The Moon Upon My Heart - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Family

Only Caring About Her Feelings

Unfortunately, the quiet and harmonious atmosphere between the two was quickly shattered.

Her phone rang. Shen Wangshu sluggishly opened it to look, and as expected, it was a call from her mother, Li Ming.

“Mom, I’m on the bus, I’m with Ji Fengyue. Yeah, we should be arriving soon… You’re picking me up at the station? Okay, I understand.”

Hanging up the phone, Shen Wangshu sighed to Ji Fengyue: “My mom says she’s coming to pick us up and will give you a ride home while she’s at it.”

“She might ask some nosy questions about our personal lives later. Fengyue, if you don’t like it, just give her some vague answers. Don’t be angry, okay?”

“Mm, don’t worry, I won’t force myself. I have experience with difficult parents,” Ji Fengyue pushed up her glasses. Thinking back to her several clashes with Li Ming in her previous life, her eyes darkened for a split second before returning to her usual expression.

The bus soon reached the terminal. Ji Fengyue and Shen Wangshu pulled their suitcases to the other side of the road in front of the station, where Li Ming was waiting for them by a black sedan.

Seeing the two girls, Li Ming waved them over. She put their suitcases in the trunk and had them sit in the back seat.

“Hello, Auntie. Sorry to trouble you for the ride home,” Ji Fengyue greeted Li Ming politely and gave her home address.

“Oh? Xiao Ji, we actually live quite close. We’re in the same district, only separated by a main road.”

“Really? My family only bought a house here last year. Because the high school entrance exam was approaching, I didn’t transfer schools. I’ve only lived here for short periods during holidays, so I’m not very familiar with the area yet.” As she spoke, Ji Fengyue quietly observed the expression of the person beside her. While not exactly expressionless or cold, she did give off a very detached feeling.

“Is that so? Then Wangshu can take you out more often to get familiar with the surroundings. She usually mopes around the house alone; she’s not lively at all like girls your age should be.”

“That’s not the case. Shen Wangshu and I have already agreed to go to the library for self-study together during the break, and to bookstores and such. Auntie, is that alright?”

Li Ming smiled and said, “Of course that’s fine. Do you want me to drive you there? It’s a bit far by bus, and with the weather this hot, you have to be careful of heatstroke.”

“Since Wangshu got into the provincial high school, I specifically bought a car this month. I can drop you both off and pick you up from school in the future.”

“No need, Auntie, that would be too much trouble for you. We plan to follow the same schedule as we do at school leaving early in the morning and not going home until after six. If we supervise each other, we’ll have more motivation to study.”

Ji Fengyue’s words caused Li Ming to pause just as she was about to start driving. She blinked, turned around, and asked, “Won’t that be too tiring?”

“It’s fine, Mom. Studying with Ji Fengyue makes time fly. My grades have improved so quickly lately thanks to her teaching me.”

“Oh, I see. Just don’t overwork yourselves.” Recalling her daughter’s scores on the mock tests and the teachers’ impressions, Li Ming’s lips moved, but in the end, she didn’t object and started driving.

“Xiao Ji, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Wangshu. She has a dull personality and doesn’t talk much, so don’t mind her.” Seeing that Ji Fengyue didn’t respond immediately, Li Ming smiled and invited her again, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you come to our house for dinner tonight?”

“Uncle Shen isn’t home; it’s just me and Wangshu. You don’t have to worry about it being awkward.”

Ji Fengyue’s eyes flickered. She smiled and said, “Auntie, let me message my family and ask, otherwise she might be unhappy.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Go ahead and contact them. We live close anyway, and it’ll take a while to get there.”

Hearing this, Shen Wangshu turned her head away indifferently, propping her face in her hand as she looked out the window. She didn’t expect Ji Fengyue to suddenly reach out and touch her other hand, tapping the back of it twice with her finger.

Shen Wangshu blinked in confusion and looked back at her. She saw Ji Fengyue brandishing her phone, and simultaneously felt her own phone vibrating in her pocket.

