Pei Lezhi watched Lin Zhao disappear like a gust of wind into the crowd as the green light turned on, shouting after her, “Lin Zhao! Are you crazy?”
But Lin Zhao’s figure had already merged with the mass of people, leaving Pei Lezhi with only the back of her head.
Pei Lezhi stomped her foot, then resigned herself to hurriedly follow. If she didn’t, who knew what kind of chaos would ensue.
By now, Lin Zhao had made her way behind Xu Ning. Xu Ning clutched a stack of flyers in her hands, her hair messy from the wind, strands sticking to her sweaty forehead. The flyers in her hands were crumpled, and passersby hurried along, occasionally glancing at her but rarely taking one.
Lin Zhao stepped lightly, gently patting Xu Ning on the shoulder.
Xu Ning spun around sharply. The flyers tumbled to the ground, and she widened her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when she saw it was Lin Zhao.
“What are you doing here?” Lin Zhao bent down to help pick up the scattered flyers.
Xu Ning squatted, flustered, gathering the flyers together, quietly saying, “D-Distributing… flyers.”
Lin Zhao straightened and looked at Xu Ning’s awkward demeanor, clicking her tongue. She took the flyers from Xu Ning’s hands and flipped through them casually, finding nothing particularly interesting.
She raised her eyes and scrutinized Xu Ning, frowning more deeply. “Xu Ning, Xu Ning… is there only soy sauce in that clever little head of yours?”
Xu Ning froze, looking at her in confusion.
“Look at you,” Lin Zhao said, pointing to Xu Ning’s feet and the passersby, “standing here like a wooden post. Who’s going to take a flyer from a block of wood? You think everyone’s got time to kill?”
Xu Ning remained silent.
Seeing her looking so dejected, Lin Zhao suddenly felt she had been too harsh.
Xu Ning wasn’t like her. Xu Ning was the typical good girl: smart, soft-spoken, and never quarreled with others. She also rarely spoke up first.
“Why are you here?” Lin Zhao asked again.
“Just passing by,” Xu Ning replied quietly.
Lin Zhao tucked the flyers back into Xu Ning’s arms and scanned the nearby streets, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she noticed a toy store.
She seemed to get an idea, patting Xu Ning on the shoulder: “Wait for me here. Don’t run off.”
Before Xu Ning could react, Lin Zhao darted into the crowd, leaving Xu Ning standing there, clutching her flyers, looking bewildered.
When Pei Lezhi caught up, she saw Lin Zhao enter the toy store and gasped, realizing immediately what was happening.
Xu Ning nodded at Pei Lezhi in greeting.
Pei Lezhi waved back and sat on a nearby bench, scrolling through her phone, wondering what Lin Zhao was up to.
Soon, the toy store door opened, and a round, fluffy white bear emerged.
Its head was big, ears drooping, eyes sparkling—so cute it made people want to reach out and squeeze it.
The bear waddled clumsily toward Xu Ning. Passersby couldn’t help but turn to look, and a few children pointed excitedly: “Mom, look! It’s a big white bear! So cute!”
Xu Ning felt a little panicked and instinctively stepped back, clutching her flyers tightly.
The bear stopped in front of her, extending its round paws to gently tap her arm.
A familiar voice came from inside the costume: “It’s me.”
“You… you…” Xu Ning tried to speak but was interrupted.
“Give me the flyers,” Lin Zhao’s voice came through the thick bear costume. “I promise, in just a few hours, they’ll all be handed out.”
Xu Ning hugged the flyers, shaking her head. “No, thank you. I can do it myself. Don’t bother.”
“No ‘no,’” Lin Zhao said urgently, grabbing the stack from Xu Ning. “How long are you going to do this alone? You won’t finish before dark! Just stand here and let me do it.”
Xu Ning watched as Lin Zhao weaved through the crowd, handing out flyers. A complex emotion rose in her chest.
As Lin Zhao moved among the people, she occasionally stopped to wave and handed a flyer.
Just as she said, it worked. Young people passing by smiled and took flyers, some even asking to take pictures with the bear.
Inside the bear costume, Lin Zhao nodded and struck clumsy poses—tilting her head, waving her paws—making people laugh.
