The noodles had finally cooled down a bit. Yun Li twirled a strand onto her spoon and brought it to her mouth, just as she took a bite.
Fu Zhengchu suddenly slammed his chopsticks onto the table with a loud clatter, startling Yun Li so much that the noodle nearly got stuck in her throat. She coughed lightly a couple of times and patted her chest.
"Lili-jie, do you know how abnormal my uncle is?" he said indignantly. "Back when I refused to go to school, he tricked me by saying we’d be in the same school, so I agreed to go. The day before, he even patted his chest and promised we’d always go to school together, but—"
He snatched the rice ball Fu Shize was about to eat and stuffed it into his mouth angrily before continuing, "He only lasted two damn days before he skipped a grade!!"
Yun Li: "..."
Fu Zhengchu: "And he jumped straight to middle school!" After saying this, he looked at Yun Li with round, expectant eyes, clearly signaling that she needed to say something.
Fu Shize didn’t even lift his eyelids, resting his face on his hand as if he hadn’t heard a word.
Under Fu Zhengchu’s intense gaze, Yun Li hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking, "Well... technically, he didn’t lie. You were still in the same school, right?"
Silence fell among the three of them.
Seeing that Fu Zhengchu had quieted down, as if considering her words, Yun Li continued gently, "And it’s not like he had a choice. Being born smart isn’t really his fault, you know?"
Now Fu Zhengchu’s expression looked completely dumbfounded, mixed with something strange. Unsure if she had said something wrong, Yun Li tentatively asked, "Right?"
Despite the noisy cafeteria, the moment her words landed, it felt as if the three of them had been plunged into absolute silence.
Desperate to escape this awkward situation, Yun Li quickly scooped up some noodles and took a bite.
Noticing this, Fu Shize silently picked up another rice ball and, seeing that Fu Zhengchu made no move to stop him, slowly brought it to his mouth.
"But," Fu Zhengchu suddenly snatched the rice ball from Fu Shize again, "Uncle, you traumatized me since childhood. Everyone kept comparing us."
Yun Li nearly choked.
"Who would’ve thought that even after all these years, I’m still living in your shadow," Fu Zhengchu sighed dramatically, feigning sorrow.
Fu Shize set down his chopsticks and fixed Fu Zhengchu with a cold stare.
But Fu Zhengchu wasn’t intimidated at all. He doubled down, "Uncle, you’re even being mean to me now!!"
Fu Shize: "..."
The latter half of the meal passed with Fu Shize in a resigned, dead-fish state, as if he had given up resisting. No matter how much Fu Zhengchu "provoked" him, he endured it all in silence.
Once Fu Zhengchu got started, he couldn’t stop himself, rambling on and on about all the things Fu Shize had done when they were younger.
The main issue was the domino effect caused by Fu Shize skipping grades, which led Fu Zhengchu’s mother to believe for over a decade that her own son and daughter might also possess latent genius genes.
As a result, Fu Zhengchu had to attend all sorts of cram classes because his mother was convinced he was being held back.
The most ridiculous part was that after entering middle school—by which time Fu Shize was already in high school—Fu Zhengchu thought he could finally catch a break, only for another prodigy named Sang Zhi to appear in his class.
She solved problems as effortlessly as counting numbers.
Fu Zhengchu went on and on, while the other two listened like an audience, occasionally humming in acknowledgment.
"Eventually, even my mom had to admit that her son’s IQ just couldn’t compare to her cousin’s," Fu Zhengchu said matter-of-factly. "I mean, we’re a whole generation apart. How could we possibly be the same?"Even Yun Li, with her good temper, was starting to find Fu Zhengchu's incessant chatter a bit much. After finishing the last bite of her noodles, she wiped her mouth clean with a tissue.
Softly, she said, "Don't be sad."
Fu Zhengchu's teary eyes curved hopefully, feeling he had finally pulled Yun Li to his side, eagerly awaiting her next words of comfort.
