There were two knocks on the door—a mere formality—and before the person still lost in dreams could fully wake, someone took the liberty of twisting the handle and stepping inside.
The intruder’s routine was practiced and seamless. She walked straight to the window and yanked the curtains all the way back, instantly flooding the room with bright daylight. The person on the bed groaned, burying her head deeper under the covers.
It was futile. The intruder moved to the bedside and peeled back the duvet, forcing her to open her eyes. She could only raise an arm over her brow in a weak attempt at resistance.
"What time do you think it is? Get up!"
Then came the sound of footsteps pacing toward the wardrobe. The doors creaked open, followed by the rustle of fabric. A few seconds later, something was tossed onto the duvet—not heavy, but the clatter of hangers echoed twice.
Chen Jinyue waited for the routine to finish before her consciousness finally returned. She sat up and let out a long yawn. "Mom... why are you in such a rush to wake me up?"
Chen Fang didn't stay idle; she began folding the clothes Jinyue had haphazardly tossed onto a chair the night before. "It’s almost noon. Hurry up. Your sister is rarely home to have breakfast with us."
"Oh." Jinyue rubbed her eyes. Outside the window, the sky was clear and vast—a rare beautiful day. She glanced down at her phone; it was only nine in the morning, hardly "noon."
Lin Yunsheng was leaning against the doorframe, her weight on her left leg while her right foot crossed over slightly, toes resting on the floor. She held a cup of coffee, took a sip, and watched the bickering between Chen Fang and Chen Jinyue with a smile.
Thinking of the kiss from the night before, Jinyue felt a lingering sweetness in her heart. She stretched, lightly rubbed her nose, and climbed out of bed to head for the bathroom. As she passed Lin Yunsheng, she brushed her hand against the small of the other woman's back as if by accident—a silent "good morning."
Breakfast consisted of shaomai and steamed dumplings bought from outside, from the shop near Jinyue’s old high school that she used to frequent. As she pulled out a chair to sit, Lin Yunsheng pushed a cup of coffee toward her. It was a hot latte with a lopsided, crooked heart floating on top.
Jinyue couldn't help but chuckle. "What an ugly heart." Lin Yunsheng ignored her.
Jinyue rotated the cup until the tip of the heart pointed toward her and began drinking from that spot. The latte art might have been ugly, but it was a gift from her sister; she wanted to make it last as long as possible.
Chen Fang sat across from them with her bowl of soy milk. "Shengsheng, did you have a team dinner last night?"
"Yes."
"Then you won't be as busy for a while, right? Since the New Year is coming up," Chen Fang said, placing two shaomai onto a plate and handing it to Jinyue.
"Mhm, things will be a bit more relaxed next week."
"Mom, I can do it myself." Jinyue reached out to take the plate from Chen Fang. "By the way, Mom, is there anywhere you want to go for the New Year this year?"
"Ask her." As soon as the words left Chen Fang's mouth, both she and Lin Yunsheng looked over.
*Why are they looking at me?*
Jinyue remembered that when she was little, every New Year was spent with the three of them squeezed into their old apartment. Her mother would cook a few special dishes they didn't usually eat, and they’d watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV. That was their New Year.
They didn't have many extended relatives, but she was always satisfied with a New Year's Eve dinner for three.
As she grew older, she would hear her classmates discussing red envelope money and complaining about annoying relatives after every winter break. She realized she had the red envelopes, but she had never encountered the annoying relatives. Chen Fang was the best mother in the world, and Lin Yunsheng was the best sister.
She had been the happiest child in Haicheng Second Elementary School.
Jinyue used her chopsticks to break open a shaomai, picked out the glutinous rice inside, and chewed. "Let's go to Mohe."
"Huh?"
"Haven't you had enough of the cold abroad?" Chen Fang knit her brows, wondering what kind of crazy idea her daughter was cooking up.
Lin Yunsheng’s hand shook with laughter as she held her coffee. She pursed her lips and said, "Let's go to Nancheng. It’s warm there."
After speaking, she glanced at her nonsensical younger sister. Jinyue was poking at her shaomai with her chopsticks, also laughing quietly.
