It had been over two years since Yun Li last ate at a street food stall. Sitting on a plastic chair, she looked at the simple laminated red paper that served as the menu.
“What would you like?” Fu Shize asked her.
Yun Li didn’t have many preferences. She didn’t eat much to begin with, and her main purpose today was just to pay the bill.
“You order,” Yun Li pushed the menu back to him. “You’re more familiar with the place.”
Fu Shize went under the canopy to order some dishes. When he returned and sat down, his phone kept vibrating. He glanced at it and slipped it back into his pocket without answering.
“Aren’t you going to pick up?” Yun Li asked.
Fu Shize: “It’s Fu Zhengchu.”
“I haven’t mentioned it to you,” Fu Shize said. “He got into your alma mater for grad school.”
“……”
“Do you want to see him?” Fu Shize asked.
After their breakup, Fu Zhengchu had reached out to check on her a few times.
Because of the circumstances surrounding her breakup with Fu Shize, Yun Li often found it difficult to reply naturally—sometimes she even left his messages unanswered.
Over time, the two of them stopped keeping in touch.
While waiting for Fu Zhengchu to arrive, Yun Li kept rehearsing what to say in her mind.
Noticing her nervousness, Fu Shize asked thoughtfully, “Were you this nervous before meeting me too?”
“……”
When faced with critical questions, Yun Li’s rationality always kicked in. She took a sip of water to steady herself. “Not really.”
Fu Shize: “Then… are you nervous about meeting Fu Zhengchu?”
Detecting a hint of dissatisfaction in his question, Yun Li instinctively explained, “No, it’s just that he reached out to me before, and I didn’t reply much. I just feel a little bad about it.”
“……”
Yun Li suddenly remembered that the person in front of her had been deleted by her twice—yet she hadn’t felt particularly guilty about that.
The more she tried to explain, the worse it seemed. Yun Li simply shut her mouth.
In that instant, she completely pushed thoughts of Fu Zhengchu out of her mind.
The man before her showed no change in expression, but Yun Li could feel the atmosphere instantly grow heavier.
She didn’t know how to lighten the mood. Fortunately, within a few minutes, Fu Zhengchu arrived on his Little Turtle.
His face was still as earnest and innocent as ever, his almond-shaped eyes lighting up with joy when he saw her.
“Lili-jie!” Fu Zhengchu called out to her from a distance as soon as he parked his scooter.
He quickly sat down beside her. “It’s been so long since I last saw you! Last year, Uncle said you went abroad. Are you back for work now?”
Seeing him, Yun Li smiled slightly. “Yeah, I’m doing an internship in West Fuling right now.”
Fu Zhengchu chatted with her about various trivial matters, and Yun Li only then learned that her former roommate Tang Lin was still pursuing him. Tang Lin was currently looking for a job in West Fuling, hoping to take advantage of the proximity.
The two of them talked animatedly, while Fu Shize remained silent, quietly listening on the side. After polishing off both meat and vegetable dishes, Fu Shize got up to order more under the canopy.
Only when Fu Shize’s figure disappeared did Yun Li ask Fu Zhengchu, “When did you find out I went abroad?”
“Right after you left last year, Lili-jie. I asked Uncle, and that’s what he told me.”
“……”
At the time, Yun Li hadn’t told many people about her plans to study abroad.
She thought for a moment, wanting to ask him further about Fu Shize’s surgery, but when she saw Fu Shize returning, she had to drop the subject.
Fu Shize seemed relaxed, barely speaking. The dynamic between the three of them felt like it had reverted to when they first met—with Fu Zhengchu single-handedly carrying the conversation.
After finishing their late-night snack, Fu Zhengchu rode his Little Turtle back to his dorm alone.
Yun Li was preoccupied with her thoughts and barely noticed her surroundings, but she could still tell the scooter was moving much slower than before. “Is the scooter broken?” she asked.
Fu Shize replied calmly, “It’s almost out of battery.”At night, the north gate was closed, forcing Fu Shize to circle around the outer perimeter of the school to enter from the front.
