Chapter 10: Admitting Fault

Mu Qinglin trained her camera on Zhou Yi for a solid five-minute exclusive.

Having gotten her fill of shots, she lowered her head, only to take a snowball the size of a bowl to the stomach.

“Caught” was generous. It barely touched her clothes before its own weight made it collapse.

Mu Qinglin looked at the crumbled snowball at her feet and sighed. “A snake that tries to swallow an elephant.”

“Mu Qinglin…” someone called from ahead.

Mu Qinglin looked up just as a small one flew toward her face. Before she could catch her breath came a second, a third. The former target had transformed into a ringleader, leading a squad of little ones in an all-out siege.

Mu Qinglin’s two fists were no match for four hands, and she had the camera to protect. There was simply no defending against it.

Little Liu, who should have been on her side, had eyes only for footage. He completely ignored his beleaguered comrade and even zoomed in for a close-up of her face.

Eventually, Zhou Yi tired out. She crouched low and circled behind Mu Qinglin, planning one massive hit to end the battle.

Too bad she forgot she was still in the Santa Claus outfit. The glaring red made her a moving spectacle wherever she went, and she never once slipped past Mu Qinglin’s sight.

Just before Zhou Yi could strike, Mu Qinglin spun around and locked eyes with her. In that frozen second, she blinked softly, the corners of her lips curling up as she asked with a kindly smile: “Trying to trick me?”

Alarm bells blared in Zhou Yi’s head. She clutched the snowball and bolted.

Mu Qinglin gave chase.

Before Zhou Yi could figure out what was happening, she was caught around the waist. One wrist was seized and twisted behind her back. She felt the person behind her press closer. Then her ear went warm, and a slow, drawn-out voice said: “You’re not there yet.”

The snowball war lasted a solid ten-plus minutes.

Zhou Yi’s second half was brutal. Mu Qinglin used her as a human shield, directing her to block this and that with no chance to fight back.

When a ceasefire was finally called, Zhou Yi sneezed three times in a row and shouted furiously: “We are done!”

Mu Qinglin was still holding one of Zhou Yi’s wrists. Hearing this, she casually lifted it up, stared at Zhou Yi’s dead-inside expression, and laughed softly. “The way you said that, it’s like we were ever friends to begin with.”

“…” Zhou Yi wanted to leap off a second-story building.

“Let go!” Zhou Yi hissed through clenched teeth.

Mu Qinglin didn’t move, patiently confirming: “You won’t hit back?”

“I’d love to, but could I actually beat you?”

“Mm. No.”

Mu Qinglin stepped back and released Zhou Yi.

She truly had no follow-up move. With a sour expression, she rubbed her wrist and walked away.

Mu Qinglin stood there for several seconds, then scraped her nose with her knuckle and followed.

If she hadn’t been mistaken, Zhou Yi’s wrist had turned red from her grip.

“Sister Mu, got the shots. Head back?” Little Liu came over to ask.

Mu Qinglin glanced at Zhou Yi walking ahead with her head down and said, “You go wait in the car first.”

Little Liu: “Oh, okay.”

The children had already been led back to their classrooms by the teachers, leaving only overlapping footprints across the playground.

Mu Qinglin followed the last trail of footprints Zhou Yi had left and caught up beside her, reaching out to touch her arm.

“What?” Zhou Yi said irritably.

Mu Qinglin didn’t retract her hand. “Here…”

Zhou Yi saw what was being held out. A wrist guard, identical to the previous one. She paused mid-step and looked up. “You think bribing still works now?”

Mu Qinglin: “It’s not a bribe.”

“Then what is it?”

“…” Mu Qinglin stared at Zhou Yi’s eyes, which even in a bad mood were brighter than everyone else’s around her, and fell into thought.

Say sorry?

Today was clearly Zhou Yi’s doing. What did she have to be sorry for?

Say I noticed your wrist turned red, so here’s the other guard to make up for it?

