Chen Jinyue never imagined she would one day fall so deeply in love with Haicheng’s winter.
Ten or so hours ago, Chen Fang had been staring at her, asking what kind of madness had possessed her.
She had clung to her mother, refusing to let go. First, she acted spoiled, complaining that Nancheng was boring—that she was sick of seeing nothing but the ocean, the beach, the blue sky, and white clouds for days on end.
Then, she appealed to her mother’s emotions, asking, "Don't you want to play mahjong?"
Finally, she resorted to being unreasonable, claiming she hadn't made any plans past the second day of the Lunar New Year and didn't know where to go, adding pointedly that Nancheng didn't even have any temples to visit.
Chen Fang couldn't withstand the pestering and eventually nodded, giving in to her daughter’s bandit logic.
Without missing a beat, Chen Jinyue immediately changed their flight tickets to a 9:00 AM departure on the second day of the New Year, terrified her mother might change her mind.
A person who never enjoyed waking up early didn't even care about sleeping in.
Now, they sat in a taxi heading home from the airport. Haicheng’s weather wasn't as pleasant as Nancheng’s; it was not only cold but also drizzling. The windshield wipers cleared the water stains stroke by stroke, making the view clear for a moment before the raindrops settled again, repeating the cycle tirelessly.
It wasn't actually that unpleasant.
She hadn't told Lin Yunsheng she was back. She didn't want to examine whether it was because she feared disturbing her or because she wanted to surprise her—perhaps it was both. Since it was lunchtime, her mood was as bright as if she were heading to a real New Year's Eve feast.
Dragging her suitcase, she waited for the elevator doors to close and then open again, stepping out ahead of Chen Fang. Standing before their front door, her thumb pressed against the fingerprint scanner. *Click—* the familiar sound of the mechanical lock engaging. She pressed the handle down gently—she was finally home.
She pushed the door open and poked her head inside, looking left and right. First, she saw Lin Yunsheng’s slippers by the shoe cabinet, then the neatly packed suitcase still standing in the living room, leaning quietly against the side of the sofa armrest.
Not here?
After changing her shoes, she walked toward the bedrooms, glancing into the kitchen as she passed. No one there either.
*Knock, knock—* She stubbornly knocked twice on her sister’s bedroom door, but naturally, there was no answer.
Chen Jinyue sat on her own bed, her excitement mostly drained. She gave her suitcase a kick; the swivel wheels were responsive, rolling until it hit the wardrobe.
Chen Fang came over then, asking what she wanted for lunch.
"Whatever’s available. Just something simple."
Chen Fang gave her a sidelong glance. "Do you want egg noodles?"
"Sure."
After answering, she collapsed onto the bed and pulled out her phone, hesitating over whether to send Lin Yunsheng a message to ask where she was.
Then she had a second thought: maybe she should just call her after lunch and go find her directly.
By the time Chen Fang finished cooking the noodles and came to call her, she had nearly fallen asleep. Her mother woke her up with an annoyed tone.
Having been excited from last night until this morning, exhaustion had finally caught up with her. She rubbed her eyes as she stood up and walked to the dining area, asking Chen Fang, "Are you going to play mahjong this afternoon?"
Chen Fang raised the chopsticks she was about to hand over, making a gesture as if to strike her. "Who am I going to play mahjong with on the second day of the New Year!"
Chen Jinyue gave a sheepish laugh. "Oops, sorry."
"What are you planning to do this afternoon?"
"Me? I... I want to go find Sister."
"She’s definitely busy. Don't go disturbing her," Chen Fang said, her tone full of helplessness.
Chen Jinyue curled her lip. "I won't disturb her. I just want to see her."
"I'll call and ask her if it's okay before I go, alright?"
Chen Fang frowned and looked at her askance, utterly defeated.
She finished her noodles in a few hurried bites, then took Chen Fang’s bowl and chopsticks, washing all the used pots and pans as a peace offering. Then she dried her hands.
She leaned her back against the kitchen counter, mimicking Lin Yunsheng by supporting her weight on one leg and resting the other slightly to the side. She unlocked her phone and lingered on her chat with her sister for a few seconds. The last message was still that "Very beautiful" from last night.
At this moment, that beautiful sunset was a commemorative stamp of her Nancheng dream, urging her not to forget the promise she had made to herself.
She pressed the voice call button.
Lin Yunsheng picked up after a moment.
"Xiao Jin?" Her voice sounded a bit weary.
"Sister, where are you?"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, Mom and I are back in Haicheng. I didn't see you. Are you busy at the office?"
There was a five-second silence on the other end.
"Why are you back?"
Lin Yunsheng didn't answer either of Chen Jinyue’s questions. Instead, she threw a new one back at her.
"Oh... we’d seen enough of Nancheng, so we wanted to come back early."
More silence from the other side.
"Are you working? Can I come see you?"
"I won't be noisy. I just want to see you," she added anxiously.
"Who are you talking to?" A voice came through from the other end—it was Zhao Man.
"Xiao Jin."
The phone seemed to be snatched away amidst a flurry of movement.
"Xiao Jin, Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year, Sister Man."
"Are you and my sister busy with work?"
"Yeah, we're at Jiang Haitao’s place."
Chen Jinyue’s heart sank abruptly. She finally knew why Lin Yunsheng had repeatedly avoided saying where she was.
The phone was handed back to Lin Yunsheng.
"Can I come over?" Her tone became a bit more forceful; she felt she had to go now more than ever.
She heard Lin Yunsheng sigh. "Okay. I'll send you the address. Let me know when you arrive, and I'll come down to get you."
"It's fine. I'll come up myself. You don't need to get me."
Lin Yunsheng didn't say anything else, and she hung up.
Two minutes later, the location was sent. Looking at the words "Yuanmao Residences," she let out a self-mocking laugh.
