The next day after class, Mi Shanxin ran into Li Yin. The other girl was waiting to ambush her right outside the classroom door.
“What are you doing here?” Mi Shanxin hadn’t slept well. Her sleep tracker showed a score barely over forty, with deep sleep practically nonexistent. She knew her body had already accepted Jian Wanji. Thinking about the contract ending and having to get herself off until dawn—which held absolutely no appeal anymore—made her feel even worse.
“I was worried. I’ll come with you to work.”
“Don’t you have online classes?” Mi Shanxin knew Li Yin was heading back to her hometown this weekend; she’d probably be stuck in online lectures on the high-speed train.
“My mom doesn’t know anyway. If she asks, I’ll just say I was studying in the library.” Li Yin hugged Mi Shanxin’s arm affectionately. She was a bit taller than Mi Shanxin, making it easy to link arms. “That woman won’t object to me tagging along, right?”
Mi Shanxin: “It’s not really appropriate.”
Li Yin: “Why not? I’m your friend. What’s the harm in looking?”
“Your parents definitely don’t know, do they?”
Mi Shanxin could guess what her friend would say next. Maybe that Jian Wanji had tricked her into signing a contract or something. “I’m an adult, and I can’t rely on my parents.”
The topic made Li Yin angry. If it weren’t for Mi Shanxin’s grandfather arguing fiercely on her behalf, her parents would have wanted her to rent a place outside on her own, without giving her a cent. “Make sure they can’t rely on you in the future either.”
“I can’t rely on them now.” Mi Shanxin looked at her phone as she walked, noticing a message from the driver who usually picked her up every day. It said the boss was coming personally today. She stopped in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?” Li Yin instinctively glanced at Mi Shanxin’s phone and only then realized her friend had gotten a new one.
She hesitated, opening and closing her mouth. A dozen unhealthy social news stories flashed through her mind. She didn’t know whether to be glad the person dealing with Mi Shanxin was a woman, or if she should be even more vigilant. After all, even if it was the same sex, traps could still be built.
What if the woman was just toying with Mi Shanxin?
Her friend was so unworldly, so naive. What if she was forced into some perverse fetish?
“She’s picking me up. The driver isn’t coming.” Mi Shanxin looked a little hesitant. Li Yin asked, “Is it inconvenient for me to be here?”
“Not really…” Mi Shanxin’s voice was soft. Whenever she slept badly, she looked utterly listless—a state Li Yin had seen plenty of times in high school. “She talks a lot, has a sharp tongue. You’d better not engage with her.”
Li Yin recalled the woman’s appearance—she looked too much like a fox spirit. She couldn’t help but bristle with anger. “Is she harassing you?”
Mi Shanxin was still debating whether to tell Li Yin about her sleep problems.
Embarrassment was one thing. But knowing Li Yin’s attitude of unconditionally taking her side, there was a good chance she’d call the police.
Her hesitation was caught by her friend. Li Yin already had her answer.
When Jian Wanji’s car pulled up in front of them, Mi Shanxin was pushed into the back seat by Li Yin. Li Yin sat in the passenger seat, yanking the seatbelt forcefully, her eyes practically shooting flames.
Jian Wanji glanced in the rearview mirror. Mi Shanxin looked utterly defeated.
The older woman had no idea what had happened. She asked, “Is there a problem, classmate?”
Unlike Mi Shanxin, who didn’t recognize designer labels or luxury cars and didn’t have the spare energy to dress up, Li Yin looked more like a typical university student—enjoying good food, chasing dramas and idols, capable of whirlwind budget trips. If one were to judge Jian Wanji purely by outward appearances, she exceeded expectations. A very luxurious car. Both the decorative ring on her hand and her clothes screamed spending habits.
Given that she was the one paying Mi Shanxin, Li Yin maintained a wait-and-see attitude for now, but her tone was still harsh. “Yeah, there’s a problem. I’m sticking with Shanxin.”
From the back seat, Mi Shanxin explained, “She’s afraid you’re scamming me.”
Their contract was tentatively set for one month, lasting until the New Year. Half a month had already slipped by quietly. The old lady was still muddled every day, only mumbling about her daughter.
Starting next week, the training center’s winter break classes would also end. For institutional teachers, vacation started earlier than for regular office workers.
“Afraid I’m committing fraud?” Jian Wanji drove towards the hospital. Her smile was radiant, the makeup making her complexion look excellent. “That’s great. You both have excellent anti-fraud awareness.”
