The snow in Beicheng was even thicker than imagined. In places where it hadn't yet been cleared, it looked soft and fluffy, deep enough to swallow one's ankles with a single step.
Although the air didn't feel as bone-chillingly damp as in Haicheng, the wind blew with a fierce vigor. Chen Jinyue was reluctant to take her hands out of her coat pockets.
By the time the taxi pulled up in front of the hotel, the sky was pitch black. Chen Jinyue followed Lin Yunsheng out of the car. The older woman reached out to pull Jinyue’s coat tighter and asked, "Cold? Do you want to button it up?" Soft white mist drifted from her mouth as she spoke, her words carrying a gentle warmth.
"I'm not cold. I'm used to it." During her years abroad, winter lasted for seven months every year. During the coldest month or two, it was common for heavy snow to block the doors. Back in school, the university would always send out emails notifying them of canceled classes during such times. Later, when she started working, she was often forced to work from home because the snow was too deep.
Even her flight back to China this time had almost been rescheduled due to a blizzard. Fortunately, the snow had stopped early enough for her to return on time.
She truly was used to it.
But to Lin Yunsheng’s ears, those words sounded strange.
Over the past six years, she had no contact with her sister. Chen Jinyue wasn't one to post on social media, not to mention she had long since blocked Lin Yunsheng from her moments. Everything Lin Yunsheng knew about her life abroad came from fragments of information provided by Chen Fang. If Chen Fang didn't speak of it, Lin Yunsheng wouldn't ask.
She had imagined Chen Jinyue’s life. Was she doing well? Did she have new friends? Had she learned to cook? Did she have enough money? She couldn't bring herself to ask, and there was no one to ask anyway. She had gone online to research the climate and culture of that city; whenever she saw a video introduction of the place on a streaming site, she would click in and watch for a few moments, wondering if a familiar face might appear in a fleeting frame.
In the end, she would always look away, feeling foolish.
After six such years, before she even had a chance to fill the gaps in time, she heard the words "I'm used to it."
It turned out the verdict had long been settled.
"I see." Lin Yunsheng lowered her eyes and turned toward the hotel.
It was dinner time, and the hotel lobby was bustling with people coming and going. Chen Jinyue followed behind her, not yet noticing her sister's fleeting shift in mood, when she heard someone call Lin Yunsheng’s name.
"Yunsheng." The voice came from the front left. Lin Yunsheng came to a halt.
Chen Jinyue looked toward the sound and saw a beautiful woman in a wine-red coat, wearing light makeup and long, curly hair, waving as she walked over.
"Vice Director Zhao, what are you doing here?" Lin Yunsheng asked with a smile.
"Don't call me that. Act normal," the woman said, giving Lin Yunsheng’s shoulder a playful, dissatisfied nudge.
"I'm here to coordinate with your department. Once your analysis results are out, we have to adjust our placement strategy immediately." She explained her presence using professional jargon that Chen Jinyue didn't understand.
Lin Yunsheng nodded in understanding, then returned to the previous topic. "Vice Director Zhao, I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your promotion yet."
Was it Chen Jinyue’s imagination? She felt her sister and this woman were very close—more than just workplace colleagues.
"I've received the sentiment, thanks. Won't you introduce this one?" Her gaze fell upon Chen Jinyue.
Lin Yunsheng smiled. "My sister, Chen Jinyue."
"Hello there, little sister. I'm Zhao Man, your sister's colleague." She extended her hand. Chen Jinyue was a beat slow in realizing this was a gesture for a handshake; she really wasn't used to these formalities.
She mimicked the gesture and reached out, their hands meeting briefly. "Hello, Vice Director Zhao..."
"Lin Yunsheng, look at how you've taught her." She shot a sidelong glance at Lin Yunsheng, then looked back at Chen Jinyue. "Just call me by my name."
The woman had a beautiful smile. Before anyone could speak again, she took something out of her pocket and handed it to Chen Jinyue. "Take this. Your hands are so cold."
It was a disposable hand warmer.
Caught off guard, Chen Jinyue accepted it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Zhao Man turned back to Lin Yunsheng. "Have you two eaten? Want to go together?"
