After finishing her sentence, Yun Li realized her mistake.
She had originally repeated the word several times during practice because she wasn’t sure if her pronunciation was correct. The sentence construction also followed her usual routine.
She hadn’t expected to say those words out loud.
Her fans probably wouldn’t notice anything odd, but Yun Li felt guilty. She thought the implied meaning was quite obvious.
After all, whether Fu Shize agreed or refused was his choice alone, and no one could criticize him for it.
Her behavior, on the other hand, seemed petty and impulsive.
Feeling ashamed, Yun Li hastily added, “That sentence didn’t mean anything. I was just making up an example.”
She continued streaming for a few more minutes before hurriedly ending the broadcast.
The room fell silent, with only the air conditioner humming.
After this small incident, Yun Li inevitably felt anxious about “cursing” someone behind their back, but only briefly. She soon rationalized it, and her racing heart calmed down.
Yun Li was certain that someone who wasn’t interested in her wouldn’t have the time or inclination to watch her livestream.
…
Struggling with what could loosely be called “heartbreak,” Yun Li felt listless for several days. It wasn’t until she received a message from He Jiameng that she remembered EAW was officially opening today.
During this time, Yun Li’s only productive action was fulfilling her promise to update – posting the video of her visit to the EAW club. Judging from He Jiameng’s reaction, the promotional video seemed well-received.
Her mood improved somewhat because of this.
As they chatted, He Jiameng sent her a few photos from the opening ceremony.
He Jiameng had invited Yun Li a few days ago, but she didn’t want to go and had made an excuse to decline.
As Yun Li scrolled through the photos, she noticed one of Fu Shize mixed in.
He was wearing EAW’s black shirt uniform, sitting at one of the desks with his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair. It looked like a candid shot, slightly blurry.
He Jiameng: [One photo came out shaky qvq.]
He Jiameng: [He’s handsome!]
He Jiameng: [But he looks so arrogant, gloomy, and cold. I didn’t dare talk to him.]
Mentioning him brought back memories of that day. Before depression could set in, Yun Li changed the subject: [So you must have been very busy today?]
He Jiameng: [Yes, there are still many people queuing.]
He Jiameng: [I’m exhausted! I was even called downstairs to help earlier!!]
After a few more exchanges, He Jiameng returned to work.
Feeling bored, Yun Li didn’t want to continue wallowing after seeing others working so hard. Remembering she had to report to school in a couple of days, she decided to film next week’s video beforehand.
She happened to come across a video of a towel roll cake that looked mouth-watering. Yun Li promptly decided to make a towel roll cake feast as her theme. With all the ingredients ready in the kitchen, she got up and started working without delay.
Following the tutorial and adjusting the recipe to her taste, Yun Li set up her camera and began cooking.
She enjoyed the cooking process and had made many food videos before. Although time-consuming and labor-intensive, seeing the final product always gave her a sense of achievement.
Several hours passed in a flash.
Only when she achieved what she considered the perfect taste and appearance did Yun Li feel satisfied. Glancing out the window, she realized it was almost dawn. She put the finished product in the refrigerator, hastily cleaned up the kitchen, took a quick shower, and went to bed.
The next day, Yun Li had just woken up when she received a call from Deng Chuqi.
It was Friday, and Deng Chuqi had been playing at EAW Tech City with her roommate. They had just finished and, since they rarely came to the Tongxi District, decided to invite Yun Li to have dinner together.
Yun Li didn’t want to go because of the strangers, but she couldn’t resist Deng Chuqi’s persistent persuasion.
Yun Li got up to wash and quickly applied some makeup. Remembering the towel roll cakes she made last night, she packed all but one of each flavor into an insulated bag with dry ice, planning to let Deng Chuqi and her roommate try them.
Then she left home.
The dinner location was set at a chain hotpot restaurant in Haitian Mall, which was exceptionally busy. When Yun Li arrived, there was still a long queue at the entrance.
Yun Li: [I’m here. Which table are you at?]
Deng Chuqi: [So fast? We just got our number and came in. Wait a bit, I’ll come out to get you.]
In less than half a minute, Deng Chuqi came out from inside: “Girl!”
Yun Li laughed, “It’s just a few steps. Why bother coming out?”
“I’m giving you an early warning,” Deng Chuqi clasped her hands together, seeming both apologetic and excited. “I know if I had told you on the phone, you definitely wouldn’t have come.”
“Huh?”
“My roommate has two relatives with her! They’re both super handsome!” Deng Chuqi said excitedly and loyally, “Yun Li, you’re my best friend! How could I forget about you when there’s such a good opportunity!”
“…”
Yun Li’s hair stood on end: “Are there many people inside?”
Deng Chuqi: “Not many! Including me, there are just four!”