“Student Shanxin was also suspicious of me back then.”
Mi Shanxin nodded in the back. Li Yin was utterly exasperated, worried her friend’s terrible taste was now set in stone—crushing on older women to the point of supporting the other’s entire family.
Other people might run off because they couldn’t handle hardship.
But not Mi Shanxin. She was stubborn, single-minded, just like her rule against using her phone while eating. Her loyalty was old-fashioned; saying “a lifetime” meant exactly that.
That was why Li Yin had obstructed her so fiercely before, preventing that delinquent girl from outside school from using “being helped by Mi Shanxin” as an excuse to harass her.
“How old are you?” Li Yin ignored Mi Shanxin’s dissuading glances and interrogated Jian Wanji like she was checking a census register. She didn’t seem fazed by the woman’s social status. “What’s your job? Married? If not, do you have a steady partner?”
Mi Shanxin tried to stop her. “Li…”
“Shanxin, don’t interrupt me.” Her friend silenced her sternly.
Jian Wanji was still smiling. “It’s fine. You’re Shanxin’s best friend. I’ll tell you.”
Li Yin’s smile instantly cranked up three notches.
Mi Shanxin thought: Li Yin definitely couldn’t outplay Jian Wanji.
This woman had once accompanied her to buy figs, smilingly haggling down a very tough-looking vendor by a third. It went to show—no matter the age of the woman she dealt with, she found a way to gain the upper hand.
“Jian Wanji. Jian as in simple, Wanji as in ‘everything goes smoothly.'”
“I approached Student Shanxin because she bears some resemblance to my late mother.”
This line of reasoning came effortlessly to Jian Wanji. She didn’t seem to mind dissecting her family background in front of a stranger at all. “If you’re worried, you can check my age on my hospital registration card. I’m thirty-nine this year.”
“Job…” Jian Wanji asked Mi Shanxin, “Don’t you have my business card? Show her.”
Mi Shanxin gave an “Oh,” and actually fished Jian Wanji’s gold-embossed business card out from behind her phone case to give to her friend.
The card had a tulip watermark and still carried a faint fragrance.
Li Yin’s eyes nearly ignited. She remembered this card perfectly. That day, after laughing at the name, she’d crumpled it up to throw away, but Mi Shanxin had taken it back.
At the time, Mi Shanxin said she’d refused, even almost called the police. And now it was hidden in her phone case.
That spot was on par with keeping cash! What was the difference between Mi Shanxin handing over this card and a wife handing over her spouse’s business card?!
A fake mom isn’t a real family member! I told you this woman had ulterior motives, didn’t I?
This is outrageous!
Jian Wanji seemed completely oblivious to this line of thinking. She was still making small talk with Mi Shanxin. “Is the new phone working well? All data transferred over?”
She hadn’t replied to Mi Shanxin’s picture yesterday. It seemed she found just being on that chat interface too embarrassing. She’d saved it and then outright deleted the chat log.
But saving it was also weird. She’d ended up creating a separate, locked photo album just for it.
After doing all that, Jian Wanji had collapsed at home for a long time.
This isn’t right. It’s so wrong.
Knowing full well it was wrong, she couldn’t bring herself to terminate this relationship. She still had to face Mi Shanxin as if nothing had happened.
She shouldn’t have done it, but what was done was done. At worst, she’d simply never open that album again.
“Mhm.” Mi Shanxin nodded. Still staring at Jian Wanji’s card, Li Yin asked, “How much does my Shanxin look like your mom? Got any photos?”
Jian Wanji: “I don’t carry any with me.”
Li Yin asked, “None in your phone’s gallery?”
Jian Wanji had organized digital copies, but they were stored on a separate hard drive. She never kept them on her phone. She answered sincerely, “Not on my phone, no.”
“You and…” Li Yin was about to ask more, but Mi Shanxin cut her off. “I have some.”
Playing the daughter every day, Mi Shanxin knew the photo albums in the hospital room by heart. She’d even scanned copies onto her phone as backup.
The caregiver in the ward didn’t say much, just assumed she was deeply immersed in her role, even studying her character after work.
Every day Mi Shanxin was on the job, the Nurse Aide said she was getting more and more convincing. She even asked if the boss had prepared any other costumes for her. Even when playing a high school girl, surely there were clothes besides the school uniform, right?
