"Like the Moon in the Sky" - Chapter 15
Then came another message.
Shen Qinghuai: 【What would you like to eat?】
Zhu Jinyue: 【?】
Zhu Jinyue: 【I’m the one treating you. Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Then let me think about it first?】
Zhu Jinyue: 【Take your time deciding what to eat. Just tell me which day you’re free first.】
Shen Qinghuai: 【I’m free both days this weekend. It depends on your schedule.】
Zhu Jinyue lay on the eggplant and thought—
Ming Chan’s studio specialized in custom orders, and they usually had staff on duty during weekends. With fashion week approaching, they were so busy that the concept of weekends had practically vanished.
She had originally planned to work overtime as well, but after slacking off all morning, she felt that the thrill of slacking might be more stimulating.
Whether she’d come in over the weekend would depend on her mood.
But even if she didn’t work on the weekend, she probably wouldn’t be able to get up in the morning.
Zhu Jinyue: 【How about Saturday evening?】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Okay.】
Shen Qinghuai: 【I’ll let you know once I decide what to eat.】
Zhu Jinyue replied with an OK emoji.
****
In the afternoon, Ming Chan didn’t assign her any formal tasks, just asked her to follow a few other assistants to familiarize herself with the work.
So, Zhu Jinyue alternated between openly slacking off and shadowing the others.
Their attitudes toward her varied greatly—
Pei Xi focused entirely on her own work. Unless Zhu Jinyue spoke up, she treated her as air.
Jiang Rui seemed increasingly displeased with her.
Chu Fankai was relatively friendly, telling her about the studio’s situation and casually asking about hers.
Fang Zhiwei, having had a meal with her, was the most welcoming, answering whatever questions she had. After working for a while, she even joined Zhu Jinyue in slacking off.
“By the way, have you finished your dailies today?” Fang Zhiwei asked her.
Zhu Jinyue nodded, “Finished them a long time ago.”
Fang Zhiwei looked envious, “I’ve been so busy lately, I often forget to log in on time. Several of my chickens have already died.”
Zhu Jinyue was surprised, “Chickens can die?”
Fang Zhiwei grew even more envious, “Did you buy the servant NPCs that help with work right from the start?”
Zhu Jinyue nodded.
“No wonder,” Fang Zhiwei explained. “Chickens need to be fed on time. If you miss feeding them a few times, they’ll starve to death. You also have to chase away foxes once a day, or they’ll get eaten. If you buy the servants, you don’t have to worry about it yourself. But this game isn’t too pushy about spending money. If you don’t buy servants, you just have to grind a bit more—follow the guides and log in on time or early to clear the tasks. The most important thing is that this game doesn’t force social interactions. I played a management game before that was so annoying—it had a bunch of forced social tasks, and other players could just come visit my home whenever. If I liked socializing that much, why would I be playing a management game?”
Zhu Jinyue thought of the supposedly socially anxious Second Young Master Yuan.
—Was this game his idea?
Fang Zhiwei, who had been chattering away, suddenly pressed a finger to her lips and lowered her voice to a whisper, “Shh, the boss is coming. Quick, pretend you’re listening to me seriously.”
Zhu Jinyue, “…”
****
Just before clocking off work in the afternoon, Fu Zhiwang called.
Zhu Jinyue answered and heard him ask over the phone, “Are you really busy today?”
Zhu Jinyue had already decided to commit to “slacking off” and naturally didn’t plan to work overtime in the evening either. So she replied, “I’ll have a bit of time after work later. What’s up?”
Fu Zhiwang, “Pick you up for dinner, and then give you your gift?”
Zhu Jinyue agreed, “Okay.”
The studio’s official clocking off work time was 6 p.m. Usually, you could leave early if you had things to do, but recently, everyone had to work overtime.
As the end of the workday approached, Fang Zhiwei and the others had returned to their desks to order dinner.
Zhu Jinyue leisurely played a game on her phone.
The moment the time in the top right corner hit 18:00, she quit the game, stood up, and grabbed the bag she had casually tossed on the desk.
The sound of her getting up made the other four people at the workstations look up at her simultaneously.
Fang Zhiwei asked, somewhat incredulously, “Are you planning to leave already?”
Zhu Jinyue nodded, as a matter of course saying, “It’s time to get off work. Aren’t you leaving?”
Fang Zhiwei looked crestfallen, “I haven’t finished my work yet.”
