Lady

That day, the long, gloomy weather in Ruobei finally gave way to a heavy snowfall, blanketing the ground. The factory's tin shed was filled with small electric vehicles, but Ju Hui's wasn't among them; she had walked there that morning.

This felt very different, like walking in the mud. She held the corn she had brought for Shanqin in her arms, her left foot following her right, step by step. In the snow that was above her ankles, there were many long snakes.

Ju Hui liked the mark behind her very much; it was the best evidence that Ju Hui was equivalent to a four-dimensional being.

But the next second...

A small tricycle ran over her long body and stopped beside her. The uncle on the tricycle nudged her and said, "Hey, little boss! This snow is so annoying. I'll give you a ride."

Ju Hui got into the small tricycle of the newly hired welder, her body shrinking from one long strip to three smaller ones. When they arrived at the factory, she glanced at the tin shed and then at the factory interior.

Shanqin didn't come this morning.

Ju Hui thought that she probably didn't have any deliveries to make this morning. She had no choice but to take the corn she was holding out of her arms, wrap it in the plastic bag twice more, and put it on the table.

I picked up the apron, tied a slipknot behind my back, put on the mask and goggles, and I was done.

Ju Hui looked up.

Meeting the foreman's gaze, the man blinked innocently, "Young boss, do I still dare to weld today?"

Her steel chair is now nearing completion. The welders are currently welding mostly decorative parts, and some of the joints of the steel chair cannot be moved before the actual experimental site is set up.

Ju Hui forced a smile: "We haven't managed to secure the venue yet."

Ju Hui's planned interactive experiment in the mall atrium was canceled due to the approaching New Year's Eve. All the difficulties mentioned in the game came crashing back at her like a boomerang after a broken string.

However, she wasn't beaten black and blue. As compensation, the mall said it would extend her exhibition period after the New Year.

Ju Hui was so badly beaten that she couldn't even smile.

The experiment had to be done before the new year, and the venue needed to have a high flow of people and a high participation rate. Ju Hui's efforts seemed to be a drop in the ocean in order to meet all the requirements, and the time was delayed by two more days.

This morning, Ju Hui was hit on the head by an apple while she was anxious.

“But it’s okay.” Ju Hui then politely raised her palm to her master, her eyes affirming, “Now we can weld.”

Where should we weld it?

"Right here."

"install?"

The foreman's expression was subtle, wondering about the unnecessary waiting of the past few days. Fearing that Ju Hui might give up, he said kindly, "If we leave it here to weld and then move it, it will cost a lot of money."

"Okay, we'll stay here and not move." Just then, her phone chimed with a new message notification. Ju Hui lowered her eyes and swiped to open her phone. "This is the best place to do experiments."

This morning, Ju Hui was jolted awake by her nightmare. The alarm rang like a red alert the second she opened her eyes. Adrenaline surged through her back, causing her to break out in a sweat. Ju Hui immediately grabbed her phone, opened the most recent chat window, and recounted her dream.

[White screen, spotlights, electronic screen, camera with fixed viewing angle on the device, live broadcast of the test subjects...]

She's a genius.

Half-asleep, Ju Hui typed two minutes of illogical text in Bian Jiaping's chat box. The knot that had been tied up suddenly untied, and the feeling of relief was indescribable.

Click send.

A long green box filled the screen; she long-pressed to copy it and pasted it back into her notes.

Ignoring Bian Jiaping's question mark message three minutes later.

With a loud "Alright!" the foreman grabbed his tools and got to work. Ju Hui swiped her phone; at 6:30 a.m. on December 25th, Sheng Jiashu had sent her a WeChat message. Ju Hui unconsciously scratched between her fingers with her left hand.

"bite--"

Before I could even open it, another new message from her appeared.

Sheng Jiashu: [Photo]

Sheng Jiashu: [Photo]

Sheng Jiashu: [Photo]

...

Last time, Ju Hui's attire didn't resemble that of a young female college student, and Sheng Jiashu felt apologetic for not recognizing her. This time, as soon as the delivery was over, the first thing she did was send her nine photos of Liuli and her baby, all safe and sound.

Liuli was in good condition; the baby boy weighed 7.2 pounds, a robust little fellow. He was a handful right after birth, keeping them up all night. Sheng Jiashu complained, "No way, I have to make sure he calls us 'Auntie' as soon as he learns to speak."

Ju Hui smiled. It had only been two hours since the day started, and she had already become an elder to the children in Ruobei and come up with a solution to the venue problem. There were already so many happy things happening to her, like the mistakes she had made in the flower field.

Ju Hui loosened her grip, and the soft flesh between her fingers itched from being scratched by her fingernails.

