When dinnertime rolled around, Fu Shize and Yun Li had completed their planned work on the thesis for the day and drove to a shopping mall near West Science and Technology University for dinner.
Fu Shize asked, "What do you feel like eating?"
The bustling barbecue restaurant was packed with people, the air thick with mouthwatering aromas. Yun Li stared at it for a long while, swallowing hard, but ultimately said, "Porridge."
They found a highly-rated porridge shop, but after getting a number, they were told they still had ten tables ahead of them. Seeing Yun Li rubbing her stomach in hunger, Fu Shize suggested, "Should we go somewhere else?"
"No." With that, Yun Li pinched the flesh at his waist. "If you keep drinking coffee on an empty stomach in the future, we’ll be having porridge all day."
Wanting her to eat sooner, Fu Shize pointed out the flaw in her logic: "I didn’t drink any at noon."
Stubborn, she countered, "I meant from now on!"
He circled back to his original point: "Then we don’t have to have porridge tonight either."
Yun Li stared at him, sensing he was being unusually argumentative tonight.
Unable to out-reason him, she relaxed her expression and resorted to playful defiance. "I just really want porridge."
Her tone carried a hint of coquetry, making Fu Shize chuckle. He took her hand and led her to a nearby dessert shop, intending to find a place where she could at least snack on something first.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure and paused, his gaze lingering on Zhou Tiao, who was about a dozen meters away, hurrying toward a hot pot restaurant with a few colleagues.
He hesitated for a moment, taking a step in that direction, but when Zhou Tiao disappeared inside the restaurant, he stopped.
They had already arranged to meet Zhou Tiao the next day, so Yun Li hadn’t expected to run into him here at the mall. Noticing Fu Shize’s reaction, she immediately pulled him into the hot pot restaurant.
After finding a table and ordering a split-pot broth, Yun Li asked, "Do you want to see him?"
"Yeah." He paused before adding, "But it’s been a long time since we last talked."
He glanced up at Yun Li, who seemed lost in thought before suddenly standing up and announcing, "I’m going to get some dipping sauce."
At the sauce station, Yun Li filled a small bowl while scanning the restaurant for Zhou Tiao’s table. It was crowded with people engaged in lively conversation. With each step closer, she mentally prepared herself until she finally met Zhou Tiao’s gaze.
Quickly dropping a "Hey, Team Leader, my boyfriend and I are eating here," she fled the scene.
Not long after she returned to their table, Zhou Tiao found them.
Yun Li excused herself to the restroom, leaving the two men alone.
Zhou Tiao looked Fu Shize up and down, covering his mouth as if amused. "You haven’t changed at all these past few years—still pale and skinny."
When Fu Shize had first met them, he had been a lanky teenager. Having played badminton since childhood, his legs were fair and slender, with well-defined muscle lines.
Back then, they had often teased Fu Shize for looking like a girl.
The jokes had been so frequent that Fu Shize avoided wearing shorts throughout his undergraduate years, only starting again once his body had fully matured.
Fu Shize’s gaze drifted to Zhou Tiao’s now-rounded belly. His limbs were still normal, but years of sitting in an office had given him a bit of a paunch.
"How much do you weigh now?" Fu Shize went straight for the sore spot.
Zhou Tiao raised an eyebrow. "One hundred sixty. What about you?"
Calmly, Fu Shize replied, "Not much different."
"Cut the crap." Zhou Tiao gave him a light shove. "With a frame like yours, you still haven’t filled out after all these years. All that food’s gone to waste.""Fu Shize, it's been three damn years since you last spoke to your former roommate." Zhou Tiao smirked as he plopped down across from him. After a brief silence, Fu Shize replied, "Sorry."
Zhou Tiao was taken aback, then amused by his earnestness. Waving his hand dismissively, he said, "Alright, enough with the melodrama. We're square now."
As if nothing had ever happened between them, they fell back into their old dynamic. Zhou Tiao bit down on his vape and asked, "Heard from someone you started smoking?"
"Quit. My girlfriend doesn't like it."
Fu Shize glanced toward the entrance—Yun Li hadn't returned yet.
"Oh, that girl from earlier? She's graduating next year and joining our team, right?" Zhou Tiao suddenly recalled Yun Li's resume. "She's four or five years our junior?"
Fu Shize: "Mhm."
Zhou Tiao inhaled sharply. "A junior?"
Fu Shize shot him a look. "Mhm."
Zhou Tiao laughed. "You animal."
"..."
After some casual banter, Zhou Tiao asked, "Want a drink?"
Noticing Fu Shize's hesitation, Zhou Tiao teased, "Damn, you're so whipped. We always said your personality would get you completely henpecked someday."
Fu Shize replied flatly, "Not true."
Seeing him typing on his phone, Zhou Tiao asked, "Ordering? Get the hard stuff." Clearly, he wasn't planning to return to his own table.
"No." Fu Shize answered absently, "Asking my girlfriend if I can drink."
