MC - Chapter 10

The bathroom’s waterproof layer hadn’t been fixed yet, and Zhang Rufan was afraid of leaking water downstairs again, so she didn’t dare shower. Going back to her home in Binhu District was too far and inconvenient for work the next day. After some thought, she called Cheng Yi and explained the situation.

Cheng Yi also lived in Jinghua District. Hearing Zhang Rufan’s predicament, she didn’t hesitate to invite her over.

After hanging up, Zhang Rufan returned to her room to pack what she needed for Cheng Yi’s place. She dug out the small travel bag she’d used when moving and packed a pre-matched outfit and undergarments. Then she walked to the bed to grab her phone charger.

Opening the bedside drawer, the first thing she saw was a book—Anne of Green Gables. The day she moved in, she had inexplicably brought it along, along with the letter tucked inside.

Zhang Rufan hesitated for a moment before taking out the book and sitting on the edge of the bed. She traced her fingers along the edges, her gaze meeting the red-haired, freckle-faced girl on the cover.

Her grandmother had given her the book, saying she hoped Xiaofan could be like Anne—someone who loved life and had unwavering courage.

Truthfully, Zhang Rufan didn’t read much fiction. During her teenage years, while her female classmates devoured romance novels, she never touched them. Zhang Shengyi believed novels could make people lose ambition. Instead of fantastical stories, he preferred her to read practical current affairs to understand society.

She had taken Anne of Green Gables to school. In the stressful pre-exam period of her final year, reading it became her unique way to unwind. She loved how little Anne faced life—optimistic, proactive, and passionate. She especially admired Anne’s home at Green Gables. Though Matthew and Marilla weren’t her birth parents, they gave her a warm, loving family.

For a time, the book made her yearn for such a life, but that fantasy shattered on the day of the rally. For Zhang Rufan, suddenly learning that her family was expanding—that she would soon have a half-sibling—hit her harder than expected.

Growing up in a single-parent household, Zhang Rufan had always known Zhang Shengyi wouldn’t remain a widower forever. She had mentally prepared for a stepmother. But when he actually remarried, her teenage self couldn’t calmly accept it. The same went for Aunt Hui’s pregnancy. The maturity she thought she had couldn’t transcend the limits of her age.

The world in the book was beautiful, but reality wasn’t fiction. She wasn’t the kind of girl who would name paths, lakes, or forests. At one point, she even felt only someone as lively and innocent as Anne deserved affection.

On the day of the rally, Zhang Rufan hadn’t opened Anne of Green Gables even once. Afterward, she shelved it—only for Shen Mingjin to have tucked his letter inside, leaving her to discover it five years later by chance.

Zhang Rufan opened the book and took out the letter, sighing softly before frowning slightly. Her sense of loss felt inexplicable—as if she regretted not seeing the letter five years ago.

Even if she had seen it back then, what difference would it have made?

She felt troubled, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. After sitting for a while without finding an answer, she slipped the letter back into the book and returned it to the drawer.

Once packed, she left with her small travel bag, hailing a cab to Cheng Yi’s place.

Cheng Yi now worked as a graphic designer at a publishing house in Jinghua District. Her family home was in Huai’an District, which wasn’t close, so she also rented a place. Her apartment was in the southern part of Jinghua, while Jinghua Garden was in the north. Though both were in the same district, the drive still took nearly twenty minutes.

By the time Zhang Rufan got out of the car, night had fully fallen. She registered at the gate, rang the intercom at the apartment building, and went straight up.

“Come in quick.” Cheng Yi opened the door, a slice of pizza in hand, mumbling, “I haven’t cleaned up in a while, so it’s a bit messy. Just put your stuff anywhere.”

Cheng Yi’s rented loft had the living area downstairs and the bedroom upstairs. Zhang Rufan changed her shoes, left her bag by the sofa, and, seeing the lit screen of Cheng Yi’s laptop, asked, “Working overtime?”

“Yeah, gotta finish some illustrations.” Cheng Yi swallowed her pizza and asked, “You haven’t eaten, right? I know you don’t eat pizza, so I ordered you pasta. Sit down and eat while it’s hot.”

Zhang Rufan thanked her, washed her hands, then sat on a small stool by the table and opened the aluminum takeout box.

Cheng Yi handed her chopsticks and looked up. “I didn’t get to ask clearly on the phone—you said Shen Mingjin lives downstairs from you?”

“Yeah.”

