When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

These reasons were all entirely reasonable, yet with both parties present and fully aware of the truth, these words of comfort only served to magnify her awkwardness, leaving her feeling utterly restless whether sitting or standing.

In this current scene, the tension wasn't limited to just this table; Yun Li felt as though the entire hot pot restaurant, the entirety of Haitian Mall, and perhaps even the whole of Nanwu had returned to a state of dead silence.

Suffering through the torment, she closed her eyes.

Not daring to toss this difficult problem over to Fu Shize, Yun Li mustered her courage and interrupted them: "Thank you guys, but I'm really fine." Striving for authenticity, she even threw in a little white lie: "Besides, asking someone for their WeChat isn't a first for me either."

Sensing her discomfort, Deng Chuqi chimed in with a cheeky smile: "That's true, you've even asked me for mine before."

"Why don't you ask me for mine right now, then?" Xia Congsheng smoothly joked along. "I promise I won't turn you down."

The topic was smoothly steered away.

Yun Li let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled: "Alright."

Everyone at the table took out their phones to exchange WeChat contacts, with the sole exception of Fu Shize. Seeing this, Fu Zhengchu frowned, looking deeply disapproving: "Little uncle, why aren't you joining in?"

Xia Congsheng joined in as well: "Yeah, for a moment there I was so out of it, I honestly thought you were just a random customer sharing our table."

Fu Zhengchu: "Hey buddy, why don't you switch tables? We don't accept table-sharers here."

"..."

Never expecting him to agree, Yun Li quietly put her phone away.

To her surprise, Fu Shize simply adopted an attitude of indulging their antics and handed his phone over to Fu Zhengchu.

"See, there you go." His phone didn't have a password lock, so Fu Zhengchu smoothly unlocked it. "Stop acting so antisocial all the time, wouldn't it be great to make a few more friends?"

Fu Shize couldn't be bothered to dignify that with a response.

Fu Zhengchu held the WeChat QR code out in front of them and said politely: "My little uncle works at EAW. If you guys ever go over there to hang out in the future, feel free to give my little uncle a heads-up beforehand."

Faced with this turn of events, Yun Li found it utterly unbelievable. Recalling Fu Shize's previous rejection, she sat holding her phone, feeling as though she definitely wasn't included in that plural "you guys," and delayed taking any further action.

However, assuming she couldn't quite reach, Deng Chuqi simply snatched her phone out of her hand and scanned the code for her.

"..."

A few seconds later, a little red dot appeared on her contact list.

No one present found anything amiss, and the party of interest, Fu Shize, didn't even raise an eyelid or show the slightest hint of obstruction. Not wanting to appear overly invested, Yun Li locked her screen, staring down in a daze as she forced herself to eat and calm her nerves.

She actually.

Re-really managed to add him...

Yun Li had originally intended to head straight home, but Deng Chuqi insisted that the opportunities to meet would dwindle drastically after the semester started and voiced her reluctance to part ways, pressing Yun Li to spend the night at her place.

Figuring that school didn't start until the day after tomorrow and that she had plenty of time tomorrow to go back and pack her things, Yun Li readily agreed.

After dinner, the group took the direct elevator down to the parking garage.

Fu Shize drove, Fu Zhengchu occupied the front passenger seat, and the three girls sat in the back.

On the return trip, they passed a large supermarket. Remembering that her household consumables were running dangerously low, Xia Congsheng impulsively suggested stopping by to do some grocery shopping.

The others readily chimed in with agreement.

Fu Shize operated like a machine—neither objecting nor enthusiastically endorsing, yet executing every request to the letter. Sitting in the back, Yun Li watched his profile whenever it flickered across the rearview mirror, finding it bizarrely contradictory that the word "obedient" weirdly suited him.

Entering the supermarket, the shopping cart was pushed by the youngest member of the group, Fu Zhengchu. Impetuous by nature, he made a beeline for the sections that caught his interest and vanished from sight within a few steps.

Fu Shize stood in stark contrast, trailing behind them with a weary, listless expression.

Since the shopping trip was primarily for Deng Chuqi and the others, Yun Li lacked much sense of participation. However, knowing she would be staying over here for a few days, she picked up her daily essentials, such as chocolate milk. Failing to spot her usual preferred brand, she compared several different labels.

Ultimately, she selected three different brands of chocolate milk, purchasing three cartons of each.

Noticing her arms laden with items, Xia Congsheng frowned: "Where on earth did Fu Zhengchu run off to? Little uncle, this stuff looks pretty heavy, do you mind helping her toss it into the shopping cart?"

"..."

Staring down at her phone while clutching an armful of dairy products, Yun Li felt rather embarrassed.

For the first time in her life, she felt a sudden, unprecedented urge to quit drinking milk.

Fu Shize, however, remained entirely unfazed. Reaching out a hand toward her, he said softly: "Give it here."