Yun Li pressed her lips together. "We're all just ordinary people. We should know our limits."
Rarely chiming in after long silence, Fu Shize finally agreed: "Accepting yourself isn’t so scary."
"..."
On their way downstairs, Yun Li noticed several dessert stalls set up in the square, selling the cookies, biscuits, and pastries they had seen earlier in the cafeteria.
"Oh, they're selling them today?" Fu Zhengchu sounded surprised.
Having already moved on from his earlier mood in the new environment, he turned to Fu Shize with exaggerated innocence. "Uncle, do you want some?"
Fu Shize wasn’t having it and called him out directly. "If you want some, go buy it."
Then, he glanced at Yun Li. "You too."
Just as Yun Li was about to decline, Fu Zhengchu gave her no chance, pushing her straight into the line.
The two grabbed sealable bags and tongs. At each new cookie display, Fu Zhengchu would analyze its pros and cons in detail, and if he particularly liked something, he’d grab two pieces for Yun Li as well.
Yun Li had no energy left to respond—this Fu Zhengchu was just too talkative. And if that wasn’t enough, every so often, he’d throw her a question, refusing to let it go until she answered.
Seizing a rare pause in the conversation, Yun Li asked, "Fu Zhengchu, did you always talk this much with your uncle before?"
"I guess so," Fu Zhengchu mused, looking up. "But back then, Uncle used to talk more. Not like now."
Hearing this, Yun Li grew curious. "What did he usually say to you?"
"He’d ask if I had two mouths."
Yun Li glanced outside.
Fu Shize stood apart from the crowd, aloof and cool as a skyscraper against the dreamy hues of the sunset, head bowed as he scrolled through his phone.
It wasn’t what she’d expected. Though Fu Shize mostly ignored Fu Zhengchu, his attitude toward him could almost be described as 'indulgent.' Like a marimo moss ball, his emotions might swell at times but never burst—never a hint of irritation.
If Yun Ye acted like this, Yun Li would’ve lost her temper long ago.
Once they’d filled their bags with cookies and went to check out, they realized the line had grown into a long queue in just that short time.
"Let’s go up front, Sis Li. Uncle’s already there." Noticing Yun Li’s puzzled look, he added, "Whenever we went out before, Uncle was always the one who queued. He’s a professional line-stander."
Sure enough, Fu Shize’s figure was visible near the front of the line.
Yun Li slowed her steps. She’d already inconvenienced him enough today and hesitated, eyeing their bags. "Shouldn’t we have gotten something for him too?"
She hadn’t realized earlier that he was waiting in line for them. Now it felt like they were sacrificing Fu Shize for their own enjoyment—while everyone else freely picked what they liked, he had willingly given up that right to stand in line.
Fu Zhengchu didn’t seem bothered at all. "It’s fine, Sis Li. Thanks to us, Uncle’s become a master at self-sacrifice."
Without waiting for her reaction, he handed both bags to Fu Shize.
Fu Shize took them and switched his phone to the payment screen. Seeing this, Yun Li swiftly pulled out her campus card from her pocket.Fu Zhengchu was his nephew, but she wasn’t, so letting him pay for her felt somewhat inappropriate.
Yun Li: "Um... you can just use my student card to pay."
Fu Shize didn’t take it, remaining silent.
She waited for a while, her hand starting to go numb, but the expected reaction never came.
Yun Li looked up and noticed both Fu Shize and Fu Zhengchu staring at the photo on her student card, with Fu Zhengchu practically pressing his face against it.
Yun Li: "?"
She realized she might have been overthinking things. Her focus was on not letting Fu Shize pay for her, while the other two were clearly on a completely different wavelength.
Fu Zhengchu: "Lili-jie, this photo looks really nice. Was it from your undergrad days?"
Yun Li hesitated before answering, "It’s from high school."
