Chapter 43: Half-Hour Kiss
Shen Zhuying felt that she had only slept for a while.
But when she woke up, she could no longer hear.
Every corner of the world was quiet.
Zhao Ziqian was arguing with the doctor in front of her ward, his mouth opening and closing, his expression ferocious and exaggerated.
He no longer demanded that she call Shen An.
He even began to forbid her from calling Shen An.
Every time Shen Zhuying saw that guilty, uneasy face of his, she wanted to laugh.
But Shen An still found out. She rushed back overnight, had a big quarrel with Zhao Ziqian, and finally took Shen Zhuying away.
When they left, Zhao Ziqian didn’t come to see her off, but Shen Zhuying saw him.
He was crouching in some dark corner.
He would often curl up in that corner whenever he got drunk.
At that time, she was already wearing a hearing aid. She had just put it on and was still in the period of adapting to the frequency of the outside world, and because of that, most sounds in the world, to her then, were cold mechanical noises.
Shen An asked her, “Zhuzhu, what are you looking at?”
Shen Zhuying withdrew her gaze, lowered her lashes, and said quietly,
“Mom, I saw a damp vine. That wall which, when I was young, I thought would forever be wide and would never collapse—
has already turned into a damp vine.”
Shen Zhuying didn’t know how long she had been crouching under the tree until someone gently shook her.
She raised her head.
A high school student in a uniform was looking at her worriedly. From the shape of his mouth, Shen Zhuying guessed he was asking if she needed help.
Shen Zhuying gently shook her head.
After the student left, she crouched there for a long time again, until her whole body became stiff and cold.
Then she supported herself on the tree trunk and slowly stood up.
Then she put on her hearing aid again, reconnecting herself once more with this not-so-bad world.
Qingfeng Garden was actually not far from the flower shop; it was only a little over twenty minutes on foot, but before, she had always wanted Fu Sizhuo to come and pick her up.
Today, without Fu Sizhuo, she could still walk home alone.
Halfway there, her phone rang urgently. Shen Zhuying took it out of her bag.
It was a call from Fu Sizhuo.
Only then did she realize that Fu Sizhuo had already called her dozens of times earlier.
But because she hadn’t been wearing her hearing aid, she hadn’t heard any of them.
She hurriedly pressed “answer.”
“Hello.”
Her voice was very hoarse.
Shen Zhuying coughed lightly twice to restore her voice to normal and tried to sound cheerful as she asked, “I was just in the shower and didn’t hear the ringtone. How come such a busy man has time to call me?”
“Where are you?” His side had the sound of wind; his breathing was heavy.
“I…” Hearing that familiar yet strange voice, Shen Zhuying’s throat choked. She quietly wiped away her tears. “I’m at home. I just finished showering.”
He was so far away from her, if he knew she hadn’t gone home yet this late, he would probably worry a lot.
The other side was silent for a moment, then repeated again.
“Shen Zhuying, where are you?”
“I…” Shen Zhuying sniffled, and finally said, “I’m at the intersection of Cuiwu Street and Maple Avenue.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, I just… just wanted… to go out and look at the moon.”
“Fu Sizhuo.”
Shen Zhuying tilted her head up, looking at the bright moon hanging in the sky tonight, and suddenly thought of the moon Fu Sizhuo had photographed and sent to her that morning.
Tonight it was snowing heavily. Jingbei City was seven thousand and sixty-seven kilometers away from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
Shen Zhuying blinked and softly said, “The moonlight is so beautiful tonight.”
And I really, really miss you.
“I’ll take a picture of the moon for you too.”
On the other end, his breathing grew heavier. Shen Zhuying could hear his hurried footsteps, like they were stepping on snow, making soft rustling sounds. “Don’t.”
His footsteps quickened, and then, breathing heavily, he said, “Shen Zhuying, turn around.”
“What?”
Shen Zhuying’s heart was filled with confusion, but she still subconsciously turned her head.
A tall, straight figure stood in the snow, stepping on the shimmering moonlight beneath his feet, running toward her step by step.
It was someone who should have been impossible to appear here tonight.
“Fu Sizhuo.” Shen Zhuying stood frozen in place, staring blankly as the man walked up to her. After a long while, she finally squeezed out a sentence, “Why are you here?”
Fu Sizhuo’s long, cold fingers brushed the tear stains still wet at the corner of her eyes.
In the darkness, his features were even more refined and sharp, his eyes deep as ink that couldn’t be dissolved.
“I saw two moons tonight.”
After saying that, he caught her chin in his palm and lowered his head to kiss her lips.
Unlike his cold fingers, his lips were burning hot. He clumsily took her lips into his, kissing her with a slightly hurried intensity.
So this was what kissing felt like, Shen Zhuying felt as if she were melting entirely.
Her legs went a little weak; luckily, Fu Sizhuo held her by the waist.
She didn’t know how long it was before he finally pulled away, breathing slowly, his forehead resting against hers.