"Ah... Okay," Yun Li handed them over. "Sorry to trouble you."

Once he walked away, Deng Chuqi couldn't help whispering: "Holy crap, your little uncle looks like some unapproachable high-altitude flower or a freezing AC unit, but how come he's... how should I put it, so obedient? Besides, how on earth do you dare keep bossing an elder around?"

"I just call him that because," Xia Congsheng said, "he's a few years younger than me, so there's no way I could treat him like a real elder."

"Huh? I thought he just had one of those faces that looks forever young."

Deng Chuqi didn't seem to have made the mental connection at all that Fu Shize was the legendary genius from Xifu University.

Yun Li chimed in casually: "He's the same age as us—"

Noticing the two of them turning their gazes toward her with looks of apparent confusion over how she could possibly know that, Yun Li snapped back to her senses and hurriedly tacked on a questioning syllable at the end: "—right?"

"..."

Xia Congsheng nodded, giving it some thought: "I suppose so."

This shopping trip was swift and decisive, wrapping up in just over half an hour.

Back inside the car, Fu Zhengchu clicked his seatbelt into place and grumbled discontentedly: "Little uncle, why didn't you answer anyone earlier? Good thing I stepped in and covered for you with a few explanations."

Xia Congsheng leaned forward over the seatback: "What's going on? Did you guys run into someone?"

"It was just Sang Zhi! Her family lives around here," Fu Zhengchu said. "Turns out that guy who came to help her face her teachers back then wasn't her real older brother at all. But get this, Sang Zhi's actual older brother actually knows our little uncle."

Curiosity piqued, Xia Congsheng asked: "Little uncle, were you guys classmates?"

Fu Shize replied with casual indifference: "Seemingly."

"Wouldn't that make him your senior then? How could you walk right past without even saying hello," Fu Zhengchu reproached. "You can't just apply your aloof persona regardless of the occasion, you know, little uncle?"

Moments later, Fu Zhengchu launched into a mock courtroom trial right there in the car: "Lili, sister, when my uncle went to pick you up last time, did he give you any attitude? Spill it, and we'll all stand up for you."

Yun Li waved her hands frantically: "Not at all."

Clearly determined to dig up some dirt, Fu Zhengchu pressed on: "Then did he smile at you?"

"...Neither did that."

"See, little uncle, you're just doing it wrong," Fu Zhengchu shook his head, imparting wisdom. "If you act like this out in the world, you're definitely gonna get beaten up. You've got to learn to be warm, gentle, and benevolent toward others."

Fu Shize offered a low "Mn."

Watching the drama unfold from the back seat, Yun Li couldn't help marveling at the fact that he was actually taking the lecture seriously.

They hadn't driven far before Fu Shize abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Unbuckling Fu Zhengchu's seatbelt for him, he rested one arm casually against the steering wheel and turned his head to look at him: "Get out."

"...Huh?" Looking out at the utterly deserted stretch of road, Fu Zhengchu's fiery momentum vanished instantly. "What's wrong? Little uncle, did you forget? Am... am I not supposed to be staying with you at grandpa's place tonight?"

"Can't learn it," Fu Shize said flatly. "Afraid your beatings will drag me down."

"..."

For the remainder of the journey, Fu Zhengchu finally behaved himself, not daring to utter another extra syllable.

Upon reaching their destination, they bid their farewells.

The three girls returned to their accommodation, took turns showering, and gathered in the living room to put on a movie, spending most of their time simply chatting.

Before long, Xia Congsheng glanced at her phone and asked: "Oh, right, Lili. That bag you brought today was left in my little uncle's car. My grandpa's place is pretty close by, should I have my cousin bring it over for you?"

"Ah? There's no need," Yun Li said. "That bag has crepe cakes inside, which I originally made for you guys to eat anyway. If you guys don't mind, feel free to try them."

Xia Congsheng: "Alright, thanks a bunch then. I'll let them know."

"Speaking of which," Deng Chuqi unwrapped a bag of potato chips, shifting the topic, "do your little uncle and your cousin have girlfriends?"

"My little uncle doesn't."

Hearing this, Yun Li unconsciously glanced toward her.

She then swiftly feigned indifference, turning her gaze back to the television screen to mask her racing emotions.

How strange...

Even though it had nothing to do with her.

Hearing that answer still made her feel, despite herself, just a tiny bit happy.

Xia Congsheng shared the rest of the intel honestly: "As for my younger cousin, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think so—he broke up with his girlfriend recently. Why, taken a fancy to one of them?"

Deng Chuqi sighed: "Never mind, one's too icy cold, and the other's too much of a goofball."

Xia Congsheng burst into laughter, rocking back and forth before asking: "What about Lili? If either of you sets your sights on someone, you have to let me know. I'll play matchmaker for you."

"..."

Harboring hidden intentions, Yun Li felt like she was walking a tightrope, teetering precariously over an abyss. She didn't dare confess the truth, yet refused to lie to them either, so she simply kept her mouth shut and laughed along with the rest of them.