No wonder she said she had to come down to get her. If it was here, that made sense.
Even if people couldn't afford to live in Tomson Riviera, it didn't stop everyone from knowing what those names represented. Yuanmao Residences was Haicheng’s wealthy district, a gathering place for old money.
She thought again of the 300,000 yuan Jiang Haitao had lent her for her studies abroad—he really was a rich second-generation heir.
She left the kitchen and grabbed her coat. Chen Fang looked at her and asked where she was going.
"To find Lin Yunsheng." Her voice was cold. She didn't want to hear her mother tell her not to disturb her again, so she added, "I called and asked her. She said I could come over."
"Oh."
But as annoyed as Chen Jinyue was, she felt guilty toward her mother. She had tricked her into coming back, only to leave her home alone as a "left-behind mother." So, she stood in front of Chen Fang, blocking her view of the TV with a very strange expression—her brow was furrowed because of Lin Yunsheng, but her mouth was pouted because of her mother.
"What are you doing?" Chen Fang looked at her daughter with disdain.
"I'll be back to spend time with you tonight!" She leaned over, kissed Chen Fang on the cheek, and quickly fled toward the door.
Haicheng was still drizzling. She didn't take an umbrella, running straight into the taxi she had booked.
The rain turned the car windows into rippled glass; looking out through that layer, everything became a blur.
The car stopped in front of Yuanmao Residences twenty minutes later. She was stopped outside a gate that wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe as "magnificent." A young security guard in the booth asked if she was a visitor. She said yes, and he asked which unit.
She didn't know.
She said, "The owner’s name is Jiang Haitao."
The guard typed away on his computer, then said they hadn't received notice of a visitor for that unit.
"Then call the intercom and ask."
"I'm sorry, miss, but that isn't according to our protocol."
Chen Jinyue was starting to get irritable when, fortunately, a message from Zhao Man arrived. "Are you here?"
"Just arrived. I'm at the main gate."
"Okay, I'll come down to get you. Wait for me."
"Thanks."
She stepped a bit further into the security booth to keep the rain off her head. She glanced at the guard and said, "Someone is coming down to get me."
"Very well, miss. Happy New Year."
"Thanks, you too." She looked up at the sky; the rain was drifting down like fine silk threads.
Zhao Man found her quickly, leading her through the landscaped paths and into the main lobby. Even on the second day of the New Year, there were staff on duty here, all dressed in suits. When they saw someone enter, they bowed to the owner. Chen Jinyue gave a slight reciprocal nod.
Zhao Man swiped her card for the private elevator, and Chen Jinyue followed her in. It was a strange elevator—one she’d never seen before—there were no buttons inside. It relied entirely on the card in Zhao Man’s hand; once swiped, it ascended automatically.
The elevator doors opened directly into an entryway. The main door was open, and she saw Lin Yunsheng sitting far inside—it felt like she was a hundred meters away. She followed Zhao Man to the foyer.
This apartment was truly massive.
She changed her shoes, and this time she could see Lin Yunsheng a bit more clearly. She was sitting on a silk carpet in the living room as if she were in her own home, leaning against the sofa with a phone in her hand, talking to someone.
Looking further back, there was a river-view balcony as vast as the sky. Because of the winter drizzle, mist hung heavy, obscuring the view and making one feel as if they were in the middle of nowhere.
In the enormous living room, Lin Yunsheng was the only one visible, huddled on the floor, looking tiny. Chen Jinyue walked over, unable to understand why she looked so haggard after not seeing her for only a day.
Her hair was loosely pinned back in a messy bun, looking very disheveled. She wore no makeup, her dark circles were visible, and two new pimples had sprouted on her forehead.
She stood to the side, waiting for Lin Yunsheng to finish her call. During this time, the other woman kept her brow furrowed and didn't look up at her.
Zhao Man pushed the balcony door open slightly and stepped out. The wind rushed in, blowing Lin Yunsheng’s messy strands of hair. Zhao Man clicked a windproof lighter and lit a cigarette, watching them through the balcony glass.
Lin Yunsheng hung up, placed her phone on the coffee table, and stood up. "Have you eaten?" she asked, her brow still furrowed, offering no other greeting.
"I have."
"And Mom?"
"At home..."
"Mm."
Lin Yunsheng walked toward the entrance. Chen Jinyue turned her head and realized that the wall facing away from the foyer was an entire wall of red wine.
She watched her walk over, slide open one of the glass doors, and skillfully pull out a bottle of red wine. She poured some into a glass, then grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the dining table.
With the wine in her left hand and the plastic bottle cap held between her fingers in her right, Lin Yunsheng walked back toward her sister, who was standing frozen in place.
She handed the water to Chen Jinyue—she was clearly much more "hospitable" than last time.
Chen Jinyue remembered the first day she had returned to the country; Lin Yunsheng had also been holding a bottle of water then, but in the end, she hadn't handed it to her.
She was more hospitable now, wasn't she? But the feeling was worlds apart.
"Sit down first. I have one more call to make." Lin Yunsheng took her sister’s hand and led her to the sofa.
Chen Jinyue sank into the leather sofa. The phone on the coffee table was back in Lin Yunsheng’s hand, and she sat back down on the carpet.
Chen Jinyue looked at Zhao Man standing outside on the balcony. The woman was blurred by the smoke and the mist, her expression unreadable.
Haicheng’s gloomy weather was like an inverted sea—one couldn't see the distance, nor could one see the depths.
In her original plan for the second day of the New Year, she was supposed to be riding jet skis with Lin Yunsheng. Now she was here, sitting steady and still, yet her heart was repeatedly plummeting.
Everything in Haicheng was like a distorted reflection of Nancheng.
*When will this rain stop?* she asked herself.
***
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