Bang... bang... bang... A few knocks on the door startled me.
"What are you doing in there? You've been in there forever!" Chen Yili shouted from outside.
"I'm done, coming out now," I responded.
"I thought you passed out in there! It's been so long. You've used up all the hot water. Now I have to wait another 30 minutes for the water to heat up. I wanted to take a shower early, too, but now I have to wait," she grumbled as I dried off and got ready to put on my pajamas.
I checked the time, realizing how long I had been lost in my memories. I suddenly remembered something and rushed to my desk. My computer and work desk are all in one place, with several drawers filled with old electronics—wired headphones, various charging cables, and some old phones that were no longer in use. After rummaging around for a while, I found an iPhone 4. It was the phone I had used that night at the KTV.
There was a noticeable dent in the bottom right corner of the phone, from when I dropped it that night. But nothing serious had happened—just me slipping and falling. I kept searching for the iPhone 4's charging cable, eager to see the photos from that night. The phone was slightly swollen, and I wasn't sure if it would still work.
I eventually found the cable, plugged it in, and the screen showed the charging symbol. A few moments later, the familiar Apple logo appeared, and the phone booted up. I quickly connected it to the charger and tried to operate it, but the touch screen wasn't very responsive. I figured the phone must have gotten damp after all these years, so I stood up to find some wet wipes to clean the screen.
In the other room, Chen Yili was furiously typing away at her computer, the sound of her keyboard clattering non-stop. She's a data analyst, and her daily task involves entering lots of data into the computer for various analyses. Sometimes, she works late into the night, so she uses the farthest room from me to avoid disturbing me.
She was so focused on her work that she didn't notice me walk in. I gently tapped her on the back and asked, "Do you have a wet wipe? I need to clean my phone screen."
Without saying a word, she pointed to the dresser behind her. I walked over and easily found the wet wipes on top.
"Got a new task?" I asked.
"Yep, the old witch wants our team to submit the results by tomorrow. I just got the email, and everyone's complaining about it in the group chat. She never gives us a heads-up. No idea how long I'll be stuck working tonight," she said through gritted teeth, sounding like a student who waited until the last day of summer vacation to do their homework, only to realize school starts tomorrow and the work's only half done.
"No one dares to stand up to the old witch? It's pretty late to be adding all this work," I said, trying to comfort her. The "old witch" was her boss.
"Just wait till I get my year-end bonus, and I'm out," she said with determination.
I didn't respond and quietly left the room. She's been saying she'll quit after getting her bonus for years, but she never follows through. Meanwhile, I was reassured that she was busy and wouldn't be bothering me for a while.
Back at my desk, I wiped the phone screen with the alcohol wipes, and sure enough, it worked perfectly. I quickly opened the photo gallery, and a flood of pictures appeared. I scrolled back to 2010, the year I met Lü Xiaoran. It didn't take much effort to find the photos from that night, as I vividly remembered that we had taken a lot of pictures—our first group photos, in fact.
In the pictures, there were Hu Yao, Li Sen, Lü Xiaoran, and me. The four of us sat in the dim, colorful lights of the KTV. Everyone's smiles looked so genuine in the photos, making me feel nostalgic, yet everything had changed since then. The memories pulled me back to that night.
After Lü Xiaoran took Zhao's call and said he was coming, I immediately wanted to leave.
"I think I'll head out," I said.
"Don't worry, he'll probably stay for half an hour and then leave," Lü Xiaoran reassured me.
"Who's coming?" Li Sen asked, confused.
"Her boyfriend," I said, pointing to Lü Xiaoran, my tone stiff.
"Boyfriend?" Li Sen was clearly baffled.
"No, don't listen to him," Lü Xiaoran said, visibly anxious.
"You..." Li Sen trailed off, looking at me like he wanted to say more. I hadn't told him the details. He only knew that Lü Xiaoran was my new girlfriend.
I raised my glass and said, "Let's have a drink, everyone. Cheers. I think I'll head out; this just isn't for me."
"If you leave, I'll have to go too," Li Sen chimed in.
"Don't! Zhao won't say anything. He usually leaves quickly anyway," Hu Yao finally spoke up. "Convince him to stay. We haven't been here long, it's still early," she said, tugging on Li Sen's arm.
In my head, I was thinking, Are they trying to stop me from leaving, or do they just not want Li Sen to go? I got up, not planning to waste any more words, and headed straight for the door.
As I opened the door, a skinny, short, middle-aged man almost walked right into me. I realized immediately—it must be Zhao.