When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

It was nearly one o'clock by the time they left Yun Li's place. Standing at the doorway, Fu Shize nodded toward her. Hesitating for a moment, Yun Li walked up to him and lingered for a while, reluctant to let go of his hand. Noticing his bare neck, Yun Li reached out and grabbed her scarf from the coat rack, standing on her tiptoes to wrap it around him.

When performing this action, she was no longer as awkward as before. Fu Shize stared into her focused eyes, instinctively brushing his finger against her cheek.

Having spent these dozens of seconds outside, his fingers had already turned cold.

Yun Li instructed: "Let me know when you get home."

Jiangnan Residences was about a half-hour drive from Qixiangdu, so he would probably get home close to two o'clock. Mulling it over, he said: "You go to sleep first."

Yun Li insisted: "No. I'm going to wait for you."

She was a night owl by routine, so sleeping an extra half hour or less wouldn't make much of a difference anyway.

Knowing someone was waiting for him to come home—even if their physical spaces didn't align—gave him a very special feeling. He couldn't even remember when the last time was that someone had done that.

His parents worked at Xikē University, and he had grown up in Nanwu, living with his maternal grandparents since childhood. Later, when the health of the two elderly people took a sharp turn for the worse, he was left behind alone in Jiangnan Residences.

Fu Shize got into the car and rolled down the window. Pulling out a cigarette case and taking one out, he realized that he had spent practically all his time with Yun Li over the past few days, leaving a pack of cigarettes untouched for a long time.

Lighting a cigarette, he could see the light from her window shining out from the car. Leaning against the window frame, he could occasionally catch the play of light and shadow as she walked around inside her room. Tilted his head, he tracked and captured that patch of light until it vanished from his field of vision for a while.

He snapped back to his senses.

Flicking the ash off his cigarette, Fu Shize started the engine. Driving out of Qixiangdu and passing two intersections, he slowed his speed down slightly.

Not far ahead, the dyed-blue-haired punk Yun Li had encountered earlier looked like he had consumed a fair bit of alcohol, sporting the flushed expression of someone whose alcohol buzz had gone straight to his head. Right now, he was hugging a street tree and howling at the top of his lungs, while the burly man stood nearby laughing maniacally and recording a video with his phone.

The punk, named Cen Hefeng, was Xu Qingsong's cousin. Since childhood, he had spent day and night drinking and partying with bad company; while not a bad person at heart, he had caused quite a few disasters due to heavy drinking.

The two of them had crossed paths before. Over half a year ago, on those few occasions when Fu Shize had gotten blind drunk, the punk had loyally delivered him to Xu Qingsong's place instead of taking him home.

Fu Shize pulled his car over to the side of the road. The burly man had contacted him in advance and cleared a path. Fu Shize nudged the punk, who managed to clear his vision just enough to recognize the person before him, muttering: "Bro, bro, stop shoving me every time."

"Where is he?" Fu Shize asked concisely.

Exuding a reek of alcohol, the punk tried to fling himself onto Fu Shize's body when he failed to stand straight. Fu Shize decisively stepped back, causing the punk to crash into the burly man instead. Without forgetting his main task, the punk stuttered: "Playing open-air mahjong in the back alley."

The burly man added some extra information: "There are security cameras down that street. He originally got caught, but then he changed his story and claimed he was drunk and accidentally stole the stuff, negotiating a release with the person who got robbed right after."

"Brother Ze, why are you looking for this guy? Does the person who got robbed have something to do with you?"

Fu Shize: "..."

The back alley was the neighborhood's primary nightlife and entertainment strip, bringing together loud bars, mahjong parlors, and similar leisure activities. Without wasting breath on him, Fu Shize headed straight toward the back alley.

The burly man tried to block him with a hand: "Brother Ze, don't go. If you do, Uncle and Auntie are going to blame us later."

Glancing at him, Fu Shize ignored the warning.

Dragging the punk along as dead weight, the burly man hurriedly followed behind. The back alley was bustling with crowds of people coming and going. Walking inward, Fu Shize spotted numerous groups playing open-air mahjong, and his gaze finally locked onto a mahjong table near the edge. Sitting by the table was an exquisite silver-white gift bag stamped with the letters "Aroma".

