1. Cat and Mouse
The phone buzzed and the screen lit up. It was a reminder of a repeat customer's order.
[Orange cat. Tianfei Park, Building B, Unit 1, Room 801. Calling in at 6:00 PM.]
Chi Jin paused. Pet feeding rarely required such a tight deadline. However, she had just visited this household on Monday. The sleek orange cat, despite shedding profusely, was as docile as a stuffed animal. The single-brand item was a great deal, and she wished she could get orders like this every time.
The editor-in-chief is on annual leave recently, and the editorial department is like a balloon that has been released from its ties, with even the air filled with a sense of lightness after surviving a disaster.
17:30:03. Check-in successful.
The elevator awaited me on the twelfth floor, and the subway doors closed behind me. The traffic lights were green, and the journey was smooth and unimpeded, like a carefully scripted play.
Chi Jin glanced at the time on his phone: 5:42 PM. More than enough time to get to Tianfei Park.
The phone vibrated again, and a message from my roommate Taozi popped up—
[Dear, my boyfriend is here to visit me. We're staying overnight. He promises to stay out of the public areas. Please, I'll buy you some milk tea! Love you!]
His good mood shattered with a snap. Chi Jin curled his lips as he tightened the ear straps of his mask. His fingertips quickly poked at the screen, flicking over a screenshot of the original recruitment post: "Two bedrooms and one living room for shared rent, only for females, no overnight stays for the opposite sex."
The depressed mood was like a small thorn, which made her less alert.
She regretted not noticing the cold air from the central air conditioner, which was clearly below her comfort level, as soon as she opened the door. She also regretted not noticing the dusty suitcase with a check-in label when she put on her shoe covers. She even ignored the light that clearly indicated someone was there, because she was completely drawn in by the unusual noises of the orange cat.
As soon as she called out "Ancestor", the orange ball of fur jumped onto the bookshelf.
"Snap—"
The freeze-dried canister fell to the ground, clattering onto the gray carpet.
It’s over. It’s over.
Alarm bells rang in Chi Jin's mind, and he almost fell to his knees, his fingers anxiously searching among the carpet fibers for the tuna particles that had caused the trouble.
"Chi Jin."
A voice, deep and familiar, with the texture of icy spikes colliding, sounded behind her without warning.
Her body stiffened, her nails digging into the shoulder straps of her canvas bag. The low-quality indigo dye mixed with the cold sweat on her palms, spreading a small patch of messy, sticky dark blue. She maintained a half-kneeling position, her throat rolling with difficulty, swallowing almost non-existent saliva.
She knew who it was without even looking up.
Chen Yisheng.
The weird tightness that had been creeping in since the pop-up order finally had its answer.
The living devil who should be enjoying his annual vacation on a beach on an island somewhere was now standing there, like an iceberg rising from the ground, looking down at her and pinning her to the crime scene.
"Editor Chen... Editor-in-Chief Chen." Her cheap shoe covers slipped on the carpet, nearly causing her to kneel back down. "It's time to get off work."
"You haven't taken off your ID card yet."
Chi Jin subconsciously covered his work badge with his hands. The metal edge of the badge hurt his palms and his brain was filled with noise.
How could it be Chen Yisheng?
The person who contacted me was obviously gentle and polite, and his profile picture was a cute kitten.
Flustered, she saw the orange cat chewing on a sample copy of the August issue of Face. Damn it! She should have noticed. Chen Yiwen had been at his last struggle session before his retirement, and short golden hair had clung to his sleeves. A few of the editors had flirted and flirted, suggesting it was his wife's hair. Now, it seemed like the fat cat was the real deal.
She quickly figured out what had happened. Once was an accident, twice was premeditated. The anger and shame of being fooled washed over her, and Chi Jin blushed. "How can you sting the law?"
His voice remained steady. "So you did it knowingly. I thought you didn't understand the company's requirements."
"This isn't a side job, it's a part-time job. I feed the cats and walk the dogs, there's no way it's going to endanger the company's safety."
Not to mention that her level of expertise doesn't allow her to access any secrets.
The fat cat that got into trouble seemed to think the scene was not chaotic enough, so it jumped with all its might and landed on Chen Yisheng's broad shoulders, its shiny fur rubbing against his jawline affectionately.
Chen Yisheng frowned slightly, lifted the cat by the scruff of its neck, and "plucked" it off his shoulders. A few strands of golden cat hair drifted away in the cool air from the air conditioner.
"A-choo!"
"Ah—choo!"
Two people, one standing and the other half frozen, sneezed loudly almost at the same time.
"Are you allergic to cat hair too?"
"Don't change the subject."
Although she had witnessed the editor-in-chief's unpredictable and volatile temper since her internship, the two had always maintained a clear superior-subordinate relationship - he assigned tasks, she tried her best to complete them, he often criticized her, and she superficially admitted her mistakes. However, a storm six months ago completely changed Chi Jin's position in the editorial department, and the two of them became a game of hide-and-seek between the subordinate and the superior.
Until today, Chi Jin went to feed the cat and became a mouse that fell into the trap.
"No wonder you've been hiding from me like a cat for the past six months. Don't you want to do this anymore?"
