No sooner had the words left her mouth than a man in uniform emerged from the shop, calling for Fu Shize to come and help. He responded with a sound of acknowledgment, gave a slight nod to the two women, and turned to head inside.
Du Gefe also realized that the two of them actually knew each other, and her face turned green with shock.
Yun Li said quietly, "Then I’ll be going too."
"Oh," Du Gefe adjusted her expression and looped her arm through Yun Li’s, "I’m leaving too. Let’s go together."
Yun Li felt resistant but didn’t pull away, walking silently toward the escalator.
Du Gefe followed beside her, making small talk as if nothing had happened: "So you two know each other?"
Yun Li: "Sort of."
"Really?" Du Gefe sighed, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "You should’ve told me earlier. I definitely wouldn’t have done something like that. You made it so awkward for me."
Yun Li turned her head to look at her.
Du Gefe still wore a smile: "But it’s fine. I’m sure you didn’t mean to."
"..."
Yun Li had never met someone so shameless.
To twist the blame around to this extent.
Her bad mood from arguing with Yun Yongchang hadn’t yet dissipated, and now she’d been dragged into this stranger’s scheme in front of Fu Shize for no reason. Her lips pressed into a thin line—she considered it a great show of restraint that she hadn’t lost her temper.
Yun Li said slowly, "If I remember correctly, today is the first time we’ve ever spoken."
"Oh, right. So if we’ve never talked before, how did you remember me?" As if oblivious to her mood, Du Gefe blinked. "I’m actually quite flattered."
Yun Li deflected with a perfunctory question: "What about you?"
Du Gefe: "I have a good memory."
Yun Li: "I see."
"You know, you remind me of a good friend of mine. Every time she sees me take a liking to something, she deliberately buys the same thing." After a long preamble, Du Gefe finally got to the point, feigning realization. "Oh, right. I never noticed you had any interest in that handsome guy before. Was it because you heard me ask Director Xu for his WeChat?"
Yun Li was momentarily speechless.
The absurdity of the statement left her at a loss for where to even begin.
Du Gefe took her silence as confirmation and smiled. "But don’t get me wrong. I’m not interested in some poor—" She paused, searching for a gentler word. "—some unskilled repairman."
Yun Li frowned: "What did you say?"
"Didn’t you see just now? His hands were covered in dust. So gross." Du Gefe said. "I thought since he was Director Xu’s friend, he’d at least be a store manager. But it seems their relationship isn’t that great either."
"..."
Years ago, there was a time when Yun Li’s family had been in dire straits.
Back then, Yang Fang had nearly died giving birth to Yun Ye and had to recuperate at home. Coinciding with that, the factory where Yun Yongchang worked had shut down, leaving the family without income and struggling to make ends meet. Unable to find another job, he dared not stay idle and ended up working construction to support the family.
Every time they gathered with relatives, there would always be a few who, flaunting their slightly better financial status, would mock and belittle them.
One of them often pretended to sympathize, saying Yun Yongchang had no education and could only do such menial labor, that the dust on his body had seeped into his skin and bones and could never be washed away.
At the time, Yun Li had been young and not as withdrawn and timid as she was now. Unlike Yun Yongchang, who endured such remarks in silence, she would always feel indignant on her father’s behalf and retort sharply.
Even now, whenever she saw those relatives, her expression would darken.That's why she hated people like this the most—those who thought they were superior just because they lived glamorous lives.
Du Gefe's words also reminded Yun Li of how her father had been treated back then. Suppressing her anger, she said, "Seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself."
Du Gefe: "It's alright."
Before she could finish, Yun Li added, "So you actually asked for Fu Shize's WeChat before. I wasn’t aware. Then again, I saw you asking quite a few people that day, so it’s hard to remember everyone."
Clearly thinking Yun Li was an easy pushover, Du Gefe froze when suddenly confronted like this.
Unlike Du Gefe, Yun Li couldn’t smile while being hostile. With a blank expression, she said, "By the way, since you’re such a catch, why didn’t he give you his WeChat?"
Du Gefe: "That’s because—"
"Oh, so he wasn’t interested in you at all." Yun Li had no intention of letting her finish and cut her off directly. "So what does his job or how much he earns have to do with you?"
……
It wasn’t until Yun Li got home that her anger gradually subsided.
Only then did she realize she had performed exceptionally well in that argument. The feeling was unbelievable, even a little giddy, and it inexplicably lifted her mood.
Opening WeChat, she saw messages from both Yang Fang and Yun Ye.
Yang Fang had comforted her, saying the usual things, mainly trying to mediate. Meanwhile, Yun Ye, who somehow always had the latest gossip, asked: [Did you fight with Dad again?]
Yun Li: [Shouldn’t you be in class?]
