When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Fu Shize encircled her in front of him, and Yun Li leaned in close to smell his jacket.

"Did you pick this scent on purpose?"

Fu Shize turned his head slightly. "Mhm."

It was the scent of green oranges. Yun Li vividly remembered that the laundry detergent she bought back at Qixiangdu had this exact fragrance. Later, after moving to Jiangnan Garden, she discovered that he had bought the exact same one.

To this day, he was still using the green orange scent.

It was as though everything was just like before, completely unchanged.

Their feelings for each other were the same way.

A wave of warmth washed over Yun Li's heart, and she couldn't help muttering, "Why are you so pure-hearted?"

Hearing this, Fu Shize let out a soft chuckle. A warm sensation pressed tightly against her forehead as he asked, "Does that include this?"

"Mhm." Yun Li widened her eyes as she looked at him. He was a full head taller than her, and as he half-leaned against the tree trunk right now, Yun Li only needed to lift her chin to brush against his jaw.

Staring straight at him, Yun Li slowly closed the distance. Fu Shize offered zero resistance, his gaze fixed entirely on her.

Until their lips brushed lightly together.

She curved the corners of her eyes in a smile. "That doesn't include this."

He chuckled along with her, then suddenly grew quiet, lowering his eyelids as he caressed her cheek.

It was as though he were gently stroking the most precious treasure in the world.

Looking into the deep affection in his eyes, Yun Li felt her vision blur with unshed tears.

Both of them had once believed that this romance was gone for good.

In this moment of regaining what was lost, there was no outward, explosive ecstasy as one might imagine; instead, it was a profound sense of shock and cherished reverence welling up from the deepest depths of the heart. Because they had once lost each other and knew the agony of that loss, regaining it made them exceptionally anxious, terrified that it might all just be an illusion.

Brimming with lingering attachment and reliance, Fu Shize pulled Yun Li tightly into his embrace.

As her body pressed flush against his, Yun Li could feel the point of contact right against his abdomen.

Remembering what had happened to him at the hospital, she closed her eyes, pushed him back just a fraction of an inch, and placed her hand over his stomach.

"It doesn't hurt." Fu Shize tried to keep her from feeling guilty about that incident. "Really, I don't even remember it."

"Yeah..."

"Someone seemed to have promised to make porridge for me once." A trace of helpless amusement laced Fu Shize's tone. "But I never got to drink a single bowl."

"Are those ingredients still at Jiangnan Garden?" Yun Li hadn't cleaned out the things she bought before leaving. Indeed, she had spent an entire holiday researching recipes, only to fail at making it even once.

Fu Shize: "We'll go back together next time."

Yun Li hadn't returned to Nanwu in a year. Startled for a moment, she nodded.

Lying in bed, Yun Li still felt as though she were living in a dream today. She took out the moon badge Fu Shize had given her; the metal felt cool to the touch, yet she could feel his burning warmth radiating right through it.

Yun Li tucked the badge underneath her pillow.

Saturday morning, the moment Yun Li woke up, she received a WeChat message from Fu Shize—he had woken up at six and sent her a text. Another message came from Yun Ye, saying he was heading home that morning.

As the car neared the teaching building, Yun Li spotted Yin Yunyi and Yun Ye standing a short distance apart, talking to each other with expressions that looked less than pleasant.

Seeing the car arrive, Yun Ye got straight in.

Yun Li glanced back at Yin Yunyi still standing in the hallway; she looked like she wanted to follow, but simply pressed her lips together and walked away instead.

"..."

Who was it that claimed they didn't know how to argue with people last time?

The more she looked at Yun Ye's expression, the stranger Yun Li found it. "What's wrong with you two?"

Yun Ye muttered glumly, "She's being unreasonable."

"Who?"

Yun Ye kept his mouth shut.

"What on earth happened?"

Yun Ye shot her a look. "We had a fight, can't you tell?"

Yun Li didn't have the energy to pick on him right now. After a brief silence, she said, "I generally stay out of your business."

"Get out of the car, go talk things through clearly with Yin Yunyi. You two spent so long grinding it out just to get into the same university; don't go hurting each other." Preaching with the wisdom of her own experience, Yun Li unlocked the car doors. "I'll come back to pick you up later."

Yun Ye didn't move, but Yun Li noticed he hadn't bothered clicking his seatbelt into place either—a clear sign he had no intention of leaving right away.

"Go clear things up." She gave Yun Ye a nudge.

Yun Ye pushed the car door open and jogged off in the direction Yin Yunyi had gone. Watching his retreating back, Yun Li was reminded of the year and a half she and Fu Shize had spent apart, and immediately spun the steering wheel toward the School of Control and Computer Engineering.

Fu Shize was still buried in editing his thesis when a soft knock sounded at the door, followed immediately by Lin Jingran's drawn-out, teasing tone: "Senior brother, someone's here for you."

