“Don’t you need to go back to class?” Yun Li asked.
Fu Shize shook his head. “No need.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Given what happened to Yun Ye during class, I’ll stay with you.”
Yun Li found a seat and sat down. Noticing Fu Shize still standing, she hesitated before patting the spot next to her. “Would you like to sit here?”
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Fu Shize moved, settling beside her.
An awkward silence fell between them. Yun Li leaned back against her chair, idly watching people pass by.
Nearby, several nurses wheeled a patient on a bed. The man writhed in agony, clutching his abdomen. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his hands gripped the sheets, twisting them out of shape. Soon, he began to scream in pain.
The sound frightened Yun Li.
Fu Shize raised his hand near her right ear, not quite touching her but effectively muffling the man’s cries.
“Don’t listen,” he said softly.
Yun Li tensed, suddenly aware of how close his hand was—less than a centimeter away. She stole a glance at Fu Shize, who gazed ahead with a reassuringly calm expression.
The patient was quickly wheeled into a distant room. Fu Shize lowered his hand, and silence settled over them once more.
“Um,” Yun Li began, remembering his previous stomach issues. “How’s your stomach now? Is it better?”
“Yes.”
“Did you take medication?”
“I had surgery.”
His tone was matter-of-fact as if discussing a routine procedure.
“What kind of surgery?” she pressed.
“Gastric perforation.”
Yun Li fell silent. She was familiar with the condition, having researched various gastrointestinal diseases when she learned of Fu Shize’s stomach problems. Gastric perforation was a severe complication with a sudden onset and excruciating pain.
After a moment, she asked, “Was it very painful?”
Fu Shize considered the question. “It hurt a bit. I don’t remember much now.”
His casual response made it sound less severe. Yun Li continued, “Did you stay in the hospital?”
“About a month or so.” Fu Shize glanced at her. “I’m fine now.” His tone suggested she shouldn’t worry.
Yun Li felt a pang in her chest. When Yun Ye had surgery, he stayed in the hospital for less than ten days, even with a conservative approach.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
“How’s your recovery going?” Yun Li asked, concern evident in her voice. “When did you have the surgery?”
“It’s going well,” Fu Shize answered, addressing only her first question.
Yun Li paused, sensing something off but unable to pinpoint it. Following her intuition, she repeated, “When did you have the surgery?”
Fu Shize hesitated before responding, “Last year. I don’t remember the exact date.”
A sudden realization struck Yun Li, reminding her of the two days he had been unreachable. She cautiously asked, “Was it in March?”
“No,” Fu Shize lied smoothly, not wanting her to feel guilty. “It was in the latter half of the year.”
Yun Li accepted his words without suspicion. After a while, she quietly advised, “Your digestive system isn’t great. You should eat regularly and avoid food that’s too hot or cold.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And don’t drink so much coffee.”
“Okay.”
“Also, no smoking or drinking alcohol.”
“I quit long ago.”
“And—” Yun Li started to say more but caught his gaze. Something in his eyes made her pause, feeling she might have overstepped. She closed her mouth.
Meanwhile, Yun Ye, having finished his treatment, stood behind the door, listening to their conversation. He debated whether to interrupt.
Should he go out? It didn’t seem right.
But not going out…
The nurse, irritated by his indecision, rolled her eyes and opened the door for him.
Yun Ye looked down to see Yun Li and Fu Shize sitting close together, heads tilted towards each other as they spoke.
Noticing the open door, Yun Li jumped up, her expression embarrassed as if caught in a secret.
Fu Shize rose slowly, asking Yun Ye, “Feeling better?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Yun Ye replied, eager to leave. He turned to Yun Li, “I’m heading to the library. You two can keep talking.”
“Forget it. Mom and Dad are waiting at home, and Mom’s worried sick,” Yun Li said, grabbing Yun Ye’s shirt. She chided, “Yun Ye, you’re eighteen. Couldn’t you have dodged the bug?”
“I didn’t even see the damn thing,” Yun Ye grumbled as Yun Li dragged him to the door. He was about to lose his temper but caught Yun Li’s subdued smile and held his tongue.
Seeing Yun Ye’s injured hand, Yun Li hurried to leave. She had already stepped out of the infirmary when she turned back to thank Fu Shize. “Thanks for your help today. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”
Fu Shize nodded, but as Yun Li was about to say goodbye, he suddenly asked, “When is ‘later’?”
Yun Li felt as if she’d run into an old classmate she hadn’t seen in years. It was like when people casually say, “Let’s get together sometime,” and someone unexpectedly asks, “When exactly?”
Caught off guard, Yun Li fumbled, “I’ll… let you know?”
“Alright,” he replied, seeming not to notice her evasiveness. He looked at Yun Ye and said, “Get some rest. If you have any questions about this week’s lessons, message me on WeChat.”