Zhu Jinyue, “Just continue tomorrow.”
Fang Zhiwei, “…”
“Then I won’t be able to finish tomorrow’s work either.”
“Well, good luck then.” Zhu Jinyue waved at her. “I’m off. See you tomorrow.”
Fang Zhiwei, a mix of envy, jealousy, and admiration, “Wuwuwu see you tomorrow.”
Chu Fankai also said with a smile, “See you tomorrow.”
Pei Xi lowered her head and continued with her own work.
Jiang Rui let out a cold snort.
Zhu Jinyue ignored him. She turned to leave, bag in hand, while looking down at her phone to message Ming Chan,【Heading out. Fu Zhiwang is picking me up for dinner.】
Ming Chan: 【Okay. Is there anything else you want added to your workstation? If so, I’ll buy it for you.】
Zhu Jinyue thought about it: 【Not really】
Ming Chan: 【Alright. Just let me know directly if you think of anything you want later.】
Zhu Jinyue: 【Okk see you tomorrow then】
Young Master Fu was particular. He looked down on chain restaurants in nearby malls or the various eateries on the street, insisting on taking her to a private kitchen. Unfortunately, they hit the evening rush hour and were stuck in traffic for over half an hour.
Zhu Jinyue nearly fell asleep in his car.
By the time they finished dinner, she was so tired she was yawning incessantly.
Just then, the said Young Master Fu asked her, “Want to go catch a movie?”
Zhu Jinyue was exhausted. She couldn’t help covering her mouth as she yawned again, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes from the strain, “No, I’m dead tired. I have to get up early tomorrow.”
Fu Zhiwang, rejected so bluntly, didn’t know whether to be angry or amused, “Who told you to seek out hardship yourself? Want to reconsider my suggestion?”
Zhu Jinyue’s brain was so foggy with sleep she couldn’t process it immediately, “What suggestion?”
Fu Zhiwang, “I can get someone to handle your senior’s issue for you. If you’re bored and want something to do, come work for me?”
Zhu Jinyue put on her coat and glanced at him, raising her eyelids slightly, “Can you afford me on a secretary’s salary?”
Fu Zhiwang chuckled lightly, “If you come, it definitely wouldn’t be just that salary.”
Zhu Jinyue picked up her scarf, “No amount would be enough to hire me.”
Fu Zhiwang grabbed his black flight jacket and walked over to her, waiting for her to tie her scarf, “Can your senior afford you then?”
“That’s completely different.” Zhu Jinyue wrapped her scarf. “My senior shares her profits with me.”
Fu Zhiwang nodded expressionlessly, “So not only do I come after your sister, I also come after your senior and her dividends, is that it?”
Zhu Jinyue lifted her chin slightly, “Keep trying.”
Just then, Fu Zhiwang’s phone rang.
He answered it. Zhu Jinyue couldn’t hear what the other person said, but she heard him reply: “I’ll be over later.”
“Something came up?” Zhu Jinyue asked him.
Fu Zhiwang, “There’s something at the company.”
Since dinner was finished anyway, Zhu Jinyue said, “Then go attend to your business.”
Fu Zhiwang slipped his phone back into his pocket, “I’ll take you home first.”
Zhu Jinyue, “Will you have time?”
“I’ll have time.”
He had said in the afternoon that he would pick her up, so Zhu Jinyue had told Cheng Yan to go home. Since he had time to drive her, it was even better.
She nodded, picked up her bag, “Let’s go then.”
After the Maybach stopped in front of her family’s villa, Fu Zhiwang handed her a paper bag, “A belated gift for you.”
“Thanks.” Zhu Jinyue took it. She was about to reach for the car door handle when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back to him, “By the way, I’m treating Shen Qinghuai to dinner on Saturday night. Do you want to come with me?”
Fu Zhiwang was visibly surprised, “Why are you suddenly treating Qinghuai to dinner?”
Zhu Jinyue briefly explained about the incident that evening and the previous two times she had hitched a ride, omitting the part about Ruiqi—since it involved her brother-in-law Xu Xing’s family matters.
Fu Zhiwang laughed, “Is a meal necessary for such a small thing?”
“I don’t like owing people favors.” Zhu Jinyue looked at him. “Just say if you’re coming or not.”