The number of people taking photos grew, simultaneously receiving flyers.
Pei Lezhi, sitting on the nearby bench, watched in disbelief. She almost threw her phone.
Is this really the Lin Zhao she knows?
She took out her phone and snapped a picture of Lin Zhao, posting on social media: “Family, anyone understand? Met a friend with a seriously messed-up brain.”
Time passed, and the flyers in Lin Zhao’s arms dwindled until only a few thin sheets remained.
She looked at the remaining flyers, exhaled in relief, rubbed her aching arms, and walked toward Xu Ning.
She handed Xu Ning the last few flyers and then reached up, removing the bear head.
As soon as the head came off, a rush of cool air hit her face. Lin Zhao exhaled deeply, sweat running down her cheeks, soaking her collar.
Her hair stuck to her face, her skin flushed from the heat, lips slightly dry.
“How’s that?” Lin Zhao tilted her head toward Xu Ning, looking proud. “See? Told you it wouldn’t take long to finish.”
Xu Ning looked at Lin Zhao and pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, handing them to her. “Why… why are you helping me like this?”
Lin Zhao took the tissues, wiped her face, paused at the question, then smiled. She reached out, looping her arm around Xu Ning’s neck, and casually said, “Why? You can just think I’m bored and looking for some fun.”
“Thank you,” Xu Ning whispered, head down.
Lin Zhao couldn’t help laughing, ruffling Xu Ning’s hair gently. “If you really want to thank me, tell me more about the problems you’re working on.”
Xu Ning nodded, surprisingly without refusing. “Okay.”
“That’s better,” Lin Zhao said, patting her shoulder. She spotted a few benches near a fountain. “Xu Ning, I’m exhausted. Let’s go sit over there.”
She carried the bear head and held Xu Ning’s wrist, walking toward the benches by the fountain.
Pei Lezhi watched them approach, eyes narrowing, glaring as if trying to bore a hole into the pair.
She muttered in her mind: Hey! Hey! Am I invisible here?
Lin Zhao seemed not to notice her at all, leading Xu Ning to a bench, setting the bear head aside, exhaling deeply, leaning back with her eyes closed.
Xu Ning glanced at Pei Lezhi and whispered, “Uh… your friend’s over there, maybe you…”
“Don’t worry about her,” Lin Zhao said, opening her eyes to glance at Pei Lezhi. “She can amuse herself.”
Pei Lezhi, hearing this, nearly jumped. She rolled her eyes at Lin Zhao, muttering a string of curses silently.
She sulked, pretending to scroll her phone while her ears perked up to listen to their conversation.
“By the way, why are you handing out flyers?” Lin Zhao asked Xu Ning, curiosity in her eyes.
The moment the words left her mouth, the air seemed to freeze.
Xu Ning lowered her head, long eyelashes casting a shadow.
Lin Zhao cursed herself silently—why did she bring that up?
Flustered, she quickly explained: “Ah, um, sorry. I’m not good at words. Didn’t think before speaking. Don’t mind me.”
Xu Ning just shook her head lightly, not causing much of a stir.
Lin Zhao cleared her throat, trying to change the awkward topic: “Well, it’s still early. You have some time, right?”
Xu Ning finally looked up and said, “I need to go to the hospital to take care of my grandmother later.”
“Oh… then can I come see your grandmother too?” Lin Zhao blurted out.
“What did you say?”
Pei Lezhi sat up sharply, dumbfounded: “Lin Zhao, are you out of your mind? She’s going to the hospital to see her grandmother! You’re just tagging along? You two are that close?”
Pei Lezhi’s words were like a bucket of cold water, waking Lin Zhao up immediately.
What was she thinking earlier? Saying something so absurd…
Lin Zhao blushed slightly, lowering her voice: “I… I was just joking.”
The air fell silent again, even more awkward than before.
Xu Ning stood up, looked at the two of them, and said, “I have to go to the hospital now. You two can talk.”
Lin Zhao watched her retreating figure, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.
The thin figure merged into the bustling crowd and soon disappeared from sight as she turned the corner.
Lin Zhao finally let her gaze fall and exhaled slowly.
“All right, everyone’s gone. Stop staring.”