"Like the Moon in the Sky" - Chapter 7
Shen Qinghuai had sent a picture.
Zhu Jinyue opened it.
It depicted an ancient-style small village, with a small bridge over flowing water, white walls and black tiles, exuding a kind of rustic and serene beauty.
In the lower left corner of the picture were seven large characters: Another Village in the Shade of Willows and Flowers.
In the lower right corner was a line of small text: Embark on a Wonderful Journey.
Below the small text was a QR code.
What was this?
A game?
Zhu Jinyue sent him a question mark.
The reply came quickly.
Shen Qinghuai: 【Apologies】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Meant to share the game with someone else, accidentally sent it to you】
Zhu Jinyue: “…”
The phone vibrated again.
Shen Qinghuai: 【But the game is quite interesting. You could try it if you’re interested】
Zhu Jinyue, “?”
Zhu Jinyue blinked: 【A game from your company?】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Mhm】
She had only heard of those Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) and Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games from his company with super high revenue; this Another Village in the Shade of Willows and Flowers was completely unfamiliar.
But then, she never paid attention to this area anyway, so it wasn’t strange she hadn’t heard of it.
Zhu Jinyue: 【So, isn’t this you being a Grandma Wang selling melons?】 (Lit. “Grandma Wang selling melons” – idiom meaning to praise one’s own work)
Shen Qinghuai: 【Life isn’t easy】
Zhu Jinyue: 【The CEO hustling?】
Shen Qinghuai: 【It hasn’t reached the point where the CEO needs to hustle】
Shen Qinghuai: 【But when facing a potential high-quality customer, it’s only right to casually drop an ad】
Ten years apart, and this person had actually become more smooth-tongued than in high school.
The corners of Zhu Jinyue’s lips curled up.
Zhu Jinyue: 【Why aren’t you asleep yet?】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Working overtime】
Zhu Jinyue: 【Overtime playing games?】
Otherwise, why would he be sharing games with people in the middle of the night.
Shen Qinghuai: 【You’re not wrong】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Testing a new game】
So, he really was working overtime?
He wasn’t short on money now, so why was he still racing against the clock like this?
But maybe he was like those busybodies in her family—a workaholic who thoroughly enjoyed it.
Zhu Jinyue: 【Then keep busy】
Shen Qinghuai: 【Okay】
Zhu Jinyue didn’t reply further.
No more messages from the other side either.
Zhu Jinyue reopened Fu Shuyu’s chat window and gave her a poke.
Probably busy. After waiting a moment, Fu Shuyu still hadn’t replied.
Zhu Jinyue sighed, turned off her phone, reached out, and switched off the light to sleep.
Half an hour later.
Still wide awake, Zhu Jinyue sat up in bed, hugging her quilt, ruffled her already messy hair, turned the light back on, and picked up her phone.
Zhu Jinyue idly scrolled through Weibo for a while.
Fu Shuyu still hadn’t replied.
Her finger lightly swiped, and her gaze inevitably fell on Shen Qinghuai’s avatar again.
Ah, right.
This person had just casually recommended a game to her, hadn’t he?
Since she couldn’t sleep and had nothing to do anyway, Zhu Jinyue opened the chat, found the picture, scanned the QR code, and downloaded the game.
This game, called Another Village in the Shade of Willows and Flowers seemed to be an ancient-style management and farming sim, with very simple mechanics.
Even someone like Zhu Jinyue, who didn’t play games quickly, got the hang of it after following the beginner’s guide for a while.
Planting vegetables, growing flowers, building houses…
At first, Zhu Jinyue found it rather mundane.
Until the vegetables grew quickly, batch after batch, the warehouse rapidly filled up, the cultivated flowers bloomed brilliantly on land and water, and the originally barren land was covered with new houses, decorated into a beautiful, brand-new appearance.
A sense of satisfaction arose unconsciously, without her realizing.
The real killer feature was that upon reaching level 10, you could summon small animals to help with tasks.
Rabbits, kittens, foxes… these little animals were drawn cuter than the last. Zhu Jinyue instantly felt her heart was shot through multiple times, completely conquered by the adorable fluffballs.
The number of free card draws for beginners was limited, but you could pay to draw more.
What Zhu Jinyue lacked least was money, and in an instant, she acquired a large troop of fluffy companions.
