Tu Ming had been drinking, but he couldn’t sleep.

He sat up, lay down, and tossed and turned several times. Finally, he picked up the CD player on the bedside table. He had played the CD over and over again, inside and out, and the melody was already ingrained in his heart.

Tomorrow was the fifth day of the New Year. After the fifth day, it felt like the New Year was almost over.  Earlier, he had planned to take Lumi to a music restaurant for dinner and to an arcade to play video games. She had said that when she was in school, she would skip class to play arcade games, and she was most afraid of being caught by the teachers.

But Lumi had disappeared, like she had vanished.

The colleagues’ group chat was very lively during the New Year. Everyone would always say a few words and encourage the boss to send red envelopes. It was the same in big groups and small groups. Tu Ming had sent many red envelopes. Sometimes he would check to see if Lumi had grabbed them, but she rarely did. She didn’t participate in the discussion of everyone’s New Year fun either. She was quiet, unlike her usual self.

He wanted to apologize to Lumi. He typed “sorry” several times in the chat box, but he deleted each one.

For Lumi, the New Year went by very quickly. She slept half the day and ate half the day.

On the fifth day of the New Year, the elders in the alleyway decided to have a gathering, breaking tradition. They would go to the temple fair, then go to a restaurant to eat, sing, and talk about the old days.

Lumi was woken up early by Lu Guoqing to go to the temple fair. She saw Wang Jiexing, who was also a little dazed.

They both rolled their eyes at each other. Wang Jiexing pointed to his father, Wang Long, “My dad is like this!” He gave a thumbs up, “He can’t participate in anything after the second round.”

“He’s Wang Long outside, but he’s a worm at home.” Lumi mocked him, then remembered that she wasn’t much better and shut her mouth.

There were a lot of people at the temple fair. They each got a big skewer of mutton, and they found a slightly quieter place to stand and eat.

Lumi suddenly asked Wang Jiexing, “Is your company still hiring? In marketing.”

“Who? You?”

“Yeah. Do you think I’d be a good fit?”

“I’ve asked you hundreds of times, and you wouldn’t come. Why are you suddenly interested?”

Lumi pulled out her thermos from her chest and took a sip of water, “I’ve been at Ling Mei for so many years, every year my salary increase is like squeezing out snot. It’s so boring.”

Wang Jiexing scrutinized her carefully.  After a long time, he finally spat out two words, “Bullshit.”

Lumi kicked him, “Who are you calling a bullshitter!”

“Then talk to me.”

“When have I ever lied to you?”

“Are you short of money?”

“Who has a grudge against money? Are you guys hiring? If you are, I’ll give you my resume, you can take a look.”

“We’re hiring a manager. You can come.”

“I don’t want to be a manager, it’s tiring. Do you have any regular positions?”

“…I’ll ask HR later.” Wang Jiexing finished speaking and then looked at Lumi again, “Are you okay? If you get wronged, tell me, I’ll find Luke. Who’s got the guts to mess with our Lumi?  To treat a client’s relative like that?”

“Cut it out! Who’s your relative? Besides, who would bully me?  Who dares!”

Lumi walked over to the trash can and threw the skewers away. While they were eating, the children were sent to the corner table to be a sideshow, while the elders drank alcohol and chatted.

Her second uncle even brought his bird. It was hanging at the entrance of the restaurant.  Every now and then, it would say, “Welcome,” “You’re here!” “Lumi’er!” It was a bit strange, and everyone who passed by would turn their heads to look at the bird and chuckle.

Lumi stretched her neck and shouted at the bird, “Call me fairy daughter!”

Lu Guoqing threw a peanut from the nearby table, “You’re corrupting your second uncle’s bird!”

“Your second uncle’s bird has already been corrupted!”

The elders laughed again.

Lumi loved these kinds of gatherings. She felt a little better. These past few days had been a blur, she felt like she had no energy, and her heart was heavy.  Today, seeing familiar neighbors and annoying people like Wang Jiexing and Zhang Qing, she felt like life was pretty fun.

