MC - Chapter 13

Zhang Rufan had been taught by Zhang Shengyi from a young age to approach both study and work with undivided focus. Over the years, she had always lived by the principle of diligence and vigilance from dawn till dusk, rarely allowing herself to be distracted. But after leaving “Jindu” at noon, she found herself absent-minded the entire afternoon, her efficiency noticeably low. Luckily, work wasn’t demanding that day, so even without full concentration, she managed to complete her tasks.

At five in the afternoon, Li Huishu called Zhang Rufan to say they had returned from the countryside. She had picked up Zhang Zitong from kindergarten and brought her home, so she called to let her know, saving her an unnecessary trip.

Li Huishu then asked if Zhang Rufan would be coming home that night, saying that Zhang Zitong had asked about her sister as soon as she came out of kindergarten. Zhang Rufan was a bit surprised. Just the day before, the girl hadn’t been close to her—perhaps even a little afraid—and she hadn’t done anything fun with her, only followed Li Huishu’s instructions to make sure she wasn’t hungry, thirsty, or tired. She had assumed the little girl would be glad to be rid of her, and hadn’t expected to still be on her mind.

Children’s affections come quickly. Zhang Rufan was somewhat affected, but not enough to be truly moved. She still felt a sense of distance from that household and had no intention of forcing herself to fit in. So when Li Huishu finished asking, she simply replied that she wouldn’t be coming back.

Her apartment’s bathroom had been repaired over the weekend, but the coating hadn’t dried yet and couldn’t be used, so for the next couple of days, she would continue staying at Cheng Yi’s place.

After work, Zhang Rufan went to Jingnan. Cheng Yi hadn’t gotten off yet, so she let herself in using the passcode. Cheng Yi lived a carefree life, and her apartment reflected that. Though Zhang Rufan had helped tidy up the place just last week, by the end of another weekend, it had already fallen back into chaos.

Zhang Rufan knew Cheng Yi thrived in her own kind of organized mess—she could always find whatever she needed amid the clutter. So she didn’t touch her things, only cleaned up the takeout boxes and snack wrappers, and took out the trash while she was at it. She had ordered some groceries, and once the delivery arrived, she got to work in the kitchen and cooked a simple dinner.

She stir-fried a few homestyle dishes, and just as she placed the final bowl of soup on the table, Cheng Yi walked in. “You’re back,” she greeted her.

The moment Cheng Yi stepped through the door, the delicious aroma of food hit her. She kicked off her shoes and hurried in. Her eyes lit up at the sight of four dishes and a soup on the table.

 “Xiao Fan, why don’t you just move in with me?”

“It’s too far,” Zhang Rufan replied.

“Then I’ll move in with you?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind the longer commute and not being able to sleep in.”

Cheng Yi pouted and let out a defeated sigh. “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

Zhang Rufan finished setting the table and gave a small smile. “Wash your hands and eat.”

At the dinner table, Zhang Rufan stuck to her usual principle of not speaking during meals, quietly listening as Cheng Yi talked on and on. Cheng Yi was never short on things to say—she jumped from work gossip to rants about the cafeteria food, mixing complaints with commentary in a steady stream.

“Oh, by the way, Wu Zheng and I are planning to get engaged,” Cheng Yi said suddenly, her tone softening.

Wu Zheng was Cheng Yi’s college classmate. They had been together for three or four years, breaking up and getting back together more than once—like lotus roots, always connected by unseen threads.

Zhang Rufan remembered the last time she’d heard Wu Zheng’s name was about a month ago, when Cheng Yi had told her they’d broken up—for real this time—because he didn’t reply to her message until the next day.

“Engaged?” Zhang Rufan was surprised. She wouldn’t have been shocked if they had gotten back together, but this was quite a leap. “That’s sudden.”

“Not really,” Cheng Yi said, putting down her chopsticks and propping her chin in her hand. “We’ve been together a long time. Yesterday, he had a bit to drink and came to wait for me downstairs. We ended up talking for a long time—really honest, cleared the air about a lot of things. And then we decided to make it official.”

Zhang Rufan never interfered in other people’s business, and she certainly didn’t comment on their relationships. She just nodded and said, “As long as you’ve thought it through.”

“There’s no such thing as really thinking it through when it comes to relationships,” Cheng Yi said with a relaxed smile. “It’s just hormones and impulse. Who knows what’s coming later? As long as you don’t regret it in the moment, that’s enough.”

In the past, Zhang Rufan wouldn’t have agreed with this kind of thinking. She had always believed that whether it was work or love, everything should be carefully thought out and approached step by step. But lately, she’d come to understand just how impulsive emotions could be. So she nodded quietly.