"Of course I do. You know how much I like 'Faces.' But since this is my first offense, please forgive me."
"Oh? First time?" He swiped his fingertips across the fluorescent light of his phone screen. "'Qianjinding', that's your profile, right? Cat feeding services, scalping, PPT creation services, summer homework for elementary and middle school students, reselling music festival tickets..."
"Stop reading." Chi Jin felt embarrassed when all his business matters were pointed out accurately.
"You're quite a thinker. Others want to be the chief editor, but you're obsessed with being a third-rate scalper or a middleman, right? No wonder you leave work late every day. Where do you focus your thoughts?"
"The Labor Law stipulates an eight-hour workday, so it's not illegal to not work overtime." "During campus recruitment, they didn't mention encouraging 007 work..."
Chen Yisheng seemed to ignore her muttering as he continued to swipe his finger across the screen. "Your homepage is doing quite well. There are so many positive reviews."
Chi Jin admitted that some of them were bought, including the one Chen Yiwen saw about feeding a cat in the same city.
"It seems that my time in Group B wasn't in vain. I learned all that traffic promotion stuff in vain."
The canvas strap in his hand couldn't bear the weight. With a soft snap, a plastic button flew off and rolled under the sofa. Chi Jin's fingers gripped the broken strap, pulling until his knuckles turned white, rubbing sparks from the rough canvas.
"Is the company's salary so low? You're risking your life just for this little money."
His tone was so calm, as if he was discussing the weather, but she, feeling guilty, heard a threat in it.
She was already feeling a surge of frustration, so she decided to throw the can down and spoke rapidly, "I can't help it. This little money might be just a cup of coffee to you, but to me, it's a day's worth of food. I've been in Group A for the past few months, and I haven't landed a single decent project. I have zero performance, but I still have to pay the rent, give gifts to my cousin back home for her wedding, and even ask for favors when a colleague has a baby. I'd pick up and wipe even a dollar dropped on the floor, let alone forty! Do you think I enjoy working in the hottest days of summer, during my period, and on weekdays to earn this meager 'coffee money'?"
Chen Yisheng said nothing.
Chi Jin lowered his head, looking at the messy dark blue on his palm, which was stained by a mixture of low-quality dye and sweat. He pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery and said, "Can I borrow your bathroom to wash my hands?"
Chen Yisheng slightly turned sideways to make way for the aisle leading to the bathroom.
The cold water washed over her palms, and the dazzling blue gradually faded and diluted. Chi Jin scooped up the cold water and splashed it hard on her face, trying to quench the irritation and frustration in her heart. The person in the mirror had slightly red eyes, a red nose, and water-stained hair. She looked disheveled and pitiful. She stared at herself, her heart filled with confusion.
The sudden vibration of the phone is a notification from the part-time job app:
[The single owner has confirmed that the service is complete.]
[Evaluation: Five-star praise.]
[Comment: On time, patient with pets, insisted on completing the job despite being allergic to cat hair, and had a serious attitude.]
Chi Jin stared at the review, feeling a mixture of emotions. Was he still somewhat humane? Did he not give it a bad review? But this review… somehow it felt official and businesslike.
But at least he hadn't given her any trouble in this regard. Chi Jin breathed a sigh of relief and washed her face again. As the water flowed, she realized the sink was completely empty of unnecessary bottles and jars. She stood up and surveyed the area. The decor was minimalist, with gray and white tones and clean lines. This didn't look like a bathroom for a couple; it looked like a model apartment.
She didn't want to stay even a second longer, so she wiped herself dry with some paper and turned the doorknob.
In the living room, the fat orange cat curled up on the cat climbing frame, lazily licking its paws. And on the coffee table in front of the sofa, a cup of steaming water sat. Was he pouring it for himself?
Chi Jin pretended not to see it, walked to where he put his bag without looking around, and quickly picked up the canvas bag and broken buttons scattered on the ground (although he didn't know where they rolled to).
Chen Yisheng didn't say anything either, he just stood by the window, his back straight and silent.
"I didn't see your wife."
Chi Jin made small talk, her voice dry. She had known Chen Yisheng was married the first time they met. Although she had never met him in person, there were many legends about "Mrs. Chen" in the editorial department. The most outrageous one even said that Chen Yisheng married a caveman.
"She's busy with work." Chen Yisheng's answer was too concise, and he didn't even turn around.
Of course, Chi Jin didn't believe those outrageous rumors, and she wasn't in the mood to gossip at all.
He came over at some point, his eyes fixed on the top of her drooping hair, and his voice was emotionless: "Your sharp tongue just now does show some of your former spirit."
At first?
Chi Jin's fingers paused slightly as he was packing his things.
What was it like back then?
She remembered it, even though it seemed so distant it happened a lifetime ago. She bit the soft flesh on the inside of her lower lip and didn't respond, habitually treating his words, which sounded like "compliments," as a boss's occasional, impulsive, and insignificant comments to his subordinates.
But somewhere deep down in her heart, the words "the original spirit" stirred a light, sending a faint, indescribable, sour ripple through her. It was so fast that she couldn't even grasp the emotion.
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