When I Meet the Moon - Chapter 89

Chapter 89

"Mm," Fu Shize acknowledged.

Observing his expression and seeing that he had nothing more to say, Yun Li lowered her head in mild vexation. "Buying a house is buying a house."

You can buy a house without getting married anyway.

Yun Li consoled herself.

After spending the entire day looking at properties, Yun Ye hugged his bubble tea and wanted nothing more than to melt into the car seat and not move an inch.

In the back seat, the real estate agent was still enthusiastically making a sales pitch. Utterly invested in her very first home, Yun Li listened to the agent's words with rapt attention.

Fu Shize's phone buzzed with a notification from Station E regarding a post he had missed a few hours ago.

Idle Cloud Dida Jiang: [Today, the salted fish is trying to find a nest.]

The comment section was filled with a flurry of: [Wife, I love you], [Wife, come into my nest], [I've already warmed up the nest for my wife], and [Wife, wife].

He looked over at Yun Li, who was still listening obediently to the agent's pitch.

Without a word, Fu Shize turned off his screen.

After the thesis review feedback was returned, unsurprisingly, all of Fu Shize's evaluations were graded as "Excellent." Yun Li's final feedback arrived a bit later; upon receiving it, she let out a long breath of relief—they were all rated "Excellent" as well.

Looking toward Fu Shize, she saw a hint of matter-of-course confidence in his eyes, as if things were always meant to turn out this way.

The defense was held at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, so Fu Shize accompanied Yun Li on a flight back to Nanwu. Because the bed at Beishan Maple Forest was much softer, when Fu Shize asked for her preference, Yun Li chose to stay at Beishan Maple Forest without a moment's hesitation.

Throughout the first night, Fu Shize stayed up with her to practice for the defense, turning off the lights to sleep early.

The formal defense took place the next day. Once her presentation concluded, the panel of judges fired off a flurry of questions; she would have to answer them all after everyone else finished presenting.

Yun Li received close to ten questions, the tension causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

Fu Shize went outside first and sent her a text message: [Come out here.]

Due to the nervous strain, her limbs felt somewhat stiff.

"Relax." With a smile in the corners of his eyes, he ruffled her hair.

Taking two minutes, Fu Shize helped her categorize the ten questions into two groups and combed through the underlying logical threads. Listening to his unhurried pacing and calm expression made her feel as though the task wasn't quite so daunting after all.

Calming down a bit, Yun Li ran through her answers following the train of thought he had laid out for her. Meeting his gaze, she found it as steadfast and gentle as ever.

Glancing around, she couldn't resist leaning in to peck him on the cheek.

Relaxing with a small smile, Yun Li remarked, "Why are you so good to me?"

Fu Shize stroked her cheek. "My Lili is wonderful too."

When everything concluded, the professors unanimously awarded her an "Excellent" rating.

Yun Li's advisor had never touched her master's thesis. On countless nights after Yun Li returned home from Xike University, Fu Shize had stayed up late in his office to polish her paper for her.

When the judges announced her score, her very first reaction was to look for Fu Shize. He sat quietly in a corner—a spot from where she could always see him, whether she was at her seat or standing at the podium.

He was forever within her line of sight.

Which meant she would forever receive his most direct support.

Fu Shize handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Lili, you've graduated."

Yun Li burst into uncontrollable laughter and answered with a vehement "Mhm!"

Upon returning to Beishan Maple Forest, feeling as though all the burdens and pressures had been lifted off her shoulders, Fu Shize dropped his restraint and pushed her toward the bedroom. Half-pushing and half-yielding, Yun Li protested, "I still need to take a shower!"

"Mm," Fu Shize hummed.

He guided her all the way into the bathroom and started drawing water in the bathtub.

Realizing his intentions, Yun Li walked back toward the doorway with a blushing face. Hearing the teasing threat in Fu Shize's ensuing chuckle, she murmured softly, "I'll go get the flowers... add some petals..."

...

Waking up the next day, Yun Li felt as though her entire body had fallen apart. Fu Shize had woken up very early, prepared breakfast, and set it on the small table by the bedside.

Yun Li glanced at the time.

"..."

It was actually only nine o'clock.

Sitting beside her, Fu Shize pulled the blanket up higher to cover the skin she had exposed. "We're going somewhere today."

"My whole body hurts, I can't walk." Nursing a bit of morning crankiness, Yun Li turned away to give him the cold shoulder, staring fixedly at the blank wall for a long stretch. When Fu Shize didn't follow up, she struggled with herself for a moment before asking him with feigned indifference, "Where are we going?"

