Chapter 18

By the time they left the park, the setting sun had completely sunk.

The other colleagues waited below; only the two of them still stood in the pavilion, talking.

“Heading home now?”

“I want to make the most of the time—cut the film tonight.”

“I’ll just have Sisi do the cutting.”

“She wasn’t there for the shoot. She can’t cut what we want.”

Jiang Min was resigned. “Lin Xuqing.”

Lin Xuqing looked at her. “It won’t be too late. Eleven at the latest.”

The tone was perfectly even, yet Jiang Min heard a thread of pleading in it.

And she was right—the longer the delay, the more details would be forgotten. Organizing it immediately would keep it vivid.

“Let’s go. Back to work.”

At Jiang Min’s word, the others couldn’t help sighing.

A fate more bitter than an Iced Americano.

By the time they returned to the office, it was nearly six.

Jiang Min had the post-production team export the footage first and strike while the iron was hot to begin editing.

“Sisi, get a first cut going quickly. Once the rough cut is out, you and Little Lin can look together at what details to add.”

“Sister Min, this will probably take me two hours.”

Jiang Min nodded, and once Yu Sisi and the others had gone out, looked at Lin Xuqing. “Get some rest first.”

“Hm?”

Looking at her weary face, Jiang Min said, “You haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, have you?”

Lin Xuqing pressed her lips together. “It’s been okay.”

Jiang Min wasn’t about to buy that. The wound probably kept this one awake at night when it throbbed. “It’s six now. Sisi won’t be done until around eight. You’ll most likely be up late tonight—nap a bit now.”

Lin Xuqing nodded. “Then I’ll put my head down at my desk for a bit.”

“Don’t go,” Jiang Min called after her. “Use my rest room.”

“I…”

Jiang Min had no patience for her protests and took her wrist. “Come.”

Next to her office was a small storage room. A while back, Jiang Xuezi had cleared it out and converted it into a rest room for her.

The rest room really wasn’t big—six or seven square meters at most. Lin Xuqing stood to one side, a little ill at ease.

Jiang Min pulled a pillow and blanket from the cabinet, looking ready to stuff them into Lin Xuqing’s arms. “Mine. I don’t use them much—only a couple of times when I’ve worked past midnight. Washed recently. Clean.”

Lin Xuqing: “…Can I really use it?”

Jiang Min’s tone was breezy. “Sure. Unless you mind.”

Lin Xuqing hugged the blanket at once. “I don’t.”

She was tall and slender, yet at this moment she stood hugging a big bundle of blanket. For some reason she looked a bit dopey—like a silly little cat or puppy.

Jiang Min couldn’t help laughing.

Lin Xuqing looked at her, apparently not understanding what was funny.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Min snapped at her. “I’m going.”

She pulled the door shut behind her, leaving that small corner of the world entirely to Lin Xuqing.

Jiang Min had forgotten to turn on the light when she left.

Once the door closed, the small room dimmed.

Beyond the glass, the night was a tender deep blue. Lin Xuqing sat in the dim, uncertain light, faintly making out fine motes of dust drifting through the air.

The blanket in her arms smelled fresh and pleasant—like its owner, warm and soft. She gazed at the dancing dust and sat alone in that deep blue for a long while.

……

Back in her office, Jiang Min first returned Ning Rou’s call.

“We’ve wrapped today’s shoot and are back. It went fairly smoothly, but the content is a bit thin—there should be a few more shoots.”

“As long as it went well. Are you still working? I’ll come over, listen to the recordings, and think about how to write the interview piece.”

“You haven’t gone home yet?”

“Not yet. I’m leaving now, but traffic’s jammed—I probably won’t get there until after seven.”

Jiang Min said okay and hung up.

She began sorting through the afternoon’s details, thinking about what supplementary footage to shoot next. As the hour hand neared seven, she rose to go wait for Ning Rou downstairs.

Coming out after closing her office door, Jiang Min noticed the rest room door next door was open a tiny crack—perhaps she hadn’t shut it properly when she’d casually pulled it closed.

She went over to close it. A small desk lamp sat by the rest room window—she rarely used it, but Lin Xuqing had turned it on, and warm light spilled through the crack in the door.

Jiang Min glanced inside once more and saw the blanket hadn’t been pulled up properly—one corner had slipped to the floor.

She lightened her steps and pushed the door open.

In the lamplight, Lin Xuqing slept soundly.

Jiang Min tucked in the corner of the blanket. Looking at her thin frame, remembering how she’d insisted on coming back to work, she let out a soft sigh.

She stroked her cheek.

“Why must you be so stubbornly strong…”

When Lin Xuqing woke, the hour hand pointed to eight.

She’d slept deeply—she didn’t even know when she’d fallen asleep.

She folded the blanket neatly, but couldn’t remember which cabinet Jiang Min had taken it from, so she left it at the head of the bed.

Coming downstairs, she found Yu Sisi sighing. “I really don’t know how to cut this part. Sister Chun, any ideas?”

Xu Chun moaned too. “I’m about to tear my hair out.”

