly pressed his lips to hers, and amidst the lingering tenderness, his voice came through—It will come true.