Having completed her work for the day ahead of schedule, Lin Qian secretly began to slack off. She opened a shopping website, browsing through various options. Recently, her phone had been lagging severely. Ever since that one drop that messed up the system time, it had been glitching intermittently. While it did not prevent normal use, it certainly affected her mood. She wanted to replace it.
She looked at the price of a new phone, then glanced at the salary she received last month, before finally looking back at her current device. This old phone did not seem entirely unusable after all.
Xiao Yan passed by with a water cup and caught a glimpse of Lin Qian’s desktop. She leaned in. “Are you buying a new phone?”
“Just looking,” Lin Qian replied.
“The most important thing for a phone is the camera. I take so many photos, and my old phone’s camera was just too weak.” Xiao Yan chattered excitedly for a while, but suddenly, her tone shifted. “I think that copywriting title could be modified a bit more. Yes, exactly, we still need to research it. We cannot just settle. Work must be rigorous and serious.”
Lin Qian was confused. Xiao Yan coughed twice with a serious expression, looking exactly like someone deeply engrossed in their work, before heading back to her station. Lin Qian glanced sideways and realized that Su Qingmo had appeared nearby at some unknown moment and was looking right their way. No wonder Xiao Yan acted like that.
Su Qingmo shot her a look and turned to leave. Lin Qian felt baffled. What happened? Was she angry?
“My god, that scared me. Luckily my reactions are fast,” Xiao Yan whispered, still shaken.
A colleague nearby offered a kind reminder. “Your reactions are terrible. President Su was standing there for thirty seconds. And honestly, when you were leaning in close to talk to Lin Qian, her expression was quite scary.”
Xiao Yan’s eyelid twitched. “I am doomed. I work hard all day and the leader does not see it, but the one moment I slack off to chat, I get caught. How can I be this unlucky?”
Lin Qian stared at her computer screen for a long time before finally sending a message to Su Qingmo.
Lin Qian: What is wrong? Are you angry?
Su Qingmo replied quickly: No.
Two cold words. Lin Qian was unsure how to read them. Soon, another message arrived. It was an animated sticker of a fist hitting a rabbit. Lin Qian looked at the ridiculous, funny sticker and was stunned for a second before bursting into laughter. She silently saved the sticker to her favorites.
The unmanned vending store downstairs in her complex had officially opened, but business was abysmal. Hardly anyone entered all day. The lady who owned the small supermarket next door sat at the entrance with her legs crossed, cracking melon seeds while gossiping with other neighborhood aunties.
“I went in to look earlier. My goodness, they have everything. Even vegetables and meat.”
“What is the point? No one wants to go in. There is not even a clerk. Who wants to buy things like that?”
“They must be losing so much money every day. I bet they will go bankrupt soon.”
“Two months, maybe.”
“That is being generous. At most, they will close down in a month.”
Hearing these discussions, Lin Qian felt worried. This business did not look like it would last. She thought that even though she had stocked up a few days ago and did not need anything, she had to show some support, or else it really would close down.
Lin Qian walked in. Just as the aunties had said, it was empty. The shop was not large, but it was well stocked with daily necessities, fruits, and vegetables. Lin Qian pushed a shopping cart and began picking items. To show her support, she bought a large pile of things.
After paying, a lottery prompt popped up on her phone screen. It was a newcomer reward for the grand opening. Every purchase earned one draw. Lin Qian tapped it casually. The wheel spun and the needle slowly stopped on “Lucky Prize.” The interface did not specify what it was, only providing a pickup code for a machine nearby. She assumed it was soap or a toothbrush.
Lin Qian walked to the machine and entered the code. With a click, an item dropped out. It was a square black box, quite beautifully packaged. Lin Qian weighed it in her hand. It was light, likely a box of soap. She could not help but complain internally about why a box of soap needed such fancy packaging.
She took her groceries and the “soap” home. After resting for a bit, she began putting the items away. Finally, her gaze landed on the box. She tore off the exquisite packaging, but her expression froze. She stood up abruptly. It was not soap. It was a phone, and specifically the model she wanted but could not afford.
