When Spring Awakens - Chapter 14

Hearing the latter part of the sentence, Wen Wanbing was slightly taken aback.

Even with the air conditioning on, the spacious room still felt slightly stuffy.

The faint sound of He Xiuying calling everyone to dinner drifted in from outside. The ceiling light cast a cool white glow, quietly spreading into every corner, diluting the ambiguous atmosphere.

“Let’s go eat,” Wen Wanbing said, bending down to pick up the remote and turn off the air conditioner.

Once again, she effortlessly shifted the topic, her unhurried movements making her seem like a snail with sensitive antennae.

Fu Junxue followed Wen Wanbing out, casually reminding her, “Don’t forget to pour me some water, Shui~”

Wen Wanbing’s steps faltered slightly. Fu Junxue noticed but thought it was just her reacting to the sudden use of her nickname and smiled, not dwelling on it.

After leaving the room, Wen Wanbing asked Fu Junxue to sit first, then went to the kitchen to pour two glasses of water.

“New cups, never used. I rinsed them with hot water,” Wen Wanbing said, placing one in front of Fu Junxue. “You can have more after finishing this.”

“One is enough. If I drink too much, I won’t have room for the food, and Auntie might think I don’t like her cooking,” Fu Junxue replied, sensing someone’s gaze on her. She glanced over.

Diagonally across, Wen Xing was holding a chubby Doraemon cup, staring intently at Fu Junxue’s glass.

Fu Junxue lowered her long lashes, her gaze skimming over the small Doraemon with a bamboo-copter on her cup before noticing the Doraemon digging in its pocket on Wen Wanbing’s glass.

They were a matching set.

Her fingertips brushed the warm surface of the cup, heated from the boiling water. Fu Junxue lifted it carefully and took a sip, realizing the water inside was also warm not scalding at all.

In her peripheral vision, Wen Wanbing was pouring water from a kettle into Hai Ling’s transparent glass and Uncle Zhang’s personal teacup, steam rising gently.

Behind the rim of her cup, Fu Junxue’s lips curled slightly.

So thoughtful.

“So you work at Yuan Chen? Impressive! Yuan Chen is a great company!” Uncle Zhang propped his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment. “Do you know about Rui Xing?”

Hai Ling’s brows furrowed briefly before smoothing out, her eyes instinctively darting toward Wen Wanbing.

Wen Wanbing kept her head down, her long hair cascading to one side, obscuring her expression completely.

The kettle in her hand tilted slightly, and water overflowed, just reaching the rim of the teacup. Wen Wanbing stopped just in time. “Sorry, Uncle Zhang, I poured too much.”

“No worries, no worries,” Uncle Zhang waved it off, unconcerned, and continued, “The CEO of Rui Xing has health issues. After stepping back semi-retired, the company hasn’t been doing well.”

Wen Wanbing set the kettle down and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

The sound of running water echoed in the quiet space. Wen Wanbing looked up at her reflection in the mirror drenched, water droplets rolling off her lashes, blurring her vision until her features were almost indistinguishable.

She closed her eyes, turned off the faucet, and grabbed a couple of tissues to dry her face. When her vision cleared, she exhaled deeply.

Returning to her seat, she had just sat down when two tissues were handed to her. Wen Wanbing looked up.

“There’s water here,” Fu Junxue said, her fingertips lightly brushing the junction of Wen Wanbing’s jaw and neck, watching as a droplet trailed down the slender side of her neck.

The touch from Fu Junxue’s fingers seemed to seep into her skin, the lingering water merging into her bloodstream jarring at first, then natural.

“Thanks,” Wen Wanbing replied belatedly, taking the tissues and pressing them to her neck.

At that moment, Wen Xing slid off her stool, holding her cup, and positioned herself between Wen Wanbing and Fu Junxue. She placed her cup on the table, meticulously arranging the three differently patterned cups into a neat row.

Then, without a word, she stood firmly in the middle.

Fu Junxue seemed to think of something and chuckled softly. Wen Wanbing was about to ask what she found amusing when Fu Junxue turned to Wen Xing and asked, “Xingxing, do you want to sit in the middle?”

Wen Xing’s beautiful eyes darted around before she nodded. “Sit.”

