Yun Li’s thoughts lingered on Fu Shize grabbing her wrist as she absent-mindedly accepted the balloon. In her recollection, this seemed to be their first physical contact.
He didn’t appear to react much. Was he indifferent to it, or… did he not mind holding her hand?
Yun Li looked up at the balloon floating in mid-air. The rabbit’s exaggerated grin resembled the crescent moon in his profile picture. Her previous unpleasant memories dissipated.
Despite being twenty-three years old, holding this balloon seemed childish, yet Yun Li didn’t want to let go.
After circling the area, they returned to the bean stall. A special Halloween shadow puppet show was being performed. The screen wasn’t hung very high, and a dense crowd had already gathered in front.
They joined the throng, but Yun Li, standing at about 165 cm, couldn’t see anything in the sea of people. Fu Shize stood behind her.
Yun Li had to rely on Fu Shize’s narration: “What’s happening inside?”
Fu Shize: “Four pumpkin people.”
Yun Li: “What are they doing?”
Fu Shize: “Walking a pumpkin dog.”
Yun Li: “…”
Although it didn’t sound particularly interesting, the surrounding crowd cheered enthusiastically. Yun Li was about to leave when a couple in front of her made a move. The boy hoisted the girl onto his shoulders.
Seeing this, several other couples followed suit, while those without partners awkwardly stood still. A girl in front of Yun Li, noticing the situation, tapped her male friend: “Let me ride on your shoulders?”
“I’d rather not. I don’t even have a girlfriend yet…”
“That’s perfect then. Be a man and let me up!”
Witnessing this scene, Yun Li felt inexplicably awkward. She turned to look at Fu Shize, only to find him already watching her.
Fu Shize: “Do you want to see?”
Yun Li couldn’t decipher his question. After some thought, she replied cautiously: “Not really. But,” curious about how he would respond, she added, “What if I did want to see?”
Fu Shize: “Then just imagine it in your mind.”
Yun Li: “…”
On their way back, Yun Li remembered Fu Zhengchu: “Oh, I talked with Fu Zhengchu today. I misunderstood him before.”
“Mm.”
Yun Li didn’t have many friends. When she first met Fu Zhengchu, she could barely string together a few sentences in a day, but he never made her feel out of place. Yun Li sincerely remarked, “He’s quite nice.”
Fu Shize: “Are you considering getting together with him?”
Fu Shize’s question was so direct that it seemed absurd and bizarre to Yun Li. She was at a loss for words, unsure where he got that idea. She replied, bewildered: “Fu Zhengchu is so much younger than me, and he’s already had four or five girlfriends…” Yun Li’s words trailed off before she firmly stated, “In any case, it’s impossible.”
…
After returning home, Yun Li hung the balloon at her bedhead. Opening her computer to check the course schedule, she realized that next week was the fall semester’s exam week.
“You got back too late yesterday, and today was so rushed. How’s the progress?” Deng Chuqi, concerned about the developments, called Yun Li as soon as she got off work.
“Don’t use the word ‘progress.’ It’s courtship,” Yun Li corrected seriously. “I invited him to the Halloween market tonight. We just got back, and he gave me a balloon.”
“Little Uncle Xia agreed to go out with you alone? And even gave you a balloon?”
“He didn’t exactly give it to me,” Yun Li couldn’t hide the smile in her voice, “but it’s from him.”
She tapped the balloon twice in one direction, causing it to spin twice before rotating back, facing her directly.
The next day, Yun Li woke up early. After packing her bag, she grabbed some bread and chocolate milk before heading to school.
It was early winter. The slanting sunlight pierced through the thin morning mist, illuminating the dancing dust particles. The temperature wasn’t too low, so Yun Li wore a knit sweater, but occasional gusts of wind still brought a chill.
In the classroom, after working on some problems, Yun Li felt like she was back in her undergraduate days. With so many courses, she would typically pull all-nighters during finals week, cramming one subject every two days. Back then, she had roommates to discuss questions with.
After class, Yun Li instinctively took out her phone: [Fu Zhengchu, would your little uncle agree to pay for tutoring?]
Fu Zhengchu: [Little Uncle is very wealthy, so he probably wouldn’t.]
Yun Li: [Oh, do you have any exams coming up?]
Fu Zhengchu: [Yes, I have two exams next week. What’s up, Sister Li Li?]
Yun Li: [How’s your revision going?]
Fu Zhengchu: [It’s going… okay, I guess?]
“…”
Fu Zhengchu seemed to realize something and sent a few more messages.
Fu Zhengchu: [No, no, no, the revision isn’t going well. Sister Li Li, let’s study together!]
Fu Zhengchu: [I’ll ask Little Uncle to tutor us.]
Fu Zhengchu: [Family should help each other.]
Yun Li inwardly praised Fu Zhengchu’s quick thinking. He promptly set the time for Saturday morning at a café near South University of Science and Technology.
On Saturday, Yun Li prepared early and arrived just as the café opened. The café had an industrial decor, with gray cement floors and a high ceiling crisscrossed with pipes.
Yun Li chose a large table in the corner, took out her computer and textbooks, and began studying while waiting for Fu Shize.
Fu Shize arrived five minutes before the appointed time. After scanning the room, he walked towards Yun Li and sat down on her right.
Yun Li looked up belatedly and smiled at him: “You’re not wearing a shirt. You look like a young student.”
Fu Shize: “…Maybe because I am a student.”
Yun Li was taken aback and then realized he was right.
After he sat down, Yun Li picked up the water pitcher to pour him some water, but Fu Shize gently pressed the lid, saying softly, “I’ll do it myself.”
