The Moon Upon My Heart - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Relaxation

As Long as She Is by Her Side

Lanyue: Wangshu, I’m waiting for you at the entrance of the complex. What do you want for breakfast? I’ll buy it now!

Wangshu: Soy milk and buns will be fine.

Wangshu: Wait for me a bit longer, I’m almost there.

Shen Wangshu had received the message from Ji Fengyue quite early. It was barely six o’clock; she had no idea what time Ji Fengyue must have woken up to be out already.

At this hour, Li Ming was likely still asleep. Shen Wangshu slipped out of the house silently. The moment she stepped out of the stairwell, her heart felt significantly lighter.

Before long, she spotted Ji Fengyue at the breakfast shop by the complex entrance, and a smile unconsciously spread across her face.

Seeing her, Ji Fengyue waved happily. This was the first holiday they were spending together since their rebirth. Ji Fengyue had prepared so much for this and was bursting with anticipation.

“Good morning, Wangshu.”

“Mm, good morning,” Shen Wangshu set her canvas bag aside and sat opposite Ji Fengyue, asking, “Where are we going later? The library doesn’t open until 8:30. It’s still too early.”

“Then accompany me for a stroll. I hope you won’t find it boring.”

Shen Wangshu’s eyes crinkled: “I won’t. Being with you makes everything interesting.”

Ji Fengyue was slightly stunned. Feeling a bit shy, she rubbed her nose to mask the uncontrollable curve of her lips.

Seeing her look bashful was a rare sight for Shen Wangshu. Even while eating her bun, she couldn’t help but stare.

Ji Fengyue’s gaze flickered around. She thought the way the girl’s cheeks puffed out while eating was incredibly cute. She badly wanted to take a photo but didn’t dare.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Cough, just that you’re very cute…”

Shen Wangshu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Thanks for the compliment.”

Afterward, Shen Wangshu stopped talking and focused on eating, clearly not taking Ji Fengyue’s words to heart.

Ji Fengyue felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching a ball of cotton. She sighed inwardly what a dense block of wood!

But what could she do? She just happened to like Shen Wangshu, to the point where even this excessive denseness felt adorable.

Even though it was a holiday and there was no rush for class, Shen Wangshu ate quickly. She didn’t want Ji Fengyue to wait too long. More importantly, Ji Fengyue seemed to be spacing out while looking at her staring so intently without blinking that it made Shen Wangshu feel quite self-conscious.

“Where do you want to go later? I can show you around the neighborhood? But full disclosure: I’m not very familiar with it either. I don’t like going out.”

Ji Fengyue took the initiative to pick up Shen Wangshu’s bag and led her by the hand to the side: “No need. I’ll take you. Let’s go for a ride!”

Shen Wangshu was stunned by the electric scooter in front of her. She really wanted to ask: were they even selling electric scooters this early? In her memory, this mode of transport didn’t become popular domestically until two or three years later.

“My mom bought this back in Linhai. It’s not fast, and the traffic police don’t mind. It makes it easier for me to get around nearby. Don’t worry, I’m a very steady driver.”

Ji Fengyue stowed the bag and pulled a helmet from under the seat, placing it on Shen Wangshu’s head and smiling at her pleasingly: “But you should wear the helmet anyway, just to be safe.”

Shen Wangshu gave an “Mm” and sat behind Ji Fengyue with the helmet on, asking softly, “Aren’t you going to wear one?”

Ji Fengyue didn’t answer, instead changing the subject: “Wangshu, you can hold onto my waist. It’s safer that way.”

“…Oh, okay.” Shen Wangshu’s movements were cautious; her arms only lightly brushed against her.

To be honest, she rarely had such close physical contact with Ji Fengyue and was currently quite unaccustomed to it.

It wasn’t that she was unwilling, who wouldn’t want to be closer to the person they liked?—but she didn’t want to take advantage of her under the guise of friendship, so she had always been very restrained.

However, Shen Wangshu now felt there was no longer a need to deliberately maintain a distance.

The electric scooter started up silently. Shen Wangshu instinctively hugged a bit tighter. She leaned against Ji Fengyue’s back and asked loudly, “Where are you taking me? This isn’t the way to the library. You’re going the wrong way.”