Yun Li resisted: “No, I’m leaving. Let’s meet another time.”
“You’ll regret it if you don’t see them, they’re handsome!” Deng Chuqi pulled her forcefully, walking inside. “If you don’t want to talk, just treat it like admiring flowers! I won’t let you feel awkward! And what if you happen to be interested in one of them!”
“How is that possible!”
“Why not!”
“…”
Unable to resist, Yun Li could only follow her in.
Fine.
It’s just three people, much fewer than at the EAW gathering last time.
Anyway, she didn’t know them. She could just eat silently and leave.
The restaurant was filled with swirling smoke and fragrant aromas. Every seat was occupied without exception.
In the short distance from the entrance, Deng Chuqi continued to explain the situation: “Today I was hanging out with my roommate and her younger brother.”
Yun Li nodded absent-mindedly, not listening.
Deng Chuqi: “My roommate’s uncle happens to work at EAW, and seems to be some kind of equipment engineer. They later called him to join…”
Before she could finish, they had reached their table.
The restaurant had arranged a large table. It was a U-shaped hard seat in a corner of the restaurant, making it relatively quiet. From this direction, Yun Li could only see a beautiful woman talking and laughing.
The other two were blocked by the chairs.
Deng Chuqi stopped talking and pulled Yun Li to sit from the other side: “I’ve brought my precious friend!”
The woman turned her head, her gaze falling on Yun Li as she smiled with crinkled eyes: “You must be Li Li, right? I often hear Chuqi mention you.”
Yun Li was very shy and was about to greet her when she glanced across the table and caught sight of the other two. She stopped, looked again, and her smile froze on her face.
“…”
Could someone.
Tell her.
What’s going on right now?
Let’s put Fu Shize aside for now.
Why is the guy she met at the airport also here?
Fu Zhengchu’s eyes widened, also dumbfounded.
Deng Chuqi didn’t notice anything amiss, assuming Yun Li was just shy, and took the initiative to introduce: “Li Li, this is my roommate and senior colleague, Xia Congsheng.”
“Holy crap!” Fu Zhengchu came to his senses, looking at Yun Li in disbelief, “You still remember me, right? You do, right?”
Yun Li managed a strained “Mm.”
Xia Congsheng was confused: “What’s going on? Do you know each other?”
Omitting the details about asking for WeChat, Fu Zhengchu briefly explained what happened that day, emphasizing how he said EAW was his brother’s company, but Yun Li didn’t believe him.
Deng Chuqi laughed: “What a coincidence!”
Yun Li also understood now: “Your brother is Xu Qingsong?”
“We’re sort of relatives,” Xia Congsheng explained, “My grandmother is Qingsong’s mother’s godmother.”
Fu Zhengchu nodded: “After I went back that day, I sent Qingsong-ge a message asking if their shop had hired someone for promotion since a person was waiting at the airport for a long time. Later, he asked my uncle to pick someone up.”
Finding it increasingly strange, Yun Li couldn’t help but ask: “Excuse me, but who is your uncle?”
Fu Zhengchu pointed at Fu Shize beside him.
“…”
Yun Li almost lost control of her expression.
These people don’t look like they’re from different generations at all, do they?
How are they suddenly in an uncle-nephew relationship???
Fu Zhengchu realized something: “So you two must have met before, right?”
“Hm?” Yun Li didn’t dare to even look at Fu Shize, tugging at Deng Chuqi’s clothes under the table, “Yes.”
Receiving the signal, Deng Chuqi cleared her throat lightly and immediately changed the subject: “Speaking of coincidences, I remember your brother is also a student at Nanli Tech, right?”
Fu Zhengchu: “Yes, is anyone else?”
Hearing this, Yun Li was somewhat surprised and instinctively looked at Fu Zhengchu.
Is he also studying at Nanli Tech?
Come to think of it, when she met Fu Zhengchu at the airport, he did mention that EAW was near his school.
But at the time, she hadn’t made the connection.
“Oh,” Xia Congsheng remembered, “You told me before that Li Li got into Nanli Tech for her master’s degree, right?”
Yun Li nodded.
Fu Zhengchu was shocked, his eyes widening: “So we’re schoolmates?”
Xia Congsheng chided him: “You should call her senior.”
“Oh, oh,” Fu Zhengchu was adaptable and became excited about this connection, “I’m returning to school the day after tomorrow. Senior, are you reporting the day after tomorrow too? I think our school has a unified time.”
“Yes,” Yun Li answered.
“Huh? You’re reporting in the day after tomorrow?” Deng Chuqi was confused, “I originally planned to go with you, but I remembered it was next week… I just promised my colleague to go shopping that day.”
“It’s fine,” Yun Li said, “I’m just reporting in.”
