3. The first time Yun Li met Fu Dongsheng and Chen Jinping after marriage, her lips quivered for a while before she softly said, “Dad, Mom.” Fu Shize had never used such a gentle voice to call them, instantly melting half of Chen Jinping and Fu Dongsheng’s hearts.
Yun Li was obedient, lovable, and close to them, almost fulfilling the two elders’ emotional needs for their children. Chen Jinping often bought things for them, sending them directly to their home, but they were almost all for Yun Li’s use, such as skincare products, cosmetics, and necklaces.
When Fu Shize came home for meals, he had no intention of getting close to his parents. In Fu Dongsheng’s eyes, he was just a rebellious teenager. Moreover, as Fu Shize was approaching a funding application deadline, he usually gave brief refusals when Fu Dongsheng called him out.
In the office, Fu Shize had just finished writing a document. He opened his phone to find dozens of unread messages in the family group chat. He frowned slightly, thinking something had happened at home.
Dad: [Son, look, Little Li is flying kites with your dad and mom.]
Dad: [Son, look, we took our first group photo today.]
Dad: [Son, Little Li says this is her original dish, and we’re the first to taste it.]
Dad: [Son, Little Li says she wants to make my birthday cake herself.]
…
Fu Shize tapped the screen: [Dad, how old are you turning?]
Dad: [?]
Dad: [? Your wife remembers your dad is turning 62, what kind of son are you?]
Mom: [Exactly.]
Fu Shize: [Oh, I thought you were turning 6.]
On the other side, after being gently mocked by Fu Shize, Fu Dongsheng widened his eyes, which were seven to eight parts similar to his son’s, looked at Yun Li, and sighed, “My son’s temper is really bad, I hope you don’t mind.”
Yun Li: “…”
On Fu Dongsheng’s birthday, he was in Nanwu. Yun Li and Fu Shize specially flew back to Nanwu to celebrate with him.
About to meet Fu Shize’s large family for the first time, Yun Li was anxious. After arriving at North Mountain Maple Forest, she spent most of the day making a cake for Fu Dongsheng, then paced back and forth in the room.
Fu Shize lay on the bed and said casually, “No need to be nervous.”
“But…” Yun Li was distressed, “Didn’t you say there would be more than thirty people?”
This was Yun Li’s first time attending such a large family gathering. As dinner time approached, she became increasingly tense, wishing she could sprout wings and fly back to Xifu.
Seeing Yun Li so nervous, Fu Shize’s eyes softened: “Stay close to me later.”
She stopped, staring at him for a few seconds.
Fu Shize put his phone aside and slowly uttered two words as if remembering something: “No.”
He propped himself up slightly, half-kneeling on the bed, leaned forward, and pulled Yun Li to his side: “We can stay close right now.”
Not long after they went downstairs, Fu Shize was surrounded by a group of children. Although he didn’t smile much, he was very popular in the family because he often played with robots with the younger generation.
The children’s thoughts were pure, not like adults who could keenly detect his aloofness towards others. Entangled by them, Fu Shize’s brow relaxed, and he looked helplessly at Yun Li.
Catching a glimpse of Xia Congsheng and others, Yun Li decided to go over and say hello, leaving Fu Shize to be surrounded by the children upstairs.
On her way over, a woman in her late fifties warmly grabbed her: “You must be Zeze’s wife, your name is Lili, right?”
Yun Li hesitated and called out, “Hello, auntie.”
The woman squinted her eyes and smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes not diminishing the joy in her tone: “Don’t call me that, Shize is my cousin, just call me sister, it makes me feel younger.”
“…”
Yun Li felt dizzy. She instinctively called older people uncle or auntie.
But she discovered that these people were all her peers.
And those around her age were almost all her juniors.
The most devastating thing happened when chatting with Xia Congsheng.
Xia Congsheng had gotten married last year and was now holding her child.
She winked at Yun Li, and half-jokingly said: “Aunt.”
Being more familiar with her, Yun Li smiled: “Stop teasing me.”
The baby raised its finger, babbling for a while. Xia Congsheng said softly: “This is your great-aunt.”
After speaking, she affectionately pushed the child towards Yun Li: “She seems to like you, want to hold her?”
Yun Li nodded, nervously taking the infant from the swaddling clothes. Xia Congsheng was still coaxing the child: “Now great-aunt is holding you, do you like great-aunt?”
