A busy week flew by in the blink of an eye, and the weekend arrived before she knew it.
Wen Xin’s phone suddenly rang from beneath her pillow. Groggily, she fished it out and silenced the alarm, then glanced at the time: 6:30 a.m.
She had actually forgotten to turn it off the night before.
Even so, thinking of her plans for the day, Wen Xin decided not to linger in bed. It was a rare outing for some shopping, so getting up early to prepare properly seemed essential.
It wasn’t for anything she wanted to buy for herself, though. It was for Shi Qianyu.
She wanted to get Shi Qianyu a pair of shoes—comfortable flats that were pretty, too.
Ever since returning from the hotel that day, Wen Xin had kept Shi Qianyu’s words in mind. She had stayed up late that night, scouring the internet, comparing options for ages. She finally settled on a style but grew uneasy about the quality and decided to visit a physical store instead. If it was pricier, so be it—it was a gift, after all.
Shi Qianyu had helped her so much; she had to repay the favor somehow.
Wen Xin rolled out of bed and headed into the bathroom. Along the way, she logged off the game. Shi Yu still hadn’t come online these past few days, which worried her. She feared that sudden disconnect might mean something had gone wrong.
After all, they were friends from the game. Wen Xin felt it was only right to check in.
Yu An: 【Haven’t seen you online in ages. How have you been?】
After sending the message, she had no idea when—or if—she’d get a reply.
Wen Xin put it out of her mind, queued her character for auto-leveling in a dungeon, and bent to her morning routine. Before heading out, she even applied a touch of light makeup—a rarity for her.
The morning sun wasn’t too harsh yet, and the temperature was mild. A gentle breeze greeted her, carrying a refreshing coolness.
Wen Xin took the subway to the largest mall in the area and entered with the first wave of shoppers. It had been ages since she’d gone mall-hopping; she usually handled everything online and had long forgotten the store layouts. It took her quite a while to locate the brand she wanted.
It was a niche label, not widely known, but the styles and quality were excellent. Wen Xin had stealthily observed Shi Qianyu’s preferences over the past few days and noticed she valued those two things above brand names or price tags.
Niche didn’t mean cheap, however. The shoes were already pricey online, and the physical store charged even more.
Wen Xin found the style she had in mind. When she saw the price tag, her heart nearly gave out—a single pair cost almost half a month’s wages. And worst of all, she had only recently started at Qi Qing and hadn’t even received her first paycheck.
Still, she had prepared herself mentally for this.
Taking a deep breath, Wen Xin called over a sales assistant and asked her to take down the pair for a closer look.
“Of course.” The young woman was polite and smiling throughout. “What size do you usually wear? I’ll find one that’s easy for you to try on.”
“Size 37 will do.” After days of observation, Wen Xin figured it matched Shi Qianyu’s foot size.
She wasn’t entirely confident, though—her eyes weren’t a ruler, after all. “It’s actually a gift, and I might not have the size exactly right. Can I exchange it if it doesn’t fit?”
“Absolutely, as long as it’s in resale condition.” The sales assistant smiled, fetched the shoes, and chatted idly as she did. “You’ve got great taste. These are stunning—your recipient is sure to love them.”
“Really?” Wen Xin pictured Shi Qianyu’s face. Would she actually like them?
“Definitely.” The woman leaned down, pointing out the details with care: the material, the color, the stitching. “It’s a bit pricey, I won’t lie, but I guarantee it’ll be worth every penny.”
“In that case, could you wrap them up for me?” Wen Xin was swayed and made her decision on the spot.
The sales assistant was earnest. “Wouldn’t you like to try them first?”
“No need.” Wen Xin shook her head. They were for Shi Qianyu; she couldn’t bring herself to wear them even once.
“Alright.” Seeing her decisiveness, the woman pressed her advantage and showed off a few more styles. “We’ve just stocked some new arrivals. Anything else catch your eye? Or maybe these heels—they’re quite striking.”
“Not today, thank you.” Wen Xin politely declined. One pair was burden enough; another would break her. But then…
Her gaze drifted to the heels section nearby and spotted some blister pads for sale. Remembering Shi Qianyu’s sore feet, she decided to add some. “Actually, I’d like a pack of these.”