Fu Zhengchu wasn’t concerned about the timing, just offering sincere praise: "Lili-jie, I think you look way prettier with long hair than my sister."
He turned to his accomplice in a way—Fu Shize—seeking agreement: "Right, Uncle?"
Fu Shize didn’t respond, averting his gaze.
Yun Li suddenly felt flustered and flipped her student card over.
When it was time to take graduation photos for her undergrad, she happened to be away visiting home, so the system simply reused her high school graduation photo. Back then, Yun Li still had waist-length hair, but later, on a whim, she cut it to shoulder length.
At the time, Yun Ye, still in middle school, had cried because he couldn’t accept the change.
"Then I’ll transfer the money to..." Yun Li struggled to say the next two words, "...Uncle..."
Fu Zhengchu said matter-of-factly, "It’s fine, Lili-jie. We’re the younger generation—Uncle won’t make us pay."
Yun Li, being a practical person, felt undeserving. As someone Fu Shize’s age, she found it hard to adjust to this "younger generation" label.
"I think your uncle is pretty nice. You shouldn’t keep bullying him." To make it sound less deliberate, she added, "He even paid for us."
Fu Zhengchu: "Lili-jie, this isn’t bullying. Anyway, Uncle doesn’t have a girlfriend, so it’s fine to spend money on us juniors."
"Hey, didn’t you say last time that a lot of people asked for his number..."
"At first, he gave it to a few." He paused. "But Uncle never replied to any of them."
Yun Li fell silent for a moment. "He actually gives out his number?" Realizing her tone sounded off, she quickly added, "I mean, he doesn’t seem like the type. Remember last time we ate out?"
"What are you thinking?" Fu Zhengchu said proudly. "Of course we gave it out for him."
"Why?"
"To find him an auntie to keep him in line."
...
A short while later, Fu Shize returned with two bags of cookies. Yun Li slung the half-moon canvas bag she had "worked so hard" to win over her shoulder, stuffing her original small bag and the cookies inside.
Perhaps too pleased with herself, she stood on tiptoe and tilted sideways to admire the bag.
Seeing how much Yun Li liked the EAW prize, Fu Zhengchu wondered if there was something special about it: "Lili-jie, how does it feel carrying it?"
Yun Li glanced down at the bag and smiled shyly. "It’s nice, just..." She lifted the strap slightly. "A bit big."
Too embarrassed to "pose" in front of them, she ran to an open spot two meters away to take a photo.Fu Zhengchu idly opened a pack of biscuits and ate two pieces, watching Yun Li take photos from a distance. Perhaps out of sheer boredom, he studied the canvas bag she was carrying for a while before suddenly letting out a long, drawn-out "Huh?"
"Uncle, isn't this your profile picture?"
To confirm his observation, Fu Zhengchu enlarged Fu Shize's WeChat profile picture and held it up in front of him.
One was sky blue, the other pure black.
Fu Zhengchu: "Look, the moon on them is the same."
Fu Shize gave him a look reserved for idiots.
Not satisfied, Fu Zhengchu pushed his luck, teasing him in a low, childish, and slightly crude tone—just loud enough for the two of them to hear: "Uncle, Li-jie just said you're big."
He continued chewing the biscuit in his mouth, looking utterly punchable.
Fu Shize: "..."
The sky darkened as the campus greenway speakers began their evening broadcast. At the moment, a female host was interviewing a graduated alumnus who was now working.
"So, Senior Yin, as a once-prominent figure at South Science and Technology University who swept countless awards, your fans—including me—are very curious. What do you think was your biggest regret during your university years?"
The man's voice was as gentle as a breeze, pleasant to the ear even through the static of the speakers. He chuckled twice before pausing briefly: "Well, I suppose... not having been in a relationship?"
"These past few years, my classmates already have kids."
Fu Zhengchu casually asked: "Li-jie, did you leave behind this regret during your undergrad years?"
Caught off guard, Yun Li instantly thought of a thousand possible replies—all of which would have been awkward self-revelations.
