To make it easier for Yan Huai Xu to understand, Song Fu even kindly explained the character archetype of the plush doll in more detail and made a point to show off the cabinet full of carefully preserved merchandise for the female supporting character.
A meaningful light chuckle sounded in the air.
Song Fu’s movements froze as she displayed them. She pretended to be troubled. “Do you think I should take those with me? I want to take every single one, but it seems like they won’t fit.”
The arc at the corner of Yan Huai Xu’s mouth quickly vanished.
Song Fu noticed that the man in front of her narrowed his phoenix eyes. His probing gaze fell on the stuffed doll in the suitcase. He stared at it for a long time, as if utterly baffled. “Where does it look like me?”
Song Fu picked the most obvious feature. “Your eyes and hair are both exceptionally black. Don’t say that most people are like that…” She walked up to Yan Huai Xu, leaned down, and aligned her eyes with his at the same level. Then she pointed at her own eye with her index finger. “Look, mine aren’t. They’re not that black.”
Too close. He could smell the faint fragrance of her hair.
The girl had a beautiful face and soft, translucent amber eyes. Under the refraction of the light, they resembled solidified honey. At this moment, those pretty eyes focused solely on one person.
Yan Huai Xu knew this better than anyone. He consciously avoided dodging his gaze and said, “I know.”
He had noticed it from their first meeting.
Yan Huai Xu belatedly realized the dissatisfying part of that painting.
“Good then.”
Song Fu, as the one who had asked, retreated to the display cabinet. She used the motion of turning her back to hide that inexplicable discomfort. Perhaps it was because the other party’s attitude was too matter-of-fact? She picked and chose among the items in the cabinet and finally selected just a few. “I’ll bring a few more dolls then.” At least they could serve as pillows to hug.
…
She had not planned to pack everything in one go anyway. When the time was about right, Song Fu and Yan Huai Xu went to have lunch together.
They had just sat down when Old Master Song, who walked in from outside, glanced over and immediately spoke up. “What’s this? Did you two have a fight?”
Song Fu had no idea how he reached that conclusion. “No.”
“No?” Old Master Song’s gaze shifted to Yan Huai Xu, his tone meaningful. “Then was Huai Xu in a bad mood before he came?”
Because of this, Song Fu looked at the person sitting beside her. It was still that same icy handsome face. She stubbornly kept staring, unable to see even the slightest difference from before. “What does he look like when he’s happy?”
Old Master Song just laughed and took the chance to put in a dig. “You don’t even pay this much attention, and you have the nerve to say you like him?”
Song Fu let out a “tch,” while Yan Huai Xu finally got a chance to speak. He denied it. “I’m not in a bad mood.”
Old Master Song did not seem to believe him. He just did not want to call out the younger generation’s stubbornness. He chuckled and turned to talk about Song Fu studying abroad. The thought of his granddaughter, whom he had raised right in front of him, only being visible once every few months made him sigh incessantly. “The outside world is unfamiliar. If you feel like you’re not having a good time, just come back. Don’t listen to your parents. The fewer setbacks you encounter, the better. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Song Fu was so moved that her eyes brimmed with tears. She wanted to pick up Old Master Song and spin him around. She immediately promised, “Grandpa, I’ll definitely miss you. I’ll come back often for sure.”
That was what she said.
And that was exactly what she did.
Abroad, whenever she had enough free time for a round trip, Song Fu would choose to return home. The frequency could indeed be called frequent.
But she did not run into Yan Huai Xu much.
Moreover, during her time abroad, most of the contact was one-sided from Song Fu—or rather, her harassing Yan Huai Xu. She would send a bunch of random messages, and it would take him a long time to reply.
Finally, one time, Song Fu caught him. It was near the New Year during winter break. She was playing chess with Old Master Song and racking her brain when Uncle Wang brought someone over.
After a few months, Yan Huai Xu’s condition had improved quite a bit compared to before, but mainly in subtle details. To describe it in one sentence, the glow on his face had noticeably improved. Standing there, he made people automatically imagine sparkling stars adorning him in their minds.
“Are you deliberately avoiding me?”
Song Fu complained in an unhappy tone. Naturally, the response was a denial.
Old Master Song placed a white piece, sealing Song Fu’s defeat. She tossed the piece in her hand back into the porcelain jar. “That’s why I haven’t seen you in so long.”
Yan Huai Xu tugged at his lips and coolly countered, “Did you ever tell me when you’d be back?”