Seeing Yun Li, Fu Shize looked mildly surprised, standing up to walk outside.

"Why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

"I just suddenly wanted to see you." Yun Li couldn't articulate a specific reason either; watching Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi bicker had simply made her realize how badly she wanted to be with Fu Shize, prompting her to follow her heart and come find him.

"Are you busy right now?" Yun Li asked him. "If you're not busy, take me out for a ride."

"Busy," Fu Shize answered honestly.

Yun Li felt as though she had just been rejected.

With an amused smile, Fu Shize ruffled her hair. "You're more important, though." He turned back into the office. "I'm going to grab my keys."

Fu Shize naturally fastened her helmet for her, and Yun Li mirrored his actions, picking up his helmet to strap it on for him.

Noticing the moped parked on the side, it finally clicked, and she asked, "Why do you have two helmets?"

"Had one ready for you ages ago," Fu Shize replied casually.

For every scenario where Yun Li might appear, Fu Shize had already prepared everything the two of them could possibly need.

After getting on the scooter, Yun Li fell back into her old habit, cautiously gripping the iron bars on the vehicle's body.

Once the wind whipped across her face, his voice drifted over: "Hands."

"Oh." Obediently, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Holding him like this made her notice once again just how slender Fu Shize's waist was, and she instinctively tightened her grip, holding him close.

"Let's go over there." Yun Li spotted the gymnasium nearby. "Is there usually no activity at this hour?"

Fu Shize weighed the motivation behind her question and gave a thoughtful, contemplative hum.

Yun Li was already familiar with the gymnasium's layout. Once inside, she looked up and noticed that the upper levels featured outward-protruding balcony seating partitions, each spot containing only a handful of seats.

Dragging Fu Shize up to the spectator seats, he crossed his arms, leaned against the side wall, and looked at her with amusement. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Huh?" Yun Li blinked, caught off guard. She hadn't thought that deeply into it; she just wanted to find a quiet spot where the two of them could hang out.

"Just wanted to sit down for a bit." Before she could even brush against the chair, Fu Shize scooped her right into his arms. Pulling her waist flush against him, he leaned in close and asked, "You ran all the way over to my place just to make me haul you off to somewhere completely deserted."

"You hauled me off to a barren wasteland last time, too," Yun Li retorted matter-of-factly. It had been far too long since she was last in a relationship, leaving her completely oblivious to the deeply romantic atmosphere currently building up around them.

"Lili." Fu Shize didn't find this little blockhead a mood-killer at all. "We weren't boyfriend and girlfriend last time."

She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. Fu Shize gently stroked the corner of her eye before sliding his hand down to cup her cheek. Feeling his cool fingers, Yun Li watched as he leaned in closer, the bridges of their noses brushing together. Gazing into those eyes, she couldn't help sinking right into them.

After several long seconds, he softly murmured, "Can I?"

"..." How come Yun Li remembered him never asking permission in the past?

Now that they were dating a second time, he had actually turned polite enough to ask. Yun Li shot back: "What if I said no?"

"Oh." Amusement flickered deep within Fu Shize's eyes. "Then I'd just pretend I only heard the word 'yes'."

"..."

Yun Li wasn't as hesitant as Fu Shize. Taking the initiative, she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his lips. Just as she started to pull back, he cupped the back of her head, leaning in with a hint of aggression to cover her lips as he effortlessly slid the tip of his tongue past hers.

His movements were intimate yet devoid of any roughness, his fingers weaving softly through her hair.

She had waited so long for this moment, imagined it countless times. As Fu Shize played with her tongue, guiding her to match his rhythm, Yun Li felt every breath in her lungs swallowed up by the presence of the man right before her. Actually feeling his existence here and now made her feel as though her entire body was melting away.

"Had enough?" After a few minutes of blazing heat, Fu Shize murmured against her ear, his warm breath tickling her earlobe.

That phrasing made it sound like she was the insatiable one. Blushing fiercely, Yun Li gave a small nod.

Fu Shize brushed his thumb across the corner of her lips and continued, "Then it's my turn."

...

After spending a little while longer being ridiculously clingy, the two of them finally sat back down in the spectator seats. The venue was completely empty right now, the stage looking as though it were draped in a layer of dust.

Looking up, Yun Li spotted a surveillance camera tucked in the corner, pointing straight at their spot. Stunned, she blurted out, "Oh... is that a security camera?"

Fu Shize followed her gaze. "Looks like it."

Yun Li froze. "Does that mean someone just saw us?"

"Probably." Looking completely unconcerned, he cupped her chin and kissed her again. "Let them watch it a second time."

"..."

Yun Li remained deeply self-conscious about the camera's presence and hurriedly put some physical distance between them. After lingering in their seats for a while longer, she finally remembered to tell him: "I went to pick up Yun Ye earlier, and it looked like he and Yin Yunyi had a fight."

