Chapter 112 (5): Together
As dawn broke, Zhuang Fuyao was awakened by the cold.
She nestled in the large bed covered with pale yellow sheets, the blanket kicked off the bed. She rolled the blanket up with her toes, turned off the air conditioner, and continued to sleep.
When I woke up from my nap, it was almost noon.
Ms. Ji rushed into her room, pulled back the curtains, and let the blinding sunlight stream in. "The sun's already high in the sky, why aren't you up yet!"
"After the college entrance exam, I really let loose. I skipped breakfast and slept until noon every day!"
“Although there’s no summer homework, you’re going to get sluggish from staying home all day without going out. In a few days, you might as well come with me to film a movie.”
Ms. Ji's rambling sounded like chanting scriptures.
She stretched groggily, "What kind of movie are we filming?"
Ji Lan glanced at her daughter and said in an unyielding tone, "You're going to play a little maid in a Qing Dynasty drama."
-
At home, Ms. Ji is the boss. Once Ms. Ji has made a decision, neither she nor Lao Zhuang have much room to object.
Fortunately, Zhuang Fuyao wasn't too opposed to taking on minor roles.
After joining the cast, in addition to playing her own limited role, she also served as Ms. Ji's assistant.
They claimed that an assistant was on leave and they were short-staffed.
But Zhuang Fuyao was well aware that this was done on purpose by Ms. Ji.
Before the college entrance examination, she was the family's little darling; after the exam, she was the family's little beggar.
Her days of lazing around at home like a couch potato are finally over.
Under Ms. Ji's "pressure," I had a very fulfilling time. I was tired and scorched during the day, and all I did when I got back to the hotel was sleep.
She often posts her daily life on set on her social media, and Liang Huaixu would like her posts when he saw them.
But unlike other classmates, he wouldn't comment on her posts directly; instead, he would send her a message.
The two of them started chatting naturally.
The conversation was quite conventional, and the unspoken understanding between them remained unresolved. As time went on, Zhuang Fuyao became somewhat puzzled.
She even suspected that the unspoken ambiguity during her senior year of high school was just her overthinking things; otherwise, why hadn't the other person made any moves even after graduation?
We can't let her confess first!
...
After spending more than half a month on the film set, Ms. Ji took pity on her and let her go on vacation.
Hearing that she had some free time, I couldn't avoid the mahjong game I had previously skipped.
By this time, the acceptance letter had already arrived.
No. 1 High School is known for its high concentration of top students, and this year's graduating class did very well, with many students getting into prestigious universities.
The only unexpected thing was Liang Huaixu.
His grades were high enough to get him into the top-tier Yenching University, but he was ultimately admitted to Jiangnan University, a local university.
The students in the class were all a little surprised.
However, some people speculate that it is related to the major Liang Huaixu chose.
"On the other hand, Jiangnan University's architecture is no worse than Yanda University's, and Jiangnan University is located locally. If I were in Jiangnan's shoes, I would have chosen Jiangnan University too."
"Then why didn't you get admitted to Jiang University?"
"What are you saying? Does it mean I don't want to study at Jiangda University?"
"Ha ha ha ha."
Zhuang Fuyao didn't respond. She had been "narcissistic" about this issue for a few moments before.
I wonder if it's because of her. When she was filling out her college applications, Liang Huaixu asked her which schools she applied to...
"I won!"
"I'm laughing too!!"
Her wild thoughts were stopped by a double bang.
Zhuang Fuyao: "..."
-
After the start of the semester, during the military training period, there were many trivial matters to attend to. Liang Huaixu would often come to help her, which aroused gossip among her roommates.
One minute I asked her if this was her boyfriend, and she said no, then she started asking for Liang Huaixu's contact information.
She was getting anxious and had no choice but to admit her feelings for Liang Huaixu.
When she went to collect her books after military training, Liang Huaixu came again. He not only helped her move the books, but also very gentlemanly helped her roommate.
"Fufu, doesn't this look like a son-in-law trying to win over his wife's family?"
At this moment, Qian Yuxin whispered something in her ear, causing Zhuang Fuyao to blush deeply.
On the way, he encountered some boys from his class who were originally going to fawn over him, but they looked at Liang Huaixu with some surprise.
"Is this your friend?"
Zhuang Fuyao had just been teased by Qian Yuxin, and the heat on her face hadn't even dissipated when she was asked this question by a classmate.
She glanced at Liang Huaixu out of the corner of her eye and uttered a few words, "My brother."
The boys were just starting university, a time when they were like peacocks displaying their plumage.
Upon hearing this, they all breathed a sigh of relief and even complimented him, saying, "Your brother looks quite like you."
Zhuang Fuyao: "..."
Liang Huaixu, standing beside him, remained expressionless.
After those boys left, her roommates started singing in unison.
"When did you two become siblings?"
"Isn't my sweetheart also half a brother?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Zhuang Fuyao chased after her roommates, pinching them.
Liang Huaixu, who had been relatively calm, watched their chasing and playing backs gently, his ears burning slightly.
This teasing wasn't just directed at Zhuang Fuyao's roommates; his roommates did too. He was always running around to the art school, and they all assumed his girlfriend was also at Jiangda University. No matter how many times he clarified that she wasn't, it was no use.