Wen Wanbing stood up and pushed a chair to the center for Wen Xing, who quickly climbed onto it, resting her chin on her arms as she continued to stare at the three cups.

Fu Junxue also leaned in, mirroring Wen Xing’s posture, and murmured with a quiet sigh, “Even more alike now.”

“Alike to what?” Wen Wanbing pulled over another chair.

Fu Junxue tilted her head, meeting her gaze with a soft, radiant smile on her delicate face, but she didn’t answer.

Shortly after, He Xiuying brought out the soup and urged everyone to start eating. Wen Wanbing took a sip of the soup and received a delayed notification on her phone. She glanced down to check.

[Snowflake]: [“Like a family of three.”]

The soup caught in her throat, nearly sending Wen Wanbing into a coughing fit that could have propelled her straight to the afterlife.

Wen Xing thoughtfully pushed her own cup toward Wen Wanbing.

“Oh dear, slow down. How many times have I told you not to look at your phone while eating?” He Xiuying scolded lightly before adding a piece of braised pork to Fu Junxue’s bowl. “Xiao Fu, try this the best part is when it has just a little fat. And this pig’s trotter, I’ve been stewing it since this afternoon. It’s super tender, great for collagen.”

As Wen Wanbing had anticipated, He Xiuying’s attention was almost entirely focused on Fu Junxue, their first-time guest. From the start of the meal until now, Fu Junxue’s bowl had been piled high with food.

Fu Junxue had been sneaking a mischievous smirk at Wen Wanbing, but when she turned back to her bowl, her smile faltered almost imperceptibly before she quickly composed herself into a polite, grateful expression. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Seeing He Xiuying reach for a chicken drumstick next, Fu Junxue hastily cleared her throat to catch Wen Wanbing’s attention and gave her a pleading look.

Wen Wanbing raised an eyebrow, silently retorting, “Serves you right for teasing me.” Fu Junxue pouted, putting on a pitiful face as she mouthed, “Help me.”

“Mom, she can serve herself whatever she wants to eat,” Wen Wanbing finally relented. “Besides, she needs to watch her figure. Eating so much meat at night isn’t good for her.”

He Xiuying had already deposited the drumstick into Fu Junxue’s bowl and waved it off. “She’s not fat at all. It’s fine.”

Fu Junxue pressed her lips together in a strained smile, feeling queasy just looking at the mountain of rich food before her. She picked up her cup and drained the remaining water.

“She’s a diving instructor she performs as a mermaid,” Wen Wanbing added seriously, hoping to emphasize the gravity of the situation. “If she gets fat, she’ll turn into a dugong.”

This time, it was Fu Junxue’s turn to choke, coughing so hard she nearly met her demise.

Wen Xing, nibbling on her chopsticks, blinked innocently. Seeing Fu Junxue’s empty cup, she quietly slid her own cup from Wen Wanbing’s side over to Fu Junxue.

After dinner, He Xiuying cleared the dishes and instructed Wen Wanbing and Hai Ling to accompany Uncle Zhang to the small park to set up the projector and show a movie for the elderly widows and widowers in the neighborhood. She warmly invited Fu Junxue, saying, “Xiao Fu, if you’re free, come along too. Old Zhang says they’re showing Roman Holiday today, it’s a good one!”

Fu Junxue readily agreed, “Sure.”

Wen Wanbing gathered mosquito coils, repellent, and water, opened a bottle of Wahaha for Wen Xing to hold, while Hai Ling helped carry the stools. The group made their way to the small park in a lively procession.

“I didn’t think you’d want to come,” Wen Wanbing said, holding Wen Xing’s hand as she walked side by side with Fu Junxue at the back.

“When I was little, I often went with my grandma to watch public screenings,” Fu Junxue replied. “I don’t remember the films, but I remember how fun it was to watch together with everyone. Later, going to the cinema never felt the same.”

Uncle Zhang, walking ahead, overheard and chimed in, “Right? My daughter took me to the cinema once, but it wasn’t the same. So she bought me this projector and told me to organize public screenings. But I didn’t know how to use it thankfully, Xiao Wen helped.”

Fu Junxue asked, “How often do you hold these screenings?”

“Not too often, once or twice a month,” Uncle Zhang said. “Come whenever you’re free.”

Fu Junxue smiled and nodded, “Alright.”

