Yun Li thought Fu Shize had truly become a muddled fool from drinking.
He released Yun Li and changed his position, hooking an arm around her neck. Nuzzling her right ear as before, he pleaded, “I told you earlier—don’t always reject me.”
“When have I always rejected you?” Yun Li immediately retorted. Knowing he had drunk quite a bit with Yun Yongchang tonight, she sighed, standing in place. Turning to face him, she asked, “Is your stomach uncomfortable? Let’s stop talking for now. I’ll take you back to your quarters.”
“I’m fine,” Fu Shize replied, his expression calm and seemingly normal.
If not for the faint redness on his neck, Yun Li wouldn’t have been able to tell he had been drinking.
“You were harsh with me earlier,” he added.
Yun Li: “…”
Oh, and there was his nonsensical talk.
Yun Li spoke to him as if soothing a child: “How could I be harsh with you?”
Fu Shize stared at her for a good while before slowly asking, “How will you prove it?”
“…”
Yun Li was speechless but patiently explained, “What you just said can’t be proven. It’s like asking me to prove I ate yesterday.”
She had spoken at length, but Fu Shize hadn’t listened. He answered his question: “A kiss, and you won’t be harsh anymore.”
“…”
They had reached the car. Yun Li tried to usher him into the passenger seat, but Fu Shize persisted. He pressed her against the outside of the passenger door and said softly, “Then let me help Lili prove it.”
He pinned her hands to the car door, giving her no time to react. His warm tongue licked her lower lip before slipping into her mouth. Yun Li was forced to tilt her head back as she responded to his kiss.
Yun Li drove Fu Shize to buy some liver-protecting medicine. At home, Fu Shize had struggled to maintain his sobriety, but once in his dormitory room, he collapsed onto the bed, ready to sleep.
“Get up first,” Yun Li tugged at his arm. Fu Shize murmured, “Lili, don’t fuss.” He pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, like an obedient child in kindergarten: “I need to sleep for a while.”
“This is the last time you’re drinking, you understand?” Yun Li sat beside him, saying with a hint of distress, “Tonight, I almost wanted to fight with my father.”
He mumbled an indistinct response.
Yun Li sat there for a few minutes. Fu Shize seemed to have truly fallen asleep.
The drawer wasn’t fully closed. She pulled it open to find several boxes of sleeping pills inside, with two rows already three-quarters empty.
She remained silent for a moment, then got up to fetch some hot water from the water room. She mixed it with cold water to the right temperature and brought it back to the room.
First, she dampened tissue and wiped his face, her hand moving from his long, fine eyelashes to his straight nose, and then to his thin lips.
Pulling back the blanket, Yun Li stared at his collar, hesitated for a moment, but still reached out.
As she unbuttoned the second button, her gaze shifted to his face. Recalling the events of the night, she knew that although Yun Yongchang rarely showed his emotions, he must have liked Fu Shize quite a bit.
Their relationship had just taken another step forward, and she felt a sense of unreality.
Yun Li kissed the corner of his lips, then focused on unbuttoning his shirt and wiping his body with a towel.
When it came to his lower half, Yun Li poked him: “Take off your pants before sleeping.”
Fu Shize didn’t respond.
Thinking he was asleep, Yun Li struggled for a moment but still lacked the courage. She simply covered him with the blanket.
The person on the bed chuckled softly and opened his eyes: “Not going to continue?”
“…”
Yun Li wanted nothing more than to drag him off the bed and give him a beating. Her expression serious, she asked, “Were you awake the whole time?”
Seeing her stern face, Fu Shize, perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, didn’t flinch. He simply hummed in affirmation.
“…”
Yun Li approached him angrily. Fu Shize rolled over, pillowing his head on his right hand. As Yun Li looked down at him, the lamplight reflected in his hazy eyes.
Fu Shize patted the space beside him. Seeing Yun Li unmoved, he called out with a smile: “Come here.”
His affectionate tone dissipated Yun Li’s anger. She sat back down beside him, swinging her legs at the edge of the bed.
Fu Shize lay on his side, reaching around to encircle her waist. He asked softly, “Why did you wipe my body?”
Yun Li answered honestly, “You were all sticky. I wanted you to sleep better.”
His arm tightened, drawing them closer together, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly.
Yun Li lowered her head, her fingertips caressing the back of his hand.