Yun Ye: [Mom told me to cheer you up.]
Yun Li couldn’t help sharing: [I just won an argument with someone.]
Yun Ye: [Oh.]
Yun Li: [Don’t you think that’s incredible?]
Yun Ye: [Not really.]
Yun Li: [?]
Yun Ye: [You’ve never lost an argument with me. You always leave me speechless.]
Yun Li: [?]
Yun Ye: [You might not notice it yourself, but you’re usually awkward with people. However, when you get angry, your combat skills go through the roof.]
Yun Ye: [But that’s a good thing.]
Yun Ye: [Being socially awkward doesn’t mean being weak.]
After the conversation ended, Yun Li kept thinking about his words, surprisingly feeling that this younger brother of hers was somewhat useful. She got up and grabbed an ice cream from the kitchen.
Reviewing the earlier "battle," she recalled Du Gefe calling Fu Shize a repairman.
Even though she knew it wasn’t true, hearing someone say that about him still made her uncomfortable.
If he had gone to grad school, he should have graduated by now. With his impressive background, he’d probably be working at a big company or doing research or something.
Or maybe the shop was opened by a relative?
Remembering how familiar they all seemed during their last meal, Yun Li thought this was more likely.
Sitting in front of her computer, Yun Li idly browsed E-Station for a while. There were already plenty of DMs urging her to update, which she guiltily ignored.
Ever since she started preparing for grad school, all her energy had been spent in that tiny four-square-meter study room. Back then, even a few minutes to edit videos felt like a luxury. Every day, she longed for the moment she’d be freed from that cage. But when that day finally came, she had already adapted to a new way of living.
Lazy, but comfortable.
Just as Yun Li was savoring a bite of ice cream, her phone screen lit up with a video call notification—the unmistakable name of Fu Shize glaring back at her.Yun Li was startled, the frozen ice cream sliding down her esophagus. Her first instinct was that he had dialed the wrong number.
While she hesitated, the call had already ended.
Missing the call left her with a mix of regret and an unconscious sense of relief.
But before she could even catch her breath, the screen lit up again—Fu Shize was calling via video.
Yun Li muted her computer. Every vibration and ringtone from her phone seemed amplified in her senses, even the faintest tremble of the desktop.
Summoning all her courage, she switched from video to voice mode and answered as if nothing had happened, greeting with a simple, "Hello."
There was no response from the other end.
Yun Li usually enjoyed silence, but at this moment, it felt like a cluster of grenades waiting to explode.
A crackling sound broke the silence, followed by noisy chatter on the line.
"Lili-jie, are you at school?" Yun Li barely managed to recognize the voice as Fu Zhengchu's from the familiar address.
Suddenly, all her earlier panic felt like sheer overthinking.
Fu Zhengchu continued, "Today's the Hundred Clubs Gathering at school. Wanna come check out our booth?"
Unaccustomed to invitations from acquaintances, Yun Li found herself unable to refuse. "Sure," she said, then added after a pause, "When I first saw the call, I thought it was your uncle calling."
But Fu Zhengchu seemed not to have heard clearly, raising his voice slightly. "Gotta get back to work now—come support us, okay?"
He hung up in a hurry.
Originally, she had wanted to probe whether Fu Shize would be there too. But after a moment's reflection, she felt ashamed of her own ulterior motives. Fu Zhengchu might have just been extending a friendly invitation, while her own intentions were glaringly obvious.
Maybe Fu Zhengchu wasn’t even at school—maybe Fu Shize just happened to be beside him.
Besides, there was no need for her to overthink it.
Would she really skip supporting Fu Zhengchu just because Fu Shize wasn’t there?
Yun Li realized with even deeper shame—
That was exactly what she had been thinking.
...
The Hundred Clubs Gathering was an event where various student organizations set up booths for promotion, lining both sides of the university square like a bustling midday market.
The last time Yun Li had attended something similar was during her freshman year.
But back then, her interviews hadn’t gone well, so she never joined any clubs throughout her undergraduate years.
With nothing else to do in the afternoon, Yun Li took another bite of her ice cream, grabbed her bag, and headed out.
Her rented apartment wasn’t far from campus. After walking to the school gate, she took the usual shuttle bus inside.
Even from a distance, the square was alive with the clamor of voices and blaring music. A dense crowd milled around the entrance, and a small stage had been set up in the center.
After getting off the bus, Yun Li drifted with the flow of people. Promoters mistook her for a freshman, eagerly shoving flyers into her hands.
After circling around, she finally spotted Fu Zhengchu in a corner of the square.
"Lili-jie!" Fu Zhengchu was dressed in a university hoodie, the South Science and Technology University emblem printed on the cap. He had been deep in conversation with a freshman but quickly handed them a flyer to dismiss them when he saw Yun Li.