“Xiao Fan, are there any quality single men at your new company?”

Zhang Rufan looked up and replied seriously, “Aren’t you getting engaged to Wu Zheng?”

“I don’t mean for me—I mean for you,” Cheng Yi said. “Now that you’re back in Shangjing and probably staying put, you could find someone.”

“Hey, didn’t Du Sheng add you on WeChat? Has he messaged you?”

“Yes.”

Mentioning Du Sheng made Zhang Rufan uneasy. Ever since they had added each other on WeChat at the class monitor’s wedding, he had been messaging her off and on, usually about trivial things. Out of politeness, she always responded—briefly and to the point. Last weekend, he had asked her out, and she had turned him down, using apartment repairs as an excuse. He had replied that they could try again another time.

Zhang Rufan understood his intentions, but since he hadn’t said anything outright and his messages weren’t inappropriate, she couldn’t directly reject him.

“He seems decent. Why not give it a try?” Cheng Yi suggested.

Zhang Rufan quickly shook her head.

Cheng Yi had expected that. She let out a light sigh and said, “You’re like a Bodhisattva—untouched by the world. I wonder who could ever make your heart waver.”

Zhang Rufan was momentarily lost in thought. She opened her mouth, intending to tell Cheng Yi about what had happened at noon—but then changed her mind and said nothing.

Bringing up Shen Mingjin would mean starting all the way back in high school. Zhang Rufan wasn’t ready to share that part of her past, especially not now, when her feelings were still unclear. She didn’t want anyone else’s opinions clouding her thoughts.

Later that evening, Cheng Yi turned on the projector, looking for a movie to watch. She casually asked Zhang Rufan for a suggestion, not really expecting one—after all, Zhang Rufan usually preferred documentaries over films. But to her surprise, not only did Zhang Rufan reply, she even suggested a movie that caught Cheng Yi off guard: First Love: A Little Thing Called Love.

“A romance movie?” Cheng Yi asked, stunned.

“I guess so.”

“You don’t usually go for those.”

“A colleague recommended it. Said it seemed interesting.”

That “colleague” was actually Yuan Shuang, who knew that Zhang Rufan had been very tanned in high school and only started to lighten up during university. Yuan Shuang had mentioned the film, saying she reminded her of the main character—a girl who went through a perfect transformation. Zhang Rufan hadn’t been particularly curious at the time, but today, something about the title had touched her. So now, she found herself interested in seeing what it was about.

“It’s actually a really sweet movie,” Cheng Yi said as she pulled it up on the projector. Then, turning to her again, asked, still a little unsure, “You really want to watch this?”

Zhang Rufan nodded.

"You rarely show interest in romance movies. I'll watch it again with you," Cheng Yi said as she pressed play.

As the movie began and the female lead appeared on screen, Cheng Yi glanced at Zhang Rufan, cleared her throat, and said, “Honestly, you weren’t any tanner than Nam back in high school. You didn’t wear glasses either, and though your hair was a bit short, it was always neat. Plus, with your height, you had this unique… uh, aura. Yes, aura.”

Zhang Rufan gave a faint, helpless smile. She knew exactly what Cheng Yi was doing—trying to keep her from projecting herself onto the character and getting too emotionally wrapped up in the story.

But Cheng Yi’s concern was unnecessary. When it came to self-esteem, Zhang Rufan was either strong or simply insensitive. As a child from a single-parent family, she’d been the target of plenty of teasing from her peers. In the beginning, she would come home in tears, and Zhang Shengyi would go talk to the parents of the offending children. But over time, he told her that the only way not to be hurt by others’ words was to build inner strength.

It wasn’t easy to forge emotional armor—but Zhang Rufan had managed. She built up walls like iron and stone, keeping outsiders at a distance. Of course, this kind of blanket defense sometimes shut out people who approached with kindness. Many gave up when they ran into those walls. Before she learned how to lower her guard, Cheng Yi had stubbornly broken her way in. And Shen Mingjin… he had slipped inside so quietly, she hadn’t even noticed.

By the time the two-hour movie ended, it was Cheng Yi—the one who was just keeping her company—who had the stronger reaction. Wiping away tears, she took her phone and went out to the balcony to call Wu Zheng.

Zhang Rufan wasn’t as emotionally shaken, but she wasn’t untouched either. The truth was, aside from once being tanned like Nam, her own life experience was nothing like the girl in the movie. Her youth hadn’t been vivid or eventful. If anything, it had been dull and unremarkable.

