Was it just her imagination?
Yun Li couldn’t be sure.
…
Yun Li received a call from Yang Fang.
“Your brother hardly plays on his phone when he comes home at night lately. He just sits at his desk as soon as he gets back. Did something upset him?”
Yun Li immediately thought of Yun Ye’s early romance and replied dryly, “I doubt it. Mom, don’t worry so much.”
Yang Fang voiced her concern, “Can you ask your brother how he’s doing? I’m worried the academic pressure might be too much for him to handle if this continues.”
Yun Li: “…”
She suspected it had little to do with studying.
Not daring to explain further, Yun Li agreed, “Alright, I’ll ask him.”
Feeling it was time to discuss this matter with Yun Ye, Yun Li made a video call to him.
When the call connected, the handsome face of the young boy appeared on screen. He pouted reluctantly, “You never check the messages I send you.”
Yun Li: “Oh?”
Scrolling through their chat history, she noticed that after she had sent Yun Ye the message “Yun Ye, I admire you so much!!!”, he had indeed replied for several consecutive days.
Yun Ye: [?]
A day later.
Yun Ye: [??]
Two days later.
Yun Ye: [???]
…
Previously, Yun Li had been preoccupied with her emotional turmoil and hadn’t paid much attention to Yun Ye’s messages that lacked substantial content.
Remembering that Yin Yucheng had made a special trip, Yun Li pursed her lips and said, “Oh, I forgot about it when I got busy. When we were messaging, Yin’s brother came over and said you send two postcards to Yin every week—” Yun Li added sarcastically, “I suppose you’re too busy to need your sister’s replies?”
Yun Ye: “…”
Yun Ye: “How did he know I sent them?”
Yun Li felt exasperated, “Yun Ye, couldn’t you be a bit more skillful in pursuing someone? Over twenty postcards with the same handwriting are easily recognizable. Her brother even came to our door!”
After a long pause, Yun Ye blurted out, “Damn, her brother read my letters.”
“…”
Yun Li: “Well, I think he might have.”
Yun Ye angrily exclaimed, “That’s so shameless!”
After some thought, Yun Li agreed, “Yeah, it is a bit.”
Quickly accepting the reality, Yun Ye complained, “Why are you only telling me about this now?”
“I told you I forgot,” Yun Li replied, feeling no remorse. Instead, she advised earnestly, “What you’re doing might negatively affect the girl’s grades, which wouldn’t be good. Yun Ye, we should, you know, be more discreet.”
Yun Ye: “No, Yun Li! Someone read your brother’s letters! Aren’t you going to stand up for me?”
“Oh.” Yun Li ignored his plea and changed the subject, “By the way, I heard you sent them on behalf of the whole class. I thought you were being bold earlier, but I misunderstood you.”
Yun Ye turned away, refusing to look at the camera, his tone slightly irritated, “That’s none of your business.”
Unfazed by his attitude, Yun Li calculated the potential returns on Yun Ye’s efforts and warned, “What if she thinks someone else sent all those postcards?”
He appeared indifferent, “As long as she receives them, it’s fine.”
Seeing his unyielding attitude and thinking of her situation, Yun Li lamented, “Yun Ye, constantly giving without receiving only hurts yourself in the end. You need to love yourself more, understand?”
Yun Ye: “…”
Yun Ye: “Why are you suddenly saying things like this?”
Yun Li: “…”
Yun Li: “I’m just giving you some advice as someone with experience…”
Yun Ye: “Doesn’t that guy like you?”
After a moment of silence, Yun Li ignored the question entirely, “Let’s get back to your situation. It seems her family doesn’t plan to intervene as long as it doesn’t affect your studies. They just wanted to confirm this with me.”
With his biggest worry resolved, Yun Ye let out a sigh of relief, revealing a smile unique to teenagers, “So, can I still send her postcards?”
Yun Li immediately distanced herself from the situation, “I don’t support early romance, and I won’t give you money to send them.”