“Didn’t you say you have a lot of luggage?”
“It’s okay, my uncle is driving my brother there the day after tomorrow,” Xia Congsheng volunteered, “They’ll be passing by here anyway. Li Li, you can ride with them then, and let them help you move your luggage.”
“…”
Having just been rejected, Yun Li now only hoped for this meal to end quickly so they could part ways and never meet again.
She no longer dared to ask Fu Shize for help.
Nor did she have the energy to deal with another meeting.
She hurriedly waved her hands, but before she could refuse, Fu Zhengchu cheerfully said: “Alright, Uncle has nothing to do anyway. It’ll be a good exercise for him.”
After deciding without consultation, he still pretended to respectfully look at Fu Shize: “Is that okay, Uncle?”
Fu Shize slowly raised his eyes and casually grunted in agreement.
Deng Chuqi sighed in relief: “That’s good then. Thank you for your trouble.”
“…”
Yun Li hadn’t said a word, yet the other three had arranged everything for her.
The remaining person at the table, who was given the same treatment, showed no emotional fluctuation. He seemed unconcerned as if it had nothing to do with him.
…
Yun Li’s thoughts were all on the upcoming tomorrow and her impending role as a third wheel.
She ate this meal in great discomfort, without any appetite.
In the latter half of the meal, Deng Chuqi’s phone rang a few times. She smiled as she replied to messages.
Seeing this, Xia Congsheng teased: “Who are you messaging? You’re smiling so happily.”
“I met a cute guy on the subway a few days ago. He’s just my type, so I asked for his WeChat,” Deng Chuqi shared happily. “We’ve been chatting for a few days, and he just invited me to watch a movie with him next week.”
“That’s nice,” Xia Congsheng sighed. “I’ve only asked for someone’s contact once, and I encountered a jerk.”
“Oh? Tell us about it.”
Xia Congsheng poked at the meat with her chopsticks: “It was during my university days. I went to my brother’s school because he and one of his classmates were called in by their parents. That classmate’s brother came, and he was very handsome, so I couldn’t resist asking for his contact.”
Fu Zhengchu immediately guessed: “Sang Zhi’s brother?”
“Yeah. That guy was too outrageous. I still remember what he said,” Xia Congsheng complained. “He said he changes girlfriends every day, and this month he happened to be short one, so if I was willing, he’d give me the spot.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“That can’t be right,” Fu Zhengchu laughed. “At a recent classmate reunion, I heard Sang Zhi say her brother had been single for over twenty years and finally got into a relationship. He’s been telling everyone that the girl pursued him.”
“…”
The topic naturally shifted to “asking for WeChat contacts.”
Before they knew it, it was assumed that everyone should share an experience.
Mentioning this, Fu Zhengchu looked embarrassedly at Yun Li, possibly realizing he had worn the wrong mask that day. However, seeing that she showed no intention of mentioning the incident, he relaxed a bit and quickly said a few words to pass his turn.
It was Yun Li’s turn.
In front of the person involved, she didn’t dare to lie and could only admit reluctantly: “I have.”
Deng Chuqi thought it was impossible. After all, forget about asking for WeChat, it was hard enough to get Yun Li to interact with strangers. So hearing this answer, she was particularly surprised: “When?”
Yun Li: “Just recently.”
Deng Chuqi: “How did it go!”
Yun Li vaguely said: “He didn’t give it to me…”
Deng Chuqi thought she had misheard and was surprised by this answer: “Huh?”
Yun Li had to say it clearly: “Um, he didn’t give it to me.”
Except for Fu Shize who remained silent, the others had either successfully gotten WeChat contacts or didn’t care much about it, treating it as a joke. But Yun Li was still affected, and the atmosphere at the table inevitably became heavy.
Yun Li sensitively noticed this and quickly said: “It’s nothing.”
Her forced smile was even more apparent.
Xia Congsheng couldn’t help but comfort her: “Maybe that guy was just caught off guard by such a beautiful girl asking for his WeChat for the first time, and tried to act cool. He probably went home and cried with regret.”
After saying this, she glanced at Fu Zhengchu.
Fu Zhengchu played along: “Or maybe he already had a girlfriend.”
This wasn’t the end. Like a story relay, he nudged Fu Shize’s shoulder, winking: “Uncle, it’s your turn. Say something comforting too. How can you not act like an elder!”
“…”
This unexpected development left Yun Li feeling suffocated.
How did they start to beat a dead horse in front of the executioner?
Fu Shize remained expressionless: “What should I say?”
Surprised that he couldn’t even think of this, Fu Zhengchu felt exasperated. He had to lean close to Fu Shize’s ear and suggest: “Just say—”
“?”
“He might be gay.”
“…”