Shen Mingjin had been the only stroke of color in that otherwise gray time—though she hadn’t realized it back then.

Thinking of Shen Mingjin, Zhang Rufan drifted into a momentary daze.

In the movie, Shone was handsome and kind—it made perfect sense that Nam would fall for him. But things were different with Shen Mingjin. Zhang Rufan couldn’t understand why he would have liked someone as plain and ordinary as she had been back then.

She picked up her phone, opened WeChat, and found Shen Mingjin’s profile. Since adding each other, they hadn’t exchanged a single message. The chat window was completely blank.

She stared at his profile picture for a while, then exited the screen and locked her phone.

Du Sheng’s occasional messages often annoyed her—what she didn’t want for herself, she wouldn’t do to others. No point in reaching out and becoming someone else’s trouble.

Setting the phone down, Zhang Rufan let out a quiet sigh. As the credits rolled across the projector screen, a strange thought surfaced: she wondered if there really was a book called Nine Ways to Make Him Fall in Love with Me.

…

On Tuesday, Zhang Rufan left early, taking the subway to OW Mall Station. Once she exited, she headed straight for Culture Street without hesitation.

She had arrived even earlier than before—there was no line yet at "Jindu."

Inside, Shen Mingjin was at the bar counter, tidying up. When he heard the door open, he looked up and saw her walk in. Instantly, he straightened his posture and struck a deliberately dashing pose.

“Morning,” he greeted her casually. “What’ll it be today?”

Zhang Rufan still couldn’t manage to act naturally around him. After meeting his eyes briefly, she immediately looked down at the coffee menu and ordered an Americano.

“Americano—no milk. You okay with that?”

“I want to try it,” she replied seriously.

Shen Mingjin couldn’t take it when she looked at him with such sincere eyes. Something flickered in his gaze. He raised a hand to his lips, coughed lightly, and said, “Hang tight.”

He personally prepared the coffee and handed it to her. “Had breakfast yet? Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach.”

“I have.”

Zhang Rufan took the coffee but didn’t know what else to say. Just then, Xiao Mu suddenly leaned in and asked, “Fan Jie, were you ever a streamer?”

“Huh?” The question caught Zhang Rufan off guard—she froze for a moment.

“You know, the kind who sells stuff in live broadcasts.”

It took her a few seconds to register what he meant. She nodded slowly and replied, “I did, at the mall where I used to work—but not for very long.”

“I knew it! I thought you looked familiar,” Xiao Mu said excitedly, as if he'd just uncovered a secret.

“You watched my streams?”

“Not me, it was—”

Before Xiao Mu could finish, Shen Mingjin coughed twice beside him—pointedly and deliberately, with a clear warning in his tone.

Xiao Mu picked up on the cue and pivoted mid-sentence. “It was a friend of mine who watched. I just happened to catch a bit of it and thought you looked familiar.”

Zhang Rufan didn’t doubt him. In the beginning, some people had tuned in to her streams, but they'd eventually drifted away. Now, hearing Xiao Mu bring it up left her feeling mildly embarrassed. Her former colleagues used to joke that she always looked like she was reluctantly going through the motions during live sessions—just a soulless selling machine.

She glanced at Shen Mingjin, hoping he wouldn’t become curious about that part of her past, let alone go looking for her old videos.

Thankfully, he didn’t press the topic. Instead, he told Xiao Mu to go wash some cups, then turned back to her and asked, “Is the waterproofing in your bathroom done?”

“Almost. The contractor said once the coating dries, he’ll come back in a few days to do a water-tightness test.”

“Let me know once it’s scheduled.”

“Okay.”

As the conversation began to wind down, Shen Mingjin quickly tossed out another question: “Have you been staying at home lately?”

Zhang Rufan shook her head. “I’m staying at Cheng Yi’s.”

“Where does she live?”

“Jingnan.”

“That’s closer than your place.”

“Yeah.”

She turned the coffee cup slowly in her hands. From the moment she’d stepped through the door, she hadn’t dared hold Shen Mingjin’s gaze for too long. She wasn’t a timid person by nature, but in front of him, she always felt a little flustered.

Customers were starting to come in. Not wanting to disrupt his work, Zhang Rufan didn’t linger. She said her goodbye and left shortly after. The whole visit was brief—barely a few words exchanged. Watching her walk away, Shen Mingjin felt a faint sense of loss. Maybe he’d played it too cool.

