When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Yun Li flipped the box open to find a pair of ice-blue crystal earrings. She picked them up, gave them a couple of looks, and asked in mild bewilderment, "I'm supposed to be the one celebrating your birthday, you know."

Afterward, she took the earrings and solemnly held them up against Fu Shize's earlobe, saying, "Since it's your birthday, this gift should be yours." Fu Shize didn't have pierced ears, so naturally, there was no way he could wear them.

Fu Shize responded helplessly, "My gifts are all yours anyway."

Following his logic, Yun Li parroted, "My gifts are all yours, too."

Not a single word uttered by a drunkard could be trusted, yet upon hearing Yun Li say this, Fu Shize still couldn't help smiling. He took the earrings from her hand and asked, "Can you sit still without moving?"

Yun Li nodded.

Pusing aside the hair by her ear, he found her auricles flushed and burning hot, and he gave her earlobe a gentle pinch.

This was his first time putting earrings on a girl, and lacking any experience, he felt as though this delicate, soft earlobe was infinitely fragile.

Fu Shize moved with extreme caution. Staring fixedly at the spot for a long while with bated breath, he spent a good while carefully threading the backing through before the piece of jewelry finally hung securely against her ear.

Yun Li remained completely quiet, obediently obeying his instructions not to move an inch even after the earrings were attached.

"I only ordered a cake for you." Yun Li's consciousness seemed to flicker awake for a moment. "I didn't even get you a gift."

Unable to believe it, she repeated herself, "I didn't get you a gift."

"Didn't you deliver yourself back to me?" Fu Shize played along with her ramblings. Yun Li blinked and asked, "Do you like it?"

"Mhm."

A knock sounded at the door, presumably the cake delivery. Fu Shize made a move to answer it, but Yun Li tightly grabbed his collar, picking up right where she had left off: "—Do you like me?"

This movement pinned him in place, rendering him unable to move.

Fu Shize let out a soft laugh of exasperation, attempting to pry her fingers loose one by one, only for her to stubbornly latch back onto the previous finger the moment he peeled one away. Finding his efforts futile, he gave up and leaned sideways against the sofa.

"Mhm, I like you."

Yun Li mumbled, "I like you too."

Fu Shize: "I know."

Until she fell asleep, Yun Li never loosened her grip on Fu Shize. Carrying her over to the bed, Fu Shize finally noticed that the collar of his shirt had been yanked open by her.

A few faint red marks had been clawed into his collarbone.

This room had previously belonged to his maternal grandparents and had sat vacant for many years.

A space that ought to have felt empty and desolate was now filled with her presence.

Leaving a single small nightlight on, Fu Shize helped her take off her makeup and removed her accessories.

Yun Li tossed and turned in her sleep, kicking the blanket away, and Fu Shize carefully tucked it back around her. There were no traces of alcohol left on her face, and her curled eyelashes obediently shaded her upper eyelids. He brushed his thumb gently across her eye socket and asked, "Can I have a birthday gift?"

Yun Li furrowed her brow slightly, turning her face toward him.

Her damp lips seemed to beckon to him. Fu Shize leaned in closer, murmuring to himself, "I'll take that as a yes."

...

She saw the cake with her own eyes the next morning.

Yun Li woke up feeling groggy, a dull ache throbbing inside her skull. She retraced the events of the previous night, her memories culminating in the sensation of falling asleep safely wrapped in his arms.

Surely she hadn't gone out of her way to travel all the way back just to celebrate his birthday, only to pass out without even blowing out a single birthday candle.

Picturing Fu Shize sitting all alone and desolate on the sofa, lighting two candles by himself while staring at the fast asleep mess beside him, a wave of guilt washed over Yun Li. She really shouldn't have given in to her foul mood and chugged those two glasses of wine.

Opening the fridge, she saw the cake wasn't whole—two slices had been cut out of it.

She let out a sigh of relief.

He must have celebrated his birthday after all; Fu Shize surely wouldn't have gone out of his way to fake the cake just to look like it.

"Did you sleep well?" Fu Shize walked up beside her, pulling milk and eggs out from the refrigerator.

He had been awake for quite a while. A few buttons of his pajamas were left unfastened, exposing the faint red marks across his collarbone.