Every time he came out and came back, his roommate would give him a meaningful look and say before he could, "I know, I know, she's not his girlfriend."
Although Liang Huaixu said he was not good, he still felt a faint sense of joy in his heart.
He finally realized that he was different from her other friends.
...
After military training ended, he had no excuse to go to the art academy anymore, so he could only look for various opportunities to bump into it.
While eating, while picking up packages, or even while going to evening self-study.
If we meet, we'll naturally chat for a bit, or walk together for a while.
By this point, Zhuang Fuyao was already certain of Liang Huaixu's feelings for her. After all, Jiang University's campus was so large; there couldn't possibly be so many coincidences.
But Zhuang Fuyao didn't expose it, and the unspoken ambiguity between them gradually intensified.
But Cheng Beibei was not happy with her best friend's romantic progress.
After hearing about her progress with Liang Huaixu, he secretly did something big: he pretended to be a fanboy and posted Zhuang Fuyao's photo on the confession wall to get her back.
The news quickly reached Liang Huaixu's dormitory.
Everyone in their dorm knew Zhuang Fuyao, and after seeing this post, they immediately forwarded it to Liang Huaixu.
This indirectly became a catalyst between them.
Liang Huaixu suddenly invited her to go to the movies, something that was unprecedented for him.
In the dimly lit theater, the unintentional touches between the young boys and girls as they ate popcorn made them seem like a stark contrast to the young couple sitting in front of them.
While the male and female leads in the movie were sharing a beautiful kiss, the other couple was doing the same thing.
When Liang Huaixu saw it, he sat there stiffly like a statue, his palms sweating with nervousness.
He had no experience pursuing women, let alone asking them to the movies.
When Zhuang Fuyao discovered this, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart and suppressed a smile.
After the movie ended, Liang Huaixu escorted Zhuang Fuyao back to her dormitory building before finally regaining his ability to think calmly.
Frustrated, he ran back to the boys' dormitory, feeling that his behavior throughout the day had been incredibly foolish and his performance terrible.
Zhuang Fuyao, who went back to her dorm to remove her makeup and take a shower, was also somewhat speechless.
I thought watching a movie together would lead to something, but nothing happened.
If it were anyone else, they would have confessed their feelings and gotten together during the summer after graduating from high school, but she and Liang Huaixu were still in the stage of being nervous even while watching a movie.
She really had no way to deal with Liang Huaixu.
-
A few days later, it would be her eighteenth birthday.
She invited friends and classmates she was close to, including Liang Huaixu. To make it easier for Ms. Ji to attend, the theme of the birthday party was masked, and no one recognized the star-studded actress.
Everyone thought Zhuang Fuyao's mother was a very elegant and fashionable woman. Now that Zhuang Fuyao was eighteen, she was finally allowed to drink in front of her parents.
The party was very lively. After it ended, Lao Zhuang and Ms. Ji arranged for people to take each classmate home.
Liang Huaixu avoided that time, and when he returned, only Zhuang Fuyao and Cheng Beibei were there.
Upon seeing Liang Huaixu approach, Cheng Beibei wisely went to the bathroom to remove her makeup first.
The courtyard was quiet except for the chirping of cicadas. A man and a woman stood facing each other, both with slightly flushed faces.
On the day Zhuang Fuyao turned eighteen, Liang Huaixu finally mustered up his courage.
Before coming, he had actually prepared a long speech in his mind, originally intending to recount his mental journey over the past few years.
But the moment his eyes met hers, his usually excellent memory faltered, and he stammered, "Zhuang Fuyao..."
Even though she was prepared, her heart still pounded like a deer when she heard it with her own ears. Zhuang Fuyao's eyes curved into crescents, and her eyes sparkled like stars beneath the mask.
The dramatic part is that the confession was interrupted halfway through.
Zhuang Fuyao keenly sensed her parents' return and pulled Liang Huaixu's hand to hide in a corner.
There were no streetlights there; it blended into the darkness. You wouldn't notice it at all unless you looked closely.
As Lao Zhuang and Ms. Ji's voices faded into the distance, the two people with their backs to the wall finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The two gradually realized that their hands were still clasped together.
Liang Huaixu finally stopped being so clueless; when she pulled her hand away, he gripped it tightly in return.
The evening breeze ruffled her hair and landed on his cheek; he used his other hand to smooth it down.
In that instant, even the cicadas' chirping ceased; both of them could only feel their hearts pounding rapidly.
"Zhuang Fuyao, I like you. Can you give me a chance?"
-
Many years later, she learned that Liang Huaixu had no confidence in his confession.
She asked him what would have happened if she had refused back then?
Liang Huaixu smiled and said, "Then let's take a step back and be friends. I'll spend four years working hard until the day you tell me you're tired of me."
But he might continue to love her in his heart for a very long time without disturbing her.
—End of text
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That concludes the article. Thank you all for your support over the past few months.
Regardless of which timeline Liang and Fufu live happily ever after, I hope everyone reading this will too! [Hugs][Hearts]
I haven't decided which book I'll be writing next yet. I'm looking for inspiration first, and I'll share it with everyone as soon as possible!
P.S.: If you like this book, could you please give it a 5-star rating on the completion page? -3
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