The Moon Will Always Come to You

Chapter 34: A Dragonfly Skimming the Water

Life itself was dull and pale. It wouldn’t let you laugh to your heart’s content every day. On the contrary, it would always make you feel tired and disappointed.

However, if a worthy person suddenly charged into this kind of ordinary life, and he understood all your preferences, and voluntarily shouldered the burden of your life—if this was the case, then Ruan Zhizhi thought she would probably be willing to idle away her life.

She and Shi Yan had confirmed their romantic relationship for a week. The origami had already spread over her entire desk. At first, she had arranged the folded papers neatly on the windowsill in front of her desk. Later, however, she was always anxious about accidentally knocking the papers off whenever she pulled the curtains. Therefore, she specially ran to the home craft store to purchase a heart-shaped paper box, where she carefully placed all the folded papers inside.

In the future, there would be more and more.

Today was a rare Friday without overtime. Ruan Zhizhi got off work early and planned to go to A University to wait for Shi Yan to finish class so that they could have dinner together.

As she was packing up and preparing to leave, Ruan Zhizhi suddenly felt that something was wrong. She frowned for a while. At last, she realized that the faint sense of unease in her heart came from Lu Wanyi, who had been too quiet recently.

It was clear that Lu Wanyi had always been an extremely lively and carefree girl in her heart. But these days, Ruan Zhizhi didn’t know what was going on. At work, she always felt that Lu Wanyi had a lot on her mind, and Lu Wanyi didn’t like to come over to chat and gossip with her as much as before.

In the past until now, Lu Wanyi had been the only person to show her the greatest kindness in the company. After getting along during this period of time, the two of them had already become friends who could tell each other anything. Seeing her downcast mood, it was only natural that Ruan Zhizhi couldn’t be a bystander.

En…In any case, she had finished work earlier today. Ruan Zhizhi pondered for a few seconds and decided to talk to Lu Wanyi to see if there was anything she could do to help.

By coincidence, she happened to see Lu Wanyi behind her. She had a miserable expression and was packing her things to leave. Ruan Zhizhi hurried with quick steps to catch up and called out to stop her: “Wanyi!”

The other party was stunned when she heard her voice. After pausing for a few seconds, she turned around, forcing a smile. “Zhizhi ah, what’s wrong?”

“We got off early today. If you don’t have any plans, I’ll treat you to milk tea, okay?” Ruan Zhizhi issued a pitiful expression and paused to see Lu Wanyi’s hesitant face. She added, “Your favourite strawberry with milk foam, plus a mango pancake, is it enough?”

Ultimately, she couldn’t bear to reject her kindness. Lu Wanyi’s brows smoothed and she walked over to hold her arm as usual: “Since you said this much, then I won’t be courteous with you. Later, I also want to eat the plum blossom cake next to the milk tea shop.”

Ruan Zhizhi broke into laughter: “Okay, okay, okay. I just got paid last week, you can eat whatever you want.”

Fifteen minutes later, the two walked to the milk tea shop near their company that they frequented most. Ruan Zhizhi also went to the shop close next door and bought her a plum blossom cake.

When she returned, she happened to see Lu Wanyi sitting despondently in her seat through the glass window of the milk tea shop. Her complexion was very pale, and it seemed as if she would cry in the next second.

Ruan Zhizhi’s heart congealed, and she pushed the door open and walked in with quick steps.

“Your favourite plum blossom cake, eat it while it’s warm.”

Seeing her come back, Lu Wanyi hurriedly sorted out the expression on her face, pursed her lips, and said with a touch of genuine emotion, “Thank you, Zhizhi, you are truly good to me.”

She solemnly picked up the plum blossom cake, exhaled, and took a small spoon. She slowly ate one mouthful at a time.

Presently, it happened to be the time where people were getting off of work or school. Business in the milk tea shop was very good. It was crowded and noisy, but the small corner they were in was inharmonious with this kind of liveliness. The quietness was somewhat dreadful.