Suddenly remembering the reason for this call, she added, “Oh right, Mom just called me. She said you don’t play on your phone and sit at your desk as soon as you get home every day.”
Yun Ye grumbled, “Not playing on my phone is a good thing. What’s she thinking?”
“Alright, I’m just giving you a heads up. Be mindful of it.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Yun Li saw two more messages from Yang Fang.
One was a photo of Yun Ye’s report card.
The other read: [What if your brother burns out? [Crying emoji]]
Yun Li opened the report card photo.
It showed no negative impact at all.
She then opened her chat with Yun Ye and sent him a 200 yuan red envelope. After some thought, she added a note: [For food]
As the day to go to the guesthouse approached, Yun Li found herself growing increasingly anxious.
She had previously arranged with Fu Zhengchu that on Friday after she finished work at EAW, Xu Qingsong would pick her up at her apartment, take her to a nearby supermarket for supplies, and then drive to the guesthouse.
No one had told her whether Fu Shize would be going.
After work, Yun Li returned to her apartment to grab her luggage.
The baseball cap Fu Shize had given her was still on the table. She had occasionally run into him in the break room over the past few days but hadn’t wanted to make a special trip to return it afterward. After so much back-and-forth, she still hadn’t given it back.
Perhaps he would be going too.
Yun Li packed the baseball cap in her bag. When she went downstairs, Xu Qingsong’s car was already waiting outside. The window rolled down, revealing Xu Qingsong in the driver’s seat and Fu Zhengchu in the passenger seat.
Yun Li let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to open the car door, it slowly opened from the inside. Yun Li looked down to see Fu Shize, with only a black bag placed next to him on the door side.
Fu Shize moved in slightly, making room for her in his original spot.
“…”
Yun Li tried to appear composed as she bent down to get in. The seat still held his warmth. She placed her bag in the space between them.
Xu Qingsong turned to greet Yun Li. Today he wore a cotton-linen floral shirt in beige and brick red, paired with a solid-colored suit jacket.
Noticing Yun Li’s lingering gaze, he asked openly, “What is it?”
Yun Li looked away, “I feel like your shirts are always quite bright, Mr. Xu. It’s rare to see people wear them.” Unsure how to compliment him, she added vaguely, “They all look quite nice.”
Hearing this, Xu Qingsong smiled and said playfully, “Oh really? I used to think Ah Ze’s clothes were too plain, so I wanted to give him a few sets, but he always refused.”
As the topic related to Fu Shize, Yun Li’s curious tone became somewhat unnatural, “Oh, why is that…”
Xu Qingsong glanced at Fu Shize in the rearview mirror and teased, “I don’t know, maybe he thinks they’re ugly.”
As the center of the discussion, Fu Shize didn’t offer any opinion, only raising an eyebrow when mentioned.
Taking this opportunity, Yun Li looked at him. He wore a white shirt and light gray casual pants, topped with a black wool coat.
After driving for about three kilometers, they arrived at a supermarket nearby.
As soon as they got on the escalator, Yun Li hurriedly said, “Fu Zhengchu, I’ll go with you.” She left the other two behind, quickly grabbed a shopping cart for Fu Zhengchu, and headed straight for the snack aisle.
Facing the vast array of snacks, Fu Zhengchu tossed several large bags of chips into the cart. Seeing that Xu Qingsong and Fu Shize were some distance away, he leaned closer to Yun Li, “Sister Yun Li, I deliberately sat in the front passenger seat today!”
“…”
No wonder Fu Shize was sitting in the back seat today. Normally, he would be in the front helping Xu Qingsong watch the road.
Fu Zhengchu hadn’t forgotten his mission to play matchmaker. “Sister Yun Li, I saw in your latest video that you had a drone. Was that a gift for Uncle?”
The person before her had clear eyes, showing pure concern for a friend. Yun Li didn’t want to lie, so she said frankly, “Yes…” She paused, then added, “But I’m not going to give it to him anymore.”