Noticing the thick stack of flyers in Yun Li’s hands, Fu Zhengchu declared, "Those are no good, Lili-jie. Just check out our club."
He unceremoniously snatched the pile of ads away and pulled a fresh one from the folder hanging around his neck.
It was for an outdoor sports club called "Summit Seekers."Fu Zhengchu put on a serious face and cleared his throat. "We're the only outdoor club at school, and also the largest. I'm the vice president."
To highlight their competitiveness, he declared confidently, "And I recently pulled off a huge sponsorship deal—tons of money!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Li noticed a line at the bottom of the flyer: "Sponsored by EAW Virtual Reality Experience Center."
It even included EAW's detailed address and a brief introduction, along with a note that presenting the flyer in-store would grant a 20% discount.
Yun Li: "..."
The "Summit Seekers" outdoor club's booth wasn't large—just two 1.5-meter-long tables arranged in an L-shape, with a few students sitting under the tent guiding new students to fill out registration forms.
As the sponsor, EAW had successfully printed its logo and promotional images on the booth's tent.
The standing banner was placed a bit farther away, with a folding table set up in front and unopened EAW packaging boxes on the ground.
Standing in front of the booth, Yun Li noticed occasional movements from behind the banner.
It was Fu Shize.
He stood with one leg slightly bent, his tailored trousers accentuating his tall, straight figure. As he sliced through the packing tape with a utility knife, his body leaned back, revealing a sharp, defined jawline.
Under the scorching sunlight, his complexion appeared even paler, his eyes flickering between light and shadow. Though his features seemed expressive, they remained indifferent amidst the bustling crowd.
As if suddenly sensing something, Fu Shize lifted his gaze toward her.
Feeling like a peeping tom, Yun Li quickly averted her eyes. Fortunately, Fu Zhengchu noticed her presence and interrupted her guilty conscience with a loud shout.
"Uncle!" Fu Zhengchu called out, carrying a cardboard box as he jogged breathlessly toward Fu Shize.
Yun Li followed slowly, meeting Fu Shize's gaze and nodding awkwardly.
He showed no particular reaction to her arrival, giving her only a brief, indifferent glance before continuing to organize the boxes Fu Zhengchu had brought over.
Inside were neatly stacked commemorative stationery, canvas tote bags, and folders, all printed with EAW's logo and address—clearly custom-made.
Fu Zhengchu helped lay out the prizes on the table, arranging them slightly. "These are the giveaways to attract people. Anyone who plays a game gets to pick one."
They were fairly standard prizes, but Yun Li's attention was drawn to a sky-blue tote bag with a half-moon printed at the bottom—a daytime moon, solitary and faint. She looked away, then couldn't help stealing another glance.
Fu Shize was half-listening to Fu Zhengchu explain the prize distribution rules, responding intermittently with little interest.
Yun Li wasn't sure what she had been hoping for. For a fleeting moment, she had wondered if there was even a one-in-a-million chance that the two of them had agreed to invite her here.
But Fu Shize's aloofness shattered that delusion completely.
Standing there stiffly, Yun Li could only fidget with the prizes on the table.
"These prizes are pretty good, right?" Fu Zhengchu suddenly asked her, his tone brimming with pride.
"They're all nice," Yun Li replied, a little embarrassed. Maybe to ease her own awkwardness, she added, "It's kind of a coincidence—I actually had an interview at EAW this morning.""That's great, Sister Li. Now you'll be working at the same company." Fu Zhengchu was overjoyed upon hearing the news, then deliberately put on a serious face as he turned to his uncle. "Little Uncle."
"Don't cause trouble for Sister Li."
Yun Li had assumed Fu Shize wouldn't respond, but he suddenly spoke up: "Then I'll head back now."
Fu Zhengchu: "Little Uncle, how can you leave now!"
Fu Shize: "Not causing trouble."
Fu Zhengchu: "I was wrong."
...
Fu Zhengchu quickly changed the subject: "Since Sister Li and EAW share such a special connection, why not be our first tester? All these gifts have the EAW logo on them."
His tone made it clear he expected a positive answer. Yun Li hesitated for a moment. "Then maybe I'll try one later..."
Fu Zhengchu: "Which one do you want? I'll have Little Uncle save it for you!"
Yun Li tried to conceal her desire for the tote bag and gave a reserved reply: "They're all quite nice."
"Is that so?" Fu Zhengchu, being straightforward, looked completely unfazed. "Never mind, Sister Li, just take one as a gift. It's fine—they were all bought from EAW anyway."
Before Yun Li could refuse, she found herself holding a box of commemorative pens.
Fu Zhengchu beamed as if he'd done her a tremendous favor.
Yun Li: "..."
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