Yu Mo had barely stepped into the office and hadn't even put down her bag when Sister Liu from post-loan management rushed straight toward her. "Yu Mo, hurry up and follow up on these. These two are your clients, and today is the repayment deadline, but the funds haven't arrived yet. This is critical; use whatever means necessary to make sure the money hits the account today. Otherwise, we’ll all be in hot water."
Sister Liu wasn't even forty yet, but the lines around her mouth were as deep as trenches, giving her a very formidable appearance. Her expression was indeed unpleasant now, stopping just short of saying: *You’re incompetent; don’t drag the rest of us down.*
Yu Mo quickly took the papers from her. Being relatively junior, she felt a sense of trepidation.
The first name on the list was Qi Shuai. Her heart skipped a beat, and she broke into a cold sweat for him. Had he already run into repayment issues after only a few months?
She hurriedly sent a WeChat message: *Qi Shuai, yesterday was your repayment date, but the company hasn't received it yet. Did you forget?*
Lili came over from her desk to find Yu Mo, holding a large gift box. She held it out to Yu Mo and whispered, "Here, this is for you. It’s a new product from my friend’s company. It’s great for sleep, protects the liver, and even whitens the skin. Give it a try!"
Yu Mo put down her phone and accepted it with a smile. "Have you been taking this lately? No wonder your complexion looks so good. You look like a completely different person compared to a while ago."
Lili pursed her lips and smiled with a touch of girlish shyness. She originally had striking, vibrant features, but lately, her skin was glowing with a healthy flush and her eyes were bright with smiles. She was stunningly radiant, not losing an inch even when standing next to her rival, Zhou Tao.
Despite the major family upheaval she had suffered recently, strangely enough, a smile hadn't left her face for the past few days, and even her temperament had become much gentler.
Just then, a water delivery man pushing a trolley toward the breakroom moved past. Seeing the heavy jugs, Yu Mo reacted quickly and grabbed Lili’s arm to pull her aside.
Lili let out a sharp cry of surprise and violently shook off Yu Mo’s hand.
The two stood facing each other in an awkward silence.
Yu Mo withdrew her hand. "I was afraid you’d get hit. Did I hurt you?"
A flash of unease crossed Lili’s rosy face. She explained, "No, no... it’s just that I bruised my arm a few days ago. It was an instinctive reaction. Sorry."
Yu Mo didn't think much of it. "I remember you had an injury on your arm last week. Why hasn't it healed yet? You should be careful; it’s easy for wounds to get inflamed in this heat."
Come to think of it, despite the sweltering weather, Lili had been wearing long sleeves lately.
Lili nodded in agreement and went back to her seat to prepare for the meeting.
Qi Shuai replied to Yu Mo’s WeChat: *I transferred the money last night, around midnight. Have them check again.*
Yu Mo breathed a sigh of relief: *Then the system probably hasn't updated yet. It’s fine, I’ll verify it.*
As she spoke, she logged into the computer system.
Qi Shuai sent another message: *My brother told me to ask if anything’s happened with you these past few days.*
Yu Mo stared at her phone, stunned. She hadn't seen Qi Lian for nearly ten days since that night. It was as if the man had vanished into thin air.
Every day when she left or returned, she had grown accustomed to looking up at the fifth floor across from her. There had been no lights, no laundry hanging out—not a single sign of life, let alone a chance encounter.
The frustration she had been bottling up suddenly found a vent, and a sour feeling began to bubble over.
She tapped out a reply: *Why doesn't he ask himself?*
On the other end of the phone, Qi Shuai was crouching on the ground like a monkey. He looked up and shouted, "Bro, Sister-in-law wants to know why you don't ask her yourself!"
Qi Lian was standing on a ladder connecting electrical wires. Hearing Qi Shuai’s words, he dropped the wires in his hand and cursed, "Damn it, did you leave your brain at home?"
He leaped down from the ladder, snatched the phone from Qi Shuai, and glanced at the screen. Fuming, he kicked Qi Shuai. "You’re a complete idiot."
Qi Shuai dodged to the side, his handsome eyes dancing with mischief. "I want to know why you don't ask her yourself, too. Did you guys have a fight? I was wondering why you’ve been acting like a slave driver these past few days. We’d better get back soon, or she might run off with someone else."
Qi Lian raised his leg to kick him again, but Qi Shuai scrambled up, patted his backside, and bolted.
Yu Mo looked at a new message: *We’ve been in Shicheng lately. We’ll be back in a couple of days. My brother says to stay safe and don't drink.*
Immediately followed by another: *My brother asks if you’ve switched to the new phone yet. Do you need to exchange it?*
Yu Mo locked her phone. The "spiderweb" crack on the bottom right corner seemed to be spreading.
