Chapter 59: The Eve of a Business Trip

Hearing Fu Rangyi say this, Zhu Zhixi’s eyes lit up.

“Really?” He took Fu Rangyi’s hand, pulled him to the other side, and lowered his voice, though his tone was excited. “You’re too amazing. No wonder your background explanation for this bronze mirror in the document was so detailed. It turns out your team excavated it. You didn’t say a word, you’re too low-key.”

He stared at the magnificent mirror and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Now I finally have a real sense that you’re an archaeology professor.”

Zhu Zhixi was truly good at praising people. His expression had no trace of flattery, and it was exceedingly sincere. The corners of Fu Rangyi’s mouth lifted. He asked, “You only have a real sense now? What did you think I was busy with before?”

“Digging dirt,” Zhu Zhixi suddenly burst into a smile, his front teeth round and white.

Fu Rangyi smiled helplessly, raised his hand, and ruffled his hair until it was messy.

“What else was from your team? I’m going to put it in the C position! This is too awesome. You’re the biggest connection I could ever pull.”

“Not necessarily,” Fu Rangyi said casually. “You can ask me to help you pull some strings. I have connections above me, even the grandmasters.”

“Really?” Zhu Zhixi’s eyes widened. “I have that much face?”

Fu Rangyi thought for a moment. He himself was considered a “closed-door” disciple, a lone sapling that a group of old men had watched grow up. It was only normal for them to take extra care of a small flower blooming next to the lone sapling.

“Of course you do.” He casually put his arm around Zhu Zhixi’s shoulder and joked with a straight face, “We diggers are all very easygoing.”

And so, the easygoing great professor of digging accompanied the domestically-raised little flower for another busy afternoon, providing professional advice with all his heart. He even secretly contacted the provincial museum while he was busy on the phone, helping to borrow a museum-level artifact.

The director and his mentor were old friends for many years. Upon hearing this, he couldn’t help but tease in the tone of an elder, “Xiao Fu, are you borrowing this, or is your partner asking you for help?”

“I’m borrowing it. He doesn’t know yet,” Fu Rangyi said. “The previous ones were all his own hard work, very difficult to borrow. I checked, and this category is missing, so this will fill the gap nicely. Don’t say I’m the one asking. Just say that since they’re already lending things out, this one can be loaned out together.”

The other party laughed. “How come after so many years, you still can’t shake off your student-like habits? You do things but don’t want others to know.”

“That’s not it. It’s because he’s very capable himself. He’s just not familiar with the artifacts and doesn’t know the importance of this collection. Otherwise, he would have definitely mentioned it,” Fu Rangyi said quite seriously. “This is the only kind of exhibition I can help with. If it were an art exhibition, I’d be a layman too, only able to watch him be busy.”

“Okay,” the other party agreed readily. “This old Zhou, not only is he great at mentoring students, but he’s also a master matchmaker.”

Fu Rangyi held his phone, his head slightly bowed as he let the elder tease him until the call ended. Afterwards, Zhou Ming suggested everyone have dinner together, but Zhu Zhixi, who usually loved lively gatherings, refused without a moment’s hesitation.

“He’s leaving tomorrow. I want to go home and help him pack, so I won’t be joining for dinner. You guys eat more.” After saying that, he grabbed Fu Rangyi and ran off.

Fu Rangyi glanced at him. “You’re going to help me pack?” Helping in a hindering way also counts as helping, right?

Zhu Zhixi said with a grin, “You probably won’t agree to it, right?”

Who knew that when they got home, Fu Rangyi would take out a 26-inch white suitcase from the entryway cabinet, open it on the living room floor, and say to Zhu Zhixi, “Help me pack.”

“For real?” Zhu Zhixi was stunned. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“For real.” Fu Rangyi sat on the sofa, propping his chin on his hand. “You do it. Whatever you pack, I’ll bring.”

Zhu Zhixi squatted by the suitcase, rocked back and forth, then sat down inside with a plop, laughing. “Why don’t you just pack me?”

Fu Rangyi also laughed, then said seriously, “Then I’ll need to order a bigger suitcase now.”

“Then I’m really going to pack for you,” Zhu Zhixi said. “Don’t you dare be dissatisfied with this or that later, and then dump everything out and repack it yourself.”

Seeing that he seemed very interested in this little game, Fu Rangyi readily agreed and even took the initiative to pack his own work-related necessities in a separate bag and hand it to him.

“I won’t be dissatisfied with whatever you pack. You don’t have to feel pressured. If it really doesn’t work out, I promise you, I won’t open the suitcase until I get to C-City.”

“That works.” Having gotten his approval, Zhu Zhixi’s tone became more confident. “Actually, Xiao Fu, let me tell you, I might not be good at other kinds of organizing, but packing a suitcase is a piece of cake for me. You just wait.”

