When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Yun Li focused entirely on the movement outside the door. "My brother is right out there..."

"Then let's ship your brother back by cargo plane," Fu Shize murmured, brushing his face against her soft hair while his lips lightly grazed her cheek and neck.

She was losing her grip on what she was holding. Fighting desperately against the sensation, she forced herself to keep cutting the apple.

Fu Shize's lips brushed past her right earlobe as he murmured, "Lili..."

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

She was going to lose her mind.

Unable to take it any longer, Yun Li stopped what she was doing, turned on the tap to wash her hands, and deliberately left the water running.

Turning around, she met his gentle gaze, her bravado instantly evaporating. She briefly thought about giving him a fierce kiss, only to chicken out immediately.

Her gaze drifted from his eyes to the bridge of his nose, finally coming to rest on his lips.

Yun Li swallowed hard.

With her heart fluttering from his teasing, she unconsciously tilted her head up. He gently lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. While the sound of the projector drifted faintly from the living room, Yun Li turned sideways, looped her arms around his neck, and subconsciously took a couple of steps forward, pinning him against the wall.

Trapped in the corner, her eyes overflowed with affection. His collar had gone somewhat disheveled from their struggle, and both of them labored to control their breathing. A flush of color touched Fu Shize's lips as he whispered near her ear, "You're getting quite bold now."

Having regained her wits and thinking back on everything that had transpired recently, Yun Li couldn't help saying, "I want to be this bold with everyone else, too."

She wanted to stop being so introverted and retreating into her shell in interpersonal relationships.

Fu Shize kissed her forehead. "You'll manage it." Stroking the corner of her eye, he added, "You're already doing quite well right now."

Praise from him left Yun Li floating on air. Fu Shize let out a low chuckle and leaned back against the wall with an air of complete resignation. "Let's continue."

"..."

...

Yun Ye sat on the sofa, feeling gloomy. While the scenes on the screen constantly shifted, his gaze remained fixed on the kitchen doorway.

He checked the time.

Cutting an apple shouldn't take that long.

A terrifying thought flashed through his head: Were they in there doing something weird? No way, right?

His brother-in-law didn't look like that kind of scumbag.

Yun Ye repeatedly paused and played the program, trying to draw the attention of the two people inside the kitchen. Sitting here on the sofa, he even had the eerie feeling that he shouldn't even exist.

Fortunately, the kitchen door finally opened. Yun Ye forced his eyes back onto the projected screen as two living, breathing people sat down beside him without a word.

Yun Ye cast a sidelong glance at Fu Shize, who was looking down at Yun Li. Noticing Yun Ye's gaze, Fu Shize pushed the fruit platter toward him.

Then, he forked a piece of fruit and held it out right beside Yun Li's mouth. What completely broke Yun Ye was that Yun Li actually ate it directly.

It was far too bizarre.

Ever since they were kids, the male creature Yun Li was closest to was first the family dog, and second was him. A faint wave of melancholy washed over Yun Ye as he asked, "Brother, how long have you and my sister been together?"

Ignoring the fact that the question was directed at Fu Shize, Yun Li answered on her own, "About a month or so."

Fu Shize: "Twenty-nine days."

Yun Li: "..."

Yun Ye's lips moved, and after a long pause, he mumbled a single sentence: "You have to treat my sister well."

"..."

Yun Li gave him a light rap on the head. "When has your sister ever needed you to worry about her?"

"..."

"I will treat her well," Fu Shize answered with absolute seriousness, showing no sign of dismissing the boy's words because of his age. Yun Li blinked in surprise, then directly shoved a piece of apple into Yun Ye's mouth. "Yun Ye, has Dad possessed you or something?"

Unhappy with her rough treatment, Yun Ye complained, "Can't you be a bit more gentle, like your brother-in-law?"

Yun Li retorted right back, "I don't know how. Why don't you have your brother-in-law feed you instead?"

Watching the two of them bicker, Fu Shize found it amusing. Far from minding, he asked Yun Ye, "What did you just call me?"

Feeling a bit embarrassed now, Yun Ye muttered, "Brother-in-law..."

Fu Shize pushed the fruit fork a little closer toward him. "Do you want me to feed you?"

Yun Li snatched the fork back. "No way!"