Lin Yunsheng’s gaze swept over the hand warmer in Jinyue's grasp without lingering. She replied, "Sure. My treat, to celebrate your promotion."
"I said not to mention that. Fine then, I'll wait for you in the lobby. Come down once you've dropped off your luggage."
After that, Lin Yunsheng and Chen Jinyue went to the front desk to check in. The receptionist confirmed their reservation.
One room, one king bed, two nights.
Chen Jinyue had originally thought her sister would book a separate room for her, but since she hadn't, Jinyue didn't bring it up.
From getting the key card to the elevator and finally the room, Lin Yunsheng didn't say a word.
*Click.* The door closed. The space suddenly became quiet.
Lin Yunsheng set their luggage aside, paused to think for a moment, then pulled Chen Jinyue’s suitcase out separately. "Do you want to put on another layer?"
Chen Jinyue was a bit puzzled. "No need, I'm not cold."
"And your hands?" Lin Yunsheng stepped closer, calmly taking her sister's right hand and rubbing it between her own.
The temperature was normal. While not exactly warm, it wasn't cold enough to require a hand warmer.
She released Chen Jinyue’s hand. "Let's go." She turned and walked toward the door.
When they returned to the lobby, Chen Jinyue was the first to spot Zhao Man sitting in a corner of the sofa, quietly looking at her phone. Amidst the flow of people in the lobby, she was the only one who seemed still.
The wine-red coat paired with the warm yellow light and her calm expression created a sense of perfect harmony.
Noticing them approaching, Zhao Man put her phone in her pocket, stood up, and asked Chen Jinyue with a smile, "What does little sister want to eat?"
"I... anything is fine." Chen Jinyue turned to look at Lin Yunsheng.
"Japanese food." It was a statement, but Lin Yunsheng’s eyes were on Zhao Man, waiting for her agreement.
"Sounds good. I'll call a taxi," Zhao Man replied quickly.
The night wind in Beicheng was sharp enough to make one's face ache. As the three of them walked out, Chen Jinyue lowered her head, burying her face in her scarf and stuffing both hands into her coat pockets, sealing herself up tight.
Zhao Man walked in front, while she and Lin Yunsheng followed side-by-side.
Suddenly, Chen Jinyue’s arm was pulled by the person beside her. She turned her head to look at Lin Yunsheng, only to see her sister use a bit of force to pull Jinyue's left hand out of her pocket. Lin Yunsheng took her hand naturally, then tucked both of their joined hands into her own pocket.
"...Are you cold?" Chen Jinyue asked softly.
"Yes. I'm not used to it yet."
Lin Yunsheng wasn't used to it.
She wasn't used to winters in Beicheng with snow, and she wasn't used to a Chen Jinyue who didn't need her care.
There was also a trace of an unclear emotion that she hadn't quite deciphered herself; she simply attributed it to the weather being too cold, making her mind sluggish.
After speaking, she tightened her grip on the hand in her pocket.
The Japanese restaurant wasn't very crowded. Zhao Man asked the staff for a private tatami room, and the three of them took off their shoes and sat down.
"Can you eat sashimi?" Zhao Man held the menu, flipping through a couple of pages, asking without looking up.
A wave of dejection hit Chen Jinyue for no apparent reason.
She remembered when her sister had just started her first official job and took their mother and her out for Japanese food. It was the first time Jinyue had tried sashimi; she had picked up a piece of salmon with great ceremony, dipped it in soy sauce, and popped it into her mouth with a blissful smile. She had said it was delicious and promised that when she made her own money, she would treat her sister and mother to even better food.
That distant memory surfaced without warning, but Lin Yunsheng must have eaten Japanese food with many other people since then. For Jinyue to wait for this day again, eight years had already passed.
"We can. Just order whatever you like," Lin Yunsheng spoke first.
"Alright."
"Drinking?" This time, Zhao Man looked at Lin Yunsheng as she asked.
Under the table, Chen Jinyue tugged at her sister's hem. "I want to..." Her voice was quiet, but it reached the other woman's ears clearly.
Lin Yunsheng reached over, tracing down Jinyue's wrist to move her hand away from her clothes. Her thumb rested on the knuckle of Jinyue's ring finger, slowly tracing circles.
"We can have a little," Lin Yunsheng replied. Then, she let go of her hand without a trace.