Zhang Qing asked her, “Do you remember the guy who looked like a statue at the club that night?”

“…The jerk who cut me off in his luxury car?” Lumi said to Zhang Qing, “You should stay away from him, he’s not a good person. You can tell from the way he drives. He’s unreasonable, isn’t he?”

“That guy asked me for your contact information.” Zhang Qing said.

“Tell him to get lost.”

Wang Jiexing lowered his head from the side, “Which jerk?  Who dares to chase after our Lumi? Tell him to get lost! If he pisses me off, I’ll kill him.”

“Cut it out! What are you going to do, kill him just because he’s doing something? “

“Everything needs to be reasonable. He’s being unreasonable by cutting people off.”

“Okay, okay.” Zhang Qing nodded, “You’re right. I won’t give him your information.”

“Tell him I have a boyfriend.”

“When did you get a boyfriend?” Zhang Qing’s voice got louder in surprise. The people at the nearby tables, who were having a lively time, suddenly fell silent and looked at Lumi.

Lu Guoqing’s reaction was the biggest, “You’re dating again?”

Lumi shook her head, “What are you talking about? You believe me when I say I have a boyfriend just to get rid of a fly?”

“So do you have one or not? You’re talking to me.” Wang Jiexing asked her, “What’s going on with you and Will?”

“Wang Jiexing! I’m warning you, stop it! If you make me angry, I’ll beat you up and make you feel good, okay?”  Lumi glared at him, and the name “Will” made her feel a bit of subconscious shame.

Wang Jiexing chuckled, and everyone went back to eating as usual. He whispered to Lumi again, “You want to change jobs because of him?”

“No. I need money.”

“You need money?” Zhang Qing widened his eyes, “You need money? The shops at the entrance of your neighborhood are all supported by you, you need money? Should I count the number of cards you have within a ten-kilometer radius of your house?”

…

Lumi’s brain was buzzing from the two of them. She excused herself to go and train the bird and get some fresh air. She held a birdcage in her hand and found a quiet place outside. The bird wouldn’t let her have peace, it kept calling, “Lumi’er,” “Lumi’er.”

“Call me fairy girl.”

“Fairy girl.”

“Okay, you’re a good bird.”

Lumi put the cage on the stone steps and sat down beside it. She looked like a spoiled rich kid. There were more people on the street, it was almost time to go back to work. Lumi had never liked going to work, and she didn’t want to go even more now.

Lu Qing sent her a video, “Your hot air balloon.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Do you want to see another video?”

“Yes.”

Lu Qing sent a video. Yao Luan was carrying her on his shoulders and spinning her around. Lu Qing was scared and hugging his neck.

Lumi was so happy for Lu Qing. When Lu Qing first got divorced, she was practically half dead.  Look at her now, she’s so happy!

“This New Year has been pretty good, at least there’s some good news.” Lumi said to Lu Qing, “Enjoy it.”

“Okay, you too.”

Lumi couldn’t be happy. She turned to Wang Jiexing, who was following her, “I’m asking you, when can I start working at your place?”

“Can you let go of Ling Me?”

“I don’t know, I’ll ask when I go back to work.”

Lumi was thinking about changing jobs. She didn’t want to be a manager, she didn’t want to bother with that. It didn’t matter if the money was more or less, as long as she had something to do, it would be fine.

Once she had the idea, she wanted to act immediately. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, in her own words, she was “acting crazy.”

She got to work early on the first day back after the New Year, something she had never done before. She caught the HR manager, Yolanda, who was washing cups in the tea room, “Yolanda, I have a question.”

“What is it, Lumi?”

“How much notice do employees have to give at our company?”

“You’re leaving?”

“No, I’m helping someone research the company regulations.”

“…Normally it’s one month. But you still need to talk to your boss.”

“Okay, I understand, thanks.”

Lumi went back to her desk. She typed and deleted, struggling to find the right words! She mocked herself, “How come I can’t even form a sentence?”

“Will, are you free? I want to talk to you about work.”

This was the first time Lumi had spoken to him alone since leaving his building that day.  It took a long time before she received a reply from Tu Ming: “Sorry, I was in a conference call. Come to my office.”