“Holy cow, you two really are fated. Living in the same building is one thing, but right above each other?” Cheng Yi tilted her chin up. “He didn’t give you trouble, did he?”

“No.” Zhang Rufan’s denial was absolute.

“Figured. He’s not unreasonable.” Cheng Yi took a sip of her cola and asked casually, “You two get along okay?”

“…I guess so.”

“Don’t feel too burdened around him. He’s a good guy—he even stood up for you back in school.”

“Huh?” Zhang Rufan didn’t follow.

Cheng Yi took another sip of cola and cleared her throat. “Once during P.E., a few guys were chatting by the sink on the field. I happened to be slacking off under the banyan tree nearby and overheard.”

“They were talking about the 800-meter run test results. Shen Mingjin had the best time among the boys, and you were the fastest girl—even beating some guys. I remember one jerk said you ‘didn’t act like a girl at all,’ with your short hair and dark skin, calling you ‘some African mix.’”

Cheng Yi rolled her eyes before continuing, “I was about to go yell at him, but Shen Mingjin beat me to it. He shut the guy down hard, telling him not to talk trash just because he got outrun by a girl. He said short hair and dark skin didn’t make you less of a girl—short hair was practical, dark skin was healthy…”

“I don’t remember the exact words, but that was the gist.”

Zhang Rufan’s expression froze as she suddenly remembered something.

When they first started high school, Zhang Rufan and Shen Mingjin weren’t in the same class, but he often visited hers. Once, a boy called her “tomboy.” Before she could react, Shen Mingjin hooked an arm around the guy’s neck in a playful headlock, grinning as he told him to watch his mouth—that it was low to give girls nicknames like that.

After that, no one ever called her “tomboy” again, nor did anyone mock her short hair or skin tone.

Back then, Zhang Rufan thought it was just Shen Mingjin’s natural courtesy—that such chivalry wasn’t reserved for her alone.

“Come to think of it, you had a pretty good impression of Shen Mingjin in high school,” Cheng Yi remarked suddenly.

Zhang Rufan’s heart inexplicably skipped. “Huh?” she blurted. “No way—we barely interacted.”

“You didn’t interact much, but whenever he approached you, you never seemed annoyed or put off.” Cheng Yi tapped Zhang Rufan’s forehead lightly. “You’re too self-protective. On the surface, you’re polite to everyone, but deep down, you keep people at arm’s length.”

“It took me so much effort just to become your friend.” Cheng Yi sighed, then continued when she saw Zhang Rufan’s dazed expression. “In high school, you barely talked to boys, but you never really resisted Shen Mingjin. Otherwise, when he kept pestering you to sign up for sports events, you’d have gotten mad.”

“For you, not pushing someone away means you must’ve liked them at least a little.”

The word “liked” exploded in Zhang Rufan’s ears. Though it carried no suggestive undertones, it made her heart pound. Suddenly, everything clicked—as if she’d found the root of her reluctance and frustration.

Was it really possible to develop feelings for someone without even realizing it?

…

Perhaps because of the coffee, Zhang Rufan slept poorly all night—not just insomnia, but restless dreams when she finally dozed off.

Her body clock was precise, waking her before dawn. Despite her fatigue from poor sleep, she didn’t laze in bed, instead getting up promptly to wash, change, and even borrow Cheng Yi’s kitchen to make breakfast while there was still time.

Cheng Yi’s place was far from OW. Though she had time to spare, Zhang Rufan left early after eating, arriving at the mall by cab with nearly half an hour before work.

Walking toward the office building, she spotted colleagues from other departments carrying “Jindu” coffee. Her thoughts shifted, and her feet stopped on their own.

She recalled last night’s fragmented dreams—each one about Shen Mingjin, past and present. But questions unanswered in reality remained unresolved even in dreams.

If she wanted answers, she had to find them herself.

After a brief hesitation, she steadied herself, turned, and walked around the mall to Cultural Street. At the entrance of “Jindu,” she gave herself no room for regret and pushed the door open.

The café had scattered customers, with a longer line at the register. Zhang Rufan stood awkwardly at the end, peering past the people ahead to see Shen Mingjin busy behind the counter, his back to her.

The cashier was Xiao Mu. When it was her turn, she ordered a flat white, same as the day before.

Shen Mingjin, busy packing coffee, suddenly looked up at the sound and locked eyes with her.

“Morning.” He smiled.

Dazzled by his smile, she hurriedly replied, “Morning.”

