The phone on the nightstand began to vibrate frantically. Song Jin, still dazed from sleep, rolled over reluctantly in bed. It took her a good while before she finally forced herself up to silence the alarm.
Winter was truly perfect for sleeping; unfortunately, her line of work didn’t allow for it. Song Jin kicked away the warm duvet, stood up, and pulled on the coat draped over the chair before slipping into the bathroom to wash up.
Outside, Li Hang who had long since risen was in the kitchen eating toasted bread. Seeing Song Jin emerge, she teased her with a playful tone: “Awake? What did you dream about last night?”
The legs of the redwood chair let out a sharp scrape against the tiled floor as Song Jin dragged it out. She sat down groggily, picked up the cappuccino on the table, and took a few sips before replying, “I dreamed she folded a peach blossom branch for me.”
“A peach blossom? Today just happens to be Valentine’s Day. Song Jin, and you still claim you don’t have feelings for her?” Li Hang tore off a large piece of bread, ignoring the glare Song Jin shot her way, and continued: “And then what happened?”
“Nothing else happened.”
“Huh? That’s it?” Li Hang’s eyes widened, clearly skeptical. “Looking at your reaction yesterday, I thought the dream would be full of X-rated scenes. Turns out it was that wholesome?”
The situation last night had indeed been strange. In fact, it was the most “normal” dream she’d had among all the fanfiction-like dreams involving Wen Yu.
Song Jin pondered over it for a long time but couldn’t quite make sense of it. Seeing that it was almost time, she finished her breakfast in a few bites and hurried off to work with Li Hang. The blue Mini once again sped toward the filming location like a little cannonball. However, because the downtown area was so far from the suburbs, the two of them barely arrived on time.
According to Li Hang, yesterday’s test shoot was very successful, so today they were ramping up production to start formal filming, aiming to wrap within three months.
Wen Yu had arrived early. Song Jin strode into the dressing room and immediately spotted Wen Yu, already in costume, surrounded by two people working on her styling.
When Song Jin looked over, Wen Yu happened to look up as well. The moment their eyes met, Wen Yu winked at her as a way of saying hello.
Song Jin froze for two seconds before nodding back in acknowledgment.
The scenes being filmed over the next few days focused on the protagonists’ university years. The makeup wasn’t meant to be heavy; instead, the styling emphasized a natural, pure look, highlighting the innocence and vitality of youth.
When Song Jin heard this requirement, the corner of her mouth twitched. She truly couldn’t fathom how a university student was supposed to be “lively.”
Although Song Jin had always wanted to go for a “mature woman” vibe, her natural features leaned toward the sweet side. She had a very small face and large apricot eyes; people often commented that “her small face is nothing but features,” making her look like a delicate porcelain doll from afar. But because she was quite tall, fans jokingly nicknamed her the “Arctic Hare.”
Song Jin pulled on a cream-colored hoodie paired with loose black wide-leg pants. She politely declined the stylist who wanted to do her makeup. First, she tied her long hair into a bun, then grabbed a cushion compact from the shelf, picked out a suitable lip glaze and eyebrow pencil, and finished her look in less than ten minutes.
She originally intended to head straight toward the filming site, but for some reason she couldn’t explain, the step she took forward suddenly pivoted around. However, the second she caught Wen Yu’s gaze, she twisted back again.
Wen Yu just watched her as she inexplicably spun in a half-circle midway through walking.
Since her makeup was finished, Wen Yu silently stood up and followed her. As she got closer, she slowed her pace, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
Even though she walked without making a sound, Song Jin noticed her anyway.
Wen Yu realized Song Jin had stopped, seemingly waiting for her. She was slightly stunned, but once she realized, she stepped forward quickly to walk side-by-side with her.
A gust of wind blew, causing the tree branches on both sides of the road to sway. Song Jin turned a corner, walking forward with clear intent.
“How did you know I was behind you?” Wen Yu couldn’t help but ask.
“I smelled your shampoo.”