Fu Zhengchu wasn’t very surprised and asked casually, “Why, Sister Yun Li? Did you two fight? You seem to be ignoring Uncle lately.”
“No… I just decided not to give it,” Yun Li immediately denied, staring pensively at the chocolate bar in her hand.
Fu Zhengchu pretended to be choosing snacks while feeling anxious inside.
He had arranged several meetings in the group chat, but both of them had refused. In the car, they hadn’t even greeted each other, and at the supermarket, Yun Li refused to walk with Fu Shize.
Even though Fu Zhengchu was a bit slow, he knew something was wrong between them.
Yun Li wasn’t a child anymore and didn’t want to make a big deal out of this. She asked carefully, “Do I look like I’m ignoring him?”
Fu Zhengchu answered honestly, “You do.” He emphasized, “And it’s quite obvious.”
“…”
Fu Zhengchu: “Did Uncle do something to upset you?”
Yun Li struggled for a long time, unable to voice her thoughts of giving up on Fu Zhengchu. Looking down, she asked, “Does your uncle have a female friend he’s known for a long time and is close to?”
Fu Zhengchu was shocked, “Sister Yun Li, are you worried that Uncle has someone else?”
“…”
It sounded like she was trying to catch him cheating.
“That’s impossible,” Fu Zhengchu racked his brains but couldn’t think of anyone. He concluded, “All the women Uncle has known for a long time are relatives, all blood-related. Uncle has good family values, it’s impossible, absolutely impossible.”
Fu Zhengchu was adamant, and Yun Li felt confused as she listened. She muttered, “There isn’t anyone?”
“…”
Back in the car, Yun Li’s thoughts were still on her conversation with Fu Zhengchu.
So, was it a misunderstanding when she heard about Fu Shize meeting someone? Yun Li stole a glance at Fu Shize. He was looking down at his phone, chatting with someone on WeChat.
As they approached the highway entrance, Xu Qingsong reminded them, “We’re about to get on the highway, please fasten your seatbelts.”
Yun Li’s train of thought was interrupted. She fumbled with the strap on her right side, pulling it to the buckle at her leg. Fu Shize lowered his gaze, watching as she failed to connect it several times.
Fu Shize: “Let me.”
Seeing they were about to enter the highway, Yun Li didn’t refuse, “Oh, okay…”
Fu Shize unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned towards Yun Li. As his breath drew near, Yun Li repeatedly recited a calming mantra in her mind.
However, when his hand took hold of the strap, the skin contact felt like an electric current passing through quickly.
Yun Li’s body tensed up. Fu Shize kept his head down, his fluffy bangs swaying with the car’s movement. His slender fingers held the buckle, just inches away from her legs in tight jeans, maintaining a precise two-inch gap.
He easily fastened it.
Slowly moving back to his original position, Fu Shize buckled his seatbelt and closed his eyes to rest.
The rest of the journey passed without incident. Yun Li opened the E-station app. Her recent comments had been growing rapidly, and she scrolled through the notification feed. There were several dozen consecutive comment notifications, all from the same person except for a few in the middle. The profile picture was blank, the username was “efe”, and all the comments simply said [Beautiful].
This person had also sent her many gifts, likely a wealthy new fan. Yun Li sent a private message to them, saying [Thank you ^^].
When Yun Li’s group arrived, Xia Congsheng and his companions had already been there for about an hour. Besides Xia Congsheng and Deng Chuqi, there were two male colleagues they all knew, named Chen Renran and Lu Yu.
Xia Congsheng’s family had arranged a small self-built villa party house for the group. It had four rooms, each with an outdoor hot spring. The three girls would stay in the family room, while the others would share a room.
The small villa had no elevator. Fu Zhengchu helped carry the luggage upstairs, while Fu Shize directly picked up Yun Li’s handbag and waited for her at the foot of the stairs.