Even if Zhou Yi didn’t jump at her, she’d probably swing at her head.

Look, the fists were already clenched.

Mu Qinglin was stuck. She thought, maybe I should just pretend nothing happened and walk away with my hands in my pockets?

Forget it. Those big eyes were boring right through her.

Truly…

“I just noticed how big your eyes are,” Mu Qinglin offered sincerely.

All Zhou Yi could muster was a numb stare. “Big enough to blind you? You want to cover them with the wrist guard?”

Mu Qinglin: “…” So roundabout tactics were truly off the table with Zhou Yi.

“Fine. My bad. I shouldn’t have grabbed your wrist. This is the apology.” Mu Qinglin caved.

Zhou Yi stared straight at Mu Qinglin without a word, giving no sign of whether she was satisfied or not.

Mu Qinglin surrendered. “Check your conscience. Who’s really to blame for today?”

Zhou Yi raised her hand and solemnly placed it on her chest. “My conscience says it doesn’t know.”

Mu Qinglin: “…” Conscience? Since when did a conscience become a sentient being?

“Want it or not?” Mu Qinglin asked one last time. If not, she was walking away.

Zhou Yi: “Why wouldn’t I?”

Before Mu Qinglin could process what she’d heard, the wrist guard was already snatched away and pulled onto Zhou Yi’s wrist. Zhou Yi rolled up the other sleeve too and evaluated the pair with an appreciative eye: “What an ugly thing.”

Mu Qinglin: “…” The last time she’d been this speechless was a few seconds ago.

“Little Jiu!” Yang Ling called from the ground-floor classroom window. “Hurry in and strike a pose!”

Zhou Yi’s brain buzzed and her expression soured instantly. “Ran out to deliver something without even finishing my food, and now I’m being forced to play Santa Claus. What kind of life is this?”

Zhou Yi’s lament trailing behind her was so conspicuous that Mu Qinglin felt obligated to do something, or the lingering “forced apology” atmosphere around them would never fully set in.

She casually patted her coat pockets and, well, there was indeed something good.

Mu Qinglin held her hand out again and asked: “Want one?”

“What?” Zhou Yi parted the ridiculous Santa bangs that were in her way and leaned in to look at Mu Qinglin’s palm. Then she pouted. “Isn’t this the same kind of cookie you feed Facai?”

How sharp could those eyes be, sharper than skewers?

Mu Qinglin glanced at her own hand. “Not the same…”

Zhou Yi looked up and pointed at her freshly praised eyes. “With eyes this big, do you think I’d go blind?”

Mu Qinglin: “The ones I give Facai are plain. Yours is white peach oolong.”

Big-Eyes Zhou lowered the bangs without a word, looking vaguely pleased.

“Little Jiu!” Yang Ling started urging again.

“Coming…” Zhou Yi answered weakly and trudged over.

Mu Qinglin kept her hand extended, unsure whether to follow. Just when she thought Big-Eyes Zhou wouldn’t stoop for a single cookie, the girl suddenly turned back, took it, and said: “Eating and drinking is forbidden during my shift. I’ll stash it for later.”

“…” One second she was complaining about her miserable fate, the next she was treating it like a career with strict discipline. What kind of person was this?

The kindergarten story was set to air that evening, so Mu Qinglin couldn’t waste more time. She and Little Liu went back to the provincial TV station and worked for a solid stretch. It wasn’t until the cafeteria closed that she remembered she hadn’t had dinner.

Fortunately, there was nothing pressing that night, and Mu Qinglin could knock off on time.

At half past six, the sky was fully dark and the snow showed no sign of stopping.

Mu Qinglin stood at the entrance for a moment, then decided to take the subway home. It was safer than driving.

About halfway along the road to the subway entrance, Mu Qinglin spotted a familiar freezing figure. The hat was pulled down over most of the face. Both arms were clamped tight around the person next to her, huddled close. Tiny steps were practically at a run, yet she still urged: “Hurry, hurry! My eyelashes are about to freeze solid!”

