Chapter 46

Habits are difficult things to change. For Shu Chi, the habit she needed to change was dwelling on the past.

Before, she had logged into the [Book Late] account every day to check messages, waiting for a gray avatar to light up, then pouring words she couldn’t say to anyone else onto her own message board.

Now, she no longer waited with bated breath for that gray avatar to come online. She only went on occasionally to record something.

When she clicked on [Bean Sprout]’s message, Shu Chi had just arrived at the office. It was the weekend, and no one else was there. She dealt with some backlogged matters before replying.

[Sorry, I don’t have time lately.]

Ding Ya didn’t have her accounts linked. She didn’t see the message until that afternoon.

She had just picked up the cake from the address Jing Yuqi had given her. On the way, when she saw that message, for a moment, she didn’t even know how to respond.

Shu Chi was truly cruel yet charming in her decisiveness. She meant it when she said she’d let go.

For once, Ding Ya felt a rare flicker of bewilderment.

[Then next time.]

Though she had no idea when “next time” would be, nor did she know when would be the right moment to tell Shu Chi: I am your Bean Sprout.

At least not today. Today was Shu Chi’s birthday.

Ding Ya had originally planned to have Shu Chi spend it at her place. She mentioned it to Shen Mu, who immediately shot down that idea—

“How can you make the birthday girl cook for you?”

Ding Ya paused for a moment and said, “We could just make hot pot, right? I’ll do the cooking.”

The person on the other end sighed, her frustration palpable. “Ya, you’ve already gotten her into your bed, and you can’t even be a little generous? Go to a nice restaurant! Want me to recommend that one on Nanshan Road?”

Bramble City had a fairly high cost of living. Shen Mu sent the restaurant’s listing directly to Ding Ya. “This place is great. I interviewed someone over a meal here once.”

Shen Mu made a point of emphasizing, “It’s very private, high-end design, even better on rainy days, and the view overlooks Peaceful Lake, you know.”

Ding Ya asked smoothly, “Do you have a connection there?”

Shen Mu made an “mm” sound. “I added the boss on WeChat after that interview before. Want me to make a reservation for you?”

Ding Ya didn’t stand on ceremony with Shen Mu. “Yes, thank you, baby.”

Shen Mu was thoroughly grossed out. She couldn’t help but ask, “Do you dare call the Second Boss that?”

Back in their school dormitory days, Ding Ya’s coquettish voice was famous. Roommates had even recommended she become a streamer.

They said with a beauty filter, even her mother wouldn’t recognize her, she’d turn right into a 2D anime beauty, then fall in love with her top-spending fan, and the money would roll in.

But alas, Ding Ya wasn’t particularly driven to make money. Though no one hated money, she stuck to the conventional path, finding all that stuff too troublesome. She’d rather watch a few more movies.

Even after saying that, Shen Mu still felt goosebumps all over her body.

Ding Ya laughed on the other end and said, “I haven’t tried. I’ll give it a shot someday.”

Shen Mu thought of Shu Chi’s appearance and clicked her tongue. Her mind must have gone somewhere, because her laugh turned a little lewd. Ding Ya understood but didn’t call her out on it. “Just hurry and make the reservation for me.”

Shen Mu was still working out of town, but she happened to be off today as well.

She chatted idly with Ding Ya, asking, “So, when are you planning to tell the Second Boss?”

Ding Ya: “I don’t know. It definitely can’t be today, right?”

She might look like a cute little sister on the surface, but her mind was quite sharp. Even when she was a shut-in during her student days, Shen Mu always felt Ding Ya was a top-tier player when it came to matters of the heart.

Though her ex-boyfriend causing trouble with disputes was a real piece of scum, that was a separate issue.

“Since when are you at a loss for anything?” Shen Mu laughed. “The way you told me about it all before, I thought you had everything completely under control.”

Ding Ya retorted quickly, “As if.”

She wasn’t someone with vast romantic experience, after all. From start to finish, her advantage was simply that her intel on the situation far outweighed Shu Chi’s.

And she was banking on Shu Chi’s personality, knowing she wouldn’t get truly angry. She was also banking on the fact that she was someone special.

Shen Mu offered an idea. “Why not just lay your cards on the table?”

The weather seemed nice on her end; there were sounds of laughter and an outdoor barbecue.

Ding Ya rejected the idea. “It’s hard to say.”

Her regret was meaningless. She could only keep waiting.

Shen Mu could understand. “That’s true. The closer you are to someone, the harder it is to bring up.”

She consoled Ding Ya. “Well, today, just focus on giving the Second Boss a nice birthday. The second floor is all private rooms. Every window looks out over Peaceful Lake. It’s got a really nice atmosphere.”

After Shen Mu made the reservation, Ding Ya went back to her apartment, grabbed the dog, and took a cab straight to the restaurant.

