Chapter 12 Let's go to the gym together when we have time?
Lin Zhengmo didn't consider herself happy, and this unhappiness became particularly pronounced on Tuesday nights.
Her mother had packed sweet and sour spare ribs for her, while her father lounged comfortably on the sofa, half-hidden.
When she said goodbye, both parents looked at her simultaneously, their eyes twinkling with a tacit understanding.
"Stay safe, and message us when you get home!"
"Got it."
Click.
She closed the door and pressed the elevator button to go down.
It only took a two-block walk to reach her apartment. The night street was still bustling with traffic, neon lights flickering on giant billboards. The sky hung like a false curtain, inky blue, yet lifting it would reveal nothing but a void of swirling darkness.
Teacher Feng's son sent a friend request without delay.
Lin Zhengmo accepted, swiped to settings, and turned on Do Not Disturb.
She sometimes thought it made sense: since she couldn't find emotional support in reality, she'd fallen for "Ahhh" online.
That "Ahhh" became her special someone was inevitable.
Lin Zhengmo messaged Ahhh:
[What are you up to?]
[Just got home.]
[Oh okay.]
[What's wrong? Not happy?]
[How did you tell?]
[Because your mood is usually off on Tuesday nights.]
Even Lin Zhengmo herself hadn't noticed—Ahhh was indeed an observant person.
[Yeah, my mom and dad are teaming up to push me to get married soon.]
The moment the message sent, Ahhh called with a voice message. Lin Zhengmo answered.
"Then what? How did you handle it?" Ahhh's tone was calm, lacking obvious fluctuations. She trusted Lin Zhengmo deeply, believing she wouldn't get involved with that guy.
"I dodged them a few times, but I had no choice. I gave him my contact info, but I set him to Do Not Disturb." Lin Zhengmo rubbed her forehead, anxious. "I won't chat with him."
Had she really given out her contact info?
Jian Yue felt a twinge of jealousy in her heart, but she couldn't find a reason to act on it. She thought Lin Zhengmo must have been forced, so the priority was to soothe her emotions—jealousy would only backfire.
"Hmm... since you added him, maybe reply politely once in a while. Otherwise, your mom will ask again, and you'll be upset all over again."
"Okay."
The receiver crackled with honking horns. Lin Zhengmo's voice was soft and faint, her dejection palpable even through the phone.
In moments like this, a lover's comfort felt desperately needed.
Jian Yue ached for her, yet couldn't embrace her openly.
"Are you still on the street?"
"Yeah."
"How long till you get home?"
"About ten minutes."
"It's noisy around you." Jian Yue calculated which busy streets were near Lin Zhengmo's apartment.
"Oh, there's a KTV nearby. Let me find a quieter spot before calling you back."
"Alright."
Beep—
This time, Jian Yue hung up even faster than Lin Zhengmo.
The night wind rushed through skyscrapers, weaving through alleys, frenziedly reaching Lin Zhengmo—just as Jian Yue had reached her.
When Jian Yue appeared, Lin Zhengmo was utterly astonished. To be blunt, she hadn't seen Director Jian's "distant figure" approaching; the woman had simply materialized.
So sudden, so abrupt—Director Jian seemed to have fallen from the sky or emerged from the ground, like the Monkey King, but far more beautiful.
Lin Zhengmo swallowed her sadness and mustered her innate politeness.
"Director Jian."
"Eh?" The other woman feigned surprise, stopping in her tracks, squinting as she looked at Lin Zhengmo. "Xiao Lin? What a coincidence."
"Quite a coincidence." Lin Zhengmo bit her lip, greeting softly: "Just finished work, Director Jian?"
"Right." Jian Yue pointed to a gym diagonally across the street. "Took a trial class at the gym today."
Her forehead was sweaty, and she panted slightly, likely having run there.
"Oh, how was the trial?"
"Not bad." Jian Yue just looked at Lin Zhengmo, leaving the conversation hanging.
Lin Zhengmo thought, since they'd started talking, she might as well press on: "We'd planned to work out together before."
Jian Yue's lips curved. "Right."
