Fu Shize pulled her close, and Yun Li leaned in to sniff his shirt.
"Did you specifically pick this scent?"
Fu Shize tilted his head slightly. "Mhm."
It was the scent of green oranges. Yun Li remembered—the laundry detergent she had bought at Seven Mile Fragrant Capital had this exact fragrance. Later, after moving to South River Garden, she noticed he had bought the same one.
Even now, he was still using the green orange scent.
As if nothing had changed at all.
Just like their feelings for each other.
A warmth surged in Yun Li’s chest, and she blurted out without thinking, "How can you be so pure-hearted?"
Hearing this, Fu Shize chuckled softly. A warm sensation pressed against her forehead as he asked, "Including this?"
"Mhm." Yun Li looked up at him with wide eyes. He was a head taller than her, now half-leaning against a tree trunk, so she only had to tilt her head slightly to reach his chin.
Her gaze fixed on him, Yun Li slowly closed the distance between them. Fu Shize didn’t resist at all, his eyes locked onto hers.
Until their lips brushed lightly.
She smiled, her eyes curving. "Not including this."
He mirrored her smile, then suddenly stilled, lowering his lashes as he gently caressed her cheek.
As if touching the most precious treasure in the world.
Seeing the affection in his eyes, Yun Li felt her own grow moist uncontrollably.
They had both once believed this love was gone forever.
In this moment of rediscovery, there was no overwhelming, outward joy as one might imagine. Instead, it was a deep, profound awe and cherishment from the heart. Because they had lost it once, knew the pain of that loss, and now feared that this reunion might be nothing but an illusion.
With longing and dependence, Fu Shize pulled Yun Li into a tight embrace.
Pressed against him, Yun Li could feel the contact against her abdomen.
Remembering what had happened at the hospital, she closed her eyes briefly and put a little distance between them, placing her hand over his stomach.
"It doesn’t hurt." Fu Shize tried to ease her guilt over the incident. "Really, I don’t even remember it anymore."
"Mhm..."
"Someone once said they’d make congee for me," Fu Shize said, a hint of resignation in his voice. "But I never got to taste it."
"Are those ingredients still at South River Garden?" Yun Li hadn’t cleared out the things she’d bought before leaving. It was true—she had spent an entire holiday researching, yet never actually made it.
Fu Shize: "We’ll go back together next time."
It had been a year since Yun Li last returned to Nanwu. She paused, then nodded.
Lying in bed, Yun Li still felt like today had been a dream. She took out the moon-shaped badge Fu Shize had given her. Though the metal was cool to the touch, she could feel his warmth radiating from it.
She tucked the badge under her pillow.
The next day was Saturday. As soon as Yun Li woke up, she saw a message from Fu Shize—he had woken up at six and sent her a text. Another message was from Yun Ye, saying he’d be coming home in the morning.
As the car approached the teaching building, Yun Li spotted Yin Yunyi and Yun Ye standing a short distance apart, talking. They didn’t seem to be having a pleasant conversation.
When the car arrived, Yun Ye got in immediately.
Yun Li glanced at Yin Yunyi, still standing in the hallway. She seemed like she wanted to follow, but instead pressed her lips together and turned away.
"..."
Who was it that said they never fought?
The more she studied Yun Ye’s expression, the stranger she found it. "What’s going on with you two?"
Yun Ye muttered, "She’s being unreasonable."
"Who is?"
Yun Ye stayed silent.
"What exactly happened?"
Yun Ye shot her a look. "We fought. Can’t you tell?"Yun Li wasn't in the mood to tease him now. After a moment of silence, she finally said, "I usually don't interfere with your business."
"Get out of the car and go make things clear with Yin Yunyi. The two of you struggled so long to get into the same university—don't hurt each other." Drawing from her own experience, Yun Li earnestly advised before unlocking the car. "I'll come back to pick you up later."
Yun Ye didn't move, but Yun Li noticed he hadn't fastened his seatbelt—clearly, he wasn't planning to leave directly.
"Go talk it out," she nudged Yun Ye.
Yun Ye opened the car door and ran in the direction Yin Yunyi had gone. Watching his retreating figure, Yun Li was reminded of her own year and a half apart from Fu Shize. She turned the car around and drove toward the Control Engineering building.