She had not, but Song Fu refused to lose momentum. She huffed, “Isn’t that because you always ignore my messages? As if you’d make a special trip to see me even if I did tell you…”
Yan Huai Xu sat down beside her and directly pulled out his phone, opening the chat window. “Which message did I ignore?”
“Lots!” Song Fu declared confidently. She picked up her phone and started scrolling for evidence, page by page. Her righteous expression turned bewildered. No, that could not be right. “It must be… I did not look carefully enough.” So she browsed even more meticulously.
Then ten minutes passed. Song Fu could not hide her guilt. They really all had replies. What had given her the illusion of being ignored?
After a brief moment of thought, she found a new excuse. “But you reply so slowly anyway.”
“Time difference. I have classes.”
Yan Huai Xu gave two reasons at once. Song Fu had nothing to say to that.
Yan Huai Xu’s phoenix eyes were dark and deep. He added flatly, “You don’t care whether I reply or not anyway.” She probably tossed it aside after sending the message, like completing a task.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze passing over Song Fu’s empty wrist.
Song Fu had been called out. She gave an awkward laugh and clasped her hands together. “Pretend I did not say anything from the start. Can we start over?”
She cleared her throat and adjusted her state. “I brought you a gift. You…”
“Fu Fu.” The two young ones went back and forth, ignoring Old Master Song, who had been sidelined the whole time. He finally spoke up. “What time is it now? Is not it time to eat?”
Song Fu glanced at her phone screen and answered honestly. “Half an hour left. Are you hungry already, Grandpa? Then let’s go eat now.”
Old Master Song shook his head, seemingly mentioning it casually. “Why are not you wearing your watch anymore?”
Song Fu tidied the chess pieces on the board. “It’s freezing cold. The watch face feels like a little ice cube.”
Pretty cold.
She had caught a cold a couple of days ago.
Old Master Song had a weird sense of humor and inexplicably laughed at that.
…
This time, Yan Huai Xu saw Song Fu off at the airport.
Song Fu did not miss the great opportunity to reinforce her steady persona. “You’d better not start dating someone else while I’m gone.”
As soon as she said it, she saw speechlessness on Yan Huai Xu’s face.
Yan Huai Xu was utterly frank. “I do not date early.”
The boarding reminder sounded. Song Fu dragged her suitcase and hurried off. At security, she still did not forget to wave at Yan Huai Xu and say, “I’ll be back next time for New Year.”
New Year.
That was not far off.
Yan Huai Xu waved back.
Abroad, there were always some frustrations, especially in Italy, which had its own language. Song Fu’s Italian was only barely passable, which directly led to all sorts of inconveniences and conflicts.
Added to the pressure from her studies, it all resulted in one outcome—
Song Fu wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
Back in her room, she buried her head in the pillow and did not move.
[Host, do not push yourself too hard.] The System’s mechanical voice was full of concern. [The plotline does not mention the female supporting character’s academics, so you can just gloss over it.]
That made sense, but she had already put in so much time studying. Song Fu could not accept mediocre results. She flipped over, letting her mind wander aimlessly. Then she patted her forehead and muttered, “Thinking too much is pointless anyway.”
Song Fu decided to find something to distract herself. She picked up her phone, and the first thing she saw after unlocking was Yan Huai Xu, pinned at the top.
She sent a voice call.
Actually, this was her first time calling him via voice. Before, she had only sent simple text messages. Even then, she had considered Yan Huai Xu’s insomnia and paid extra attention to the time difference, avoiding his rest times. But this time, she did not think about it and acted on impulse.
It was not picked up right away. Song Fu mentally calculated that it should be two in the morning there. She planned to cancel, but right before she pressed it, a familiar voice came through the earpiece.
“Hello?”
Song Fu was stunned for a moment. “You really have not slept yet? Did not you put your phone on silent?”
Yan Huai Xu said, “I happened to be looking at something.”
Honestly, Song Fu had a hard time imagining the future ice-block CEO playing on his phone in the middle of the night, but it made sense. “The sleep mask I brought you last time home was not helpful at all?”
“Not used to it.”
He answered every question briefly, but because of his serious tone, it did not feel perfunctory.
Song Fu chattered on about going skiing a couple of days ago, how she was not skilled and face-planted into the snow. “But I will not now. When I get back, we can go together. Do you know how?”
“No.”
“I’ll teach you then.”
The line went inexplicably silent, only their breathing audible.
Song Fu lay supine on the bed, staring at the ceiling patterns for a while. She wanted to say something but did not know where to start. She could only say softly, “I think I miss you a little.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Who upset you?”
Song Fu refused to switch to heart-to-heart mode. “No, I just wanted to ask if there’s any gift you want?”