Every day, while Mi Shanxin spent time with the old lady, the caretaker watched short dramas on the balcony. Though the volume was turned very low, Mi Shanxin could still catch some faint background snippets, like “The Richest Man Falls for Me, Post-Menopause.”
It made her think of Jian Wanji again, and she mused that Jian Wanji probably hadn’t hit menopause yet.
But whatever, menopause or not didn’t affect Jian Wanji’s function as her tool for climax.
“You have some?” Jian Wanji was driving and couldn’t lean over to look when Mi Shanxin handed her phone to her friend. She stole a glance while turning right, her gaze inadvertently lingering on the girl in the back seat. She just happened to lock eyes with Mi Shanxin. Jian Wanji quickly averted her gaze and asked, surprised, “Where did you get those?”
Earlier, Mi Shanxin had also asked Jian Wanji if she should reference props from her mother’s photos. Besides the school uniform, there were backpacks and pencil cases. In that era, Wan Qingqing was already considered middle class; her family wasn’t poor. A single pen could be very expensive, ink bought from abroad.
Forget Wan Lingling—even the era Jian Wanji grew up in felt like a period drama to Mi Shanxin.
Most people would be scared off by such a gap, but Mi Shanxin never fit in with her peers anyway.
Many said she acted old-fashioned for her age. Who goes out for fun carrying a thermos and spends the whole day sitting in a park?
When asked if she liked trendy drinks or popular plush toys, Mi Shanxin couldn’t say she disliked them. She was simply strapped for cash. Survival trumped paying for her preferences.
If asked whether she ever wanted to die, she’d say it never crossed her mind.
Living was pretty good. Even if her room had terrible lighting, sunlight still crawled in through the cracks, doing everything it could to share a bit of warmth with her.
From her window, she could see kittens walking on the eaves across the way. The same view changed a little every day.
On the surface, every day was ordinary to the point of boredom, but Mi Shanxin always found a tiny difference, proof that tomorrow was worth looking forward to. That the future was promising wasn’t just some self-deceiving fantasy.
“Aren’t there some in the hospital room?” Mi Shanxin answered Jian Wanji’s question, taking her phone back. She asked Li Yin, “And you? Any more questions?”
It was like she was some big shot in the back seat, with both the driver and the passenger-seat reporter having tons of questions.
Jian Wanji laughed. “Feel free to ask anytime.”
The more Li Yin watched her smile, the way the small mole under her eye crinkled, the more it felt like a thorn scratching her heart. “You still haven’t answered my other questions.”
“Student Shanxin has already asked all the questions you’re thinking of,” Jian Wanji sighed. “Having this kind of awareness is great. Much better than we were back in the day.”
“Not married, and no kids.”
Li Yin zeroed in on the last question. “So no steady partner then?”
Mi Shanxin didn’t stop her friend from asking. Sitting in the back, her reflection in the rearview mirror was identical to the plush teddy bear next to her.
The teddy bear’s seatbelt was probably fastened by Mi Shanxin too.
The corner of Jian Wanji’s mouth lifted. “No.”
Li Yin: “If I find out you’re lying, I’ll…”
She trailed off, realizing she couldn’t actually guarantee anything. Even if Jian Wanji showed her the contract, it was already in effect.
“Don’t worry, I won’t mistreat your best friend.” Jian Wanji smiled again. “When you reach my age, you’ll understand. Some things aren’t so necessary.”
Who was she lecturing? Older people just love preaching.
Even though Jian Wanji looked very young for her age, Li Yin still sensed that unconscious lecturing tone typical of her parents’ generation, which annoyed her even more.
It was only her second meeting with Jian Wanji, though. She kept some of her grumbling internal.
But unexpectedly, the friend she saw as a pure white jasmine flower suddenly sat up straight and asked Jian Wanji: “So what about you? Don’t you have any desire at all?”
Li Yin whipped her head around to stare at Mi Shanxin, unable to understand how such a pretty, cute face could ask such a blunt, invasive question. Mi Shanxin kept going: “You don’t touch yourself, but have you touched someone else?”
Because Jian Wanji had never given her a serious answer, Mi Shanxin still wouldn’t let it go.
Whatever Sui Yuqian said didn’t count. She wanted Jian Wanji to tell her personally.
Jian Wanji seemed speechless for a moment, but it leaned more towards exasperation. “Must we discuss this here?”
“Oh,” Mi Shanxin replied. “You can tell me the answer on WeChat.”
It seemed that things most people found mortifying and clinical, Mi Shanxin could say without any obstacle whatsoever.