Was this Fu Zhengchu doing it on purpose?
Yun Li disliked prying into others' private matters, mostly because she feared others would turn the questions back on her. Never having been in a relationship was often cited by others as proof of her poor social skills.
Suddenly, the evening breeze felt a little chilly. She rubbed her elbows with her palms and reluctantly admitted: "I... never dated."
Panicking, she hastily changed the subject: "What about you guys?"
"Ah~" Fu Zhengchu tilted his head and thought for a long moment before answering with certainty, though not particularly concerned: "Four or five times, but none lasted long."
"Then..." The focus of the conversation shifted to Fu Shize.
Worried he might share similar sentiments—viewing the lack of romantic experience as a flaw—Yun Li deliberated before feigning ignorance and asking: "Also four or five times?"
Fu Shize leaned his head back slightly, his pale neck revealing delicate veins like tiny branches. Just then, they passed under a fluorescent light, igniting a flicker in his eyes.
He turned his head to look at her: "You really think too highly of me."
"Li-jie, what Uncle means..." Fu Zhengchu took it upon himself to interpret, "is that the mere fact he’s being asked this question is already an overestimation of him."
He put on a serious face: "Because in our eyes, he’s basically an asexual reproducer."
Yun Li: "..."
Fu Shize: "..."
The female host continued questioning the man: "So, Senior Yin, what advice would you give to the new students?"
The man chuckled lightly: "Well, I hope everyone studies hard, but in their free time, don’t forget to enjoy a wonderful campus romance."
The interview concluded with the song "Wonderland," which had recently gained popularity abroad. As the intro gradually grew louder—
Fu Zhengchu couldn’t help but comment: "They shouldn’t have invited that guy as a guest."
Yun Li: "?"
Fu Zhengchu: "I think it’s highly likely that by the time Uncle’s classmates’ kids are in elementary school, he still won’t have a girlfriend."
He concluded: "Uncle is clearly the more qualified spokesperson here."
...The three of them strolled leisurely along the residential area.
Before they knew it, they had reached West Street—a row of shops built along the outer edge of the residential area, mostly cafés catering to students for leisure or study sessions.
A few stray cats lounged lazily by the roadside, unbothered by passersby. They’d get up for a bite if food was offered, otherwise too lazy to move an inch.
Under the streetlights, their shadows stretched long and thin, and from this angle, Yun Li and Fu Shize’s silhouettes happened to overlap.
West Street was practically outside the campus. Fu Zhengchu checked the time and asked her, "Lili-jie, we’re going to watch a football match tonight at Nanwu Stadium. Wanna come?"
Yun Li was momentarily stunned. Football?
She was someone who didn’t even know how many players were on a football team.
Yun Li: "I think I’ll pass."
Fu Zhengchu: "Why?"
Yun Li: "Well, I don’t understand it. I don’t want to ruin your fun."
Fu Zhengchu said seriously, "Lili-jie, we’re going to watch the game, not play it."
Seeing her hesitation, Fu Zhengchu made the decision for her, pointing at the convenience store across the street. "Let’s grab some snacks first for the match."
The chain convenience store had everything—snacks, drinks, fast food. Yun Li stood in front of the open fridge, picking out milk, when she unintentionally overheard their conversation from the other side.
"By the way, Xiao Jiu, aren’t you going back to school yet?"
He hadn’t graduated.
Normally slow on the uptake, Yun Li’s mind suddenly sharpened, instantly registering the fact that Fu Shize was still pursuing his Ph.D.
She slowly examined the expiration date on the milk carton, but the dense black characters seemed to blur into low resolution. Her ears, however, were hyper-focused on their conversation.
After a pause, Fu Shize replied flatly, "Not going back."
"Then can you even graduate?" Fu Zhengchu sounded surprised. "My advisor said if I dared take a week off, I’d have to delay my graduation."