Fu Shize let out a soft laugh.

That chuckle seemed to tell Yun Li just how thoroughly spineless she really was.

"There's a bridal boutique in Nanwu."

"..."

A chaotic jumble of thoughts in her mind was instantly blown away to the highest heavens. Pinching her palms, Yun Li asked dryly, "What about it?"

"Let's go take a look."

With her still turned away from him, Fu Shize pressed his knees into the mattress, shifted forward a couple of inches, and sat down lazily beside her. "Don't want to go?"

"..."

"If you're in pain, we can go next time," Fu Shize offered.

Yun Li had no idea when the next time she visited Nanwu would be.

Shifting herself into a sitting position, she stretched lazily. Catching the triumphant glint in Fu Shize's eyes, she composed herself and crawled out from beneath the blankets.

Throughout the journey, Fu Shize didn't bring up today's itinerary again.

Feeling an itch of curiosity, Yun Li probed tentatively, "What are we doing at a bridal shop?"

"We can shoot a store-visit vlog and post it on Station E. That's pretty popular right now, isn't it?"

With his straight-laced tone, Yun Li's illusions were instantly shattered.

Her heart sinking, Yun Li abruptly lost interest in today's outing, her tone carrying clear rejection: "But most of my videos are tech popular-science content..."

Fu Shize asked her, "Can't you do this kind?"

Locking eyes with him, Yun Li failed to understand why he was being so persistent. After he parked the car, neither of them spoke as he took her hand and led her forward.

As they neared the boutique entrance, a thought flashed through Yun Li's mind, and she asked in disbelief, "Are you hoping I'll make our relationship public?"

After a brief pause, Fu Shize let out a soft confirmation.

"The whole internet is calling you—" He paused, lowering his voice with a touch of ambiguity. "Wife."

Blushing fiercely, Yun Li shoved him away from her right ear.

He glanced sideways at her. "I've never even called you that."

Just then, Yun Ye sent her a message inquiring about the defense, interrupting their exchange. Yun Li hurried to reply: "Hold on a second."

Standing patiently by her side, Fu Shize watched as she finished replying to Yun Ye, switched back to her main WeChat chat interface, and scanned past her own nickname. He remarked with casual flatnes, "I misspoke. It should be that the roles between you and me are actually reversed."

"..."

He continued, "Should we reverse our roles for tonight too?"

"..."

"Let's hurry inside." Desperate to change the subject, Yun Li dragged Fu Shize into the bridal shop. A vintage, heavily embellished wedding gown hung right in the center of the store, catching the glow of spotlights that highlighted its intricate beadwork and hollow-cut lace.

Staring at it for a good long while, Yun Li completely forgot her previous reluctance and said to the sales associate, "I want to try this one on."

The associate smiled apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, but this is a custom-made piece and cannot be tried on."

Yun Li cast her gaze downward and spotted a small nameplate reading 'Mr. Fu & Ms. Yun.'

"..."

She looked up at Fu Shize, who remarked off-handedly, "When I first went to your house, I mentioned I was preparing a gift for you."

The wedding dress had been in custom production for nearly half a year, with the finished product only recently delivered. Several staff members led Yun Li into the fitting room to help her change into it, leaving her too dazed to do anything but let them handle her.

The curtains in front of her slowly parted, revealing her reflection in the full-length mirror.

Yun Li stared blankly at the person in the glass.

Turning her head sideways, she found Fu Shize gazing at her with an unblinking stare.

For a long moment, she didn't know how to react, simply locking eyes with him as she watched herself mirrored in his dark pupils. Feeling a bit nervous, she asked, "Does it look good?"

"Mm," Fu Shize answered.

Following the initial flash of shock, Yun Li's heart swelled with exhilaration. Putting on a wedding gown is a dream many girls hold in childhood; and moreover, this particular dress had been custom-made for her by Fu Shize himself.

Lingering before the full-length mirror for a long time, Yun Li glanced sideways at Fu Shize.

Feeling a bit awkward, she drew out her words slowly, "But this thing... if we aren't getting married, it doesn't seem like it'll ever come in handy."

Fu Shize was seated nearby on a white, solid block, his legs apart, his posture slender and upright. Instead of answering immediately, he pondered for a beat before raising his eyes to ask, "Do you want to get married?"

"..."