Yun Ye nodded, meeting his gaze.
In the car, Yun Ye shifted on the seat, trying to find a comfortable position. He recalled his conversation with Fu Shize on the way to the infirmary:
“Yun Ye?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good.”
After a moment:
“Yun Ye?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think… your sister and I still have a chance?”
Yun Ye had remained silent, afraid of offending either side.
In the past, when the three of them were together, he often noticed Fu Shize glancing at Yun Li, his usually cold demeanor softening with affection.
Despite feeling like a third wheel, Yun Ye was happy to see someone care so deeply for Yun Li.
Yet Yun Li’s reason for breaking up was that Fu Shize didn’t love her enough.
Yun Ye had wanted to advise Yun Li against making a rash decision, but that afternoon, he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, struggling to maintain composure as she wiped away her tears.
At that moment, Yun Ye thought, perhaps it was best they separated. If it meant Yun Li could be happier.
However, it was clear that wasn’t the case.
Over the past year, Yun Li would often space out during video calls with Yun Ye. When he talked about his relationship with Yin Yunyi, she would fall silent.
Earlier, when Yun Ye left, Yun Li and Fu Shize were sitting on a bench. The way they looked at each other, and their unspoken nervousness when Yun Ye caught them, was even more innocent than his relationship with Yin Yunyi.
Lost in thought, Yun Ye turned to Yun Li and said, “Sis, you should thank that brother for me. If he hadn’t taken your brother to the hospital in time today, I might have died from poisoning in the classroom.”
Yun Li was slightly exasperated and glanced at him sideways, “Isn’t he just a teaching assistant?”
The implication was that it was perfectly normal for a TA to take care of a student who fell ill in class.
“TAs don’t have an obligation to take me to the hospital,” Yun Ye frowned, disagreeing. “Anyway, just thank him for me. Didn’t our parents always teach us to be grateful?”
Taking advantage of a stop, Yun Li pinched Yun Ye, “Why don’t you go yourself? I’ll just be polite to him, you go.”
“Wait, wait, wait—” Yun Ye’s trick didn’t work, but he didn’t give up. “People might say I’m deliberately getting close to the TA for better grades.”
He said with a straight face, “If someone reports me, both the brother and I might lose our degrees.”
Is it that serious?
Yun Li was confused for a moment. Yun Ye waved his swollen hand in front of her, asking in disbelief, “Are you my sister?”
“…”
Yun Li had no choice but to say, “Alright, I got it.”
After returning home, Yang Fang and Yun Yongchang were anxiously waiting. As soon as they saw Yun Ye, Yang Fang hugged him and started sobbing.
Yun Li went back to her room and rubbed her eyes.
She still had to thank Fu Shize on Yun Ye’s behalf.
She searched online for some small gifts but felt Fu Shize wouldn’t need such things. As she got up to grab an ice pop, Yun Ye was already energetically watching an NBA game.
“Oh right, I got you a ticket earlier,” Yun Ye said, eyes glued to the TV, fishing out a concert ticket from his backpack and tossing it onto the sofa.
Yun Li picked up the ticket. The event was a month away at Xi Ke University’s gymnasium. She waved it, asking, “You only got one ticket? Can’t go with Yin Yunyi?”
“I’m just being nice to you,” Yun Ye calmly deflected, not embarrassed at being caught.
As Yun Li walked back to her room, Yun Ye said, “Get me an ice pop.”
“…”
“I’m the patient here.”
“…”
After getting him an ice pop from the fridge, Yun Li kept looking at the ticket. After some thought, she took a photo and sent it to Fu Shize.
He replied almost instantly.
F: [Do you want to go together?]
Yun Li explained: [No, thanks for taking Yun Ye to the school hospital. Yun Ye got a ticket, want it?]
In short, Yun Ye got it, and she had no intention of asking him out.
F: [I’m more practical.]
F: [Let’s have a meal instead.]
“…”
The ticket wasn’t worth much.
Yun Li put the ticket aside. She honestly browsed through various restaurant reviews. Most decent places had this tag—
#CouplesMustGo
Whenever these four words appeared in hot reviews, Yun Li skipped them immediately. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but it felt like choosing such a place would make her seem to have ulterior motives.
After searching for a while without finding a suitable place, Yun Li threw the problem back to Fu Shize: [Okay. What do you want to eat?]
Fu Shize: [Is a late-night snack okay? There’s a place near Xi Ke University.]
A few seconds later, Fu Shize sent another message: [I’m quite busy during the day.]
He specifically explained why he chose a late-night snack.
Yun Li didn’t feel any aversion; she needed to drop Yun Ye off at school anyway.