It took a while for Yun Li to realize… Great-aunt?
She was only 24 years old, and she was already a great-aunt.
After the dinner ended, Yun Li returned to the room and mentioned this to Fu Shize. Hearing her glumly say that she was already a great-aunt, Fu Shize chuckled and lowered his head to remove her jewelry.
Seeing him unmoved, Yun Li sighed, cupped his chin, stared at his flawless face, and stammered: “Luckily you have a 24-year-old face.”
Fu Shize suddenly picked her up horizontally. Yun Li was stunned for a moment, hooked her arms around his neck: “What’s wrong?”
He looked down, appearing understanding: “Let you check if the body is also 24.”
4. When they met Fu Zhengchu at the dinner, he enthusiastically invited Yun Li and Fu Shize to play ball at the school together.
A ball game appointment that was years late.
Yun Li readily agreed.
As the day of the ball game approached, E-station happened to recommend a video to Yun Li, a funny compilation of badminton beginners. At first, Yun Li laughed so hard her stomach hurt, but soon her face fell.
She could imagine herself being like that.
Remembering that Fu Shize and Fu Zhengchu would be there, Yun Li felt a strong survival instinct.
Fu Shize was working overtime at school, and his rackets were also at school. Yun Li was dryly posing in front of the computer screen, her hands empty, so she turned around the house, looking for a substitute for the racket.
After finishing the evening self-study, Yun Ye packed up his schoolbag and went to pick up Yin Yunyi. His phone vibrated, and he unlocked it to find several messages pop up.
Sister: [Video]
Sister: [See if my movements are standard.]
Yun Ye clicked on the video and saw Yun Li holding a wooden spatula, facing him, swinging it up and down.
Yun Ye: “…”
After swinging the wooden spatula for a whole morning, Yun Li felt her movements should be slightly more standard, and not too embarrassing.
On the day of the game, Yun Li drove to the school to pick up Fu Shize. He had already changed into a white badminton shirt with blueprints, shoes, and long socks, carrying a badminton bag.
“Fu Zhengchu just said…”
As Fu Shize got into the passenger seat, Yun Li’s voice suddenly stopped.
The man looked extremely youthful, like a fresh college graduate, with a bit of sharpness in his black eyes when he looked up. She stared for a good while before starting the car.
Fu Shize fastened his seatbelt and asked lazily, “What did he say?”
Yun Li didn’t react for a long time, completely forgetting what she had said earlier, and almost instinctively replied, “You look so good.”
“?”
Yun Li curved her eyebrows and eyes, looking at him: “You look good.”
Being stared at with such an entranced gaze, Fu Shize curled his lips, his fingers pointing forward: “Stop looking at me, watch the road.”
When they arrived at the gymnasium, Fu Zhengchu was already waiting. After warming up, they started playing a few rounds.
Yun Li and Fu Shize were on one side, Fu Zhengchu on the other. She hit each ball very carefully, but her movements directly exposed her as a pure beginner.
Fu Zhengchu didn’t mind, basically feeding her balls of medium height and very slow speed.
After successfully hitting dozens of balls, Yun Li had a bit of a misconception. She proudly tugged at Fu Shize’s clothes: “Don’t you think your wife has a talent for this?”
Fu Shize hooked her finger and lightly “Hmm” ed.
“I counted, I received more than thirty balls.” Her eyes seemed to glow, obviously in a good mood. Fu Shize put down his racket, tilted his head, and patiently listened to her boasting.
Fu Zhengchu on the other side watched for a while and lightly coughed twice.
“Um…” Aware of their gazes, Fu Zhengchu smiled embarrassedly: “Aren’t we here to play ball today?”
If he let them continue their romantic talk, he might die from the sweetness.
Yun Li froze, letting go of Fu Shize’s clothes. The latter was silent for a moment, then said carelessly: “I suppose so.”
Fu Zhengchu: “…”
They hadn’t been on the court for long when a lone teacher on the side wanted to join their court to make it a doubles game. The school’s courts didn’t charge fees, so they generally wouldn’t refuse when other teachers and students wanted to share the court.
Fu Zhengchu hesitated for a moment and looked at Fu Shize: “Shall we play together then?”
Fu Shize said directly: “My wife is a beginner, if you don’t mind, let’s play together.”
