Lady

Black faces, four black faces.

Ju Hui's face darkened even more!

“But since we’re friends, I don’t want my girlfriend to be misunderstood. I will return all the money that Shanqin lost.” Sheng Qijing said casually, lightly poking Ju Hui’s cheek with his index finger.

Play whack-a-mole on her face.

"...It wasn't just us who were scammed; at least five other people were scammed as well." The boy's attitude softened.

"no problem."

"That's forty or fifty thousand."

"No matter how much, I'll add an extra thousand for everyone. Please help me out." Sheng Qijing's smile was like the first rays of spring sunshine. "We'll set up the monitoring device today and broadcast it live for 48 hours. If there's any wind, I hope you can hold the camera down."

"...Are you going to do performance art? How novel."

"Alipay or WeChat?"

"Haha! Alipay is fine."

The boys approached one by one, scanned the QR code, and left.

Sheng Qijing's arms were warm, and Ju Hui leaned against him, her knees aching.

She had lost count of how many times she had knelt before the hem of the money-patterned skirt. It was magnificent and enormous, a densely woven net that tightly bound her. This feeling of coexisting with debt was unpleasant.

The cost of living in Norway is enormous. Given Ju Hui's current financial situation, her efforts now are paving the way for future suffering, a path that even moths are unwilling to follow.

Bian Jiaping asked her why she went there, and Ju Hui used the most vulgar excuse to fool him: Khio doesn't charge tuition.

These words came from her mouth with sincerity. She knew that he did not support her pursuing further studies abroad, so naturally he would not agree with her getting an MFA, staying in Norway to work, and obtaining permanent residency.

Norway, with half of its territory north of the Arctic Circle, is far enough and unknown enough to be both a suitable cage and a place to escape from Bian Jiaping.

She could understand why Shanqin had run away. This Songzhuang factory was no less desolate than Norway during the polar night. Shanqin wanted to escape from it, and Juhui was the scapegoat she had chosen.

Ju Hui's message didn't have any red bubbles, making her screen full of green frames and white text that wished her well stand out starkly.

Clever yet despicable.

Shanqin, I wish you had really deleted me.

"Thank you," Ju Hui said to Sheng Qijing, who had saved her life.

"Huh? I didn't hear you clearly."

Sheng Qijing took a step forward, pulled back the curtain, and his handsome face suddenly leaned close. "Ju Hui, when you thank someone, you should speak louder, otherwise the God of Wealth won't know that you are a polite and well-mannered child."

"Thank you!" Ju Hui gritted her teeth and pushed him back. "Get back to work."

Sheng Qijing walked back to the other side of the curtain with satisfaction, and looked at Ju Hui across the tourists.

Tonight, 798 was even more lively than in previous years. The colorful forest overhead became a trending topic. The New Year's Eve gathering was packed with people. The Ju Hui stall, completely covered in black cloth, was decorated in a mysterious and simple style and was recommended by netizens as the best viewing spot.

A long line formed in front of Ju Hui and Sheng Qijing. At least half of the people thought there would be a better view behind the cover. The people in the long line were there to take photos and check in.

Ju Hui liked this beautiful misunderstanding.

Sheng Qijing was in charge of lifting the curtain, Ju Hui was in charge of smiling, and the tourists with cameras around their necks remained silent, simply putting down their equipment and following the steps of the previous person inside.

The next black-haired boy stepped forward, shifted slightly towards Ju Hui, and took off his mask.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, senior," Xu Siran said with a smile.

He was quite pleased with Ju Hui's surprised expression. She had come all the way from school and waited in line for almost twenty minutes, but thankfully she hadn't missed it. This year's New Year's Eve wasn't the most boring one yet.

How did you end up here?

"I saw your photo trending on social media, just a blurry image, so I thought I'd try my luck."

Ju Hui nodded and said nothing more. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sheng Qijing and remembered the stairwell that night.

"Are you cold? Your face is a little red."

Xu Siran raised the back of his hand, intending to touch the warmth of her cheek, but was stopped by a pair of large hands.

"Junior, don't lead the group astray."

Sheng Qijing asked Ju Hui to switch places with him, and Xu Siran's shadow was stepped on twice by him.

