The Moon Upon My Heart - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Frenemies

When on earth is she going to get a clue?!

The plum rain season hadn’t ended yet, but during these few days of school registration, the heavy clouds dispersed, and the intense sunlight baked the earth as if the heavens themselves were making things convenient for the primary and secondary students returning to school.

The day before school started, Shen Wangshu met Ji Fengyue’s mother, Lin Ke, who had traveled specifically from Linhai City.

For a boarding student to move out of the school and live off-campus, the parents had to communicate with the homeroom teacher first, then fill out an application form for an official stamp. Naturally, Li Ming came as well.

After finishing the procedures, the two mothers insisted on treating Teacher Liu to a meal, using the excuse of asking him to look out for the two girls since they were worried about them living without adult supervision.

Teacher Liu accepted after a few polite refusals, but they didn’t go to a grand hotel; they simply ate in a private room at a nearby restaurant. The dishes were quite ordinary.

The conversation naturally revolved around Shen Wangshu and Ji Fengyue’s typical performance at school. Teacher Liu thought highly of them, believing they had a strong chance of getting into top-tier universities like Tsinghua or Peking University. He also mentioned competitions and short-term exchange programs to the mothers, suggesting they consider these if the families could afford it.

Lin Ke stated as a matter of course that everything was up to her daughter; she trusted her daughter and wouldn’t interfere, only offering her full support. Li Ming was surprised but agreed.

Shen Wangshu and Ji Fengyue acted as “wallflowers” the entire time, eating quietly. Seeing how natural they looked, Teacher Liu smiled with some surprise.

“Children with strong self-study habits fear nothing more than parents who are dictatorial and difficult to communicate with. Since you trust your daughters so much, I’m sure they will produce brilliant results in three years.”

At this point, Ji Fengyue suddenly interjected: “I think so too.”

“Teacher Liu, you can rest assured. My mom trusts my abilities and won’t boss me around. Shen Wangshu, your mom is the same, right?”

Shen Wangshu blinked, glanced at her mother’s expression, and nodded without hesitation: “Mm, my mom is the same. Right, Mom?”

Li Ming chuckled and agreed. Shen Wangshu and Ji Fengyue exchanged a look; the latter nudged her leg under the table, her eyes glinting with a bit of smugness.

Shen Wangshu smiled helplessly and picked up a piece of braised pork belly, the kind with fatty skin that Ji Fengyue disliked and dropped it into her bowl. Ji Fengyue’s smugness vanished instantly, and she lowered her head to eat the meat obediently.

Li Ming, sitting next to Shen Wangshu and feeling a bit awkward, didn’t notice their interaction, but Teacher Liu and Lin Ke saw it clearly. Lin Ke was especially surprised; she knew her daughter’s tastes and temper well, and her heart felt incredibly complicated at that moment.

After the meal, they drove into the school to move the remaining items from the dormitory. After bidding farewell to Teacher Liu, they headed to the apartment to carry things upstairs. Even though they had only lived at the school for less than a month, there were many small items; the four of them had to make two trips.

To Shen Wangshu’s surprise, Lin Ke found an opportunity to exchange contact information with her, using “easy communication” as the reason. However, Lin Ke didn’t send any messages; it seemed she truly just wanted the phone number and a friend request.

Shen Wangshu didn’t know if Lin Xuxi had told Lin Ke about her rebirth, but she knew Lin Ke’s feelings must be complex—otherwise, her expression wouldn’t have been so hesitant when asking for the contact info.

Shen Wangshu didn’t tell Ji Fengyue about this. She instinctively felt that Ji Fengyue wouldn’t want her and her mother to communicate behind her back.

Shen Wangshu thought back to the buried, sad past of her previous life.

For someone who had once lost all their closest kin, the word “family” might no longer be a warm harbor, but a scar that cut to the bone. It served as a reminder of loss and a harbinger of the possibility of losing everything again.

Perhaps Ji Fengyue felt afraid in front of her family too—afraid to face that reclaimed affection, afraid her clumsy way of interacting would cause pain again. So she chose silence and distance, wrapping herself in a hard, safe shell.

In settings where Lin Ke was present, Ji Fengyue was exceptionally quiet, barely speaking all day. But the moment the two elders left, that hard shell peeled away. Ji Fengyue immediately turned around and, like a tired bird finally finding its nest, pulled Shen Wangshu into a hug to “recharge” without a word.

