Chapter 14

After getting in the car, Jiang Min turned on the air conditioning first.

Warm air blew over, and Lin Xuqing instinctively rubbed her hands together before taking off the coat, folding it neatly, and placing it on her lap.

“Are you going home for the New Year?”

“Yes, once the holiday starts here. Aren’t you going back?”

“Probably not.”

“Then you…”

“What’s wrong?” They were stopped at a red light; Jiang Min turned her head to look at her.

Lin Xuqing pressed her lips together. “Nothing.”

Jiang Min said nothing more and turned on some music.

Soft, gentle instrumental music—comforting on a winter night.

There were few cars out at night, but fearing the slippery road, she still drove steadily.

As the notes flowed, the car fell into quiet.

Lin Xuqing fell asleep.

Long lashes lowered; faint dark circles showed beneath her eyes. She probably hadn’t been resting well lately either.

Listening to her breathing gradually even out, Jiang Min drove slower and slower.

By the time the car stopped, it was nearly midnight.

Almost the instant the car stopped, Lin Xuqing woke, her words still slurred with sleep. “Sorry. I just dozed off.”

“It’s fine. It wasn’t long.”

Lin Xuqing picked up her coat to get out; Jiang Min asked, “Where’s your bag?”

“I think… I left it in Sister Xuezi’s car. I put it down when I changed coats and forgot to grab it.”

“Can you still get home?”

“The security booth seems empty. I’ll call my roommate.”

Her keys and access card were all in the bag, and she hadn’t registered for facial recognition—she really couldn’t get in right now.

As for that night owl Tang Xiaoyu, she was surely still awake.

As expected, Tang Xiaoyu answered and tossed out one line: Wait there.

“Wait in the car. It’s cold outside.”

Before long, a figure bundled up from head to toe burst out of the elevator.

Lin Xuqing got out of the car, and Jiang Min rolled down her window, ready to greet Tang Xiaoyu.

“Why are you back so late!” Tang Xiaoyu complained, tugging at Lin Xuqing’s arm. Her voice was sweet, and she spoke like she was acting coquettish. “Honestly!”

Lin Xuqing could only say, “Sorry.”

Jiang Min waited until the two finished before greeting Tang Xiaoyu.

“Hello, Sister Jiang!”

Tang Xiaoyu greeted her with a beaming smile, then looked back at Lin Xuqing meaningfully.

Oh~

So that’s what it was. She was chasing after Sister Jiang.

Tang Xiaoyu: “We just saw each other Thursday, and here we are again today. Want to have a meal together tomorrow?”

Jiang Min thought for a moment. “Tomorrow… sure. Lin…”

“She can, she can,” Tang Xiaoyu cut in. “It’s settled then. See you tomorrow.”

“All right, see you tomorrow. Later, have Little Lin push Tan—” Jiang Min paused, remembering the girl had said several times there was no need to call her Miss Tang, and corrected herself, “Push Little Yu’s WeChat to me.”

Lin Xuqing nodded. “It’s late. Head back early, and be careful on the road.”

Once Jiang Min drove off, Tang Xiaoyu grabbed Lin Xuqing and dragged her inside. “Hurry, hurry, I’m freezing! Lin, you heartless wretch, you’ve made me leave my warm bed for twelve minutes and thirty-seven seconds in the middle of the night!”

Lin Xuqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and could only follow.

Inside, the heating in the living room was on full blast.

Tang Xiaoyu took off her coat. “Quick, send me Sister Jiang’s WeChat.”

Lin Xuqing: “What’s the rush?”

“Look at you! Can’t you be like me—take more initiative, be sweeter? Sister Jiang even called me Little Yu just now. Did you hear that?”

Lin Xuqing kept a blank face. “Didn’t hear it.”

“Oh? Are you jealous?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Fine, fine, fine, I’m talking nonsense. But you get to see her again tomorrow—you should thank me, shouldn’t you?”

“Mm.”

“That ‘mm’ was way too perfunctory.”

“I’m going to wash up,” Lin Xuqing said, tucking the bunny-ear coat into her tote bag before turning toward the bedroom.

“Fine, get some rest early then.”

Watching her back, Tang Xiaoyu muttered to herself, “Still didn’t send me the WeChat… stingy.”

Just before the bedroom door closed, Lin Xuqing stopped and looked back. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

The answer was the bang of the door shutting.

A few seconds later, Tang Xiaoyu finally caught on.

—Thank you for letting me see her again.

On Sunday, Jiang Min finally had time to herself.

She rarely slept in, but after getting up she saw a message from Jiang Xuezi: Any plans today? Want to go out for a stroll?

She called Jiang Xuezi back. “I’m having lunch with President Tang’s daughter and Little Lin today. I was planning to invite You Hui too—want to join?”

“Sure, I’ll book the restaurant. I’ll call You Hui myself.”

Jiang Min: “Thank you, my gentle, considerate, capable Head Housekeeper.”

Jiang Xuezi laughed and scolded, “Enough, don’t lay it on too thick.”

The weather was cold, but the sunshine was wonderful.

After tending to her plants, Jiang Min changed clothes and went for a forty-minute jog in the nearby park. On her way back she ran into a neighbor walking their dog and played with the golden retriever for a good while before heading home.