The three of them sat together on the sofa watching the movie. Utterly oblivious to his own status as a massive third wheel, Yun Ye stayed put even when Fu Shize went to the restroom. Yun Li looked at him in exasperation and said, "Why don't you go hang out in your room?"

"I haven't finished the movie yet..." Yun Ye was completely absorbed, refusing to move until Yun Li shoved him with an intensely coercive expression.

Yun Ye complained indignantly, "Yun Li, can't you learn a thing or two from your brother-in-law and be a bit more gentle with your brother?"

"Look at how smoothly you changed your tune," Yun Li unceremoniously pointed out. "Switched sides to your brother-in-law's camp real fast, haven't you?"

"Brother-in-law is tall, handsome, and has a great temper." Yun Ye shot Yun Li a look of utter disdain and stubbornly refused to budge.

"Still," Yun Ye said with a serious expression, "what are we going to do if Dad finds out about this?"

"..."

Yun Li furrowed her brow. "How old am I? Can't I even date without..." She paused, then stared straight at Yun Ye. "Never mind, don't tell him."

Yun Yongchang's anger over her running off to Nanjing University of Technology for her graduate studies hadn't faded yet. If he found out she was dating a boyfriend from Nanwu, he might just buy a plane ticket here to break her legs.

"Sis, how's your income as a video creator nowadays?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Save up more money," Yun Ye advised with cool logic. "Dad will probably sweep you out the door if he finds out, so you need to secure a backup plan for yourself."

"..."

After the movie ended, Yun Li accompanied Fu Shize down to the parking lot. Her mind was weighed down with worries; Yun Yongchang had always maintained absolute, all-encompassing control over her life—from her studies and daily routine down to her social interactions.

Yun Li still remembered how every single time she met a stranger or answered a phone call in the past, Yun Yongchang would pick apart what she said and lecture her on how she hadn't done well enough. Combined with being bullied at school due to her deafness in her left ear, her personality had gradually warped into what it was today.

Which, in turn, only reinforced Yun Yongchang's belief that she lacked the capability to survive independently out in the world.

Yet she did have that capability—she could support herself, and she had lived alone in a strange city for so long.

Yun Yongchang refused to believe it, nor would he ever accept it.

After deliberating for a long while, she finally mustered the courage to tell Fu Shize, "I haven't told my family about dating anyone yet. My dad has a pretty rough temper, so you should probably prepare yourself mentally." Worried that Fu Shize might mind, she euphemistically defended him, "My dad is great in every other way, he just... doesn't really know how to love his own children."

"I'm not dating him," Fu Shize replied indifferently, before asking with perfect composure, "Do I need to go meet the prospective father-in-law?"

"..."

"I just wanted to give you a heads-up. He's just... very overbearing, and I can never win an argument against him. Also, both of my parents only hold junior college degrees, and my family's financial situation is pretty average." Yun Li found it somewhat difficult to continue.

The process of falling in love had been so joyful that she rarely took these harsh realities into account.

"But I can support myself now. Once I graduate and work full-time, things will only get better."

Her expression was that of someone desperately trying to prove her worth to him. A pang of ache pierced through Fu Shize's heart; he had no idea when he had ever made her feel so insecure.

Pulling her closer, he said with utmost solemnity, "Lili, the only thing I care about is who you are. Everything else is completely irrelevant."

It wasn't until she went back upstairs that Yun Li remembered Fu Shize had genuinely never once pried into her family background, which implicitly showed just how little he cared about those things.

In the world of adults, he had given her a romance completely untethered from reality.

His devotion belonged to her, and her alone.-

Yin Yucheng felt like he had been scammed by Yun Ye.

A few days ago, Yin Yucheng had handed his phone to Yin Yunyi so she could reach out to the other party, back before Yun Ye had even booked his tickets. Yesterday, Yun Ye had called to say he was taking the afternoon flight.

Handing the phone back to Yin Yunyi, Yin Yucheng had told them to chat amongst themselves. Afterward, Yin Yunyi told him that Yun Ye claimed Yun Li was currently single.

Since Yin Yunyi had always told him that the siblings were as close as could be—just like him and his own sister—he had never doubted the truthfulness of Yun Ye's words.

Besides, Fu Shize had looked rather unapproachable, so the idea of them breaking up seemed completely reasonable. Having fallen for the little junior at first sight, he didn't want to let the chance slip away again, which was why he had acted so rashly.