That was a lie. Actually, she had seen the shadow on the ground.
Song Jin glanced at her, finally unable to suppress her internal curiosity: “Um, can I ask you for a link to that shampoo?”
This scent was exactly the same as the one she smelled in her dream. It was very familiar; Song Jin remembered smelling something similar on a certain object, but she just couldn’t for the life of her remember what it was.
“Ah? Okay.” Wen Yu instinctively reached into her pocket for her phone, but then quickly remembered something and said helplessly, “But I don’t think I have your contact information.”
Even though they had been colleagues for several days and would be working together for at least the next three months, the two of them hadn’t even added each other on WeChat.
Song Jin slapped her forehead, only now remembering that detail: “I’ll scan you.” As she spoke, she naturally opened her phone interface.
Wen Yu’s WeChat avatar was a cartoon red fox, with half of a rabbit’s face cropped on the left side.
Song Jin’s brow twitched violently.
She had seen the other half of that rabbit avatar before.
Not only had she seen it, but she had also used it as a matching set with someone else.
That avatar set had been very popular five years ago—the kind of popularity that landed it in “Matching Couple Avatars of the Year” lists.
Did Wen Yu… have a partner?
The thought flashing through her mind made Song Jin’s teeth ache slightly.
Her conscience told her that having dreams about her rival under these circumstances was truly a bit too much, too abrupt, and too weird.
But Wen Yu didn’t know that Song Jin’s thoughts were as tangled as a pair of knotted earphones. While walking, she dug through her buried favorites for the shampoo order and sent the link over.
The phone buzzed, and Song Jin clicked it reflexively.
It was a ginger shampoo. The comments section below were all saying it smelled like Coca-Cola. No wonder the scent was so familiar.
“Cut! Mid-break!”
The clapperboard finally snapped; the crisp sound was incredibly moving. Song Jin let out a heavy sigh, standing in place and stretching her limbs like a shadowy, distorted figure.
Today was another day of filming from morning until night. At this intensity, Song Jin felt she might actually drop dead before the three months were up.
“Seriously, why haven’t we wrapped up yet…” Song Jin muttered under her breath after glancing at the time on her phone.
Li Hang had clearly said this morning that they would leave early tonight for a date. It was already this late what date?
Beside her, Chen Mingxi, who played her junior classmate Peng Yuxin, blinked mischievously: “I don’t know~”
Chen Mingxi was an artist from Li Hang’s company and knew Song Jin well enough to understand their relationship.
“I don’t know~” Song Jin mimicked her, letting out a laugh. “You practically have ‘something is happening’ written all over your face.”
She leaned her hands on the hallway railing, her aching neck tilting back forcefully, revealing her slender throat and sharp, smooth jawline. The bun on her head had long since come loose; the scrunchie with cherry charms was loosely hanging on her left wrist. Her long hair spilled down to her lower back like a waterfall, rising and falling with the evening breeze.
The light in the hallway wasn’t very bright. In fact, because this scene was about a power outage in the dormitory, the entire building was dark. The only thing currently providing illumination was a row of streetlights downstairs that had turned on after the break was called.
“Sigh—it’s so cold outside. Song Jin, why don’t you come inside the room with me to hide?” Chen Mingxi pulled her sleeves tight, clearly unable to handle the chill.
“It’s fine, I’ll just catch some air here. You go in first.” Song Jin sniffled, but seeing the other girl staring at her anxiously, she thought to herself that young people really can’t hide anything.
She patted Chen Mingxi’s back, signaling her to go in together.
Upon entering, she instinctively reached for the light switch, only to remember halfway that the whole building was out of power.
Song Jin reached into her pocket with one hand to grab her phone. Just as the screen lit up, several candlelight flames suddenly flickered to life in front of her. Song Jin was stunned for a moment. From all directions, the melody of the “Happy Birthday” song drifted toward her, growing from a whisper to a chorus. Wen Yu walked slowly toward her, holding a six-inch fruit cake in both hands. Her fair face was illuminated by the warm glow of the fire, and her eyes were beautifully bright.