Sheng Jiashu: [Was that post you just made on WeChat Moments to prepare for the experiment?]

Sheng Jiashu changed the subject. After chatting with Ju Hui, she wanted to post a message on her WeChat Moments to let Liuli know she was safe. But when she refreshed the page, the first post was from Ju Hui, who hadn't updated in half a year. She was looking for help as soon as she logged on.

5:46 AM

J: Does anyone know of any students who can rent out about five 24-inch electronic screens? I need them urgently. I'll pay a high price for a generous reward!

Ju Hui: [Yes, I plan to do it during the New Year's Eve period.]

Sheng Jiashu raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the pale pink hospital wall: "I know Mo Chun has several 50-inch screens. If you need them, I'll tell Liu Li and she can lend them to you."

Sheng Jiashu checked the message from left to right. Hmm, it distanced itself quite cleanly from Mo Xun. She sent it.

Ju Hui couldn't be easily fooled; this girl was smarter than she appeared.

Looking back now, Ju Hui knew Sheng Qijing was her younger brother from the day they first met. Her eyes were sharp and resolute, clearly targeting Sheng Qijing.

Without any emotion.

Sheng Jiashu held her phone and waited for a while, but Ju Hui still hadn't replied, probably because she was embarrassed. At that moment, Sheng Qijing passed by.

It's really annoying for an older sister to look after her younger brother.

"Hey!" Sheng Jiashu pressed her tongue against her back teeth, her long, curly eyelashes sweeping over him. "Come here."

-

As a senior student in the sculpture department once said, those of us in this line of work are either collecting scrap or on our way to collect scrap. Ju Hui's WeChat contact list, filled with fellow students, secretly contains many scrap collectors.

Before Ju Hui could refuse Sheng Jiashu's suggestion that the screen size was too large, a window popped up from a senior she had never chatted with before.

Ah Chai: [I have more than a dozen here, some broken and some not. How can I give them to you?]

Ju Hui was pleasantly surprised. The Shiba Inu-themed senior was very capable. Although he didn't have a name in his contacts and she didn't know who he was, Ju Hui could already imagine a warm and honest round face.

Ju Hui: [Thank you, senior! Can I ask you for it again this weekend?]

Ju Hui plans to conduct a flash mob experiment at a New Year's Eve gathering. She needs a display screen and live streaming equipment, so she will bring the three of them to the factory and live stream in a high-traffic area.

Collecting experimental data in this way can solve the problem of not being able to find a suitable site, and can also avoid having too many reference points that would undermine the original purpose of the experiment.

The exact location and time are still unknown, and Ju Hui hopes to reduce transportation to avoid losses and mistakes.

Xiao Shiba: [No, they take up too much space. I'm selling them today. I'll give you five; just throw them away after you've used them.]

Xiao Chai was so generous that Ju Hui didn't know how to respond.

At 6 a.m., another contact popped up.

Ju Hui paused slightly, hesitated for half a second, then tapped to switch from Xiao Chai's chat box to Pu Yin's.

Pu Yin: [Xiao Ju Hui, what have you been busy with lately?]

Ju Hui: [It's the same experiment; we plan to do it this weekend.]

The two hadn't been in contact for almost three months. To avoid awkwardness in writing, Ju Hui added a cute kitten emoji after she finished speaking.

Xiao Chai: [Junior, do you still want it?]

The person on the other end was urging her.

Ju Hui's neck drooped stiffly, unsure if Pu Yin's greeting was an opening line for renting the monitor. The welding torch hissed in her ear as she replied to Senior Xiao Chai.

Ju Hui: [Yes, where do we meet our senior?]

Xiao Chai replied quickly, confirmed the time and place, and came and went in a hurry, making Ju Hui's "urgent need" seem indifferent. She silently deleted that post on her WeChat Moments.

Pu Yin: [So fast!]

Pu Yin: [I've also done experimental art, and I'm pretty free lately. Do you need any help?]

-

Ju Hui needs to arrive at her personal studio for her graduation project in Building C of the teaching building before noon. The driver picks her up on time with clean clothes. This has been going on for more than a month.

The driver sighed that the year was coming to an end, and the number 15 was changing to 16. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm taking my child to and from school."

The driver glanced at Ju Hui's reaction in the rearview mirror; it was calm and composed. He continued, "I'm worried that if the child doesn't work as hard as you, life will be difficult for her in the future. But I'm also worried that she'll fly too far and get too tired. As a parent, it breaks my heart..."

"Right, Miss Ju?"

Ju Hui nodded and gave her master a smile.