Yun Li didn’t insist and pressed the service bell. The waitress, with a high ponytail and looking to be in her early twenties, put down the menu and glanced at them, her gaze lingering on Fu Shize.
He was wearing a black hoodie, sitting by the window with sunlight falling on him.
Yun Li casually flipped through the menu. “I’ll have a mocha and chocolate pancakes,” she said, then passed the menu to Fu Shize.
Fu Shize didn’t take it: “An Americano.”
Yun Li waited a moment, but when he didn’t order anything else, she reminded him, “Skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach.”
Yun Li: “Why don’t you order some matcha waffles too? I’d like to try some as well.”
Fu Shize: “Mm.”
“That’s all, thank you,” Yun Li collected the menu and handed it back to the waitress.
While waiting for their order, to make the most of the city’s top scholar’s time, Yun Li took out her textbook again.
Fu Shize: “Do you have any past exam papers?”
“I have digital versions,” Yun Li said, taking out her computer and opening a document after a few clicks.
“That works,” Fu Shize said, moving to the chair next to Yun Li. “Pen and paper.”
The faint scent of mint and lemon wafted from Fu Shize, and the suddenly reduced distance made Yun Li’s head spin.
Yun Li obediently produced the items.
Fu Shize: “Have you done these before?”
Yun Li shook her head.
Fu Shize: “Then let’s start now, one question at a time.”
Yun Li looked at the questions for a while, her expression becoming embarrassed.
“Should I solve them on my own now?” After a pause, she said hesitantly, “It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just worried about wasting your time.”
Fu Shize: “…”
“Give me the pen.”
Then Fu Shize began writing out the solution process on the paper, explaining each step as he went. Looking at his profile, Yun Li became distracted. From the beginning, he had never been someone praised only within a small circle. Almost anyone who knew him would willingly put him on a pedestal. And now, this person was sitting right beside her. It felt surreal.
By the time their food arrived, Fu Shize had already explained two problems to Yun Li. As she worked on the questions, her mind wandered: “I feel like I don’t remember much from lectures. Did you attend every class when you were doing your Ph.D.?”
“Except for away competitions, I attended every class. After all, they all knew me,” Fu Shize replied. “If I didn’t go, they’d ask if it was because their teaching wasn’t good enough.”
“…”
Yun Li suddenly imagined a scene.
A professor lecturing at the podium, with Fu Shize sitting in the front row, scrutinizing.
After finishing a section, the professor smiles and asks Fu Shize, “Mr. Fu, do you have any questions?”
Fu Shize nods, “No problems.”
Or perhaps, noticing Fu Shize’s absence one day, the professor becomes dejected.
After class, he asks other professors if Fu Shize attended their classes. Upon receiving affirmative answers, the other professors suggest he should reflect on why Fu Shize doesn’t attend his class.
Suddenly, Fu Shize tapped the table with his finger, asking her, “Thinking?”
Yun Li hurriedly shook her head, admitting she had been distracted.
“I can tell,” Fu Shize said, taking out his phone to play 2048.
“Let’s eat something first,” Yun Li said, moving the computer aside and carefully placing the A4 paper Fu Shize had used into an L-shaped folder.
Fu Shize took the matcha waffles in front of him, picked up the knife and fork, cut them into bite-sized squares, and pushed the plate back to Yun Li.
Yun Li poked one piece and pushed the plate back: “I’ll just try a bit.”
Fu Shize forked a piece of waffle. He ate slowly, chewing each bite for over half a minute, which unconsciously made Yun Li slow down as well.
“Excuse me,” it was the waitress from earlier, who seemed to have applied light makeup, looking more polished than before. “Are you Xian Yun Di Da Jiang?”
Since posting the robot video, besides gaining a significant number of followers, Yun Li’s previous videos have also seen increased views. Now, she was occasionally recognized as “Xian Yun Di Da Jiang” in public places.
When fans asked for photos, Yun Li still felt awkward, unsure how to interact with them. She had even consulted other content creators on how to handle such situations. However, she still wasn’t comfortable taking photos with fans.
“Yes, that’s me,” Yun Li replied, but she was confused because the girl’s gaze had been fixed on Fu Shize earlier. “Is there something I can help you with?”
The girl suddenly became shy, “Well, it’s like this—” her gaze shifted back to Fu Shize, and her words became a bit jumbled, “I saw your latest video on E-station, and although it’s not related to your friend— but, I was wondering if I could take a photo with your friend?”
Yun Li: “…”
Yun Li: “Why don’t you… ask him yourself?” Not wanting to get involved in a stranger’s affairs, she added, “I’m not that close to him either.”
Fu Shize: “…”
Fu Shize seemed not to have heard their conversation, his gaze elsewhere, still eating slowly.
“Excuse me, sir, could I add you on WeChat?” the girl asked.
Fu Shize replied coldly: “I don’t have WeChat.”
As if anticipating his refusal, the girl persisted, “Could I take a photo with you then?”
Fu Shize didn’t respond immediately. He looked at her indifferently for a moment, causing the girl’s face to flush instantly, before distantly replying, “It’s not convenient today.”
Yun Li had expected Fu Shize’s refusal, having faced rejection herself many times. She had some confidence in predicting Fu Shize’s responses. This confidence gradually transformed into a sense of empathy with the girl before her.
Yun Li: “Don’t be too upset.”
The girl looked at Yun Li, who was slowly eating her waffle, as she sincerely consoled her: “He didn’t give it to me either when I asked before.”
Fu Shize: “…”
Yun Li: “But now we’re sitting at the same table, eating from the same plate of waffles.”
Fu Shize: “…”