“Flat white?”

“Yeah.”

“One moment.”

Shen Mingjin turned away. After paying, Zhang Rufan stepped aside but lingered by the counter, her gaze fixed on him as he worked.

Soon, he handed her the packed coffee with the usual reminder: “Drink it while it’s hot.”

“Okay.”

Instead of leaving, Zhang Rufan hesitated. Noticing her expression, Shen Mingjin asked, “Something else?”

After a pause, she said, “I’ve scheduled the technician to fix the waterproof layer this weekend. I might need your help then.”

“No problem.” He responded quickly. “Just let me know what you need.”

Under his gaze, her eyes flickered. She moistened her lips and murmured, “I’m not sure when I’ll need you, so… could I have your contact info?”

Shen Mingjin hadn’t expected her to ask for his number. Then he recalled the earlier misunderstanding where she thought he’d ignored her friend request.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I’ll add you on WeChat later.”

Unsure if he was just being polite, she raised her phone slightly and ventured, “How about now?”

Shen Mingjin froze. Zhang Rufan was being unusually forward today—it almost flustered him.

“Hold on.”

He retrieved his phone from under the counter. Her previous friend request had expired, so he pulled up his QR code and turned the screen toward her.

She scanned it, and the request was approved moments later. Staring at the new contact, she felt a weight lift, only then realizing how nervous she’d been.

Finding excuses to get a guy’s WeChat—Zhang Rufan never imagined she’d do such a thing. Maybe it was impulsive, but she didn’t regret it.

She thought: Trying a new drink, doing something unfamiliar—it wasn’t so hard after all.

1. 防水层 (Fángshuǐ céng) – Waterproof layer (construction term for leak prevention)

2. LOFT (Luòfūtè) – Loft apartment, a duplex-style living space

3. 美编 (Měibiān) – Graphic designer (abbreviation for 美术编辑)

4. 男人婆 (Nánrén pó) – Tomboy, kind of a derogatory term for a masculine girl

5. 生物钟 (Shēngwù zhōng) – Body clock 

6. 踟躇 (Chíchú) – Hesitate or to pause uncertainly

7. 受宠若惊 (Shòu chǒng ruò jīng) – Overwhelmed by favor/feeling flattered

8. 二维码 (Èr wéi mǎ) – QR code

9. 外交辞令 (Wàijiāo cí lìng) – Polite but non-committal phrasing

10. 绿山墙的安妮 (Lǜ shānqiáng de Ānnī) – Anne of Green Gables (classic novel by L. M. Montgomery)

Characters

章入凡 (Zhāng Rùfán) – The protagonist.

沈明津 (Shěn Míngjīn) – A former classmate who wrote Zhang Rufan a love letter in high school, in her copy of Anne of Green Gables.

章胜义 (Zhāng Shèngyì) – Zhang Rufan’s father. 

李惠淑 (Lǐ Huìshū) – Zhang Rufan’s stepmother ("惠姨 Huìyí").

章梓橦 (Zhāng Zǐtóng) – Rufan’s much younger half-sister (~18 years age gap). 

章胜嫔 (Zhāng Shèngpín) – Rufan’s aunt (father’s sister). 

程怡 (Chéng Yí) – Rufan’s close friend from middle school. 

谢易韦 (Xiè Yìwéi) – High school class monitor who is getting married, prompting the reunion.

杜升 (Dù Shēng) – Someone Zhang Rufan didn't want to add as a friend on WeChat at first.

刘品媛 (Liú Pǐnyuán) – The planning department manager at OW.

孙璐 (Sūn Lù) – Zhang Rufan’s direct supervisor at OW, who goes by "Sister Lu" (璐姐, Lù Jiě).

袁霜 (Yuán Shuāng) – A friendly coworker in the planning department.

Sevyn here ~~~

You guys, I literally had no idea people were leaving comments because I haven't been on the site I got my free "comment widget" from. I feel so bad, the oldest comments were from 25 days ago T.T 

I've seen all the old comments, though I don't know what the specific comment was meant for, which chapter or novel. 

Regardless,

Thank you:

Aki for being the first to comment, sorry to disappoint about LOF

Celeste IDK which novel you were happy about getting picked up, but I hope it wasn't LOF 😭

VicoSDL 😁 I enjoyed MC, good rec!

Lorraine again, not sure which novel you meant, but I hope it wasn't LOF 😭

Pure ty for the suggestion!