"There, that room's yours." Even though Old Madam Zhang — full name Zhang Meizhen — was very dissatisfied with Gan Qing's gender, her nephew had already sent this person over. It probably wasn't right for her to directly throw Gan Qing out, so she let Gan Qing into the apartment in the end.

Because the corridor was on the north side of the building, all the bedrooms faced south. Even though it was the second bedroom, the space was not cramped. The window was bright and clean, and the rows of old scholar trees in the southern courtyard were immediately visible when looking down. The curtains should have been newly washed; they still had the gentle, cosy smell of laundry detergent on them. There was even a lush and thriving pot of wax begonia in the corner, its redness bold and unrestrained.

When Gan Qing walked into No. 110 Courtyard, she had already struck once on the drums of retreat.

When she unfortunately bumped into Yu Lanchuan and Old Master Yang at the elevator lobby, she struck again on the drums of retreat.

When she reached 1003 and realised that the Old Madam Zhang didn't like her much, she had actually already made up her mind not to stay there and invite dislike from others. She would sit for a while and then leave.

As for a place to stay, she had already thought it out. She could borrow a few plastic stools from Boss Meng, line them up, and make do with sleeping at the shop for now. She didn't have the legendary ability of "sleeping on a suspended rope," but she probably wouldn't fall to her death from sleeping on plastic stools.

All her mental preparations suffered an utter and complete defeat in the face of this room.

Putting aside the fact that it faced the light, even a room with a window was something she had not seen for a long time.

The small building was hidden deep in the courtyard. The dense cover of greenery in the courtyard blocked off the noise from the road, the honking of the cars sounding so far away they were like needles falling to the ground. Standing by the window, with Gan Qing's hearing ability that could discern even the ticking of the little table clock in the living room, the quietness was almost a luxury.

When she entered the room for a look, Gan Qing decided to throw caution and dignity to the wind.

Zhang Meizhen leaned against the door, curling her long hair around her fingers. She asked, "You don't have any bad habits, do you?"

The no-need-for-dignity Gan Qing immediately answered, "No. I definitely wake up early and go to bed early, I keep regular hours for work and rest. When I come home from work in the evening, I'll go to bed right after washing up and will turn off the lights by half past ten at night. In the morning, I'll definitely wake up before six and I can prepare breakfast for you. I don't watch TV, my phone is on silent, I won't bring guests home and any packages will be delivered to the shop. Even though I am not very fussy with cleanliness, I can take out the trash at all times and wipe the table at all times. I will clean the sink after I wash my face and I definitely won't let my hair clog up the drain. If you have anything else you need me to do, you can let me know."

After hearing all that, Zhang Meizhen was dumbstruck for a while. "You… how long have you been a nun?"

Gan Qing felt that this wasn't a compliment and didn't dare answer rashly. She only smiled.

"I don't eat breakfast, you don't have to bother with me. Don't look for me before ten o' clock." Zhang Meizhen waved her hand. "Sometimes I go out to play at night and will come back late. I'll bring my keys with me, you don't have to stay up and wait for me. But if I happen to drink too much, I might make some noise. Your mental state is not delicate, is it?"

Gan Qing digested the old lady's words for a while, and quickly shook her head respectfully.

"That's good." Zhang Meizhen rolled her eyes at the ceiling. She had nothing else to say to Gan Qing, so she recited a prayer at her. "Amitabha."

In this year and age, the elderly were partying wildly like youngsters while the young ones were trembling fearfully as they looked for medical insurance.

Thickening her skin, Gan Qing settled into her new nest.

This place was just too comfortable. When she showered, there were no housemates needing to pee knocking on the door. On the double bed, not only could she stretch her legs out, she could even roll around. There was no non-stop dripping coming from the toilet the whole night, and also no non-stop slapping of slippers when people went in and out. It was so quiet that she was unused to it and she actually found it a little hard to sleep on the first night. Hence, she got up, draped her clothes over herself, and went over to the window to bask in the moonlight.

Madam Zhang Meizhen was not home yet. She didn't go out to party tonight, she had gone next door.

The apartment next door was still brightly lit. There were a lot of people there — there were those from No. 110 Courtyard and also those who had come from far. The apartment couldn't fit everyone so they crowded the corridor, waiting for their turn to go in and light a joss stick for the old Yu Huaide.

When Gan Qing was young, she had met that old man once. She remembered that he was a very kindly man and had always smiled before speaking. He was respected and his sword skills were excellent. Everyone looked for him to mediate whenever there was a problem. There was once during a gathering when everyone had had too much to drink and started a ruckus, saying that they wanted to kowtow to the old man and venerate him as the alliance leader. Of course, Elder Yu refused to accept it but from then on, he was known as "Alliance Leader Yu."