“President Su, the phone has been delivered,” Li Linlin said.
Su Qingmo gave a small “Mm.”
On the surface, Li Linlin was respectful, but inside she was frustrated with her boss. She had suggested sending flowers or bags, and Su Qingmo had taken the advice to give a gift, choosing a phone based on what Lin Qian needed. That was good and deserved praise. But who would have thought she would send it anonymously? Is that how you pursue someone?
Su Qingmo stopped writing and looked up from her documents. “Is there something else?”
Li Linlin gave a dry laugh. “No. I will head out now.”
Su Qingmo lowered her head to continue working, her expression serious. Suddenly, her phone chimed. She glanced at it, and seeing who sent the message, she immediately dropped her work to pick up the device. It was a picture from Gui Yin.
Gui Yin: AAAAAAHHHH!
Gui Yin: Look, look! A phone! The new phone I have been wanting!
Gui Yin: It was free! I won it in a lottery!
Su Qingmo smiled, but then her gaze fell on her other phone. After sharing the joy with a gaming friend, was Lin Qian not going to share it with her? It was clear that she had not received a message from Lin Qian yet. Instead, the “Qing” account was receiving a flood of excited texts from Gui Yin. Su Qingmo comforted herself. Sharing with Qing was practically sharing with her. She could not ask for too much.
The sun began to set. Lin Qian leaned on her desk, feeling a bit bored. It was already seven o’clock, an hour and a half past quitting time. The other colleagues in the office area had long since left. Lin Qian stared toward Su Qingmo’s office, waiting for her to come out.
The door creaked open. Lin Qian stood up excitedly.
Su Qingmo saw her and was surprised. “Why are you still here?”
Lin Qian slung her bag over her shoulder and jogged over. “Waiting for you.”
“I was a bit busy today and stayed late. Did I not tell you to go home first?”
Lin Qian walked beside her, keeping a comfortable distance. “I said I would wait for you after work.”
Su Qingmo felt helpless. “What if I worked until midnight? Would you wait then?”
Lin Qian nodded. “Of course I would.”
Su Qingmo laughed softly. This little one was so silly. As they walked, Su Qingmo’s gaze landed on the phone in Lin Qian’s hand. She asked naturally, “Did you get a new phone?”
“Yes, just yesterday,” Lin Qian replied.
Su Qingmo looked at her expectantly. She had initiated the topic herself. Surely Lin Qian would share such a happy thing with her friend? Lin Qian looked at her strangely. Why did Su Qingmo look like she was begging for candy?
“Do you like this phone?” Lin Qian asked. “I can give it to you if you want.”
Su Qingmo’s mouth twitched. Lin Qian was confused. Was that not what she meant? Su Qingmo pulled out her own phone. “I got a new one yesterday too. The same model as yours.”
“What a coincidence!” Lin Qian said. “Wait, I remember this series has a couple’s version.”
Su Qingmo curled her lips. “Maybe. I did not notice.”
Lin Qian put the phones side by side. “It definitely looks like a couple’s set.”
Su Qingmo coughed twice.
“But mine is different. I did not buy it, I won it in a lottery,” Lin Qian said. “You have no idea, I was truly lucky yesterday.”
Su Qingmo’s eyes brightened. The sudden change in her expression made Lin Qian blink in confusion. Why was she so happy? Lin Qian was the one who won, not her. She looked happier than the winner.
Su Qingmo composed herself. “Winning a prize like that? How lucky.”
Lin Qian tilted her head proudly. Talking about this made her very happy, and she opened up. “It is not just the phone. A while ago, I won a beautiful outfit in a game that was even more expensive than this phone. And my upstairs neighbors, who were always noisy and kept me awake, moved out recently. And then…”
Lin Qian shared all her recent luck with Su Qingmo. Once she started listing them, she realized her luck had been almost ridiculous lately. But after finishing, she felt a bit uneasy. Would Su Qingmo find these small details annoying?
Just as Lin Qian felt anxious, Su Qingmo gasped. “You have been that lucky lately?”
Lin Qian nodded vigorously. “Yes!”
