It was the same café they had visited before, its decor unchanged. Whether by coincidence or not, Fu Shize walked straight to the table they had once sat at.
"You sit here. I’ll get the menu for you." Fu Shize pulled out the chair for her, then fetched a small black booklet from the counter and handed it to Yun Li.
She flipped through it—there weren’t many options. "I’ll have hot chocolate."
Fu Shize: "Dessert? The Matcha Mille Crepe?"
Yun Li nodded.
He calmly closed the menu and went to place their order. Yun Li watched his retreating figure, her mind adrift at how composed he seemed.
After a breakup, there’s always that period of adjustment.
During that time, you question over and over whether the decision to part was too hasty. You replay every detail, hoping for a different outcome. You torment yourself by reliving the sweetness of the relationship.
You long for reconciliation, yet fear the instability of it all.
During that period, Yun Li had recalled countless details. She realized, Oh, he really did like me. But as days passed and he never came looking for her, she also realized, Oh, he didn’t really need me that much after all.
Slowly, only one outcome remained.
And she had accepted it.
When Fu Shize returned, he pulled out his chair and sat down. His hand rested on the armrest, his shoulders leaning fully against the back of the chair.
At first, neither of them looked at the other.
After a long silence, they both lifted their eyes at the same time.
Under the table, where he couldn’t see, Yun Li nervously fiddled with her fingers. She tried her best to appear as relaxed and casual as he did. "You’ve changed a lot..."
The last time they met, she had been too tense. She had always wanted to ask—
"How have you been?"
Over the past year and a half, though she hadn’t actively sought news of him, she had wondered countless times. It’d be best if he was doing well.
Even without her, she hoped he was doing well.
Fu Shize looked at Yun Li. She had grown out her hair, now curled and dyed, loosely tied back with a blue-white hairband, revealing her smooth, straight shoulders. She spoke slowly, her tone gentle.
He smiled. "Not bad. Life’s back on track."
Before they could exchange more than a few words, a young man walked straight up to their table and greeted Fu Shize.
The guy was outgoing and friendly. "Senior, is this your girlfriend? She’s really pretty." He turned to Yun Li with a bright smile. "I’m on the drone competition team with him."
Yun Li tensed but nodded politely.
Fu Shize looked at her but didn’t answer.
The guy glanced at the empty seat at their table and grinned. "Mind if I join?"
Fu Shize chuckled and gave him a light shove. "Go away."
Only after the guy left did Fu Shize say to her, "Sorry, they like to joke around."
"It’s fine." Yun Li tried her best to sound indifferent. "People joke like that with me too."
"..."
Fu Shize’s hand paused as he lifted his coffee cup.
It sounded like she often went out with other guys. Realizing the misunderstanding, Yun Li quickly added, "I mean, when I’m with Yun Ye."
Hearing this, the tension in Fu Shize’s brow eased. He asked her, "What are your plans after this?"
"Find a job in West Fuling. The internship I’m doing now might turn into a full-time position." Yun Li wrapped her hands around her cup and looked up at him. "What about you?"
"Probably going abroad for a postdoc.""..." Yun Li tightened her grip slightly. "Are you going alone?"
Fu Shize raised a brow. "Who else would I go with?"
"I don't know..." she said awkwardly. "It just seems difficult to go abroad alone."
"No. Just me." He thought for a moment, then looked at her. "I haven't decided yet. I might stay in the country. If I go abroad, I won't be coming back."
Yun Li didn't catch the implication behind his words and was momentarily stunned. "Not coming back?"
"Yeah."
"Oh... that's good." She forced a smile, her heart feeling like it had been hollowed out. Trying to change the subject, she said, "I went on an exchange to the UK last year."
Fu Shize looked at her. "How was it?"
"It was good..." she said softly, hesitating before continuing. "Just... the first half was a bit hard to adjust to."
"Tell me about it."
Many people had asked Yun Li about her time in the UK, and she usually brushed it off with a sentence or two. But now, she actually wanted to tell him.
It didn’t seem like a big deal to share with him.
After a moment of consideration, she began, "The first place I rented when I got there..."