Sounded like the first cut wasn’t done yet. Looked like her long nap hadn’t held anything up.

The lights were on in another small meeting room.

Lin Xuqing heard Ning Rou’s voice—they seemed to be discussing how to write the interview piece.

She sat down at her desk. “Sister Sisi, how about you show me the first half you’ve cut?”

Only then did Yu Sisi notice she’d arrived, relief washing over her. “Yes, yes, yes, please take a look. I put it in the shared desktop folder.”

Lin Xuqing made a sound of assent, opened the file, and got to work.

While the computer booted, she glanced back once at the lit meeting room. She put on her headphones, shutting out all the noise.

……

By Wednesday, the first part of the video was cut.

The accumulated gloom of the past days was swept away; everyone’s mood lifted, and the female colleagues huddled together discussing where to eat lunch.

Mi Wei ran over. “Sister Little Lin, coming for dumplings at lunch?”

Lin Xuqing pointed at her calf. “It still hurts to walk. I’ll pass.”

“Aw, you poor thing. Want me to bring you back an order?”

Lin Xuqing was amused by her worldly tone. “Sure. Thank you.”

“Yay, yes yes yes!”

Lately Mi Wei had offered to bring Lin Xuqing food many times, and every time she’d been refused—she hadn’t expected her to agree this once.

Jiang Xuezi joked, “Little Lin’s in a good mood today.”

Lin Xuqing made a sound of assent. “I am, actually.”

The day passed faster than usual.

The new shoot started tomorrow morning, and preparations were done. Lin Xuqing had nothing else on hand for the moment; the afternoon was easy.

Near quitting time, Mi Wei wheeled out a little cart and winked at Lin Xuqing mysteriously.

Lin Xuqing just watched her quietly, in no hurry to ask, the picture of indifference.

Jiang Xuezi said, laughing, “See? Told you Little Lin wouldn’t be interested.”

Mi Wei was a little disappointed. “Sister Little Lin is the new one—she doesn’t even know our tradition. How can she not be curious at all?”

Lin Xuqing asked, quite obligingly, “What is it?”

“Tch!” Mi Wei drew out the sound. “You’re so half-hearted!”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“All right, all right. Our Lingyin was renamed in the winter three years ago, so every year on this day, we prepare a little gift for everyone.”

“Just a little gift—a token of the heart. Mi Wei and I picked for ages. Our President Min is so picky—this won’t do, that won’t please. Right, A-Min?”

Jiang Min shot Jiang Xuezi a sidelong look. “All you know is making fun of me.”

She’d been standing at the top of the stairs, not planning to show herself, but having been called out by Jiang Xuezi, she had no choice but to walk a few steps forward. “Mi Wei, hand them out.”

Mi Wei began distributing the gifts.

“Sister Chun, wishing you a new year with no aches here, no pains there!”

“Thank you, our Little Mi Wei! Let me see—oh, a lumbar pillow! Just what my old back needs!”

“Sister Lan, your gift!”

“A mini desktop water dispenser—perfect for a doesn’t-drink-enough-water creature like me. Nice, nice!”

“…”

Mi Wei was lively and outgoing, with a honeyed tongue; the atmosphere grew extremely lively.

Everyone had been ground down by work recently; now, with the tension and anxiety gone from their hearts, they gathered around laughing and chatting, unwrapping their gifts.

Mi Wei soon reached Lin Xuqing. “Sister Little Lin, open it quick~”

Lin Xuqing hadn’t planned to open it—she’d guessed it would be something like a lumbar pillow or water dispenser, and she didn’t like keeping too much at her desk, intending to just take it home.

“Open it, open it!”

“Oh. All right.”

Under Mi Wei’s intensely expectant gaze, Lin Xuqing nodded.

Lin Xuqing undid the white ribbon and opened the blue box. Inside was a Bear Mug and a pink-and-white plaid scarf.

The little bear on the mug was the same as the plush Jiang Min had given her so many years ago.

Lin Xuqing took out the mug, her fingertips brushing over the bear design, then lifted out the pink plaid scarf—soft and comfortable to the touch.

She stared, transfixed. A vague guess stirred in her heart; the corners of her lips curved, then, as if unable to believe it, she pressed them together—but uncontrollably, she began to smile.

“Oh, a mug again.”

“Sister You Hui’s is a mug too, right?”

“The scarf’s pretty—pink. Little Lin likes it, right?”

Amid the crowd, Jiang Min watched her.

It was plain that Lin Xuqing loved this gift.

She couldn’t help the curve of her own lips either.

Eyes curved, her smile bright and striking.

“Sister Little Lin, what are you spacing out for?” Mi Wei lowered her voice by Lin Xuqing’s ear. “This one was picked by Senior Sister~ We chose it for you, but she wasn’t satisfied before.”

Lin Xuqing came back to herself and looked straight at Jiang Min, who was leaning by the window.

Caught off guard by the sudden look, Jiang Min froze; after two seconds, feeling rather awkward, she turned her head away to look out the window.