Yun Li couldn't believe her eyes.

"Mhm, pretty good." She dutifully answered his question, then asked with mounting hesitation, "Your collarbone... did I do that?"

Fu Shize: "Don't remember?"

"..."

"Let me ask you a question," Yun Li choked out. "How did it happen?"

Fu Shize placed a mug of warm milk in front of her and answered casually, "Probably bit you, or something."

"..."

Yun Li frantically resumed searching through her memories for just how far the two of them had progressed. She had a vague impression that after she fell asleep, the tip of her tongue had stubbornly fought a losing battle against something. She had tried to push back with her hands, but soon both of her arms had been pinned helplessly against the soft sheets, completely immobilized.

While she remained in a daze, Fu Shize added unconcernedly, "It's fine."

This entire affair far exceeded Yun Li's realm of comprehension. Terrified of inviting further trouble, she blurted out, "Good then."

Fu Shize chuckled softly.

Thinking the matter was finally settled, Yun Li was frying eggs when Fu Shize suddenly turned his head to look at her. "It hurts a bit."

"..."

Only after her lips were kissed until they ached was Yun Li finally released. While eating breakfast, she checked her phone and saw a message Yun Ye had sent late last night: [Wish brother-in-law a happy birthday for me.]

Yun Li: [Received.]

Yun Ye: [It's been twelve hours already, Yun Li. What on earth were you up to last night?]

Yun Li: [Going on a date ^^]

Yun Ye: [Heh]

Yun Ye: [Family warning: Dad says he's planning to go to Nanwu to drop off a blanket for you. Exact timing unknown.]

Yun Li: [Crap]

Taking a gulp of milk to calm her nerves, Yun Li was so terrified by the news that her goosebumps stood on end. The dead of winter was practically over, so coming all the way to Nanwu to "inspect" her prospective son-in-law sounded much more accurate.

After breakfast, the two of them drove to a nearby supermarket to pick up groceries.

Yun Li gazed at the cart full of everyday household essentials—items like toothbrushes, cups, and slippers had all been bought in pairs. Logically, buying just her share would have been enough, so she asked in confusion, "Weren't there any of these at the house before?"

Fu Shize ticked them off one by one: "Couple's slippers, couple's mugs, couple's pajamas..."

Noticing her blank expression, he lowered his gaze and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Pushing the cart forward, Yun Li offered a delayed, awkward smile, caught up to him, and laced her arm tightly through his.

"Let's buy some instant foods." Yun Li walked over to the frozen section. "We can pick up a few extra bags of dumplings, they're quick to boil."

Fu Shize rarely ate frozen foods, and asked dubiously, "Don't you usually cook from scratch?"

"You're the one doing all the cooking now anyway," Yun Li admitted candidly. "I want to lighten your burden."

Barely had the two of them moved in together before this arrangement was already set in stone.

Realizing how thick-skinned she sounded, Yun Li hastily added, "If you get tired of cooking, I can toss some frozen dumplings in the pot for you."

"..."

Fu Shize calmly recited, "Latest update from 'Idle Cloud Dripping Sauce': Video titled - Let's Boil Porridge for Our Boyfriend: How to Make Crab and Fresh Shrimp Clay Pot Porridge."

"Yam and Pork Ribs Porridge, Beef and Egg Drop Porridge, Scallop and Shrimp Porridge, Black Bean and Brown Rice Porridge..." Fu Shize rattled off several titles from that series from memory, tilting his head to look at her. "I seem to recall I'm your boyfriend?"

Yun Li twitched the corner of her lips. "You are..."

Fu Shize offered a deadpan smile. "I don't recall ever eating any of those."

"..."

Conscious-stricken, Yun Li obediently walked over to the grain and oil aisle, tossed a few bags of brown rice and oats into the shopping cart, and then headed to the dried goods section to grab a couple of bags of dried seafood.

After finishing at the supermarket, Fu Shize changed his clothes and headed off to work.

Since the Nanjing University of Technology hadn't started classes yet, Yun Li let Fang Yuning know and returned to the company ahead of schedule.

She had already completed her three-month internship at EAW, spending most of her time running errands.