She trailed off, pausing as if just realizing something, then explained sheepishly, "A lot happened. I'm trying to decide what to say."
Fu Shize chuckled. "Take your time."
"Wait a sec." He stood up and went to the counter, returning with three slices of cake.
Yun Li: "This is too much..."
Fu Shize: "Take your time eating." He tilted his head. "You can take your time talking too."
"Oh..." Yun Li took a bite of cake, momentarily lost in his deep gaze.
She quickly looked down and proceeded to recount her experience abroad from start to finish, carefully omitting the unpleasant parts.
"It was actually pretty good," she said toward the end, smiling slightly. "I thought I wouldn’t survive alone there, but turns out I’m more capable than I thought."
Feeling a bit self-conscious about her own boasting, her smile turned shy. Fu Shize watched her for a long moment before mirroring her smile.
"Do you want to see my lab?" he asked. "It's in this building."
Caught off guard by the invitation, Yun Li had no reason to refuse and nodded.
As soon as they reached the lab entrance, a young man rushed up to Fu Shize in a panic. "Senior! It's a disaster! The junior broke the system!"
"..."
The guy looked horrified, his movements frantic, as if the sky were falling.
Noticing the person beside Fu Shize, he took a closer look and suddenly froze.
A girl.
A pretty girl.
Standing very close to Fu Shize.
Meeting Fu Shize’s cool gaze, the guy immediately backtracked. "Oh, it’s not that big of a deal."
"..."
Fu Shize paused, then turned to Yun Li. "I’ll take you next time." He tilted his head and asked gently, "Okay?"
Though disappointed, Yun Li smiled. "Yeah. It’s fine."
The guy in front was barely suppressing his laughter, his eyes darting between her and Fu Shize. Feeling awkward, Yun Li quickly said, "I’ll go now," and headed downstairs. Before she could take two steps, the guy’s voice echoed through all five floors.
"Senior! Is that your girlfriend? Senior! Since when did you have a girlfriend?"
"She’s not.""Is that the person you're pursuing, senior? Tell us about it, and we'll help you chase her together!"
"You're too noisy."
Yun Li stopped in her tracks. The boy was still chattering away, but Fu Shize's response was already inaudible.
She stood there for a minute or two before continuing on her way, once again feeling the absurdity of her own thoughts.
Ahead stretched the flat, gray-paved road.
For a moment, she forgot where she had parked her car and stared blankly at the road for a while.
Their reunion had been devoid of accusations, resentment, unwillingness, or objections about their past relationship. There were no lingering feelings of admiration or excitement either.
It was as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time yet remained deeply familiar, sitting down quietly to talk for two or three hours.
This should have been the best possible state for a reunion.
So why did she feel so sad?
Yun Li's nose tingled with emotion.
...
This interlude didn't disrupt Yun Li's life. After returning, she spent the weekend taking Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi around to explore the area before diving back into the relentless grind of work.
Her current internship had been secured through a remote interview while she was still in the UK. She had only applied for positions relevant to her major and eventually received four offers. She chose one with regular nine-to-five hours and settled into the routine.
With just one month left before her probation assessment, she felt a bit nervous.
Initially, Yun Li had wanted to become a full-time Content Creator, but Yun Yongchang strongly opposed this. He hoped she would follow a conventional career path like most people, with stable working hours and social circles.
She acknowledged his point—her channel had gradually shifted from lifestyle content to entertaining educational videos. Staying home all day making videos would eventually make her out of sync with society.
Her first two internships hadn't given her much sense of achievement. Now nearing graduation, like her peers, she wanted a nine-to-five job with friendly colleagues and a good company atmosphere—something that would leave her enough free time for her own pursuits.
Her life between work and home was already fulfilling enough. Only when she lay in bed at night, after finishing her E-Station videos, would her thoughts drift to Fu Shize.
Many of her elementary and middle school classmates were already married with children. Since their parents all knew each other, Yun Yongchang and Yang Fang had been busy arranging blind dates for her ever since she returned from the UK.