“We’ll talk about it later.” The hospital was just ahead. As Jian Wanji queued to enter the underground parking garage, she rubbed her brow. She glanced sideways at Li Yin; the other girl still seemed to be in a state of shock.
She knew Mi Shanxin concealed a lot. This solitary little child was lonely even in a crowd. That was also the reason she’d suddenly gone downstairs last night.
“Li Yin, take a look and then head back.” After getting out of the car, Mi Shanxin walked with Li Yin into the elevator. She came here practically every day, long familiar with the route. “This is my daily job.”
Jian Wanji walked behind them. She was tall, mostly wearing mid-heeled shoes.
Even in cold weather, her coat never looked bulky. Mostly wool overcoats, with variations in her inner layers. It only accentuated her long legs and slender waist. When she took off her scarf, her neck was long and graceful too.
Mi Shanxin liked looking at Jian Wanji’s neck. It resembled a jade sculpture. She’d always envied such a long, elegant neck, like the stem of a flower. She wondered what it would look like if it were choked.
Several times when Jian Wanji had left her in a disheveled state, Mi Shanxin had wanted to grab something, pull the woman down from her looking-down vantage point to crash onto her, choke her neck, leave a mark. Ask her why she couldn’t just hold her a little. Even a kiss would be nice.
She just lacked experience. If she’d known, she would have said she needed tongue kissing to fall asleep too.
But Jian Wanji’s skills had indeed improved by leaps and bounds. She could overturn rivers and summon rain, leaving Mi Shanxin utterly defeated, sinking into slumber after the white flash.
The girl’s heart was no longer so calm. Even her daily calligraphy practice now conjured thoughts of Jian Wanji. Sometimes, when she zoned back in, the paper was covered in Jian Wanji’s name.
This was dangerous. University classmates she wasn’t very close with would sit together and share their love lives with Mi Shanxin, or while practicing calligraphy beside her, suddenly write their crush’s name.
Were names really that magical?
Mi Shanxin hadn’t understood before. Now she did.
When she wrote Jian Wanji’s name, her brush soaked the paper with excess ink. And her body did the same.
It was like Jian Wanji had broken her. Thinking of her was like opening a floodgate. What would she do in the future?
Mi Shanxin felt terrible. Even though Sui Yuqian said she could help, she had little confidence.
This kind of thing couldn’t work with only one person invested.
She was already drowning in it, yet Jian Wanji’s face didn’t even flush, let alone show any sign of uneven breathing.
Did people that age really have no desire? Or was her body just too scrawny, chest flat without a curve even lying down, smallest bra size still gaping empty, leaving Jian Wanji utterly uninterested?
When everyone else was troubled during puberty, Mi Shanxin had been detached from it all.
Now in university, she was finally experiencing the pains of adolescent development.
But the person responsible was completely oblivious, still asking her what she wanted to eat later.
“Student Shanxin?” Seeing Mi Shanxin zone out, Jian Wanji had to call her again. “Mi Shanxin, what do you want to eat later?”
“Me?” Mi Shanxin finally snapped back. “I’ll just have the meal plan.”
Li Yin was still standing nearby, hadn’t left yet. She was looking at the old lady in the hospital room, checking the name on the bed against the name on the door, confirming that this woman really hadn’t lied.
“Your friend is here, what meal plan.” Jian Wanji thought for a moment. “Let’s go eat braised pork, okay? A friend recommended a new private home cuisine place.”
“What about this classmate?” Jian Wanji looked at Li Yin again. The girl retracted her gaze and said, “I’ll go with whatever Shanxin wants. I can wait for her.”
Mi Shanxin shook her head. “No need to wait for me. I need to keep Mom company. I took a day off yesterday.”
Her calling her “Mom” was so natural it shocked Li Yin. It took a moment to realize the “Mom” Mi Shanxin meant was the old lady inside.
Wasn’t she getting too deep into the role? Li Yin’s heart lurched, afraid Mi Shanxin was too immersed, seeking maternal love from this elderly woman.
Then this woman… Li Yin’s eyes darted back and forth, finding it all absurd.
Her own best friend had literally become a thirty-nine-year-old woman’s mother.
“Boss… Jian,” Li Yin didn’t want to call Jian Wanji “Jie.” She felt it unnecessary. “Then you wouldn’t, in front of your grandmother…” Li Yin paused, asking with some difficulty, “actually call our Shanxin ‘Mom,’ would you?”