With intern duties remaining flexible, she had lent a hand across quite a few departments, giving her a rough grasp of the company's overall operations.

She planned to resign in April, and before that deadline arrived, Yun Li took the initiative to apply to Fang Yuning for charge of the spring recruitment drive.

This was a task the old Yun Li never would have dreamed of applying for on her own initiative, let alone managed to handle successfully. Perhaps due to her recent urgent desire to reshape her personality, Yun Li decided to give it a try against all odds.

Aside from commuting together every day, Yun Li and Fu Shize's routine life was calm and ordinary.

Every so often, she would remember Yun Yongchang's threat to visit Nanwu.

Without any definitive news yet, Yun Li practiced self-hypnosis and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"Teacher Idle Cloud." Having returned to the company after taking her annual leave, He Jiameng went out of her way to greet Yun Li. "Colleagues are saying you've changed a whole lot lately, huh?"

"Huh?" Yun Li lifted her head from a stack of documents. "What changed?"

"You talk a lot more, and you smile way more often," He Jiameng said with a grin. "I never expected that dating such an icy person would actually make Teacher Idle Cloud smile more. Did you catch it from him?"

Yun Li smiled. "Maybe I caught it."

The two hadn't chatted for long before quitting time rolled around. Yun Li packed up her things and headed to the front entrance to wait for Fu Shize.

Today was Valentine's Day, and Yun Li had arranged with Fu Shize to film a drone video together. The theme was the evolutionary history of classic drone models, and Fu Shize was going to help her draft and voice the script.

Digging out her collection of drones, Yun Li borrowed the open space in front of his bookshelf to shoot the aesthetic exterior shots.

Catching a glimpse of a black leather photo album tucked inside the cabinet out of the corner of her eye, she pulled it out to flip through.

It was filled with old photographs of Fu Shize.

Starting from his infancy, quite a few pictures featured another boy right alongside him—presumably the childhood friend he had mentioned earlier.

The two of them shared similar smiles with prominent double-eyelid creases. One particular photo showed the childhood friend carrying both of their schoolbags while holding young Fu Shize's hand right outside the gates of Jiangnan Garden.

Fu Shize couldn't have been more than four or five years old in that one.

As Yun Li squatted there browsing through the pages, Fu Shize walked through the front door and asked, "Are the drones—"

His words cut off abruptly.

"I accidentally flipped through this album just now, I saw so many pictures of you when you were little." Yun Li stood up, intending to hand the album over to him.

Fu Shize spared it a single glance, snapped the album shut, and asked, "Should we shoot the video now?"

He placed the album back down on the bedside table.

Yun Li's heart gave an uneasy thud before she finally processed his reaction. "Oh, right."

Yun Li followed him outdoors, setting up the camera to record some footage of the drones operating in the open air. While managing the equipment, Yun Li silently lifted her eyes to look at him.

His expression remained subdued, his pupils reflecting the dyed-blue sky.

The man in the black overcoat overlapped with that teenager wearing the Unique team uniform.

And then cleaved sharply apart.

Before they got together, Fu Shize was like a rose blooming in the wilderness—distinct and aloof—while she could only watch him from afar.

The scenes inside the camera lens froze frame by frame. His movements were minimal, leaving only the drone darting back and forth across the sky.

Yun Li remembered that night at the campsite, the reflective surface of the lake, and that solitary, retreating figure. Even though she was close enough to distinguish his body heat, that unavoidable sense of distance still lingered between them.

"Lili."

Recovering her focus, Yun Li saw Fu Shize looking right at her as the drone settled back into his palm.

"We're done filming. Let's go get dinner." Yun Li spoke awkwardly. Fu Shize murmured an assent and helped her pack up the camera gear.

By mid-February, the temperature still hovered at three degrees below zero. Fu Shize wrapped a scarf around Yun Li's neck and tucked her hand directly into his coat pocket.

His palm was slightly cool at first, but quickly warmed up. Stepping outside, the biting winter wind pierced right to the bone, numbing all of Yun Li's exposed skin, save for the single source of warmth radiating from her palm.

The gloom that had weighed on her mind all day finally dissipated a little.

Fu Shize had booked a Western restaurant in advance, located inside the commercial mall near Jiangnan Garden.