“Okay.”

Lumi walked into his office. Tu Ming looked up at her. He was the same person, but there was no longer that familiar closeness in his eyes.  They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and it felt like a galaxy separated them. He pointed to the chair across from him, “Sit.”

“Okay.”

They both leaned back in their chairs. Lumi finally looked at Tu Ming and smiled at him, her posture distant.

“You’re here to talk about the next project?” Tu Ming finally spoke. He stopped there, maybe Lumi would say something else.

“No, I found a new job. I’m here to discuss my resignation with you.” Lumi got straight to the point, without any small talk.

The air fell silent. Tu Ming looked at Lumi. This time, her expression didn’t have any pretense or competitiveness. It was simply: I want to change jobs, I don’t want to do this anymore, I’m not messing with you.

“Why?” Tu Ming asked her.

“I’ve been at Ling Mei for years, I’m tired of it. I want a change of scenery, a raise, and to buy a bag.”

“Is it because of me?” Tu Ming ignored her words and asked her directly, “Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for you because of what happened between us. You don’t have to worry about getting ostracized at Ling Mei. If you feel awkward, don’t worry about it either, I’ll leave.”

“When can I start the paperwork?” Lumi didn’t want to discuss who it was because of, or who was going to leave. For the first time in her life, she felt awkward sitting in front of someone. She felt small.  The words she had spoken were like water that had been spilled, even though she apologized, she couldn’t take them back.  She felt like she had lost face because of this.  It wasn’t just that, Tu Ming’s word “disgusting” made her sad.

“Organize your current projects, then sync me up on the situation, and then we’ll confirm your resignation date. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Lumi stood up and walked out. That feeling of tightness and heaviness in her chest came back. She turned around and pushed open Tu Ming’s office door again, closing it behind her. She stood at the door and said to him, “I came to your place in the middle of the night to apologize, that was my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things, because I was the one who hurt you. So all the hurtful things you said about me being disgusting, I accept them.”

“I’m not a good person, and I was acting like a jerk when we first started. It’s normal for you to feel like you were being manipulated, I’m sorry about that.”

“We’re even now. I said some hurtful things, you gave me a few more hurtful words in return, we’re both square.”

“The projects I have in my hands aren’t worth much, it’s easy to hand them off to anyone. If you want to hire someone to replace me, it won’t be difficult.”

“I just asked HR, a month’s notice is enough.”

“Then let’s set my resignation date for a month from now.”

Lumi finished speaking in one breath and turned to leave Tu Ming’s office, not leaving any room for negotiation. As Lu Guoqing would say, “Our Lumi is a bit of a scoundrel.”  But being a scoundrel has its advantages. It’s quick and decisive, efficient, and effortless.

Back at her desk, she saw Tang Wuyi looking at her. She shrugged at him, “Coffee?”

“Let’s go.”

They bought two cups of coffee and stood outside in the sunshine to drink them.

“What’s wrong with you? You look off.” Tang Wuyi pretended to lift her chin, forcing her to look up. The stubbornness in his eyes was heartbreaking.

“I’m changing jobs. I just submitted my resignation. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Who would I tell? Where are you going?”

“To Wang Jiexing’s place.”

“Damn! You’re going to be a client?  I’ve unwittingly become a daddy’s girl?” Tang Wuyi chuckled.

“It’s just a regular position, not a management role.”

“Even a regular position can kill you.” Tang Wuyi gave her a thumbs up, “Awesome, go for it.”

Lumi chuckled.

They finished their coffee and went back upstairs. They ran into Tu Ming. Lumi nodded and walked past.

She had apologized for her hurtful words, and Tu Ming was right to call her disgusting, but she just couldn’t get over that hurdle.  The apology was sincere, but the feeling in her heart was still there.

She sat at her desk and organized the project materials. Even though she clocked in and out on time, she had always been organized with her projects, even her files were neat and tidy. By four or five in the afternoon, she had packed everything up and sent it to Tu Ming, “All the materials are here, please check.”