She sent the address to Shu Chi, telling her to drive over after she was finished. She also sent a picture of herself with Yunbao.

When Shu Chi came out of the office, she happened to run into Yan Ni, who was there to pick something up. They met at the elevator entrance.

Yan Ni hadn’t seen Shu Chi for a few days. She’d heard Shu Chi had family matters back home and asked, “All sorted out?”

Shu Chi nodded.

Just then, Ding Ya sent the photo over.

[The cab driver is insisting my dog wear a seatbelt. What do you think?]

[Picture]

In the photo, the little dog looked utterly bewildered, held in Ding Ya’s arms. Its paws, like white gloves, were flailing, captured mid-motion as a blur.

Shu Chi smiled.

Yan Ni watched her for a second, noticing she was in a good mood. She asked casually, “I’m going ice skating at the mall. Want to come?”

She rarely had a weekend without the kids, and she had plans with friends today. She asked Shu Chi out of politeness.

As expected, knowing Shu Chi’s typical behavior, the answer came quickly.

Shu Chi: “No, I won’t go.”

Yan Ni said, “Oh.”

But the next second, she heard Shu Chi say, “I have a dinner to get to over by Peaceful Lake.”

Yan Ni was a bit surprised. “A business dinner?”

Bramble City’s commercial and scenic districts were intertwined. The old town still retained the style of a water town from bygone years, and Peaceful Lake was right there in the old district.

Business dinners rarely went there unless the clients were from out of town and it was combined with some sightseeing.

Shu Chi shook her head. “No.”

That piqued Yan Ni’s curiosity even more. She was a founding employee of Wellpond and, over the years, had come to know a bit about Shu Chi’s family matters.

Both she and Jing Yuqi were only children, so she had been quite shocked to learn that Shu Chi was the third of four children. Puxi, in most people’s minds, was associated with a preference for sons. On Wednesday, when Yan Ni had dinner with Jing Yuqi and heard Shu Chi had left because of family issues, she’d feared it was like one of those TV dramas. She’d been a little worried.

Jing Yuqi had just said calmly: Shu Chi isn’t that naive.

Even knowing her boss couldn’t possibly be a fool, Shu Chi’s inherently honest nature still made people worry. Yan Ni asked, “Are your relatives visiting?”

She remembered when Shu Chi first moved here, family from her hometown had come—a whole gaggle of them. Shu Chi had even taken them sightseeing in the old town.

Yan Ni had met them once. She just thought the faces of Shu Chi’s parents screamed trouble. Shu Chi had also asked Yan Ni to help buy quite a few local specialties.

Shu Chi shook her head. “It’s a date.”

She’d just replied to the WeChat message. Right then, the elevator doors opened, and she stepped out with a lightness in her stride.

Standing behind her, Yan Ni thought she’d misheard. Even someone who prided herself on being a mature, successful person, Yan Ni let out a shriek and chased after her. “Am I going deaf?! Shu Chi, you… you, you’re going on a date?”

It was only then that Yan Ni noticed Shu Chi’s waist bag was completely unlike her usual style. It was one of those cute, fluffy ones—a little brown bear with a coal-ball charm dangling from it.

Very un-Shu Chi. Very un-Wellpond.

Shu Chi made an “mm” sound. “Go enjoy your ice skating. I’m heading out now.”

They parted ways in the underground parking garage. Yan Ni sat in her car, still feeling dazed. She thought her current mental state was a little unsafe for driving and sat there for a while. Then she sent a WeChat message to Jing Yuqi—

Shu Chi is dating? Did you know?

Jing Yuqi took a long time to reply—What’s the big fuss.

Yan Ni: What do you mean ‘what’s the big fuss’? What would you call this if not an iron tree finally blooming?

Shen Mu booked the private room for Ding Ya. The only problem was that this restaurant was a bit hard to find, situated on a small hillside by Peaceful Lake. The path was also a little tricky to navigate.

The rain had stopped by then, so Ding Ya’s walk up wasn’t too difficult. She was carrying the cake, and the little dog, wearing its rain boots Ding Ya had bought, was bouncing along.

It was the little guy’s first time so far from home, so it was rather excited, hopping ahead of Ding Ya only to wait for her to catch up.

“Hey, wait for me!”

Ding Ya laughed. She glanced at the cake she was holding. The small, heart-shaped LED string was lit. The cake itself, however, wasn’t one of the currently trendy styles. It was an old-fashioned cake.

Ding Ya didn’t know much about cakes. She’d only realized when she picked it up that this bakery was quite famous.

It was an old, established brand in Bramble City. No frills, specializing in the taste of childhood memories.

She felt a little ashamed, thinking that maybe her affection for Shu Chi was too superficial, not even as thoughtful as Jing Yuqi’s consideration.

