In the mirror, Gu Yining was noble, elegant, yet somewhat careless and untamed. She was like a blooming red rose, thorns all over.
But red roses bloom passionately, incomparably gorgeous.
Gu Yining’s words dragged Ji Huaqing’s memory back to just a few days ago. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether it was 2009 or the “2024” they kept mentioning.
Staring at the woman in the mirror, Ji Huaqing took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Gu Yining, my parents just died. Is now really the time to bring this up?”
“In your world, they just died. In mine, they’ve been gone for five years. I apologize—that was presumptuous of me. I didn’t fully appreciate your pain.”
Gu Yining pressed down the smile at the corner of her mouth. A flicker of guilt crossed her eyes, along with a complicated look. She set down the towel and left hastily.
Her departure gave Ji Huaqing room to breathe.
Ji Huaqing looked at herself in the mirror, gasping like a drowning person. At last, she let go, covering her mouth as she wept.
The calm she’d desperately maintained all night crumbled in an instant.
She cried, but didn’t dare cry out loud. After the tears, the weight in her chest began to lift. She turned on the water heater and let the hot water wash over her.
As the water heater rumbled to life, outside, there came a faint click—the lighter’s flame touched the slim cigarette.
Gu Yining looked at the smoke-filled living room and couldn’t help curling the corner of her mouth. She quickly opened her phone and sent a message to Song Mingyao.
【Cancel tomorrow’s psychological counselor.】
Soon, Song Mingyao replied: 【My ancestor, you came here specifically to see the counselor. Why cancel?】
Gu Yining glanced at the time—already three in the morning—and Song Mingyao still hadn’t gone to bed. She thought for a moment, then replied: 【I don’t think I have any heart sickness.】
The other side responded: 【You do. You have a serious illness and need treatment. I’m begging you—I got that appointment with great difficulty. How about I reschedule for the day after tomorrow?】
Gu Yining took a drag of the cigarette. The brief rush of pleasure made her whole body comfortable. She squinted, lowered her head, and replied 【Okay】.
The other side sent a “thanks, boss” sticker.
Gu Yining turned off her phone. The sound of the water heater in the bathroom stopped, and she put out the cigarette.
The balcony door was open, so the smoke dispersed quickly. Under the lamplight, it was almost invisible. Gu Yining picked up the perfume and sprayed some around herself, wrapping herself in the familiar scent. The nerves in her head finally relaxed.
Ji Huaqing came out wearing simple white pajamas embroidered with green bamboo, like an old-style embroidery, which made her look even more refined.
Compared to the sheer ones, these suited her well. Gu Yining took in her own handiwork, satisfied. “Good taste. You should rest now. The police station will probably contact me again tomorrow—they won’t let you out of their sight.”
She was like an elder, carefully instructing a younger relative who’d been away for years, missing no detail.
Ji Huaqing, having cried, had red-rimmed eyes, her face flushed from the hot water. She went back to her room to unpack her suitcase.
Gu Yining followed her in, leaning against the door, making no move to sleep, watching her open the suitcase.
“There are newly bought clothes in the wardrobe. See if any suit your fancy. If they do, change into them. Don’t wear the clothes you brought back—especially the white shirts. I bought you plenty. There are many new styles nowadays; one of them is bound to suit you, Teacher Ji.”
An ordinary enough sentence, but she stressed the words “Teacher Ji,” like pouring hot water over the calm atmosphere. The temperature shot up.
Ji Huaqing glanced at her, irritation churning in her chest. But looking at that face, she felt a measure of peace.
As long as she was here, she had a home. She wasn’t alone.
Ji Huaqing answered with silence and even closed the door on that gorgeous, distracting face.
Once the door was shut, she had no heart to unpack and no desire to sleep. She slumped against the wardrobe and turned to stare at the thick, dark night outside.
Nor did Gu Yining sleep. Out in the living room, she opened the cigarette pack, then paused. She glanced at the bedroom door, and seeing no movement, quietly flicked the lighter.
She turned off the living room light, walked to the balcony, and silently watched the sky. Her eyes lifted; her gaze was just as swallowed by the black night.
At three in the morning in Hang City, some people had already started their night runs.
Gu Yining couldn’t sleep. She sat on the sofa, closing her eyes to rest. But looking at her own dress, she felt it inappropriate. She went into the bathroom, shut the door, and locked it.
Water sprayed down from the showerhead, sliding over her head to her feet. She quickly calmed herself, washing her hair and body without a ripple of emotion.
When she came out, the sky was beginning to lighten. She didn’t use the hairdryer, standing on the balcony to watch the sunrise.
By the time it was fully bright, the doorbell rang.
The door opened to reveal Song Mingyao in a white T-shirt and a baseball cap, her gold-rimmed glasses giving her fair face a cool, aloof look.
Gu Yining was in a loose nightgown, the collar revealing a patch of pale skin. Song Mingyao pushed up her glasses. “Sis, was it a night of spring winds?”
“What do you think?” Gu Yining turned back into the living room and slumped lazily onto the sofa, her expression faint, her eyes half-closed. She was tired, but couldn’t sleep.