While the others were chatting animatedly, Yun Li and Fu Shize seemed like outsiders, both remaining silent.
After going upstairs, everyone greeted each other. Fu Shize handed the handbag to Yun Li.
“Thank you… Oh, and here’s your cap back.” Yun Li unzipped her bag and pulled out the black baseball cap.
“Keep it,” Fu Shize didn’t take it. He loosened his right shoulder bag and showed Yun Li a glimpse inside, where there was another blue cap. “I have my own.”
Yun Li was puzzled, “I have one too…”
Fu Shize said nothing and turned to walk back to his room. His room was adjacent to Yun Li’s, both at the end of the hallway. Xu Qingsong had already made his way to the sofa and was leisurely browsing on his tablet.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing colleagues?” Yun Li complained as she sidled up to Deng Chuqi.
She hadn’t forgotten Deng Chuqi mentioned bringing two single colleagues during their last phone call, and she felt those two were eyeing her like tigers eyeing their prey.
“Well, I didn’t know Xia Xia’s uncle was coming either. Xia Xia said he wasn’t coming at first!” Deng Chuqi whispered back, not hiding her intentions. “Originally, I thought these two colleagues of mine were decent enough, but compared to those three uncles and nephews, it’s a bit embarrassing. But handsome guys rely on genetics, while good guys rely on effort.”
Yun Li nudged her, “You didn’t say anything to them in private, did you?”
“Uh…” Deng Chuqi grinned sheepishly, trying to appease her, “I just mentioned that you’re single.”
Yun Li: “…”
Seeing her expression grow serious, Deng Chuqi raised her hands in surrender, “We can’t put all our eggs in one basket, right? If you interact with other men, you might not be so hung up on this thing with Xia Xia’s uncle. Don’t look down on our colleagues just because they’re not as good-looking.”
Knowing she meant well, Yun Li sighed.
She didn’t want to admit that for now, her heart only had room for one person—
Fifteen minutes later, everyone reconvened in the living room.
The villa’s living room was designed for entertainment. In the center was an oval-shaped transparent lamp surrounded by a marble tabletop, perfect for playing board games. The rest of the living room was equipped with a pool table, gaming consoles, and a small karaoke setup.
With the heating on, everyone wore only a single layer. Chen Renran and Lu Yu sat on one side of the circle, followed by Deng Chuqi, Xia Congsheng, and Fu Zhengchu, with several empty seats between Fu Zhengchu and Chen Renran.
Seeing Yun Li, Chen Renran eagerly pulled out the chair next to him, but she pretended not to notice and sat directly next to Fu Zhengchu.
Fu Zhengchu was engrossed in his phone. Yun Li glimpsed Fu Shize’s familiar avatar and noticed that Fu Zhengchu was doing most of the talking, with Fu Shize only replying occasionally.
She didn’t ask about it after sitting down. Instead, Fu Zhengchu hastily put away his phone, his actions seeming a bit flustered. His eyes darted towards the stairs as he said, “I was just asking Uncle when he’d come down.”
For some reason, neither Xu Qingsong nor Fu Shize had come downstairs yet.
The group opened a pack of Uno cards, with Lu Yu dealing. Meanwhile, Chen Renran poured Yun Li a glass of orange juice and deftly arranged some cut fruit in front of her, making no effort to hide his intentions to impress her.
His smile only made Yun Li’s scalp tingle. She didn’t even make eye contact with him as she thanked him and pushed the fruit plate towards Deng Chuqi’s spot.
Yun Li hadn’t played this board game before, so Fu Zhengchu briefly explained the rules to her.
As they were about to start a round, Yun Li felt a bit nervous, knowing she wasn’t very good at it. She leaned back slightly and looked up to see Fu Shize coming down the stairs.
He wore a loose turquoise floral shirt that accentuated his porcelain skin and jet-black eyes. The shirt enhanced his usually aloof and weary face, making him look alluringly beautiful.
Yun Li could only think of one word.
Damn.