Chapter One: Spider Web and the Sea Breeze in the Photo Album
At 3:17 PM, the office building's blinds filtered sunlight into fragments of gold, casting a slanted glow on Lin Xia's keyboard. Staring at the densely packed reports on the screen, her right eyelid suddenly twitched uncontrollably twice. The microwave beeped from the break room, followed by Old Wang's suppressed cough—he was secretly taking lozenges for his sore throat again. Outside the cubicle, Ayu's plaid shirt, like a flickering orange light, moved from beside the printer to the water dispenser, finally stopping in front of Lin Xia's workstation.
"Xiaxia, look at this!" Ayu placed her phone on the table, and the screen lit up, showing a photo of the beach. Waves rolled in, carrying fine sand over bare feet, and in the distance, coconut trees curved into crescents in the sunset. In the corner of the photo, there was a line of small print: "In 2019, the wind on Weizhou Island was salty."
Lin Xia rubbed her throbbing temples: "Ayu, I'm busy right now, with the end-of-month report..."
"It's all because of the end-of-month reports!" Ayu raised her voice, attracting Xiao Zhang from the next workstation to peek out. She lowered her voice, leaned forward, and her eyes shone like ignited sparks. "Look at you, your dark circles are practically down to your chin; Old Wang said in the break room yesterday that his daughter is complaining again about how her father always misses parent-teacher conferences; and Xiao Li, she sprained her ankle working overtime last week, and the cast hasn't even been removed yet!"
Lin Xia followed A Yu's gaze and saw: Old Wang was sighing in front of the computer, his fingers tapping out a weary rhythm on the keyboard; Xiao Li was propped up on one leg on a stool, a cane beside him, staring blankly out the window; Xiao Zhang was secretly popping a mint into his mouth, trying to shake off his drowsiness. The air was filled with the mixed smell of printer ink and instant coffee, like an invisible net, binding everyone to their workstations.
“I was tidying up my old things last week and found this.” Ayu pulled a worn-out photo album from the drawer, its plastic cover printed with a faded Eiffel Tower. She opened to the first page, which contained photos from her college graduation trip: smoke rising from a barbecue grill by the sea, everyone’s smiling faces red from the cold at sunrise on the mountaintop, and countless notes and messages on the hostel walls. “Do you remember, we promised each year that we would go to a new place together?”
Lin Xia's fingers hovered over the keyboard, her memory suddenly pulled back six years. They had just started their jobs, crammed into a cubicle sharing a bag of chips, planning in front of the computer screen, "We'll go to Yunnan after this project is over." But one project ended, another began; once they'd saved their bonuses, they had to pay rent; "next time" became their constant refrain. The smiling faces in the photo album were still vivid, but in reality, they were like lifeless shadow puppets, mechanically swaying within the framework of the office building.
“Ayu, it’s not that I don’t want to go, it’s just that I can’t get away.” Old Wang swiveled his chair to join the conversation, rubbing his temples. “My wife just called and said there’s a parent-teacher conference next week, and one parent has to attend. I’ve already taken two days off this month…”
"My leg isn't convenient either," Xiao Li said, shaking his leg in a cast. "Besides, if I take annual leave, I'll lose my perfect attendance bonus, and I still have my mortgage to pay."
Xiao Zhang slammed the jar of mints shut: "I'd like to go, but last time I argued with my girlfriend, she said if I didn't take care of the family, she'd break up with me—you know her temper."
Listening to everyone's cacophony of difficulties, Ayu's face dimmed slightly, but quickly brightened again. She closed the photo album, her fingertips gently tracing the cover: "I know everyone is struggling, like...like a spider web, seemingly dense with knots, but as long as you find a breakthrough, you can tear open a hole to let in some air." She paused, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, "Do you remember the last time you looked up at the clouds? Do you remember smelling the earth not in a flowerpot, but on the grass after the rain?"
Lin Xia subconsciously looked out the window. Between the tall buildings, the sky was cut into a narrow strip, gray and hazy, like a worn-out rag. She remembered working overtime until late last night, and when she walked out of the office building, she could only see the streetlights casting long, thin shadows of herself; she couldn't even see the stars.
“I checked, there’s a small town nearby, only a three-hour train ride away.” Ayu took out her phone and swiped to a travel app. “There are tea plantations, streams, and a century-old stilted village. The guesthouse owner said it’s the season for picking spring tea. We’ll take three days off, plus the weekend, for a total of five days, that should be enough.”
"Three days off?" Old Wang frowned. "Project progress..."
“I spoke to Manager Zhang,” Ayu interrupted him, a sly glint in her eyes. “I compiled a list of our team’s overtime hours for the last three months and attached it to the leave application email. The manager said… considering team cohesion, he’ll support it in principle.” She deliberately emphasized the words “in principle,” a smug smile playing on her lips.
Xiao Li was somewhat tempted: "But what about my feet..."
"The guesthouse owner said they have wheelchairs, and the road to the tea plantation is very flat, so pushing a wheelchair won't be a problem," Ayu immediately chimed in. "Besides, don't you want to see a real tea plantation? It's better than staring at a computer screen, isn't it?"
Xiao Zhang was still hesitating: "I need to discuss it with my girlfriend..."
"Just tell her you're taking her with you!" Ayu's eyes lit up. "There's a handmade tie-dye workshop in town; girls will definitely love that. Consider it an apology; it's much more practical than giving her lipstick!"
The office fell silent, save for the hum of the air conditioning vents. Ayu clutched her photo album, as if it were a fragile dream, gazing longingly at everyone. Lin Xia noticed the frayed edges of Ayu's cuffs and remembered how last week Ayu had complained about needing someone to care for her mother in the hospital while she couldn't get time off and had to cry in the hospital corridor late at night. But now, she was like a tireless little sun, striving to share her light with everyone.
"Ayu, what about you?" Lin Xia asked softly. "What about your mother..."
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