During their week of living together, Shen Wangshu tried to get used to Ji Fengyue’s many changes. For instance, the requirement to embrace to fall asleep, waking up in the other’s arms every morning, and the “cute” and “I like you” that hung on her lips as naturally as breathing.

However, her body wasn’t controlled by logic. When they slept together at night, her heart would still secretly race under the covers. When Ji Fengyue whispered in her ear, her ears would still flush uncontrollably… Her body was reminding her that their relationship had already crossed the safe boundary of “friends.”

At first, Shen Wangshu would wonder: what exactly was her status in Ji Fengyue’s heart? Best friend? Family without blood relation? The first priority in her life plan? But after knowing that last part, Shen Wangshu felt that no matter what Ji Fengyue’s feelings were, it didn’t matter anymore.

She was no longer afraid of change. She stopped trying to define the relationship. she began to force herself to get used to the intimacy that made her heart flutter.

The “boiling frog” effect was truly terrifying. Shen Wangshu no longer felt too shy to look at her beloved because of physical contact or teasing.

She could even emulate Ji Fengyue, taking the initiative to hold her hand or giving her a hug when she needed it.

However, Shen Wangshu would probably never be able to say “I like you” as casually as she did.

When the “recharge” time ended, Ji Fengyue nuzzled her beloved’s ear and spoke her heart without hesitation: “I like you so much, Xiaoyue.”

Shen Wangshu touched her face, smiling helplessly: “I know, I know, you clingy spirit. Aren’t you going to let go? We have to wake up early for military training tomorrow. Have you finished packing your things?”

Only then did Ji Fengyue reluctantly release her, though her eyes remained brightly fixed on her: “Everything is ready! Sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a small fan… and I prepared some snacks for you to replenish your energy. I’ll make sure you get through these seven days comfortably!”

“I’m not that fragile,” Shen Wangshu said, amused by her display. she reached out and pinched her cheek. “As for you, don’t ignore rest just because you have good stamina. If you get heatstroke, I won’t hug you to ‘recharge’ you in public.”

“Tch, I don’t believe you.” Ji Fengyue pouted. If that really happened, her Xiaoyue would be more anxious than anyone.

Seeing Shen Wangshu’s look of disapproval, Ji Fengyue immediately changed her tune: “I mean, I won’t get heatstroke. I’m in great health. Look, I even have abdominal muscles!”

As she spoke, she took Shen Wangshu’s hand and pressed it against her stomach. Shen Wangshu tried to pull away but couldn’t. Through the thin fabric, she could indeed feel the distinct muscles, and the texture was quite good… Cough, what am I thinking!

Shen Wangshu scolded herself internally and changed the subject: “It’s almost five o’clock. Let’s go to the classroom. We’ll drop our things off and then head to the snack street for dinner. Teacher Liu might give us a surprise assessment tonight, so we can’t slack off.”

“Okay~”

The two of them checked their bags and walked to the classroom, chatting and laughing. There weren’t many people in the room yet, only a few huddled over their desks scribbling furiously, no doubt finishing their holiday homework at the last minute.

“Yo, Liu Shang, you’re here so early. That’s rare,” Ji Fengyue said as she sat down, addressing Liu Shang in the seat behind her.

Shen Wangshu added with concern: “There are only two hours left. Can you finish?”

Liu Shang looked up with teary eyes, though her hand never stopped moving: “Ugh, don’t even talk about it. What kind of decent person has to rush homework before school even officially starts?”

“It would’ve been so much better if I hadn’t gotten into this elite class. My friends have been playing so hard for three months they’ve forgotten how to write their own names.”

Ji Fengyue arched an eyebrow and smiled: “Oh, so you were playing with friends and forgot you had to hand in homework, and now you’re in a mad rush.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Liu Shang slammed her pen down: “Dammit! My mom said if she sees a message in the parent group about me not finishing homework, being late, or dozing off in class, she won’t sponsor my trip to the anime convention during National Day.”

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have worked so hard just to get physical copies of those novels back then. I regret everything!”

Shen Wangshu shook her head: “Stop regretting and start writing. Time waits for no one.”

Liu Shang slumped on her desk like a salted fish, her hopeful eyes darting between the two of them: “You two top students, good people… could you help a sister out in this emergency?”

