The thought of "not wanting to leave this time" had taken root, and once it sprouted, Chen Jinyue couldn't stop ruminating on how to begin her confession.
Even her patience began to fray. That morning, she had been thinking her vacation still had a month left, but by the middle of the night, she had moved the execution date for her plan from "after returning to Haicheng" to "tomorrow."
She even comforted herself with the thought that by making everything clear on the first day of the New Year, the rest of the year would surely follow with smoothness and success.
Chen Fang was already asleep beside her, but Chen Jinyue tossed and turned, unable to find peace. Occasionally, she heard movements from the room next door; Lin Yunsheng wasn't asleep yet either. She reached out to wake her phone, and the piercing light flooded the pitch-black room. Squinting, she checked the time: 3:00 AM.
She couldn't sleep because of Lin Yunsheng. But as for why Lin Yunsheng was suffering from insomnia, she didn't know.
At that moment, on the other side of the wall, Lin Yunsheng sat before her laptop, two empty mineral water bottles standing by her hand.
She was somewhat agitated, scribbling something on the hotel's notepad with a pen before impatiently crossing it out.
A new message popped up on the screen from Jiang Haitao. It read: *Checked it according to the logic you gave this afternoon. It’s still not right.*
Lin Yunsheng stared at the sentence, tossed her pen onto the desk, and leaned back heavily in her chair.
A second message followed immediately: *I’m afraid we’ll have to sit down with Zhao Man and go over it face-to-face.*
Lin Yunsheng stood up, threw the empty water bottles into the trash, and contemplated whether to call the front desk for two more.
Jiang Haitao’s third message was like a pursuing blade, leaving her not a single shred of room for wishful thinking: *Ideally before work officially resumes.*
Lin Yunsheng sat back down at the computer. *Understood. Get some rest first,* she typed. After sending those few words, she shut the laptop and threw herself onto the bed.
The brilliant New Year fireworks of Nancheng had only just dissipated, and now her New Year’s dream seemed to be drifting away with them into the wind.
She didn't sleep a wink all night.
At eight in the morning, she heard movement next door—Chen Fang must have gotten up. Lin Yunsheng sat up as well, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and applied a light layer of makeup.
Walking into the living room, she saw her mother on the balcony doing stretches.
"Mom," Lin Yunsheng said, walking over.
Chen Fang was following a radio broadcast on her phone, just reaching the neck and shoulder rotation segment. "Sheng-sheng, you're up? Why didn't you sleep a bit longer?"
Lin Yunsheng pulled out a chair and turned it slightly to face Chen Fang diagonally. "Mom, I might have to head back to Haicheng early. Something went wrong with work."
"Huh?" Chen Fang stopped her movements immediately and paused the broadcast on her phone. "Why the rush? You have to go back on New Year's Day?"
"Is the problem serious?"
"It's not terribly serious, just urgent."
Chen Fang lowered herself into another chair. "Then when are you leaving?"
Chen Fang was used to Lin Yunsheng leaving early and returning late, but this was the first time she had seen it happen during the Spring Festival. The holiday itself was a small matter; she was more worried that something had happened on Lin Yunsheng’s end that she wasn't telling her.
"Around noon."
Chen Fang frowned and nodded, remaining silent for a moment.
"I'll go wake Jinyue up so we can have breakfast together."
"Ah, alright."
Lin Yunsheng stood up and walked toward the bedroom. She stopped before the door, took a deep breath, and knocked softly twice. There was no answer. She waited two seconds before pushing the door open.
Chen Jinyue was still asleep. Disturbed by the sound of the door, she turned over impatiently but didn't wake.
Lin Yunsheng walked to the bedside but didn't rush to wake her. She leaned against the cream-colored pleated wallpaper, thinking about how to break the news.
How could she say it so her sister wouldn't be too disappointed? Would she be angry? Would she feel sad?
As Lin Yunsheng was thinking, Chen Jinyue’s eyelids fluttered. She seemed to sense someone nearby.
Opening her eyes blearily, she saw a silhouette and blinked hard.
"Ah—!" Chen Jinyue jolted in fright, sitting up abruptly and instinctively clutching the quilt as she scrambled toward the other side of the bed.
It took two seconds for her to calm down. "Lin Yunsheng! What are you doing here?" Her voice was still raspy, but her volume was significant.
Lin Yunsheng was amused by her reaction and quickly said, "Calling you up for breakfast."
"What... time is it?"
Lin Yunsheng checked her watch and answered truthfully, "Um... 8:32."
