When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

After she finished wiping her hands, Fu Shize naturally took the crumpled tissue and tossed it into the trash can nearby.

"Let's go. Accompany me to pick up some medicine?"

"Oh, sure." Yun Li followed him, and after walking for a short while, she asked directly, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Insomnia. The doctor prescribed some medicine." Fu Shize handed her the prescription without any hesitation; it only listed two types of medicine.

Seeing Yun Li's expression turn grave, he laughed helplessly, "What do you think is wrong with me?"

"Nothing. It's just that after all this time, is your insomnia still this severe?"

"It comes and goes in waves." Fu Shize was already accustomed to a life of insomnia and reassured her, "I just have a lot of dreams."

Taking advantage of the time while he was waiting in line to pick up the medicine, Yun Li searched online for the two medications. They turned out to be standard, conventional sleeping pills.

Given their current relationship, it wasn't appropriate for her to probe too deeply, but learning that there was no severe condition still made her breathe a sigh of relief.

After collecting his medicine, Fu Shize came back, glanced at his watch, and asked her, "What time did you and Yun Ye make plans for?"

Almost forgetting the excuse she had fabricated earlier, Yun Li threw out a random time: "Five-thirty."

Fu Shize lowered his gaze to look at his watch again. "It's still early. Want to head to my lab?"

Since they had already agreed on it last time, Yun Li nodded.

"Let's take my ride," he said, turning his head toward her. Yun Li paused for a fraction of a second. "I drove here too, we can just drive our own cars over."

Fu Shize replied, "You're not familiar with the roads around here. This area gets quite congested and isn't very easy to drive through. I'll drive you back to your car later."

The campus cafeteria was located right near the university hospital, and bicycles were parked haphazardly along the roadside amidst a shifting crowd of figures.

It did indeed look a bit difficult to navigate.

Fu Shize tilted his head slightly, gesturing toward a small electric moped parked nearby. "The ride is right there."

"..."

Only then did Yun Li realize that the "ride" he was referring to was an electric scooter.

Yun Li felt a sudden sense of being scammed.

She stared at the moped and fell into silence. Judging by its build, it was a high-power electric scooter, which was certainly better suited for zipping around campus than a car. The moped had seen quite a few years of use, with a few specks of rust dotting the iron handlebars.

Affording her no room to back out, Fu Shize handed her a brand-new helmet with a pleasant expression.

Yun Li watched as he put on his own helmet step by step—it was a white one, his eyes faintly visible behind the dark, translucent visor.

Seeing that Yun Li didn't move an inch, Fu Shize lowered his head, took the helmet from her hands, adjusted the strap length, and placed it on her head.

The distance between them closed, and a sideways glance from Yun Li's eyes would land right on his arm. After putting the helmet on her, Fu Shize stood a mere ten centimeters away.

"Is the buckle fastened properly?"

"Oh..." Hearing this, Yun Li felt along her neckline for the two straps. Unfamiliar with the shape of the clasp, she fumbled twice without success.

Seeing that she hadn't managed to buckle it, Fu Shize naturally leaned downward, his face hovering just below her line of sight.

He stared with absolute focus at her neck, holding both straps beneath her chin.

Yun Li stared right into the eyes behind that dark visor. Midway through, he glanced upward, and their eyes collided for an instant.

The moment the buckle clicked shut, his fingertips brushed against Yun Li, and as if grazed by an electric shock, Fu Shize's fingers jerked backward.

He immediately turned around, backed the scooter out, and swung his leg over it. Turning his head, his chin pointed toward the back seat.

Plenty of other scooters zipping past carried passengers as well, so Yun Li didn't overthink it, carefully perching on the back while making sure to avoid any bodily contact with him.

"Put your hands here."

Seemingly aware of her hesitation, Fu Shize tapped the body of the scooter to signal where she should hold on. The moment Yun Li steadied her grip, a gust of wind rushed against them, and the moped darted out onto the road.

Ahead of her was nothing but Fu Shize's back.

She suddenly thought of the motorcycle she had ridden back at EAW. So much time had passed, yet her state of mind felt strangely similar.

The rearview mirror captured their reflections. The visor prevented her from seeing his eyes clearly, but she could see the corners of Fu Shize's mouth curving upward.

The wind whipped her hair up into the air, and the scenery on both sides flew backward in a blur.

He took off his helmet, hung it on the handlebars, and stopped the vehicle by propping it upright with its kickstand. Yun Li lost her footing for a second, and Fu Shize grabbed her arm, only letting go once her feet were firmly planted on the ground.

His lab was on the third floor, spanning several rooms. Fu Shize led her around to check out the various spaces, explaining his daily work to her. His routine was basically a monotonous two-point line between the dorm and the lab.

Yun Li had never received systematic scientific research training; Fu Shize spoke of these things as if they were effortless, while she understood barely a fraction of it. Even so, he was speaking more than he usually did, which wasn't a bad thing.