Fu Rangyi watched him start to brag and nodded. “Mm, I’m waiting.” Let’s see what kind of surprise you’ll give this Virgo with a packing obsession.

No sooner said than done, Zhu Zhixi picked up the suitcase and ran to the master bedroom, shouting, “Remember to make me vinegar-slipped potato shreds!”

The room was filled with clanging and banging, extremely lively. A loud “thud” came from inside, as if something had been knocked over. Soon, Zhu Zhixi’s explanation came, guilty but loud, “It’s fine! I can handle it. Don’t come over!”

Fu Rangyi smiled.

Before long, Zhu Zhixi came out with two outfits he had put together, stood in the hallway like a wardrobe assistant, and asked, “These two sets are both very nice. Which one do you like?”

“I’m going to dig dirt, not walk a fashion show,” Fu Rangyi said helplessly.

“Ah,” Zhu Zhixi looked at the clothes. “Oh, right.” He quickly turned around and went back into the room, muttering to himself, “It needs to be dirt-resistant, sun-proof…”

This experience was truly novel. The one who was usually taken care of suddenly shouldered such a heavy responsibility and was doing it so seriously.

Even though Zhu Zhixi didn’t come out much later to ask for his opinion, just busying himself between the two rooms, diligently selecting and moving things, Fu Rangyi had been leaning against the sofa armrest the whole time, looking down the hallway, listening intently.

Opening and closing doors, pulling out and closing drawers, the clatter of hangers, the shaking out of a shirt, the clinking of bottles and jars, muttering to himself, taking inventory, repeatedly zipping and unzipping… These small sounds floated in the air like colorful bubbles, one by one, bobbing up and down in the twilight-drenched living room. He could see them. Only he could see them. Immersed in it, Fu Rangyi was quietly and carefully still. He thought for a long time and had a sudden realization. So this was the form of happiness. So unfamiliar, so light.

To have someone busy for you, muttering to themselves, taking small, hurried steps in the room—this was what it felt like.

Many times, Fu Rangyi couldn’t resist walking over, wanting to hug this little wind-up figurine who was busy non-stop, but as soon as he got close, he was rejected.

“Don’t come over—”

“Alright.” Fu Rangyi had no choice but to surrender. He glanced at the time, went to the kitchen, and put on his apron.

At dinner time, Zhu Zhixi still hadn’t finished his task. Fu Rangyi called him three times before he reluctantly came out of the room and sat down at the dining table to eat.

At first, he just ate. After drinking half a bowl of soup, he suddenly put down his bowl and sighed.

Thinking this was a new preamble, Fu Rangyi had already prepared himself for a cooperative performance, but Zhu Zhixi just propped his chin on his hand and said in a small voice, “The more I pack, the more I don’t want you to go.”

This sentence made Fu Rangyi’s chopsticks freeze mid-air.

“Really,” Zhu Zhixi looked at him. “I’m always the one who leaves. It’s the first time I’ve discovered how depressing it is to watch someone else go.”

“I’ll be back soon.” Fu Rangyi suddenly reverted to the person who didn’t know how to express himself. “A week at most.”

He regretted it as soon as he said it. At this moment, what was the difference between Zhu Zhixi and a small dog? In his time, a week was very, very long, very, very precious.

Zhu Zhixi also seemed to have thought of some sad things, but because of their agreement, he opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. He quickly put on a smiling face and nodded. “I know.”

But he was clearly still a little unwilling and said fiercely, “I’m going to secretly write a letter to your university president’s email. As a faculty family member, I am very dissatisfied with this temporary job.”

Fu Rangyi smiled.

Around ten o’clock at night, Zhu Zhixi’s little game of packing finally ended. He came to the study, knocked on the door, and then said in a super small voice, “You can come back to sleep now.”

Then he softly extended an invitation. “Do you want to come sleep in my room?”

Of course, Fu Rangyi would not refuse. The moment he entered Zhu Zhixi’s room, he would think of his elementary school days, when he visited an art museum on a school trip. There was a kaleidoscope room, where every wall was a colorful projection, and the floor used lines and color blocks to create a visual illusion, looking “uneven,” and even having a disorienting sense of tilt, as if having strayed into a fairy tale world. He had entered that room three times, the last time just before closing.

In Zhu Zhixi’s room, he would have the same feeling, only here it was more generous. Admission was free, and it was open to him long-term. At least for now.

After showering and lying in bed, Fu Rangyi hugged Zhu Zhixi’s back and probed directly, “What did you pack for me?”

“I’m not telling you,” Zhu Zhixi smiled.

Fu Rangyi was not good at asking for things. His way of asking was to be quiet for a few seconds and then ask again, “What did you pack? I want to know.”

