Chapter 40 - The Moonlight Sea
The alarm’s shrill cry pierced the silence of six in the morning. Chen Jinyue reached out before her sister could move, silencing the device with a sharp tap.
She sat up, the remnants of sleep clinging to her like a heavy shroud. She reached out to tuck the corner of the duvet, ensuring no stray draft could disturb the warmth beneath. Turning back, she saw Lin Yunsheng, who had been stirred by the noise. Fatigue was etched into the lines of Yunsheng’s face; her eyes were clouded, a testament to a night spent wrestling with restless thoughts. It was no surprise—from four in the morning until now, she had barely managed two hours of fitful sleep.
Jinyue reached out, her palm brushing against Lin Yunsheng’s forehead. This time, the older woman’s consciousness was still adrift in the haze of waking, and she didn't have the presence of mind to pull away.
"You seem to be doing a bit better..." Jinyue said, her voice raspy with the morning's chill.
"Mm."
"I’m heading back to my room then."
"Mm..." Lin Yunsheng’s response was a languid, powerless syllable, trailing off into the quiet room.
Jinyue watched her, unable to discern if the mist in Yunsheng’s eyes was merely the lingering fog of sleep or the residue of last night’s emotional upheaval. She leaned down, pressing a feather-light kiss to Yunsheng’s forehead before slipping out of the bed and retreating to her own room.
When she woke again, it was eleven in the morning. The sound of Chen Fang knocking on her door signaled that lunch was ready.
After washing up, Jinyue’s first instinct was to find the medicine. She placed the blister pack on the corner of the dining table, repeating her instructions from the day before. "Remember to take your medicine after you eat," she told Yunsheng. The latter merely nodded, offering no verbal reply.
Chen Fang looked at Yunsheng with concern. "Are you feeling any better, Sheng-sheng?" she asked, deftly fishing a tender chicken leg out of the stew and placing it in Yunsheng’s bowl.
"Much better," Yunsheng replied with a faint, weary smile. "I’ll rest for one more day. I should be able to make it to work on time tomorrow."
Jinyue remained silent, her mind entirely consumed by the significance of the day after tomorrow. As if sensing her daughter’s preoccupation, Chen Fang suddenly asked, "Yue-yue, how do you want to celebrate your birthday?"
Jinyue stiffened, feeling as though her private thoughts had been laid bare. After a moment of heavy silence, she murmured, "Just here at home. A simple dinner together is fine."
"Alright then! I’ll make sure to cook a proper feast for you," Chen Fang said, her voice bubbling with a joy she hadn't felt in years.
Lin Yunsheng continued to meticulously pull the tender meat from the bone with her chopsticks. Just like the previous night, she offered no reaction to the topic of the birthday.
"Sister, you’ll be free, right? You won't have to work overtime?" Jinyue’s gaze was direct, searching for a commitment.
Before Yunsheng could answer, Chen Fang cut in. "Oh, your birthday falls on such a special day this year. Sheng-sheng, if you have other plans, don't feel pressured. It’s fine."
The words stung. Jinyue set her chopsticks down—not quite a slam, but hard enough that the porcelain gave a sharp, ringing *clack*. She wasn't even sure who this flash of temper was directed at.
Lin Yunsheng paused, her voice low. "Mom, I don't have anything else to do. We’ll celebrate Xiao Jin’s birthday together."
As she spoke, she never once looked at the girl sitting beside her. Having secured the promise, Jinyue decided not to press further, attributing Yunsheng’s distance to her lingering illness and lack of energy.
The meal continued in a suffocating silence, each of them harboring their own secrets. Yunsheng finished first, heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. She discreetly swept the medicine from the table and retreated to her room, not emerging for the rest of the afternoon.
Jinyue’s anxiety only intensified, yet she refused to disturb Yunsheng. She didn't want to add more friction before the big day. She suppressed her desperate need for answers, forcing herself to give Yunsheng the time and space to untangle her own knots. She understood that love was a volatile thing—one day a blazing fire, the next a cautious retreat where every step felt like treading on thin ice. She understood, but she still prayed that Lin Yunsheng might allow herself to fall just one more time.
That afternoon, Jinyue called Ren Xiaoxiao to see if she was free. Unfortunately, her friend was still in her hometown for the Spring Festival.
"What’s up?" Xiaoxiao asked.
"I... I wanted you to go shopping with me. I need to buy something."
"Oh, for Valentine’s Day," Xiaoxiao said, seeing right through her.
"Yeah..."
"Fine. I’ll head back to Haicheng the day after tomorrow in the morning. We’ll grab lunch—consider it your birthday treat—and then we’ll hit the shops in the afternoon."
"Okay."
As Jinyue hung up, she saw Chen Fang emerging from Yunsheng’s room, holding an infrared thermometer.
"What’s her temperature?"
Chen Fang walked over and showed her the digital screen: 37.5 degrees Celsius. The fever had almost broken. Jinyue stood up to return to her room, but her mother caught her arm.
"Why are you forcing your sister to come back and celebrate with you?" Chen Fang asked.
"How am I forcing her?"