Shen Zhuying still hadn’t recovered, looking completely dazed from the kiss.
“How… how are you here…?” Her tone sounded as if her soul had drifted out of her body.
“Came to kiss you.” He smiled, then lowered his head again and kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
“Baby, why are you crying? What happened?” His voice was gentle and low.
Shen Zhuying shook her head, not wanting to say.
Fu Sizhuo didn’t ask further. His other hand skillfully slid over her wrist bone, and their ten fingers interlocked.
“Let’s go, go home,” he said.
It was already close to midnight. There were very few people left on the street, only the sound of two sets of footsteps, light and deep, treading across the snow.
“Shen Zhuying.” The man’s tone was calm and soft as he slowly said, “Still don’t have anything you want to tell me?”
Shen Zhuying was silent for a long time, then finally shook her head and said, “No.”
“Alright.” He tightened his grip on her hand, tucked it into the pocket of his coat, and asked again, “Then me coming to pick you up and take you home, did it make you feel a bit better?”
Shen Zhuying nodded and smiled a little. “Yes.”
“And kissing you?” he asked seriously.
“Yes, too.” She answered just as seriously.
When they arrived at Qingfeng Garden, Fu Sizhuo stood at the entrance, released her hand, and said, “Go in.”
Shen Zhuying looked at him a little uneasily. “You’re not coming in?”
He smiled helplessly. “I have to go to the airport soon.”
“What do you mean?” She was stunned for a moment, her eyes suddenly turning red. “You still have to rush back to Romania?”
“Then why…” She wanted to cry again.
“Why did you suddenly come back?”
“To kiss you,” he said.
The thought of flying back home had come to him very suddenly.
Probably after she sent him that photo of the first snow in Jing City.
He suddenly remembered one night when he had come out of his study and heard Shen Zhuying talking to her friend on the phone.
They were probably discussing some newly released TV drama.
The young girl was so sweetly excited that she rolled around on the sofa.
“Ahhh, kissing on the first snowy night—this is way too sweet! Leopard-cat, I’ve been reborn!!!”
Although he didn’t understand what 'leopard-cat' in her mouth meant, probably, she also really liked kissing on the night of the first snow.
He had checked his next work schedule carefully and calculated everything.
After subtracting all the miscellaneous time spent on the road, he only had half an hour left.
From Jingbei City to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the distance was a total of seven thousand and sixty-seven kilometers.
He could only spare half an hour—to kiss her.
Shen Zhuying felt that she had only slept for a while.
But when she woke up, she could no longer hear.
Every corner of the world was quiet.
Zhao Ziqian was arguing with the doctor in front of her ward, his mouth opening and closing, his expression ferocious and exaggerated.
He no longer demanded that she call Shen An.
He even began to forbid her from calling Shen An.
Every time Shen Zhuying saw that guilty, uneasy face of his, she wanted to laugh.
But Shen An still found out. She rushed back overnight, had a big quarrel with Zhao Ziqian, and finally took Shen Zhuying away.
When they left, Zhao Ziqian didn’t come to see her off, but Shen Zhuying saw him.
He was crouching in some dark corner.
He would often curl up in that corner whenever he got drunk.
At that time, she was already wearing a hearing aid. She had just put it on and was still in the period of adapting to the frequency of the outside world, and because of that, most sounds in the world, to her then, were cold mechanical noises.
Shen An asked her, “Zhuzhu, what are you looking at?”
Shen Zhuying withdrew her gaze, lowered her lashes, and said quietly,
“Mom, I saw a damp vine. That wall which, when I was young, I thought would forever be wide and would never collapse—
has already turned into a damp vine.”
Shen Zhuying didn’t know how long she had been crouching under the tree until someone gently shook her.
She raised her head.
A high school student in a uniform was looking at her worriedly. From the shape of his mouth, Shen Zhuying guessed he was asking if she needed help.
Shen Zhuying gently shook her head.
After the student left, she crouched there for a long time again, until her whole body became stiff and cold.
Then she supported herself on the tree trunk and slowly stood up.
Then she put on her hearing aid again, reconnecting herself once more with this not-so-bad world.
Qingfeng Garden was actually not far from the flower shop; it was only a little over twenty minutes on foot, but before, she had always wanted Fu Sizhuo to come and pick her up.
Today, without Fu Sizhuo, she could still walk home alone.
Halfway there, her phone rang urgently. Shen Zhuying took it out of her bag.
It was a call from Fu Sizhuo.
Only then did she realize that Fu Sizhuo had already called her dozens of times earlier.
But because she hadn’t been wearing her hearing aid, she hadn’t heard any of them.
She hurriedly pressed “answer.”
“Hello.”
Her voice was very hoarse.
Shen Zhuying coughed lightly twice to restore her voice to normal and tried to sound cheerful as she asked, “I was just in the shower and didn’t hear the ringtone. How come such a busy man has time to call me?”