“Then you should buy a lottery ticket,” Su Qingmo suggested.
Lin Qian hesitated. She had thought about it and even stood outside a lottery shop, but she had never dared to go in.
“Come on,” Su Qingmo said. “I will take you to buy one.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
They arrived at the lottery shop. There were only a few people inside. It was better than last time when a shirtless man was shouting profanities at the door, which had scared Lin Qian away. Even though there were fewer people now, Lin Qian still felt like retreating. She had never bought one and did not know how. How should she talk to the owner? Do you just say you want a ticket? Do you have to provide numbers? How many?
It felt too complicated and embarrassing. She did not want to go in. At that moment, Su Qingmo took her hand. Lin Qian froze and looked at her.
“Are you scared?” Su Qingmo asked. “Hold my hand. If I take you in, you will not be afraid.”
Having her thoughts read, Lin Qian’s face turned red. “I am not afraid.”
“Then I will let go?” Su Qingmo made a move to release her hand.
Lin Qian quickly squeezed tighter. Su Qingmo laughed. Lin Qian pouted. “Fine, I admit it. I am a little bit afraid.”
Su Qingmo stopped laughing. “Alright, just follow me. I will handle the communication with the owner.”
Lin Qian’s eyes sparkled. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Su Qingmo led Lin Qian into the shop. Every eye turned toward them. Su Qingmo was always striking. She ignored the stares and spoke to the owner with total composure. Lin Qian stood by her side, looking at her with admiration.
Outside the shop, Lin Qian held her ticket, overjoyed. “Su Qingmo, you are amazing!”
Su Qingmo looked at her helplessly. “Just for buying a lottery ticket?”
Lin Qian nodded hard. “Yes! If I went in, I would not be able to explain myself for half a day, and I probably would not have dared to go in at all. So, you are very amazing.”
Su Qingmo was moved to laughter. Lin Qian looked at her cautiously. “Am I too cowardly?”
Su Qingmo shook her head. “It is fine. Everyone has a different personality. Being cautious has its benefits. If there is anything else you are afraid to buy in the future, bring me along. I will give you courage.”
“Really? It will not be a bother?”
“It will not be a bother at all.”
In the past, when Lin Qian felt timid, people would just tell her to toughen up. She would force herself to do it, and while she did improve, she hated every moment of it. This was the first time someone had not judged her for being introverted, but instead accepted her flaws.
Lin Qian looked at her, her heart filled with warmth. Meanwhile, inside the shop, a balding man nudged his friend. “Did you see that woman?”
“Yeah, she was beautiful. I thought she was a celebrity,” the friend said. “Wait, are you interested? Forget it, a girl like that would never look at a bald guy like you.”
The man rolled his eyes. “I am not talking about her looks. I am talking about the watch on her wrist.”
“What watch?”
The man lowered his voice. “Do you know how much that watch costs? A house in the center of Tuibei City.”
“No way! It must be a fake. Why would someone wearing that come here to buy a lottery ticket?”
“That aura she had? She did not look like the type to wear fakes.”
The next day, Lin Qian was hopping around with her ticket. “I won! I won ten yuan! Hahaha!” She was as happy as a child.
Su Qingmo watched her with a smile, her eyes full of comfort. She was finally seeing this lively side of Lin Qian again. It turned out that seven years ago, Lin Qian was this happy and easily satisfied.
In the past, it had taken Su Qingmo five years just to get close to the Lin Qian who hid behind walls in her safety zone. Now, that same person was hopping around in front of her because of a ten yuan prize. She was someone who would return ten times the sincerity you gave her, provided she had not gone through that terrible relationship yet.
Su Qingmo would always remember a bone chilling rainy night seven years ago, when Lin Qian was curled in a corner, sobbing and shaking.
“She is gone, that is good,” Lin Qian had whispered to herself. “I should be happy for her. She has a better future now and found someone better than me. I do not have to worry about her leaving anymore.”
On that winter night, she had been alone, sobbing and talking to herself with no one to listen to her pain. Su Qingmo had watched from a distance. That was the first time she had ever seen Lin Qian.