Fu Shize was still buried in revising his thesis when he heard a soft knock at the door. Immediately after, Lin Jingran drawled, "Senior, someone's here for you."
Seeing Yun Li, Fu Shize was slightly surprised. He stood up and walked outside.
"You didn't mention you were coming?"
"I just suddenly wanted to see you." Yun Li couldn't explain why either. Seeing Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi at odds made her realize how much she actually wanted to be with Fu Shize, so she followed her heart and came to find him.
"Are you busy right now?" she asked him. "If you're not, could you take me for a ride?"
"Busy," Fu Shize answered truthfully.
Yun Li felt like she'd been rejected.
Fu Shize chuckled and ruffled her hair. "But you're more important." He turned back toward the office. "Let me grab my keys."
Fu Shize naturally fastened her helmet for her, and Yun Li followed suit, picking up his helmet and securing it for him.
Noticing the displayed Little Turtle nearby, she suddenly realized something and asked, "Why do you have two helmets?"
"Got one ready for you long ago," Fu Shize said casually.
For every scenario where Yun Li might appear, Fu Shize had already prepared what they both would need.
After getting on the bike, Yun Li kept her old habit of cautiously gripping the metal bar on the body.
As the wind whipped against her face, his voice drifted over: "Hands."
"Oh." She obediently wrapped her arms around his waist. Holding him like this, she noticed how slender his waist still was. Without thinking, she tightened her grip, hugging him firmly.
"Let's go there," Yun Li suggested, spotting the gymnasium nearby. "There shouldn't be any events at this hour, right?"
Fu Shize pondered her motive for asking and hummed thoughtfully.
Yun Li was already familiar with the gymnasium's layout. Once inside, she looked up and noticed the protruding spectator platforms on the higher levels, each with only a few seats.
Pulling Fu Shize to the spectator seats, he leaned against the side wall with his arms crossed, leisurely asking, "Why come here?"
"Huh?" Yun Li was momentarily stunned. She hadn't thought too much about it—she just wanted a quiet place for the two of them to be alone.
"Just to sit for a while." Before she could reach the chair, Fu Shize pulled her over. Holding her by the waist, he leaned in close and asked, "You came to find me, had me bring you to a place with no one around..."
"You took me to the middle of nowhere last time too," Yun Li retorted matter-of-factly. Having been out of a relationship for so long, she didn't pick up on the suggestive atmosphere.
"Lili," Fu Shize didn't find her obliviousness a mood-killer. "Last time, we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet."She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. Fu Shize gently brushed the corner of her eye before moving his hand down to cradle her cheek. Yun Li felt the coolness of his touch as he leaned in closer, their noses lightly touching. Staring into those eyes, she found herself unconsciously drawn in.
After several seconds, he whispered softly, "Can I?"
"..." Yun Li distinctly remembered he never used to ask before.
Now that they were dating for the second time, he had actually become polite enough to ask. She countered, "What if I say no?"
"Oh." A hint of amusement flickered in Fu Shize's eyes. "Then I'll just pretend I only heard 'yes.'"
"..."
Unlike Fu Shize's hesitation, Yun Li took the initiative, pressing a light kiss to the corner of his lips. Just as she started to pull back, he cupped the back of her head and captured her lips with a hint of possessiveness, effortlessly deepening the kiss.
His movements were intimate yet not rough, his fingers threading through her hair.
This moment had been long awaited and imagined. As Fu Shize teased her tongue, drawing her closer, Yun Li felt her breath completely filled with his presence. She was acutely aware of him now, her entire body melting under his touch.
"Had enough?" After several heated minutes, Fu Shize murmured suggestively near her ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive skin.
His words made it seem like she was the one insatiable. Blushing, Yun Li nodded.
Fu Shize traced her lips with his thumb before adding, "Now it's my turn."
...
After indulging in their affection for a while, the two finally returned to their seats in the auditorium. The venue was empty now, the stage appearing as if covered in a layer of dust.
Yun Li looked up and suddenly noticed a camera in the corner, aimed directly at them. She blinked in confusion. "Oh... is that surveillance?"
Fu Shize followed her gaze. "Probably."
Yun Li stiffened. "So someone saw us just now?"
"Maybe." He seemed unconcerned, tilting her chin up to kiss her again. "Let them watch one more time."
"..."
