On the morning of the first day of the new year, the air carried a faint chill mixed with the spirit of the holiday.
Zhou Gang took a bus alone to the county town to visit Lin Yan, bringing her some fried crispy pork and braised dishes he had made himself.
Only after seeing Lin Yan settled in did Zhou Gang feel at ease.
He stayed for half a day before hurriedly returning to town.
As he was leaving, Lin Yan received a New Year red envelope from Zhou Gang.
Lin Yan joked half-seriously, “Uncle, I’m this old and still getting red envelopes?”
“Yueyue gets one, so you should too. In my eyes, you two will always be kids!” Zhou Gang added specifically, “Yanyan, just accept this red envelope with peace of mind. This time it’s not in secret—your aunt has given her approval.”
Lin Yan felt both bittersweet and warm, and accepted the red envelope.
To her, her uncle was the only relative in this world who genuinely treated her well.
As she saw Zhou Gang off, the warm winter sun shone on his thin, wiry back, gilding his silhouette with a golden halo.
She glanced at Zhou Gang’s bulging coat pocket—inside was the two thousand yuan she had secretly slipped back in.
The hard-earned money Zhou Gang had saved by scrimping and saving—she couldn’t accept it.
And so the new year passed quietly.
Finally, the day to return to work arrived.
On her first day, Lin Yan got up early and tidied herself up.
When she arrived at the company early with light makeup on, she found that no one else had shown up yet.
Having been used to the fast pace of big-city life, the small county town’s pace was a bit more relaxed.
A dozen or so minutes later, her colleagues filed in one by one, right on time.
A girl with single eyelids carrying a canvas bag walked in with a sigh: “Ugh, so annoying! Why do we have to work again!”
Her colleague glanced at her dark circles and said, “You look like you haven’t even woken up yet—why’d you come to work like this?”
“If I waited until I was fully awake, wouldn’t I be late?” The girl pouted and muttered, “Even wine needs five minutes to breathe after opening, but people have to get up and go to work the moment they wake. What a miserable life for us workhorses!”
As she said this, her gaze accidentally met Lin Yan’s.
Lin Yan curved her lips in a polite smile.
The girl smiled back and, being very outgoing, sat down right next to her.
“Hi, you must be the new colleague Lin Yan that Sister Hong mentioned—the one with the impressive resume, right?”
“Not impressive at all. Just an ordinary worker.”
“Don’t be so modest!” The girl looked at her with admiration, clearly very talkative.
“Lin Yan, I heard you used to work at Yishuo in Jingbei? Yishuo is one of the top translation companies in the country, and their hiring standards are extremely strict! Lots of big names in the translation world came out of Yishuo. With your resume, why would you come to a small company like ours in this county town? Isn’t that a huge waste of your talent!”
People who were overly familiar and socially bold were the ones Lin Yan found most troublesome.
“Personal reasons.”
The girl sensed Lin Yan’s aloofness and didn’t press further. She gave Lin Yan a warm smile with her eyes. “Lin Yan, my name is Su Xin. Hope we can get along well from now on.”
Lin Yan gave a slight nod and didn’t say anything more.
Afterward, the boss organized a brief morning meeting.
After the meeting, Lin Yan was called into the office by the boss, He Lan.
“Lin Yan, I saw on your resume that you’ve translated medical books before? Here’s a pharmaceutical document—Chinese to English, about a hundred thousand words. The client needs it urgently, so I’m assigning this job to you.”
“When’s the deadline?”
“Very tight—only fifteen days. Our company’s translators average about three to four thousand words per day, but your highest daily translation record is seven to eight thousand, which is top-tier. So this job is tailor-made for you.”
A hundred thousand words of translation, to be completed within fifteen days with quality guaranteed.
Even with translation software, it would be a killer job.
Still, as long as the money was right, everything else could be worked out.
“Boss, so how will the translation fee be calculated?”
“I’ll give you fifty percent.” He Lan’s red lips curled up in a generous smile. “After all, our company hasn’t taken on such a challenging job in a long time. If you do well and the client is satisfied, it’ll also build a good reputation for us.”