…
A few days later, Song Fu received a call from Old Master Song.
As usual, he asked if she was having a good time lately and if she had adjusted. Just before hanging up, he mentioned that Yan Huai Xu was going to Italy. “Entertain him if you have time. If not, have your dad arrange someone. His insomnia has not gotten better. He says there’s a famous doctor in Italy? Anyway, he’s planning a trip and can check on how you’re doing while he’s at it.”
“I have time. I have time.”
Song Fu’s lips curved up. “I’ll take him skiing!”
Yan Huai Xu did not stay long, but it was enough time for Song Fu to take him around many places and snap a thick stack of photos.
They went skiing together. Because Yan Huai Xu had said he did not know how, Song Fu wanted to show off her skills. But as expected of the male lead, his learning speed was inhuman. In no time, he caught up to Song Fu’s beginner level.
After one run, they climbed back to the top together. Song Fu remembered Yan Huai Xu’s appointment with the famous doctor and did some mental prep work ahead of time. “Insomnia is not something that gets cured overnight. If that doctor is not as amazing as you imagine, do not get too discouraged. Maybe in a few years, you’ll recover naturally, right?”
Yan Huai Xu nodded.
Song Fu hesitated. “How about I go with you?”
He refused, saying he could go alone. Then he took off his goggles, shook off the snow from his falls, and abruptly changed the subject. “That game you play shut down.”
Song Fu blanked for a second on her face. She played so many games that she could not recall which one right away. “… Oh, you mean that one.” The otome game that was the origin of the female supporting character’s obsession with the male lead. “I have not played it in a while. It shut down now? Being heavily monetized was no big deal for a whale like me. The real issue was the events got boring, recycling the same old content. The plot made people yawn.”
Seeing her indifferent attitude, Yan Huai Xu unconsciously furrowed his brow. “You do not care?”
“I definitely would have a year ago.”
Song Fu kept climbing, then suddenly paused and turned to look at Yan Huai Xu behind her. She opened her mouth. “Wait, you’re not telling me this to make me sad, are you?”
Yan Huai Xu put his goggles back on, his tone stiff. “No.”
“Alright then.” Song Fu did not dwell on it.
Just like in the plotline, Song Fu completed her studies abroad. Then, on a cold winter night, she received a call from her hometown.
Old Master Song fell ill.
All the old ailments that he had barely managed to cope with before now flared up one after another. The old master, who had been full of vigor just last month, suddenly lost all his energy in the blink of an eye. He lay on the hospital bed, his breathing sounding like an old, broken bellows.
Song Fu knew this day would come and believed she had prepared herself mentally for it. Yet, upon seeing the old master with her own eyes, she still couldn’t help shedding tears. She called out “Grandpa” and found herself unable to say another word.
This elderly man who doted on her was about to depart, returning to dust. At that thought, Song Fu’s heart felt as if it were clogged with silt.
Father Song and Mother Song wore equally grave expressions. After hearing the doctor’s explanation, they knew the score but forced themselves not to show it in front of the old master. “Your body shouldn’t worry about winter swimming anymore. Fishing with Fu Fu is still fine.”
What kind of person was Old Master Song? He knew his own condition better than anyone. The one he was most worried about was still his granddaughter. He raised his hand to wipe the tears from Song Fu’s face. “Why cry? At my age, even dying now would be considered a joyous funeral. You’ve just returned from abroad, and your birthday is coming up soon. Hold a proper celebration then, let the others—my old friends—get a good look at my wonderful granddaughter…”
The patient needed rest, and visiting hours were short. When Song Fu walked out of the ward, she saw Yan Huai Xu standing at the door.
Yan Huai Xu was the first to notice something wrong with Old Master Song and had sent him to the hospital. Strictly speaking, the Song and Yan families had supported each other long ago—you help me, I help you. The favor Old Master Song had done back then couldn’t really be calculated anyway.
Song Fu stood there without speaking. Yan Huai Xu took a tissue and gently wiped the tear stains from her face, bit by bit, meticulously.
“Want some water?”
Recalling it now, it had been over a month ago, back at the birthday banquet.
The light from the ornate chandeliers was cold and dazzling, the beautiful glassware gathering faint glimmers. Toward the end of the banquet, the symphony orchestra struck up some music.
Song Fu forgot how she had answered at the time—anyway, she didn’t drink it—but she remembered that what Yan Huai Xu handed her was milk tea, wafting a sweet fragrance.
“Care to dance?” She took the initiative to extend her hand.
Yan Huai Xu grasped it, his dark eyes calm and still.