She took a deep breath, picked up her notebook, and walked to the conference room in her high heels for the morning meeting.
As she passed Zhou Tao, who was touching up her lipstick at her desk, the latter rolled her eyes at her.
On Friday afternoon, Yu Mo went to visit a client at the industrial park. When it was time to leave, she couldn't get a taxi for the life of her. She had no choice but to walk for fifteen minutes in the scorching sun in her high heels to reach the park entrance, where she finally managed to hail a cab.
She felt like a cactus in the desert, drained of all moisture. Dizzy and faint, she wasn't sure if she had heatstroke, and she collapsed onto her bed the moment she got home.
By the time she woke up, she felt refreshed, but she was incredibly thirsty. She went to the kitchen to get some water. Only two bottles were left in the crate of Nongfu Spring. She stared blankly at the nearly empty cardboard box for a moment.
How fast time flew!
She picked up a bottle and had to twist it twice before it opened. Whenever that man was around, he would always unscrew the cap and hand the bottle to her. Habit was a terrifying thing.
She looked up at the fifth floor across the way and for a moment thought she was seeing things. The window that had been pitch black for the past twelve days was actually glowing with a yellow light.
She narrowed her eyes to peer into the window but couldn't see anything.
Just then, the balcony door opposite her suddenly opened. A tall man, shirtless and carrying a basin, walked out.
Yu Mo’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly ducked into the shadows, her leg bumping against the cabinet handle. she couldn't help but let out a soft cry of pain.
Once her heart rate slowed down, she carefully leaned out a fraction to peek from the corner of the window.
Several black and white T-shirts had already been hung on the opposite balcony. The white ones stood out like flags, waving triumphantly in the dark night.
After hanging the clothes, Qi Lian rested his hands on the balcony railing, looking out at something. Yu Mo couldn't tell if he was staring at her window. Her heart began to throb uncontrollably again, and she pressed herself further into the corner.
Hiding in the kitchen, she didn't dare move, gulping down water. By the time she felt bloated, the bottle was nearly empty.
She was suddenly seized by a wave of irritation and tossed the bottle into the sink. Usually, a bottle of water would last her half a day; what was she doing tonight?
Why was she hiding in a dark corner like a thief with a guilty conscience? Why couldn't she just walk into her living room normally, as if she had never paid this person any mind?
She was furious with herself. The man had been gone for twelve days without a single message—what did she have to feel guilty about? The next time they met, she would pretend she didn't see him. If he messaged her, she wouldn't reply. She gritted her teeth at the thought.
She had been starving, but after this internal turmoil, she lost her appetite entirely.
The next day was Saturday. Yu Mo had promised to deliver a proposal to a client, so she got up early, had some rice noodles, and went to District Two to get her hair trimmed after finishing her errand.
In the six months she’d been in Lianhua, she hadn't bothered to cut her hair. Previously, she had been meticulous about getting a trim every month, keeping her hair at a fixed length that never varied by more than two centimeters. In the past half-year, her hair had grown wildly, now covering half her back. Her hair was thick, and it was simply too hot for such a sweltering summer.
The stylist blow-dried her hair until it was sleek and glossy, watching proudly as his beautiful customer walked out the door.
Once outside, Yu Mo pulled the hair tie from her wrist and twisted her hair into a bun on top of her head as she walked.
In this weather, you’d start sweating after just a few steps. Even someone like her, who didn't usually sweat much, felt sticky all over.
As she reached the entrance of District One, she noticed it was significantly more crowded than usual. People were standing around in small groups, whispering. She didn't think much of it, assuming it was just because it was the weekend.
Jiang San, the gatekeeper, wasn't in his booth. He was standing by the main gate, his Lacoste polo shirt rolled up to his chest, exposing his greasy, flabby belly. A strange excitement flickered in his small, shifty eyes.
When he saw Yu Mo approaching, his eyes lit up, and he gave her a smile that was loaded with hidden meaning.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 贷后管理 | Post-loan management | A department in a finance company that handles collections and monitoring after a loan is issued. |
| 法令纹 | Nasolabial folds | The lines running from the nose to the corners of the mouth. |
| 农夫山泉 | Nongfu Spring | A popular brand of bottled mineral water in China. |
| 周扒皮 | Slave driver | A cultural reference to a fictional cruel landlord; used here to describe a boss who overworks people. |
| 石城 | Shicheng | A place name (literally "Stone City"). |
| 莲花 | Lianhua | The name of the district or residential area (literally "Lotus"). |
| 江三 | Jiang San | The name of the gatekeeper/security guard. |
| 鳄鱼 polo 衫 | Lacoste polo shirt | "Crocodile" brand polo shirt. |
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Echoes of Lotus District | Chapter 33 | Ignoring Him From Now On | Novela.app | Novela.app
