Lin Yunsheng had only taken a shallow sip of the red wine she’d poured before sitting down; it remained on the coffee table, untouched thereafter.
Now, she sat on the floor, her right hand gripping her phone and her elbow propped on her knee. Her left hand rhythmically, unconsciously rubbed her right arm.
Zhao Man finished her cigarette and stepped inside from the balcony, carrying a faint scent of tobacco that the wind hadn't managed to sweep away. Standing beside Lin Yunsheng, she picked up the wine glass and took a sip. She heard Lin Yunsheng say into the phone, "Manager Xu, I know it’s a bit forward to make requests at this hour. If possible, just send me the parameters, and I can handle the processing myself."
Whatever the person on the other end said caused Lin Yunsheng to bury her head even deeper toward her knees. She looked frustrated and exhausted.
Zhao Man reached out her hand in front of her, lightly hooking her fingers to signal for the phone.
Lin Yunsheng hesitated for two seconds before handing it over. Zhao Man took it, her tone instantly brightening. "Manager Xu! Happy New Year, it’s Zhao Man."
"Right, yes, we’ve run into a few hiccups with the project on our end. But there’s no rush. When you have a moment, find a point person to contact me; we want to look at the coverage for the Spring Festival projects."
"Yes, yes. I won't keep you then."
She hung up, and the smile on her face vanished instantly. She took a second sip of the wine and then carelessly handed the phone back to Lin Yunsheng.
"If you act like that, who knows when they’ll actually cooperate with us," Lin Yunsheng said, looking at Zhao Man with a touch of helplessness.
"You think they’re innocent? If they were going to cooperate, they would have done it long ago. We’re the client here," Zhao Man scoffed.
Lin Yunsheng sighed and fell silent. Zhao Man suddenly laughed and said, "Besides, this matter is on my head. Why are you more anxious than I am? Worst case scenario, I just quit."
"Didn't I give you that data? If you leave, do you think I can escape the fallout? Deputy Director Zhao," Lin Yunsheng said coldly.
"Wow, you’re so heartless. Couldn't you at least lie to me and say it’s for my sake?" Zhao Man put on a wounded expression, but the other woman didn't even look up.
Zhao Man wasn't embarrassed, though; she was simply finding humor in the misery.
The one who was truly embarrassed was the person sitting on the sofa, unable to interject. Chen Jinyue unscrewed her bottle of mineral water and took a sip.
"Xiao Jin, why are you back from Nancheng already?" Zhao Man turned the topic toward her, making her feel even more awkward.
Looking at Lin Yunsheng from behind and to the side, she saw that her sister didn't turn around. She spoke softly, "Three or four days of vacation was enough, so I came back early..."
The words wouldn't hold up under scrutiny, but it was all she could say.
"Oh, coming straight to see your sister the moment you get back? You two really have a great relationship," Zhao Man teased.
Lin Yunsheng finally looked up at Zhao Man then. She said, "If you have nothing to do, go organize the placement schemes from the last few Spring Festivals for me."
"Fine." Zhao Man leaned over and placed the wine glass back where it belonged. Only a few sips remained, rippling gently in the crystal flute.
Somehow, Chen Jinyue read a hint of displeasure in her sister's words. The words were directed at Zhao Man, but the displeasure was meant for her.
It was rare; when had she ever seen Lin Yunsheng like this?
She turned her head away, not wanting to look anymore. Her mother’s words echoed in her ears: *Don’t go and disturb her.*
Zhao Man sat down next to Chen Jinyue, and the smell of smoke became more distinct. She took out her phone, opened a food delivery app, and muttered to herself about whether any shops would even be open on the second day of the New Year.
After searching for a while, she nudged Lin Yunsheng’s foot with her own. "There’s a Xinjiang place open. Want to eat?"
"Sure." The other woman took the phone, scrolled up and down, and ordered two dishes. Then she turned back to her sister. "I’ll order a snack for you. Have a little more to eat."
"Okay..."
Zhao Man suddenly turned her head toward the hallway and shouted, "Jiang Haitao!"