From behind came his adoring voice.
“I love you.”
…
Upon returning home, Yun Li checked on Yun Ye in his room. His entire face was buried in the pillow. Yun Li pushed him twice, surprised: “Can you even breathe like that?”
Yun Li realized that Yun Ye’s alcohol tolerance was probably about the same as hers.
After pushing him twice with no response, she bent down and used some strength to turn Yun Ye onto his side, allowing him to breathe more easily.
She hadn’t turned on the light and could only see Yun Ye’s profile through the light from the living room.
Yun Li wiped Yun Ye’s face with a wet wipe. He frowned, brushing away her hand, and turned over, pulling the blanket directly over his head.
Yun Li didn’t have her usual temper.
Perhaps because Yun Ye had been drinking on Fu Shize’s behalf for her sake.
…
The end of the year passed quickly, and Yun Li found herself incredibly busy. Besides writing her graduation thesis, she started working at the company as an intern.
Her department was responsible for game development. The entire team wasn’t large, with each person handling several projects simultaneously. On her first day, Yun Li was assigned to learn from several projects.
Yun Li’s work primarily involved game implementation code, and her project was developing a VR game proposed by EAW.
On her first day at the company, Zhou Tiao came over to greet her.
Zhou Tiao smiled and asked, “Are you adapting well to the work?”
Not wanting to appear as if she was relying on connections, Yun Li politely thanked him for his concern.
“Yanxin, why don’t you guide her? You’re the most capable at training newcomers here,” Zhou Tiao called out to Zhang Yanxin, who was sitting nearby.
As a leader, Zhou Tiao was generous with praise for his employees. Zhang Yanxin nodded shyly.
Suddenly, Yun Li understood why Zhang Yanxin had stopped forwarding Zhou Tiao’s business card to her.
She usually didn’t involve herself in such matters, but considering she would be working in the same team with Zhang Yanxin for a long time after Zhou Tiao left, she took the initiative to explain: “My boyfriend is a friend of the team leader from their school days. I hope you won’t misunderstand.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanxin’s attitude towards her took a complete 180-degree turn.
Not only did she take great care of Yun Li in daily matters, but when it came time for the year-end business trip to EAW, she also brought Yun Li along.
Yun Li had originally planned to visit Jiang Yuan’s parents in Nanwu, and this opportunity coincided perfectly. She booked a flight to Nanwu for the weekend, while her colleague Zhang Yanxin would arrive in Nanwu on Monday.
When she mentioned going to Nanwu to Fu Shize, he immediately replied with a picture of his flight ticket information.
[Let’s go together.]
Yun Li was stunned. She was going to meet Jiang Yuan’s parents this time. After a moment, she replied: [What are you going for? You haven’t finished your doctoral thesis yet, and I have work there.]
Perhaps because Yun Li’s refusal was too obvious, Fu Shize responded: [Am I not allowed to go?]
These five words seemed a bit hurt.
Yun Li had no choice but to say: [I’ll be very busy then.]
[Mm. I’ll wait for you at home.]
Staring at this message, Yun Li realized that he probably meant they would stay together at Jiangnan Court.
For this business trip, there were two formal employees plus her, making three people in total. If she had a place to stay, the other two could share a standard room at the hotel.
Thinking about this, Yun Li absent-mindedly took some change of clothes from her wardrobe and put them in her small suitcase along with her makeup bag.
After crouching in front of the suitcase for a while, she furtively stood up, took three small bags from her locked drawer, and carefully placed them in the compartment of her makeup bag.
A moment later, she took out all the change of clothes and rummaged through her wardrobe, holding clothes up against herself repeatedly.
During this time, Fu Shize video-called her. He had placed the phone by his bed and was sitting in a chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward to look at the camera.
“Have you finished packing?” Yun Li asked, her tone unnatural due to her guilty conscience.
Fu Shize: “No need to pack, there are clothes there.”
Yun Li, still buried in her wardrobe, responded casually, “Oh… I’m still choosing clothes.”
After a few seconds of silence, his voice came through the earphones: “Why are you choosing?”
His naturally cool voice made her blush when he spoke.
“…”
Yun Li remained silent for a good while, unable to fathom what Fu Shize’s brain was made of.
Seeing Yun Li’s silence, Fu Shize continued, “Which clothes are you choosing?”