“Deal.” Lin Yan agreed, then took the opportunity to make a request: “Boss, I’m in a bit of a tight spot right now. Could I get an advance of three thousand yuan from my salary?”
He Lan was straightforward by nature and didn’t impose too many rules on her employees, so she agreed without hesitation.
“Sure. As long as you do good work, these are all small matters.”
“Thank you, boss.”
“Just call me Sister Hong from now on.”
As Lin Yan was leaving the office, He Lan suddenly called her back.
She turned around and found He Lan leaning back in her office chair, staring intently at her face.
Lin Yan was confused: “Sister Hong, is there something else?”
“Lin Yan, what brand of skincare do you use? Why is your skin so fair? It’s like a shelled soft-boiled egg.”
This boss was really down-to-earth.
Although her skin was naturally fair, Lin Yan didn’t dampen the mood and told He Lan the brand.
He Lan nodded in satisfaction. “Send me the link right away.”
In the afternoon, He Lan announced that everyone would have a team dinner that evening to celebrate Lin Yan’s arrival.
She even thoughtfully ordered milk tea for every employee.
Since it was her first day, Lin Yan took the initiative to hand out the milk tea to everyone.
After handing out the milk tea, she realized there was still one cup left. Su Xin took the opportunity to sidle over. “Lin Yan, Sister Hong wants you to take this last cup next door.”
“Next door?”
“Yeah, to the Gale Combat gym next door.”
Gale Combat…
Xing Yu’s face suddenly popped into her mind.
She hadn’t seen Xing Yu since that New Year’s Eve dinner.
She’d finally had a few peaceful days, and she didn’t want to go looking for trouble.
“Why do they want it sent next door?” she asked.
“Lin Yan, let me tell you a little gossip.” Su Xin winked and leaned in to whisper, “Sister Hong seems to have a thing for the owner of the boxing gym next door. Lately she’s been having us send all kinds of food over!”
Lin Yan couldn’t believe it. “Coach… Xing?”
“Yeah, yeah! That coach who’s super manly and looks like he’d be great in bed!”
“…” Lin Yan frowned.
He Lan was a bit older, but she had a full figure and took good care of herself. How could she fall for someone as frivolous as Xing Yu?
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely! Everyone at work is talking about it. The intel’s solid.” Su Xin got more excited as she spoke. “Sister Hong is three years older than Coach Xing. You know what they say—an older wife is a treasure! She and Coach Xing are a match made in heaven. Perfect together!”
Then there was no way she was delivering it.
Lin Yan shoved the milk tea at Su Xin. “How about you take it over for me? I’m busy with work right now.”
Su Xin stepped back and waved her hands.
“No, no, no! Coach Xing is way too intimidating. I went once before the New Year, and one look from him nearly scared me to death. I even wrote a little poem about him. It fits perfectly.”
“What poem?”
“Amid desolate mountains and rivers, one punch from him and I’m done for.”
“…” Lin Yan said, “Is it really that exaggerated?”
“Yes!” Su Xin launched into a lively rant.
“Coach Xing has a face like ice, a huge build, and barely talks. Sure, he’s handsome and fit, but he’s cold and dull, like the King of Hell himself.”
Doesn’t talk? Dull?
Xing Yu could string together a stream of smooth talk like nobody’s business!
More like secretly flirtatious.
In the end, no one was willing to deliver the hot potato.
Lin Yan had no choice but to go herself.
When she appeared at the boxing gym, Mo Kai’s shout made her frown.
“Hey! Sister-in-law’s here? Long time no see. Happy New Year, sister-in-law!”
Lin Yan tuned him out, set the milk tea on the front desk, and said briefly, “Sister Hong sent this for your Yu-ge.”
With that, she turned to leave.
But she bumped into a solid chest, and the familiar scent of laundry detergent hit her.
She looked up and met Xing Yu’s sharply defined face.
“My good friend, missing me already?”