At the same time, she felt a thrill of excitement. One person’s understanding of another—Jing Yuqi had known Shu Chi for ten years and still couldn’t see all of her.

So how many decades will Shu Chi and I have?

The drive from the office to the old district was a long one. By the time Shu Chi arrived, the rain was pouring down heavily again. She parked and, holding her umbrella, stepped up onto the bluestone steps.

The restaurant, called Green Pond, was nestled within the wooded hillside. As the sky darkened into evening, its lanterns were lit.

A large family was also heading up the hill to dine—several generations, by the looks of it. They were all chatting in the local dialect. Shu Chi had lived in Bramble City for years and could understand quite a bit.

On the first floor, there was a raised stage, with booth seating below for enjoying Suzhou Pingtan performances. Shu Chi followed the server upstairs. Every private room had a wooden nameplate hanging by its door.

When she reached the one named “Heart Language Room,” before she even pushed open the door, she heard the sounds of a dog.

She pushed it open and stepped inside. A dish of creek fish seemed to have just been served; the alcohol beneath it was burning, bringing the soup to a boil. The rich, milky-white fish broth bubbled with fragrance. At that moment, Ding Ya looked over, smiled at Shu Chi, and said, “Happy birthday.”

The little dog, recognizing Shu Chi, immediately charged over to bite at her pant leg.

The woman who had just come up the mountain wore a dark navy jacket, zipped all the way up. The zipper was an oversized design, dangling down from the collar.

Her waist bag was Ding Ya’s—fuzzy and completely mismatched with Shu Chi’s temperament, yet somehow, when she broke into a smile, it all blended together in a strangely harmonious way.

Shu Chi’s gaze landed on the old-fashioned fresh-cream-and-flower cake, half-hidden behind the fish pot. She said, with a hint of helplessness, “Sister Qi told you?”

Ding Ya made an “mm” sound.

She took out the candles, not bothering to check if Shu Chi was happy or unhappy about it. She started sticking them into the cake one by one, without looking up. “Sit down. The rain’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?”

The window opposite the door looked out over Peaceful Lake, but darkness had fallen, swept by wind and rain, everything a misty blur.

Rain drummed on the eaves and was blown against the glass panes. Nothing was clearly visible.

It was a bit like that meal they’d had at Willow Garden. But that place had been too crowded, the decor nowhere near as thoughtfully done as this restaurant.

Except this time, the restaurant wasn’t the only one putting in the effort.

Shu Chi found it hard to describe what she was feeling deep inside.

Ding Ya lit the candles. As she went to turn off the lights, she scooped up the dog with her other arm. “Come on, let’s sing.”

Shu Chi had no chance to speak at all.

“Clap along too,” Ding Ya instructed, holding the little dog. Shu Chi lowered her head. “Here we go~ Happy birthday to you~”

The Pingtan singing from downstairs carried the deep cultural resonance of Bramble City. Ding Ya’s “Happy Birthday” was completely off-key. She even drew out the notes, strangely harmonizing with the Pingtan melody drifting up from below. It was an oddly beautiful blend.

Inside the private room, only the candlelight remained. Ding Ya had even turned off the portable stove.

The light from the sky outside was negligible. In the hazy glow of the candle flames, Ding Ya held her little dog, her gaze resting tenderly on Shu Chi.

Shu Chi was completely unprepared.

She hadn’t really celebrated birthdays. The children in her family were the same; a birthday was just an ordinary day.

When her second sister was little, she might spend five mao on a chocolate bar, break it into eight pieces, and make the sweetness last a whole week. She’d share one piece with Shu Chi and sigh, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could have cake?”

Cake was expensive. They didn’t get an allowance. Five mao had to be saved up one mao at a time, sometimes by helping neighbors fetch hot water from the shop.

Precious bits of silver—that’s what Shu Chi called it.

The old-fashioned cream cake sat in the busiest shop in town. Just walking past and taking a look was enough to make their mouths water.

She’d wanted it so badly as a child. Now that she was grown, the desire wasn’t so strong.

It was just an ordinary day, anyway. Just ordinary me. What was there to celebrate, really?

Besides, it was the day her little sister had passed away too.

Ding Ya sang three rounds. But by the second round, Shu Chi was sniffling. She was trying to hold it in.

The moment she blew out the candles, the room fell into complete darkness. Ding Ya was about to turn the lights on when she heard Shu Chi’s choked voice say, “Don’t turn on the lights.”

The little dog had been set down on the floor and was waddling in circles around the table.

Ding Ya felt her hand being grabbed. She realized Shu Chi’s palms were covered in sweat.

Shu Chi sniffled. “Ding Ya, don’t be so good to me.”

Her voice was a threat and a plea at once. “I’ll end up loving you… especially, especially fiercely.”