Which… clothes…
Yun Li glared at the camera, and Fu Shize wisely fell silent.
The flight was early Saturday morning. Fu Shize picked up Yun Li from her building, and they took a taxi to the airport together.
After a two-and-a-half-hour flight, Yun Li once again stood in the bright and spacious Nanwu Airport.
Fu Shize was pulling her small suitcase slightly ahead and to her right. Nanwu was already in winter, the air extremely cold. He wore a long black coat that made him look slim yet unapproachable.
Lost in thought, she recalled the night she first met Fu Shize. Back then, the man had been pale-faced, appearing weak, with an intense sense of detachment.
Noticing that she had fallen two steps behind, Fu Shize stopped and turned to look at her.
He extended his hand towards her.
She obediently placed her hand in his palm and asked, “Do you remember when you came to pick me up at the airport back then?”
Fu Shize: “Mm.”
“I think,” Yun Li pondered for a moment, her tone certain, “you were cooler back then.”
“…”
“Although you seemed unreachable, it might have been that sense of distance that made you very attractive.”
“…” Fu Shize looked at her expressionlessly. “What you just said seems to be telling me that now, you don’t find me very attractive anymore.”
“…”
Yun Li stumbled over her words as she tried to explain: “That’s probably not what I meant…”
“Probably?” Fu Shize repeated the keyword.
Yun Li thought he was unhappy about this and walked forward with unease in her heart.
The hand holding hers didn’t let go. After a few steps, Yun Li peeked at Fu Shize and found him touching his cheek, as if adjusting his expression. A few seconds later, he looked at her with an emotionless face and asked without any inflection: “Is this better?”
“…”
Seeing her speechless expression, Fu Shize frowned: “Not convincing?”
“…”
All the way, Fu Shize maintained his cold face. Even after getting into the taxi, he sat on the outer side, keeping a considerable distance from Yun Li, staring indifferently out the window.
Yun Li found his behavior childish and struggled to hold back her laughter.
Fu Shize lowered his head and typed on his phone: [Cool?]
Yun Li: [Super cool!!!!!]
A few seconds later—
Yun Li: [But I think you have the potential for cold violence. You’ve been giving me the cold shoulder for the past half hour qaq]
Fu Shize laughed in exasperation. Seeing this message, he remained even more silent, like a cold statue leaning in the corner.
When the taxi arrived at the entrance of Jiangnan Court, Fu Shize was paying.
The driver hesitated, then seemed to make up his mind and turned back to Yun Li, saying, “Miss, if anything happens, remember to call the police.”
“…”
Fu Shize pulled Yun Li out of the car, his expression was neutral, giving no hint of his thoughts.
The furnishings in the Jiangnan Court apartment were almost unchanged from when she left. The room was dimly lit, with dust floating in the air. As soon as they entered, Fu Shize took out the couple of slippers they had bought last time from the shoe cabinet.
While Yun Li was changing her shoes, he went to open the curtains.
Everything related to her, he hadn’t thrown away or even put away. He had left them in their original places.
It was as if she had never left.
As if she had just been away from home for a long time.
After removing the dust cover from the sofa, Fu Shize wiped the surface clean with a wet wipe.
Yun Li helped him on the side. After cleaning, the sofa was still damp, but Fu Shize directly pressed Yun Li onto it, her hands touching the cool surface. Looking up, she saw that the coldness on his face had cracked, revealing a hint of a smile. Fu Shize said slowly, “You think I have the potential for cold violence.”
“The driver also thought I was being coldly violent to you and told you to call the police.” Fu Shize felt that since she had said so, he might as well put it into practice. He asked her, “Shall I be a bit violent now?”
The corners of Yun Li’s eyes crinkled with laughter.
Fu Shize looked down at her, still not having the heart to use force. He only lightly pinched her chin. They gazed at each other for a moment before Yun Li hugged his neck. “Azhe, you’re so good to me.”
Fu Shize: “Not talking about cold violence anymore?”
“I know you wouldn’t,” Yun Li said with certainty. She looked around, having thought this place would be completely unrelated to her now, but Fu Shize had never erased her traces. She asked, “Why did you keep all my things?”
Fu Shize: “Couldn’t think of a reason to throw them away.”
Perhaps it was just that, for anything related to her, no matter how many reasons there might be, he didn’t want them to disappear from his world.