“Where are you?” His side had the sound of wind; his breathing was heavy.
“I…” Hearing that familiar yet strange voice, Shen Zhuying’s throat choked. She quietly wiped away her tears. “I’m at home. I just finished showering.”
He was so far away from her, if he knew she hadn’t gone home yet this late, he would probably worry a lot.
The other side was silent for a moment, then repeated again.
“Shen Zhuying, where are you?”
“I…” Shen Zhuying sniffled, and finally said, “I’m at the intersection of Cuiwu Street and Maple Avenue.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, I just… just wanted… to go out and look at the moon.”
“Fu Sizhuo.”
Shen Zhuying tilted her head up, looking at the bright moon hanging in the sky tonight, and suddenly thought of the moon Fu Sizhuo had photographed and sent to her that morning.
Tonight it was snowing heavily. Jingbei City was seven thousand and sixty-seven kilometers away from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
Shen Zhuying blinked and softly said, “The moonlight is so beautiful tonight.”
And I really, really miss you.
“I’ll take a picture of the moon for you too.”
On the other end, his breathing grew heavier. Shen Zhuying could hear his hurried footsteps, like they were stepping on snow, making soft rustling sounds. “Don’t.”
His footsteps quickened, and then, breathing heavily, he said, “Shen Zhuying, turn around.”
“What?”
Shen Zhuying’s heart was filled with confusion, but she still subconsciously turned her head.
A tall, straight figure stood in the snow, stepping on the shimmering moonlight beneath his feet, running toward her step by step.
It was someone who should have been impossible to appear here tonight.
“Fu Sizhuo.” Shen Zhuying stood frozen in place, staring blankly as the man walked up to her. After a long while, she finally squeezed out a sentence, “Why are you here?”
Fu Sizhuo’s long, cold fingers brushed the tear stains still wet at the corner of her eyes.
In the darkness, his features were even more refined and sharp, his eyes deep as ink that couldn’t be dissolved.
“I saw two moons tonight.”
After saying that, he caught her chin in his palm and lowered his head to kiss her lips.
Unlike his cold fingers, his lips were burning hot. He clumsily took her lips into his, kissing her with a slightly hurried intensity.
So this was what kissing felt like, Shen Zhuying felt as if she were melting entirely.
Her legs went a little weak; luckily, Fu Sizhuo held her by the waist.
She didn’t know how long it was before he finally pulled away, breathing slowly, his forehead resting against hers.
Shen Zhuying still hadn’t recovered, looking completely dazed from the kiss.
“How… how are you here…?” Her tone sounded as if her soul had drifted out of her body.
“Came to kiss you.” He smiled, then lowered his head again and kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
“Baby, why are you crying? What happened?” His voice was gentle and low.
Shen Zhuying shook her head, not wanting to say.
Fu Sizhuo didn’t ask further. His other hand skillfully slid over her wrist bone, and their ten fingers interlocked.
“Let’s go, go home,” he said.
It was already close to midnight. There were very few people left on the street, only the sound of two sets of footsteps, light and deep, treading across the snow.
“Shen Zhuying.” The man’s tone was calm and soft as he slowly said, “Still don’t have anything you want to tell me?”
Shen Zhuying was silent for a long time, then finally shook her head and said, “No.”
“Alright.” He tightened his grip on her hand, tucked it into the pocket of his coat, and asked again, “Then me coming to pick you up and take you home, did it make you feel a bit better?”
Shen Zhuying nodded and smiled a little. “Yes.”
“And kissing you?” he asked seriously.
“Yes, too.” She answered just as seriously.
When they arrived at Qingfeng Garden, Fu Sizhuo stood at the entrance, released her hand, and said, “Go in.”
Shen Zhuying looked at him a little uneasily. “You’re not coming in?”
He smiled helplessly. “I have to go to the airport soon.”
“What do you mean?” She was stunned for a moment, her eyes suddenly turning red. “You still have to rush back to Romania?”
“Then why…” She wanted to cry again.
“Why did you suddenly come back?”
“To kiss you,” he said.
The thought of flying back home had come to him very suddenly.
Probably after she sent him that photo of the first snow in Jing City.
He suddenly remembered one night when he had come out of his study and heard Shen Zhuying talking to her friend on the phone.
They were probably discussing some newly released TV drama.
The young girl was so sweetly excited that she rolled around on the sofa.
“Ahhh, kissing on the first snowy night—this is way too sweet! Leopard-cat, I’ve been reborn!!!”
Although he didn’t understand what 'leopard-cat' in her mouth meant, probably, she also really liked kissing on the night of the first snow.
He had checked his next work schedule carefully and calculated everything.
After subtracting all the miscellaneous time spent on the road, he only had half an hour left.
From Jingbei City to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the distance was a total of seven thousand and sixty-seven kilometers.
He could only spare half an hour—to kiss her.
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