Afternoon.
Shu Yuwei lay in bed and slept for an hour.
When she woke up, Fu Rongzheng still hadn’t returned.
With no electricity, she didn’t even dare play her phone’s tile-matching game too much.
Bored, she stared into space, picking at her fingers and the table.
Later, Xiaoyunduo came to see her, and Shu Yuwei went out again to keep a few children company while they drew.
Time passed slowly, and darkness fell.
Shu Yuwei went back inside and turned on her phone’s flashlight and the torch.
Fu Rongzheng still hadn’t come back.
Did it really take that long to buy something?
Had something happened to him?
Shu Yuwei stood by the door and peered outside, waiting for quite a while.
The rain still hadn’t stopped. It was coming down harder and harder.
It was pitch-black outside.
No, she should go ask around.
Shu Yuwei was about to grab a raincoat and go look for him when a faint beam of light suddenly fell across her face.
Then she heard familiar footsteps.
She turned around and saw Fu Rongzheng coming through the rain.
His hair was soaked, and most of his white shirt was wet.
What was more, his expensive, custom-made shirt was covered in scratches and grime.
There were black smudges on Fu Rongzheng’s face, too.
Shu Yuwei stared at him. “Boss? Did someone trick you into digging coal? How’d you end up like this?”
“…”
Fu Rongzheng took a deep breath and said helplessly, “What coal? Come inside first.”
He ushered her in and shut the door, keeping the wind and rain outside.
Inside, a flashlight and several phone lights were on.
Fu Rongzheng set down the toiletries he’d bought.
Shu Yuwei went to find the power bank.
“Boss? What were you doing all this time? Why did you come back so late?”
“It’s not that late. I made it back just in time for dinner.”
“And you don’t think that’s late? Boss, do you even know—”
Shu Yuwei plugged her phone into the power bank.
When she turned around, Fu Rongzheng was taking out a meal and placing it in her hands.
“Sweet-and-sour ribs with rice. Eat.”
The food was still hot, and Shu Yuwei could smell its tangy, appetizing aroma.
It was her favorite dish, too.
She stared at it for a moment. “Boss, where did you get this?”
There were little restaurants here, but they’d all closed because of the typhoon.
Now, with the power out and supplies scarce in the aftermath of the storm, even having money wouldn’t make it easy to get a hot meal like this.
“I didn’t buy it.”
Fu Rongzheng wet a towel and wiped the grime from his face. “I fixed Boss Zhang’s car—he runs a restaurant—and traded the repair for this.”
“He can provide hot meals for the next few days.”
Shu Yuwei held the meal container without moving.
Fu Rongzheng came over, opened it for her, and unwrapped the chopsticks. “Eat, or it’ll get cold.”
“They have a generator and food stored at home. He’s a chef, too, so what he makes should suit your taste.”
Shu Yuwei nodded. “I see…”
She sat down. “Boss, you should have some, too. There’s too much here for me.”
“I’ve already eaten. You eat.”
Fu Rongzheng went to change his clothes.
Shu Yuwei got another bowl and divided the food in half.
A little while later, Fu Rongzheng came back. When he saw that she really couldn’t finish it all, he ate the rest for her.
They sat beside the little table.
Shu Yuwei bit into the sweet-and-sour ribs. The faint nausea in her stomach disappeared, replaced by the satisfaction of being filled up with food she loved.
“Boss, you could tell I couldn’t eat instant noodles, couldn’t you?”
“Mm.”
Fu Rongzheng admitted it, but didn’t ask why.
Shu Yuwei continued eating her ribs.
She’d figured something out, too: although Boss had grown up privileged, he wasn’t picky.
He didn’t care what he ate. As long as it filled him up, that was enough to get him through the few days they were stranded here.
But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t stomach instant noodles. She’d eaten so many in the past that she’d developed an aversion to them.
So that was why Boss had gone out in the afternoon and taken so long to come back. He’d been finding a way to get her something to eat.
And he’d come back filthy and disheveled.
A wave of tenderness rose in Shu Yuwei, but she pushed it down.
Before, her interactions with Fu Rongzheng had been limited to work.
This was the first time she’d truly gotten to know him outside the workplace.
He wasn’t as lofty as she’d thought, nor did he act like some pampered young master or CEO.
On the contrary, Fu Rongzheng was a really good person.
Shu Yuwei looked at him.
“Boss…”
“Mm?”
“Boss…”
“What is it?”
“Boss…”
“Say it.”
Fu Rongzheng looked over.
Shu Yuwei hesitated for a long while. “I…”
When she truly wanted to thank him, the words were hard to say.
So she changed tack. “I just wanted to say…”
“Boss, once we get back, I’ll work diligently and do my best to help you with whatever you need. I’ll be a good assistant!”
Fu Rongzheng looked at her earnest, loyal expression and raised an eyebrow.