"Why so early?" Jinyue began to sense that something was wrong.
Sure enough, Lin Yunsheng fell silent. She sat down on the edge of the bed. Because Chen Jinyue had scrambled away just now, Lin Yunsheng couldn't reach her hand, so she looked down at the tips of her own shoes.
"Xiao Jin..."
The other girl didn't speak.
"There's a problem with one of my projects."
Chen Jinyue remained silent.
"I might have to head back early to handle it."
Lin Yunsheng didn't understand why, when facing Chen Jinyue, the same explanation became ten thousand times harder to voice. She had to weigh every word and soften her tone.
She paused twice before finishing the sentence. She looked up at her sister; the girl wasn't angry, but a visible sense of grievance radiated from her entire being.
"So you're leaving today?"
"Yes... probably right after breakfast."
Chen Jinyue let go of the quilt and shuffled closer to take Lin Yunsheng's hand.
"Are you coming back?"
She knew the answer was likely no—otherwise, Lin Yunsheng would have said so to comfort her already—but she couldn't help but hope.
"I probably won't be coming back. I'm sorry, Xiao Jin. I know..."
*...you were really looking forward to this trip.* Before she could finish the second half of the sentence, Chen Jinyue interrupted her.
"Don't say sorry. It's not your fault."
What right did she have to be angry or blame Lin Yunsheng? If it weren't for her sister working so hard, they wouldn't even be in Nancheng for the New Year.
Lin Yunsheng was stunned to hear this, and her heart immediately melted into a soft mess.
She laced her fingers through her sister's, their palms pressing together.
"Hug me..."
When Chen Jinyue heard those words, she thought she had been the one to say them—but clearly, she hadn't. It was Lin Yunsheng, mimicking her soft, pleading tone from the day before.
*So cute.*
If she was sad, then Lin Yunsheng must be feeling even worse.
She hurried over and hugged Lin Yunsheng from behind.
But just then, Lin Yunsheng’s phone rang. From her angle, Jinyue could see the screen clearly: it was a call from Jiang Haitao.
Before the hug could even grow warm, she had to let go.
Lin Yunsheng stood up to answer the call. Chen Jinyue couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying; she only heard her sister say a few brief things like "this afternoon," "yes," and "understood" before hanging up.
Seeing that Lin Yunsheng had no intention of sitting back down, Jinyue got out of bed as well.
"We'll make up for this trip later..." she heard Lin Yunsheng say.
"Okay."
If Lin Yunsheng said there would be a "later," then there would be a "later." She would never lie to her.
Her mood brightened slightly because of this small promise. Wasn't having something to look forward to the best possible outcome?
Lin Yunsheng was always her most effective comfort.
She thought back to the restless thoughts she had last night and secretly moved the execution time in her heart back to "after returning to Haicheng."
Once they were back in Haicheng, she would definitely find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Lin Yunsheng. She revised her plan.
After breakfast, Chen Jinyue and her mother saw Lin Yunsheng off at the hotel parking lot.
"I have to take the car back to the rental agency. For the next few days, you two should take taxis; it's safer," she instructed.
"Don't you worry about us. Remember to eat properly when you get back. I'm afraid you won't even be able to order takeout in Haicheng these few days," Chen Fang said.
"It's fine, Mom. I'll be with my colleagues."
Chen Jinyue thought of Jiang Haitao’s call again. So, Lin Yunsheng would be spending the next few days with Jiang Haitao.
The thought left her feeling dissatisfied.
She reached out and pulled Lin Yunsheng into a hug. "Next time, let's come to Nancheng together again."
Lin Yunsheng hadn't expected the sudden embrace. She glanced at Chen Fang first before pulling her gaze back. "Okay," she said, then let go.
The moment Lin Yunsheng left, Chen Jinyue’s energy vanished instantly.
She walked back to the room arm-in-arm with Chen Fang. "What are we doing today?" Chen Fang asked.
"Visit the market. But I want to take a nap first." She let out a yawn.
Chen Fang let her be, taking out her phone to find the previous broadcast to finish the exercises she had started that morning.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sun shone brilliantly over Nancheng, and the air was thick with waves of heat.
Lin Yunsheng, however, dragged her suitcase alone and plunged headfirst into the cold winds of Haicheng, two thousand kilometers away.
During the brief flight, she finally closed her eyes, which hadn't shut all night, and fell into a beautiful dream about the future, about her sister, and about Nancheng.
***
