The Scorching Sun - 78
When Fang Zhuo came out of the shopping mall, the sun had just reached the top of the high-rise across the street. From where she stood, half the light was hidden behind the building.
A flock of pigeons flew at a slant around the rooftops, circling and lingering as they drew out a long, winding formation. Once they found their direction, they flew off into the distance.
Fang Zhuo followed the sun as it sank gradually westward and made her way back to the university. By the time the bus pulled to a stop, the horizon had already been washed in orange-red evening light.
The colors deepened in layers from the skyline upward, spreading across the heavens like a brilliant, richly pigmented oil painting, until at last the whole thing was swallowed beneath a sheet of gray-black night.
Fang Zhuo's work-study job was still going. After all, a first-year student's schedule wasn't particularly demanding, and the coursework wasn't especially difficult either. Once she'd finished her assignments, there was always a large blank stretch on her calendar with nothing to fill it.
At least she didn't have to make dumplings anymore. She'd quietly converted that time into flexible hours, hoping to use them to have a serious talk about life with Yan Lie. Unfortunately, reality hadn't quite cooperated with the plan. She'd lost one job, but somehow hadn't become any richer in free time.
After thinking it over, Fang Zhuo decided the problem wasn't really hers. The main issue was that her flexible hours never lined up with Yan Lie's. So whenever Yan Lie came looking for her, most of the time her answer was that she was too busy.
Finally, one day, after Fang Zhuo told him she had to go train with the university team and couldn't accompany him to see the movie he'd spent ages choosing, Yan Lie sent her an emoji that looked as though it were on the verge of crying.
The wounded, pitiful expression made Fang Zhuo realize, to her own surprise, that she'd somehow already learned the excuses of adulthood.
This wouldn't do. If she kept turning Yan Lie down, she'd end up feeling guilty.
Fang Zhuo checked the cinema listings, then looked at the university's holiday schedule. After carefully working out a plan, she carved out a long stretch of free time that crossed several districts and sent it to Yan Lie.
Yan Lie was, as expected, wonderfully considerate. He replied with an okay, followed by a [Overjoyed] emoji.
Before the May holiday arrived, Fang Zhuo learned that Yu Qingjiang's birthday was coming up.
She pooled money with her two other roommates to buy Yu Qingjiang a gift and gave it to her in advance.
The northern girl was deeply touched. The holiday was too short for her to go home, and she'd already decided not to celebrate her birthday this year. Once she realized they'd found out, she immediately decided to treat the three of them to a meal before they left campus and asked whether they were free.
She was so happy that Fang Zhuo couldn't bring herself to refuse.
So when another message from Yan Lie arrived, Fang Zhuo felt a little guilty.
Her last class of the afternoon had ended sometime after two, and she was sitting in the dormitory sorting through her things.
They Call Me Lie: [Don't leave after class.] Want to go get something to eat?
They Call Me Lie: [Starry-eyed]
Fang Zhuo chose every word carefully, doing her best to sound sincere while making it clear she really couldn't help it.
Little Sun: It's Yu Qingjiang's birthday. My roommate is going home tomorrow, so we're going out for dinner tonight.
They Call Me Lie: Want to take a walk after dinner? [Hehehe]
Little Sun: We're going to sing after dinner. She already bought a room through a group deal on the app.
They Call Me Lie: Which KTV? The one near campus?
Little Sun: No. [Image] This one. The place near campus was already fully booked, so she borrowed a VIP card for this one from a student in the neighboring class.
Yan Lie didn't reply right away, Fang Zhuo began wondering if he'd gotten angry. Her finger slid up and down the chat a few times. She was just about to search online for a tutorial on how to comfort someone when her phone vibrated again.
They Call Me Lie: That's actually near my house. Then I'll go home first too. My dad just sent over two boxes of seafood and fruit. He said he set some aside for you. Want to come by and pick out a few things when you're passing through?
Little Sun: Why would he set some aside for me?
They Call Me Lie: I don't know what goes on in his head. He really did say that, though. [Image] Look.
In the chat history, Yan Chengli's wording was as stiff and concise as ever, but he really had written, "If you can't finish it, you can give some to your classmates. Doesn't one of your classmates still have an uncle?"
Fang Zhuo found it strangely novel. Ever since that late-night conversation, she hadn't spoken to Yan Chengli again. She hadn't expected the boss to come with after-sales service.
It was just that his roundabout attempt to mention her was so clumsy, his effort to keep the conversation going with question marks had failed too. All he'd gotten in return from Yan Lie were a slightly bewildered words: "Okay."
He was an unparalleled failure of a student, using the correct formula to arrive at the wrong answer.