Fu Shize didn’t answer and headed straight for the checkout. Yun Li quickly averted her gaze, pretending to still be carefully selecting milk.
"Classmate—" A familiar male voice suddenly spoke up. Yun Li looked up to see a curly-haired guy standing beside her. "You’ve been picking out milk for so long?"
Yun Li felt awkward, worried Fu Shize and Fu Zhengchu might hear. "I haven’t been at it that long. Just looking for a bit."
The guy chuckled softly, leaning slightly closer. "But I saw you take a Bright Dairy carton first, then switch to Yili, then Mengniu. I know a Yiming Zhen nearby that—"
Yun Li took a step back, frowning. "Do I know you?"
"No, but—"
"If we don’t know each other," Yun Li paused, clutching the milk tighter as she retreated further, "why were you watching me pick out milk?"
Without waiting for his reply, she turned and hurried over to Fu Shize and Fu Zhengchu. The guy was left speechless, swallowing whatever he’d been about to say.
Fu Zhengchu glanced at the guy by the fridge. "Lili-jie, is that your classmate?"
Yun Li shook her head. "No."
Fu Zhengchu: "Then what were you talking about?"
Yun Li was arranging the barcodes of their items face-up before handing them to Fu Shize. Hesitating, she lowered her voice. "Nothing. He was just… staring at me. It felt a little…"
Unsure if the word fit, she whispered even quieter, "Creepy."
Hearing this, Fu Zhengchu shot another glance toward the fridge.Fu Shize took the items Yun Li handed him, scanning each barcode at the checkout counter before placing them in a bag nearby. When he picked up the fresh milk, his habitual movements paused. The red light from the scanner reflected off the milk carton’s packaging.
Thinking she might have taken too much, Yun Li explained, “I grabbed three cartons, figuring you all might want some later.”
Fu Shize continued scanning and asked, “Chocolate flavor?”
Yun Li: “Oh, I couldn’t find it earlier. If you want some, I can check the supermarket next door.”
“Lili-jie, it’s right behind you!” Fu Zhengchu reminded her.
Sure enough, Yun Li turned and spotted the chocolate milk near the checkout—since it was shelf-stable, it wasn’t stored with the refrigerated items. She picked up the cartons she’d grabbed earlier. “I’ll go swap these out, then.”
Fu Shize took two from her and placed them back in the bag. “Just swap yours.”
…
After paying, they headed toward the parking lot. Yun Ye called with a video chat, but Yun Li declined immediately. He promptly sent a message:
[Feeling any better?]
Though the siblings usually teased each other, her younger brother was reliable when it mattered.
Yun Li, already in good spirits, now felt like she was on cloud nine:
[Not bad. Been out all day, now heading to the next stop.]
Yun Ye:
[…]
[Quit lying. It’s only been two months—you made friends already?]
Yun Li’s brows furrowed as she typed faster:
[No envy, no missing me, your big sis is doing great!!!!]
Yun Ye:
[Sure, sure.]
A pause.
Yun Ye:
[A guy?]
Why was he asking this?
Though nothing had happened, Yun Li felt inexplicably guilty, as if answering truthfully would imply something had.
Stealing a glance at Fu Shize, she replied weakly:
[A girl.]
Yun Ye probably didn’t believe she could land a boyfriend so quickly:
[Alright then. Where are you going this late?]
Yun Li:
[Watching soccer.]
Yun Ye:
[Since when do girls hang out to watch soccer??]
Distracted by texting, Yun Li didn’t notice she was walking faster, gradually putting two meters between herself and the other two.
Fu Zhengchu vaguely saw Yun Li’s chat open, filled with exclamation marks, and assumed she was complaining about earlier. Remembering how he’d asked for her WeChat at the airport, he concluded she was just inexperienced in these matters.
Leaning toward Fu Shize, he whispered, “Does Lili-jie really not realize that guy was trying to hit on her? She seemed to mistake him for some creep peeping at her.”