Ruan Zhizhi watched her for a long time. Finally, she decided to take the initiative to inquire: “Wanyi, I see your mental state hasn’t been right these days. If you’ve encountered any trouble, you can tell me. As your friend, I will certainly think of a way to help you solve it. In short…no matter what it is, just don’t hold it in your heart alone.”

As soon as her voice fell, she saw that across from her, the rims of Lu Wanyi’s eyes had turned red.

The atmosphere was very quiet. She didn’t respond, and Ruan Zhizhi also didn’t know what to say.

After a long time, Lu Wanyi took a deep breath and finally opened her mouth, telling her in a very soft voice, “Zhizhi, I’m pregnant.”

Pregnant?

Ruan Zhizhi was stunned for a moment. Soon after, she quickly reacted. “Congratulations, you’re going to be a mother.” Yet after she finished speaking, she felt that something was wrong and wondered: “Isn’t pregnancy a good thing? You shouldn’t be heartbroken because you got pregnant before marriage. What decade are you living in now? Besides, you and your boyfriend’s relationship is so stable. Hurry up and get a marriage license. This is a double happiness in the family, Auntie and Uncle will definitely be happy.”

When she mentioned this, Lu Wanyi suddenly burst into tears uncontrollably.

Ruan Zhizhi’s voice was stagnant. Without delay, she helped Lu Wanyi get a tissue in a fluster, softly placating: “Why are you crying, if you cry once more, your makeup will be ruined.”

Lu Wanyi seized the tissue and wiped her eyes that were red from crying. After a long time, she choked with sobs as she said, “I recently found out that my boyfriend was cheating on me…Do you still remember when I told you about his business trip in Lin City? In fact, he didn’t go on a business trip at all. He went on a trip abroad with a woman.”

Like a flash of lightning in a clear sky, Ruan Zhizhi’s movements to help Lu Wanyi wipe her tears stiffened for a moment, and she suddenly felt out of words.

When she found out she was pregnant, she also found out that her boyfriend was cheating…

“I told him I was pregnant, and he said he wasn’t ready to be a dad this soon. He’s already twenty-seven, and he told me he isn’t ready. I’m not an eighteen-year-old girl who’s just fallen in love, so how could I still believe him and his patterns?” When Lu Wanyi said this, she smiled with ridicule. “No wonder why he wasn’t willing to get married after I urged him so many times. It turns out it’s because he didn’t have enough fun. So he didn’t plan to settle down with me from the beginning. It was I who loved him so much that I thought I could be the last woman in his life. Unexpectedly, in the end, I was no different from other women. I was no more than a passerby.”

When she spoke these words, her emotions were much calmer than before. Her tone was no longer choked with emotion, but in Ruan Zhizhi’s ears, she sounded confused.

Ruan Zhizhi thought about it for a long time, but still probed her tentatively: “Then…this child, what do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know.” Speaking of the child, Lu Wanyi’s expression became contradictory, appearing gentle yet cruel. “Yesterday, I went to the hospital entrance, but in the end I still didn’t have the courage to go in. No matter how things are, he is a living being, and infused with my flesh and blood. I can’t be so heartless…”

Ruan Zhizhi pursed her lips. For a while, she didn’t know how she should console Lu Wanyi. After all, if this matter had been placed on her, she also wouldn’t know how she ought to treat it.

Seemingly aware of her entanglement, Lu Wanyi smiled and comforted her in turn: “Zhizhi, don’t worry about me. I’ve already gotten much better these days. The child is only a month old right now, and I still have a month to consider whether to keep him or not.” She lowered her head and took a sip of the strawberry milk foam she usually loved the most. Trying to downplay it, she said, “I feel much more comfortable after talking to you. In fact, it’s not a big deal. Nowadays there are many single mothers in society, and my salary is not low, so I can definitely support him.”

