Chapter 34

"Are you feeling better?" Fu Cheng asked.

"I'm fine." The girl waved a hand and glanced curiously at Shen Yi beside him.

"Ah," Fu Cheng said, realizing he needed to introduce them. The girl was Shen Meiyue, his middle school classmate. She wasn't in very good health and had repeated a year, so she was now in her second year of high school.

Shen Yi raised a hand and said with a smile, "Hello."

Shen Meiyue's cheeks grew warm, and she mumbled, "Hello."

As the three walked out side by side, Shen Meiyue chose to walk next to Fu Cheng, whom she knew better, while Shen Yi walked on his other side.

"I'm sorry, Fu Cheng. I only just found out about Xu Fanchao coming to see you before," Shen Meiyue said quietly, breathing into her hands. "Sorry for the trouble."

"It's okay," Fu Cheng said.

Shen Yi turned to glance at Shen Meiyue. She was a delicate, demure-looking girl. Perhaps because of her poor health, she had a frail air about her, a softness that posed no threat.

They parted ways at the school gate.

Shen Meiyue waved to them and turned to get into the car that had come to pick her up.

Only later did Shen Yi learn that Fu Cheng and the girl had been deskmates in middle school. They had become friends because they were both shy, and people had teased them about being a couple.

When Fu Cheng had asked Shen Yi if he wanted a cat, the classmate whose cat had given birth to kittens was also Shen Meiyue.

"What a coincidence," Shen Yi teased. "Do you attract people with the surname Shen?"

"Ah," Fu Cheng said, only then realizing they shared a surname.

Shen Yi looked at him helplessly. "Don't tell me you only just noticed."

Fu Cheng said, "I... didn't notice."

"You're so slow... But maybe that's a good thing." Shen Yi stroked his chin, something evidently on his mind.

"Why?" Fu Cheng asked.

Shen Yi smiled without answering, and Fu Cheng's attempts to press him got nowhere.

Fu Yuhe didn't come home that day. That evening, he called Fu Cheng to let him know he had gone to City B on a business trip.

For the next three days, Shen Yi didn't send Fu Yuhe any more messages to bother him, because he hadn't told him he was leaving, and that made Shen Yi a little unhappy.

His unhappiness had nothing to do with liking or disliking him; he was simply unhappy at being ignored.

Fu Yuhe noticed Shen Yi's mood on the second day. The person who had never missed a good morning or good night message before had gone two days without messaging him.

That night, after showering at the hotel, he sat on the bed flipping through a magazine to pass the time when his phone vibrated. Fu Yuhe's thin lips curved up, but when he picked up the phone, he saw it was a spam message.

Fu Yuhe: "..."

It was getting late. Fu Yuhe's smile faded, and he tossed his phone aside, closed the magazine and turned off the light.

He knew Shen Yi was sulking.

A relationship was a game of strategy. Fu Yuhe still felt bothered that Shen Yi had completely controlled the pace that night, but he had kept him on the hook long enough. It was time to give the kid a little taste of sweetness.

Shen Yi was young, so it was understandable that his emotions showed on his face. Fu Yuhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He kept his own emotions steady and waited for the kid to come to him.

To his surprise, Shen Yi was very patient and didn't send him a single message during his business trip.

He must have been really angry.

After Fu Yuhe sent Shen Yi a message and got no reply, he didn't send another.

A little after seven on Friday evening, Fu Yuhe got off the plane and had his assistant drive him straight home.

The corridor lights were on. Fu Yuhe stood outside Fu Cheng's door and raised his hand to knock, then lowered it and took his time straightening his clothes so he wouldn't look travel-worn. Only then did he raise his hand and knock.

The door opened, and Fu Cheng was the one who answered.

Seeing him, Fu Cheng asked, "Brother, you're back. Did you need something?"

Fu Yuhe handed him the things he was holding. "I brought you some local specialties."

"Thanks, Brother!" Fu Cheng eagerly took them and turned back into the room, with Fu Yuhe following him in.

Fu Cheng was alone in the room.

"Doing homework?" Fu Yuhe leaned against the desk, tapping his fingertips lightly on its surface.

"Yeah." Fu Cheng was unpacking his gifts.

Fu Yuhe casually lifted the test paper and paused. There was a pink envelope underneath it. What it was went without saying; it was easy to guess.

Fu Cheng, who was unpacking his gifts, evidently remembered the thing under his test paper too. He hurriedly looked up, came over and pressed the paper down with a slap, his face flushing red.

"Brother, this..."

"You don't need to explain it to me." Fu Yuhe didn't much care. "It's your business. Handle it yourself."

He straightened up. "Get some rest early."

Fu Cheng froze for a moment, then remembered to explain. "No, no, no, that's not it! Brother, it's not for me! It's... it's Shen Yi's."

Fu Yuhe abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Chapter 16: Love letter

Fu Cheng scratched behind his slightly reddened ear. The envelope had been sprayed with perfume, and anyone standing by the desk could smell its sweet, fresh scent if they paid attention. It brought to mind a young girl's skirt fluttering in the wind, innocent and lovely.

"Brother, don't get the wrong idea!"

For a truly innocent high school boy, this kind of misunderstanding was a little embarrassing. What was more, the person misunderstanding him was his brother, who, in his eyes, was practically an elder.

"Shen Yi's?" Fu Yuhe finally turned around, his deep voice cool.

Fu Cheng didn't notice the subtle change. "Yeah, I... only saw it when I got back. Shen Yi's name is written on it. Someone must have put it in the wrong schoolbag."

Fu Yuhe said, "You're in your final year of high school. Isn't your schoolwork demanding?"