The canned chips and drinks clinked in the bag.
Fu Shize asked, “What else would it be?”
Catching the disapproval in his tone, Fu Zhengchu didn’t dwell on it. Empathizing—perhaps from similar experiences—he defended, “It was just harmless flirting!” He sighed. “Right? Lili-jie’s so pretty, but who knew she’d be so clueless about this stuff.”
“I’m clueless too,” Fu Shize said, glancing at him. “Not as experienced as you with your four or five relationships.”
“…”Upon arriving at Nanwu Stadium, the group realized their drinks had been bought in vain. The stadium was now bustling with noise and excitement. Several security guards at the entrance were stopping people from bringing in their own beverages, with a large wooden sign in front that read "No Outside Food or Drinks Allowed."
Seeing this, Fu Shize put the items back in the car. Yun Li and Fu Zhengchu entered and waited inside, noticing that most of the audience members were dressed in either white or black clothing.
These were the colors of the two teams—an obvious deduction.
“Do you guys support any team?”
“Yeah!” Fu Zhengchu shook his black shirt. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m wearing black!”
“But…”
Both Yun Li and Fu Shize were in white jackets.
Fu Zhengchu looked completely unfazed. “It’s fine, just follow my lead!”
The spectators in the stadium were divided by an aisle, with black-clad fans on one side and white-clad fans on the other.
Under the stares of the crowd, the three of them walked over to the black section. Nearly every new person who passed by asked if the two of them had sat in the wrong spot.
After a while, even Fu Zhengchu couldn’t take it anymore.
“Uncle, Li-jie, maybe you two should just go to the other side.”
Embarrassed, Yun Li picked up her bag and found a seat in the white section. Fu Shize sat down beside her.
The seats weren’t spacious, and occasionally their knees would brush against each other. Every time it happened, Yun Li would flinch back as if shocked by electricity.
Yun Li broke the silence first. “Do you support the white team?”
Fu Shize: “No.”
“Do you usually watch matches?”
“No.”
“So… did you come today to accompany Fu Zhengchu?”
Fu Shize glanced at her. “Aren’t you the same?”
The awkward exchange made Yun Li wish she could vanish into thin air.
Fortunately, the match soon began, and the lively atmosphere in the stadium spared her from agonizing over how to keep the conversation going with Fu Shize.
This was Yun Li’s first time watching a match live.
She had watched plenty of commentary videos from content creators before. Fei Shui, whom she’d met during her last shop visit, was somewhat well-known for his match commentary.
But being a spectator in person was a completely different experience.
Right now, Yun Li could feel the excitement in the air.
To enhance the entertainment, Nanwu Stadium had arranged for live commentary. The commentator’s energetic tone matched the roaring cheers and screams, pushing the atmosphere to new heights.
When Yun Li entered, she’d been handed two clappers. Now, swept up in the moment, she clapped along enthusiastically.
Without realizing it, Yun Li’s mood had been lifted by the crowd. When the white team scored their first goal, she couldn’t help but clap wildly.
Fu Shize: “…”
He had been about to say something, but seeing Yun Li’s beaming smile, he closed his mouth again.
He simply pretended not to hear the noise.
The low-pressure aura beside her was impossible to ignore.
After a moment’s thought, Yun Li placed one of the clappers in front of him. “I think you should join in too. It’s actually pretty fun.”
Fu Shize didn’t take it.
A few seconds passed.
Yun Li pinched the fabric of her white jacket and tugged at it slightly. “Aren’t we supposed to be supporting the white team?”
Originally, neither of them had cared about the match, but now Yun Li had fully switched sides.
Fu Shize could even detect a faint hint of accusation in the slight purse of her lips.
“…”
The two of them locked eyes, silent amidst the fervent backdrop. Yun Li felt a flicker of nervousness but stubbornly held his gaze.
After a long pause—
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Obediently, Fu Shize took the clapper and waved it without a word.
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