The more she played, the more hooked she became. Zhu Jinyue held her phone until the sky began to lighten, only falling asleep involuntarily when she could no longer keep her eyes open.
Just before completely succumbing to sleep, she thought drowsily that Shen Qinghuai had gotten incredible value from his advertisement tonight.
Zhu Jinyue slept until 4 p.m. the next afternoon before waking up.
Upon waking, the first thing she did was open her phone to harvest crops and feed the chickens.
After clearing a wave of tasks, Zhu Jinyue finally checked the pile of messages she had received.
Most were birthday wishes from several family members. There was also a message from the live-in auntie asking if she was awake and if she needed breakfast/lunch/afternoon tea prepared.
Zhu Jinyue replied to the auntie, telling her she was already awake. Scrolling up, she also saw that Fu Shuyu had called her on WeChat in the morning.
She had been sleeping deeply at the time; awakened by the noise, she simply hung up the call, turned off her phone, and went back to sleep.
Zhu Jinyue had thought it was a dream.
After the WeChat call, there were two more messages.
Fu Shuyu: 【Is the sleeping beauty awake?】
Fu Shuyu: 【What time is it there? You’re not still asleep, are you?】
Just as Zhu Jinyue was about to reply to her, Auntie Zhao from downstairs called first.
“Yueyue, you’re awake? Do you want to come down and eat something? What would you like us to make for you?”
Having stayed up late last night, Zhu Jinyue still felt somewhat lazy and didn’t really want to move, “No, I’ll just wait and have dinner later.”
“Auntie Zhao will make some noodles for you to tide you over, then you can go back to sleep, okay?” Auntie Zhao coaxed her.
Zhu Jinyue burrowed under the comforter, “Don’t feel like eating.”
It went quiet on the other end for a few seconds. When the person spoke again, it was a male voice.
“You won’t eat even if I make the noodles?”
Zhu Jinyue sat up in bed immediately, “Dad, you’re back?”
“Didn’t I say I would buy a plane ticket back?” Zhu Jingsen said with a laugh. “Come down and eat something. Still sleeping at 4 p.m., that’s not good.”
Zhu Jinyue slowly said, “Okay,” the corners of her lips curling up. She threw off the comforter and got out of bed.
Zhu Jingsen had pushed aside a bunch of matters to rush back temporarily. He didn’t stay home for too long either. He had dinner with her in the evening, they lit the candles again to celebrate her birthday, and then he had to rush back to the airport.
After seeing him off, Zhu Jinyue returned to her room on the third floor. After clearing another wave of tasks in the game, she finally remembered she still hadn’t replied to Fu Shuyu and hurriedly called her.
This time, the other side picked up quickly.
“Finally returning my call, huh? You didn’t just wake up now, did you?”
Zhu Jinyue fell back onto the bed, “No, my dad came back suddenly, and I just played the game for a bit.”
“Uncle Zhu really dotes on you.” Fu Shuyu said, then suddenly sensed something wrong. “Wait, you just said you played a game? What game? Since when do you play games?”
“A management sim game. Shen Qinghuai—” Zhu Jinyue paused, remembering Fu Shuyu didn’t really know Shen Qinghuai, and changed her wording, “—a friend recommended it.”
But Fu Shuyu had heard the name clearly, “Who is Shen Qinghuai?”
Before Zhu Jinyue could answer, she remembered herself, “Oh right, that boy you knew back at Xingnan Second High School, right?”
Zhu Jinyue was surprised, “How do you still remember that?”
“How could I forget? The name is quite nice,” Fu Shuyu said. “Besides, back then, every time you called me, you would mention him and some girl named… Wei, was it?”
Zhu Jinyue blinked.
Did I?
Ten years is far too long.
The memories from back then are like a faded, yellowed old photograph; the people and things are still there, but the details require careful scrutiny to make out.
It was only after reuniting with Shen Qinghuai that she gradually began recalling those old events piece by piece.
“Of course you did,” Fu Shuyu stated emphatically. “If I hadn’t known you had no interest in dating back then, I would have thought you’d gotten yourself a boyfriend.”
“No, we were just friends,” Zhu Jinyue said with a light laugh.
They were friends, right?
“Otherwise, why would we have had no contact for ten years?”