While Fang Zhuo was privately criticizing Yan Chengli's technique, Yan Lie sent another message.
They Call Me Lie: What time are you finishing?
Little Sun: I don't know.
Yu Qingjiang had drunk just a tiny bit, but once she let loose, there was no stopping her. She grabbed the microphone and howled through five or six songs, then dragged everyone into several group performances. By the time they officially called it a night, it was already after eight.
The lights in the private room were dim, the noise deafening, and there was no sense of time passing at all.
Yu Qingjiang called a car to take the girls back to campus. Fang Zhuo picked up her bag and said she'd stop by Yan Lie's house first to pick up a few things.
She'd barely gotten to her feet when Yu Qingjiang gave her a heavy slap on the back, then promptly yanked her back down onto the sofa.
Fang Zhuo jumped, turning to find Yu Qingjiang's face suddenly filling her vision.
"Have him come pick you up!" Yu Qingjiang glared at her, practically pressing her nose against Fang Zhuo's face. "You need to give your boyfriend a chance to show what he can do!"
Fang Zhuo quietly leaned back a little. "How does that count as giving him a chance to show what he can do?"
"How do you know it doesn't? Girls are allowed to act a little spoiled. It makes guys feel secure." The relationship expert grabbed Fang Zhuo's backpack strap with one hand and pointed at her phone with the other. "Text him. Ask if he can come pick you up."
The other two chimed in, agreeing that she'd been far too cold lately. There were plenty of girls around Yan Lie. Even if she was confident in herself, she should still show a little girlfriend energy in front of him now and then.
Fang Zhuo was swayed. At the same time, she felt a little embarrassed. She held her phone farther away to keep them from seeing the screen, then typed two lines with one hand.
Little Sun: Are you free right now?
Little Sun: Can you come pick me up?
Yan Lie's replies were always fast. This time, he was even faster.
They Call Me Lie: Right now? The civil affairs bureau's closed, isn't it?
They Call Me Lie: Besides, that might not work. We could get engaged, though. If you're in urgent need, I can arrange it right away.
They Call Me Lie: Who's surname should the kid take? And what are we naming them? Actually, I don't think we need to worry about that just yet.
A voice call request came through immediately afterward.
Fang Zhuo hadn't even finished reading the messages when she was so startled that she hung up.
She glanced at the message she'd sent and finally understood why Yan Lie had gotten so excited. She hadn't noticed while typing. Autocomplete had changed the last sentence into, "Can you come marry me?"
Yan Lie obviously knew it was a typo, but there was no way he was going to let Fang Zhuo get away with a mistake like that. He kept firing off messages, and her roommates, who had noticed something was going on, ended up seeing them too.
They Call Me Lie: Why did you hang up on me? Don't tell me you're backing out?
They Call Me Lie: Adults have to learn to take responsibility. For themselves, and for their boyfriends. Right?
They Call Me Lie: I've already put my jacket on. Are you at the KTV now?
Little Sun withdrew a message.
Little Sun: I typed it wrong. I meant to ask if you could come pick me up.
They Call Me Lie: I'm already downstairs.
Fang Zhuo had a feeling this wasn't going to end well. There was no doubt this man was going to make the most of her mistake.
Yu Qingjiang laughed uproariously without the slightest regard for anyone else, showing absolutely no awareness that she was the one who'd started this whole thing. She sprang neatly to her feet, grabbed her phone and backpack, and headed for the door.
"Bye, sisters. We're leaving."
...People really did need to learn how to take responsibility. Otherwise, they could easily turn into Yu Qingjiang.
Fang Zhuo stood by the roadside waiting.
The May wind was strong but heavy, blowing in from the depths of the night without doing anything to ease the heat clinging to her skin.
Yan Lie practically ran all the way there. Bathed in the glow of the streetlights, he came rushing into her line of sight from a distance and didn't stop until he was standing in front of her.
A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead. Before he spoke, he smiled first, then asked, "They've left?"
Fang Zhuo nodded.
As expected, Yan Lie wasn't about to let it go that easily. Deliberately, he said, "Why'd you suddenly decide you wanted to marry me? You finally realized how great I am?"
Fang Zhuo told herself to stay calm. Yan Lie had become the way he was today partly because of her, too.
She lowered her gaze to his shadow and repeated, "I typed it wrong."
The long black shadow lifted a hand and wiped away his sweat, leaving his hair tousled in the process. His voice turned faintly mournful. "So I'm just a tool, huh?"
He lowered his hand and noticed that his shadow stretched a little farther than Fang Zhuo's. He casually wiped his fingers against his clothes, then crooked them toward the person beside him, moved closer, and took her hand.
"Well, I don't care," Yan Lie said. "You're mine now.”
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