When no one answered, she shouted again.
After a moment, Chen Jinyue heard footsteps. She glanced over to see Jiang Haitao walking out in his pajamas, sporting a scruffy beard. His dark circles were even heavier than Lin Yunsheng’s.
"Order something," Zhao Man said, tilting her chin toward the phone still in Lin Yunsheng’s hand.
"Oh, Yueyue is here," Jiang Haitao said, ignoring Zhao Man to greet Chen Jinyue first.
She knew she should say something. Sitting on someone else's sofa on the second day of the New Year, she should at least say "Happy New Year," but she simply didn't want to.
Chen Jinyue nodded and said, "Hello."
Jiang Haitao seemed used to her attitude and didn't say anything else. He crouched down next to Lin Yunsheng, waiting for her to finish ordering.
Lin Yunsheng happened to ask him, "How far have you gotten with the search?"
He let out a yawn and said it should be soon—that it should be finished tonight.
Lin Yunsheng clicked into the drinks section, added two bottles to the basket, and said, "Thanks for the hard work. I’m treating you to a bottle of sea buckthorn juice."
Then she smiled and handed him the phone.
"Oh, you treat him, but I pay the bill. What a great deal, Manager Lin," Zhao Man grumbled from the side.
Chen Jinyue only felt that she didn't want to stay here anymore.
She didn't want to listen to them talk about things she didn't understand, and she didn't want to see an exhausted Lin Yunsheng smiling at Jiang Haitao.
From the moment she had entered this house until now, Lin Yunsheng had looked her in the eye exactly three times. The number of times she had smiled at her was zero.
She stood up and said she wanted to use the restroom.
Jiang Haitao said, "End of the hallway, first door on the right," pointing with his finger.
Chen Jinyue walked that way. Beautiful oil paintings hung on both sides of the hallway, and a porcelain vase stood at the end. She understood none of it; she only felt that it looked expensive.
She turned right and stood before the bathroom door. Forty-six steps. That was the distance from the living room to this guest bathroom.
*It’s actually quite tiring. Shouldn't you need a Segway to live here?* she mocked inwardly.
Chen Jinyue locked the door and stared out the window at the blurred river view.
She hid inside for over half an hour, only snapping out of it when Lin Yunsheng came to knock on the door, asking why she was taking so long.
She opened the door and walked back with her. They passed through the same hallway again, looking at the same paintings.
Lin Yunsheng said nothing.
Chen Jinyue thought to herself: *I’ll leave as soon as we finish the food.*
An hour later, the delivery was brought up by a man in a suit. Jiang Haitao took the food and called them to the dining room.
She walked at the very back, watching Lin Yunsheng unpack the delivery. Two bottles of sea buckthorn juice—one was handed to Jiang Haitao, and the other was set aside, presumably for her.
Several large food containers were spread across the table. As she lifted the lids, Lin Yunsheng froze for a moment. She instinctively looked back at her younger sister.
Seeing that look, Chen Jinyue took two steps forward. Oh. Every single dish was covered in a thick layer of cilantro.
But she said nothing.
Lin Yunsheng reached for the last item in the delivery bag, a bulging little package that looked like a burger. It was likely the "snack" she had mentioned earlier.
She tore open the foil to check. There was cilantro in that, too.
Lin Yunsheng sighed. "I’m sorry. I forgot to remind Zhao Man."
Zhao Man asked what was wrong. She replied, "She doesn't eat cilantro."
"Oh, that’s nothing. I’ll pick it out for her."
"It’s fine, Sister Man. I’ll do it myself." *If you forgot, you forgot; it’s not a big deal.* Why should she let a Deputy Director "condescend" to pick out cilantro for her?
She reached out to take the package from Lin Yunsheng’s hand. She glanced at it—she didn't know what it was called, but it looked a bit like a *roujiamo*. The cilantro inside was chopped very finely.
Lin Yunsheng didn't give it to her. She said, "I’ll pick it out for you."
"No need."
Lin Yunsheng looked at her sister, her movements stopping. She just stared at her with an expression Chen Jinyue couldn't decipher, still saying nothing.
