Liang Yifeng saw Zhong Nian off at the gate of her residential complex and left. He still had handover work at the company and a night shift later, otherwise, he would’ve found any excuse to go upstairs.
Zhong Nian watched his car slowly pull away.
On her way home, she remembered they were out of laundry detergent, so she detoured to the shopping mall just outside the complex. On the way back with her shopping, she held an umbrella in one hand and the bag in the other.
The streets were crowded; commercial areas always were.
She walked through an alley toward the back gate of her complex and noticed something unusual halfway there.
It seemed… someone was following her.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or something else. The alley was quiet; if someone really were tailing her, she wouldn’t be able to find help immediately. She kept her pace, and at the three-way junction ahead, she chose the street with more people.
The street was lined with shops. Zhong Nian crossed just before the traffic light turned red.
She stopped in front of a shop with a large display window.
The glass reflected the silhouettes of people across the street.
Everyone hurried by as usual; nothing seemed amiss.
Probably just her imagination, Zhong Nian thought.
She pressed her lips together and walked toward her complex.
Nearly a week passed before the editor-in-chief of the Tongcheng Evening News returned.
The first thing he did was call Zhong Nian into his office. He had already heard Old Sun’s evaluation of her while away: “Highly professional, well-mannered, a first-class journalist.”
He smiled warmly, “She graduated from UCL and worked at The Times. People there are all deputy editors.”
Old Sun on the phone was stunned, speechless, and then thumped his thigh, exclaiming, “Why didn’t you tell me clearly, Chief! If you’d told me, I definitely wouldn’t have let her go to the Social Economics section!” Someone with such a flawless resume was truly wasted in Tongcheng.
The editor chuckled, “People have their own aspirations.”
Old Sun snorted, “I know people always strive upward.”
After the call, the editor thought Zhong Nian might have been restless after working at The Times and joining a smaller local paper, but he hadn’t expected her to be calm, steady, meticulous, and flawless in her work. Even the few interviews she had done had excellent results.
She was a capable young woman.
Today, he called her in to discuss her work direction. He wouldn’t let talent go to waste. Zhong Nian had previously worked in the politics section. Ordinary citizens might not care much about national politics, so such news rarely drew the public’s attention. But the Tongcheng Evening News’s politics coverage was top-tier nationwide. Entering the politics section required nearly ten years of experience.
Zhong Nian lowered her eyes politely: “That’s fine.”
The editor studied her carefully. She showed no excitement or disappointment at the news, as if it were something completely ordinary.
“Not happy?” he asked.
“No,” Zhong Nian replied.
“But you don’t look happy.”
Zhong Nian: “I was the same way when I interviewed Prince William in the UK.”
“…”
The editor nodded. “Young lady, you have quite the aura.”
Zhong Nian: “Who will be my new team leader?”
“Old Sun. He handles the politics section. You can go straight to him.”
Zhong Nian bowed slightly. “Thank you, Chief.”
After leaving, she went to see Sun. Since learning about her work history, he had admired her greatly. Now that she came by, he was thrilled.
Sun: “There’s a seat here, but with the AC blowing hard in summer, the ladies might not like it. You can stay at your old seat if you prefer.”
Zhong Nian: “Doesn’t matter.”
Sun: “You’re part of our team now! Remember that!”
Zhong Nian: “?”
Sun raised his voice as if announcing it to the world: “If anyone dares bully you, I’ll be the first to step in and deal with them!”
“…”
Zhong Nian looked around. Some were envious, some jealous, and more were judging her with preconceived notions.
She composed herself and said, “I hope you’ll guide me, Sun.”
Sun grinned, “Guide you? You came from The Times! You might be the one guiding me!”
His words drew gasps from those nearby.
The Times… just the name alone was enough to impress people. She actually worked there?
Zhong Nian smiled gently. After the conversation, she returned to her seat under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Next to her, Xu Jiajia looked at her with admiration.
Xu Jiajia: “Zhong Nian, you worked at The Times?”
Zhong Nian smiled and nodded: “Yes.”
Xu Jiajia’s jaw dropped. Upon confirmation, her shock intensified.
She swallowed and asked, “Did you study abroad? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have worked there, right?”
Zhong Nian replied calmly: “Yes. Both my undergraduate and master’s degrees were at University College London.”
Xu Jiajia thought for a moment: “I only know Oxford and Cambridge… hehe, I’ve never studied abroad, don’t know much.”
Zhong Nian smiled slightly: “It’s a very good school.”
Xu Jiajia blinked and returned to her seat to look it up online. She was stunned. Everyone around Zhong Nian also perked up to listen and, after checking, could hardly believe it.
From that day on, everyone’s attitude toward Zhong Nian improved.
She found it amusing—people naturally respected the strong and looked down on those who seemed ordinary. But in this world, who isn’t an ordinary person at heart?
That afternoon, Zeng Yu came to see Zhong Nian.