The final stop was his office. The moment they reached the doorway, Yun Li heard a noisy hubbub of discussion coming from inside.

"Holy crap, I saw Senior bring a girl to our lab!"

"Which senior?"

The speaker clicked their tongue. "I only have one senior."

Followed by a chorus of incredulous gasps from several people.

"Is she pretty?"

"Is she from our department? Which lab is she from?"

Listening to the rapid-fire exchange inside, Yun Li turned to him and asked, "Should we still go in?"

Perhaps because the sound insulation was poor, the voices inside cut off abruptly, followed by a few thuds as everyone scrambled back into their seats.

This made Yun Li feel even more awkward.

"Don't you want to go in?" Fu Shize countered.

The way he asked made it sound as if she were the one with something to hide.

Maybe she was just overthinking things; she even fancied she could detect a trace of a smile in Fu Shize's eyes. Not wanting to leave that kind of impression, Yun Li said with an open and unconcerned demeanor, "Let's go in and take a look."

Fu Shize swiped the card to unlock the door. Desk space was evidently tight, with four or five people crammed into the room, though luckily there were partitions separating the workstations.

Fu Shize said, "I'm usually in this office. If you ever need anything, you can come find me here."

Yun Li thought to herself that she wouldn't be needing anything.

His desk was tucked away in the very back, its surface neatly arranged with everything placed with meticulous precision.

Yun Li glanced at the corner of the desk and froze for a moment. It was a paper star lantern—the exact one she had taught Fu Shize how to fold during their camping trip. This version was far more intricate, featuring hollowed-out patterns and integrated string lights.

Noticing her gaze, Fu Shize picked up the paper lantern and handed it to her. "Looks like I've improved quite a bit, doesn't it?"

The paper lantern was folded impeccably, with the details executed so well that it was obvious the maker was extremely proficient. Yun Li had a lot on her mind and placed it right back where it was.

Seeing her complete lack of interest, Fu Shize paused for a second, picked up the paper lantern once more, and placed it back in front of her.

Fu Shize asked, "Want it?"

Yun Li: "Huh?"

Fu Shize: "Do you think it looks nice?"

Yun Li answered honestly, "It looks nice."

"Then take it back with you if you like it," he said without changing expression, adding, "I fold these all the time."

Making it sound like an utterly trivial matter.

Feeling that his persistence was inexplicably stubborn, Yun Li reluctantly accepted it. "Oh... thanks."

He gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

The rest of the people in the office remained entirely silent, so quiet that Yun Li almost thought the two of them were the only ones in the room.

Because others were present, Yun Li felt too embarrassed to linger long in the office. The moment the two of them pulled the door shut behind them, an eruption of hushed catcalls burst from within.

"Was that the girl on Senior's lock screen?"

"I think so, yeah."

Yun Li's footsteps faltered. Fu Shize was standing right beside her; refusing to overthink it, she bit the bullet and walked onward, pretending she hadn't heard their gossip.

Fu Shize carted her back to the university hospital on his moped. All the way there, Yun Li kept ruminating over the playful teasing from his junior lab mates.

It was probably just that when they broke up... he had simply been too lazy to change his lock screen phone wallpaper.

They reached the spot in just a few minutes.

Yun Li got off the scooter, looked toward him, and after a long beat, uttered a single "Thanks."

Fu Shize looked at her with a remarkably gentle gaze. Unable to withstand that kind of look, Yun Li quickly squeezed herself back into her car.

He watched as she fastened her seatbelt and checked the traffic in both directions. Catching out of the corner of her eye that Fu Shize was still standing there watching her, she hesitated for a moment, lowered her head, and immediately threw the car into reverse to leave.

When Fu Shize returned to the lab, his junior lab mates could barely contain their excitement. Usually, all of them bolted the second it was time for meals, but today they had stubbornly waited for him to come back.

The second he stepped through the door, all of them stood up, staring at him with predatory intensity.

"..."

"Senior, isn't that star lantern your prized possession?" teased Lin Jingran, a junior from the lab who had once reached out to touch the lantern only for Fu Shize to instantly slap his hand away.

"And you even said—'I fold these all the time,'" Lin Jingran mocked, mimicking his tone. "Senior, your attempts at chasing someone are way too subtle. Better watch out, or she's going to think you're just messing around."

"..." Fu Shize looked at him and let out a chuckle. "So?"

"Senior, I think you should consider changing your approach," Lin Jingran said, walking over to sling an arm around his shoulder. "Is there anyone who could possibly resist your confession? Just confess to her directly and be done with it."

Fu Shize shook his head. "If I confess now, she might just block me on WeChat."

Lin Jingran disagreed. "Nobody in their right mind would dare block you on WeChat."

Fu Shize said unconcernedly, "Mm. She's done it twice."

"...And you're still chasing her?" Lin Jingran was utterly astounded. In their eyes, someone of Fu Shize's caliber—a favored son of the heavens—ought to have a completely smooth-sailing romantic life.

"Mm," Fu Shize murmured. Seeing that everyone was still staring at him, he frowned. "What?"

