As the surrounding lights gradually dimmed, Fu Shize used a small hot pot to boil water and poured it into a hand warmer. Yuan Li’s sleeping bag was still cool, but once she placed the hand warmer inside, she felt much warmer between her legs.
They both had their lower bodies tucked into their sleeping bags. Yuan Li sat beside Fu Shize, keeping him company as they played on their phones.
“Your life seems quite monotonous,” Yuan Li remarked, glancing at his apps. Apart from Sudoku and 2048, he had no other entertainment apps. He typically used his phone only to read the news and look up information.
Fu Shize looked at her phone, which was charging nearby. Yuan Li unlocked it, revealing a colorful screen filled with various apps. She regularly learned new skills as a content creator, such as rope braiding and origami.
She folded a flower lantern ball for Fu Shize on the spot. Seeing his interest, she took two new sheets of paper and began teaching him step by step.
“That’s not the right move,” Fu Shize pointed out.
Yuan Li looked confused, glancing down at her half-folded creation. “It is correct.”
Without further explanation, Fu Shize emerged from his sleeping bag and moved behind her, pulling her into his embrace.
He positioned her between his legs, wrapping his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on her right shoulder.
This way, he could see the origami process from her perspective.
And he could hold her close.
Initially, she had only intended to teach him how to fold paper, but now his breath repeatedly brushed against the tip of her nose.
Origami requires intense focus, yet at this moment, Yuan Li’s thoughts are consumed by him.
Unconsciously, she recalled scenes from when they first met until now. The warmth of his body seemed to tell her—
They had become incredibly close.
Remembering Tang Lin’s words, Yuan Li paused briefly. She stopped her movements, brought back to reality by Fu Shize’s question, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about Yun Ye coming to Nanwu,” Yuan Li lied, lowering her head to continue fiddling with the paper ball in her hands.
Fu Shize stared at her from the side, sensing her unease. “Li Li,” he said, stopping her paper-folding motions that were meant to conceal her thoughts. “Tell me the truth.”
Yuan Li remained silent for a moment, repeatedly playing with the paper ball. Her voice carried a hint of insecurity as she asked, “Did you get together with me on impulse?”
“…”
Fu Shize doubted he had heard correctly. Suppressing a laugh, he said, “Am I not showing enough that I like you?”
“You’re even laughing,” Yuan Li’s dejection vanished with his chuckle. She teased, “That could also be interpreted as you being very experienced.”
“?”
“Unlike someone in their first relationship.”
“…”
After she calmly uttered these two sentences, Fu Shize remained unperturbed. He gently touched her earlobe and said, “Then you might think it’s not my first time in the future.”
“…”
The late-night flirtation, combined with the limited space in the tent, created a romantic atmosphere. Yuan Li blushed and said, “You can’t always make jokes like that.”
Fu Shize did not attempt to hide his words, lazily replying, “Old habits die hard.”
“…”
Joking aside, Fu Shize hadn’t forgotten Yuan Li’s concerns.
They continued folding the paper ball together. Fu Shize tapped Yuan Li’s nose with it.
She laughed and dodged. Fu Shize held her close, whispering in her ear, “Li Li, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. It’s not because of camping, nor because of the stars.”
He kissed her right ear. “It’s because of you.”
…
It was already 1 AM when they fell asleep. Yuan Li lay on her side facing Fu Shize’s direction. She couldn’t see him in the darkness, but she knew he was there.
Sensing that she wasn’t asleep, a hand reached out to caress her face. Yuan Li, half-asleep, nestled against his hand as she drifted off.
When the sound of wind woke her, Yuan Li instinctively felt that Fu Shize wasn’t beside her. She used her phone as a light and saw the space next to her.
It was 4 AM.
Feeling somewhat bewildered, she noticed his phone was still in the tent. After waiting for a while, Yuan Li changed into her clothes.
The wind carried a chill. Yuan Li hugged her jacket tightly as she walked towards the grassy area where they had spent time together earlier that night. The journey was silent, save for the sound of her shoes crunching on twigs. When she was still some distance away, Yuan Li spotted the familiar figure.
He sat on a stone stool by the lake, wearing several layers of clothing. Despite this, his silhouette appeared thin. A cigarette was held between his fingers.
As he exhaled, gray smoke dispersed into the air.
He seemed lost in thought. Yuan Li made quite a bit of noise as she approached, but he didn’t notice.
Standing beside him, Yuan Li saw his card holder on the stone stool, open to a particular student ID card.
All this time, Yuan Li had never asked about his past.
Whatever had caused Fu Shize to become so reticent and take a leave of absence from school, she felt it must have been something incredibly painful and difficult to talk about.
Yuan Li didn’t know what he had endured.
But it certainly wasn’t something trivial.
Fu Shize only then realized she had arrived. He extinguished his cigarette and naturally took her hand, guiding her to sit beside him.
The man smelled strongly of cigarettes. Yuan Li glanced at the cigarette pack, which lay open with only a few left.
Fu Shize unbuttoned his coat, letting Yuan Li snuggle into his embrace.