The implication was that everyone was here to play for fun, don’t smash at her, especially don’t hit her.
The teacher who wanted to join smiled and said: “Let’s play together. I usually play more professional matches with other teachers, it’s good to play some recreational games now.”
As soon as the opponent arrived, he seemed somewhat arrogant, but Fu Shi pretended not to notice.
After a brief warm-up, they began their friendly match. Fu Shi deliberately held back, yet the other side kept losing points due to the freeloading teacher’s mistakes. Growing impatient, he started hitting shots towards Yun Li.
Yun Li tried to return them passively but could barely reach any. Soon, the score was tied.
Hearing the teacher loudly announcing the score on the other side, with most points lost because of her, Yun Li suddenly felt dejected. Her earlier confidence vanished instantly.
Seeing her face downcast, Fu Shi gently pulled her by the wrist to the front court. “It’s alright, stand here,” he said.
He whispered near her, “If you can’t reach the shuttle, just duck.”
Despite the noisy surroundings filled with racket swings, shuttlecock hits, and people’s shouts, Yun Li could still distinguish his gentle voice: “Don’t worry, and don’t look back. I’m behind you. I can reach everything.”
The freeloading teacher, realizing that drop shots to the front court weren’t effective, changed his strategy. Whenever Yun Li hit the shuttle high, he would smash directly toward her. One such smash hit Yun Li’s body.
Fu Shi immediately approached Yun Li to check on her. The smash wasn’t too hard, but it had happened right under his nose.
“I’m fine,” Yun Li said nonchalantly. She looked at him regretfully, “I’m holding you back.”
The freeloading teacher had played casual badminton for several years, while Fu Shi and Fu Zhengchu had received professional training since childhood. Fu Zhengchu later switched to other sports, but Fu Shi didn’t feel pressured to play two-on-one.
Fu Shi didn’t care about winning or losing and had been playing politely at first, rarely smashing hard. But after this incident, he started smashing towards the freeloading teacher whenever he had the chance.
Fu Zhengchu also frequently “accidentally” lifted the shuttle very high, creating many opportunities for Fu Shi to jump and smash.
As they played on, the freeloading teacher began to feel like it had turned into a three-against-one match.
After one game, the freeloading teacher noticed Fu Shi’s aggression. Fu Shi’s dark eyes showed no emotion as he asked coldly, treating the teacher like an inanimate object, “Want to continue?”
Feeling intimidated, the teacher didn’t dare to stay any longer.
Yun Li felt like she was in a different time and space on the court, vaguely aware that Fu Shi was behaving unusually. When Fu Shi went to buy her water, she asked Fu Zhengchu, “Were you deliberately hitting the shuttle high earlier?”
Fu Zhengchu wiped the sweat from his forehead and grunted affirmatively twice.
“Isn’t that a bit unfair?” Yun Li asked.
Noticing Fu Shi’s gaze, Fu Zhengchu swallowed and, eager to show his loyalty, said, “He deserves it for bullying my aunt-in-law.”
Yun Li’s mind was still on the earlier events on the court. She wasn’t particularly competitive, but… she didn’t want Fu Shi to lose face.
After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Fu Zhengchu, can I ask why your movements are so graceful?”
His racket swings were smooth and natural, yet he could hit powerful shots.
Flattered by the compliment, Fu Zhengchu became a bit smug. He immediately picked up his racket to show Yun Li how to hold it, backhand, and forehand. As she tilted her head to listen, a racket suddenly appeared between them.
Following the handle, they saw Fu Shi drinking water, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. He handed the half-finished bottle to Yun Li.
His tone was natural and matter-of-fact. “I’ll teach her myself.”
His wife, he’d teach her himself.
After returning home, Yun Li went to shower first. She recalled their earlier visit to the dog shelter, where she and Fu Shi had each written down a wish before leaving.
Her wish had already come true.
Fu Shi’s, however, seemed to show no progress.
After drying her hair, she sat back on the bed. Fu Shi had just finished his shower and was leaning beside her, reading a book. Yun Li stared at Fu Shi’s seemingly indifferent demeanor, a hint of doubt arising in her mind.
She had thought his wish would be something like marrying her.
Could it be that his wish hadn’t been fulfilled yet?
After mulling it over for a while, just before bedtime, she pretended to suddenly remember: “Do you recall that dog shelter we visited before?”