“Of course~”
~~~
Wen Xin left the store earlier than expected.
Perhaps thanks to Shi Qianyu’s recent reminders, she remembered breakfast when she had time. Most mall eateries served lunch, though, so after looking around, she settled on KFC.
It was busier than the others, filled mostly with parents and kids. Wen Xin grabbed her meal and claimed a table near a mother and daughter.
The little girl was about eight or nine—prime age for clinging and wheedling. She sported two little pigtails and nestled against her mother’s shoulder, munching on hash browns while cutely begging her mom to take her to a movie later.
“Mommy has things to do,” the woman said with a sigh, gently stroking her head. “Be a good girl, Little Obedient, okay?”
She called her Little Obedient, just like Wen Xin’s own mother had called her many years ago.
Wen Xin’s fork paused midair. She looked up instinctively. The pair reminded her of her own childhood, back when her mother was still around and she’d pestered her the same way.
“Nooo!” The girl wasn’t having it, shaking her head vigorously. “You promised before! You can’t go back on it!”
“You’re always so busy. You never have time for me. Today, I’m going no matter what!”
Her voice carried, drawing glances from nearby diners.
“Alright, alright.” Embarrassed, the mother nodded apologetically to the others and surrendered. “Movie first, then straight home. Deal?”
“Yay!” The girl cheered, throwing her arms up in victory. But as she lowered them, she accidentally knocked over Wen Xin’s bag.
“Oh! Sorry, big sis!” Quick as a flash, she reacted—not like some bratty kids who threw tantrums. She wiped her hands daintily, slid off her chair, and picked up the bag for Wen Xin.
“I’m so sorry, big sis. I didn’t mean to.” Her voice was adorably childish as she pointed to a smudge on the bottom. “I got it dirty. Let me wipe it clean, okay? Don’t be mad.”
“It’s fine.” Wen Xin shook her head, unconcerned. “I’ll handle it. I’m not mad at all.”
“Really?” The girl peered up with wide eyes, confirmed no anger, and beamed. She fished something from her pocket and held it out. “Then take this as my apology!”
Her pigtails bobbed cutely with the motion.
It was a little blue dog figurine. As a graphic designer who dabbled in merch, Wen Xin recognized it at once: Aji, a hot collectible with sky-high resale prices thanks to its popularity.
Wen Xin hesitated to accept, glancing at the girl’s mother, who nodded encouragingly. Only then did she take it.
“Thank you so much~” Wen Xin smiled.
“Awesome!” The girl was thrilled she’d accepted the figurine and bounced back to her seat, chattering excitedly about the movie with her mom.
So happy.
Wen Xin watched them enviously, unable to tear her eyes away. It had been years since she’d felt the warmth of family. Since losing her parents, she’d been on her own. To others, this was everyday normalcy; to her, it was a scene forever out of reach.
A new week dawned.
Wen Xin arrived extra early, stashing the gift for Shi Qianyu in a safe spot and planning to give it to her at the right moment.
She also unpacked the figurine the girl had given her and set it on her desk. It was a sweet little token; maybe it would bring her some happiness, too.
Just as she finished, Shi Qianyu strolled in.
She was unusually early today, too.
“Good morning~” She smiled, greeting the other staff as usual before gliding over to Wen Xin’s desk for her customary “Morning.” Her eyes landed on the figurine, which she picked up to admire.
“You’ve got a little doggie, too,” she remarked casually.
“Mm.” Wen Xin nodded. “A gift from someone.”
“What a coincidence.” Shi Qianyu smiled and returned to her office, only to reemerge moments later with her own little dog figurine in hand. “I’ve got one as well. Also a gift.”
After a brief pause, as if to forestall any misunderstanding, she explained. “It was from a client a while back. We did some glass bead ads for her company. Since the collaboration went smoothly, she sent over a few of her favorite figurines as a friendly gesture.”
“Here, have one.” With her eyes lowered, she set the little puppy figurine from her hand down beside another Aji. The pair was a matching set, their paws fitted with magnets. No sooner had she placed it than they stuck fast together, paw in paw. “One all by itself is too lonely, after all.”
“Two is just right~”