At the small park, Uncle Zhang arranged the elderly attendees to sit in order based on the height of their stools. Wen Wanbing worked methodically to set up the projection at the front, while Fu Junxue stood to the side holding Wen Xing’s hand.

Just as everything was ready, Hai Ling walked over and asked, “Zǐzǐ, where’s the lighter?”

Wen Wanbing patted her pockets. “Seems I forgot it. I’ll go back and get it later.”

Fu Junxue’s eyebrow arched slightly as she pulled a lighter from her bag and handed it to Hai Ling. “Use mine.”

Hai Ling paused, then took it. “Thanks, I’ll return it after lighting the mosquito coils.”

“Let’s go sit in the back,” Wen Wanbing said, leading Fu Junxue to a seat in the side rows.

Wen Xing had no interest in the black-and-white film with its lack of visual impact. Instead, she fiddled with Fu Junxue’s watch, its round face studded with tiny diamonds that sparkled brightly. She clung to Fu Junxue’s arm, refusing to let go, so Fu Junxue simply lifted her onto her lap.

As Fu Junxue adjusted her hold, Wen Wanbing’s gaze fell on her exposed legs under the streetlight, where several swollen mosquito bites dotted her fair skin more than even Wen Xing had attracted.

Wen Wanbing pulled out mosquito repellent and cooling ointment from her bag and handed them over. “This will help with the itching.”

“Do you see any free hands to apply it?” Fu Junxue adjusted Wen Xing in her lap, amused as Wen Wanbing hesitated between handing her the items or taking Wen Xing to free her hands. “What are your hands for? Just help me apply it.”

Wen Wanbing unscrewed the ointment, bent down, and under the streetlight, carefully dabbed the salve onto each red bump with her fingertips. Feeling Fu Junxue’s leg tremble slightly, she asked, “Does it itch badly?”

“Yeah.” Fu Junxue thought for a moment, then suggested, “How about you press a cross into each one?”

For someone so mature and poised, she had such childish whims.

Wen Wanbing chuckled softly but obliged, pressing crosses into the bites.

As she worked on yet another one, Fu Junxue suddenly asked, “Why does your boss call you ‘Zǐzǐ’? Which ‘zǐ’ is it?”

Wen Wanbing paused for a moment before replying, “It’s ‘zhuǐ,’ written with two ‘water’ radicals. It’s my childhood nickname.”

“I thought your nickname was ‘Little Water’?” Fu Junxue said. “Your mom calls you ‘Water.'”

“Yeah, she calls me ‘Water,’ sometimes ‘Little Water.’ You can call me whatever you like.” Wen Wanbing’s throat moved slightly as she added softly, “Just don’t call me ‘Shuishui’ in front of my mom.”

Her voice was calm, without any fluctuation, like a tranquil ocean that could embrace everything. Only by listening very, very carefully could one detect the undercurrents beneath mingled with loneliness and sorrow.

Fu Junxue pressed her lips together, sensing something amiss. But since it involved Wen Wanbing’s family matters, she knew better than to pry unless Wen Wanbing brought it up herself.

“Shuishui, Wen Wanbing so much ‘water’ in your names,” Fu Junxue teased.

Wen Wanbing pressed down a little too hard on the last cross of the massage, making Fu Junxue hiss in response.

“Sorry, my hand slipped,” Wen Wanbing said, though her tone carried no apology.

“It’s fine. Feels good, actually,” Fu Junxue murmured, biting her lip with a soft laugh. “I meant there’s a lot of ‘water’ in your name.”

The summer night breeze came and went, carrying the cool scent of herbal ointment and the faint trace of mosquito incense. The air between them was thick with the lingering dampness from the afternoon rain.

Wen Wanbing looked up. “I know. No need to explain.”

Under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Fu Junxue’s exquisite, radiant face shimmered with an alluring brilliance. Wen Wanbing met her moist, affectionate eyes.

In the sultry breeze, Fu Junxue’s voice was soft and tender like a mermaid from the deep sea, her tone laced with an enchanting magic. Even though Wen Wanbing was fully aware that their current relationship was nothing more than a facade upheld by an agreement, she couldn’t help but be drawn in, sinking deeper little by little.

“I like your nickname Wen Shuishui, Shuishui. ‘Friendship like water’ see? Even our nicknames are a perfect match.”

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