"Finally here."
Jiang Yue put down her luggage and slumped on the couch. The softness made her tense muscles relax, making her want to succumb to sleep. Unfortunately, there were many things to be done.
The journey to the apartment that her uncle had gratefully rented her made her sweat buckets. On the bright side, the place had already been filled with basic furniture and provided a good view of the horizon from the 9th floor.
Looking out the window, the first snowfall surprised her.
She had to thank her aunt for having the apartment ready before winter could come. Or else, she might have been scolded by her editor for not moving into the city.
Her other things would come first thing in the morning, leaving her with enough time to set up her workspace before she gets swamped with work.
After taking a shower and donning warm clothes, Jiang Yue sent a text to her family. They responded by sending her a crate of fruits and vegetables to fill the empty bridge and prevent her from ordering bad takeout.
She didn't refuse even if she didn't know how to cook.
Maybe she'll invite her friend over and invite them to cook for her, assuming that they'd be willing to. But that was a plan for another day.
Opening her laptop, she decided to get to work. Handling emails and clients was no joke. Tons of work piled up and in addition to this, she still had to mail her editor the documents for her draft.
When the sun had set, only then did she manage to take a break. Stretching her limbs, she glanced at the dark sky. Her luggage remained untouched as her stomach grumbled in protest.
Jiang Yue suddenly missed her grandparents. They had always cooked for her during her uni days and she had never grown tired of it.
It's truly hard to live alone.
There was nothing to eat, so there was no other choice but to find a restaurant. After wearing the warmest coat she could find, she locked the door behind her and headed out into the cold streets.
Her breath looked visible and the coldness made her face flush red.
'A hotpout sounds nice right now.' she thought.
She asked around before eventually reaching a quieter street with less people. The lanterns had been lit, lighting up the place with a bit of festivity.
Jiang Yue could smell beef stock in the air. She followed the scent into a restaurant where there were hardly any people. If there was one word she could use to describe the place, it was ancient.
A place that reminded her of a historical palace in ancient times.
She smiled and decided to eat here. It looked like a good place and there weren't any people, so that's a plus.
Sitting on the round table, she removed her coat and hung it on the chair. Quickly, she ordered on the menu and glanced outside.
Jiang Yue was unsure of how much time had passed, only that when the meat arrived, the soup had already boiled. Steam slowly rose up that warmed her up.
After the hearty meal, she decided to stay for a little while until her bloated stomach and slight indigestion passed. It was only then she realized that she may have eaten too much and too fast.
Oops.
Just then, the door opened as the bell rang. The waiter seemed to be familiar with them as one guided them to a table not far from her. Having nothing to do, Jiang Yue stared outside the window and watched the snow fall in silence.
"Oh come on! Don't be so sulky. So the deal didn't go through, so what? The client promised you an even bigger and better deal 3 months from now."
The other young man frowned. "It was something I worked hard for."
Both fell silent.
Jiang Yue could tell from their conversation that the short man wanted to cheer up the tall man, but failed miserably.
She shook her head.
'Condolence, short man.' she thought.
Shortly after, Jiang Yue stood up and wore her coat, preparing to leave. After leaving the bill on the table, she passed the table where the two men were seated.
Her coat got caught on one of the chairs, making her tumble back.
"Oh!"
The tall man abruptly stood up and held her steady. If he hadn't caught her, she might have hit her head on the tiles.
"Are you okay?"
Jiang Yue removed the thread tied to the chair and bowed her head politely. "Yes, thank you very much."
"It was nothing," he replied as he held up a hand.
"Well then," she nodded. "If you'll excuse me."
"Of course."
As she turned around, the tall man caught sight of the back of her neck. He widened his eyes and suddenly grabbed her arm.
"Hm?"
"Dude?"
Jiang Yue and his companion confusedly looked at him.
On one hand, Jiang Yue thought that her coat might've been caught again, while his companion found it out of character for him.
"Ah…" the tall man realized what he had done and let go of her arm. "I'm sorry."
Jiang Yue smiled. He may have seen it wrongly and she didn't take it to heart. His grip on her wasn't that strong anyways and she wanted to go straight home.
"It's okay. Please excuse me again," she bowed her head and hurriedly walked out of the restaurant.
It wasn't until she had left did the tall man's companion speak.
"Why did you do that?" He asked, as if he couldn't believe what he had done.
But the tall man only pursed his lips. He thought, 'there's no need to overreact, it wasn't like I did a crime?'
In the 9th floor of the Zen Apartment Complex, Jiang Yue bathed in the warmth of her unit. She removed the shoes she was wearing and changed into sweats.
There was no work tonight and thus, she could sleep early. Once she had rested well, only then would she resume her work the next morning.
Finally having lied down on her bed, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
The last thought had been the strange man she had met.