Fu Shuyu asked, “Then how did you suddenly get back in touch?”
“He’s friends with Fu Zhiwang,” Zhu Jinyue said. “We ran into each other at a gathering the other day.”
“So, he became friends with you first, and later became friends with your boyfriend,” Fu Shuyu mused. “What a strange fate and connection you have.”
“Right?” Zhu Jinyue, currently deeply engrossed in the game, chatted for a few more sentences but then remembered she probably had a batch of crops to harvest and changed the subject. “This game is really quite fun. Do you want to try it too?”
“Not playing,” Fu Shuyu said irritably. “Working on my thesis. No time.”
****
The Lunar New Year was approaching. Over the next few days, Zhu Jinyue didn’t go out again, holing up at home playing games and working on her illustrations.
Before New Year’s Eve, her family of extremely busy people finally returned home one after another, and the long-quiet villa finally became lively again.
Zhu Yuanshan and Zhu Jingsen, and his wife had spent most of the year abroad.
Zhu Yuanshan was intentionally delegating authority. Zhu Jingsen was a love-struck romantic, constantly chasing after his wife. This year, the Pingcheng headquarters was primarily managed by Zhu Qinghao.
Zhu Qinghao lived up to expectations, managing the company in an orderly manner.
However, Zhu Yuanshan’s recent physical check-up showed several concerning indicators related to heart and cerebrovascular health. The whole family didn’t want him to rush abroad next year. As soon as he returned this time, they took turns trying to persuade him.
In the end, it was Zhu Jinyue who played her trump card.
“Since none of you are coming back, I might as well move out.”
Zhu Yuanshan’s face stiffened, “You finally came back to the country. Not living at home—what kind of behavior is that?”
Zhu Jinyue wasn’t afraid of him, “Well, you’re not coming home either. I’m just following your example.”
Zhu Yuanshan, who had always doted on his youngest granddaughter the most, finally relented. He promised that after the New Year, once he finished the projects at hand, he would return to China to rest.
On New Year’s Eve, Zhu Qinghao brought Xu Xing back, and the whole family spent a lively reunion and New Year together.
Zhu Jinyue played cards with several elders all evening. Just before the countdown to the New Year, Fu Zhiwang called.
She answered, chatted with him for a bit, and then, at Fu Zhiwang’s request, put him on speakerphone so he could wish her family members a Happy New Year one by one.
After hanging up with Fu Zhiwang, Zhu Jinyue noticed Fu Shuyu had sent her a greeting message exactly at midnight.
Fu Shuyu was studying medicine in a combined master’s and doctoral program abroad, about to graduate this year, so she hadn’t come back for the New Year.
Zhu Jinyue called again to console her best friend alone overseas.
After finishing her chat with Fu Shuyu, she noticed Shen Qinghuai had also sent her a timed greeting message—an extremely simple four words—
Shen Qinghuai: 【Happy New Year】
Who knew if it was a mass message.
At least other people’s mass messages were a long string. Was he really this casual?
Zhu Jinyue initially meant to reply with a New Year’s greeting, but just then, her uncle’s family called to wish them a Happy New Year, and Kong Si called her over to take the phone, so she casually set her phone aside.
****
On the fifth day of the New Year, Fu Zhiwang came to the Zhu family to pay a New Year’s visit.
On the sixth day, Zhu Jinyue accompanied Zhu Yuanshan to the Fu family for a return visit.
After wishing the Fu family elders a Happy New Year one by one, Zhu Jinyue sat in the living room with her grandfather. After some brief small talk, probably wanting to give them some space alone, Fu Zhiwang’s mother suggested that Fu Zhiwang take her around for a tour.
Fu Zhiwang agreed.
Zhu Jinyue followed him out of the living room, assuming he was taking her outside or to the backyard. Instead, she saw Fu Zhiwang leading her towards the staircase.
“It’s cold outside,” Fu Zhiwang said. “Let’s go upstairs for a bit. I actually have something for you.”
Zhu Jinyue stopped walking, “What is it?”
“You’ll know when you see it,” Fu Zhiwang said. “It’s just a few steps up.”
Zhu Jinyue’s curiosity was indeed piqued, “Alright, let’s go.”