Hearing this, Yang Ling immediately flipped up Zhou Yi’s hat and poked her eyelash hard with a finger, prompting an annoyed reply: “If they freeze any harder, that poke will rip them out by the roots.”

“Let me know when they’re done freezing so I can witness the miracle. Oh, you’re… Miss Mu?” Yang Ling eyed Mu Qinglin approaching and asked tentatively.

Mu Qinglin hadn’t met Yang Ling before. Politely, she gave her full name. “Mu Qinglin…”

“It really is you! I’ve seen you on the security feed. You’re even prettier in person.”

“You flatter me…” Mu Qinglin was modest, but inwardly she wondered, what security feed?

“My name is Yang Ling. Tang Yuanzhou’s wife,” Yang Ling introduced herself.

Mu Qinglin suddenly understood. It was the surveillance of Zhou Yi getting caught red-handed.

“I’ve heard so much about you…” Mu Qinglin said.

Yang Ling: “Don’t mention it. Just got off work?”

Mu Qinglin: “Mm. Heading home.”

“No plans for Christmas Eve?” Yang Ling asked with a smile.

Mu Qinglin sighed. “No one to make plans with.”

“Aww, being alone is no fun.” Yang Ling thought for a moment and came up with a great idea. “Want to come sit at the shop? We’re having hotpot tonight. The more the merrier.”

“No…” Zhou Yi, who had no intention of speaking up, suddenly cut in. “One more person means one less piece of meat.”

Mu Qinglin had been planning to decline, but Zhou Yi’s words changed her mind. “I can eat vegetarian.”

“Eat vegetarian? There’s plenty of meat to go around.” Yang Ling was dead set on treating Mu Qinglin to dinner as thanks for saving Tang Yuanzhou’s life. Zhou Yi, the troublemaker, got the short end of the stick. “If you think there’s not enough meat, you don’t have to eat.”

Zhou Yi: “?” Like she couldn’t just buy extra portions?

At the grocery shop, Yang Ling went inside to pick things out while Zhou Yi and Mu Qinglin stood by. One stood with relaxed shoulders, scrolling through a news app. The other felt showing only the tip of her nose was doing herself a disservice.

“Grab more meat.” Zhou Yi craned her neck to see what Yang Ling had in her hands.

The shop owner overheard from behind and grinned. “Would I ever skimp on you?”

While talking, the owner grabbed a long pole from nearby and looked up at the awning overhead.

Zhou Yi followed his gaze.

The snow had been piling up for so long that it formed a huge sagging dent overhead. It was definitely time to poke it.

Poke?!

Zhou Yi acted before her brain caught up. She grabbed a dustpan from the vegetable stand and clamped it over Mu Qinglin’s head.

Almost simultaneously, days’ worth of accumulated snow came crashing down.

Conservatively several pounds, because Zhou Yi felt her head wobble before settling back in place.

Beside her, Mu Qinglin was also a bit dazed.

Given Zhou Yi’s usual style, in a situation like this she would have protected her own head first and then mocked Mu Qinglin mercilessly. Why had she thrown the dustpan over Mu Qinglin’s head?

“You…” Mu Qinglin pressed her lips together, pushed aside the dustpan that was partially blocking her vision, and looked at Zhou Yi’s blank face. “You okay?”

Zhou Yi didn’t blink, didn’t speak, as though frozen. Even the warm breath around her mouth had stopped, clearly brewing a storm.

Mu Qinglin considered preempting the disaster by bidding Yang Ling farewell, but another look at Zhou Yi’s expression was too entertaining to resist.

After a beat, Mu Qinglin reached out and snapped her fingers crisply in front of Zhou Yi’s eyes. “Still remember who you are?”

Zhou Yi slowly raised her head. “Righteous as Guan Yu himself, descended from the heavens. Believe me when I say one strike could chop you into two perfectly equal halves.”