Before she knew it, only the two of them were left inside the fitting room.

Yun Li noticed for the first time that he had changed into a custom-tailored suit and leather shoes, sitting relaxed in place with the spotlights reflecting in his dark eyes. Standing a little over a meter away from him, Yun Li tried her hardest to slow down her runaway heartbeat.

Beneath the lights, Yun Li's skin looked translucent and fair. The strapless design of the wedding gown exposed her smooth shoulders, its crystal-studded hem trailing two meters across the floor, making her the single, peerless focus of it all.

A faint thump-thump sounded.

Holding a small, pure-white box in his hand, Fu Shize twirled it gently against the flat surface of the block as if toying with it.

Leaning back casually with his right hand supporting his weight, Yun Li stared at him in a daze until he lifted his gaze to meet hers, causing her to hold her breath.

She seemed to anticipate what was coming.

The man before her possessed chiseled facial features and a sharp jawline, his slightly cold and distant demeanor making him seem unapproachable. He watched her placidly while the box in his hand kept spinning on the surface.

Unable to help herself anymore, Yun Li whispered, "Careful you don't knock it off..."

Fu Shize chuckled, the aloofness on his face instantly vanishing. Watching the smile curve his brow, Yun Li was reminded of the gentle smile worn by the youth in her videos.

Opening the box with one hand, he glanced down at it before looking up at her. "Let's get married right after graduation. How does that sound?"

"..." Resisting the impulse to nod her head, Yun Li prompted, "This isn't formal enough."

After all, he had even changed into a suit.

Yun Li watched as he stood up unhurriedly, taking step after step closer to her. His gentle gaze remained locked onto her the entire time until he stopped right in front of her and slowly dropped to one single knee, his posture remaining upright.

Willingly and utterly surrendering to her.

At this moment, both of them stood bathed in the spotlight.

The world seemed to condense into a tiny space just large enough to hold the two of them.

Their breathing felt suspended in time.

With relaxed brows and emotional warmth pooling in the corners of his eyes, he asked, "Lili, will you marry me?"

Yun Li's vision began to blur, and she laughed through the tears she wiped away with the back of her hand.

"Silence means you agree." He took her hand in his. "Agreements made cannot be rescinded."

...

Upon returning to Xifu, Yun Li and Fu Shize toured a few properties they were quite satisfied with. Originally, Yun Li had wanted to pick the one located right between her company and Xike University so that Fu Shize wouldn't have to wake up too early.

In the end, however, Fu Shize chose the one closer to her office—where her daily walk would take under ten minutes.

One afternoon, Fu Shize reminded her that it was time to register their marriage. Regaining her senses, Yun Li booked an appointment slot at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Acting as their specially appointed photographer, Yun Ye waited alongside Fu Shize in the living room for three hours.

When Yun Li finally walked out, Yun Ye opened his mouth to make a snappy complaint, but froze the moment he caught sight of her.

Dressed in a minimalist white formal dress with her curled hair pinned back by a white hairpin, she looked exceptionally gentle and serene.

Noticing her younger brother's gloomy expression, she glared at him. "Got a problem with that?"

Yun Ye fell silent for a moment. "Nope."

Her gaze met Fu Shize's, instantly softening.

Rain pattered against the window panes. Yun Li went back to her room to grab a long-handled black umbrella that clashed completely with her current style.

Seeing it, Yun Ye frowned and asked, "Why are you using such a rugged-looking umbrella?"

"..."

She had originally acquired that umbrella by chance back in the UK.

As Christmas approached, she had been going through a rough patch, and language barriers had caused her to perform poorly on several exams. After accidentally cutting her hand, she immediately came down with a severe cold. She couldn't attend the alumni gathering, and her chats with fans had been cut short due to her poor state.

The entire city was overflowing with Christmas atmosphere. Tucking her face deep into her scarf, she felt the biting, bone-chilling cold of winter amid her sense of total displacement.

Everyone else in the lab had already headed home early for the Christmas holidays.

That day, she left the laboratory alone, passing by a retro red bookstore on her way back to the apartment.

Normally, Yun Li never lingered at shops along her route.

Seeing the Christmas animal collage posted on the door that day reminded her of the Christmas she and Fu Shize had spent together at the zoo, causing a sudden sting in her nose as she slowly walked inside.

If they hadn't broken up, it would have been their exact one-year anniversary.

The bookstore's layout was unconventional, featuring several neat rows of tall bookshelves. Yun Li browsed through a few titles, but with her poor English skills, she found little to interest her.