West Fuling had entered autumn, and the temperature gradually dropped. The scent of osmanthus floated in the wind. The road was empty, with Little Turtle moving leisurely along the wide path, its end nowhere in sight.
For a fleeting moment, she had an illusion.
She wished this road had no end.
Sitting behind him, the sweet fragrance of autumn osmanthus lingering in the air, she felt the warmth radiating from his back. Emotions she had suppressed and sealed deep within her heart uncontrollably resurfaced.
It wasn’t until the scooter stopped that Yun Li realized how much time had passed.
She got off Little Turtle, and Fu Shize steadied her briefly before letting go.
Yun Li looked up at him. The light cast on his fair, flawless face washed away the usual aloofness and indifference between his brows.
The two stood in silence for a long while.
Finally, Yun Li whispered, "Sweet dreams."
Fu Shize paused, then curved his lips slightly. "You too. Sweet dreams."
By the time she got home, it was already past midnight.
The living room was brightly lit. As soon as Yun Li stepped inside, she saw Yun Yongchang sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed, his face dark.
She locked the door behind her.
Yun Yongchang said coldly, "You didn’t go yesterday?"
He was referring to the blind date. Yun Li had refused several times, but since Yun Yongchang wouldn’t relent, she simply ignored it.
"Oh, I didn’t know we were supposed to meet yesterday," Yun Li took off her shoes and walked to her room. "But even if I had known, I wouldn’t have gone."
Yun Yongchang: "..."
Furious, he snapped, "You’re already twenty-four, and with your introverted personality, if you don’t go on blind dates, how are you ever going to get married?"
Yun Li had heard these words countless times—her right ear had practically grown calluses.
Seeing her complete lack of reaction, Yun Yongchang fumed, "Back then, you insisted on staying with that guy from Nanwu, refused to listen to me, and in the end, it still fell apart. The people your mother and I introduce to you are—"
His words struck a nerve. Yun Li shut the door directly, leaving him to rant outside.
She had no desire to argue. She had work the next day and wearily sat at her dressing table to remove her makeup.
"Why can’t this girl understand her parents? If she could handle things herself, would we even need to worry like this?"
Yun Yongchang’s endless grumbling continued in the living room. Yun Li felt a surge of irritation and almost turned back to start a fight.
Pressing the makeup remover to her eyes, she dismissed the thought.
With someone as unreasonable as Yun Yongchang, neither endless arguments nor submission would solve anything.
What she needed was to become financially and personally independent—to buy her own place and move out.
After lying on her bed for a while, she got up once the living room fell silent. Her heart wasn’t numb. Yun Yongchang’s words had stung, leaving her feeling awful.
At this hour, there was no one she could vent to.
Yun Li got up and took out the Paper Light Ball Fu Shize had given her, lighting it up. Then, she turned off the room’s lights.
The glow seeped through the hollowed paper sphere, casting stars onto the walls. The entire room was bathed in tiny, shimmering lights. As she rotated the paper ball, the specks of starlight swayed gently.
Her lips curved slightly, and her mood lifted.
...
A few days later came her probation-to-permanent review. Yun Li spent those days organizing her work during the internship and prepared a standard report. The results would be announced in a few weeks.
In the meantime, Yun Li hadn’t forgotten to send out resumes.
She interned during the day and practiced interview questions at night. Only when she tallied them up did she realize she had already applied to over thirty companies since July.One after another, interview notifications came in. Yun Li didn’t have time to wallow in the sorrow of failed interviews. After summarizing her experiences, she quickly moved on to the next round. Her resume was decent, and while her ability to think on her feet had improved, it was still average. The only way to compensate for her shortcomings was through relentless internships and interviews.
When the results of her last interview came out, Yun Li let out a long sigh of relief.
“I feel completely drained,” Yun Li said to Deng Chuqi over the phone while lying on her bed. Deng Chuqi was also looking for a job, as she was pursuing a one-and-a-half-year master’s program and would be returning to China next year.
“See? I knew you had it in you.” Deng Chuqi was utterly amazed by her experience. “Damn, that’s so inspiring.”
“...”