"Xiao Hui, come and relieve me!"

Yun Aonan suddenly peeked out from behind the curtain, looked up and saw Xu Siran standing in the line. She was stunned for a moment, and then noticed that Ju Hui had moved to the right.

"I can't take it anymore! How did you manage to recruit so many people? You're going to keep going non-stop! I really need to pee!"

Ju Hui was both amused and exasperated. She peeked through the darkness to check the situation inside. The three electronic screens on the table were displaying normally, and the device outside the Sixth Ring Road stood solemnly, with the statistical table of registered data filled to the brim.

"Go quickly."

In a flash, Yun Aonan ran towards the public toilet and disappeared without a trace.

Ju Hui's gaze shifted from where she had disappeared, and suddenly met Xu Siran's smiling eyes and Sheng Qijing's scrutinizing gaze behind him.

Ju Hui was dressed in all black today. As the cold wind blew, the stall owner's name tag on her chest fluttered in the air, cutting out several sharp streaks of light.

"What do you plan to give me in return?" Sheng Qijing asked first.

"What?"

"The matter I helped you resolve yesterday." Sheng Qijing glanced at Xu Siran, only hinting at this point in his statement.

Ju Hui responded with an "oh," and her smile immediately softened. "How much is it in total? It seems a bit much. Can I pay you back later?"

Sheng Qijing was somewhat speechless after being slashed by her cold blade called "debt relationship." "That's not something you owe me. I'm asking how you're going to repay my favor and thank me for my quick reaction."

Ju Hui didn't quite understand. "Of course I'll repay your favor, but I only know which school Shanqin is in, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find her. Just tell me a number and I'll give it to you first."

"What if we still can't find her?"

"The school must have other information about her, they'll find her... probably."

"...Like an idiot."

Ju Hui was taken aback, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. "Didn't you scold me like this before?"

The next second, another gust of cold wind blew in, and she lowered her head, shrugging her neck into her arms.

"Go in." Ju Hui noticed that Sheng Qijing stood up straighter. He lifted the curtain. "The public restrooms in 798 are notoriously hard to find."

At this point, Ju Hui became a little worried. After confirming that Sheng Qijing was alright on his own, she quickly called Xu Siran to go in together, and the group started moving again.

Xu Siran didn't realize from the photo that it was a small exhibition, only two square meters in size, with a long wooden table and three cold screens. Ju Hui quickly walked around the table and sat down.

The curtain behind me closed abruptly, and my vision darkened rapidly, merging into the infinite space.

"Please sit down first, I need to send a message." Ju Hui looked up and pointed to the iron stool in front of him.

"OK."

Xu Siran suddenly felt that the sound was ethereal, and it seemed that there was another layer of plastic sealing in this curtain, which blocked out most of the noise outside. He squinted and gradually adjusted to the darkness.

Yun Aonan just sent me a message. She's stuck in a long line outside a public restroom and asked if Pu Yin is lying, saying that the cultural and creative store actually has a restroom.

Ju Hui was both amused and exasperated; the shop did indeed have it.

Yun Aonan was so angry that she sent more than a dozen emojis. She even ran to Pu Yin's place immediately, but she didn't offer any help in this time of crisis.

"Am I supposed to answer these multiple-choice questions?" Xu Siran suddenly asked, looking at the screen.

He gripped the mouse and clicked the left button. The screen in front of him rotated, and he quickly scanned the questionnaire, which contained basic questions about visually estimating human height.

“Yes.” Ju Hui placed her phone face down on the data record sheet. “But you’ve already seen me as the second human model, so the data you get from answering the questions might be unreliable. Sorry for waiting in line for so long.”

"It's alright." Xu Siran smiled. "Let's sit together then. I came to see how you've been... Do you need a strong shoulder to lean on?"

Ju Hui frowned and then relaxed, shaking her head. "I still have no plans to date. The data isn't enough yet; I need to collect some more before midnight..."

"So, does that mean until the project is completed?" Xu Siran remained unconvinced, resting her chin on her elbow on the table. "How much longer? A month? Two months? Are you spending the New Year in Ruobei?"