Others would not fall for this, and of course, he would not ask others a second time. But Zhu Zhixi was susceptible to it.

He turned over, raised an eyebrow in the dim light, and asked, “Do you really want to know?”

Fu Rangyi wasn’t wearing his glasses and squinted. “Mm.”

Zhu Zhixi moved a little closer. He exuded the scent of pomelo blossoms, mixed with the body wash he liked to use, which was the same brand as his favorite perfume—a very pleasant scent of green grass mixed with fruit.

“Then you say: Teacher Xiao Zhu, please tell me.”

Every time he made such a request, he could never bring himself to say it, but in the end, he always did.

But this time was different. Fu Rangyi deliberately said, “Teacher Xiao Xi, please tell me.”

Zhu Zhixi immediately caught the sarcasm. “How could you? Is that the attitude of someone asking for something?”

“What’s wrong?” Fu Rangyi still pretended to be innocent. “Teacher Xiao Xi, what’s wrong with that?”

As he spoke, he also leaned forward, almost pressing against Zhu Zhixi. Fu Rangyi lowered his head, nonchalantly rubbing the tip of his nose against his, and said in a breathy voice, “Teacher Xiao Xi, I’m begging you.”

He didn’t expect Zhu Zhixi to actually cry out. Fu Rangyi was startled.

“I can’t stand you.” Zhu Zhixi kicked the air a few times under the covers, then cupped his face, gave him a kiss, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and pattered out—he always made a lot of noise when he walked in slippers. After a while, he pattered back again, got into bed, and wrapped himself up tightly.

“Since student Fu wants to know so badly, then I will graciously select one item from the luggage.” Zhu Zhixi held his hands together tightly, one on top of the other, and extended them between them. “You say, ‘Ta-da-da-da’.”

Fu Rangyi copied his “ta-da-da-da,” but it was a flat, robotic version.

Then Zhu Zhixi’s clasped hands opened like a small clamshell. In his palm lay a string of ice-blue beads.

Fu Rangyi was a little surprised, but Zhu Zhixi had already put the bracelet on his wrist.

“It’s not too small?” Fu Rangyi was even more surprised. “Doesn’t it fit you just right?”

Zhu Zhixi moved his eyebrows smugly and singled out a bead from the bracelet. “Look.” It was something that wasn’t originally there, a pearl. But it took Fu Rangyi a while to confirm it was a pearl because it wasn’t round at all; it was a baroque pearl, somewhat like a lopsided heart.

“I restrung it with an elastic cord, but it was definitely not long enough, so I added this,” Zhu Zhixi told him. “This is a pearl oyster I tried to open when I was diving in Australia. Although it’s not round, it’s very shiny, and the shape is quite cute. I’ve always kept it. I only drilled a hole in it yesterday. I almost hurt my hand when I was drilling the hole.”

Fu Rangyi’s temples throbbed, and he subconsciously grabbed his hand to check.

“It’s fine, it’s not broken,” Zhu Zhixi said, hooking the bracelet. “Is it tight?”

“It’s just right,” Fu Rangyi said. “Thank you, and your little pearl.”

The rings weren’t a matching pair, but the bracelets should count as one. Although, on second thought, there were at least 99 other people wearing the same bracelet as them. But as long as he couldn’t see them, it was just the two of them.

“You’re welcome.” Zhu Zhixi took Fu Rangyi’s hand with the hand wearing the bracelet, swinging it back and forth under the covers. “No more curiosity. It’s time to sleep.”

“Mm,” Fu Rangyi paused, then said, “I’m leaving soon. Shouldn’t we do something about your countdown? Otherwise, I won’t be at ease.”

This was indeed an excellent reason. And so, for their daily task, the two of them were stuck together from ten-thirty at night until one-thirty in the morning. Although they had to follow the doctor’s orders, they didn’t miss a single thing outside of them.

Zhu Zhixi was covered in sweat, like a slippery little fish, held in his arms. His back and chest were pressed tightly together. Fu Rangyi buried his face in the nape of his neck, kissed the wound that had just been bitten, and gently kissed the skin behind his ear.

“What’s the countdown now?” he asked in a low voice.

Zhu Zhixi raised his hand, opened his palm, and after a few seconds, reported a string of numbers. “32 days, 21 hours, 12 minutes, 14 seconds.”

He compared it with this morning’s number in his mind and felt it was very strange. They did almost the same things every day, but the countdown was sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

But he knew that asking about this would only make Zhu Zhixi unhappy. They both tacitly avoided talking about the time, even though it was the initial reason they got together.

“Mm,” Fu Rangyi said. “Remember to report to me every day.”

“I know, I’ll report to you every day. I’ll tell you what I did and what I ate every day. Don’t you dare complain that I’m annoying.”

“I won’t.”