"..."
Yun Li had been wandering aimlessly around the mall when she received three messages from Fu Shize.
[Zhou Tiao wants to drink.]
[Hard liquor.]
Two minutes later, he sent another to clarify his innocence.
[Not me who wants to.]
Clutching her phone, Yun Li pressed her lips together. Alcohol was bad for the stomach, especially hard liquor. Her first instinct was to rush back and stop them. But after standing frozen for a moment, she slowly relaxed her grip.
Zhou Tiao was probably one of the few close friends Fu Shize had. And Fu Shize had ended their friendship unilaterally—he must have carried guilt over that.
Returning to Fu Shize's side, she saw Zhou Tiao already flushed from drinking, while Fu Shize's glass remained untouched. Yun Li offered, "Go ahead and drink. I'll drive, so I won't join."
Only then did Fu Shize pick up his glass and clink it against Zhou Tiao's.
Their conversation was casual and laid-back, a far cry from Fu Shize's usual reticence in the lab. Yun Li stayed quiet, not interrupting, until she felt something in her hand. She looked down.
Fu Shize rested his chin on his hand as he talked to Zhou Tiao, but his fingers gently kneaded her palm.
Half a bottle later, Zhou Tiao ordered a massive plate of chili peppers and dumped them into one side of the hot pot.
Just as Yun Li was about to protest, Zhou Tiao said familiarly, "Xiao Li, don't let his demeanor fool you—spicy food doesn't faze him at all. Back then, the rest of us would be sweating buckets with swollen lips, while he just kept eating calmly."
Chopsticks in hand, he regaled Yun Li with stories: "Once, I was chasing this girl. Things were going well until our dorm groups had a spicy hot pot dinner. I was a snotty, teary mess—and this guy was sitting right next to me."
"He even kept handing me tissues," Zhou Tiao added, recalling another detail. "Normally, the gap between our looks isn't that huge, right?"Yun Li glanced at Zhou Tiao, then at Fu Shize. Believing that love sees no flaws, she remained silent.
"After that spicy hotpot meal, the girl never spoke to me again, saying I was ugly as sin." Zhou Tiao chuckled as he spoke. "And back then, Fu Shize actually said to me—'Isn’t she just telling the truth?'"
Fu Shize shot him a silent look.
Yun Li couldn’t quite picture the scene. Too embarrassed to respond, she simply lowered her head with a faint smile.
"But he did have a conscience. The next day, he got a few buddies to spam the school forum, calling me the most handsome guy in our department." Zhou Tiao took a sip of his drink and added casually, "Then the girl and her roommates started flooding the comments with just one line—"
"Zhou Tiao is the department heartthrob, but his roommate Fu Shize is the campus heartthrob, the national heartthrob—damn it, every single comment ended with six or seven exclamation marks."
"..."
Fu Shize wordlessly took his glass. "Drink less."
Noticing Fu Shize only picking from the mild broth, Zhou Tiao scoffed, "It’s only been a few years, and you can’t handle spice anymore?"
"His stomach isn’t great," Yun Li explained for him.
Zhou Tiao frowned, muttering, "How can someone so young have stomach problems?" But he turned the mild pot toward Fu Shize and stopped refilling his drink.
By the end of the meal, Zhou Tiao was completely slumped over. Yun Li watched them—Fu Shize seemed semi-conscious but managed to haul Zhou Tiao up. "Let’s go."
"Do you know where he lives?" Yun Li asked.
Fu Shize, now sluggish, slowly set Zhou Tiao back down.
"..."
Opening Zhou Tiao’s Taobao app, Fu Shize checked the delivery address. His vision was blurring, so he handed the phone directly to Yun Li.
After dropping Zhou Tiao off, Yun Li turned to Fu Shize. The strong liquor had left faint patches of red on his cheeks, and he swayed slightly.
She steadied him by the waist and helped him into the passenger seat.
Just as she started the car, Fu Shize gripped her wrist, unbuckled her seatbelt, and pulled her close. His kiss was possessive, his embrace as if claiming every inch of her space. Dazed by the intensity, Yun Li only heard his soft murmur when he finally released her—
"Lili."
"Thank you."
...
At the door of Fu Shize’s dorm, he fumbled in his pocket for the key but couldn’t fish it out.
Seeing this, Yun Li reached into his pocket—his student ID, phone, and keys were all jumbled together. As she tried to pull the key out, Fu Shize pressed her hand down, amused. "Don’t."
Don’t...?
Confused, Yun Li felt the thin fabric of his pocket grow warm under her touch.
Realizing he had no control, she snapped, "I’m just getting the key."
Fu Shize chuckled lowly. "Too close."
As Yun Li slid the key into the lock, a male voice suddenly rang out in the hallway. "Senior!"
She froze, looking at Fu Shize, who straightened slightly, his gaze drifting aside.
Lin Jingran waved at him, then noticed Yun Li standing beside him, both poised to enter. His expression turned indescribable—a mix of envy and teasing. "Just saying hi. Hope I’m not interrupting anything."
