The alarm rang punctually at seven in the morning.
Lin Yunsheng hadn't slept soundly all night, so the moment her phone buzzed, she reacted instantly and switched it off to avoid waking Chen Jinyue, who was tucked in her arms.
Last night, Chen Jinyue’s face had been flushed crimson from the alcohol, yet her body remained cold. Her heat was dissipating rapidly, and even after Lin Yunsheng turned up the heater, it didn't seem to help much. She had simply helped Chen Jinyue remove her makeup, stripped off her outer layers, and tucked her into bed.
By the time Lin Yunsheng finished her own shower and returned to the bed, Chen Jinyue had flipped around, her head pointing toward the foot of the bed, nearly falling off.
She had hurriedly pulled her back into place. Throughout the first half of the night, aside from her own tangled emotions, she had to devote her energy to looking after her sister—worrying she was cold, then worrying she might vomit.
A drunk Chen Jinyue was a restless sleeper, prone to tossing and turning. When she felt cold, she would shrink into a ball, curling up like a shrimp. This forced Lin Yunsheng to approach her in a very awkward position to pull her into her arms, covering the girl's hands with her own. She waited slowly until Chen Jinyue felt comfortable enough to gradually relax her body.
It wasn't until the latter half of the night that Chen Jinyue’s heart rate returned to normal and she finally quieted down, nestling in Lin Yunsheng's arms in a steady sleep.
Lin Yunsheng slowly withdrew her arm, which had been used as a pillow all night, and crept out of bed. She washed up, applied her makeup, and changed into clothes for the office.
Before leaving, she circled back to the nightstand and tapped Chen Jinyue’s phone screen to light it up, deliberately ignoring the WeChat notification still hanging there. She first enabled "Do Not Disturb" mode, then spent five minutes using her own phone to compose a message to her. Only after confirming the message was delivered did she leave.
***
When Chen Jinyue finally woke up, she had no idea what time it was or even where she was. Her standard hangover routine went as follows: first, recall her location; second, lift the covers to check if her clothes were intact; and finally, try to piece together what had happened the night before.
She was in a hotel in North City.
Her clothes were intact, though she hadn't even showered.
She had gone out for Japanese food and drinks with Lin Yunsheng and her colleague—named Zhao Man.
Everything else was a blank.
Her head felt as if it were splitting open.
*I’m never drinking again,* she swore silently. The stakes of her vow: giving up one of Lin Yunsheng’s home-cooked meals of yam and pork rib stew.
She forced herself to sit up and lean against the headboard. Reaching for her phone, she unplugged the charging cable. Two WeChat notifications flashed on the screen.
The first was from Lin Yunsheng: [Tell me when you’re awake.]
She checked the time; it had been sent three hours ago.
This message sat at the very top of the chat list—the first message from Lin Yunsheng in all the years they had been apart.
Have you ever had that feeling? Like knowing a segment of time and space is misaligned, deliberately covered up, yet you struggle desperately to return to the right track, feigning a cheerful tone to say "Hello," even though anyone could see the bitter smile on your face.
She wondered how Lin Yunsheng felt when she tapped into their chat. Had she searched for her name? Had she happened to click into her Moments? Had she grown accustomed to that gray line indicating she was blocked?
Did she...
Like herself, spend thirty seconds overthinking a six-word message?
She shook her head. [Just woke up.] After typing the words, she exited the chat.
She tapped into the second notification. Zhao Man: [Get some rest. If you have a headache tomorrow morning, I have painkillers.]
The message had been sent last night. Seeing Zhao Man’s name made her frown slightly. What exactly was the relationship between this woman and her sister? Subjectively, she liked Zhao Man; she was beautiful, enthusiastic, and knew how to take care of people. But the thought of her and Lin Yunsheng together... inevitably made her feelings complicated.
Unsure how to reply, she decided to set it aside for a moment.
Lin Yunsheng’s reply came quickly.
[Good. I ordered some pork rib porridge for you. The weather is bad, so delivery might be slow.]