Both girls were merely joking around anyway.

Crunching on a potato chip, Deng Chuqi pivoted topics: "Lili, didn't you mention before that you wanted to find a job? Have you started sending out resumes yet?"

"Not yet, I always hesitate right when I'm about to submit one." Mentioning this brought a wave of depression over Yun Li. "Truth is, I still haven't figured out whether I want to be a full-time content creator or get a regular job."

In reality, Yun Li felt completely lost.

During her senior year, she had poured every ounce of energy into preparing for the graduate entrance exams, entirely failing to consider the consequences of failing. She had missed the campus spring recruitment fairs, and the few resumes she submitted through public job portals had ultimately yielded nothing.

She had toyed with the idea of taking a second shot at the exams, but deep down, that was merely a convenient goal she conjured up because she had no clue what to do next.

She wanted to try finding a job, yet continually procrastinated.

She only wanted to hunker down inside her comfort zone.

Drowning, hiding, and utterly unable to pull herself out.

Many sides of herself could only be exposed on the internet or in front of familiar faces. She had also lost common ground with many people, finding herself unable to connect and gradually drifting apart.

She wondered if there were others out there like her.

Yearning for the bustling energy of the world, yet terrified of social interaction.

"Well, figure out which one you actually want to do," Deng Chuqi advised. "Actually, finding a relatively laid-back job probably wouldn't interfere with your video editing anyway."

"That's right, you can just try out whatever you feel like doing, and if it turns out you're unhappy, you can always quit and reevaluate," Xia Congsheng said gently. "By the way, what was your major again?"

Yun Li: "Automation."

"I think I saw a friend of mine hiring recently, should I send the posting over for you to look at later?" Xia Congsheng offered. "If you feel like it's a good fit, you could try submitting a resume."

By the time the movie ended, it was nearly one in the morning. Since both working girls typically went to bed around this hour, their eyelids were drooping with exhaustion.

Retiring to their bedroom, Deng Chuqi bid Yun Li goodnight and promptly drifted off to sleep.

Hearing the steady rhythm of her breathing, Yun Li groped blindly for her phone on the bedside table and slipped under the covers like a thief in the night. She opened WeChat and pulled up the contact profile for Fu Shize, whom she had added earlier today.

With other people around earlier, she hadn't dared to tap into his profile.

It wasn't until the dead of night, when no eyes were watching her, that she finally let her suppressed desires take over.

Fu Shize's display name was a capitalized letter "F."

His profile picture featured a solid black background with a white, arc-shaped object near the bottom. It looked vaguely like a crescent moon, yet equally resembled a tiny love heart. Taken as a whole, it gave the impression of a smiling face missing its upper half.

It carried a sort of deadpan, sarcastic cuteness.

Coupled with Fu Shize's habitually expressionless face, it felt entirely contradictory yet inexplicably fitting.

Staring at it for a long while, Yun Li slowly began to feel a sense of hard reality setting in.

She truly couldn't quite believe it.

That such a thing as "a moon dropping straight out of the sky" could actually happen in this lifetime.

Having taken the plunge, Yun Li's subsequent actions grew far bolder and fell entirely into place on their own accord.

Yun Li opened his Moments feed, where his cover photo remained set to the default stock image. He practically never posted about his daily life; the sparse few posts visible were merely shares of academic papers and research materials.

She hit the bottom after scrolling just a few times.

It was barren and empty, yet entirely in line with what she had expected.

She backed out to the chat window.

Yun Li absentmindedly tapped on the message input box, intending to back out again, when Deng Chuqi shifted slightly in the bed next to hers. Her heart seized, and with the reflex of a startled cat, she slammed her phone face-down to lock the screen.

After a few seconds, all motion ceased.

Peeking out cautiously, Yun Li used the moonlight to confirm that Deng Chuqi was still fast asleep.

It seemed she had simply rolled over.

She let out a breath of relief, feeling a sudden wave of drowsiness wash over her. Placing her phone back on the bedside table and adjusting her sleeping posture, she prepared to drift off when the silent, tranquil room was suddenly shattered by a sharp vibration.

Ringing out right beside her ear, it sounded almost deafening.

Startled out of her wits, Yun Li glanced anxiously back toward Deng Chuqi, terrified of waking her. Assuming it was merely a push notification from an app, she picked up the phone with delicate, cautious movements, intending to switch off her cellular data.

She tapped the screen.

The interface was still lingering on her chat window with Fu Shize.

Five minutes ago, she had sent Fu Shize a stick figure sticker. It was one she had just pilfered from Deng Chuqi's collection—a hand making a fist with the index finger extended, pointing straight out of the screen, accompanied by the caption: Be my wife.

Yun Li's expression instantly froze.

And just a moment ago, the other party had replied with a single message.

Fu Shize: [?]

"...”