Because she had just had an argument with Ji Yu, Shi Xing lay awake in bed in the middle of the night. Though physically exhausted, she couldn’t fall asleep, tossing and turning endlessly.

Outside, faint light seeped through the window. The melancholy in her heart surged like a tide in the heavy darkness, and Ji Yu’s words kept replaying in her mind. She unconsciously clenched her fingers.

By the time she fell asleep, she didn’t even realize how it happened. The next morning, she woke with a sharp headache. The first thing she did was check her phone for messages from Ji Yu—but, as expected, there was nothing.

Shi Xing pressed her lips lightly and seemed to remember something, immediately opening her phone to adjust the notes inside, which gave her some sense of satisfaction. After taking care of that, she quickly washed up and went to work. However, because she hadn’t rested well the night before, she felt sluggish and drained.

It wasn’t until a colleague brought over a pile of moxibustion devices that she barely managed to focus on something else.

Glancing at them, she furrowed her brows, seemingly surprised at how fast the factory had produced them. “This quick?”

The colleague shook his head with a smile. “These are from the previous batch, just slightly better quality than the first. Jing Jie had me bring them over first.”

Shi Xing picked up one for a closer look. Before she could comment further, the swim team’s physician appeared, directing the athletes: “We’ll film a warm-up video first.”

At his words, the previously playful swimmers instantly straightened, forming lines and warming up to the rhythm of the music.

Shi Xing barely paid attention, but that evening, videos of team members using the moxibustion devices began spreading online. Perhaps because the swim team was well-known, netizens flooded the comments:

“LOL, is this the new model?”
“Seeing XX use it makes me want one too.”
“I tried searching for it, but can’t find it anywhere.”

Shi Xing watched the comments scroll by on her phone, a sense of pride swelling in her chest that people recognized her design. Yet beneath it was a subtle unease.

Sure enough, her worry soon materialized. As the product gained popularity, unscrupulous sellers quickly launched subpar devices claiming to be “the same model as XX.”

Shi Xing had no idea this was happening until she ran into Xiao Song, who casually mentioned it.

“Where did you see that?” Shi Xing frowned, bewildered—after all, they had never sold the devices externally.

Xiao Song, seeing her reaction, froze for a moment before hesitantly saying, “A store online has been selling it. I thought it was yours and even bought a few for my parents.”

“But the quality wasn’t great, so I stopped using them. I heard someone in our neighborhood almost had one explode and is planning to claim compensation from the seller.” Xiao Song added hesitantly.

Shi Xing frowned. The situation was more complicated than she had thought. After getting the store’s information, she rushed to the office to discuss it with Yu Jing.

Yu Jing’s eyes darkened slightly as she listened. “I’ll have someone contact them to take it down.”

Shi Xing, reassured by this, didn’t press further but still worried on her way home. What if the sellers refused? Could more people be deceived, creating a chain of negative consequences?

Lost in thought, she accidentally bumped into someone on the street. Pain shot through her shoulder, making her exhale softly.

“Sorry,” said a young man wearing a baseball cap, his face almost completely obscured by layers of clothing.

Shi Xing could only wave him off, not wanting to argue.

When she got home and reached for her keys, she realized her coin purse was missing. After searching her bag thoroughly, she finally accepted the loss with a sigh.

Opening the door, she glanced at her spacious apartment and, still frustrated, grabbed her phone to order delivery. Only then did she notice her usual restaurants were closed early—realizing it was Lantern Festival. Since the incident with Ji Yu, they hadn’t spoken in a long time.

They had occasional cold spells before, but Ji Yu usually made the first move to reconcile. Shi Xing, reflecting on her own words, felt her stubborn pride wouldn’t allow her to initiate contact.

She settled on a different delivery option. When it arrived, a minor mishap spilled some of the food. Seeing the delivery person worried, she chose not to scold them.

As she ate at the table, thinking about her unlucky day, her eyes watered slightly. At that moment, her phone rang.

Seeing a familiar name, she sniffed, quickly composed herself, and answered.

“Why are you just answering now?” Ji Yu’s background was noisy, with static and interference.

Hearing his voice, a strange ache welled in Shi Xing’s heart. She picked at her food casually. “Just got off work.”

Ji Yu immediately noticed: “You were crying?”

Shi Xing froze, surprised he guessed so quickly. He continued, “What happened?”

“Nothing,” she murmured, trying to deflect.

Ji Yu didn’t press further. “You’re at home?”

She nodded faintly.

After a moment, he said softly, “Open the door.”

The doorbell rang immediately. Ji Yu called a few times outside. Shi Xing walked over, puzzled. “What did you buy?”

When she opened the door, she froze. Ji Yu stood there in a black coat, lips pressed thin, eyes squinting, though a smile soon softened his gaze.

Shi Xing’s eyes widened in surprise. He stared at her face, then asked, “Are your eyes allergic?”

Feeling guilty, she averted her gaze, muttering, “It’s not that bad.”

Ji Yu smiled silently, stepping inside. Noticing the scattered food containers, he raised an eyebrow, looking at her.

Shi Xing tried to shift the topic. “Why are you back today?” She remembered his training schedule should have kept him away longer.

Ji Yu’s voice lowered, serious: “To spend the holiday with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. By the time she processed it, he was standing before her, leaning in softly: “Who made you cry? Did you just cry?”

His words struck her like a final blow. Shi Xing recounted the day’s misfortunes. Ji Yu held her gently, comforting her: “How much did they take?”

Wiping her tears, she mumbled, “I don’t know… but my favorite coin purse was gone too.”

Ji Yu rubbed her head, softening his voice: “I’ll buy you a new one.”

“That was bought casually when we were in London. How can you buy the exact same one?” she argued softly.

Ji Yu met her gaze, earnest: “Trust me. I’ll get one exactly the same.”

He then asked, “Did you handle the moxibustion device issue?”

“How do you know everything?” Shi Xing’s eyes flickered, puzzled.

Ji Yu chuckled. “You never tell me anything, so I have to find out myself.”

Shi Xing snorted lightly. Ji Yu suddenly noticed something, took her phone, and said ambiguously, “You changed my notes?”

Flustered, she admitted, “Just a few days ago, when you hung up on me.”

“When did I hang up on you?” Ji Yu tugged at his lips, then realized and explained, “Our coach was here then.”

Shi Xing pictured him secretly calling her while being caught, and laughed. Still, she said stubbornly, “But you didn’t call me afterward.”

“Because all my phones were taken,” he said, looking unusually uncomfortable.

He quickly composed himself, eyes on her, voice low: “So you’ve been mad at me all these days?”

Shi Xing shook her head. “I’m not that petty.”

Ji Yu didn’t call her bluff, nodding affectionately. “Fine, then it’s my fault.”

Outside, Xi Yu curiously called out a few times.

The cold wind mixed with fine snow outside, while inside, warmth and joy filled the room.

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