With the window opened, Gan Qing could hear the people next door speaking in accents from all over. Everyone was talking in hushed and solemn tones, and were not at all noisy. Then, someone played the song Farewell^[1] on the harmonica.

The thin yet far-reaching and melodious harmonica sound teased the midsummer night, veering off-key without detracting from the overall beauty.

She turned her ear towards the sound and listened, a little lost in her thoughts.

Asking when you will return after leaving this time,

When you return, do not wander.

The dog plushie gifted by her night owl roommate sat on the windowsill, its tongue hanging out. A small dog tag hung in front of its chest. Earlier on, when Gan Qing was frantically looking for a place to rent, she didn't have the time to take a close look. Now, she finally realised that there was a row of words on the tag, written in the night owl roommate's childish handwriting.

Gan Qing turned the dog tag over and saw that it was written with the words: On what do you build your life?

She didn't know if this could be considered as parting advice or if it was something the night owl roommate had written for herself as a joke. After reading it, Gan Qing smiled and burrowed into her blankets again, closing her eyes to rest.

Boss Meng was right. Even if it was No. 110 Courtyard, it was no longer the same as it was in the past.

Other than many people coming on that night to send Yu Huaide off, this place was no different from any other ordinary residential neighbourhood. Every morning when she left, the people she bumped into were mostly sleepy-faced office workers and primary school children going for revision classes, as well as the bored-out-of-their-minds old uncles and old aunties walking their dogs in the courtyard, exercising their bodies while wagging their tongues.

Even Madam Zhang Meizhen who had been dissatisfied with her on their first meeting got along peacefully with her — the main reason was because the two of them did not bump into each other.

When Gan Qing left for work in the morning, the old lady had yet to wake up. When Gan Qing was already sound asleep at night, the old lady had yet to come home. Both lived in the GMT+08 time zone but it seemed as though their clocks were separated by the Pacific Ocean.

Gan Qing had stayed there for nearly a month. The words that Zhang Meizhen most frequently said to her was "Help me take in my delivery packages."

Other than courier deliveries, Old Master Yang's granddaughter occasionally brought some things over.

Old Master Yang's granddaughter was the person they had bumped into at the elevator lobby. Her name was Yang Yifan. Apparently, she had her own company and was a spirited and energetic female boss. Gan Qing still didn't know what her company did because the old uncles and old aunties' gossip did not talk about business. What they usually said was, "That crazy girl in Old Yang's family is already thirty plus but she still doesn't have a partner. She's always playing around aimlessly outside and is as frivolous as you can expect. Just looking at her makes me worry."

Every time Yang Yifan was sent there by her grandfather, she would have an expression of utmost dislike on her face. If Old Madam Zhang happened to be at home, she would put down the thing she brought and roll her eyes. If Old Madam Zhang was not at home, she would pull Gan Qing over and start a long rant, mocking Madam Zhang Meizhen from head to toe.

Meanwhile, after Elder Yu was sent off, the door on the apartment next door was locked and the refined young man from the Yu family did not come again.

In a blink of the eye, Yanning's brief summer slipped hurriedly past. Two rounds of rain fell and the mornings and evenings turned chilly. Autumn was peeking around the corner.

The students were anxious and miserable, preparing for school to reopen. The cubicle monkeys were also delivered a sudden blow by the upcoming third quarter, and were trembling under the killing aura of their KPIs hanging above their heads.

Yu Lanchuan had taken one week off from work to take care of matters after his granduncle's passing and when he got back, he was spun like a top. As the saying went, "When it rains, it pours." The head of the company's risk management department — in other words, Yu Lanchuan's direct supervisor — suddenly suffered a stroke while walking to the pantry to get sugar. He was only forty plus. The ambulance took him away in a wail of sirens and his condition was still critical even after a few days.

When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves as well; someone else's misfortune could very well be their own tomorrow. The overtime dogs clutched their "three highs^[2]" bellies and felt that they were seeing their own downfall. For a moment, the atmosphere was full of anxiety and gloom. More than half the work in the department landed on Yu Lanchuan's shoulders, weighing down on him until his days were bleak and dark. Hence, he switched from practicing the Seven Secret Arts swordplay once a day when he woke up in the morning to practising morning and night, twice a day. He was putting in real effort — he had no choice; if he wanted to live until retirement, he had to work hard to maintain his health.