Her relationship with Shen Qinghuai right now couldn’t even be considered ordinary friends. Treating a member of the opposite sex, who might not even qualify as an ordinary friend, to a meal didn’t normally require informing her boyfriend, nor did it require bringing him along.
Fu Zhiwang thought for a moment, “Saturday, right? I should be free. Where are you eating?”
Zhu Jinyue yawned again, “Not sure. He said he needs to think about it. I’ll let you know once he decides. Or you could just ask him directly; you’re closer anyway.”
Fu Zhiwang, “Alright. I’ll pick you up Saturday afternoon then.”
Only then did Zhu Jinyue noded satisfactorily, “I’m off then.”
After getting home, Zhu Jinyue took off her coat and scarf. Before showering, she sent a message to Shen Qinghuai.
Zhu Jinyue: 【I’m bringing Fu Zhiwang along on Saturday. You don’t mind, do you?】
There was no immediate reply. Zhu Jinyue tossed her phone onto the desk and turned to enter the bathroom.
But after she finished showering, drying her hair, doing her skincare, and came back to unlock her phone again, the conversation still showed only the message she had sent.
?
Was he working overtime too?
Surely he couldn’t be upset about her suddenly saying she was bringing Fu Zhiwang?
That was probably impossible.
Even though she was adding someone after already making plans, as she had said in the car, his relationship with Fu Zhiwang was much closer than with her right now.
He was probably just busy.
Zhu Jinyue didn’t dwell on it further. Just as she was about to exit the chat, she accidentally tapped on his avatar.
A small line of text immediately appeared below the message box—
I patted “Shen Qinghuai.”
Zhu Jinyue, “…”
She couldn’t be bothered to recall the message. Instead, she grabbed an alcohol wipe to clean her phone, then snuggled into her warm bed with the freshly wiped device.
Before bed, Zhu Jinyue had developed a habit of logging into the game to harvest crops and play with the panda for a while.
But she must have been really sleep-deprived last night because she hadn’t played for long before dozing off, the crops still not fully harvested.
In her drowsy state, her phone vibrated lightly against her cheek, waking her. She squinted at the screen—it seemed someone had finally replied.
Right below the line about her patting him, three short words had appeared.
Shen Qinghuai: 【Don’t mind】
Zhu Jinyue was far too tired; her heavy eyelids kept drooping. She tossed her phone aside, reached out a slender, pale hand to feel around—
Snap.
She turned off the bedroom light.
****
On Friday, Zhu Jinyue spent another day slacking off at Ming Chan’s studio.
On Saturday morning, Zhu Jinyue received a call from Zhu Yuanshan. He said the overseas project had been completed ahead of schedule, and he could return home Sunday night. If everything went smoothly, he might even make it back in time to celebrate the Lantern Festival with her. Anyway, this past year had been enough for everyone to see her sister’s capabilities. From now on, he would stay home as a mascot, occasionally managing trivial matters and presiding over situations, no longer traveling abroad.
Overjoyed that her grandfather was coming back, Zhu Jinyue ran downstairs at noon to try learning some cooking from Auntie Yang, planning to personally cook a dish for Zhu Yuanshan tomorrow—
In the end, she nearly blew up the kitchen and was collectively ushered out by the aunties.
She was even in such a good mood that when Fu Zhiwang called in the afternoon to cancel on her again, she didn’t immediately hang up on him.
Fu Zhiwang explained, “Something came up last minute with my grandfather. I have to attend a dinner on his behalf to entertain some elders. How about you treat Qinghuai another day?”
Zhu Jinyue lay on the table, fiddling with a plush rabbit, “So you’re saying, you’re standing me up, and I have to change my plans because of you?”
Fu Zhiwang lowered his voice to coax her, “How dare I ask our little princess to change her plans? My grandfather already said that once he’s free next week, he’ll personally bring me over to apologize to you. Also, a friend of mine has a yellow diamond. I’ll ask if he’s willing to part with it. If he is, I’ll bring it for you then.”
In her good mood, Zhu Jinyue didn’t press the issue, “No need for your grandfather to apologize. You can come yourself.”
Fu Zhiwang chuckled, “Alright, whatever you say. So, is it okay for you to treat Qinghuai to dinner by yourself tonight?”
Zhu Jinyue propped her chin on her hand and said lazily, “What could possibly go wrong with just having a meal?”
“Then call me if anything happens,” Fu Zhiwang said.
