Chengdu is divided into four sectors: East, South, West, and North. Legend had it that the South was for the rich, the West for the noble, the East for the poor, and the North for the chaotic. But that was years ago; now, with development, the East was bustling. Zhong Xiao-ou sat in the car, looking around. It seemed Gu Ming had driven aimlessly until they reached the outskirts of the North. As the night grew darker, Gu Ming leaned back against her seat with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. Her breathing was a bit rapid, perhaps due to the alcohol. Emboldened by her own drinks, Xiao-ou stared at her with an increasingly intense gaze. If I kissed her right now, would she kick me out of the car to be fed to the wild dogs?
Possessed by lust but lacking the courage, Xiao-ou stayed put. The AC was hummimg; fearing Gu Ming might catch a cold, Xiao-ou turned the temperature up slightly. She sat in a daze, watching the shimmering stars through the window. It was a rare smog-free night in Chengdu, a sight likely only visible from the outskirts. With her phone shattered, she wished she could ask Chi Wei for help. But could that woman actually offer constructive advice? She’d probably tell her to either pounce on the VP or seduce her. Xiao-ou wasn’t a total stranger to such tactics—back in college, Chi Wei had encouraged her to act that way toward a senior she liked, which ended up scaring the girl so much she cut ties completely. Straight people often feel panicked by same-sex actions that cross the line of friendship; she wondered if Gu Ming was the same.
Lost in thought, Xiao-ou finally succumbed to exhaustion and closed her eyes.
…
They slept in the car all night. At dawn, Gu Ming was startled awake by the sound of honking. Disoriented, she rubbed her head and saw Xiao-ou curled up like a koala in the passenger seat. Gu Ming slapped her forehead—bright daylight was pouring in; they had actually spent the entire night in the car! Stretching her stiff limbs, she realized her feet were surrounded by empty wine bottles. She couldn’t remember exactly when she’d fallen asleep but felt a wave of relief that they hadn’t been pulled over by a traffic cop. How could anyone explain drinking this much while sitting in a car? She hurriedly stuffed the empty bottles into a plastic bag and checked the time: 8:50 AM.
“Wake up, Xiao-ou! We’re late!” Gu Ming urged, shaking her.
Xiao-ou woke up in a haze, and within minutes, total chaos ensued. “8:50?! It’s 8:50?! How did we sleep so long? We’re doomed! Even if we flew a plane we wouldn’t make it to the office in time!” Xiao-ou’s face was a mask of despair. The company was strict about lateness—not only would HR dock her pay, but the department would too. Manager Wen was going to kill her. Her phone was broken, and Gu Ming’s phone hadn’t been charged.
“Can we make the 10:00 AM meeting?” Xiao-ou suddenly remembered something even more critical.
Gu Ming quickly plugged her phone into the car charger and pulled up the navigation. She had almost forgotten—she had to attend that meeting too.
…
After a frantic drive, they finally reached the office at 9:50 AM. Luckily, they were alone in the elevator. With no time to go to her own office, Gu Ming led Xiao-ou straight to the 8th-floor Planning Department. The team had been frantic all morning. Since 9:00 AM, they had been calling Xiao-ou repeatedly, only to get her voicemail every time. Manager Wen was on the verge of flipping tables in his office. When Xiao-ou arrived, she could hear him roaring: “Go to HR and find her emergency contact! We haven’t been able to reach her all morning! My god, the meeting starts at ten—where is the PPT?!”
Just then, Gu Ming appeared with Xiao-ou in tow. Qian Lili and Wei Hang stared, eyes wide, as the two walked into Manager Wen’s office. Seeing Gu Ming, Wen’s rage died down instantly. Gu Ming cut straight to the chase: “We’ll explain Xiao-ou’s lateness after the meeting. Let’s go.”
Before Gu Ming, Manager Wen was like a tiny ant. He grabbed his notebook, glancing suspiciously at the pair. Both women looked slightly disheveled from sleeping in the car. Gu Ming, knowing she had to speak at the meeting, grabbed Qian Lili’s small blazer from the back of her chair and put it on. “Borrowing this,” she said briefly.