Xu Siran's smile magnified before her eyes. Ju Hui leaned back in her chair, randomly pulled out a printed photo of a steel chair from the cardboard box behind her, tucked it into the album, and handed it the same souvenir as the other tourists.

"Thank you for participating."

"Okay, Happy New Year..."

"Xu Siran!"

Sheng Qijing lifted the curtain, and the blinding white light and strange noise became clear instantly, leaving Ju Hui momentarily stunned.

Xu Siran relaxed and slowly turned around.

Sheng Qijing lowered his eyelashes and smiled in a friendly manner at the person whose name he recognized upon first meeting him, "Is this your name? I've been calling you for a long time, come out quickly."

"There's a fire here."

-

As midnight approached, someone set off fireworks in the crowd. Flames shot up thick smoke, and the area C, wrapped in colorful cloth strips, turned into a hot pan of fish wrapped in paper.

Ju Hui held the most important data record sheet in her arms, with the walnut wood partition holding the sheet outwards. She stood on tiptoe and peered into the crowd beyond the main crowd.

The 798 Art Zone is large enough, but it is crowded with people and stalls. People are forced to walk forward carefully and quickly, with their bodies pressed close together. No one wants to be surrounded by fire or trampled to death.

"That fire should be out by now. There will be fewer people after we get through this passage... Where are you going?"

Before he knew it, Sheng Qijing saw Ju Hui pushing Xu Siran into another line. No wonder someone had just tugged at his clothes, but then quickly let it go.

Why aren't you staying close to me?

Ju Hui asked using mouth movements.

Sheng Qijing glanced at Xu Siran, who looked completely bewildered.

However, Xu Siran soon met Sheng Qijing's gaze, her emotions instantly calming down, her eyes asking, "Why did you run over there?"

"Aren't we going to find Yun Aonan? Why are we taking that road?" In the crowd, only a second's breath was left. Between Ju Hui and Sheng Qijing was a couple going in the same direction as him, and he asked directly.

"...The nearest public toilet, 751, is over here."

“I already had Pu Yin pick her up; give me your arm.”

Sheng Qijing reached out to her, and the couple in the middle, knowing they were friends, immediately moved closer. They briefly made room for each other to breathe, and the waves gently lapped against each other. He had to pull her back before he could take his next deep breath.

I've got it.

Despite her obstructed view, Ju Hui could feel him holding her wrist.

"No, it's dangerous to pull him over there."

Xu Siran grabbed her arm on the right without much care, and Ju Hui's right arm, which was holding the data sheet, suddenly felt empty under her armpit. Her elbow lost its strength, and she was left with only four fingers to hold the phone and the watch. Ju Hui looked at the wooden board that might slip from her grasp at any moment with a pounding heart.

"Xu Siran, let go right now!"

"Why!"

"Please, the form is worn out."

In an instant, the butterfly gently flapped its wings.

Taking advantage of her distraction, the crowd gently patted her, and Ju Hui's body went limp as the cork of the red wine was completely pulled out and slammed heavily into Sheng Qijing's chest.

Ju Hui confirmed that the form was intact, then looked up to look for Xu Siran's figure. The tall figure, squeezed into the middle of the crowd, kept looking back, and the image of a little rabbit rolling around was vividly embodied at this moment.

Ju Hui opened her mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally disappeared into his resentful eyes.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think I broke up a couple," Sheng Qijing complained, only to be met with Ju Hui rolling her eyes at him from behind.

As the crowd moved forward, Sheng Qijing placed his hands on her shoulders, and Ju Hui followed closely behind, much like a kangaroo mother's baby in her pocket.

I feel incredibly safe.

"Sheng Qijing".

"Um?"

Thank you.

"I'm tired of hearing 'thank you' too many times, so I'll show my gratitude with actions."

"Go back and I'll kowtow three times for you?"

Sheng Qijing didn't respond. The crowd loosened up a bit, but he didn't put his hand down; he secretly hid it under her cotton hat to keep warm.

"How exactly should I express my gratitude?"

"So eager, you like me?"

"You're helping me so much, you shouldn't like me, right?"

"Ha, I don't like idiots."