Even when replying to Yun Li's messages, Yin Yunyi had strictly forbidden him from exposing Yun Ye.

Having suffered repeated blows in the romance department, he no longer planned to use Yin Yunyi as a shield. After dropping her off at the amusement park, the seasoned veteran of social interactions finally found himself feeling utterly awkward, forcing a stiff smile as he greeted Yun Li.

Fu Shize even went out of his way to roll down the car window and give him a polite nod.

"..."

This was genuinely the most humiliating moment of his entire life.

After dropping Yun Ye off at the Nanwu Amusement Park, Yun Li and Fu Shize refrained from acting like massive third wheels and drove straight back to Jiangnan Garden.

There wasn't much of note inside the Nanwu Amusement Park. Following the navigation map, the teenage boy and girl hit every attraction one by one, with plenty of kids holding ice cream cones passing by along the way.

When they finally reached a dessert stall, Yun Ye told her, "Wait here for a second."

He trotted over, and right in the middle of waiting for his dessert, he picked up a call from Yun Li.

Yun Li: "Oh, how's it going with your secret crush?"

Yun Ye: "Don't worry, no problem at all, everything's totally OK."

Skepticism dripping from her tone, Yun Li dragged out a long, doubtful, "Is that so—?"

Yun Ye: "Heh, maybe your brother just has a natural talent for romance. She's still waiting for me, bye-bye."

He returned holding two popsicles and shoved one into Yin Yunyi's hands. They had attended the same middle school, meaning they had known each other for five years counting from back then.

Yun Ye showed no trace of awkwardness when chatting with her; all his shyness was reserved for writing postcards.

"Those postcards the classmates sent me earlier... they seemed to have the exact same handwriting. Do you happen to know who was in charge of writing them?"

"..."

Licking his popsicle, Yun Ye stared wide-eyed and told a barefaced lie: "I'll help you ask around later."

"..."

Though the boy offered no confession, an inexplicable current of tension blossomed between the two of them.

Blushing furiously, Yin Yunyi rummaged through her small bag. "I have a gift I want to give you. I could only make something small since my parents keep a really close eye on me."

She pulled out a tiny box measuring only five centimeters, inscribed with neat, delicate handwriting that read: —For Yun Ye.

It was the exact same formatting style as the gift he had prepared.

Conveying each other's feelings through implicit, veiled methods.

Yun Ye's heartbeat accelerated abruptly. As a portion of his melting popsicle dripped onto his hand, he nonchalantly accepted the box.

"What rank did you get on your final exams?" Yin Yunyi asked proactively. "I got tenth in our grade."

"Oh, that's pretty good." Maintaining a poker face on the outside, Yun Ye began frantically shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I got sixth. Which university are you hoping to get into?"

"I really like Xifu. With my grades, I should be able to get into Xike University."

Gazing at the blue sky and white clouds while cheerful background music played across the amusement park grounds, Yun Ye couldn't help smiling. "I really like Xike University too."

Around five in the afternoon, their outing concluded, and Yin Yucheng dropped Yun Ye off at the supermarket near Qixiangdu.

Yun Li and Fu Shize were currently shopping for groceries. Seeing her, Yun Ye grinned stupidly and eagerly rushed over to carry her bags.

"Yun Li, I have to tell you something," Yun Ye said, practically floating on air. "Yin Yunyi knows those postcards were all written by me."

Yun Li: "?"

Yun Ye: "Get it? The other person tacitly accepted."

Yun Li: "Cutting it close to the final hour of daylight, that's a pretty fantastic dream."

"..."

All the way back, Yun Ye hopped around with a spring in his step and a look of absolute triumph. Unable to take it anymore, Yun Li warned in a harsh tone, "Act normal, or you'll smash my eggs."

"Oh." Subduing himself slightly, Yun Ye asked her, "Is it just the two of us tonight?"

"Your brother-in-law went out to buy fruit." Yun Li dumped everything she was holding into Yun Ye's arms and dialed Fu Shize. The moment the call connected, her voice instantly softened by several degrees.

Goosebumps broke out all over Yun Ye's skin as he whispered, "Yun Li, can you please talk like a normal person?"

"..."

Back at the apartment, Yun Ye specifically requested several dishes. Yun Li manned the stove while Fu Shize acted as her assistant.