Fu Zhiwang was the only son of the Fu family. Although he didn’t often live in the old residence, his room still occupied more than half of the villa’s third floor—a small suite comprising an outer study and a bedroom.
Entering the room, he didn’t take Zhu Jinyue further inside, stopping instead in the outer study. He pulled open a drawer and handed her a velvet box.
Zhu Jinyue took it and opened the box.
Inside was a pigeon’s blood ruby, unmounted.
Pear-shaped cut, sparkling brilliantly.
“What’s this?” Zhu Jinyue asked him. “A New Year’s gift?”
Fu Zhiwang nodded, “Consider it an apology gift as well.”
“An apology for what?” Zhu Jinyue asked, then immediately guessed the answer. “Are you going to stand me up?”
Fu Zhiwang, “Something came up at the company last minute. I have to go abroad on the eighth. There’s a jewelry exhibition in G at the end of February. I’ll go with you then, alright?”
Zhu Jinyue closed the lid, “You go by yourself. I’m busy at the end of February.”
“Are you angry?” Fu Zhiwang looked down at her.
Zhu Jinyue, “I really have something on at the end of February.”
Fu Zhiwang, “What is it?”
Zhu Jinyue, “I’m going to help out a senior from my university.”
“As long as you’re not angry,” Fu Zhiwang said. “Then, are you still going to the Ruan family’s auction?”
“Why wouldn’t I go?” Zhu Jinyue glanced at him lightly. “It’s not like I have any last-minute company business to attend to, requiring a trip abroad.”
Fu Zhiwang, “…”
So, she was still angry.
But for some reason, Fu Zhiwang quite enjoyed seeing her throw this little tantrum. He was indeed in the wrong, so he lowered his voice to coax her, “What else do you want? I can get it for you while I’m abroad.”
Zhu Jinyue, “If I want something, can’t I just buy it myself?”
Fu Zhiwang, “You buying it is you buying it. Me giving it to you is my sincere gesture.”
“That’s more like it.” Zhu Jinyue finally curved the corners of her mouth into a smile. She opened the bag she had casually brought upstairs, reached inside, pulled out a black box, and handed it to Fu Zhiwang.
Fu Zhiwang recognized it at a glance as the packaging for a certain brand of watch.
“What’s this? A New Year’s gift?” he repeated her earlier words.
Zhu Jinyue nodded, “A New Year’s gift. The non-apology version.”
Fu Zhiwang, “…”
“You really never take a loss, do you?”
“Of course not,” Zhu Jinyue closed her bag. “You can suffer anything but a loss. That’s a principle my grandfather taught me since I was little.”
“Alright, of course, our little princess can’t suffer any loss. I’ll make it up to you with a separate apology gift later.” Fu Zhiwang paused, as if remembering something else. “By the way, Qinghuai will also be at the auction. If you need anything, you can go to him.”
Zhu Jinyue, “What could possibly happen at an auction?”
Fu Zhiwang, “He’s very close to the second son of the Yuan family.”
Zhu Jinyue blinked, “The second son of the Yuan family?”
“Yuan Jia’s second son. He should be in the same grade as you. Don’t you know him?” Fu Zhiwang asked.
Zhu Jinyue had no impression of him.
Her grandmother was an old Party member, and both she and Zhu Qinghao had attended public schools. Their family had no connections with the Yuan family. She only knew the Yuan family had two sons, but nothing beyond that.
“I don’t know him.”
Fu Zhiwang, “He and Qinghuai were university classmates. He’s a social recluse who’s only interested in computers. Before he even graduated, Qinghuai recruited him to work at Weizhi. The Yuan family is quite familiar with Qinghuai, so if you need any help, just let him know.”
Zhu Jinyue nodded indifferently.
She didn’t think there would be any situation where she’d need Shen Qinghuai’s help.
“The auction’s finale item is an emerald tiara, and Qinghuai seems interested in it too,” Fu Zhiwang continued. “I’ll have him bring the catalog to you first. If you like it, I’ll ask him to let you have it?”
Zhu Jinyue, “That won’t be necessary.”
She might not even be interested in it.
If she really does like it, she and Shen Qinghuai can compete fair and square.
“Alright.” Fu Zhiwang was happy to let her have her way in such small matters. “Then I’ll let Qinghuai know later and ask him to look out for you that day.”