Chapter 38: First Meeting
Shen Zhuying didn’t expect that he would turn the pomegranate flower she gave him into a bookmark and place it in the book he read back then.
She thought it would be thrown away directly.
Or, if she was lucky, it would be put in a vase, waiting to wither and then be thrown away.
But now, looking at this bright red pomegranate flower bookmark, she suddenly felt that the her from ten years ago had received feedback.
No need to be so twisted and entangled anymore.
She sniffled, “You didn’t throw it away.”
“I guessed you were being stubborn about this,” Fu Sizhuo breathed a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t throw it away. This unique pomegranate flower, how could I dare to throw it away?”
Or rather, back then he was performing on such a big stage for the first time, inevitably a bit nervous.
But this pomegranate flower gave the young and slightly immature him immense courage.
In a way, this pomegranate flower was special to him.
This was the biggest reason he kept it back then.
It’s just that now, after knowing this pomegranate flower was given by her, it was given a new color.
Of course, there were a few more parts of feeling fortunate.
Fortunately, some tokens of their intersection in their youth were preserved.
After all, they didn’t have much intersection back then.
Fu Sizhuo felt regret late.
“Why did you suddenly run away back then?” If she hadn’t run, maybe their story would be different.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Shen Zhuying’s eyes began to moisten.
“I’m allergic to handsome guys.”
“You’re allergic to handsome guys, so you suddenly ran over and handed me a pomegranate flower?” Fu Sizhuo was amused by her absurd reason again.
“Because you were too handsome,” Shen Zhuying finally cried, wiped her tears, and choked. “It’s human nature to appreciate beauty.”
“You were so handsome that I was cried into tears by your handsomeness?” Fu Sizhuo pulled her into his arms, gently rubbed her neck, and comforted her with a smile. “Why do you cry so easily?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Shen Zhuying said.
Many years had passed. Everything had changed.
But the person she thought would never intersect with was now standing here, chatting with her about their first meeting with a smile.
Shen Zhuying hugged his waist and pulled him closer.
Then she heard Fu Sizhuo ask, “So compared to that Classmate A of yours, who do you think is more handsome?”
“……” Shen Zhuying wiped away her tears and changed the subject directly.
“My mom asked us to have dinner at her place tomorrow night. Are you free?”
The way she changed the subject was so abrupt that it was jaw-dropping.
Fu Sizhuo sighed lightly and finally went along with her. “I should be free.”
“Great, let’s go together,” she said with her long, wet eyelashes lowered.
“My mom said she wants to introduce an uncle to us.”
Shen Zhuying was actually a bit surprised. Her mom hadn’t brought anyone home since the divorce, let alone introduced them to her.
Shen Zhuying reasonably speculated that the person Shen An wanted to introduce her to was likely to become her new stepfather.
When she and Fu Sizhuo entered, Shen An was lounging on the sofa in the living room, watching a new TV show and wearing a face mask. The kitchen was bustling with activity.
“Where’s Uncle Xu?” she pointed to the kitchen and whispered, “He’s in the kitchen, right?”
Shen An nodded perfunctorily, looked at Fu Sizhuo, and instantly smiled brightly. “Little Zhuo, make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready in a while.”
“Okay,” Fu Sizhuo put down the things he was holding, rolled up his sleeves, and said, “I’ll help out in the kitchen.”
“No!”
Mother and daughter almost spoke in unison.
“……”
“Xu Yanzhou doesn’t like anyone in the kitchen when he’s cooking. We’ll just wait,” Shen Zhuying added forcefully.
Are you kidding me? Shen Zhuying had never seen Fu Sizhuo in the kitchen at home.
He wanted to go in and help? She would be grateful if he didn’t blow up the kitchen.
After waiting for about half an hour, a rich aroma wafted out of the kitchen.
The kitchen door opened, and a long leg stepped out.
Shen Zhuying immediately put on a bright smile. “Uncle Xu…”
She paused for a moment after seeing the man’s surprisingly young face. “…Hello.”
The man was probably in his mid-to-late thirties, tall and slender, wearing a khaki coat and silver-rimmed glasses.
He looked refined and elegant.
“Hello,” he nodded slightly at her, then put the dishes on the table without saying much else.
Obviously, he was socially awkward.
Shen Zhuying secretly gave Shen An two thumbs up.
Wow.
She got a handsome and introverted stepfather in his thirties.
There’s no way she could call him Uncle Xu.
“How old are you?” she whispered.
“Thirty-seven.”
“Twelve years older than me,” Shen Zhuying said. “My family is going to be rich!”
“We’re going to be wealthy!!”
“How is it? My mom has skills, right?”
“Not just skills, she has a dozen of them.”
During dinner, he was also very socially awkward, basically answering in monosyllables when Shen Zhuying asked him questions, without much initiative to engage in conversation.
“Uncle Xu, what do you do?”
“Director.”
“That sounds cool. What kind of films have you directed?”
“Night in Ulaanbaatar.”
“Oh, okay.”
She hadn’t seen it. The atmosphere turned cold again.
“In that case, you’re also the director of “The Bad Seed”,” Fu Sizhuo said as he slowly peeled a shrimp for Shen Zhuying and put it on her plate. He casually took over the conversation.
“Have you seen it?” Xu Yanzhou raised his head and finally looked directly at Fu Sizhuo.
“The Bad Seed” wasn’t a big hit in terms of box office in the country, and not many people knew about it. However, among all his works, it was the one he liked the most and put the most effort into.
“Yes, I’ve seen it a few times,” Fu Sizhuo replied.
“What were your impressions?” Xu Yanzhou’s voice gradually became interested.
“At the end of the film, when Xiao Fugui waded through the long river and looked directly at the camera, the background music you played was “Blue Moon”, if I’m not mistaken. Do you have plans to make a sequel?”
“Blue Moon” was a rock punk song created in the 30s and 40s in the US. Xu Yanzhou was surprised that such a young person would know about it.
“You’re right,” he said.
However, there was a very practical problem. The first part of “The Bad Seed” didn’t do well at the box office, so even if he had plans to make a sequel, it would have to be put on hold.
Many people thought the last scene was the ending, but it wasn’t.
When the blue moon descended to the earth, behind the despair, there was still hope.
At this moment, Shen Zhuying breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she didn’t understand what they were talking about, at least she didn’t have to rack her brain to think of ways to lighten the mood anymore.