Fu Shi flipped a page in his book and turned his head, waiting for her to continue.
“We wrote wishes then and agreed to go back together once they were fulfilled,” Yun Li said casually. “Has your wish not come true yet?”
Fu Shi didn’t answer directly. Instead, he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger and asked, “What about yours?”
“It’s been fulfilled,” Yun Li replied.
“What was your wish?” Fu Shi leaned closer, looking up at her, his fine eyelashes brushing against her face. “Was it about me?”
“Mm…” Yun Li murmured.
“Then let’s go tomorrow,” Fu Shi said, following her lead. Yun Li paused for a moment. He closed his book, glanced at the time, and dimmed the bedside lamp to its lowest setting.
As the room darkened, drowsiness overtook Yun Li. Fu Shi pulled the blanket up higher for her. In her hazy state, she felt his kiss on her forehead and heard his soft words.
“Sweet dreams, Li Li.”
The next day, Yun Li woke up before Fu Shi, finding herself encircled in his arms. She struggled a bit, but hearing his sleepy murmur, she gently moved his hand away.
After spending some time in the living room, Yun Li noticed the medicine box on the table, still open from when she had taken out the inhaler yesterday. Inside were several boxes of sleeping pills prescribed to Fu Shi by his doctor.
He hadn’t taken them for a long time.
Yun Li thought for a moment, then quietly returned to the bedroom and slipped back into his embrace.
After lunch, Fu Shi drove Yun Li to the dog shelter. The interior decoration hadn’t changed much, with the wish wall densely covered in sticky notes, several layers thick.
Yun Li couldn’t remember exactly where she had placed hers. She paused in front of the wish wall.
Just as she was about to tell Fu Shi she had forgotten, his hand reached past her right ear, moving aside a few notes to reveal her cute handwriting.
He remembered the exact location clearly.
He stood close behind her, and Yun Li could feel the warmth from beneath his shirt. Following his finger, she read her own words:
[Fu Shi, be my wife!!!!!]
“…”
Yun Li had thought she’d written about marrying Fu Shi, but now she felt a bit embarrassed.
Fu Shi’s low, amused chuckle came from behind her. He teased in her ear, “Such big ambitions, huh?”
“Then the wish hasn’t come true yet,” Yun Li said, unable to recall what mindset she had when writing it. She asked Fu Shi, “Where’s yours?”
Fu Shi guided her finger to another sticky note, where a few characters were written in flowing calligraphy:
[Fulfill Li Li’s wish]
So, only when her wish was fulfilled would his wish be realized.
Yun Li froze for a few seconds, then took a pen from nearby and quickly made some changes to her note. Fu Shi lazily asked, “Why bother changing it?”
Yun Li replied slowly, “I want to fulfill your wish too.” She sighed dramatically, “After all, my wife is now my husband.”
Fu Shi looked at the modified note.
Just then, a Corgi began rubbing against Yun Li’s leg. She crouched down to pet its neck. As he looked down at her, his heart lurched, recalling that scene from the past – late autumn, early winter, her cheeks reddened by the cold, her eyes sparkling like stars as she gazed at him.
He was fortunate to have become the husband of that girl who had waited for him.
When Yun Li finished petting the dog, Fu Shi picked up her coat and held it open for her. She slipped into it naturally, whispering, “There are many people here.”
Fu Shi tilted his head. “Then I’ll help you put it on when we get back.”
“…”
They had almost reached the door when Yun Li, still feeling nostalgic, turned back and asked, “Can we write another wish and come back when it’s fulfilled?”
Fu Shi nodded. She scurried back, carefully took a pen and paper, wrote something, and stuck it in a small corner.
Yun Li looked at the hidden note with satisfaction. Turning around, she saw Fu Shi still standing in the same spot, his dark eyes fixed on her. Yun Li waved the pen at him and asked, “Aren’t you going to write one?”
“No need,” Fu Shi said, taking her hand. “Let’s go home.”
Yun Li frowned. “Why not?”
Fu Shi squeezed her hand, his lips curving into a slight smile. “My only wish is—”
In the days to come, for that girl who had waited for him in the cold wind, may all her wishes come true.
And if he could be a bit greedy…
He hoped that he would be the one to fulfill those wishes.
That way, he would probably be the one to accompany her for a lifetime.
—— End of Extra Chapter ——