Seeing this message, Chen Jinyue remembered to pull back the curtains. The sudden glare made her squint instinctively. The sky was bright and the sun was out; all of North City was draped in silver and white. The snow that hadn't yet melted into slush was clean and beautiful.
Her mood brightened slightly at the sight. [Thanks, Sis,] she replied.
[Does your head hurt?]
It did.
But she figured Lin Yunsheng must be busy right now. Telling her would only add to her worries, so what was the point?
[It’s okay, I’m fine. Go back to your work.]
For the next ten minutes, no new messages arrived.
She put down her phone and went to the bathroom to shower.
This time, she made sure to blow-dry her hair properly—she really didn't want her headache to get any worse.
However, the difficulty of commuting on a snowy day was greater than she had imagined. An hour passed, and the delivery still hadn't arrived. She was starting to feel lightheaded from hunger when her eyes drifted to the can of Wangzai Milk on the nightstand.
It was incredibly strange.
Why was there a can of Wangzai Milk standing there? Did domestic hotels now provide such drinks for guests? This wasn't a children's suite.
She picked up the can and inspected it carefully, confirming there was nothing wrong with it—at least not visibly. She wiped it down with a tissue, pulled the tab, and drank it.
The delivery finally arrived half an hour later. If it hadn't been for that milk holding her over, it was hard to say which would have claimed her first: the agonizing headache or starving to death in the hotel.
Her head throbbed so violently she felt she might collapse at any moment. After only a few bites of the food, she finally couldn't take it anymore. She swiped open her phone and tapped into Zhao Man’s chat.
[Thanks for checking in, Sister Zhao Man. If it’s convenient, I’d like to get a painkiller from you.]
[You’re awake. Headache?] The reply was instant.
[Yeah.]
[Okay, I happen to be heading back to the hotel now. I’ll bring it over when I arrive.]
***
On the other side, a three-hour meeting had just concluded. Lin Yunsheng, still thinking about the delivery, refreshed the app as soon as the meeting ended. Seeing it marked as "Delivered," she finally felt at ease.
Switching back to WeChat, Chen Jinyue’s messages stopped over an hour ago, with no follow-up.
She was considering whether to check on the delivery—had it actually been delivered? Did she have an appetite? Before she could type, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
It was a weary-looking Zhao Man.
"Are you still attending the planning meeting this afternoon?" Zhao Man asked while tapping away on her phone.
"Yes. Are you not going?"
"My part is mostly done, so I think I'll skip it."
"So you're going back to the hotel?"
"Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night." As she spoke, she gave a performative yawn for Lin Yunsheng to see. "But I was saying I’d walk around North City this afternoon. The Plum Garden should be beautiful right after the snow. I was going to invite your sister along."
Lin Yunsheng frowned. "Let her rest in the hotel. It’s too cold outside."
"Oh, even if you agree, she won't. She said she has a headache."
"What do you mean—?" *Didn't she say she was fine?* Lin Yunsheng took a breath, her tone dropping.
"A hangover headache, what else could it mean?" Zhao Man turned her glowing phone screen toward Lin Yunsheng.
A message bubble happened to shift up one slot. Chen Jinyue’s latest message squeezed in. It said: [Thank you, Sister Zhao Man.]
Feeling the phone vibrate, Zhao Man turned the screen back to herself and replied: [You're welcome.]
Lin Yunsheng said nothing more. She looked back at her own phone, at the pinned chat that had remained stagnant for over an hour.
She pressed the lock button. To Zhao Man, she said, "Fine. I'm going to grab lunch then."
"Okay, I'm off. Bye-bye."
Lin Yunsheng turned and walked away immediately.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
北城 | North City | Beicheng; the setting of the story.
旺仔牛奶 | Wangzai Milk | A popular brand of sweet, canned milk in China.
山药炖排骨 | Yam and pork rib stew | A traditional Chinese home-cooked soup.
梅园 | Plum Garden | A scenic location mentioned by Zhao Man.
