I Woke Up And Found Myself Married - Chapter 23

Yu Wei laughed carefreely, her face carrying a bright smile as she spoke about “waiting for you to fall in love with me,” her eyes pure like morning sunlight.

Ji Fuyi’s heart gave a small tremble.

She looked slightly uncomfortable and turned her head, staring at the metal armrest of the bench where an unremarkable iron flower was carved. She stared at it for a few seconds before suddenly saying, “Let’s head back. Staying under the sun too long will darken our skin.”

“Oh, right,” Yu Wei stood up and scratched her head. “You’re a big star, can’t afford to get tanned.”

“Not exactly.”

Ji Fuyi shook her head and let Yu Wei hold her hand as they walked. She added, “I put on sunscreen before going out. The sun just makes me feel a bit dizzy.”

“Really? Maybe it’s too hot,” Yu Wei smiled happily when she realized Ji Fuyi didn’t let go of her hand. “Come on then, I’ll drive you home.”

Yu Wei drove while Ji Fuyi sat in the passenger seat, quietly listening to the radio without saying much.

The air conditioning cooled the early summer heat. The trees along the road were a vibrant green, and dazzling white light glinted off the asphalt.

When the car stopped at a red light, Yu Wei looked at the pavement and said, “Summer is almost here.”

“Yeah, it’s getting warmer,” Ji Fuyi replied casually, resting her hand on her cheek and looking out the window at the neatly lined trees.

“In a while, we can eat watermelon and ice cream. I can eat three a day! But going out is so hot, I don’t even feel like working.”

“Exactly,” Ji Fuyi chatted with her idly. “Layered makeup and then the costume—after just a few takes, the makeup starts smudging.”

“Wait, even celebrities’ makeup gets ruined?” Yu Wei looked thoughtful. “I thought that only happened to regular people.”

“Of course. Celebrities are people too.”

Ji Fuyi chuckled and asked, “Do you have some misconceptions about me, Weiwei?”

“When I saw your billboard on the street, I always felt like you weren’t part of this world. Then when I see you next to me now, it feels kind of surreal.”

“Not part of this world…” Ji Fuyi sighed. “If you want to think that, it’s okay. Sometimes being a celebrity really does feel like being less than human.”

She looked out the window and muttered, “Summer is so annoying.”

Yu Wei didn’t respond. She sensed Ji Fuyi’s thoughts had drifted somewhere she couldn’t follow. This was the first time she’d seen Ji Fuyi like this.

She sank into that light silence until the car had driven quite a distance. Before the next red light, Yu Wei suddenly realized—

She wasn’t anxious about Ji Fuyi’s silence. That was a first.

Yu Wei was usually slow to pick up on things. She didn’t quite understand what this meant or whether it was good or bad. She just suddenly felt that being with Ji Fuyi like this was really nice—very comfortable—like curling up in the corner of a couch with the air conditioner on during summer, the TV playing some meaningless show. A peaceful moment.

Ji Fuyi had a faint, sweet scent that lingered softly in the air. Yu Wei couldn’t help turning to look at her and noticed her eyes were a beautiful amber.

It wasn’t until they entered Ji Fuyi’s home that the silence was broken.

Standing by the door and opening the shoe cabinet, Ji Fuyi stared at the neatly arranged rows of shoes and said thoughtfully:

“Looks like there’s no slippers for you.”

“The pair I used last time is fine, right?” Yu Wei bent down beside her and searched the cabinet. “This pair, right?”

“Mm.” Ji Fuyi glanced at the slippers, a trace of hesitation flashing across her face. “But they’re for guests. If you don’t mind, it’s okay.”

“I don’t mind! They’re just slippers—what difference does it make?”

Yu Wei replied nonchalantly, quickly changed into the slippers, and walked to the couch to wave at the cat. After a while, she belatedly asked:

“Guest slippers? So I’m… still considered a guest?”

A trace of uncertainty passed through her heart as she waited for Ji Fuyi’s answer.

Ji Fuyi was watching her play with the cat. Upon hearing her question, she replied:

“No, you’re not. All my friends who come over have their own pair of slippers.”

“Oh, so I’ve only just leveled up to being a friend. That’s good,” Yu Wei said while petting the cat’s back. Curious, she asked, “So I wasn’t one before? I thought we were pretty close.”

“It was a different kind of close,” Ji Fuyi’s lips curved slightly. Her voice was light but carried a teasing edge. “It was just… sleeping together.”

“So that’s what you think, huh? That’s a little disappointing.” Yu Wei half-joked, half-complained.

“How could you say that? I don’t think that way anymore.”

Ji Fuyi smiled, clearly in a good mood.

She reached over to take the cat from Yu Wei’s arms. Her hand accidentally brushed Yu Wei’s arm—her skin was a little cool but very soft. Yu Wei froze for a moment, her fingers brushing against Ji Fuyi’s hand, sliding down intentionally to her fingers. Ji Fuyi let her hand slip away without a word and took the cat, sitting back in her spot—not too close but not far either.

Yu Wei hadn’t managed to hold her hand. There was a twinge of disappointment in her heart, a soft tickle.