"Your attitude earlier—you were clearly unhappy. Given the situation between your sister and Jiang Haitao, shouldn't they take the chance to spend Valentine’s Day together?"
Valentine’s Day. Even if they ignored the birthday, there was no rule saying Yunsheng had to spend that day with Jiang Haitao. She could spend it with Jinyue.
Jinyue ignored the comment. "Anyway, she already promised." She turned toward her room, missing the look of dazed confusion on her mother’s face. Before closing the door, she added, "Mom, don't try to talk her out of it."
*I’ve already decided to step back into this current. Aside from Lin Yunsheng, I don't want any other variables.*
Jinyue clung to this stubbornness until the day of her birthday. Over the past forty-eight hours, her anxiety had reached a breaking point. Schopenhauer’s words echoed in her mind: *Animals learn of death only in death, but man approaches his death consciously, hour by hour.* She felt she was approaching her own moment of truth with a desperate, irrational obsession. She had stepped into the sea, and now she was drowning in its depths.
When Ren Xiaoxiao finally met her, Jinyue was sitting in the restaurant, lost in thought. She didn't even have the energy to scold her friend for being twenty minutes late.
"What’s wrong, birthday girl? You look like you’ve lost your soul." Xiaoxiao brought a gust of winter air with her as she pulled Jinyue into a hug. The cold metal buttons of her coat pressed against Jinyue’s cheek, making her shiver.
Jinyue pulled away and looked at her friend with a solemn expression. "I’m going to confess today."
She didn't mince words. she threw the declaration at Xiaoxiao and waited for her to process it.
Xiaoxiao was stunned into silence for several seconds, her eyes wide. "Wait. My last update was that nothing happened in Beicheng. How are we already at the confession stage?"
"It’s only been a few days!"
"What happened?"
Jinyue opened the menu. She chose that exact moment to start browsing the dishes, driving Xiaoxiao into a fit of restless impatience. Jinyue placed the order with agonizing deliberation, closed the menu, and said, "You’re paying. It’s my birthday."
"I’ll pay, I’ll pay! Just keep talking."
"We went to Nancheng for New Year’s. We kissed. More than once. I think she still... still loves me."
"Whoa! That’s great news! Why the long face then?"
"Something went wrong with her work. She came back early on New Year’s Day, and I followed her back to Haicheng the next day. But her attitude... it’s become subtle. Shifting." Jinyue sighed.
"Work trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"Is that the point? Ren Xiaoxiao, what is wrong with you?"
Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "If it’s not the point, why mention it? Come on, tell me. What happened?"
"Something about the Spring Festival ad placements going wrong..."
"Oh, ad placements..." Xiaoxiao looked thoughtful.
The waiter arrived to serve the first dish, which was covered in cilantro. Jinyue realized she had forgotten to mention her dietary preferences. Irritation flared within her, reminding her of the unpleasantness at Yuanmao Residences over the same herb. It seemed that in moments of extreme anxiety, one forgot even the most basic details of their own life.
*Was Lin Yunsheng’s mind even more cluttered than mine is now?* Jinyue wondered.
She picked up her chopsticks and began picking out the cilantro, her brow furrowed. "I don't know why, but since she got back to Haicheng, she’s been distant. Maybe it’s work, but my gut tells me it’s something else."
"Distant? You live together. How distant can she be? Is your apartment as big as those places in Yuanmao Residences?"
*Clack.* Jinyue dropped her chopsticks onto the table, drawing stares from the neighboring tables.
Xiaoxiao jumped. "What was that for?"
Jinyue glared at her. "It actually *does* have to do with Yuanmao Residences!"
Xiaoxiao’s confusion deepened.
"Yunsheng’s work trouble... she’s been working overtime with some colleagues since New Year’s Day. And they’ve been working at a colleague’s house. In Yuanmao Residences."
"I can't believe it. Ren Xiaoxiao, how is your intuition this sharp?"
"Wait? Your sister is working at the home of someone who lives in Yuanmao Residences? Why would someone like that even have a job? For the life experience?"
"I don't know. And that person... he’s the one I told you about. Her rumored interest."
Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. This was indeed a formidable rival.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't think there’s anything between them."
"Oh, *you* don't think so. You think there’s nothing between them, and you think she still loves you. Then why is this guy even in the picture?"
*Clack.* Jinyue dropped her chopsticks for the second time.
"Okay, okay! Continue, continue." Xiaoxiao took the chopsticks and started picking out the cilantro for her, fearing a third drop.
"It’s infuriating! Since she came back, she’s been cold! She won't touch me, she’s avoiding me..."
"Then why are you still going to confess?"
"..."
"Because I... I can't stop loving her. I don't want to leave again..." Jinyue looked down at the steam rising from the plates.
Xiaoxiao, maintaining the clarity of an outsider, remained surprisingly calm. "Look, Chen Jinyue. Based on my limited knowledge of your sister, if she’s willing to kiss you—or let you kiss her—she probably still loves you. Let’s put the guy aside for a moment. But what happened six years ago? Do you know why she suddenly ended things?"
"No."
"Then can the problem from six years ago be solved now?"
"If she’s willing to tell me... maybe." Jinyue’s voice lacked conviction.
