The Moon Upon My Heart - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Anticipation

Exactly What She Desired

From then on, every day, Shen Wangshu and Ji Fengyue would head out early.

After breakfast, they would leisurely wander through the city’s obscure back alleys on the electric scooter. Sometimes they chatted, sometimes they didn’t, but the atmosphere remained consistently light.

When the library was about to open, they would head back and sit across from each other at a small, private desk. Nestled between the bookshelves, they maintained a quiet and relaxing study environment.

At noon, they would hunt for food nearby together, then return to read for a bit before starting a new study session. They stayed until the library closed in the evening, then rode the electric scooter back home. Ji Fengyue would drop Shen Wangshu off at her building and wait until she saw her go upstairs before leaving.

Thanks to Ji Fengyue taking her out to clear her head these past few days, Shen Wangshu no longer felt suffocated at home.

Despite all this time passing, Li Ming had never once asked about the library’s opening hours, nor did she care where Shen Wangshu was going so early in the morning.

But this was for the best; Shen Wangshu didn’t want to waste energy humoring her—not even a little bit.

In the blink of an eye, half a month of the holiday had already passed.

That evening, when Shen Wangshu returned home and was staring blankly at the ceiling while lying in bed, she suddenly received a message from Ji Fengyue.

Lanyue: Wangshu, tomorrow is the weekend. Let’s take two days off. We need to balance work and play!

Wangshu: Mm, okay.

On the other end, Ji Fengyue waited for a long while without seeing Shen Wangshu say anything else, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit discouraged. This block of wood—why doesn’t she give any other reaction? Isn’t she excited about going out together? Dammit!

After a moment of disappointment, Ji Fengyue pulled herself together and took the initiative to send a date invitation for shopping.

Lanyue: Then how about we go shopping together? We can check out the bookstore and grab something good to eat while we’re at it. If you’re willing, we can go play somewhere else too!

Wangshu: Mm, sure.

Lanyue: Great! Then we have a date tomorrow! That way, you won’t have to stay home and deal with your mom’s moods.

Wangshu: Actually, my mom hasn’t been home much in the evenings lately. You don’t have to worry about me that much.

Lanyue: Then just think of it as keeping me company! The weather forecast says it’ll be sunny tomorrow, so remember to put on sunscreen before you head out. Oh, should we go buy some new clothes?

Wangshu: Sure, you decide.

Wangshu: But since you’re the one asking me out, I’ll leave the planning to you.

Lanyue: Of course! Leave it to me!

Lanyue: Remember to go to sleep early tonight. I’ll come pick you up at 8:00 tomorrow morning. You don’t need to wake up too early on your day off, or you won’t have the energy to shop.

Wangshu: Okay, you too. Don’t overwork yourself, get some rest early.

At the end, Shen Wangshu sent a cute sticker of a chibi character making an “OK” sign. This was something teenage girls commonly used when chatting online, and it was another instance of her half-hearted disguise.

Even though they both clearly understood each other’s true identities, Shen Wangshu wasn’t entirely psychologically prepared yet. For some reason, Ji Fengyue had been playing along with her performance, so she decided to let it continue.

Shen Wangshu didn’t know what the other girl was thinking, but she was grateful for Ji Fengyue’s silence. If she were interrogated, she really wouldn’t know what to do.

But fortunately, after dragging it out for so long, she felt she had finally let go.

Shen Wangshu stared at the conversation on the screen with Ji Fengyue for a long time, lost in thought as she gazed at Ji Fengyue’s nickname, murmuring with a sigh: “As expected, human potential is forced out by reality.”

“Let’s make it tomorrow. There’s no need to drag it out any longer.”

Shen Wangshu didn’t want to keep her friend who had been indulging her selfishness—waiting any longer. She was also looking forward to how things would be between her and Ji Fengyue after coming clean.

This time, she wouldn’t ask for more. She was content.

…

Lanyue: Wangshu, are you up?

Wangshu: Mm, don’t worry, I won’t sleep in. I remember the time we agreed on.

At six o’clock the next morning, Shen Wangshu received a message from Ji Fengyue just as she woke up. She found it a bit funny; despite the girl saying there was no need to wake up too early, she had still messaged at the crack of dawn. Just how impatient was she?

However, Shen Wangshu couldn’t have imagined that from the moment they agreed to go out last night, Ji Fengyue had been exceptionally looking forward to today’s “date.”

She had been so excited she couldn’t sleep all night, yet she was still full of energy now, even wanting to run a couple of laps around the complex to let off steam.

[Wangshu]: Since I’m awake anyway, why don’t we have breakfast together and then head straight out? Waiting at home is boring.

[Lanyue]: Okay! I’ll come pick you up right now.

The response was almost instantaneous. Shen Wangshu couldn’t help but chuckle. Ji Fengyue’s anticipation was overflowing from those few short sentences; she must have made a perfect shopping plan, which made Shen Wangshu start to look forward to it too.

When Shen Wangshu pushed open her door, she found her mother, Li Ming, standing right there, seemingly about to come in to talk to her.

Shen Wangshu took the initiative to speak: “Mom, I forgot to tell you yesterday, but Ji Fengyue and I agreed to go shopping today. We aren’t going to the library.”

