After agonizing over it for a long time, Jiang Zhen called her older sister, Jiang Ling, to get Jiang Yin’s contact information.
The moment she tapped “Send Friend Request,” Jiang Zhen felt a wave of nerves, fearing that Jiang Yin might simply ignore it. When the gray text “Waiting for Verification” popped up, Jiang Zhen quickly locked her phone, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the lounge to eat.
It was only after Jiang Yin finished planning the task distribution for the group project with Lin Shu that she found a moment to check her phone.
As soon as she unlocked the screen, four or five messages popped up. Jiang Yin opened the class group chat first to read the notifications before handling her private messages.
The first thing she saw was her sister Jiang Ling’s profile picture. In a gentle tone, Jiang Ling asked if Jiang Yin would be free to come home next weekend.
They were, after all, related by blood, and deep down Jiang Yin still yearned to be closer to them. Thus, she promised Jiang Ling she would return home next weekend.
After exiting the chat with Jiang Ling, a red “1” on the “Contacts” tab caught her eye.
“‘Cheese Cat’ requested to add you as a friend,” with a note: “A-Yin, it is Jiang Zhen.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Yin immediately accepted the request.
The phone on the table suddenly vibrated. Jiang Zhen, who was eating, paused and set down her chopsticks. She reached for the phone with a sense of trepidation.
Seeing that she and Jiang Yin were now friends, Jiang Zhen let out a sigh of relief. She immediately sent over the photo of the rabbit charm.
Cheese Cat: A-Yin, is this yours?
You Ran: It is mine. Did I leave it in the shooting room?
Cheese Cat: You left it in my car. When are you free? Is it okay if I bring it over to you?
You Ran: No need to go to so much trouble. Just leave it at the house when you go home, and I will go pick it up myself.
After sending an “OK” emoji, Jiang Zhen locked her phone with a trace of disappointment.
As expected, Jiang Yin did not want to see her. She looked down at the rabbit charm lying in her palm and let out a soft sigh.
After the chat ended, Jiang Yin stared blankly at the emoji on her screen for a while.
In truth, she really wanted to get her charm back immediately, but doing so would mean asking Jiang Zhen to make a trip. Their current relationship was awkward: neither close nor distant. Furthermore, Jiang Zhen was likely very busy, so Jiang Yin felt it was best not to trouble her.
To her current self, that charm seemed both important and somewhat unimportant at the same time. It was a little trinket Li Xiuning had bought for her on a whim when she was twelve, the first time Li Xiuning had taken her to a supermarket.
Jiang Yin still remembered the novelty of seeing the dazzling array of goods on the shelves when she walked into the supermarket. Li Xiuning, however, had dragged her straight to the discounted vegetable section. After picking through a week’s worth of food, Jiang Yin spotted the rabbit charm while they were checking out at the exit.
Trinkets placed near the checkout counter are usually inexpensive, making it convenient for customers to pick one up to round out their total. But for the Li Xiuning and Jiang Yin of that time, a cheap seven or eight-yuan charm was enough to buy several meals’ worth of green vegetables. They had always been poor. As a child, Jiang Yin did not know why, until she later saw that Li Xiuning was constantly sending money to her gambling brother. Only then did she finally understand the reason.
Living a hard life with a “daughter” she shared no blood with, while sending every cent of her hard-earned wages to her brother for his debauchery. At this thought, Jiang Yin suddenly felt a sharp tightness in her chest.
That rabbit charm was the only “non-essential” item Li Xiuning had bought her in nineteen years. Perhaps Jiang Yin’s longing gaze that day had moved Li Xiuning, finally sparking a flicker of guilt, because Li Xiuning had been surprisingly decisive when she bought it.
Having received a beloved toy, Jiang Yin cherished the worthless little thing immensely, only playing with it after washing her hands. It was only when she started working part-time in university and had some spare money that she stopped being so protective of it. Yet, even when it hung on her backpack, Jiang Yin could not bear to let it get dirty; on rainy days, she would take it off and put it inside her bag to keep it from getting wet.
But looking at it now, her past nineteen years felt like a joke.
Seeing Jiang Yin holding her phone without moving, Lin Shu walked over curiously and gave her a sudden pat on the shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”
Jiang Yin was startled. Coming back to her senses, she lowered her eyes to quickly tuck away her emotions, then shook her head and said, “Nothing.”
She checked the time and stood up to pull a few books from the shelf. “I am going to the library. You rest in the dorm.”
Lin Shu nodded and watched her leave.
Once she reached a secluded spot below the dormitory building, Jiang Yin opened her mobile wallet and checked the balance. The reassuring numbers finally eased the stifling mood from earlier. Stroking her phone with its cracked screen, she decided to go to the mall tomorrow to get herself a new one.
The Jiang family had lost her. This money, she thought silently, would serve as compensation for the past.
After studying in the library for two hours, Jiang Yin discovered that Li Xiuning had sent her several messages.
Presumably because her “daughter” had not replied for a long time, Li Xiuning’s tone was anxious this time, asking if Jiang Yin had run into any trouble. She had even made several phone calls. If Jiang Yin’s phone had not been on permanent silent mode, she likely would have been killed by the glares of the students studying quietly in the library.
Even if she did not want to face Li Xiuning, Jiang Yin had to open her phone to reply.
You Ran: I am fine. I did not check my phone today.