Fu Shize looked over at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I saw Yin Yunyi in the hallway, and Yunye got in the car without saying a word."

Since it was a rare sight to see Yun Li witness Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi clashing, she went on: "Thinking of what happened between you and me, I made Yun Ye get out of the car and go talk things through with Yin Yunyi properly."

"And then you came straight to find me?" Fu Shize connected the dots.

Yun Li nodded.

Looking back on that year and a half, she found it such a tragic waste—when they should have been there to accompany one another through it all.

"From now on, let's discuss everything with each other no matter what comes up," Yun Li smiled. "Deal?"

The road ahead of them in the future was still very long.

"Mhm."

By the time she picked up Yun Ye again, it was already seven o'clock. She picked him up near the female dormitory complex, guessing he had just finished dropping Yin Yunyi back off.

Seeing him climb into the car looking relaxed, Yun Li asked, "What were you two fighting about?"

Resting the back of his head on his hands, Yun Ye shot her a sideways glance. "Mind your own business."

Too lazy to bicker with him, Yun Li dropped it: "Fine, I won't."

Instead of driving straight home, Yun Li pulled into a supermarket to pick up some ingredients and supplies for cooking congee.

With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, Yun Ye trailed alongside her. Glancing at the various items piling up in the cart, he had zero desire to ask questions—he just wanted to get home as fast as possible.

People in the laboratory had been rather perplexed lately. Their senior brother seemed to have completely flipped his routine: whereas he used to work from 6:00 AM to midnight, he now clocked out from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, often vanishing even before the clock struck five.

Lin Jingran was dead certain that Fu Shize had gone off to chase someone, and that the pursuit must have been exceptionally grueling.

In the entire laboratory, apart from Fu Shize, not a single person possessed the ability to wake up early. Waking up, scrolling through their phones, buying breakfast, and strolling into the lab by 10:00 AM was standard procedure.

Spotting a pink cylindrical thermal lunchbox sitting right on top of Fu Shize's desk, Lin Jingran couldn't help dropping a complaint into their small group chat: [Tch, senior brother is acting way too girly. Sure enough, once someone gets romance on the brain, a person totally changes.]

When lunchtime rolled around, Lin Jingran draped himself over the partition of Fu Shize's workstation and asked, "Senior brother, going to lunch?"

"Mhm."

Fu Shize tapped a few more keys on his keyboard. Seeing that Lin Jingran was still lingering, he pulled that pink thermal box over to himself, unscrewed the lid, and let out a puff of steam as the vegetable and pork rib congee inside was revealed.

As the lunchbox rotated slightly, Lin Jingran finally noticed the sticky note attached to the side, decorated with a tiny drawn heart and a moon.

"Damn, senior brother, you're dating someone? Did the sister-in-law send this to you?"

"Yeah."

This was the first time Yun Li had ever sent lunch to Fu Shize, having previously promised she would make it after returning to Nanwu. Shortly after Fu Shize arrived at the lab this morning, Yun Li had called him.

And when he went downstairs, he found her holding this exact lunchbox.

Since he had a meeting coming up, Fu Shize had taken it from her, chatted for a brief moment, and then headed back into the lab.

Fu Shize wasn't someone who cared about other people's opinions, but seeing the undisguised envy plastered across Lin Jingran's face right now, he felt an inexplicable wave of good cheer bubble up inside him.

So he repeated himself: "Yeah, my girlfriend made it."

"..."

Fu Shize scooped up a spoonful, and the thought of Yun Li made the corners of his lips curve upward despite himself. Lin Jingran stared at him with a bewildered expression; while Fu Shize had always been a mild-tempered and easygoing person, whenever he smiled, there was usually a polite sense of detachment and distance to it. This was the first time he had ever seen Fu Shize beam with such genuine warmth.

Lin Jingran couldn't help thinking to himself that senior brother was actually surprisingly easy to appease.

In the past, Fu Shize could stay completely immersed in the lab for an entire day, but ever since starting his relationship with Yun Li, he had grown just a little bit prone to distraction.

Having previously told Yun Li that he tended to concentrate heavily during work hours and might not reply to messages immediately, Yun Li had naturally fallen into the habit of only texting him around meal times.

As he sipped his congee, he scrolled through his phone. Their chat history was still frozen at 8:00 AM when Yun Li had just woken up. Swiping down, he noticed that the badminton group chat created two years ago by Fu Zhengchu had pulled him back in.

Fu Zhengchu: [Lili-jie, wanna go pet some dogs at the kennel?]

Fu Zhengchu: [[Link]]

Yun Li: [Is that the one Tang Lin was talking about?]

Fu Zhengchu: [Yup.]

Fu Shize checked the timestamp—it was 10:00 AM. Switching back to his chat interface with Yun Li, it still read 8:00 AM.