“It’s not the wrong way. Wangshu, let’s go to the river first to clear your head. We’ll go to the library once you’re in a better mood,” Ji Fengyue laughed as if she’d pulled off a successful prank. “Even if you could force yourself to study, I wouldn’t be able to focus on seeing you unhappy.”

“Haha, I’m not exactly a ‘model student.’ Scared?”

Shen Wangshu was momentarily speechless. She leaned against Ji Fengyue’s back, her face very close. She felt extremely lucky that she was still quite short, so Ji Fengyue couldn’t see her expression in the rearview mirror.

Despite wearing a helmet, the wind had blown sand into her eyes; they were definitely red. She absolutely couldn’t let Ji Fengyue see that it was too embarrassing.

Along the way, neither spoke. The streets weren’t very crowded yet. Ji Fengyue twisted and turned through alleys, nearly making Shen Wangshu dizzy.

She really couldn’t understand it. She was the one who had grown up here, so why was Ji Fengyue more familiar with the roads than she was? When on earth had this person scouted the path?

Emerging from an old alley, Ji Fengyue slowed down to a pace almost equal to walking. Shen Wangshu peered out; it was a tree-lined path by the river. One side of the river was lined with shady willows, while the other side featured peach trees that hadn’t fully matured, dotted with small peaches that clearly looked unappetizing.

“Fengyue, how did you know about this place? I didn’t even know it existed.”

“I just wandered around when I was in a bad mood and stumbled upon it,” Ji Fengyue didn’t care to elaborate, turning instead to ask, “How is it, Wangshu? The environment is nice, right? No one comes here this early. We have this entire road to ourselves.”

“Watch the road! Honestly, I’m the one in the helmet and you aren’t. Be careful!”

Shen Wangshu wanted to sigh, but looking at the riverside scenery the early morning sun hitting the shimmering water, the weeping willow leaves swaying in the breeze, and the gentle summer wind on her skin her mood did indeed lighten significantly.

But perhaps most importantly, the warmth of the person in front of her flowed through the embrace into Shen Wangshu’s heart.

“Thank you, Fengyue. I feel much better.” Shen Wangshu took off her helmet, wanting to more closely enjoy the sensation of the breeze on her face. It was truly relaxing.

This was a good place; she wanted to come here for walks from time to time as well.

“!”

Suddenly, Ji Fengyue slammed on the brakes. Shen Wangshu looked at her in confusion: “What happened?”

Ji Fengyue’s expression was stiff. She didn’t dare turn around, only whispering: “I’ll park the scooter here. Let’s walk along the river.”

Shen Wangshu didn’t think twice and nodded: “Mm, that sounds good.”

Ji Fengyue breathed a sigh of relief, her complexion returning to normal as she carefully parked the scooter by a roadside flower bed.

Shen Wangshu looked toward the end of the road, estimating this riverside path was at least two kilometers long. If they walked, a round trip might take over half an hour—a perfect place to kill time.

Perhaps influenced by the surroundings, Shen Wangshu felt very peaceful. Their conversation during the walk shifted naturally; they talked about everything without inhibition. The relaxed atmosphere made her feel as if she had returned to her previous life.

When she first entered the hospital, Ji Fengyue was always busy, and Shen Wangshu was no different. Although they lived in the same apartment, the chances of them actually running into each other at home were initially few and far into between.

Later, when Shen Wangshu changed jobs and had more time off, they gradually had more opportunities to spend time together. But both their jobs were exhausting. Their only real time for relaxed conversation, besides working out at the fitness center, was going for walks together.

Even though they were just wandering aimlessly and talking about work which might not have been interesting or might have been depressing, talking about anything was happy. As long as she was with the person she liked, it was always relaxing, pleasant, and calm.

Now that Shen Wangshu reflected on it, perhaps it wasn’t because it was “with the person she liked,” but simply because it was “with her.”

Whether or not she still liked Ji Fengyue, as long as she was by her side, Shen Wangshu could find the strength to keep moving forward and achieve inner peace.

However, she’d better not let her know that. It would be quite embarrassing.