Chen Fang shot Jinyue a look, unsure what kind of secret code the two were sharing.
In truth, there was no secret code—just a whimsical, off-the-wall joke that Lin Yunsheng happened to understand.
The plans for the Spring Festival were settled quickly. Jinyue was in an exceptionally good mood, partly because she hadn't had a proper Spring Festival in years, and partly because Lin Yunsheng would be part of it this time. After breakfast, she couldn't wait to pull her sister into the living room to make a travel plan.
The sofa finally served its purpose. They were no longer sitting on the floor.
"When do we leave?" Jinyue asked, her eyes blinking as she tucked her legs up onto the sofa after kicking off her shoes.
Lin Yunsheng pulled up her work schedule and scrolled through it. "Hmm... the twenty-ninth?"
"Okay! And when do we come back?" This time, Jinyue tilted her head and leaned in to look at her sister.
Lin Yunsheng’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. She reached out to pinch Jinyue’s nose. "When do you want to?"
"The fifth? How about the fifth?"
"Okay," she agreed with a smile.
"Is there anything you want to do?"
"Anything is fine with me. Why don't you arrange it?" As Jinyue leaned over, strands of her hair fell onto Lin Yunsheng’s lap. Lin Yunsheng used her fingers to gently brush the hair back into place. They were so close, and their gaze lingered so long, that she suddenly recalled the kiss from the night before.
Her face flushed slightly.
Chen Fang was still busy in the kitchen. Lin Yunsheng cleared her throat, stood up, and said to her sister, "I'll leave it to you, then?"
"Okay!"
During this mid-winter weekend in Haicheng, the sun was unusually diligent, shining brightly for two full days. The city seemed to wake slightly from its hibernation, and the streets regained a sense of life.
Ren Xiaoxiao called to ask Jinyue out for a meal. Jinyue couldn't hide the smile in her voice as she said she couldn't make it; she had things to do.
As someone who had just returned to the country and had no friends other than Ren Xiaoxiao, what could she possibly be busy with?
Hearing the upward lilt in Jinyue's voice, Ren Xiaoxiao knew it had something to do with Lin Yunsheng. She teased her for choosing romance over friendship and hung up with a feigned sigh of helplessness.
Jinyue didn't let the rare sunlight go to waste. She spent the time building a dream—a dream of being in Nancheng with Lin Yunsheng a week from now.
Even the New Year became merely an ornament to that dream.
After dinner on Sunday evening, Jinyue held Lin Yunsheng back, refusing to let her leave. "Sit here and wait a moment."
She ran to her room, grabbed her laptop, and brought it back to show Lin Yunsheng the Spring Festival plan she had spent two days creating.
It was several pages long and densely packed—terrible readability.
Lin Yunsheng’s smiling eyes swept over the screen, catching a few keywords: *Day Three, 8:00 AM, Fu’s Morning Tea.*
She looked at the sister beside her, who had been reluctant to get up even at nine this morning.
*Feasibility—questionable,* she added a judgment in her mind.
It was a subpar report and a rather informal presentation.
But the audience was someone she liked very much.
A tricky situation. Her professional instincts were kicking in.
Lin Yunsheng propped her head on her hand, looking at the screen held before her. The presenter sat close by, brimming with enthusiasm.
"On the twenty-ninth, we fly in the afternoon. Once we arrive, we’ll have dinner at a hotel called Jincheng Mountain. They serve Nancheng specialties. How does that sound?"
"Good," Lin Yunsheng said, her eyes fixed on Jinyue’s ear.
It was the same spot she had caused to turn red the night before.
"On New Year's Eve, not many shops will be open, so we’ll have breakfast and a buffet lunch at the hotel. In the evening, there are New Year fireworks on the Nancheng beach. We’ll go early to snag a good spot for the countdown."
"Good." Her gaze drifted to the collarbone hidden beneath the collar.
It was an extension of her breath, a hollow where lingering tenderness had once settled.
"On New Year's Day, there’s a New Year market organized by the local government to attract tourists. I checked, and it’s huge. We can spend the whole day there. Want to go?"