“You’ve tasted a lot of lipsticks before, haven’t you?” Ji Fuyi’s voice was calm and warm, with a hint of curiosity. “How would I know if I was just one of them? Of course I didn’t see you as just a friend. My friendships don’t get that complicated.”

“And now it’s not complicated anymore?” Yu Wei couldn’t help but ask.

Strangely, she didn’t feel nervous. The last time Yan Shu and the others brought it up, her legs went stiff with anxiety. But now she just felt a bit awkward—like it was something immature she didn’t want to say in front of Ji Fuyi.

But she needed to explain.

Bracing herself, Yu Wei said, “I used to be more playful. Back then I felt like the world had so many colors—I liked all of them.”

Ji Fuyi looked into her eyes. Even when talking about her flirtations, Yu Wei still had that pure gaze. It was as if none of it had left any trace on her.

“But after I tried, I stopped. My friends just still bring it up sometimes.” Yu Wei looked a little troubled, sneaking glances at Ji Fuyi. “I know that wasn’t great. Sorry—I’m apologizing to you.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t need to say anything back then,” Ji Fuyi smiled. “Now that it’s all clear, that’s good enough.”

“Of course I have to clear things up. Otherwise you’d feel uncomfortable. When they joked about it, it bothered you, right?”

Ji Fuyi nodded. Yu Wei pursed her lips and said, “If something bothers you, you should tell me.”

“Mm.” Ji Fuyi lowered her head. That uncomfortable feeling surfaced again—whenever Yu Wei expressed her care, it always made her feel this way. She avoided Yu Wei’s gaze and said softly, “I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

“Fuyi.”

Yu Wei looked at her, remembering something Ji Fuyi had said before. A thought popped into her mind. She gently tapped the back of Ji Fuyi’s hand. Ji Fuyi instinctively flinched. Yu Wei simply took her hand into her own and gently stroked her fingertips.

“This is my first time liking someone. I might not be doing a great job, and maybe I haven’t taken your feelings into account enough. If I ever make you unhappy, you have to tell me so I can know what to do.”

Yu Wei’s tone was sincere, with a trace of nervousness.

Ji Fuyi suddenly felt her eyes sting.

Many people had said they liked her. She had received vibrant bouquets, dramatic love letters, countless chocolates and gifts—but no one had ever spoken to her in such a tone, laying their heart out before her, afraid she wouldn’t accept it.

“I understand.”

She held Yu Wei’s hand in return and said, “Don’t think that way. You don’t have to be so cautious. Liking someone should be a happy thing.”

“You’re awfully practiced at this.”

Yu Wei furrowed her brow, half-joking and half-serious. “How long is your list of exes?”

She’d heard from Yan Shu that Ji Fuyi was always cold to others, had only ever shown a little interest once. But she still wanted to hear it directly from Ji Fuyi.

“How long?” Ji Fuyi raised an eyebrow, pointed at the coffee table, and said, “Get me the sticky notes—I’ll write it down for you.”

Yu Wei’s hand trembled as she grabbed them. So Yan Shu really didn’t know anything. Ji Fuyi, being such a huge star, how could she not have had a few past romances? She probably just never talked about them.

And now she was actually going to write them down. Just how many were there?

Ji Fuyi took the sticky notes and began writing seriously. As she did, she said to Yu Wei, “There’s milk in the fridge—could you get me a bottle?”

“Oh.” Yu Wei wanted to watch her write, but she couldn’t bring herself to say no to one of Ji Fuyi’s rare requests, so she reluctantly shuffled to the kitchen.

She pulled out a glass bottle of milk covered in condensation. It was cold in her palm. Yu Wei remembered the doctor’s list—Ji Fuyi couldn’t drink cold things.

Ugh, she’d have to heat it up. But she really wanted to rush back and see what Ji Fuyi was writing.

She peeked toward Ji Fuyi, who was still carefully writing something, looking very focused.

The more she couldn’t see, the more curious she became. It was like a little claw scratching her heart—she couldn’t last even a minute.

Yu Wei anxiously watched the microwave countdown, not relaxing for even a second.

As soon as the indicator light turned green, she immediately opened the door and reached in.

“Ow! Hot, hot!”

Yu Wei cried out softly. The rim of the porcelain bowl had absorbed most of the heat and burned her hand.

Ji Fuyi heard her and immediately put down the pen and paper, heading over as she asked, “What happened?”

She reached her side and saw Yu Wei crouched by the microwave, clutching her hand.

“Burned myself,” Yu Wei’s eyes shimmered with tears as she looked up at Ji Fuyi pitifully. “It hurts. I need big sis to blow on it.”

Ji Fuyi: “…”

She helplessly took Yu Wei’s hand and gently blew on it.

A glaring red mark had already appeared on Yu Wei’s pale finger—it looked painful.

“Does it hurt a lot?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” Yu Wei looked at her with puppy eyes. “It’s super hot.”

Ji Fuyi sighed softly, lowered her head, and took the injured finger into her mouth, mumbling around it, “Clumsy girl… be more careful.”

Yu Wei stared at her, frozen.

The damp warmth soothed the burn, but another sensation—much harder to bear—slowly wrapped around Yu Wei’s heart.

Her gaze darkened slightly, and her voice turned husky:

“Big sis… do you know what you’re doing?”