Li Ming was stunned for a moment: “Oh, that’s quite good. You’ve both been studying for so long; it’s been hard work. You should have a good rest.”

“Wangshu, where do you plan to go?”

Shen Wangshu shook her head: “Probably just wander around, check out the bookstore, or go shopping for clothes and stuff.”

“That’s fine. I’ll transfer some money to you. Buy whatever you want, and call me if you run out.”

Li Ming nodded and took out her phone to transfer the money, while also asking: “Are you going to the cinema? There’s a high-temperature warning today. It’ll be very hot if you spend the whole time shopping outside.”

“Mm, thanks, Mom. I know,” Shen Wangshu thought for a moment and replied, “It depends on what Ji Fengyue has planned, but she doesn’t seem interested in movies, so we probably won’t go.”

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Shen Wangshu felt as though Li Ming had breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then have a good time. Eat dinner out too; I’m working overtime today and won’t be home tonight.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Shen Wangshu didn’t pay much attention to it; she was more excited about shopping with Ji Fengyue.

…

Although she knew Ji Fengyue would prepare for this outing, Shen Wangshu was still momentarily stunned when she saw her.

Ji Fengyue was wearing a white inner layer paired with a coffee-colored button-up shirt worn open, dark shorts, and black Dr. Martens boots. She also carried a coffee-colored canvas bag.

She was smiling and waving. Her exposed arms and long legs were almost dazzling in the sunlight.

Not only that, her long hair, which was always tied in a ponytail, was now draped over her shoulders. She wore a dark coffee-colored baseball cap and, surprisingly, she wasn’t wearing her glasses. From her appearance alone, she looked like she had meticulously prepared for a “date.”

It had to be said that at this moment, Ji Fengyue was overflowing with youthful vitality. Shen Wangshu liked it very much and thought she looked beautiful.

“What’s wrong, Wangshu? Not fully awake yet?”

Shen Wangshu shook her head and smiled: “I’m just a bit surprised. It turns out you actually dress up to go out. Doesn’t this make me look like I didn’t try at all?”

She was wearing a plain short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, no different from her usual self, without even a sun hat.

“Cough, my cousin helped me pick these clothes. She said you have to look nice when going out with friends. If I hadn’t refused, she wanted to give me some light makeup too,” Ji Fengyue explained somewhat unnaturally, placing her hat on Shen Wangshu’s head.

“The summer sun is so strong, why aren’t you wearing a hat? You’ll get burned.”

“I forgot.”

Ji Fengyue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she pulled sunscreen out of her canvas bag: “Did you not put on sunscreen either? Luckily I brought some. Come here, let me apply it. Your skin is delicate; it wouldn’t be good if you got sunburnt and started peeling.”

“Mm, thanks.”

Shen Wangshu watched as Ji Fengyue naturally tied her hair back. Combined with her current outfit, her “youthful boyishness” felt even stronger.

“Your cousin has great taste. You look very handsome dressed like this. I like it too.”

“Cough, it’s alright. You’re very cute too.” Ji Fengyue’s face flushed slightly. She had picked through more than ten outfits her cousin had prepared just to hear this compliment.

“It’s not the clothes that are cute, it’s the person,” Ji Fengyue said with a serious tone.

Unfortunately, Ji Fengyue’s words once again weren’t taken seriously by her crush. The latter waved her hand: “No need for polite compliments. Let’s go. Where are we heading after breakfast?”

“Look at these plans. Which one are you more interested in?” Ji Fengyue pulled out her phone to show Shen Wangshu three plans she had made, detailing destinations, driving routes, and bus travel times. She had clearly done her research in advance.

“Pfft, how is it that you seem more like a local than I do?” Seeing such a detailed itinerary, Shen Wangshu couldn’t help but laugh. This was the Ji Fengyue she was familiar with.

“Then let’s go to the aquarium this morning. It’s good that we’re starting early, and we won’t be in the sun there. I remember they have performances on weekends.”

“After we eat, we can take a bus to the shopping street. It’ll be good for digestion. Then we can browse the bookstore and find a cafe to sit and chat.”

Ji Fengyue added: “Or we could see a movie to pass the time. I checked, and there’s a highly-rated old movie being re-released today. The feeling of watching it in a cinema should be quite different.”

“Okay, then let’s go after we eat; we should buy tickets in advance. But since we’re going out to play, let’s go all the way and not go home until after dark. We can go to the river to catch the breeze and take a walk,” Shen Wangshu smiled and winked at Ji Fengyue. “What do you think?”

“Of course, no problem.”

If anything, it was exactly what Ji Fengyue desired.

Shen Wangshu had no idea that Ji Fengyue was truly treating this shopping trip as a “date.”

Other than the fact that they weren’t a couple, every plan Ji Fengyue made included typical date spots and activities.

Riding a tandem sightseeing bike in the park, taking photos and watching aquatic animals and shows at the aquarium… Even choosing to go out today hid Ji Fengyue’s little scheme—the “old movie” she mentioned was a romance. It was predictable that the cinema would be 80% couples, filled with a romantic atmosphere.

While it was normal for best friends to watch a romance movie together and Shen Wangshu certainly wouldn’t think otherwise, the theme of that movie was unrequited love. Ji Fengyue could use her status as a friend to test her views on love.

It was killing several birds with one stone—winning all around!