Before the food arrived, Zhao Man used the tea as an excuse to chat with Yunsheng about work.
"Have you considered that the issue might be with your city tiering, which is why the project is stuck?"
"Unlikely. I adjusted the tiering parameters myself."
"You've checked them?"
"Yes. It might be an issue with the historical data." After saying this, Lin Yunsheng picked up her teacup and gave the person opposite her a meaningful look.
"Then just say so directly at the meeting tomorrow, Manager Lin," Zhao Man said with a charming smile, leaning her body slightly forward.
Lin Yunsheng set down her teacup, her gaze sweeping over. "I'm only afraid I'll hear people saying that Zhao Man from Marketing and the Business Analytics Group are in cahoots again."
The sliding door was pushed open, and a server bowed as they brought in the sashimi and sake first.
Zhao Man arranged three cups and poured the sake.
Two cups were filled seven-tenths of the way. When it came to the third cup, someone spoke up first. "Pour less. She can't drink much." Thus, a cup only three-tenths full was handed over.
"Drink slowly, little sister. This has a strong kick."
"Okay... thank you, Sister Zhao Man." Jinyue accepted the drink and placed it carefully in front of her.
"We've talked about it for so long, are you still afraid of people saying it again, Manager Lin?" Zhao Man placed a cup directly in front of Lin Yunsheng, then raised her own and clinked it against hers.
"Congratulations on the promotion. From now on, the rumor will be that I'm the one social climbing."
"Hahahaha, that suits me just fine." Zhao Man laughed until the corners of her eyes crinkled. Accompanied by that laughter, the two of them finished their first cup of sake.
Chen Jinyue sat blankly to the side. That feeling returned—Zhao Man and Lin Yunsheng were more than just colleagues.
She didn't understand what they were talking about, nor did she know why the company would spread rumors about two women. She sensed Lin Yunsheng’s command over the professional environment, her tone confident yet nonchalant.
She had never seen this side of Lin Yunsheng.
The Lin Yunsheng of the past was meticulous, cautious, and gentle toward work—no, toward everything. She wasn't one to joke with people like this.
Was it that Lin Yunsheng had changed, or was it only the Lin Yunsheng who was with Zhao Man who was different? She had no answer, only a sense of bitterness.
Chen Jinyue picked up her sake and drained it in one gulp.
"Slow down..." The soft voice drifted to her ear.
"Mm..." she responded curtly, but reached for the bottle to refill her cup.
"I thought she couldn't drink?" Zhao Man found it amusing and signaled Lin Yunsheng with her eyes.
"..." The person questioned was momentarily speechless. It seemed she had given the wrong answer earlier.
"It's fine, I'm right here," Lin Yunsheng added.
The dishes arrived one after another. Amidst the conversation she still couldn't quite follow, Chen Jinyue slowly finished her second cup of sake.
Zhao Man was very attentive to her, asking several times if she was holding up okay.
The alcohol was starting to take effect, flushing her face. Looking like that, she said, "I'm fine, you guys continue..." which made Zhao Man laugh.
Hearing that her voice was already becoming airy, Lin Yunsheng silently moved her hand behind Jinyue's back during the conversation. Her palm rested on the tatami while her elbow braced against Jinyue's back, fearing she might topple over.
Chen Jinyue stared at the last piece of salmon belly on the table. No one moved their chopsticks; it lay lonely on the crushed ice, unwanted.
*If this piece of fish understood my feelings, would it still taste as good as it did eight years ago?* she thought randomly.
Who exactly was the meat on the chopping block?
—I am.
Chen Jinyue was.
The Lin Yunsheng she didn't recognize was the block; the words she didn't understand all night were the knife. They didn't slice her to pieces, but her heart felt as if it were being slowly pricked by a very fine blade. There was no blood, but the discomfort was intense.
She picked up her chopsticks again, took that unwanted piece of sashimi, expertly dipped it in soy sauce, and stuffed it into her mouth.
The taste was average—it tasted like something that had been left out for eight years.
Seeing her put down her chopsticks, Lin Yunsheng said to Zhao Man, "I'll go settle the bill. Wait here for a moment." She steadied Chen Jinyue, making sure she could sit upright, before standing up.