In Yun Ye's eyes, the two of them made a remarkably well-matched pair. They didn't talk much when standing together, but they would frequently exchange knowing, synchronized glances. Even while prepping the vegetables, they could end up smiling just by looking at each other.

"Brother-in-law, do you think my sister's cooking is good?" Yun Ye asked Fu Shize. "All my classmates rave about the dishes she makes."

Fu Shize thought about it. "It should be pretty good."

That tone didn't sound very certain. Yun Ye wore a puzzled expression.

"He hasn't really eaten much of it," Yun Li chimed in to explain. "I tripped and scraped my hand a while back, so your brother-in-law came over to cook, and ever since then he's just taken over the cooking duties."

"Oh... so the brother-in-law does all the housework?"

Yun Li racked her brain trying to recall what the past month had looked like. "Now that you mention it... I guess he really does."

"..."

Yun Ye stammered for a moment. "So... in a relationship, the guy does all the housework?"

That was a question Yun Li couldn't answer either. She nudged Fu Shize, who replied without a moment's hesitation, "Your sister has the final say."

The corners of Yun Li's lips curved upward as she lowered her head to eat.

After staying in Nanwu for two days, Yun Li and Yun Ye set off on their return journey to Xifu. With the Chinese New Year arriving early this year, New Year's Eve was just two days away.

They ran into Yin Yunyi at the airport send-off area. She handed Yun Ye a duck-billed cap as a farewell gift, mentioning that summer was right around the corner.

The other three loitered a little distance away to watch. Having shaken off his initial awkwardness, Yin Yucheng sighed with heartfelt emotion, "Yun Yunyi kept pestering me saying she had to come down to the airport today. Your brother really knows how to chase a girl."

Fu Shize reminded him, "There are three of us standing here."

"..."

Displaying sensible self-preservation, he unhappily retreated to a café all by himself.

With him safely out of the way, Fu Shize finally asked Yun Li, "Have you booked your return tickets yet?"

"Not yet."

"Book them early." Fu Shize kissed her cheek, then corrected himself: "—Come back early."

A note of anticipation laced his tone: "—Come back to our home."

...

In the blink of an eye, New Year's Eve arrived, and lanterns were hung everywhere in celebration.

Chen Jinping still vividly remembered giving birth to Fu Shize on New Year's Eve amid the loud, rattling pops of fireworks echoing right outside her window.

After dinner, instead of heading upstairs like he usually did, Fu Shize stayed behind to help clean up their bowls and chopsticks.

"Lili mentioned she goes to school in Xifu last time," Fu Dongsheng initiated the conversation. "She's a graduate student, right?"

Chen Jinping chimed in agreement. "Son, isn't your academic credential getting a bit too far ahead of hers?"

Fu Dongsheng added, "You're not matching up to the girl's standards at all."

"..."

The two of them beat around the bush for ages without ever getting to the point. Chen Jinping scrutinized Fu Shize's expression, which remained as stagnant as a pool of dead water.

Sighing, she slid a cup of tea over to Fu Shize. "You've been taking a leave of absence for nearly two years now..."

He should have graduated with his doctorate this very year and embarked on a brilliant future.

The implication in her words was crystal clear.

Chen Jinping said softly, "Even if you don't get your degree, your father and I won't hold any prejudice against you, but other people might. We aren't trying to rush you into facing it all, we're just worried that if you drag it out until one day—you'll feel like you can't do it anymore."

"Lili wouldn't care about any of that," Fu Shize replied before turning on his heel and heading straight back to his room.

He turned on the cold water faucet, splashed some across his face, and stared at his reflection in the mirror, recalling the image of Yun Li leaning against his side.

With a smile on her lips, pulling him out from the deep abysses of the lake.

Only her presence could chase away that suffocating weight in his chest.

Their next meeting wouldn't be until after the New Year, and restlessness gnawed at Fu Shize's heart. He wanted to be with her every day and every night, without being separated for even a single minute or second.

After waiting over an hour, Yun Li finally video-called him once she finished her New Year's Eve dinner. Her side of the screen was completely pitch black.

A few seconds later, brilliant lights suddenly illuminated the space behind her.

Facing the camera with a nervous expression and speaking at an exceptionally slow pace, she had prepared everything yet still failed to avert tragedy: "—A-Zhe."

Yun Li braced herself and forced the words out.

"Happy birthday.”