At this hour, the mountaintop was below freezing. Yuan Li wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there. The lake’s surface shimmered faintly, its waves moving slowly in obtuse angles.
She glanced at the cardholder, now able to see the half-faded student ID card. “I saw your cardholder before. There seemed to be someone else’s student ID in it.”
Fu Shize remained silent for a moment before giving a soft “Mm.”
Yuan Li waited for him to elaborate, but only silence followed. This stillness felt like an iceberg in the sea, stretching between them, making her aware of the gap that existed.
Yuan Li repeatedly counted his heartbeats. After a long while, he pinched her cheek and asked, “Can’t sleep?”
He didn’t ask if he had woken her, but rather if she couldn’t sleep.
He had been out for some time.
“No, the wind woke me up. I didn’t see you,” Yuan Li said, hiding her disappointment. “Has your insomnia gotten worse recently?”
Fu Shize replied, “It’s alright.”
“Well, if you can’t sleep, do you want to tell me why?” she explained. “Maybe talking about it with me will make you feel better.”
Fu Shize couldn’t quite remember what had just happened. He had a dream where he stood in front of the Control Engineering building. The road was damp, and heavy rain poured down. He wore his Unique team uniform, completely soaked. Yuan Li stood in the rain, untouched by the water, offering him an umbrella.
It was just the frame and handle, without the canopy. When he opened it, the rain suddenly beat down on them with invasive force, drenching the person before him as well.
The dream ended there, and he woke up to find Yuan Li sleeping soundly.
He had been lost in thought by this quiet lakeside ever since. The cold wind blew, but he didn’t want to move.
From their first meeting until now, Yuan Li’s hair had grown to her shoulder blades, and the dye had faded. He lowered his head, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger, feeling his numb heart regain its warmth.
After a long while, he finally said, “My stomach doesn’t feel well.”
“Ah.” Yuan Li believed him, placing her hand over his stomach through his clothes. “Here?” She furrowed her brow. “I remember the cream wasn’t expired, and the cake base was freshly made. Could it be that glass of wine?”
Yuan Li recalled the wine Gu Kaiming had given him. Her deductive expression resembled a hamster on a wheel, which amused Fu Shize. His thoughts focused on her as he said, “It’s not in that spot.”
“Here?” Yun Li’s hand moved down slightly.
“No,” he replied.
“Here?”
“No.” He said calmly, “It’s hard to tell through clothes.”
Yun Li grew impatient, disregarding whether he was being intentional or not. She lifted her undershirt slightly, slipping her hand inside.
Her fingers touched his burning hot abs. She explored upwards, stopping at his stomach. “Here?”
Her delicate fingertips against his skin ignited sparks. Despite the cold winter, his body grew hot. Looking at her collarbone, he nodded.
Unconsciously playing with her hair, Yun Li suddenly said, “Why don’t we live together?”
He remained silent.
Her tone carried no ulterior motive: “When the next semester starts, I could rent a two-bedroom apartment. That way, you could have regular meals and take care of your stomach.”
Fu Shize joked in a deadpan voice, “Then my sleep might become even more irregular.”
Yun Li stared at his clean face. When he smiled, the cold sharpness in his eyes softened slightly, tempting one to sin. She tried to alleviate his concerns: “Don’t worry, I won’t have any improper thoughts.”
Fu Shize chuckled, “I might.”
At dawn, they packed up and prepared to return. Fu Shize hadn’t slept all night and looked exhausted, barely speaking during the journey.
As they neared Qilixiang, he received a call from his father, exchanging only a few brief words. After the call, Fu Shize’s driving became less focused. Yun Li, being a driver herself, noticed his accelerating and braking had become more abrupt.
“My grandmother is in the hospital. I’ll stay with her for a few days,” Fu Shize said, showing no emotion.
Usually, he would walk her to her door, but Yun Li sensed his urgency. She leaned closer, opened the driver’s door, and hugged his neck.
“You can talk to me if something’s wrong,” she said, kissing his cheek before letting go.
Fu Shize nodded.
After catching up on sleep, Yun Li woke at 10 AM. Fu Shize messaged that he had arrived at the hospital and his grandmother’s condition was stable.
They chatted briefly. Thinking about the camping trip, Yun Li felt worried and called Deng Chuqi.
Deng Chuqi had been waiting for a day: “I heard from Fu Zhengchu that you went camping together?”
“Yes.”
“Overnight?”
“Yes…” Yun Li explained, “We slept in separate tents, and it was pitch dark. What could have happened?”
Deng Chuqi couldn’t help but laugh excitedly, “It’s precisely because it was dark that something could have happened!”
Her tone was full of expectation. Yun Li sighed, drawing circles on paper, “It’s not like that, Qiqi.”
“What’s wrong? Did you two argue?”
“No…” Yun Li struggled to describe the sense of distance, “We’ve been happy every day this month.”
Her voice softened, “But he just doesn’t talk to me about things. His personality is great, so we get along well.”
“Is his personality really that great? I couldn’t tell,” Deng Chuqi focused on the latter part of the statement.