Following his line of sight, the punk let out a hiccup: "That's the guy."

Fu Shize walked over and came to a stop beside the man. The man was in the middle of drawing a tile and hollered at the top of his lungs: "Self-drawn!" The surrounding people didn't respond, however, keeping their eyes glued strictly to the spot beside him.

The man turned his head back. Right beside him, Fu Shize snatched up the gift bag and opened it; it contained only a few red bills inside. Tilting the bag sideways, he shook it twice, causing the money to drift down onto the table.

The gazes of the few people present failed to elicit any reaction from Fu Shize, who scanned the surroundings before lowering his gaze back onto the man in front of him.

Radiating an oppressive aura, the man lit a cigarette, yet Fu Shize stared at him with unmoving, absolute stillness.

An utterly fearless, ice-cold expression placed a subtle layer of pressure on the man. Having just committed an offense that very night, he had zero desire to visit the police station a second time, so he mumbled: "What are you doing..."

Fu Shize: "Where's the stuff inside?"

Someone next to him murmured something to the man, who sheepishly got to his feet and rummaged through a nearby drawer to fish out a transparent green aromatherapy piece, handing it over.

A white heart was embedded right in the center of the transparent gel, giving off a fragrance with hints of grass and lemon. Fu Shize dropped the aromatherapy piece back into the bag and turned away without a word.

The burly man trailed behind Fu Shize. Over the past year and more, Fu Shize had frequented this area often, yet the man still couldn't fathom how this high-achieving scholar everyone talked about ended up hanging around a place like this.

He always seemed completely indifferent to everything, but the moment he genuinely lost his temper, he feared nothing and sought absolute vengeance for the smallest grievances.

After getting into his car, Fu Shize ignored the two men standing behind and drove straight back to Jiangnan Residences. It was already two o'clock, and Yun Li had sent several messages asking if he was stuck in traffic.

After replying to her, Fu Shize went inside his apartment and lit the aromatherapy candle. Leaving the lights off, only the flickering firelight illuminated the room as the fragrance drifted out.

Placing the aromatherapy on his bedside table, he sat down on the edge of the bed. His phone screen lit up; he originally intended to text her a goodnight, but his gaze lingered stubbornly on the lock screen interface, unwilling to look away.

He recalled the final kiss of the past year—after he finished speaking, she had proactively extended the tip of her tongue and tightly wrapped her arms around his body. He had ended up drinking a full glass of cold water afterward. Then his phone vibrated, reminding Yun Li to send a text: [You still haven't told me your New Year's wish!]

Falling asleep before she could receive Fu Shize's goodnight message, Yun Li woke up the next morning to his New Year's wish: [My wish is for you to be well in all things.]

The early morning drowsiness was chased away entirely by those words. Yun Li bounded out of bed and pulled open the curtains, discovering as the sunlight filtered in that the snow had melted away almost completely.

Final exam season flew by in the blink of an eye. Thanks to Fu Shize's frequent visits to her apartment to tutor her in coursework and cook meals for her on the side, things ran smoothly. Unlike most people she knew, whenever he cooked, he only needed to look at a tutorial once, relying entirely on memory to execute the steps without a single error in recollection.

More than half a month later, when Yun Li stepped onto the scale again, she had gained five pounds.

Not long after the robbery incident, Yun Li heard the news that the robber had been apprehended; counting past offenses as well, he was looking at a prison sentence of at least seven or eight years.

The amount of time Fu Shize spent with her grew longer and longer. He picked her up and dropped her off for work, lingered at her place until bedtime before leaving, and the two of them spent practically every weekend glued to each other.

Once her final exam wrapped up, Yun Li felt no desire to head home, thanks entirely to Fu Shize's presence—she simply wanted to delay her return to Xifu for as long as possible.

Remembering what her roommate Tang Lin had mentioned previously about the Climbing High Outdoor Club having an upcoming route, she scrolled through their official account. The camping date for that starry-sky route was set for a week later, so Yun Li signed up both herself and Fu Shize.

The camping location was in the suburbs of Nanwu City, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius.

Having never participated in outdoor activities of this scale, she wasn't quite sure what gear was required. Yun Li added the consulting WeChat listed in the promotional post, and a familiar profile picture popped up—it was Fu Zhengchu.

