In the crowded, enclosed space of the bus, even with the air conditioning on, it was stuffy, and there was a faint smell of sweat. The bus kept stopping and starting, and whether it was the heat or the jerky motion, Tu Xiaoning started feeling carsick.

She held on until her stop, then hurried off the bus, forgetting her umbrella in her rush to find a trash can to throw up.

During the rush hour, people brushed past her, one after another, and someone stepped in a puddle, splashing her legs with muddy spots. Frustrated, she turned to look for the culprit, but they had already disappeared.

Just then, the bell from a nearby school rang, signaling it was eight o’clock. Realizing she had a morning meeting, she opened her umbrella and started running through the rain, silently cursing, “Monday, oh Monday, the source of all evil.”

There were still two traffic lights between the bus stop and her workplace. By the time she reached her building, she felt like she’d put more effort into this sprint than she ever had running 800 meters back in school. Standing at the back of the crowd waiting for the elevator, she was gasping for air, feeling like she could use an oxygen tank. Her carefully tied hair had come loose, with a strand of bangs falling over her forehead, which she couldn’t be bothered to fix.

There were three elevators, and all arrived simultaneously. Tu Xiaoning quickly followed the crowd into the middle one. Since her stop was soon, she stood at the front.

“Could you press 5 for me?”

“Press 10 for me!”

“13, please!”

“18!”

Voices called out from behind her.

Standing closest to the buttons, Tu Xiaoning obliged, pressing each requested floor, finally pressing 3 for herself and then the close button.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, she took out a plastic bag and put her umbrella in it, only then noticing a hole in the bag.

“Wait!”

Just as the doors were about to close completely, a hand suddenly reached in, stopping them, startling her.

The elevator sensed the hand and reopened.

Others in the elevator looked irritated. “Can’t you wait for the next one?”

“Sorry.”

Hearing the clear voice, Tu Xiaoning looked up and met a pair of deep-set eyes. The man was tall, with double eyelids that made his eyes look narrow and refined. He stood alone outside the elevator, wearing a crisp white shirt with a neatly knotted tie, a suit jacket and briefcase slung over his left arm, and a black folding umbrella in his right hand. The umbrella, though a bit shaken out, was mostly dry. His handsome, clean-cut appearance brought a refreshing feeling to the stifling summer heat.

When the elevator doors opened fully, Tu Xiaoning stepped to the side to make space.

With one long stride, he entered the elevator. “Thank you.”

Standing close, she noticed both his hands were occupied, so she asked, “Which floor?”

“Twelve, thanks.”

“No problem.” She pressed 12 for him, tucking a strand of her bangs behind her ear, which gave her the perfect angle to see his well-defined profile. Silently, she thought, if men were rated by class, he would definitely be top-tier.

The elevator felt even stuffier than the bus had, with that lingering smell of sweat, but the scent of mint from the man beside her quickly masked it, reminding her of the Head & Shoulders shampoo she used as a child.

Suddenly, she felt a wet, chilly sensation on her foot. Looking down, she saw that water was dripping from her umbrella, through the hole in the plastic bag, not only soaking her but also dripping onto his shoes and his sharply creased pants. His black, polished leather shoes now gleamed even more from the droplets.

Embarrassed, she quickly moved her umbrella aside, letting the water drip onto her own foot instead, just as the elevator reached the third floor.

“Sorry,” she said as she stepped out.

The man glanced down, then looked up, and their eyes met once more.

“It’s fine,” he said calmly as the elevator doors closed.

Standing there, she suddenly felt that he looked familiar.

“What are you standing around for? You’re going to be late,” a colleague called out as they passed her, having exited the other elevator.

Snapping back to reality, Tu Xiaoning hurried after her coworker. Oh no, her morning meeting!