"Go ahead. I'll keep an eye on her," Zhao Man replied lazily.
Once the door closed, she continued to look at Chen Jinyue with interest.
"Chen Jinyue?"
"Hmm?" She looked up at the person opposite her and found Zhao Man smiling at her.
"Which characters are in your name?"
"What...?" The alcohol made her a bit slow.
"Oh. *Jin* as in cautious, *Yue* as in happy."
Zhao Man didn't reply, only smiled softly. She took her phone from the corner of the table, tapped a few times, and held it out to Chen Jinyue.
It was her WeChat QR code.
"Add me on WeChat?"
"...Okay." She naturally had no reason to refuse her sister's colleague. Before she got too drunk, she swiped her phone open, scanned the code, and added her. Then she let the phone return to its place.
When Lin Yunsheng pushed the door back open, she was holding the receipt and a bottle of Wangzai Milk. She quietly placed it in Chen Jinyue’s palm.
It was still warm.
"Let's go." She pulled her sister up, reminding Zhao Man not to leave anything behind.
Chen Jinyue’s steps were unsteady. She realized she really couldn't handle her liquor as she leaned her soft body against her sister.
Lin Yunsheng held her with one arm while helping her adjust her scarf and collar with the other.
"I'll help you."
"It's fine. Just help me carry my bag." Her eyes were focused intently on Chen Jinyue as she spoke to Zhao Man.
Zhao Man, carrying three bags, called a car.
The driver drove carefully along the way as snow began to fall again—hardly a rare occurrence in Beicheng.
Inside the car, the two sisters sat in the back. Chen Jinyue was slumped against her, her head spinning. Even in the dim cabin, her flushed face was visible.
"You two sisters have a great relationship. It's quite rare," Zhao Man said from the front seat, turning back to look at them.
"Mm..." Yunsheng didn't deny it. she looked down at Jinyue, raising a hand to shield her head, afraid she might bump into something.
"Is she your cousin?" Zhao Man asked probingly.
"Ah..." She looked up at Zhao Man. The moment their eyes met, she felt her heart flutter in a mess.
"No."
"She's my biological sister." Her eyes flickered.
Zhao Man seemed to want to say something more, but she swallowed her words.
"That's nice," she replied, turning back to face the front.
She accompanied them all the way back to their room and only left once she was sure everything was fine.
Lin Yunsheng helped her sister onto the bed and let out a sigh of relief.
Her phone rang. She tapped it; it was a WeChat message from Zhao Man: *Rest early. See you tomorrow morning.*
*You too. Goodnight.*
She locked the screen and tossed the phone aside. Looking at the side-lying Chen Jinyue, she gently moved her to lie flat, supporting her neck to remove her scarf and necklace.
The phone vibrated again.
It wasn't the one by the bed.
It was in Chen Jinyue’s pocket.
She paused for two seconds, glancing at the time: 11:30 PM.
Feeling a hint of hesitation, she reached in and pulled the phone out.
It was the same WeChat notification as hers. In fact, it was from the same sender.
The content of the message was hidden.
Lin Yunsheng’s breath hitched for two seconds, her brow furrowing. She looked sideways at Chen Jinyue lying quietly on the bed, then back at the phone screen.
She didn't know when the two of them had added each other on WeChat. She knew even less why they would be in contact.
The phone vibrated twice more—a notification for a failed facial recognition unlock.
Lin Yunsheng remained in that position for at least a minute. Time flowed slowly, so slowly that cracks began to form in her heart.
She took a deep breath and placed the phone back on the nightstand.
Beside the phone was that un-drunk, now-cold bottle of Wangzai Milk. And an unopened hand warmer.
The two items sat together; for a moment, it was hard to tell which was more redundant.
She wasn't used to this.
The snowy late night, the high-proof alcohol.
And a Chen Jinyue who was forming connections with other people.
She wasn't used to any of it.
She was trapped in a web woven by time, maintaining her breath through tiny gaps. Dust entered her nostrils, making her throat itch.
Standing by the window, she began to doubt. Clearly, everything had an expiration date, so why did the agitation rising because of Chen Jinyue still control her like this, even after all this time?
When would the snow stop tonight?
She couldn't stay in this moment, not for a single second longer.
***