Feeling slightly awkward about it, she still sent a message inquiring: [Hey there, your little uncle and I are planning to join the stargazing camping event.]

Fu Zhengchu: [!]

Fu Zhengchu: [Consider it arranged!]

Yun Li replied with a "hehe" emoji.

He immediately pivoted back to business: [Since this event involves camping outdoors, you'll need tents and sleeping bags. Little uncle's place should already have those, so you won't need to bring yours—most couples just share the same one anyway.]

Fu Shize kept tents and sleeping bags stocked at Jiangnan Residences; the only thing missing was her set of gear.

She arranged with Fu Shize to visit Nanwu's largest outdoor equipment store on Saturday. After stepping out of the car, he took Yun Li's hand. Once inside the store, Yun Li passed by the tent section and, remembering what Fu Shize had mentioned earlier, turned to ask him: "Are we sleeping in the same tent?"

Fu Shize: "Mn."

He didn't seem to care much about the matter.

Which meant that when they stayed overnight that day, they would be sleeping inside the same tent. Yet up until now, she and Fu Shize had only ever tried lying together on the same couch.

Though their relationship had grown much closer, it still stopped strictly at the level of kissing. Yun Li's face grew hot as she followed him into the next section.

The adjacent area was primarily stocked with sleeping bag equipment. At a glance, she spotted a pair of promotional parent-child and couple's sleeping bags; the couple's version featured a connected interior. Imagining that scenario in her head, the heart that had just settled down leapt right back up into her throat, prompting her to blurt out: "What do you usually wear to sleep?"

Fu Shize: "..."

Fu Shize: "Nothing."

Yun Li: "..."

Her imagination ran wild, and she couldn't help blushing. Noticing her gaze drift toward the sleeping bag section and guessing what was running through her mind, Fu Shize said with helpless amusement: "Two sleeping bags."

Her mind had been running wild with inappropriate thoughts.

Feeling rather embarrassed, Yun Li uttered an "oh" and scurried over to the hiking boot section to inspect things closely. Not finished teasing her yet, Fu Shize traced a finger across the center of her palm and pulled her off to the side.

Seeing this man lean in close regardless of the setting, Yun Li stepped back until she bumped against a storage rack, glancing around nervously. Pressing her hands against his chest to hold him back, she murmured self-consciously: "There are people here..."

Fu Shize cooperated by scanning the surroundings: "I don't see anyone."

Yun Li: "..."

The store was lit by harsh white fluorescent lighting, and with his facial features pressed close, he looked even more aloof and detached under the pale glare, the raw affection in his eyes completely unmasked. Yun Li couldn't fathom how he managed to say such things with a straight face. Resigned to her fate, she let go of her hands, allowing him to clasp them in his grip.

He kissed the corner of her lips. Yun Li felt a tingling sensation ripple through her, her heart fluttering in anticipation of further actions—

"Little Uncle?"

Fu Zhengchu's sudden voice caused both of them to freeze. Yun Li's initial reaction was to look for an escape route and pretend she had never set foot in this place.

Having already retreated into a corner, she had no space left to back away, leaving her no choice but to lift her eyes and glare reproachfully at him.

"Little Uncle, it really is you! I saw your and Sister Lili's registration info. Are you here to buy gear?" Fu Zhengchu's voice was right upon them now, and right in front of Yun Li was that familiar chest, blocking her entirely from view.

"Little Uncle, you didn't even reply to my messages on WeChat. You're dating now, how come your temperament hasn't changed at all?" Fu Zhengchu gave Fu Shize's shoulder a pat.

Fu Shize turned around and asked emotionlessly: "How am I supposed to change?"

Fu Zhengchu: "..."

Catching sight of the person standing behind him, Fu Zhengchu dropped his teasing tone and comforted Yun Li instead: "Sister Lili, you don't need to blush. Dating is a completely normal thing."

Yun Li: "..."

Changing the subject abruptly, Yun Li asked: "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I brought some people here to shop." Pointing toward a nearby spot, he indicated a group of people who had just rounded the corner, among whom was her roommate Tang Lin. Failing to notice Yun Li at first, Tang Lin headed straight toward Fu Zhengchu.