"Then why did you take the trial class alone?"
Aren't you bringing me?
Did you forget?
Were you just joking?
Jian Yue saw through her thoughts and smiled: "Because I wanted to try it first so we can go together."
"So is it worth signing up?"
"I think so." Jian Yue strolled casually, naturally falling into step with Lin Zhengmo. She pointed ahead, indicating they should keep walking.
And so, they ambled along, chatting leisurely.
"Newcomers really need a teacher, or their form will be off, and they won't get a proper workout."
"But I don't want to build muscle."
"Muscle is hard to gain. It's just for exercise."
Lin Zhengmo nodded dubiously. After walking dozens of meters, she belatedly realized: Why was Director Jian accompanying her home?
"Hey, Director Jian, you should head home too, right?"
"My place is this way."
"Don't you live in the teacher's apartment?"
"Not tonight." Jian Yue showed no sign of stopping, continuing to chat. "Why do you seem unhappy tonight?"
Lin Zhengmo was surprised. Was her unhappiness that subtle? She'd initiated conversation with Jian Yue, whereas normally she'd say "I should go first." Logically, she should have been more upbeat than usual.
Lin Zhengmo stayed silent, not answering. She just looked down at the mottled shadows on the grid-patterned road—hers and Jian Yue's.
Jian Yue was slightly taller, even her shadow more upright. As Director Jian walked, her shoes made soft "xie xie" sounds. Her sneaker collars hugged short, light blue socks and half her ankles, where the sexy bones protruded, slender and beautiful. Above that, a stretch of pale, slim legs extended to her knees.
Even the way bones bent while walking seemed charming on Director Jian.
Lin Zhengmo wanted to look higher, but Jian Yue spoke suddenly.
"Xiao Lin, why are you unhappy?"
"I don't really want to talk about it."
"Okay, then. But I just so happen to have candy in my bag. Want some?"
"?" Lin Zhengmo's heart skipped a beat at the mention of candy, then she smiled: "Director Jian, I'm not a kid."
Jian Yue ignored her, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a handful of candy.
Colorful sweets lay in Director Jian's palm like prancing pixies. Plastic wrappers enclosed various fruity flavors—the sweetness of honey, the opposite of bitterness.
Her fingers curled slightly as she held them out to Lin Zhengmo.
"All for you."
There were a dozen or more, dazzling. Lin Zhengmo hesitated. "I can't take these."
"Just one." Jian Yue smiled. "Trust me, just one."
"Aiya." Unable to refuse, Lin Zhengmo picked one from the pile. "Then I'll have the apple flavor."
"What about orange, grape, lychee, mango?" Jian Yue stuffed the remaining candy into Lin Zhengmo's hand. "Be fair to all candies. Keep them for next time you're in a bad mood."
Lin Zhengmo's pocket was now stuffed full. A twinge of guilt struck her—how could she have called someone as kind as Director Jian cold?
No one had comforted her tonight.
Except this "unapproachable" superior.
She unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth.
The round sweet slid across her tongue, leaving a frosty apple sweetness. Objectively speaking, sugar did lift her mood, letting her forget her troubles momentarily.
"Thank you, Director Jian."
"You're welcome. I bought them to eat anyway." ——She omitted how she'd dashed into a convenience store and raced here.
"I'm home."
They stopped at the apartment entrance.
Jian Yue played dumb: "Oh, you live here? Head inside early."
Lin Zhengmo stood still, gazing at Jian Yue. Their eyes met, a pregnant pause hanging in the air.
It was an indescribable feeling.
Like a mist, a silent rain falling in Lin Zhengmo's heart.
Lin Zhengmo fell back into the foggy forest. Strangely, in Jian Yue's eyes, she saw the image of Ahhh she'd imagined.
"I'm going in." Lin Zhengmo quickly snapped out of the feeling.
Jian Yue nodded, standing at the door to watch her leave.
The slim figure faded away, almost vanishing from Jian Yue's sight. Suddenly, Lin Zhengmo stopped, turned, and said:
"By the way, Director Jian, I've decided. Let's go to the gym together when we have time?"