Zhu Zhixi’s tone became a little more serious, his voice still carrying a hint of post-coital languor. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself and wait for you to come home.”

“I’ll bring you back delicious food,” Fu Rangyi kissed his smooth shoulder. “Sleep now, Teacher Xiao Xi.”

“Hey,” Zhu Zhixi laughed again. “I can’t stand you.”

“You said that just now too.”

“Said what?”

“‘I can’t stand you,'” Fu Rangyi said with a straight face, but was almost elbowed. “I’m not teasing you anymore. It’s late, let’s sleep.”

“Mm,” Zhu Zhixi yawned, his whole body relaxing. “The flight is at one in the afternoon tomorrow, right? I’ll set an alarm for ten-thirty.”

Fu Rangyi didn’t reply, just quietly held him. When his breathing became steady and even, he reached out, took his phone from the bedside table, and set his own alarm.

Five hours later, at 6 o’clock, his alarm started to vibrate. Fu Rangyi woke up immediately and turned it off. He looked down at the person in his arms. He stirred slightly but was still sleeping soundly.

Looking at him, Fu Rangyi paused for a moment, then got out of bed very lightly. He propped the pillow up by Zhu Zhixi’s side, tucked in the quilt, and quietly went back to the master bathroom to wash up. He went to the kitchen, labeled the food he had prepared in advance, arranged it according to the expiration date, wrote a sticky note, and stuck it on the refrigerator door.

[Eat on time. If you can’t finish, just throw it away. Fu Rangyi is very generous.] The last six words were added after he had stuck it on.

Then there were Zhu Zhixi’s medicine and supplements. He packed a week’s worth in boxes and placed them on the most conspicuous dining table.

Finally, Fu Rangyi carried a small plate of brownies and a large box of his own homemade pheromone-scented candles back to the bedroom, placed them on the bedside table, the plate pressing down on a note.

[I’ve already left. I know you’ll be unhappy when you wake up and see this, so I prepared a chocolate cake. The flight is actually at eight-thirty. It’s too early, so you don’t need to see me off. It’s a rare weekend, so sleep in. Lunch is on the dining table, just heat it up. I went to make more of the scented candles later. You can light them.]

He had originally written [You can light them when you miss me], but later crossed out the first five words. He then found the blacked-out part ugly and simply rewrote it.

After finishing, he went to change his clothes, lifted the suitcase that Zhu Zhixi had packed full, and found it surprisingly heavy. He pushed the suitcase to the door, thought for a moment, and then went back.

Standing by the bed, Fu Rangyi leaned over, brushed the stray hair from Zhu Zhixi’s forehead, and kissed his forehead, then the palm of his left hand.

Go slowly, don’t scare the little dog and the rabbit.

His gaze quietly traced his sleeping face for a while. Fu Rangyi leaned down again, further down, and kissed his lower abdomen.

Grow well, don’t hurt, he said in his heart.

The flight was very short. When the plane landed in C-City, Zhu Zhixi still hadn’t woken up, because Fu Rangyi, who had just disembarked, hadn’t received his furious phone call.

Time was tight. He took a taxi to the hotel arranged by the university. He was supposed to go to the site for a meeting after dropping off his luggage, but Fu Rangyi was really curious, so he still spent a few precious minutes opening the suitcase.

When he found that the lock of the suitcase seemed to be stuck, he had a bad feeling. Fortunately, it wasn’t stuck too badly, and he managed to open it with a little force. But the contents inside were simply explosive. Fu Rangyi had the illusion of opening a treasure chest and being hit in the face by a spring-loaded toy.

“What is all this…” Fu Rangyi took out one of the items and squinted. “Mosquito repellent bracelet?”

Are there mosquitoes this season?

In addition, there were various travel gadgets he had never seen before, and of course, a wide variety of strange snacks from all over the world. Zhu Zhixi had even written a long list of instructions for them. He had never written so many words for him before, except for that fake marriage questionnaire.

But the most conspicuous item, placed right in the middle, was a fluffy rabbit doll. It was a little squashed. Fu Rangyi took it out, shook it, and patted it, which helped it recover a bit.

It was a very cute rabbit doll, with upright ears and a short, pom-pom-like tail. There was a note stuck to its belly, with only three words on it—Zhu Zhixi.

Fu Rangyi looked at it against the light, then with his back to the light, and finally brought it to his nose to sniff, then his eyes widened.

It actually smelled like Zhu Zhixi.

How was it marinated? Was it washed with body wash or sprayed with perfume? How could it be so similar? He suddenly fell in love with this doll.

He took a verification photo of the Zhu Zhixi rabbit doll and sent it to him.

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: This is a voodoo doll]

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: All that’s missing is the date and time of birth. Send them over, and I’ll help you write them on.]