When Spring Awakens - Chapter 12

Wen Wanbing gave the name of her residential community, watching with half-lowered eyes as Fu Junxue tapped on the screen, inputting each syllable one by one. Every time a character popped up, her heart twisted like a tangled braid.

The navigation displayed five address options gates to the east, west, south, north, and center, each on different roads. Fu Junxue asked, “Which gate is closest to your place?”

Wen Wanbing suddenly snapped out of her daze. After a few seconds of silence, she answered evasively, “Actually, maybe I should treat you to dinner another time.”

“Hmm?” Fu Junxue blinked in surprise. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“There are other guests at my place,” Wen Wanbing said, pressing her lips together and offering a seemingly reasonable but unconvincing excuse. “Since I’m treating you, it’d be better if it were just the two of us.”

Fu Junxue leaned halfway over the steering wheel, tilting her head to study her. She voiced her skepticism directly, “You knew there were other guests at your place before you invited me. Why didn’t you think of this earlier and still went ahead with the invitation?”

Wen Wanbing closed her eyes briefly.

Because at that moment, as she read the confidentiality clause at the end of their contract stating they would pretend to be friends if they encountered acquaintances she had suddenly made a decision: to bring Fu Junxue home.

She had no friends, so she had never brought anyone home before.

Given He Xiuying’s personality, she would surely dote on Fu Junxue, the first guest Wen Wanbing had ever brought home. That way, her mother’s attention wouldn’t be solely on her and Hai Ling. She could also use the excuse of looking after her “friend” to keep her distance from Hai Ling.

“Let me guess?” Fu Junxue tapped her fingers idly against the steering wheel. “One of the two guests at your place is someone you dislike, and you wanted to use me as a shield.”

Wen Wanbing stiffened slightly, turning to look at Fu Junxue, surprise flickering in her eyes.

“Looks like I guessed right.” Fu Junxue smiled, her charming, expressive eyes softening with warmth. “I have a younger sister who doesn’t get along well with our grandmother, so she always drags me along whenever she goes home for dinner.”

Wen Wanbing thought that Fu Junxue must be very close to her sister.

A childhood memory flashed through her mind so fleeting she only caught a glimpse of a frail, slender figure before the honk of a car behind them snapped her back to reality.

“Sorry, you’re right. I did think that way. I assumed you’d be good at socializing.” The amber hues in Wen Wanbing’s eyes shimmered with the light filtering through the window, swirling with deep, complicated emotions.

Fu Junxue arched an eyebrow.

“But being good at it doesn’t mean you enjoy it.” Wen Wanbing’s voice was soft, as if she couldn’t muster the energy to speak louder, the emotions in her words so restrained they were nearly imperceptible.

Fu Junxue watched her for a long moment. Every time they interacted, she felt the same way.

It was as if a thin, translucent layer of ice encased Wen Wanbing’s entire being.

Outwardly hard, yet inside, there was a clarity and softness but it made one sad to look at her, as if it were all an illusion, as if she might shatter at any moment.

“Whether I like it or not doesn’t matter, I’m starving.” Fu Junxue decisively ended the slightly heavy conversation and made a quick decision, randomly selecting the South Gate address. “No more overthinking. I’m coming over for dinner.”

The navigation displayed the distance and estimated travel time, half an hour by car.

“Still quite far,” Fu Junxue remarked, smoothly shifting the topic. “How did Little Star end up at Solo that day?”

“She has a student card, so she takes the bus.” Wen Wanbing suddenly changed the subject. “My mom’s cooking is all high-calorie.”

“Hmm.” Fu Junxue turned the steering wheel and drove out of the parking spot.

“Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?” Wen Wanbing said.

Fu Junxue wanted to say something, her lips parting slightly, but found herself at a loss for words. Finally, she managed a single, “So?”

Seeing that Fu Junxue was unfazed, Wen Wanbing gave up the struggle. “Drink more water before the meal. It’ll help you eat less.”

“…” Fu Junxue glanced at Wen Wanbing’s expressionless face, then savored her serious tone, unable to suppress a soft chuckle.

Wen Wanbing didn’t notice. She dialed a call to inform He Xiuying that she was bringing a friend home for dinner.

He Xiuying let out a surprised “Ah,” then asked with a quiet laugh, “Boyfriend?”

“Girlfriend.” Only after saying it did Wen Wanbing realize the ambiguity of the term. She instinctively glanced at Fu Junxue.

Fu Junxue was focused on driving ahead, but the slight lift of her eyebrows betrayed that she had heard every word clearly.

Like a teasing tail, it brushed against Wen Wanbing’s heart, making her skip a beat.

Hastily, Wen Wanbing added, “A female friend.”

Then she caught sight of Fu Junxue’s curling lips.

Even without speaking, this woman could still tease her.

“Who is it?” He Xiuying pressed.

“The diving instructor. She’ll be teaching Xingxing how to dive later.” To ensure He Xiuying paid more attention to Fu Junxue, Wen Wanbing elaborated. “She made the broken hairclip Xingxing has by hand. She promised to fix it, but I forgot to bring it today. I thought I’d take her home to get it and have dinner while we’re at it.”