Deng Chuqi asked, “But don’t you prefer being a Content Creator? Does your dad still not approve?”
“I just wanted to see if there were any suitable jobs,” Yun Li chuckled. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to get so many offers. My dad thought I’d be lucky to land even one job.”
Yun Yongchang had always believed that Yun Li would crumble under the pressure of failed interviews and eventually rely on his connections to secure a contract job.
The label Yun Yongchang had placed on her had once made Yun Li believe the same about herself.
Out of the blue, Deng Chuqi asked, “How’s it going with Xia Xia’s uncle?”
“Ah...”
“No further developments? Don’t you think there’s something fated between you two? It’s like you’re tightly bound together!” Deng Chuqi grew more and more excited as she spoke.
“There won’t be any developments,” Yun Li muttered. “We haven’t been in touch for a while now.”
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Yun Ye often forgot his books or homework when he came home on weekends, and every time she delivered them, she would run into Fu Shize.
Fu Shize would usually bring her a cup of cocoa milk.
Yun Li found it odd.
A thought flickered in her mind, but she quickly suppressed it.
She didn’t want to overanalyze Fu Shize’s actions—after all, he was naturally considerate.
After chatting a bit more with Deng Chuqi, Yun Li noticed the concert ticket on her desk. It was the perfect way to reward herself. She changed her clothes, applied some light makeup, and headed out.
The map showed heavy congestion near West Science and Technology University, making it difficult for cars to enter the campus.
She hailed a cab to West Science and Technology University.
...
Fu Shize waited downstairs at the dormitory for several minutes before a flashy blue car finally appeared.
“Aze.” Xu Qingsong slid his sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose, revealing a pair of peach-blossom eyes. “Long time no see.”
He smoothly reversed the car into a parking spot, humming a tune.
Since Fu Shize had returned to West Science and Technology University, the two hadn’t had many chances to meet. Occasionally, when Xu Qingsong had business in West Fuling, they would catch up.
Xu Qingsong followed Fu Shize to his dorm room—a single occupancy with just a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.
Fu Shize pulled open a drawer and took out two concert tickets. Xu Qingsong glanced inside the drawer and spotted several boxes of sleeping pills.
Without hesitation, he picked one up and shook it. “Has your insomnia gotten any better?”
“Mm.”
Xu Qingsong examined the tickets and raised an eyebrow. “Tonight’s show? Who’d you invite?”
Fu Shize looked at him.
Xu Qingsong pointed at himself in surprise. “Me?” He laughed. “Since when was this planned?”
“Mm.” Fu Shize handed him a cold bottle of water from the fridge. “Lili will be there too.”
The name sounded familiar. Xu Qingsong tilted his head slightly, as if that would help him hear better. “Yun Li?”
“Mm.”"..." He pondered for a moment before smiling again. "Didn't you say you'd look for her only after getting your degree?"
That had been Fu Shize's original plan.
These past two years away from campus had left him utterly devastated, both physically and mentally.
Fu Shize disliked making empty promises.
He had intended to find Yun Li after completing his PhD, no matter where she might be.
"Ran into her," Fu Shize replied succinctly.
Xu Qingsong stroked his chin. "How did she react to you?"
"Let's go." Fu Shize avoided answering, urging him toward the stadium instead.
"But it doesn't start until six-thirty," Xu Qingsong protested, unwilling to move. It was barely past four.
Having just flown in and driven straight from the branch office, all Xu Qingsong wanted was somewhere to rest.
Seeing Fu Shize holding the door open expectantly, he resigned himself and stood up.
The two bought some bread at a convenience store downstairs.
After waiting outside the stadium for half an hour, Xu Qingsong couldn't hide his exasperation.
"We're just waiting here?" He leaned against a comfortable spot, teasing, "Why not just ask her out directly?"
Fu Shize was silent for a while before answering, "She might refuse."
He cared too much.
Uncertain of the probability Yun Li would reject him, he didn't want to take that risk.
"I came here to have dinner with you, and now we're lying in wait like hunters." Xu Qingsong's tone was playful but curious. "Aren't you going to tell me more?"