Shen Wangshu didn’t answer directly, only asking: “How much do you have left?”

Liu Shang immediately raised her hand: “Reporting! Only the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blanks for math, physics, chemistry, and biology in the ‘Key Points’ workbook are left, plus a few big problems. With your help, I can finish in twenty minutes!”

“You had this planned all along, didn’t you?” Ji Fengyue pulled out several workbooks and placed them on her desk. “Here. Don’t leave it until the next day.”

“Sis, you’re my real sister! I love you to death~” Liu Shang blew a kiss at Ji Fengyue, who dodged it with a look of disgust.

“Go, go, go. I don’t want a sister as familiar as you.”

“Aiyoo~ Sister Ji, aren’t you quite familiar with people too? Who would guess we only met at the start of school?” Liu Shang buried her head in her work. Shen Wangshu and Ji Fengyue locked eyes; the latter shrugged dismissively, but Shen Wangshu laughed.

“Look at you two, like a pair of bickering lovers,” Shen Wangshu said with a glint of mischief, looking at Ji Fengyue. “Maybe you were best friends for a long time in a past life.”

“Don’t use idioms incorrectly,” Ji Fengyue’s expression changed instantly. “At most, it’s an ill-fated connection.”

She remembered back in their previous life when Liu Shang would tease them as a “little couple” at every gathering, and Shen Wangshu would just smile, completely oblivious, taking it as a joke. Thinking of that made her feel a wave of helplessness.

Liu Shang didn’t look up, but her mouth didn’t stop: “What? I have good features, a good family background, and I’m a social butterfly who can talk to anyone. You’re actually acting disgusted? I haven’t even complained about your sharp tongue yet!”

“Alright, alright. Ji Fengyue and I are going to the food street. Do you want us to bring you anything?”

“Sister! My real sister! Please bring me the fire noodles from that new Korean place—add an egg!” Liu Shang quickly pulled a green bill from her pocket and handed it to Shen Wangshu with glowing eyes. “And a bottle of Happy Water. Coca-Cola, not Pepsi.”

“Keep the change for your own drinks!”

“You’re even being picky? Just get writing!” Ji Fengyue rolled her eyes, took Shen Wangshu’s hand, and stood up.

Once they stepped out of the classroom and the hallway breeze dispersed the stuffiness of the room, Shen Wangshu laughed softly.

“I didn’t use the idiom wrong. You two really are ‘bickering lovers.’ You act like you’re fighting every time you meet, but you’re constantly in touch. Oh, and you always talk about topics you can’t tell me—I’m quite envious.”

Ji Fengyue paused and turned her head, looking at Shen Wangshu with a complex expression. The afterglow of the sunset filtered through the hallway windows, plating her profile in a soft, warm light. Those eyes that were usually distant were now curved because of her joke, clear and without a hint of ulterior motive.

“‘Bickering lovers,'” Ji Fengyue pursed her lips, her voice carrying an unintended mix of helplessness and affection, “is an idiom for couples or lovers.”

“Anyway, it’s not right. I don’t like her.” She squeezed Shen Wangshu’s palm unhappily, as if emphasizing her stance.

Shen Wangshu nodded with a smile, like one indulging a cranky child: “Okay, my mistake. You two are frenemies. Does that work?”

“After all, you didn’t tell her that the teachers won’t actually check the ‘Key Points’ workbooks. When she finds out…” Shen Wangshu couldn’t help but chuckle. Liu Shang’s reaction would surely be entertaining.

Ji Fengyue replied as a matter of course: “If she doesn’t suffer a bit, how will she learn her lesson?”

“Honestly, why get so upset with a ‘child’?” Shen Wangshu shook her head helplessly. Looking at their intertwined hands, she sighed softly, “I really can’t tell if you two have a good relationship or a bad one.”

Ji Fengyue didn’t answer. She silently tightened her grip on her fingers, thinking to herself: If it weren’t for the fact that Liu Shang acted as my wingman for ten years, I would have blacklisted her long ago for that mouth that constantly insults me in front of Xiaoyue!

Sigh, even the fifteen-year-old Liu Shang gives us the ‘I ship’ look from time to time. Why is the thirty-year-old Xiaoyue still talking about ‘family’? When on earth is she going to get a clue?!