“Oh, come on, ‘while we’re at it’? You silly girl, why didn’t you say so earlier? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have invited Hai Ling to stay for dinner or asked Old Zhang over. We should’ve invited her properly for a meal,” He Xiuying chided.

“It’s fine. I’ll treat her again another time.”

“Remember to buy some braised dishes. I’ve got to go now busy cooking. Honestly, this girl.” With He Xiuying occupied with stir-frying, the call ended quickly.

Wen Wanbing slowly lowered her hand, expecting Fu Junxue to tease her about the “girlfriend” remark.

But Fu Junxue didn’t. Instead, she asked, “Could you give me a brief introduction to the two guests at your place?”

“One is a neighbor, Uncle Zhang. He’s helped our family a lot. The other…” Wen Wanbing paused. “Is my boss.”

Fu Junxue was sharp. “The one I saw last time?”

Wen Wanbing: “Mm.”

A boss visiting an employee’s home for dinner on a day off? Fu Junxue tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and asked, “Is he pursuing you?”

This was the second time Fu Junxue had posed the question.

This time, Wen Wanbing didn’t remain silent. She gave an answer: “No. He used to be my sister’s boyfriend.”

Fu Junxue had heard from Pepper that she’d seen photos of Wen Wanbing’s family. She said Wen Xing’s mother was very beautiful, with a striking, elegant charm that leaped off the screen.

Pepper had described the sisters using two flowers.

Peony and Chinese herbaceous peony.

Boyfriend, not husband. Used to be.

Fu Junxue picked up on the keywords and probed further into the less private ones. “Ex-boyfriend. What about now?”

The traffic light turned green. Outside the window, the scenery along the road began to recede. The crimson sun in the sky dimmed its glow, settling atop the hazy silhouette of distant mountains.

Just as Fu Junxue thought Wen Wanbing wouldn’t answer, she heard her voice softly cutting through the cacophony of car horns.

“Separated by life and death.”

Those four words brought the conversation to an abrupt end.

A long silence stretched until Wen Wanbing asked Fu Junxue to pull over so she could buy some braised dishes.

Before getting out of the car, she asked Fu Junxue, “Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Looking out the window, the street outside was visible. Several bricks on the sidewalk were raised, and passersby in flip-flops trampled them back down. A row of old shops was embedded in the dusty walls, with the braised food store nestled among them.

Fu Junxue brushed her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

Wen Wanbing’s gaze followed the movement, sweeping from the expensive watch on her wrist to the snowflake-shaped clip in her hair, and finally skimming over the miniature snowflake earrings dangling from her earlobes.

Fu Junxue’s refined elegance from head to toe was out of place here. Wen Wanbing thought her question had been rather unnecessary.

“I’d like some lemon chicken feet,” Fu Junxue suddenly spoke up, smiling naturally. “But I won’t eat much.”

Wen Wanbing paused in opening the door. “Okay.”

By the time they got home, He Xiuying was already setting the table, with Uncle Zhang helping out nearby. Wen Xing sat in front of the TV watching commercials, accompanied by Hai Ling.

The moment the door opened, everyone in the house except Wen Xing turned to look toward the entrance.

“You’re back,” He Xiuying said, putting down the dish in her hands and glancing at Wen Wanbing, who was changing shoes at the entrance. “Where’s your friend?”

Fu Junxue peeked out from behind Wen Wanbing, greeting politely and gracefully, “Hello, Auntie~”

He Xiuying was momentarily stunned by her radiant beauty before responding, “Oh, hello, hello. No need to change shoes, just come right in.” She stepped forward and tugged at Wen Wanbing, whispering, “What should I call her?”

“Her name is Fu Junxue,” Wen Wanbing introduced.

“Xiao Fu,” He Xiuying said familiarly. “This girl Shui didn’t tell me in advance, so I didn’t prepare much. Don’t mind the simple meal.”

Shui? Fu Junxue raised an eyebrow and smiled, expertly controlling the curve of her lips to appear gentle and warm. “You’re too modest, Auntie.”

“Go sit on the sofa for a bit; dinner will be ready soon,” He Xiuying said, nudging Wen Wanbing with her shoulder. “Take care of your guest.”

Wen Wanbing nodded.

Passing through the living room, Wen Wanbing greeted Uncle Zhang and deliberately ignored Hai Ling, leading Fu Junxue straight into her bedroom.

Fu Junxue stood by the door, surveying the room’s interior. It was spacious, as if two rooms had been merged into one, but it was sparsely furnished just a bed, a nightstand, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe. There wasn’t even a single decorative item.

Everything was uniformly white, like a hotel room, devoid of any sense of belonging.

Wen Wanbing reached around Fu Junxue, grasped the doorknob, and closed the door. “You can stay here until dinner’s ready. It won’t be awkward.”

After all, everyone outside was a stranger to Fu Junxue.

With a soft click, the door shut. Fu Junxue took a step closer to Wen Wanbing, narrowing the distance between them. Wen Wanbing’s hand still rested on the doorknob, almost imperceptibly brushing against Fu Junxue’s waist.

The position made it seem as if she had Fu Junxue half-embraced in her arms.

Fu Junxue let out a light laugh, her lashes lifting slightly as she met Wen Wanbing’s gaze. “And what about you? Will you stay here with me?”

The curve of her lips deepened a touch, shifting from demure gentleness to something more sly and languid.

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