The bell at the entrance chimed, signaling the entry of a tall, thin man wearing a black trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat pulled down low over his drooping head.

The man walked straight to the bookshelf directly across from Yun Li. Through the gaps between the books, she could only catch sight of his pale wrists.

Suddenly, she was reminded of her first night meeting Fu Shize in Nanwu—the sickly, pale skin visible beneath his cap.

During the hour and a half she stayed inside, she caught glimpses of that black hem of clothing several times; the person kept a certain distance from her while refusing to leave.

Absently flipping through book after book, she finally reached the front entrance only to find the sky pouring with torrential rain.

After waiting for a long while, the downpour showed no signs of stopping.

All alone in that foreign city, she had no one she could call to bring her an umbrella, and there were no other shops nearby.

Plagued with worry, Yun Li stared blankly at the rain outside, only to spot the man's reflection on the glass door covered in Christmas stickers.

From beginning to end, the man kept his loose hat pulled low and his head dropped, yet he gave off an uncanny sense of familiarity.

On second thought, Yun Li dismissed her own idea as ridiculous. In a foreign country, inside some nameless bookstore, whether it was a coincidence or deliberate, it was all pure wishful thinking.

Simply because she had missed him for too long, any random person she laid eyes on started looking like him.

Perhaps just to banish such foolish notions, Yun Li hesitated for a long moment before turning her head and asking him in English, "Excuse me, do we know each other?"

Before she could even turn her head back fully, she saw the man in the glass door step forward, closing the distance abruptly. Startled stiff, Yun Li was on the verge of crying out when the man simply bumped his arm against hers and shoved that long-handled black umbrella right into her arms.

The wind chimes at the entrance chimed softly. Stunned, she watched as the man moved with blinding speed, his figure vanishing into the curtain of rain in a flash.

She stood in a daze holding the long umbrella for a long time before offering a soft chuckle, chalking it up to a stranger's act of kindness.

In that rainy, damp weather, her nose was completely stuffed up. Chilled to the bone by the dampness, she had nevertheless felt a rare, fleeting trace of warmth.

Rousing from her memories, Yun Li answered casually, "A stranger gave it to me when I felt like life was hitting rock bottom."

"I'm bringing this umbrella along into my good days, hoping that person can be just as happy as I am..." Remembering the lonely back view of the man as he walked away, Yun Li happened to catch Fu Shize's gaze and her eyes curved into crescents. "I hope he gets to be cherished by someone for a lifetime, just like me."

Sensing that Fu Shize had paused for a second, Yun Li remembered Yun Ye's earlier teasing and offered somewhat sheepishly, "Is a black umbrella a bad choice? Should I swap it for another one?"

Recovering his wits, Fu Shize said softly, "Let's stick with this one." He took the umbrella from her hand and added with ambiguous lightness, "What if it actually comes true?"

Stepping outside beneath the shelter of the umbrella, Yun Li pressed close to his side. Her thoughts drifted far back to that lounge, where the man curled up on the sofa had opened his eyes to look at her.

Yun Li pinched the inner bend of his elbow. "I've got a long-handled umbrella now."

"?"

Catching her drift, he pulled her in by the waist, drawing her even closer.

The curtain of rain blocked the gazes of everyone else, but even so, Yun Li still felt too shy to engage in intimate public displays of affection. Trying to gently push him away with both hands, she found herself trapped immovable within his grip.

Chuckling in a low, husky voice, Fu Shize muttered, "Your strength still isn't big enough."

With all his equipment gathered, Yun Ye slung his camera around his neck and squeezed into the back seat, carefully wiping away the moisture clinging to the camera body.

Having spent just thatbrief moment walking from the doorway to the car, half of Fu Shize's suit was already soaked. Yun Ye complained in exasperation, "Sis, couldn't you have picked a nicer date? At least one without rain."

Yun Li looked over at Fu Shize and smiled. "Rain can be a good day too."

The windshield wipers swept away the water before them, revealing a world transitioning from a chaotic blur to sharp clarity. Reflected in the glass was Yun Li's smile. Starting the engine slowly, the corners of his lips quirked upward.

From this day forward, thanks to her presence, even his rainy days could turn into clear skies.

...

Yun Li and Fu Shize ultimately chose a ready-made new home, officially moving in by the time September rolled around.

While unpacking their luggage in the new place, Fu Shize noticed that Yun Li had packed the drone separately inside its own box, and picked it up for a closer look.

Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped away a speck of dust from the side of her cheek and asked her, "Didn't you give this to your brother?"

Reaching up to touch the spot where he had brushed against her, Yun Li replied naturally, "Oh... wasn't that Jiang Yuan's? I just brought it back for you."

"And you even fixed it up?"

"..."

Yun Li had no idea how he had managed to figure that out, considering she thought she had merely patched up a small broken corner. Hesitating, she offered, "Yun Ye said a piece had chipped off, and I was afraid you'd be mad, so..."

Fu Shize smiled. "That happened when we crashed during a test flight."

"..."

Embarrassment crept across Yun Li's face. To think she had stressed over it for so long, deploying all sorts of tools just to disguise the flaw in the drone's exterior frame. Yet seconds later, she reasoned defensively, "Well, we're officially married now, so fixing things for you is only right and proper."

Placing the drone back on the table, Fu Shize saw Yun Li bending over to unpack items from his box. With her slim waist exposed to view, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Lili," he murmured softly, "all the broken corners have been patched up by you."

Catching his underlying meaning, Yun Li placed her hands over the back of his. "Then from now on, your world will be completely whole."

While organizing electronic devices onto the bookshelf, Yun Li dug out Fu Shize's VR headset, which he must have left sitting idle for quite some time.

For the VR game development competition she had entered alongside Fu Zhengchu, Yun Li had designed an extremely simple game.

The game allowed players to construct their own scenes and characters, setting character voices through imported audio files.

Backed by the competition's prestige, Yun Li secured plenty of resources, successfully launching the game. Xu Qingsong, serving as the sole judge who had nominated them, helped them secure a merit award.

She had named the game 《IT’S BEEN LONG TIME / 好久不见》.

Yun Li had presented this game to Fu Shize as a birthday gift.

Ever since giving it to him, Yun Li hadn't paid much attention to it. Yet while working on her master's thesis, she frequently caught Fu Shize playing the game, leading her to naturally assume he had built a world inside for Jiang Yuan, allowing Jiang Yuan to live on in another form.

Lifting his head from a pile of boxes, Fu Shize asked, "Want to play?"

She hadn't played it in a long time either.

Fatigued from a full day of unpacking, Yun Li jumped at the chance to relax, eagerly asking Fu Shize to strap the VR headset on her.

Standing behind her, he placed the headset over her eyes and adjusted the strap.

In an instant, Yun Li was transported into another world.

Fu Shize's voice reached her ears: "Can you see clearly?"

"Mm," Yun Li replied.

"There aren't many games on here."

Aside from 《IT’S BEEN LONG TIME》, only two small mini-games sat on the virtual desktop.

"You can open the game you made," Fu Shize prompted.

Hesitating for a moment, Yun Li said, "No, I won't look."

Fu Shize didn't press her. "Alright, look at it whenever you want."

She opened one of the other games to play for a bit, but her heart wasn't really in it.

Hearing the sound of water running in the kitchen, she swallowed hard and secretly booted up 《IT’’S BEEN LONG TIME》.

The original intent behind designing this game was the hope that Fu Shize could use virtual reality to make up for past regrets in a different way.

Once launched, the game offered only a single viewpoint.

Upon clicking enter, the screen went black for a few seconds before simulating the sensation of blinking awake. The first sight that greeted her eyes was an ultra-blue sky accompanied by the faint sound of wind.

Yun Li found herself squatting on the ground. Looking down, she saw the ugly, clumsy little robot on the red running track, along with the remote control in her hands.

Shifting her gaze sideways, a pair of white sneakers entered her field of vision.

A vague premonition formed in Yun Li's mind.

With her heart beating faster and faster, she looked upward. Amid the interplay of light and shadow, she spotted a sixteen-year-old boy whose tousled hair fluttered gently in the breeze. He wore a loose team uniform, and the moon-shaped badge on his chest shone with a brilliant luster.

She had always tried to patch up his regrets, never realizing that the red running track where they had missed each other was Fu Shize's greatest regret of all.

The boy squatted down beside her, poked the robot lightly with his finger, and raised his gaze to look at her quietly. Tears welled up in Yun Li's eyes before she knew it. Reaching up, she yanked the VR headset upward to return to the real world.

This was their home.

Turning around, she saw Fu Shize standing amidst the play of light and shadow. As if hearing the wind from that red running track, he lifted his eyes to look at her.

(Main Story End)