"Good." Then her gaze moved to the mouth that was opening and closing, articulate and lively, every word spoken with the rhythm of happiness.
It was a place she had kissed countless times.
"On the second day, we’ll go to the beach. You have to take me jet skiing! As for Mom, that sport isn't for her, but she can try raft fishing."
"Good." Her eyes finally met her sister’s beautiful gaze.
Even in the dead of winter, a spark of spring was lit within them.
"Lin Yunsheng!" Jinyue finally realized she was spacing out and unilaterally paused the presentation.
"Don't look at me, look at the screen!" she complained.
As soon as the words left her mouth, they felt strangely familiar. It was as if seven or eight years ago, Lin Yunsheng had said the exact same thing to her: *Don't look at me, look at the problem.*
She hadn't expected that after all these years, she would experience such cross-temporal empathy.
—*So this is how annoying it feels!*
She huffed, feeling a tiny bit guilty—perhaps she owed the Lin Yunsheng of the past an apology—but that was no excuse for disrespecting the fruits of her labor.
"I'm listening," Lin Yunsheng’s voice came out soft and tender.
"Then why do you only know how to say 'good' and not offer any suggestions?" Jinyue pouted to express her dissatisfaction.
"Isn't your arrangement quite good? I don't have any objections." She gave a light laugh.
—She had never been this biased in the workplace.
"Then what about the third? On the third, we’ll go to a temple to pray!"
Hearing this, Lin Yunsheng couldn't suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She thought, *Wasn't the third for waking up at eight to have Fu’s Morning Tea? Besides, where would you find a temple in Nancheng?*
But she didn't expose her. She said, "Sure."
Jinyue glared at her. "On the fourth, we’re staying in the hotel and lounging all day!"
"That’s good too."
"Lin Yunsheng!"
"You’ve changed. You know how to bully me now." Jinyue simply terminated the report.
Back then, she was the one closing the exercise book; now, she was the one closing the laptop.
Lin Yunsheng looked at her sister, sensing how excited she had been for this trip over the past two days. Chen Jinyue was still the same—her heart and eyes were full of nothing but her.
The thought brought a touch of happiness, mixed with a hint of bittersweetness.
Still propping her head on her hand, she adjusted her angle and glanced over Jinyue’s shoulder at their mother, who was watching a variety show on the living room sofa.
The show was noisy, but her Chen Jinyue was quiet.
*Three, two, one.*
She shifted her body slightly and pressed a kiss onto Jinyue’s cheek. It was a soft, clear "mwah"—innocent and sweet.
She followed it with a hurried but sugary, "I'll listen to whatever you say." Having said that, she stood up and went to the living room, joining Chen Fang to watch TV as if nothing had happened.
The audience had irresponsibly departed; there was no reason for the meeting to continue.
The person left at the dining table felt a spot on her cheek so hot she couldn't move. Her lips were disobedient, curling upward of their own accord.
*Why is Lin Yunsheng so sweet today...* she thought.
Suddenly, she loved the New Year again—more than when she was a child, more than she had ever looked forward to a holiday.
She suppressed her smile, stood up, and took her laptop back to her room.
The failed presentation could be set aside for now. After all, who wouldn't enjoy a sweet "office" romance?
Everyone knew there were no temples in Nancheng, yet a lawless believer had already prayed a thousand times in her heart—*Heaven, please let this heartbeat never end.*
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
烧卖 | Shaomai | A type of traditional Chinese dumpling (Siu Mai).
春晚 | Spring Festival Gala | An annual televised variety show to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
漠河 | Mohe | The northernmost city in China, known for its extreme cold.
南城 | Nancheng | A fictional or generic name for a southern city (literally "South City").
拉花 | Latte art | The patterns made in the foam of espresso drinks.
年二十九 | The twenty-ninth | Refers to the 29th day of the 12th lunar month, usually the day before New Year's Eve.
大年初一 | New Year's Day | The first day of the Lunar New Year.
付记 | Fu’s | A surname followed by "Ji," indicating a shop owned by the Fu family.
金城山 | Jincheng Mountain | Likely the name of a hotel or restaurant in the story.