They agreed to meet for a late-night snack at 10 PM on Sunday.
Yun Li spent the weekend at home writing copy, but she often found herself distracted. Her usual focus seemed invaded by something.
Occasionally, that scene would pop into her mind: the loose white shirt billowing slightly in the wind, clinging to his waist when still, him getting off the bike looking handsome and refreshed, taking off his helmet, and looking up at her.
Her train of thought for the copy would break as if a pencil lead had snapped and couldn’t be continued. She hurriedly tried to resume, attempting to tell herself she had never thought about it.
She didn’t want to consider the reason for this image appearing.
Nor did she want to admit it.
As the meeting time approached, Yun Li hesitated at her desk before quietly sitting down at her dressing table to carefully apply makeup.
She deliberately chose understated accessories – bracelets, earrings, necklaces. After curling her hair into a simple style, Yun Li carefully selected her outfit from the wardrobe.
Yun Ye had been waiting in the living room for an hour, reminding Yun Li every ten minutes. Growing impatient, he rushed over and knocked on her door, “Yun Li, are you ready yet?”
Yun Li suddenly opened the door and walked to the entrance to change her shoes.
Yun Ye eyed her, “Oh, you dressed up specially to have dinner with the brother?”
“Of course not,” Yun Li glared at him, feeling a bit uncomfortable at being caught, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“You look good,” Yun Ye said, hands in his pockets, as he headed downstairs first.
In the car, Yun Li tried to cover up, “Isn’t this how I usually go out?”
“Oh.”
Yun Li continued, “We haven’t seen each other for so long, I can’t lose face, right?”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, I didn’t dress up especially for him, understand?”
“Oh.”
Yun Ye lazily played along with her self-deception, but didn’t forget to look at her seriously and say, “Yun Li, I believe you.”
“…”
As they neared the school, Yun Li suddenly realized Yin Yunyi hadn’t shown up while Yun Ye was injured, “Did you two fight? Why didn’t Yin Yunyi come to see you when you were hurt?”
Yun Ye looked disdainful, “I just told her about it. We don’t fight.”
Yun Li retorted, “Don’t you discuss everything?”
“That’s different. There’s no need to make her worry unnecessarily, it wasn’t a big deal,” Yun Ye raised his arm, turning it to where he could see clearly. The swelling had mostly subsided, “This way she won’t be too upset when she sees it.”
“…”
After dropping Yun Ye off at the dormitory, Yun Li stayed not far from the entrance. She could see Yin Yunyi standing there, her eyes visibly swollen.
Seeing her cry, Yun Ye gestured animatedly to show her he was fine.
Yun Li watched from the car for a while. It didn’t take long for Yun Ye to make Yin Yunyi laugh.
…
Yun Li backed up the car and drove towards the agreed North Gate. Fu Shize had told her earlier to park inside the school, as the late-night snack place was in a courtyard down an alley where cars couldn’t enter.
She parked the car. The North Gate was a few dozen meters away, with a steady stream of cars passing between two guardrails, brightly lit. She glanced to the side and saw Fu Shize standing by the road, leaning against an electric scooter, looking down at his phone.
After pausing for a moment, Fu Shize seemed to sense her presence and looked up at her.
Yun Li barely avoided his gaze and slowly walked up to him.
“Want to ride the scooter?”
“Mm. It’s just a few minutes away.” Fu Shize looked down at her.
Despite having met a few times, Yun Li still couldn’t maintain eye contact with him for long. She only occasionally met his gaze, her upturned eyes bright and charming. She had tied up her hair, revealing a long, white neck.
These glances left Fu Shize somewhat distracted. He unlocked the scooter, and Yun Li naturally sat behind him.
The breeze brought a fresh, sweet scent.
As they exited the main gate, Fu Shize was not fully focused and didn’t notice the speed bump on the ground. The scooter jolted, and Yun Li, losing her balance, briefly supported herself with her soft hand on his waist.
Yun Li immediately withdrew her hand, feeling extremely embarrassed, “I’m sorry.”
Fu Shize calmly said “It’s alright,” but the spot she had touched felt like it was on fire, the heat spreading throughout his body.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, he let Yun Li get off first, then parked and locked the scooter at an extremely slow pace. He stayed in the darkness for a minute or two, waiting for his body temperature to return to normal before walking over to Yun Li.
The late-night snack place was filled with the aroma of food. Two blue awnings were set up in the courtyard, with several large pots underneath. Half of the seating was outdoors, and it was fully packed, mostly with Xi Ke University students. The dim alley was bustling with energy because of this.
Yun Li felt like she had returned to her freshman and sophomore years. Back then, she would occasionally go to the barbecue shops near the school with her roommates for some skewers and fried noodles.
The two of them found a place to sit down.