By the time she got home, Jiang Xuezi had sent her the restaurant’s location, saying she’d sent it to the others too.

Jiang Min replied with a couple of messages, and a new friend request popped up: “Sugar Sugar Sugar Lie Lie Lie” has requested to add you as a friend.

She accepted, and a message came quickly: Sister Jiang, we’re heading out soon. See you later~

Tang Xiaoyu also sent a photo.

The star of the photo was holding last night’s pink bunny coat, looking utterly aggrieved, apparently studying how to wash it.

Probably planning to wash it clean before returning it to Mi Wei.

Jiang Min couldn’t help but smile and hit save.

……

Tang Xiaoyu sighed. “Sister Jiang and the others aren’t here yet.”

“It’s only just five,” Lin Xuqing ruthlessly called her out. “It’s not ‘her‘ you want to see—it’s ‘them,’ isn’t it?”

“Heh, and you have the nerve to call me out.”

“Why can’t I? Your intentions are obviously impure.”

On a weekend morning no less, Eldest Miss Tang wasn’t sleeping in—she was up at seven curling her hair and doing makeup, trying on a dozen-odd dresses from the wardrobe and pressing her to say which looked better.

The young miss doing her own makeover was one thing, but her clutches had even reached Lin Xuqing, insisting on curling her eyelashes.

“I think you’re the one with a guilty conscience. What’s wrong with dressing up nicely for a meal out?”

Lin Xuqing ignored her.

Just then, a taxi pulled up at the curb.

Jiang Min got out and saw them. “It’s so cold—why not wait inside?”

“Mm, we just got here.”

Tang Xiaoyu nearly burst out laughing.

Last time she’d had the living room window open, claiming she was out walking with a friend. This time she’d stood in the cold wind for half an hour, claiming she’d just arrived.

Photographer Lin’s knack for bald-faced lies remained as masterful as ever.

As they were talking, Jiang Xuezi and You Hui arrived too.

“Why is everyone here so early?”

“All right, all right, it’s cold out—let’s go in and eat.”

Considering Eldest Miss Tang might not be used to street-food stalls, Jiang Xuezi had deliberately chosen an upscale private-kitchen restaurant and booked a private room in advance.

After all, the project funds had come through so smoothly only because President Tang had given the word.

Jiang Min genuinely wanted to thank Tang Xiaoyu, without any intention of currying favor; she thanked her graciously and chatted casually.

Tang Xiaoyu was lively and loved to laugh, calling out “Sister” this and “Sister” that, sweet as could be. “It’s so cold—how about we all go to a hot spring sometime? Or when spring comes, come play at my family’s farm!”

You Hui laughed. “We’ve only met a few times and you’re already this warm—careful, we might be bad people who bully you later.”

Tang Xiaoyu glanced at her, her tone a little unnatural. “I’m not scared at all.”

She trailed off, hesitating. “Um, Sister Xuezi, Sister You Hui… could I add you both on WeChat?”

“Of course.”

Jiang Min watched them chatting and laughing, her gaze drifting back to Lin Xuqing.

Lin Xuqing didn’t talk much. Today she wore a white turtleneck sweater and silver hoop earrings—clean and crisp.

Her thick, long lashes curved slightly. She seemed a bit more docile than usual.

She looked nothing like the person who’d worn the fluffy bunny coat last night.

Remembering the photo Tang Xiaoyu had sent, Jiang Min still found it amusing and, in a rare mood for teasing, said, “No pink chubby bunny today?”

Lin Xuqing blinked, not understanding for a moment. Once it registered, her ears slowly turned red. “I am not.”

Jiang Min couldn’t help laughing, just watching her.

She vaguely remembered when Lin Xuqing first came to Mingchuan for university. She’d only visited once every two or three months back then, sometimes borrowing a few books with her campus card and returning them on her next visit.

Once Jiang Xuezi came along and teased her, “Honestly, are you here to see Little Lin or to mooch off the library?”

Jiang Min said half-jokingly, “Of course it’s for the books.”

That day Jiang Xuezi had somewhere to be and took a taxi off right after the meal, leaving her to wander the campus with Lin Xuqing.

At nine thirty, Lin Xuqing walked her to the subway station outside the East Gate, and they stood outside the platform talking.

“The photography competition finals are next week, right? I’ll call you then.”

A while back, she’d dug up an old camera at home. She had no use for it, so she simply gave it to Lin Xuqing and taught her a bit about photography.

Lin Xuqing had real talent for it. With that old camera, she’d smoothly made it through the preliminary and semifinal rounds. At lunch just now she’d shown her the photos she’d taken recently, and Jiang Min had offered plenty of suggestions.

The girl nodded, then suddenly asked, hesitating, “Not borrowing books today?”

Books?

Jiang Min recalled her own offhand joke earlier, and how afterward Lin Xuqing had barely spoken all evening, looking a bit sulky. It was rather funny.

Jiang Min tapped her forehead with a fingertip. “Did I borrow books every single time?”

“Hm?”

Her tone was cool. “Who knows—maybe to see some heartless person.”

The person who’d been sulking all along belatedly broke into a smile.

Under Jiang Min’s smiling gaze, she seemed embarrassed, her ears going red as she pulled the pea-green scarf Jiang Min had given her tighter around herself.

Yes. She had come to see her.