Same evening~
I step out of the huge building and onto the road, and—wow.
Lights everywhere.
Warm yellow fairy lights wrapped around poles. Red ribbons on shop doors. Fake snow clinging to glass windows like it actually belongs there. Every store is glowing like it's trying way too hard to be cheerful.
I stop for half a second, just… staring.
So this is how the city looks when it pretends nothing is wrong.
I pull out my phone and call Jiang.
He picks up almost instantly.
"Yunhua," he says, voice bright, "you called early today!"
"Yeah," I sigh, shifting my bag on my shoulder. "Stuff happened. I'm done early."
I glance around again, watching people walk past with shopping bags, couples arguing about decorations, kids dragging parents toward toy stores.
"It's only five," I continue, lowering my voice a bit. "But I'm still far from home. So—plan change."
He hums softly, listening like it's the most important briefing of his life.