The 10:00 AM meeting was a success. Though Manager Wen wasn’t fully familiar with the PPT, Gu Ming’s timely interjections ensured the discussion went smoothly. Leaving the conference room, Gu Ming was covered in sweat. She shed the blazer and handed it to Xiao-ou. “Return this to your colleague for me. Manager Wen, come to my office for a moment.”
…
Xiao-ou returned the jacket and slumped at her desk, finally catching her breath. Qian Lili brought her a glass of water, which she gulped down gratefully.
“Stairwell. Meeting now,” Lili whispered in her ear.
Confused, Xiao-ou was dragged to the stairwell, where Wei Hang, the accountant from Finance, and Chi Wei were already waiting.
“What is the deal with you? My phone nearly exploded because of you this morning!” Chi Wei pinched her cheek.
Xiao-ou swiped her hand away. “Phone’s broken. I overslept.”
“Were you with the VP last night? Did you finally seal the deal?” Qian Lili asked, her face full of gossip. Xiao-ou rolled her eyes.
“If you don’t give us a reasonable explanation for being late, the department won’t let you off easy. But if you were actually with the VP, then all is forgiven.” Gossip was the only thing that made their tedious jobs interesting.
“No, what are you guys even thinking?” Xiao-ou said, exasperated. She kept her lips sealed—she wasn’t about to spill a single detail about last night.
“Fine, you’re no fun,” Lili said, giving up. “Did you all see the company notice this morning?”
“I saw it. Don’t want to go,” the accountant grumbled. “Company events are boring. Who wants to spend their weekend with colleagues?”
“What event?” Xiao-ou was lost.
“A summer retreat organized by the union to show how ‘humane’ the company is,” Chi Wei explained.
“I actually want to go,” Wei Hang said, puffing a smoke ring. “Get out of here! We all know why you want to go,” the group protested in unison.
“Where is it?” Xiao-ou asked, her interest piqued. “Anren.”
Xiao-ou wondered if the VP would be there. Her motivation was exactly the same as Wei Hang’s.
…
After the group dispersed, Chi Wei grabbed Xiao-ou by the collar and pulled her back. Xiao-ou yawned.
“Your face says ‘I had a wild night’ all over it. You can be wild, but you turned off your phone and showed up late.” Chi Wei knew her too well. She could tell when Xiao-ou was lying a mile away.
Trapped, Xiao-ou leaned against the wall, thinking of the heartfelt things Gu Ming had said while drunk—how they had a “special fate.” Xiao-ou felt like crying just thinking about it. She hadn’t had time to process anything until now. She bit her finger, looking at Chi Wei helplessly. Seeing her struggle, Chi Wei crouched down with her and patted her shoulder. “I was worried about you, okay? You live alone, your phone was off, and you didn’t show up. It was scary.”
“Chi Wei…” Xiao-ou suddenly grabbed her hand. “Remember the terrible landlord from the day I moved? He’s Gu Ming’s fiancé.”
“The landlord?” Chi Wei remembered quickly. “The guy who suddenly kicked you out?”
Xiao-ou nodded.
“Are you serious? That guy is her fiancé? He’s okay-looking, I guess, but he’s not good enough for her. Wait—if that’s the fiancé, then who was that girl he was hugging that day?”
Xiao-ou thought of that scumbag—getting married in two months and already having an affair.
“Wait,” Chi Wei’s voice rose. “Was the girl we saw his mistress?”
Xiao-ou jumped up to cover her mouth. “Keep it down! Do you want to die?”
Chi Wei pulled her hand away. “Does the VP know?”
Thinking of Gu Ming’s sorrow, Xiao-ou felt a pang of heartache. She wondered how Gu Ming was holding up, having worked all day after a night of drinking and no rest.
“Wait, how do you know this?” Chi Wei asked. “How do you know he’s her fiancé? Did you run into them?”
Knowing Chi Wei was the only person who truly cared, Xiao-ou told her everything that had happened the night before.
— “You guys really ran into him last night? And he tried to block the car?” — “You stayed in the car with the VP all night?” — “And it was… platonic?” — “You didn’t do anything?!” — “Xiao-ou, you are a total idiot!”