"Nothing, just... Senior, aren't you being a bit too whipped?" Lin Jingran blurted out. "Senior, so many people are chasing you, you really don't have to... She's blocked you twice already, that's just way too willful..."

"It doesn't matter if she's a bit willful," Fu Shize said casually, pulling out his chair to sit down.

As Lin Jingran was one of Fu Shize's minor fanboys, he felt indignant on his behalf: "Senior, are you suffering from a severe case of brain rot over love?"

Having never imagined anyone would use such a description on him, Fu Shize remained silent.

Seeing that he had returned to work, the others scattered like a flock of startled birds.

Fu Shize stared at the shared document on his screen—an English research paper written by a junior lab mate, with three or four people online simultaneously.

He typed out a few characters.

Remembering the moment he had brushed against her neck today, it had been a very long time since he had been allowed this close to her. The person he thought of day and night was right in front of him, and several times today, words about getting back together had nearly slipped past his lips.

Lost in thought, Fu Shize didn't pay attention to what he was typing into the document.

"Senior, you're typing in the wrong document," the junior sitting next to him finally piped up to remind him.

Coming back to his senses, Fu Shize realized he had typed the name "Lili" several times into the shared English manuscript, the Chinese characters standing out conspicuously among the text.

He could practically hear the others in the lab suppressing snickers, likely agreeing with what Lin Jingran had just said.

He deleted them character by character.

Whipped was whipped, then.

...

After getting home, Yun Li brought the paper star lantern into her room. She didn't want to place too much importance on a casual gift someone handed her, as it would make it look like she hadn't let go yet.

Yun Li found a safe, empty shelf to tuck it away on and didn't touch it again.

She sat back down on the edge of her bed, swinging her legs slightly as she replayed their interactions from today.

He had gotten very close to her today.

Close enough for Yun Li to clearly see the faint texture of his lips.

Yun Li didn't want to indulge in wishful thinking, nor did she want to repeat past mistakes.

During her previous relationship, she had been left half-dead amidst constant wavering and suspicion.

If Fu Shize didn't give her a clear signal, she didn't want to guess anymore.

But what if he did give a clear signal?

Yun Li had never considered that possibility, and her mind went blank for a brief second.

She couldn't picture what her reaction would be.

Collapsing sideways onto the bed, she reached for her phone.

Better not to think about these things.

...

After enduring a full week of work, Yun Li finally dragged herself to Friday, taking a half-day off. She hadn't been lying down at home for long when a text message from Yun Ye popped up—

[Yun Li, I got bitten by an insect, I'm at the campus hospital.]

It scared Yun Li right off the bed.

The situation was straightforward enough: summer temperatures in Xifu were high, bringing out plenty of bugs. The classroom where Yun Ye had his lecture was on the first floor, and he had been bitten somewhere on his skin, leaving a large, red, swollen patch.

Coincidentally, that class happened to be Control Engineering Fundamentals, and with Fu Shize serving as the teaching assistant, he had driven Yun Ye straight to the campus hospital himself.

Never expecting their next encounter to take place at the campus hospital yet again, Yun Li hurriedly exchanged a greeting with Fu Shize before stepping straight into the clinic room.

A nurse was currently applying antiseptic to Yun Ye.

"It's not like anything's actually wrong with you, why did you even call..." Yun Li sidled up to Yun Ye and lowered her voice, "Why'd you call him?"

Having suffered an injury only to be suspected of having ulterior motives, Yun Ye locked eyes with her in mutual annoyance for a long beat before saying, "He insisted on bringing me."

"Who knows, maybe he wanted to see you," Yun Ye said, a hint of sarcasm lacing his tone—likely displeased by Yun Li's lack of concern.

"Fine." Not wanting to argue with a patient, Yun Li frowned and asked him, "Where did you get bitten?"

"My hand, and my back." Having sat there to be treated like a pincushion for several minutes, Yun Ye felt deeply uncomfortable in the bitten areas, furrowing his brow and keeping his eyes shut.

Yun Li unceremoniously lifted the hem of his shirt to take a look; a large swath of his back was reddened, with a single bite mark the size of a mung bean sitting in the middle, looking rather alarming.

Yun Ye was utterly speechless. "What are you doing? There are so many people here."

"Alright, alright." Ignoring the patient's complaints, Yun Li gave the top of his head a reassuring pat and coaxed, "It won't itch anymore once the nurse finishes putting the medicine on."

"..."

Being treated like a three-year-old child made Yun Ye avert his face in silent endurance. Catching the look of worry on Yun Li's face out of the corner of his eye, he waved a hand at her. "Go wait outside."

"Sorry to trouble you," Yun Li said politely to the nurse before stepping back outside, where Fu Shize was currently leaning against the wall.

"Thanks for bringing Yun Ye to the hospital today. I can handle the rest from here." Yun Li's words heavily implied that he was free to leave.

Fu Shize shook his head. "I don't have much going on right now.”