“Assistant Shu, you haven’t even made it back yet, and you’re already thinking about work?”
Shu Yuwei nodded. “Of course, Boss! I’m just so eager to get ahead!”
“…”
Fu Rongzheng curved his lips into a smile and stood to clear the bowls.
Shu Yuwei hurriedly stopped him. “Boss, let me do it!”
“It’s just one bowl. No need to be quite so eager to get ahead.”
Fu Rongzheng held her back and washed the bowl quickly, giving her no chance to prove herself.
Shu Yuwei watched him.
All right, maybe she should stop grumbling about Boss in her head from now on.
She should wish him well instead—good health and a long life!
And, while she was at it… maybe he could make her rich, too.
…
Shu Yuwei checked the time. It was getting late.
She hurried to grab her clothes and wash up.
When she came out, she heard water splashing.
“Why is there so much water inside?”
“Boss, is the roof leaking again?”
Fu Rongzheng pointed the flashlight toward her. “No. It’s raining too hard. The water’s built up outside and is flooding in.”
“I’m going to carry some cement over to block the doorway. You go to sleep.”
“I’ll come too. I can shine the light for you.”
Shu Yuwei hurried over, and the two of them got to work.
Gradually, the water stopped coming in.
But the floor was still wet.
Shu Yuwei gave up once again on her plan to make a bed on the floor.
A little over an hour later,
Shu Yuwei had worked up a sweat and taken another shower. Now she and Fu Rongzheng were lying on the same bed.
They smelled of the same body wash.
They were close enough to hear each other breathing.
Shu Yuwei grew awkward again. She still wasn’t used to this.
She quietly turned her head and glanced at the person beside her.
Fu Rongzheng happened to look over at the same time.
Their eyes met again, doubling the awkwardness.
Shu Yuwei quickly looked away, her face burning.
The rain had finally eased a little, but the wind made the windows rattle.
The temperature had dropped again today, and it was cold.
“Boss? Boss?”
Shu Yuwei reached out and poked the person beside her.
“Are you asleep?”
She poked him again.
Fu Rongzheng answered in a pleasant, low voice. “No. What is it?”
“Boss, you should get under the blanket, too.”
“It’s cold tonight. Don’t catch a chill. It’s not easy to see a doctor here if you get sick.”
“Boss, you’ve got a tough fight ahead of you. Staying alive is what matters.”
As she spoke, Shu Yuwei pulled half the blanket over to him.
Fu Rongzheng paused for a moment, then didn’t refuse.
“All right.”
And so they shared the same blanket.
It wasn’t very big, bringing them close together once again.
Shu Yuwei didn’t dare move at all.
If she shifted even a little, she didn’t know how she might end up touching the man beside her.
In the darkness, the atmosphere seemed to change again.
It was strange, with an indescribable feeling to it.
Shu Yuwei was tense.
She couldn’t sleep. There was no way she could sleep.
Suddenly, an earbud was placed in her ear.
“Boss?”
“Mm.” Fu Rongzheng took out his phone and found a playlist. “If you can’t sleep, let’s listen to some music together.”
Soft, familiar music began to play.
Shu Yuwei was surprised. It was one of her favorite songs.
“Boss? You like their band, too?”
“I’ve listened to every one of their songs! They’re great, aren’t they?”
Fu Rongzheng gave a quiet assent. “They are.”
When one song ended, the next began.
It was another song by the same band.
The light, relaxing melody gradually eased Shu Yuwei’s tension.
In a good mood, she bobbed her head, the little wisps of hair at her temple bouncing along.
“Boss, I can’t believe we have such similar taste in music.”
“See? We’re both people with good taste!”
“I heard they’re touring in China this year. I really want to go!”
“I hope I get to go this year. Oh, Boss, their lead singer is a really interesting person. Did you know that?”
Fu Rongzheng said, “Tell me about it.”
“Okay, so…”
Once they started talking about something she liked, Shu Yuwei completely relaxed and chatted at length.
Fu Rongzheng responded from time to time.
Gradually, Shu Yuwei grew tired, and sleepiness crept over her. She drifted off to the music she loved.
The earbud was still in her ear.
Fu Rongzheng watched her for a while.
Then he leaned over and reached out to remove her earbud.
Just then, Shu Yuwei rolled over and pressed his hand beneath her.
Her left cheek nestled into Fu Rongzheng’s palm, and she rubbed against it unconsciously.
Fu Rongzheng froze.
The rain tapped steadily outside, and his heart pounded.
After a long while, he gently cupped her face and carefully eased his hand away.
“Mm…”
Shu Yuwei mumbled a couple of times. He couldn’t make out what she said. She grabbed the pillow and went back to sleep.
Silence settled over the room again.
Fu Rongzheng withdrew his hand and stared at the ceiling.
The tingling sensation still lingered in his palm and across his chest.