Zhu Jinyue thought to herself that calling him would be less useful than calling Cheng Yan.
But was he really this comfortable with her having dinner alone with Shen Qinghuai?
Remembering how Shen Qinghuai avoided even sending her a single unnecessary message to maintain boundaries, Zhu Jinyue felt Fu Zhiway indeed had nothing to worry about.
When it was time to leave in the afternoon, Zhu Jinyue didn’t call Cheng Yan.
—Cheng Yan’s mother was being discharged from the hospital today.
Anyway, she was just going out for a meal with Shen Qinghuai. In her good spirits, she didn’t ask Uncle Zhang to drive her either. She went straight to the garage, picked a car, and drove herself.
Shen Qinghuai had chosen an Xingnan cuisine restaurant again.
The ambiance was much better than the one near Weizhi. The location was slightly off the beaten path, a quiet two-story courtyard.
Shen Qinghuai had reserved a private room on the second floor.
When Zhu Jinyue arrived, Shen Qinghuai was already in the room.
Perhaps because it was the weekend, the man was dressed more casually today—not in a suit, but similar to the day they reunited, wearing a snow-white high-neck sweater. A black overcoat hung on the coat rack behind him, making the exposed skin on his neck appear even paler and cooler.
Unlike that day, he wore a pair of rimless glasses today, which made him look even more refined and handsome.
Hearing the movement, Shen Qinghuai turned to look, “Why are you alone? Where is he?”
The private room was well-heated. Zhu Jinyue took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack. She sat down opposite him before replying, “Something came up last minute. He’s not coming.”
Shen Qinghuai’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Although he usually seemed gentle and composed, albeit somewhat aloof, he rarely showed his emotions so openly—
Zhu Jinyue, “?”
What did he mean by that?
She frowned too, “What, are you not happy about having dinner with me alone just because he didn’t come? Who was it that said a few days ago that we were after all classmates?”
Shen Qinghuai’s expression relaxed. He smiled gently and said, “Not unhappy. It’s just that the owner mentioned there are many special Xingnan dishes freshly delivered today. With just the two of us, we probably won’t be able to eat much.”
Zhu Jinyue felt somewhat satisfied with this answer. “Do you really think I’d let you go hungry when I’m treating you to a meal? Just order whatever you want.”
Shen Qinghuai tilted his head and smiled, his mood seeming not bad at all, as if his earlier frown had indeed been just because of that minor factor.
“It would be a waste if we can’t finish it.”
Influenced by her grandmother, Zhu Jinyue wasn’t one for extravagance or waste either. Propping her chin on one hand, she guessed he might be craving hometown dishes, “Then we can just pack the leftovers to take home later.”
“Okay.” Shen Qinghuai went along with her idea. “We’ll pack them up later then.”
Zhu Jinyue reached out, picked up the menu beside her, and handed it to him. “Here, order whatever you want.”
Shen Qinghuai took the menu. With his other hand, he picked up a pen nearby. The black pen spun once in his clearly defined, bony hand before stopping.
He didn’t start ordering immediately. Instead, he glanced up slightly, his tone as neutral as usual, betraying no particular emotion, as if he were just making casual conversation.
“Does he often stand you up like this?”
“Not really.” Zhu Jinyue, still resting her chin on her hand, thought about it—
She and Fu Zhiwang hadn’t been together for long.
It seemed Fu Zhiwang had only stood her up twice. The last time…
The last time was on the day of the auction.
Shen Qinghuai had been there too, and Fu Zhiwang had asked him to look after her.
No wonder he would ask.
“Just these two times, and you happened to be around for both.”
Shen Qinghuai gave a soft “Mm” and didn’t pursue the topic further. His gaze dropped gently, and the black pen made a light checkmark as he began ordering.
After selecting several dishes, he handed the menu back to Zhu Jinyue, “See if there’s anything else you’d like to add.”
Zhu Jinyue took it and skimmed through it, noticing that the dishes he had chosen were all ones she liked.
Back in high school, they hadn’t actually shared many meals together.
Did their tastes really align so well?
But these were also classic Xingnan specialty dishes, so it made sense.
“Just these are fine. You can always add more later if there’s anything else you want to eat.”
Shen Qinghuai pressed the bell to call the server.
The server took the menu but didn’t leave immediately, first inquiring if there were any special dietary requirements or allergies.