Out of habit, Song Mingyao put on shoe covers—she wasn’t worthy of slippers in this house. Every time she came, there were slippers laid out, but never for her.
She kept her footsteps low, walked to the sofa, set down the breakfast she’d bought, and asked, “Need me today?”
“What do you think?”
Gu Yining’s tone was curt, cold, flat as she shot the question back.
Song Mingyao couldn’t read her mood. “If I tag along, it might not be appropriate.”
“Go buy a cellphone.” Gu Yining remembered something important, lifting one eyelid halfway. “Use my supplementary card.”
Song Mingyao relaxed—at least she had a real errand to run. She took note. “Did you not sleep at all?”
“Do you think I could sleep?” Gu Yining held her head in pain. “It’s fine. Go buy the phone, then order two bouquets of flowers and go to Donglai Cemetery to pay respects to the Ji parents. And Ji Huaming’s matter… forget it, we’ll talk later.”
She was inexplicably irritated, and when she thought about Ji Huaming, she didn’t know how to broach the subject.
Song Mingyao was about to say something when the bedroom door opened. Ji Huaqing was still wearing the white shirt. Song Mingyao stared at it for a moment—it was one Sister Gu had bought the day before yesterday.
She worked her mouth, smiled kindly at Ji Huaqing, and said, “Teacher Ji, you’re awake. Did you sleep well?”
“Very well. Are you two going to the cemetery today?” Ji Huaqing looked at Song Mingyao, inviting her to answer.
Feeling a sudden tightness in her chest under that gaze, Song Mingyao stammered a reply: “Yes.”
“I’d like to come too, if I may?” Ji Huaqing asked cautiously.
“Sure, we’ll go together. I’ll drive. I’ll go buy the phone first—you two eat, eat.”
Song Mingyao felt the atmosphere was off and bolted for the door. Ji Huaqing called after her, “I’ll pay you back.”
“No need. I earn Sister Gu’s salary—I’ll just bill her for it later.” Song Mingyao reached the entryway and slipped out.
Ji Huaqing turned to look at the woman on the sofa. Meeting her gaze, Gu Yining couldn’t help curving her eyes and said, “You don’t have enough money on you.”
As she smiled, her brows arched. She looked almost cute—especially her curved eyes, like crescents.
There was none of last night’s indifference in her expression; her brows were loose and relaxed, her mood clearly bright.
Gu Yining propped her chin on her hand, her long, slender fingertip tapping the corner of her own mouth. “Teacher Ji, I’ll support you. I’ll support you until you get yourself sorted out.”
Her teasing brought a flush to Ji Huaqing’s face. Before she could refuse, Gu Yining told her, “Prices have gone up. The money in your bank card was withdrawn long ago, so all you have in the world is what’s in your wallet.”
Money was the root of all evil—and the foundation of survival.
Gu Yining explained to her, “Not many people use cash these days; mostly it’s online transfers. That QQ you used to play on—there’s an even more convenient way to chat now. Come here, I’ll teach you.”
Gu Yining issued her most enthusiastic invitation. Her long, slender fingers held the phone and swiped it open, the screen lighting up.
“Teacher Ji, I won’t eat you. Have you ever seen a man-eating demon this pretty?”
Ji Huaqing walked over, half-doubting. She saw a green app and frowned almost imperceptibly. Cellphones nowadays were like mirrors—they didn’t even have buttons.
Gu Yining grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to sit. “What are you panicking about?”
They sat down, knees bumping knees. Gu Yining held her hand. Ji Huaqing flinched at the touch and tried to pull back, but as her fingertip grazed the screen, the app opened, revealing a long list of names.
Ji Huaqing forgot to refuse. The hand on the back of hers was startlingly cold. She held her breath; the familiar fragrance drifted around the tip of her nose.
“I’ll teach you how to pay first. Tap here…”
Gu Yining’s voice dropped, carrying a nasal softness, sounding very, very obedient.
Ji Huaqing gradually let her guard down and released a quiet breath. Gu Yining held her hand and tapped on a name—Song Mingyao.
Their entire chat history was right there. Ji Huaqing didn’t have time to read it before Gu Yining guided her index finger to tap a “+”.
“This is for red envelopes and transfers. A red envelope can only hold 200. For larger amounts, use a transfer. Watch.”
She sent a red envelope of 200.
Song Mingyao replied with a “your brain is broken” sticker.
Gu Yining ignored it and sent a transfer of 8888.
Song Mingyao accepted instantly and replied with a “thanks, my ancestor” sticker.
Ji Huaqing laughed at the silly sticker despite herself. Then Gu Yining typed a line: 【Send back a red envelope, send back a transfer.】
Song Mingyao sent a voice message. Gu Yining tapped it.
“Sister Gu, I’ve always said you have a heart problem, and if you have a heart problem, you need to get treated. Don’t you know you’re not supposed to play with your phone while driving?”
Gu Yining held down the voice button and recorded: “So while driving, you can accept red envelopes and transfers, but you just can’t send them, is that it?”
Ji Huaqing’s gaze rested on Gu Yining’s profile for a long, long time, unable to look away.