"Tsk. You’re in such a passive position."
Jinyue bit her lip. "I know. It’s pathetic."
Xiaoxiao handed the chopsticks back. "Eat first. But for what it’s worth, I support you. You’re twenty-four—no, twenty-five now. You need to have an honest conversation. You’re not a child anymore."
Jinyue chewed on the end of her chopstick, her heart heavy. She feared that Lin Yunsheng had already found her answer—not now, but six years ago. *But Yunsheng, you were the one who kissed me first. Six years ago, and now. You were the one who stirred my heart. You can't just leave me stranded again.*
Seeing her friend’s mood plummet, Xiaoxiao changed the subject. "What do you want to buy later?"
"I want to go to a studio and blend a custom perfume."
"Perfect. There’s a scent lab right here in the mall."
After finishing the meal and settling the bill, Xiaoxiao led her to the studio. As they entered, Xiaoxiao walked straight to the woody and cool-toned section. "Here. Your sister likes this kind of scent, right?"
"How did you know?" Jinyue asked, surprised.
"I smelled it on her at the bar that night." Xiaoxiao casually handed her two formula sheets.
Jinyue stood before the wall of base oils, prepared to spend the entire afternoon there to find the perfect scent for Lin Yunsheng. Her anxiety manifested in her nose; every bottle she opened felt slightly off, not quite right.
"Whatever you make, she’ll love it," Xiaoxiao whispered.
"I don't want her to love it just because it’s from me. I want her to actually love the scent."
"You’re so greedy, Chen Jinyue." Xiaoxiao smiled softly. "Don't you know? Favoritism is the truest form of love."
*Yes, everyone knows Lin Yunsheng favors me. So why am I so afraid?*
Jinyue took the formula sheet. For the base note, she wrote: *Teak*. It was grounding and calm, a scent her sister loved. For the heart note: *Ocean*. She would bottle the dreams they shared in Nancheng. For the top note: *Musk*. A love that was intense and profound. And for the final touch, the lingering trail: *Summer Night Wind*. A quiet, beautiful expectation.
*You’ll spend this summer with me, won't you, Yunsheng?*
She went to the workstation, projecting all her hopes into the glass bottle. If it smelled good, she told herself superstitiously, then tonight would end well. She carefully measured, filtered, and bottled the liquid, adding a drop of pale silver dye. On the printed label, she solemnly wrote the name: *Moonlight Sea*.
Before boxing it, she sprayed a bit on a testing strip for Xiaoxiao. "How is it?"
Xiaoxiao took a sniff. It was elegant and clean. "It’s lovely. It fits your sister perfectly."
"Really?"
"Really."
A genuine smile finally broke across Jinyue’s face. She carefully placed the perfume into its gift box, sealed it, and tucked it into her bag. As they headed toward the parking garage, they passed a florist on the B1 level. Jinyue stopped.
"I want to buy some flowers too," she said.
"What kind?"
"I’m not sure. Let’s look."
The shop was filled with roses for Valentine’s Day. The florist asked if they were for a lover.
"Yes," Jinyue replied.
"We have red roses for passionate love, and pink for first love."
Jinyue looked at the roses, their petals perfectly curled, vibrant and beautiful. *One day,* she thought, *I’ll be able to buy a bouquet of roses for her without hesitation.*
"I’d like a bouquet of Baby’s Breath, please."
The florist hesitated. "Um... the language of Baby’s Breath is 'a love that plays a supporting role.' Are you sure?"
Jinyue gave a sweet, sad smile. "It’s fine. Just the Baby’s Breath."
She wanted that story, the one that had been forced to a halt six years ago, to begin again tonight.
She carried the flowers and the perfume home, receiving a tight hug from Xiaoxiao at the door. "Happy birthday," her friend said softly. "I hope everything goes well tonight."
"Thanks."
Jinyue watched the elevator doors close before turning her key in the lock. The familiar aroma of home-cooked food wafted toward her. She changed her shoes, took a deep breath, and called out happily, "Mom, I’m home!"
Then she saw her. Lin Yunsheng was sitting at the dining table, her back to the door, composed and still. On the table sat a beautiful birthday cake with "Happy Birthday" written in elegant script. Her mother emerged from the kitchen, carrying the final dish—Yam and Pork Rib Stew.
Chen Fang’s face was radiant with a happiness that seemed to surpass even the birthday girl’s.
*‘Happy Birthday’? Should I be happy? At this moment?* Jinyue asked herself.
"Yue-yue, you’re just in time! Come, sit down," her mother chirped.
As Jinyue walked over, she caught the flash of startled confusion in Yunsheng’s eyes when she saw the Baby’s Breath. Jinyue gently set her flowers down next to another bouquet—a bunch of roses that looked blindingly, painfully happy.
The roses were stunning, their petals still glistening with droplets of water.
Jinyue felt a bitter laugh bubble up in her throat. Yunsheng remained silent.
*I have never resisted stepping back into this sea of shattered moonlight. It’s just a shame that the moonlight has never once shone on me.*
*If you’re going to break your promise, now is the time. Don't let the thorns of those roses sink into my flesh. If you do, I won't ask for anything ever again.*