“If you’re feeling tired lately, talk to Mr. Bian more often. He can definitely help you.” The driver smoothly changed the subject. “Mr. Bian is also very concerned about your health… Miss, please take this call.”

The phone rang twice in the car. The driver realized he had gone too far, stopped talking, and focused on driving.

Ju Hui: "Hello?"

Sheng Qijing: "Do we still need a screen?"

Ju Hui shrank towards the window. She hadn't planned to answer Sheng Qijing's call, but she needed to escape reality for a while.

Ju Hui: "I've already borrowed it."

Sheng Qijing: "Then return it. My sister insisted that I help you."

In the winter, inside the car, and with Sheng Qijing's voice, Ju Hui's world began to feel lazy. She simply closed her eyes and said, "No need. I'll be grateful if you don't cause me any trouble."

"Do I have that much free time?" Sheng Qijing chuckled, the other end of the line as quiet as night. "Why did you suddenly say it was over that night?"

This wasn't unexpected. Sheng Qijing had been looking for a fulcrum to influence her choice. During that time, Ma Wen's exposure of her privacy had a significant impact on her. If she had any trouble, her senior would help her.

"Not big, I can accept it."

Ju Hui opened her eyes and suddenly met the gaze of her driver in the rearview mirror. The driver immediately looked away.

The car continued smoothly, with glimpses of tall buildings peeking out in front, like the tallest tree in the Pyongyang forest closest to the sun. They continued driving towards that tall tree.

Ju Hui's lips parted slightly, her anger rising.

Was her master spying on her?

Is Bian Jiaping keeping an eye on who she's chatting with on the phone?

After a while, Sheng Qijing listened quietly to Ju Hui's breathing. Her voice was already weak and tired, and if he closed his eyes, he could feel her warm, ticklish breath beside him...

“Okay, are you at school now?” Ju Hui’s voice suddenly perked up. “I need to move the electronic screen off campus later.”

“But I haven’t found a suitable place to stay yet,” Ju Hui asked in a soft, almost inaudible voice, “Could I move into your house?”

The mentor didn't hear what the other person said, only that Ju Hui said "Thank you, senior" before hanging up the phone.

this……

Half an hour later, Ju Hui was dropped off at the school gate by her teacher. The tree-lined road was covered with a long blanket of snow, and she hadn't walked there in a long time.

Ju Hui got out of the car with her bag. The driver turned around, smiled, and asked her, "When are you leaving school, Miss Ju?"

"Master, you don't need to pick me up anymore."

The car door slammed shut.

Ju Hui floated in the cold wind, bowed and waved, "Thank you for taking me for so long, Master. I'll have Bian Jiaping give you a raise in time!"

"Hey! Ju Xiao..."

The master stopped, not allowing him to ask any more questions. Ju Hui was getting further and further away, and the gleaming silver flew away.

But his salary has already increased.

It's even higher than before!

-

Bian Jiaping saw the barrage of messages from his master a day later.

Outside the window, the sun rises, its light dancing and slicing across the skyscrapers. The remaining skyline between the buildings is a striking red and blue, a beauty that is utterly unoriginal and should bring a sense of peace.

The treadmill bearings that had been with him for many years made strange noises, much like his body, which had been neglected for a long time.

He frowned, turned off the machine, and picked up his phone.

10:43 AM

[Mr. Bian, did Miss Ju say she doesn't need a ride?]

10:45 AM

[Mr. Bian, it seems Miss Ju wants to ask that Senior Sheng for help, saying she needs to move something to his house. Should I stop her?]

11:03 AM

I'm going!

11:05 AM

The security guard stopped me; they wouldn't let me in unless I was a student.

The time was yesterday. Sheng Qijing had probably already finished helping me with the busy schedule, and he even went to my house, so I didn't have my driver take me there...

Bian Jiaping kept a straight face, unwilling to think too much, restarted the machine and continued the long run, his steady breathing gradually being disrupted by the creaking and rattling pedals.

"So much money wasted."

Bian Jiaping complains about treadmills.

Two seconds later, Bian Jiaping picked up his phone, about to send a message to Ju Hui, when a notification sound rang out. It was crisp and pleasant. Bian Jiaping only had WeChat notifications enabled; he didn't particularly enjoy work-related socializing, but sometimes he just wanted to hear that one sound for a second.

Ju Hui: [I have something I want to tell you.]

Neither explanation nor cover-up was acceptable. Bian Jiaping remained on the chat interface and waited quietly for her for five minutes while standing on the treadmill.

Ju Hui: [1]

Ju Hui: [Actually, it's nothing. I'm just testing the effects.]

Ju Hui: [I've blocked you.]