Yun Li wished she could vanish into thin air.After entering the room, she recalled what the other person had just said—what did he mean by "hope I didn't disturb you"?
It implied he thought they were about to do something.
Fu Shize slowly walked to the bed and sat down.
"That junior of yours just now—did he think we were going to do something?"
Fu Shize glanced at her and gave an affirmative hum.
Yun Li felt stifled, her face flushing as she said, "Why didn't you explain? You could've just told him you drank too much and I was bringing you back. What if he tells others? What if he thinks you're... loose?"
Fu Shize chuckled lightly, tugging at his collar in the stifling heat. "It's not like I brought someone else back."
"But we're at school. It doesn't look good."
Fu Shize tilted his head, thinking for a moment before replying slowly, "But we didn't actually do anything."
Seeing Yun Li still staring at him insistently, Fu Shize met her gaze. His head barely moved as he surrendered, "I'll tell him tomorrow."
Relieved, Yun Li relaxed, prompting another soft laugh from Fu Shize, who added, "Though he won't believe it."
"..."
Finding his tone and laughter particularly provoking now, Yun Li glared at him.
Fu Shize propped a pillow against the wall and leaned back, his neck slightly flushed. When he lifted his eyes, there was an inscrutable emotion in them as they met hers.
The confined space held just the two of them.
He carried a faint scent of alcohol but remained composed. Fu Shize's fair skin made the blush on his cheeks stand out, reminding Yun Li inexplicably of delicate flowers swaying on a high mountain peak.
The alcohol left his eyes slightly dazed as he watched her quietly, exuding an indescribable allure.
Yun Li's gaze lingered on his loosened collar, where his collarbone was visible. Biting her lower lip, she murmured, "Since everyone already thinks we're going to do something... wouldn't it be a waste if we didn't?"
Fu Shize chuckled but said nothing.
Yun Li climbed onto the bed, inching closer to him. She cupped his face naturally and kissed the corner of his lips. His dark eyes glimmered with emotion, but he made no aggressive moves, simply resting his head against the wall and passively accepting her kisses.
She drew even closer, settling comfortably onto his lap with her knees pressing into the sheets on either side of him. Yun Li could clearly sense his reaction; the taste of alcohol lingered between their lips, and her body grew increasingly warm.
Her loose dress rode up as she sat astride him, still engrossed in their kiss, when she felt Fu Shize's hand slide up from her ankle, grazing her smooth calf, pushing the fabric at her waist higher before gripping her hip.
Breathing rapidly, Yun Li mustered her last shred of rationality to seize his hand behind her back. "We can't," she whispered. "We're at school."
Fu Shize glanced down at their position and gave a low laugh, his eyes holding a hint of reproach. Yet he made no move to force her, withdrawing his hand instead.
Yun Li's face burned crimson. She had only intended some innocent affection but had clearly gone too far.
"Uncomfortable," he murmured hoarsely.
Startled, Yun Li asked, "Where does it hurt?"
After a pause, Fu Shize laughed wryly. "Get me some sleep pants."
Yun Li immediately stood up, only realizing what he meant when she reached the wardrobe. As she rummaged through his clothes, she noticed the gray scarf she'd knitted for him carefully preserved in a dustproof bag, hanging inside.
She handed him a set of loose pajamas.
"Wait here. I'll go downstairs to buy some milk to sober you up."Without waiting for Fu Shize to refuse, Yun Li hurriedly ran out the door and downstairs. Recalling everything that had just happened, she felt her legs go weak.
What! Just! Happened!
After buying several bags of milk and heating them up, she returned to the dorm. Fu Shize had already changed into pajamas and was lying in bed, ready to sleep.
She stayed with him a while longer until he sobered up considerably, then got up to leave.
As she was about to go, Yun Li, reeking of alcohol, muttered to herself, "I wonder if I'll run into any traffic cops doing breath tests today. Would this count as drunk driving?"
"......"
Fu Shize sat back on the bed.
It had been quite a while since he last drank alcohol.
Zhou Tiao always reminded him of Jiang Yuan. He didn't want anything to do with those past events, so he either ignored or gave perfunctory replies to Zhou Tiao's messages checking in on him.
They had been teammates for seven years, and Zhou Tiao considered him a close friend.
During that period of despondency, he had indeed hurt many people.
Seeing Zhou Tiao again didn't seem as difficult to face as he'd subconsciously imagined.
Yet he couldn't bring himself to take that step.
Yun Li wasn't good at socializing, yet tonight she had 'clumsily' created many opportunities for him to untangle his emotional knots, taking that step for him.
He glanced at the milk in his hand, opened a fresh bag, and took a sip.
His phone rang—it was a video call from his father, Fu Dongsheng. He answered. Chen Jinping's face also appeared on the screen. After some small talk, they got straight to the point.
"Son, we heard you're in a relationship."
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