He had arrived in West Fuling unexpectedly, forcing Fu Shize to scramble for an extra ticket.
Fu Shize glanced at him. "Tell you what?"
Xu Qingsong's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Does she know you want to get back together?"
Fu Shize considered this. "Probably not yet."
They waited until the stadium's security system was set up and people began filing in—having already turned down double-digit requests for their contact information—before finally catching sight of that familiar figure.
Yun Li checked the time after getting out of the car. Twenty minutes to go.
As she approached the ticket checkpoint, she spotted Fu Shize and Xu Qingsong standing there talking.
The two stood out conspicuously in the crowd.
Xu Qingsong noticed her first and nodded politely.
Yun Li froze, uncertain whether to advance or retreat, until Fu Shize also turned to look at her.
"What a coincidence," Yun Li forced herself to approach them. "I didn't know you had tickets too."
"Want to sit together?" Fu Shize asked.
"Ah..." Yun Li checked her ticket. "Are there no assigned seats?"
"No."
After passing through security, they found a row of seats together.
Yun Li sat to Fu Shize's left, while Xu Qingsong took the right, making himself inconspicuous and only smiling whenever Yun Li glanced his way.
It was a national symphony tour performance. Xu Qingsong leaned back in his seat, listening absentmindedly.
The lighting in the venue was dim. He glanced sideways and noticed both of them sitting ramrod straight, seemingly tense in each other's presence because of him, not speaking a word.
Xu Qingsong chuckled inwardly and discreetly excused himself to the restroom.
He wandered around outside before leisurely making his way back from the last row. From a distance, he could see Fu Shize leaning slightly toward Yun Li.
In his absence, the two had relaxed considerably, with Yun Li occasionally looking up to speak to Fu Shize.
The live music drowned out their voices.
Because Yun Li couldn't hear clearly, Fu Shize would lean closer when speaking.
From Xu Qingsong's angle, it almost looked like he was whispering into her ear.
Maybe he shouldn't go back.
Xu Qingsong had been by the hospital bed the day Yun Li broke up with him.Fu Shize went into shock from the pain and underwent emergency surgery. When he was roused from anesthesia, his mind remained sluggish.
After being wheeled back to the hospital room, Xu Qingsong sat by his side, observing the IV needle in his hand and the oxygen tube in his nose. Fu Shize's limbs twitched involuntarily from the pain, stirring indescribable emotions in Xu Qingsong's heart.
What struck Xu Qingsong most was how Fu Shize, unable to sit up after surgery, kept holding up his phone to call Yun Li repeatedly.
And in that final call, Yun Li broke up with him.
The phone's speaker leaked sound, and Xu Qingsong heard every word clearly.
Fu Shize's face drained of all color.
Xu Qingsong had watched him being wheeled out of the operating room. Right after the surgery, Fu Shize had even looked somewhat better.
But now, he seemed utterly hollowed out.
Despair tinged with confusion and incomprehension.
Understanding, yet not understanding, why he had been abandoned.
Later, Xu Qingsong learned that Fu Shize hadn't told Yun Li about his perforated gastric ulcer because her younger brother was also seriously ill.
A perfectly reasonable decision—one Xu Qingsong would have made too.
After all, Yun Li was in West Fuling. Worrying excessively about Fu Shize's condition might have been more than she could bear emotionally.
Fu Shize believed the breakup happened because Yun Li preferred who he used to be.
Having rarely faced setbacks or experienced life's harshness, his love had been pure and fervent by nature.
But having fallen for her, he resigned himself to fate.
After being discharged, he immediately contacted his advisor to arrange his return to campus, burying himself in the lab day and night.
When Xu Qingsong saw Fu Shize again, for a fleeting moment, he almost thought the old him had returned.
Until the crowd dispersed.
The two found a bar to sit in, and Fu Shize reverted to his usual aloofness.
Cut off from the outside world, with no desire to reconnect.
Only then did Xu Qingsong realize.
Ah.
He hadn't changed at all.
The fiercely flickering candle before others still extinguished silently when alone.
It was just that everyone assumed he had changed.
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