Under these circumstances, for Yu Lanchuan to forget his younger brother's birthday was something that he could not be criticised too harshly for.

30th August was Liu Zhongqi's sixteenth birthday. A week before the day, he was already waiting in anticipation. Before his parents left, they had exhorted him that his older brother had a lot of life stress and he was not allowed to demand too much from him. Liu Zhongqi didn't want presents anyway, he just hoped that his brother would come home earlier and eat a bowl of noodles with him… even instant noodles were fine.

He had circled the date on the calendar in the living room. Afraid that Yu Lanchuan hadn't seen it, he purposely woke up extra early on that day and struck up a chat at the dining table. "Ge, today's Sunday. Do you still have to work overtime?"

Yu Lanchuan didn't even look up and only let out a mm.

"Then, can you come back earlier? Will you eat dinner at home?"

Yu Lanchuan held his chopsticks in his right hand while his left hand was replying WeChat messages. Both lines were occupied, lost in the "bliss" of overwork. He wasn't listening to what Liu Zhongqi was saying at all and just replied with another "Mm" out of habit. Then, he put this matter miles away from his mind.

Birthdays during the summer or winter vacations were always not as lively as birthdays during school. Especially when it was near the start of school — at this time, everyone was frantically completing their schoolwork and didn't have the mood to think about other things. In the entire day, only the few schoolmates he was closer to texted him. His parents who were far away in another country sent him an e-card. The present they sent would take a few days to reach.

Liu Zhongqi went out to buy a cake himself. He waited until eight p.m. but Yu Lanchuan didn't seem like he would be back anytime soon. He tried calling but the line was busy. He texted but the other party did not reply.

He called again at nine p.m. As before, the line was busy.

At ten p.m… this time, the call finally connected. The other end of the line was very noisy, Yu Lanchuan was talking to someone. "...As far as I understand, this is not the case. Where did your market value come from? I hope everyone can be more serious, okay?"

Then, he seemed to be cupping his hand over his phone and his voice was very soft. He said quickly, "Get food delivery for yourself and go to bed early. Gege is too busy over here. If there's anything, we'll talk when I'm home. Be good."

After he was done speaking, he ended the call. Five seconds later, Liu Zhongqi's phone buzzed. He opened his WeChat in anticipation, looking forward to receiving even a simple "Happy Birthday." In the end, he received a red packet.

The message was the automated response: Gong Xi Fa Cai, wishing you luck and prosperity.

Liu Zhongqi sat alone by the dining table for a long while. Quietly, he cut a piece of the cake and ate it. Then, he shouldered his school bag, took two changes of clothes, and decided to run away from home.

At this hour, Gan Qing was already about to go to bed. She was just about to switch off the light when her phone buzzed. There was a friend request and the attaching note was "Star Dreams's customer."

She felt that these customers who didn't sleep at night and didn't wake up in the morning were rather annoying. However, customers were still the kings. She hesitated for a while, but accepted the request in the end.

The "king's" profile picture was a British rock artist and the name was "Zhong but not Qi^[3]." A message came very quickly: You said that the first three consultations are free.

She knew it.

Gan Qing sighed and burrowed into her nest of blankets, deliberating how she could get rid of this annoying customer.

The "king" spoke again. I'm at Star Dreams's entrance. Is the shop closed?

Gan Qing yawned and replied. Business hours are from ten a.m. to eight p.m., dear.

Oh. After a short while of "typing…" the "king" continued to pester and ask. Can you work overtime?

Gan Qing, "..."

The "king" said. Aren't adults always working overtime?

My job is to observe the trajectory of the stars and the subtle aura of the universe. Gan Qing started to spew nonsense. The universe is spinning at every second and time is a very important parameter. Only when the time is right can one experience the secrets of destiny. I beg your understanding, dear.

The "king" was dear-ed until he could not speak.

Gan Qing sighed in relief, then lay down and went to sleep.

The next morning, Gan Qing went to work at Star Dreams as usual. She took a long stretch and was just about to unlock the door when she suddenly paused.

One of her name cards had been dropped at the entrance of Star Dreams, crumpled into a ball. On the white stone steps next to it, there was a print from a person's five fingers...

T/N:

[1] "Farewell" (送别) written by Li Shutong, released in 1915.

[2] Three highs - high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure.

[3] "Zhong but not Qi" - referring to an old way of numbering the sons in a family, 伯仲叔季 bó zhòng shū jì. The second character is the same "zhong" as the one in Liu Zhongqi's name and refers to the second son. The fourth character, "ji," is a close homonym to Liu Zhongqi's "qi," and means youngest son.