Still bothered by the camera's presence, Yun Li quickly put some distance between them. After sitting quietly for a while, she remembered to tell him, "Earlier when I went to pick up Yun Ye, he and Yin Yunyi seemed to have had a fight."
Fu Shize looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"I saw Yin Yunyi in the stairwell, and Yun Ye just got in the car without saying anything."
It was rare for Yun Li to witness Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi in conflict. She went on, "Thinking about what happened between us, I told Yun Ye to get out and talk things through with Yin Yunyi properly."
"And then you came to find me?" Fu Shize finished for her.
Yun Li nodded.
She felt a deep regret for the past year and a half—time they could have spent supporting each other.
"From now on, let's discuss everything together, okay?" Yun Li smiled.
The road ahead was still long.
"Mm."
By the time they picked up Yun Ye again, it was already seven o'clock. Yun Li met him near the girls' dormitory area, guessing he had walked Yin Yunyi back.
Noticing his relaxed expression as he got in the car, Yun Li asked, "What were you fighting about?"
Yun Ye rested his hands behind his head and glanced at her. "None of your business."
Yun Li couldn't be bothered either. "Fine, I won't pry."
Instead of heading straight home, Yun Li drove to the supermarket to buy ingredients for making congee.
Yun Ye followed beside her with his hands in his pockets. Seeing the assortment of items in the cart, he showed no interest in asking, just wanting to get home quickly.The people in the lab had been puzzled lately—their senior seemed to have undergone a complete change. Previously, he would arrive at six in the morning and leave at midnight, but now he was gone by five, sometimes even earlier.
Lin Jingran was certain Fu Shize was chasing after someone, and the pursuit was proving exceptionally difficult.
In the entire lab, apart from Fu Shize, none of the others could manage to wake up early. After lazing around on their phones and leisurely grabbing breakfast, they’d only make it to the lab by ten.
Lin Jingran spotted a pink cylindrical thermal lunchbox on Fu Shize’s desk.
He couldn’t resist complaining in their small group chat: Tsk, Senior’s gone full-on girly. Love really changes a person, huh.
When lunchtime rolled around, Lin Jingran leaned against the partition of Fu Shize’s workstation and asked, “Senior, eating?”
“Mhm.”
Fu Shize tapped on his keyboard, noticing Lin Jingran still waiting. He pulled the pink lunchbox toward himself and opened it—inside, the vegetable and pork rib porridge was still steaming.
As the box rotated slightly, Lin Jingran caught sight of the sticky note on it, adorned with a heart and a moon.
“Damn, Senior, are you dating? Did your girlfriend make this?”
“Mhm.”
This was the first time Yun Li had brought Fu Shize lunch. Last time, she’d said she’d cook for him after returning to Nanwu. Early this morning, not long after Fu Shize arrived at the lab, Yun Li had called him.
When he went downstairs, he saw her holding this lunchbox.
Because he had a meeting, Fu Shize took it from her, and after a brief chat, she left while he returned to the lab.
Fu Shize wasn’t the type to care about others’ opinions, but seeing Lin Jingran’s envious expression now inexplicably lifted his mood.
He repeated, “Yeah, my girlfriend made it.”
“...”
Fu Shize took a spoonful, thinking of Yun Li, and couldn’t help but smile. Lin Jingran, standing beside him, was utterly baffled. While Fu Shize had always been gentle and easygoing, his smiles usually carried a sense of detachment—this was the first time Lin Jingran had seen him grin like this.
Lin Jingran couldn’t help but think, Senior’s pretty easy to please, huh.
Before, Fu Shize could stay fully focused in the lab all day. But after dating Yun Li, he found himself getting distracted more easily.
He’d told Yun Li before that when he was working, he’d be too absorbed to reply to messages promptly, so she usually only texted him around mealtimes.
As he sipped the porridge, he scrolled through his phone. Their chat log was still stuck at eight in the morning, when Yun Li had just woken up. He scrolled down and noticed that Fu Zhengchu had added him back into the badminton group chat from two years ago.
Fu Zhengchu: Lili-jie, wanna go pet dogs at the kennel?
Fu Zhengchu: [Link]
Yun Li: The one Tang Lin mentioned?
Fu Zhengchu: Yeah.
Fu Shize checked the time—it was sent at ten in the morning. He switched back to his private chat with Yun Li—last message: eight o’clock.
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