Contentment is Happiness: That is good. Mama was worried for so long. It is good that you are okay. Remember to reply to Mama promptly next time.
You Ran: You should still avoid coming to the school. I am very busy lately and do not have time to go out.
Contentment is Happiness: Okay, I will do as you say.
After the brief chat ended, Jiang Yin suddenly felt very irritable. She dropped her pen with a “clack,” took a deep breath, and leaned back against her chair.
She knew that avoiding Li Xiuning forever was not a solution, but right now she truly did not want to see her. She would delay it as long as she could.
After closing her eyes to compose herself, Jiang Yin picked up her pen again and continued studying the obscure financial terms in her book.
Since the chat when they first added each other, Jiang Zhen had not communicated with Jiang Yin for four days. Of course, there was no real necessity for communication between them.
She opened the chat interface with Jiang Yin once again. After hesitating for a long time, she ultimately did not send a message.
“There is no more work this week,” Song Xi said, standing at the door to Jiang Zhen’s room. “You can go home and rest well for a few days. I am going to look at houses tomorrow and finalize the new location for the studio as soon as possible.”
“Sister Song is the best,” Jiang Zhen said with a smile, stepping forward to tuck her arm into Song Xi’s, leaning affectionately on her shoulder. “Have any TV or movie scripts come looking for me lately? Shoots are so boring; I want to act.”
“There are,” Song Xi pushed Jiang Zhen’s head away with a look of mock distaste. “But I am still in the first round of screening. I will send them to you when I see a suitable script.”
“Thank you, Sister Song.” Jiang Zhen made a move to kiss Song Xi on the cheek, which the latter quickly dodged.
Song Xi pulled her arm away and took a step back. “Fine, fine. I will have Liu Yin drive you back.”
“Sister Yin is taking me? Why not Hu Shan? Is he busy?”
“Yes, he has some things to handle at home,” Song Xi answered vaguely.
Jiang Zhen suspected nothing. She grabbed her bag and left the studio with Song Xi.
After getting into the car, Jiang Zhen buckled her seatbelt while asking, “Sister Yin, which way are we taking back?”
“Through the University Town,” Liu Yin started the car. “It is almost rush hour; only University Town will not have traffic jams.”
If they were passing by Jinghe University… Jiang Zhen felt the plush charm in her bag and thought about just returning the item to Jiang Yin since it was on the way.
She took her phone out of her bag and opened the chat interface again.
Unsure if Jiang Yin wanted to see her, Jiang Zhen agonized over her phone for a while longer. Ultimately, she decided to just leave the item at home and let Jiang Yin pick it up herself.
“Hey, that charm belongs to your sister, right? Since we are passing by Jingda anyway, just take it to her,” Liu Yin suddenly spoke up from the side.
“Huh?” Jiang Zhen did not react immediately.
Liu Yin repeated herself. “It is on the way anyway. Send her a message, and we can wait for a bit at the school gate.”
Jiang Zhen felt the charm in her bag, feeling hesitant. Jiang Yin probably was not in a hurry to get her lost property back… otherwise, why would she choose to have it left at the house instead of having it delivered directly?
However, the charm was clearly old yet very clean, obviously well-cared for by its owner. This suggested that Jiang Yin probably cherished it a great deal.
Jiang Zhen bit the dry skin on her lip and finally nodded.
Since it was Jiang Yin’s property, it was better to return it to its rightful owner sooner rather than later.
The phone on the table suddenly lit up. Jiang Yin, who was studying, looked up from her pile of books, picked up the phone, and unlocked it.
Cheese Cat: A-Yin, I will be passing by your school in a while. Are you free to come to the East Gate? I will return the charm to you.
You Ran: Thank you. Sorry to trouble you.
Cheese Cat: You are welcome. I should arrive in about ten minutes.
Jiang Yin set down her pen and left the dormitory with her phone. After going downstairs to scan a shared bike, she pedaled slowly toward the East Gate.
Jiang Zhen’s timing was precise: ten minutes exactly. After waiting at the gate for a moment, Jiang Yin saw the familiar black car slowly pull into the parking area near the school entrance.
She walked forward quickly and saw Jiang Zhen get out of the car.
“Thank you. Sorry to make you make a trip.” Jiang Yin took the recovered charm and gave a polite smile.
“I happened to be passing by; it is no trouble,” Jiang Zhen replied with a smile of her own.
The two of them acted like strangers, their words becoming more polite with every sentence, which made Liu Yin, waiting in the car, feel quite strange.
It was currently the time when classes let out, and many students who had finished their afternoon courses were coming out of the gate to catch taxis. Consequently, there were many ride-hailing cars coming and going in the parking area. After they had been stopped for only a short while, the car behind them honked to urge Liu Yin to leave.
“Then I am going now.” Jiang Zhen waved at Jiang Yin and opened the car door to get in.
Jiang Yin nodded, preparing to watch them drive off.
However, just as Jiang Zhen was about to get into the car, a cry of surprise suddenly came from nearby. “You, are you Niannian?”
Jiang Zhen did not recognize the voice, but it was all too familiar to Jiang Yin. She turned to look and indeed saw that thin, frail figure: Li Xiuning was carrying a worn-out backpack and holding a bundle of luggage wrapped in coarse cloth, looking at Jiang Zhen by the car with a mixture of shock and joy.