Lanyue: Wangshu, do you want me to come to your house for dinner?

Shen Wangshu was startled. She hadn’t expected that the “family member” Ji Fengyue mentioned to her mother actually referred to her.

Wangshu: Do you want to come? If you do, then come. Don’t worry about me.

Lanyue: Your wishes are what matters most. I only care about your feelings.

Lanyue: Honestly, I’d rather take you to my house. There’s no one else there, soit would just be the two of us and wouldn’t be awkward. Plus, I wouldn’t have to hear your mom constantly putting you down.

Lanyue: I don’t think you’re “dull” at all. You’re clearly well-behaved and quiet, very cute! I like it!

Seeing the stream of messages on her phone, Shen Wangshu’s eyes felt a bit stinging. No matter the time, Ji Fengyue was always this concerned for her, her care always expressed so directly.

Wangshu: Then wait until my mom isn’t home for you to come over.

Lanyue: Okay, no problem.

Lanyue: But in the future, if there’s a chance, you can come stay at my place for a few days. Cough cough, I get lonely on my own, too.

Wangshu: Mm, if there’s a chance, I definitely will.

“No thank you, Auntie. My family wants me to come home quickly. Let’s do it another time,” having received her answer, Ji Fengyue smiled and spoke to Li Ming. “By the way, Auntie, if I wanted to ask Shen Wangshu to stay at my place for a bit, would you let her stay for a couple of days?”

“My family heard me mention I made a very good friend, and they all want to meet her.”

“Cough, of course that’s fine. As long as Wangshu agrees, I will never interfere with her.”

Shen Wangshu lowered her eyelashes, then smiled again: “If there’s a chance, I’ll go.”

She would make that chance happen as soon as possible; she wouldn’t hesitate like she used to.

Soon, they reached the destination. Ji Fengyue politely thanked Li Ming once more, got out of the car, and left.

The air inside the car became stiff again. Shen Wangshu leaned quietly against the window, watching the scenery through the dark tinted glass, letting her mind go blank. She only answered when her mother asked her something.

“You and Xiao Ji are very close?”

“Mm. She studies particularly hard. Mom, you should know she was ranked one across all subjects in the mock exam. I’m trying to learn from her. I follow her to the classroom at noon for self-study.”

“Working that hard before school even officially starts—she’s likely aiming for Peking or Tsinghua. Wangshu, you should learn well from her.”

“I know, Mom. I will. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be going to the library with her for self-study.”

“Is the allowance I gave you enough? Do you need to buy supplementary books? You can ask her to go to the bookstore, and then maybe go shopping for some trinkets while you’re at it. Making friends isn’t just about talking about studying. She doesn’t look like someone who only knows how to read; she’s a smart kid.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll ask her later if there’s anywhere she wants to go. I’ll help her get familiar with the area.” Shen Wangshu’s tone was very flat, but anyone could see she wasn’t particularly happy.

Seeing her daughter looking exhausted, Li Ming hesitated several times before finally speaking: “Wangshu, is school too tiring? Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You look so listless. Why don’t you skip the library tomorrow and ask Xiao Ji to go shopping or see a movie?”

“No thanks, Mom. The plan is already set, it’s not good to change it at the last minute,” Shen Wangshu shook her head and smiled. “It’s just that the bus ride was too long, and my chest feels a bit tight now.”

“I’ll be fine after I go home and sleep.”

“Then I’ll crack the window a bit to let some air in. What do you want to eat later? We’ll go out for something good.”

“Anything is fine, I don’t really have a craving for anything…”

Finally, they reached the underground garage of the apartment complex. Shen Wangshu pulled back her wandering thoughts and obediently followed her mother with her suitcase, answering questions as they walked.

They were all the usual questions asking what she did every day at school, if she had other friends besides Ji Fengyue, how her relationship with her roommates was…

But Shen Wangshu was truly exhausted. She didn’t want to answer these pointless questions, nor did she have an appetite. She just wanted to go home and fall asleep—but not in this “home.”

This place had ceased to be her home from the day she truly became an adult.

Where exactly was her home?