Standing there, she looked impatient: “Who was in charge of the hospital fire drill last time?” She didn’t even say “please,” extremely rude.
Zhong Nian only glanced at her before returning her attention to the computer: “Liang Zhaozhao.”
Zeng Yu: “Do you have her contact?”
Zhong Nian: “No.”
Zeng Yu frowned. “Why didn’t you get her contact? Did you really work at The Times?”
Zhong Nian paused her typing, her tone calm but firm: “I worked in The Times’ political office. My interview subjects were usually British politicians and members of the royal family.”
The meaning was clear—she’d interviewed high-profile figures, not some random contacts. Sharing numbers? Ridiculous. And her work at The Times was in the past; she spoke casually, but that didn’t give anyone the right to mock her history.
Zeng Yu, used to bullying others due to her wealthy family, was now left fuming and speechless.
Finally, she threw out: “Send me the fire drill materials; I’ll interview the person in charge.”
Zhong Nian replied lightly: “Sure.”
After Zeng Yu left, Xu Jiajia silently applauded Zhong Nian: “So powerful!”
Zhong Nian smiled but said nothing.
That evening, Zhong Nian took the bus home.
City neon lights gradually lit up, street lamps on both sides of the road cast a warm glow, and the evening breeze rippled through early summer. The city had begun its silent transformation.
Trees sprouted leaves, which rustled in the wind.
Colorful flowers bloomed vibrantly along the roadside.
Zhong Nian walked home in a good mood.
Not long into her walk, she felt someone following her again.
About a hundred meters from the complex’s main gate, she slowed her pace, and the footsteps behind her slowed too. She sped up, and the steps behind became hurried.
She stopped and looked back. Passersby were on their phones, talking, chatting, oblivious. Probably just her imagination.
She pressed her lips and continued toward the complex.
Fortunately, the complex’s security was thorough—everyone entering or exiting had to be verified.
At the entrance to her building, she entered her access code. Behind her, the sound of a car door closing and approaching footsteps grew closer.
She quickly finished the code. “Beep—” The door opened, and she slipped inside.
As the door closed, a hand reached in.
Her heart pounded, almost to her throat. She caught a glimpse of the hand in the stairwell light.
Greenish knuckles, neatly trimmed nails, pale, long fingers pressing against the door.
It was Liang Yifeng. She recognized his hand.
Relief washed over her. She braced herself against the wall, letting go of the door.
The stainless steel door slowly opened. In the night, Liang Yifeng stepped into the warm, yellow light. One hand in his pocket, he stood just two steps below her, looking straight at her.
Zhong Nian: “Why are you here?”
Liang Yifeng asked back: “Can’t it be me?”
“I didn’t mean that.”
He scanned her up and down. Seeing her exhausted stance, he frowned slightly: “Long day at work?”
Zhong Nian shook her head slowly: “No.”
Liang Yifeng: “Then you…”
She rubbed her brows, vague: “Other matters.”
He raised an eyebrow.
With the tension gone, Zhong Nian reverted to her unflappable self. She looked at him politely: “Why are you here?”
Liang Yifeng held up something in his hand: “To deliver zongzi.”
Zhong Nian looked down at the gift box, walking up as she spoke: “Did Aunt Liang ask you to give it to me?” She remembered the Liang family cook, who made excellent meals and breakfast daily. Once, she’d wrapped meat zongzi—every bite full of fragrance.
Liang Yifeng: “No.”
Zhong Nian entered her access code and opened the door.
She took out her change of shoes from the cabinet.
Liang Yifeng casually took out his own pair.
Zhong Nian: “Then… these are?”
Liang Yifeng: “For you.”
“Hmm?” Zhong Nian paused mid-motion closing the door.
He adjusted his glasses, calm: “The hospital sent them as Dragon Boat Festival gifts.”
Zhong Nian asked: “Then why give them to me?”
Liang Yifeng: “No one else would eat them there, so might as well give them to you.”
Zhong Nian pointed at the large box: “But that’s so many.” Surely at least a dozen or twenty inside. Though she hadn’t eaten traditional Chinese food in years, this was excessive…
Liang Yifeng gave her a helpless look: “You probably don’t know…”
“What?”
“There are only eight inside.”
Zhong Nian: “Hmm?” The packaging was enormous.
Liang Yifeng sighed, thinking of foreigners used to large, showy packaging. In China, presentation mattered more than quantity.
He asked: “Want to eat?”
Zhong Nian nodded.
Liang Yifeng: “Where’s the microwave?”
Zhong Nian: “In the kitchen.”
He quickly unpacked the zongzi and brought them all to the kitchen. Soon, the sound of the microwave in operation filled the apartment.
Zhong Nian watched him organize the zongzi, back turned to her, bathed in the bright indoor light. She couldn’t help but think:
What on earth is going on?
They were getting along so naturally, everything progressing smoothly, with not the slightest awkwardness.