“…”
“Have you asked him about it?” Deng Chuqi knew Yun Li’s nature and suspected she might not have been direct in her questioning.
“I asked… he didn’t want to answer, and I didn’t want to push…”
After discussing it for a while, they couldn’t come up with a solution. Deng Chuqi consoled her: “Just enjoy dating. It’s all about having fun, eating, drinking, and playing. Only think about the unhappy stuff when you break up. Don’t overthink it.” She then shared a lot of dating advice, most of which didn’t apply to Yun Li’s situation.
By the time they finished talking, it was already 10:30 PM. Yun Li felt a bit better. There was no bottled water at home, so she went to a nearby supermarket and bought two bottles, carrying them back.
Yun Ye: [Yun Li, I ranked sixth in my grade for the final exams.]
Yun Li: [Oh.]
Yun Ye: [??]
She considered buying a plane ticket for Yun Ye, but with Fu Shize away, it might be awkward to go out with them.
As she stood there pondering, a sleazy laugh suddenly came from the side.
“Little miss.”
Yun Li turned her head. Between two trees stood a person, their build unclear, seemingly wrapped in something. She tensed up warily. The man took a step forward into the streetlight and suddenly flung open what he was wrapped in.
Her expression froze, which satisfied the man. He lunged towards Yun Li.
Instinctively, Yun Li threw the water at him and ran towards Qilixiang.
Her legs felt like they would break by the time she stopped. When tree leaves touched her shoulder, she thought the man had caught up and jumped back in fright.
Behind her was silence.
Beyond fear, Yun Li felt nauseous, remembering the fat, greasy flesh and the man’s lascivious laugh.
Was this the pervert He Jiameng had mentioned long ago?
She returned to her apartment, locked the door, and with trembling hands, took out her phone to call Fu Shize.
Just as she dialed, she calmed down.
The call connected, and his voice sounded tired as he softly called her name.
“Li Li.”
Hearing his voice, Yun Li almost burst into tears. She controlled her emotions and asked quietly, “When can we meet again?”
Fu Shize’s voice was a bit hoarse, having not slept all night and likely not resting since arriving at the hospital: “In a few days.” He paused, “Missing me?”
“Mm…”
She didn’t say more.
Fu Shize moved to a quieter place, noticing her silence, and gently asked, “What’s wrong?”
He had his issues, and Yun Li didn’t want to worry him. She feigned a lighthearted tone: “It’s nothing, just not used to you not being here.”
She felt dazed for a moment, realizing she wasn’t used to it.
Since the incident with the blue-haired man, she rarely went out late at night. This past month, with Fu Shize’s constant companionship, she had felt secure enough to go out alone at 10 PM.
It was like a withdrawal symptom from his absence.
She felt as if he had always been by her side.
She stared at the origami he had left on the table, her nose stinging. She wished he was here now, wished he could be with her.
She had always thought that with enough education, she wouldn’t be ashamed to speak about such things. But at this moment, she found it hard to open up.
She realized she felt ashamed. She blamed herself for not having enough courage to resist the pervert at the time, and for seeing something impure.
The next day, Yun Li filed a report at the police station. Since there was no physical harm and the incident occurred in a surveillance blind spot, the police could only advise her not to go out alone at night and to call immediately if a similar situation arose.
With the early Chinese New Year this year, most students had already left campus. Fu Shize wouldn’t be back soon, and Yun Li felt scared, so she booked a flight for Yun Ye to arrive in two days.
The following day, after finishing her internship at EAW, she packed up and encountered Lin Wanyin waiting outside Xu Qingsong’s office.
As soon as she left, Yun Li averted her gaze and quickened her pace towards the exit.
The person behind held the door that hadn’t closed. She looked back to see Lin Wanyin also leaving EAW. Yun Li stood still, waiting for Lin Wanyin to leave first before breathing a sigh of relief.
Passing by the same place as before, although it was daytime, Yun Li’s heart raced, and she quickened her steps.
After safely passing through, Yun Li finally relaxed.
A man approached from the opposite direction, wearing proper sportswear and gold-rimmed sunglasses. He stared at her, causing Yun Li to freeze.
Before she could react, he quickly unbuttoned his pants.
Yun Li had already pressed the emergency call button on her phone. As the man tried to approach her, Yun Li moved to run, but someone brushed past her.
Lin Wanyin, carrying a small violin, looked delicate in her Japanese-style outfit.
She walked towards the man aggressively, sneering, “What did you want to show us? Just that tiny bit.”
The sudden turn of events caught both the man and Yun Li off guard.
Lin Wanyin’s movements were exaggerated as she lowered her violin, looking ready to fight to the death. The man, encountering such resistance for the first time, changed his expression, pulled up his pants, and ran away.
Constrained by his pants, the man couldn’t run fast. Lin Wanyin didn’t let him off easily. She took off her shoe and chased after him, throwing it in his direction as he fled.
“Don’t let me see you again, you idiot! Next time, I’ll rip it off!” she shouted at his retreating figure, her clear voice carrying for hundreds of meters.