Ruan Zhizhi sighed. “It’s good if you’re not feeling sad, it’s not worth it for such a man. In short, no matter what your decision is, as a friend, I will be at your side.” After a pause, she asked worriedly, “During this time, if you feel a stomachache or any discomfort in your body, you must call me right away. I’m usually very idle, so I can go to your house to look after you.”

Lu Wanyi lowered her eyes and smiled after hearing these words. After a while, she lifted her head and said sincerely, “Zhizhi, thank you. I really never expected to make a friend like you in City A.”

Ruan Zhizhi was still a little dazed until she parted with Lu Wanyi and got into a taxi to A University. 

In this world, there was no one who could feel the pain of another person as if it happened to themself. As a friend, she didn’t know how Lu Wanyi had endured these days. She could only say a few words of care that scratched the surface.

She felt a little frustrated. Frustrated by her own powerlessness.

While she was still preoccupied, the taxi had already reached the gates of A University. Ruan Zhizhi paid the money and got out of the taxi. After being lost in thought for a moment, she walked through the school gates.

She shook her head, trying hard to disengage her emotions from the matter. Bowing her head, she glanced down at her cell phone. Currently, it was 7:30 in the evening. There were fifteen minutes before Shi Yan’s class ended. The timing was just right.

Ruan Zhizhi walked routinely to the third teaching building where Shi Yan was located. Her thoughts were a little absent-minded as she went up the stairs. If this matter was put on Shi Yan, what would he do? Would he take her to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a marriage license without hesitation?

As a mature woman of the twenty-first century, despite the fact that she had not gone that far with any man, she did not think that it was shameful to be pregnant before marriage. But if she was like Lu Wanyi, who came across her boyfriend cheating, it was somewhat complicated.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible to be a single mother. But as her good friend, Ruan Zhizhi simultaneously had to consider Lu Wanyi’s hardships in raising her child alone, as well as the impact of reestablishing a family in the future.

When all was said and done, it was all the fault of that scumbag.

As she thought this way, she unconsciously reached the door of the classroom she knew well.

Focusing her attention, Ruan Zhizhi stood on her tiptoes very lightly. Through the glass window, she could see the students in the classroom gathered in groups of threes or fours, seemingly in the middle of group discussions.

However, after searching back and forth several times, she couldn’t find Shi Yan’s figure. She blinked, suddenly feeling indescribably flustered.

She was thinking of giving him a call, but before she could take her phone out of her pocket, her waist suddenly tightened. The next second, a warm breath fell on her neck, and a man’s voice rang low in the silence. It carried its usual hoarseness, yet was quite seductive.

He asked, “Looking for me?”

Ruan Zhizhi’s breathing was a little unstable because of his teasing breath. She turned her head and saw Shi Yan’s profile in the dim moonlight. His silhouette was sharp and angular, and under the flowing moonlight it was somewhat hazy, appearing all the more tempting.

“As a teacher, why are you outside the classroom during class time…How unprofessional.” She took a deep breath and tried to steady her heartbeat.

Shi Yan buried his head in her neck and let out a low laugh. Ruan Zhizhi could even feel his vocal cords vibrate, crisp and numbing, with a faint hint of tobacco, almost burning that part of her neck.

“They’re discussing in groups. I missed you a little, so I went out to smoke a cigarette. The result was that when I came back, I saw you looking around.” His chin finally departed from her neck, and Ruan Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief at last. This man…each and every move was indeed too frightening.

Shi Yan lowered his head and glanced at his watch. He pacified her softly: “It’s almost time to end class, you wait for me here.”

Ruan Zhizhi nodded and hurriedly pushed him into the classroom.

She hoped that their intimate actions at the door a moment ago had not been seen by the students inside…Speaking of which, she and Shi Yan’s ages were over fifty put together, so why was she more unable to relax about love than an eighteen-year-old university student?

Before long, she saw the students in the classroom begin tidying up their school bags. Then, the classroom door was opened from the inside, and students came out one after another. When they saw Ruan Zhizhi standing at the door, some  even greeted her.