"I can do it myself," Chen Jinyue said, reaching for it again.
"Xiao Jin, don't throw a tantrum..."
"I’m not," she smiled. She finally managed to get the package into her own hands. Before her sat that bottle of sea buckthorn juice.
The four of them sat down and began talking about work again. This time, Lin Yunsheng rarely joined in. Chen Jinyue sat to the side, picking out the cilantro as if it were a game—slowly, deliberately, and meticulously.
By the time the meal was half over, she hadn't actually done anything. She hadn't taken a sip of the drink or a bite of the food.
She just held her chopsticks, toyed with the cilantro, bit by bit.
Lin Yunsheng only watched her but didn't scold her. Instead, it was Zhao Man who tried to serve her food several times. She responded with a smile, "Thank you, Sister Man, but I already had lunch. I’m not hungry."
When everyone else was finished, she had only taken two bites of the food in her hand. It went into the trash bag along with the leftovers.
She stood up and said it was about time to go back and keep her mother company.
Lin Yunsheng didn't try to make her stay. She turned to the living room to grab her bag, rummaged through it, and found her car keys.
She walked back and handed the keys to Zhao Man. "Help me drop her off."
"Sure." Zhao Man took the keys.
"No need. I can just call a cab."
"It’s hard to get a cab right now," Lin Yunsheng said, her tone brook no argument.
"It’s easy, Sister. I got one very quickly when I came here."
Lin Yunsheng didn't reply. She walked toward the kitchen—a massive kitchen with shelves on the side piled with non-refrigerated ingredients and gift boxes.
She picked out two and took them down. "Jiang Haitao, I’m taking these two boxes."
Jiang Haitao’s attention was on his phone. Without even looking up, he replied carelessly, "Go ahead."
Lin Yunsheng walked over and gave the two gift boxes to Zhao Man as well. "Please give these to my mother."
"Lin Yunsheng, I can go back by myself." Chen Jinyue’s voice was so cold it felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar.
At those words, Zhao Man froze, and Jiang Haitao looked up as well.
She had said she didn't like it. Why did she have to let Zhao Man pick her cilantro and then let Zhao Man drive her home?
*Didn't you say there wouldn't be a next time, Lin Yunsheng?*
She questioned her with her eyes, but the other woman gave no response. Instead, she became equally stubborn, repeating: "Let Zhao Man take you. Be safe on the road."
Then, picking up her sea buckthorn juice, she turned and walked back toward the living room.
Chen Jinyue couldn't stand to stay for another second. The mist and rain of Haicheng were about to spill into her eyes.
The Haicheng winter, which she hadn't hated this morning and had even felt a slight fondness for, changed completely in this moment.
She turned and walked toward the entryway, moving in the opposite direction of Lin Yunsheng. Zhao Man, holding the car keys and the gift boxes, hurried after her.
Actually, there was no need to hurry. How far could she go?
Once again, she began to hate the winter and the rain.
She hated the sea buckthorn juice that had no name on it.
She hated this residence she wasn't qualified to enter, and the loss of dignity she felt when she was stopped at the security booth and told, "This doesn't fit our regulations."
She even hated the elevator that she had walked out of in a fit of rage but lacked the power to operate.
She was trapped here. She had no choice but to wait for Zhao Man, no choice but to get into her sister's car and go home with her.
And you, Lin Yunsheng—who changed into a completely different person the moment you returned to Haicheng—I hate you most of all.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 甲方 | Party A / The Client | In business contracts, the party commissioning the work. |
| 副总监 | Deputy Director | A corporate title. |
| 新疆菜 | Xinjiang cuisine | Known for bold flavors, lamb, and often heavy use of cilantro. |
| 沙棘汁 | Sea buckthorn juice | A tart, orange-colored berry juice popular in parts of China. |
| 肉夹馍 | Roujiamo | Often called a "Chinese hamburger," consisting of minced meat in a bun. |
| 小谨 / 悦悦 | Xiao Jin / Yueyue | Diminutives/nicknames for Chen Jinyue. |