Just as Zhu Jinyue was about to say no, the man across from her said calmly, “She’s allergic to milk protein.”
Something inside Zhu Jinyue’s heart felt lightly and quickly scratched, too fleeting to grasp. Before she could process it, the server had already nodded and left with the menu.
Zhu Jinyue’s gaze returned, meeting Shen Qinghuai’s eyes.
Those light-colored eyes still seemed veiled in a thin mist, making it hard to discern his emotions, but this time, they were also behind a thin layer of lenses.
Zhu Jinyue’s attention was diverted by the glasses. She asked him, “Are you nearsighted now?”
She remembered that in high school, his eyesight was as good as hers; he could sit in the back row without needing glasses.
She hadn’t seen him wear them during their previous meetings either. Maybe he wore contacts?
Shen Qinghuai seemed to remember he was wearing glasses only then. He reached up and gently adjusted the frames, “It’s less than a hundred degrees. I don’t usually need to wear them. I attended a lecture this afternoon and forgot to take them off.”
Zhu Jinyue nodded, “I see.”
Shen Qinghuai poured her a cup of tea, “Why did you suddenly start working at Yuanjiang International?”
Knowing he wasn’t the nosy type, Zhu Jinyue gave him a general explanation for why she was working at Ming Chan’s place.
Shen Qinghuai gave a slight nod and said with a smile, “No wonder you were dressed like that that day?”
Zhu Jinyue, “?”
She said discontentedly, “What do you mean, ‘dressed like that that day’?”
Shen Qinghuai rested his fingertips against the teacup, his gaze lightly settling on her face.
From the moment he first met her, she had never lacked money or love, never needed to prove anything through material possessions or comparisons. In modern terms, her inner core was very stable. So, she could wear accessories costing hundreds of thousands or even more, but she could also happily wear something as cheap as that little devil hairband from back then.
It was rare for her to be dressed from head to toe in very “expensive” clothes.
Shen Qinghuai didn’t answer her question. Instead, he asked, “How’s the effect?”
Just from his question, Zhu Jinyue knew he had easily seen through the plan she had omitted earlier.
Talking with this person was… she didn’t know whether it was worry-saving or annoying.
“I’ve only been working for two days. It won’t be that fast.”
Shen Qinghuai, “You probably won’t stay at your senior’s place for long, right?”
Zhu Jinyue nodded, “Yeah.”
Fashion week wasn’t far off.
And she still had no ideas for her grandmother’s gift.
The man’s long fingers tapped lightly on the side of his cup. His eyes still held their usual smile, presenting a gentle and harmless appearance, but the words he spoke were, “Then why not try adding a fuse?”
Zhu Jinyue felt like he was setting a trap, but she didn’t immediately catch on, “A fuse?”
Just then, the server happened to come in to serve the dishes.
The first dish to arrive was Tang Hexingnan’s specialty dry pot.
The servers lit the flame beneath the pot and quickly stepped away.
The custom-made pot was shallow, filled with ingredients still sizzling with wok hei. As the faint blue flame licked the base, the contents soon began to bubble and simmer.
Shen Qinghuai gestured lightly with his chin toward the bubbling pot. “All the intense ingredients are already in there—all it needed was a spark.”
Zhu Jinyue’s eyes darted thoughtfully, a subtle gleam lighting up her deer-like eyes.
Shen Qinghuai knew she was quick to catch on and didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he lowered his head, filled a bowl with soup, and handed it to her. “Let’s eat first.”
As it turned out, chatting with Shen Qinghuai was mostly enjoyable.
He had always been thoughtful and attentive. Had it not been for the fact that, in the month since they’d reconnected, he had only reached out to her a handful of times, Zhu Jinyue might have almost believed that no ten years had passed without contact—that they were still just as close as they had been back then.
But the pleasant conversation came with a downside: Zhu Jinyue unintentionally over-ate.
By the time the dessert arrived, she could only manage a few bites. Feeling uncomfortably full, she stood up.
It was already quite late, and the meal was finished. She was considering whether to simply say goodbye and head home when her gaze drifted past the one-way glass window behind Shen Qinghuai. Down in the courtyard below stood a man and a woman—
The man was tall and long-legged, his face unmistakably familiar.
As luck would have it, he looked exactly like her so-called boyfriend—the one who had claimed to be busy entertaining relatives tonight and had stood her up.