Ruan Zhizhi couldn’t help blushing, and could only strive to maintain a dignified smile in response.

She glanced through the open door to see Shi Yan at the podium packing up his lesson plans. She was just thinking about whether or not to go in and help him when she saw a couple walking out of the classroom. The two of them were holding hands and seemed awfully sweet.

She heard the girl raise her head to ask the boy, “Hey, today my mom asked me if I was dating.”

Hearing her say this, the boy’s tone was a little nervous: “Then…how did you answer?”

“I said yes. I said that my boyfriend is very good to me. Every day he sends me to class, buys me food, and even helps me cover my stomach when my aunt comes.”

Hearing her reply this way, the boy seemed relieved. He seemed a little pleased with himself from his tone, “Of course, what is the position of my wife? It’s only natural that I should take care to serve.”

Nevertheless, the girl said, “But my mom told me that all boys are meticulous when they are dating. After a long time, they will get tired of you, and all the vows of love from before are just lies.”

“Aiya, you tell our mother that I’m different from those people.” The boy denied it immediately after hearing it. “Besides, even if I’m a liar, I’ll fight to lie only to you for the rest of my life.”

……

The two walked farther and farther holding hands, their voices gradually becoming so small that she was unable to hear them.

Ruan Zhizhi tilted her head, feeling moved for the first time in a while.

At this moment, someone came over from behind, reached out, and stroked her hair: “What are you looking at?”

Ruan Zhizhi turned around, her eyes bending with a smile, “Looking at the young couple in your class who are dating.” After speaking, she subconsciously reached out to hold Shi Yan’s arm and asked, “What shall we eat?”

Shi Yan lowered his head to look at her and said casually, “I’ll listen to you.”

There was nobody outside the classroom now. The gathering night completely enveloped them, and the atmosphere was very still. The two walked to the stairs side by side. Ruan Zhizhi thought of the couple from a moment ago and couldn’t help asking curiously, “Shi Yan, did you fall in love back when you were attending school?”

Shi Yan looked down at her: “You are my first girlfriend.”

Ruan Zhizhi smiled when she heard his words. “What a coincidence, you are also my first boyfriend.” After saying so, she narrowed her eyes and looked towards the silvery white moon in the sky. “I used to always regret that I didn’t experience a vigorous love when I was in my school days. But after being with you, I now know that God is really fair. The parts that I thought I was missing have now been made up for, so much so that it makes up for more than I’ve lost.”

Once she finished speaking, she turned her head subconsciously, only to discover Shi Yan looking at her fixedly.

There were profound emotions permeating in his eyes, black and white, surging up violently. At that very moment, the night was getting deeper and deeper like wine. She was afraid that she would become intoxicated if she looked in his eyes a few more times.

Maybe it was because the evening scenery was too tender that night. Or perhaps it was because the interlaced emotions in his eyes were too ardent, but when Ruan Zhizhi looked at him, she was actually a little dazed for a while.

Under the soluble moonlight, he lowered his head. Softly, like a feather, he placed a kiss on her forehead as if he was a dragonfly skimming the water.

He cherished her too much. So much so that he didn’t dare to kiss her lips.

He was afraid that more, deeper touches would turn into blasphemy against her.

Translator’s Note: Sorry for the slow updates…I got a full-time job for the summer and I’m busy preparing to study in Hong Kong…T^T Anyway I know this is a bit of a heavy chapter, but I promise Lu Wanyi is going to be okay. Also, a couple random notes:

I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I was trying to hold off on using the word origami since Chinese people have their own art called zhezhi (literally translates to paper folding) but I had to use it once in this chapter for better understanding. It probably doesn’t matter to you guys but yeah.The strawberry milk foam is probably a strawberry drink with cheese foam topping, but I couldn’t think of how to write all that in a way that flows and the direct translation was something like strawberry milk lid. Anyway, I really like strawberry with cheese foam (it is definitely one of my go-to picks) so I would highly recommend!!!