Yun Yongchang: 【Your third aunt introduced a local guy from West Fuling. He has a master's degree and has been working as a civil servant for two years.】
Yun Yongchang: 【You have to meet him this time. You're already 24—it takes two or three years just to date someone.】
Yun Yongchang: 【And that's if things go smoothly. Your cousin has met twenty or thirty people already and still hasn't found the right one.】
Reading these messages gave Yun Li a headache. No matter how many times she refused, Yun Yongchang and Yang Fang remained undeterred.
Yun Yongchang: 【Don't be so picky.】
Their reasoning was simple: the men they introduced must not be good enough, which was why Yun Li kept refusing.
Frustrated with family matters, Yun Li vented to Yun Ye: 【This is ridiculous. Whatever you do, don’t tell Mom and Dad about Yin Yunyi.】
Yun Li: 【Otherwise, next time they’ll say, "Look at your brother—he’s only 18 and already has a girlfriend."】
Yun Ye: 【...】
Yun Ye: 【It wouldn’t hurt to meet someone. You might actually find a good match.】
Yun Li stared at the message: 【Whose side are you on?】
Yun Ye: 【Yours, yours.】Yun Ye sent her a picture—a small group chat named ‘Encountering the Teaching Assistant’ with over twenty members. Judging by the chat history, it was clearly a fan group.
The most recent message had just been sent:
[The teaching assistant seems sick, poor thing. Wuwu, what should we do?]
Attached was a photo of Fu Shize’s back at the hospital registration desk.
Yun Ye: [That brother doesn’t look too good. Yun Li, should you go check on him?]
Yun Li: [Get lost.]
Yun Li was utterly speechless: [Is this a fan group?]
Yun Ye: [Yes.]
Yun Li: [Aren’t you a guy?]
Yun Ye: [Can’t men have idols? Can’t they be fans?]
Yun Ye: [Besides, I joined for you.]
Yun Li: [……]
A colleague @-ed her in the work group chat to handle some documents. Yun Li switched tabs and took care of her tasks. After finishing, her hand hovered over the mouse.
After a moment’s hesitation, she asked her supervisor for half a day off.
Even as she drove toward West Science and Technology University’s campus hospital, Yun Li still felt her actions were downright rebellious.
What was she trying to do?
After parking, she headed straight to the registration desk. A line of people waited there, but Fu Shize was nowhere in sight.
The hospital wasn’t large. She glanced at the department layout: the first and second floors were for internal medicine and surgery, the third floor for ophthalmology and dentistry, and the fourth floor for psychiatry and psychology.
Fu Shize had stomach issues, so she first circled the internal medicine department but didn’t spot him.
Second floor, third floor—nothing.
As Yun Li climbed to the fourth floor, she paused at the staircase landing, staring at the bold blue letters spelling "Psychiatry & Psychology" a dozen steps away.
Her feet froze.
She recalled Fu Shize’s carefree, easygoing smile during their recent encounters. She wished nothing but the best for him.
She didn’t want to run into him here.
She shouldn’t have come in the first place.
Yun Li turned around, an inexplicable discomfort tightening her chest. She descended two steps when his weary voice drifted from above:
"Lili."
"……"
She looked up. Fu Shize stood at the entrance of the department, a medical record booklet in hand, the austere backdrop behind him. His gaze lowered to meet hers.
Yun Li remained rooted in place, unsure how to react.
Fu Shize descended step by step, closing the distance between them until he stopped right in front of her.
"Not feeling well?" he asked.
"I came to have lunch with Yun Ye and needed to use the restroom," she blurted out, fabricating an excuse on the spot. Remembering she was on the stairs leading to the fourth floor, she added, "The ones downstairs were crowded."
She hesitated, lips pressed tightly together, resisting the urge to ask why he was here.
Fu Shize took in her flustered expression. "I’ll walk you up."
Without waiting for a response, he strode up the stairs and stopped outside the restroom opposite the landing.
Yun Li followed silently. Inside, the restroom was empty. She had no intention of actually using it but didn’t want Fu Shize to catch her in the lie. She entered a stall, waited half a minute, and flushed the toilet.
When she stepped out, Fu Shize was standing by the window nearby. He handed her a tissue.
"Dry your hands."
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