“Happy Birthday!” Li Hang placed a paper crown on Song Jin’s head from behind, giving her a start. “Don’t just stand there! Make a wish, make a wish!”
Song Jin staggered slightly from the pat on her back, looking shocked: “Is it my birthday today? How did I not know?”
“Yes, it’s the seventeenth day of the first lunar month. I’m the only one who remembers it for you.” Li Hang nudged her gently with her elbow. “Quick, make a wish. Don’t make our little Wen hold it for too long, her hands will get tired!”
Hearing this, Song Jin shifted her gaze to Wen Yu. Wen Yu moved the cake slightly closer to her, the corners of her mouth seemingly curving into a slight arc: “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you.” Song Jin also crinkled her eyes. She clasped her hands in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and silently made a wish. Then, she slowly opened her eyes, leaned in slightly, and blew out the birthday candles.
At that exact moment, the lights in the entire building flickered back on.
There weren’t many people in the room—only six including herself. The other two were Du Bing and Li Jiu, both old acquaintances of Song Jin. Having a lively birthday wasn’t bad at all.
Song Jin helped place the cake on the table first. When she turned around, she found the group surrounding her, stuffing gifts into her arms one by one.
Li Jiu had hand-knitted an orange scarf, saying Song Jin could use it when she went back to Beijing. Chen Mingxi gave her a ruby necklace; Song Jin recognized the brand—it was one her mother particularly liked.
When it was Du Bing’s turn, she mysteriously pulled Song Jin to the side and shoved a large snack bag into her hands.
“You don’t need to be so mysterious about giving snacks, do you?” Song Jin said. But the second she took the bag, having misjudged the weight, her wrist sank, and the bag nearly slipped from her grasp. “Holy… did you put dumbbells in here?”
Du Bing gave her a disapproving look, then proudly patted her own chest: “There’s good stuff in there! Food, drinks, and many, many printed fanfictions.”
Song Jin:
Thanks, but I really don’t like reading those.
Regardless, Song Jin patted her head, indicating she appreciated the sentiment.
“Old Song, catch!” Li Hang suddenly shouted. Simultaneously, a silver shadow flew rapidly toward her. Song Jin reflexively reached out with both hands, and a key landed in her palms.
“Big sis got you an MV Agusta.” Li Hang snapped her fingers to get Song Jin’s attention. “The exact model you’ve been wanting to buy.”
“Whoa—that’s quite the splurge, isn’t it?” Song Jin exclaimed in surprise. Even though she knew Li Hang had been making the big bucks lately, she shouldn’t waste it like this. “But motorcycles are banned in Beijing, so it’s just going to sit in a warehouse gathering dust.”
“It’s fine. They aren’t banned in Qing City. Little Song, you can ride to your heart’s content,” Li Jiu said cheerfully.
As the group chatted and laughed, Song Jin suddenly remembered something. She looked up and saw Wen Yu standing at the outermost edge of the circle. She seemed to be holding something in her arms—the silhouette looked like a bouquet of flowers. She looked like she wanted to say something but was hesitant because there were too many people.
The flowers were wrapped in newspaper. From Song Jin’s angle, she couldn’t see what was inside at all.
Song Jin squeezed past Li Hang and pointed at the bouquet from a distance: “Is that for me?”
Wen Yu nodded seriously and handed the flowers to her with both hands, explaining: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was your birthday today. I didn’t have time to prepare a proper gift, so I went outside and snapped a few branches.”
After saying that, she added: “Can I make it up to you tomorrow?”
“No need, no need. This gift is great too.” Song Jin gave a genuine smile and took the flowers. “I was wondering why you suddenly disappeared; so you went to get a gift for me.”
She turned the bouquet over. When she saw what was inside, her smile froze.
Song Jin turned her head discreetly and shot Li Hang a piercing glare.
Lying inside were several peach blossom branches, their buds just beginning to bloom.