“Ge, so that’s what was going on.” Xiao Mu came over as soon as she left, smirking as he threw Shen Mingjin a teasing look. “I always wondered why you were watching those live streams every day back then. Thought you wanted to buy something, but now I get it—you weren’t watching for the products, you were watching the person selling them.”

Shen Mingjin shot him a side-eye and said coolly, “Zip it.”

“You don’t want Fan Jie to find out?” Xiao Mu asked, confused. “If she doesn’t know you’ve been keeping an eye on her and that you care, how are you ever gonna win her over?”

“Who said I’m chasing her?” Shen Mingjin lifted his chin slightly, that familiar hint of smugness playing at his features—restrained, but unmistakable. His lips curled, and he said, “She’s the one chasing me.”

“Huh?”

Shen Mingjin told Xiao Mu that Zhang Rufan was pursuing him, but Xiao Mu just couldn’t believe it.

Over the next few days, Zhang Rufan stopped by "Jindu" every morning to order a cup of coffee. Shen Mingjin, of course, was there every day—even though his schedule used to be anything but regular. To Xiao Mu, it was obvious: his boss was adjusting his routine to match that of his supposed “pursuer.” This only made Xiao Mu look at him with increasing pity, convinced the poor guy was hopelessly in love and caught in a delusion of wishful thinking.

Zhang Rufan behaved like any ordinary customer—she’d order a coffee, exchange a few words with Shen Mingjin, most of which were initiated by him. Their conversations were polite, routine, even a little dull. Their interactions never went beyond that. While Shen Mingjin enjoyed every bit of it, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

On Friday evening, Zhang Rufan got off work and stopped by Jinghua Garden to grab some things before heading home. The elevator came up from the basement and opened its doors. She looked up—and paused, momentarily stunned to see Shen Mingjin. The scene felt oddly familiar.

"Not coming in?" Shen Mingjin asked.

Snapping out of it, Zhang Rufan lowered her head and stepped into the elevator. Shen Mingjin hit the close-door button, then pressed the button for her floor.

The elevator was quiet for a moment before Zhang Rufan hesitated and broke the silence. “What a coincidence.”

“Yeah,” Shen Mingjin replied. “Back to pick something up?”

“Just grabbing a few things.”

“Heading home tonight?”

“Mm.”

“Want a ride?”

“No need,” Zhang Rufan replied quickly. “It’s not raining today.”

“…”

Silence fell again in the elevator. Then Shen Mingjin cleared his throat and asked, “You off tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m off too,” he said, trying to sound casual—though he couldn’t help sneaking glances at her expression.

Zhang Rufan only paused for a second before replying, “I’ll check if the technician can come tomorrow.”

“…”

 Shen Mingjin didn’t even know how to respond to that.

The elevator didn’t stop on the way up and soon reached the 20th floor. When the doors opened, Shen Mingjin turned to her with a serious expression. “I’m leaving.”

“Okay, goodbye.”

Zhang Rufan’s reply was straightforward, but Shen Mingjin wasn’t as quick to leave. He stepped out slowly, but as the elevator doors shut behind him, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside. He turned around and quickly pressed the door-open button.

Seeing the doors open again, Zhang Rufan looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Ace of Hearts, do you regret it?”

“What?”

“What you said that day.”

Zhang Rufan was momentarily stunned, then shook her head. “I don’t.”

Shen Mingjin looked down at her and spoke deliberately, “I told you that day—I’d give you a chance.”

“I remember.”

But seeing Zhang Rufan still so calm, Shen Mingjin lost his patience and said urgently, “I gave you a chance. You need to take action.”

“I have,” Zhang Rufan answered honestly.

“Coming here to buy a cup of coffee every day?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Shen Mingjin rubbed his forehead. “That’s not how you pursue someone.”

“Do you know how many sentences you’ve said to me this week?” he asked.

“What?”

“Fifty. Less than ten a day. Are you really satisfied with just saying a few words to me every morning?”

“I…”

“You added me on WeChat—why haven’t you messaged me?”

Zhang Rufan pressed her lips and admitted, “I was afraid of bothering you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Then… when are you usually free?”

“When you message me.” Shen Mingjin realized he’d been too blunt and coughed, trying to soften it. “I mean, I’m busy, but not so busy that I can’t reply.”

He glanced at her, then suddenly grew serious, instructing her like a patient teacher: “If you want to pursue someone, you need the right attitude. You have to take every chance you get—otherwise, how will you win them over?”

Seeing Zhang Rufan’s thoughtful expression, clearly absorbing his words, Shen Mingjin smiled in satisfaction, released the door-open button, and waved goodbye.

“Remember to message me—anytime.”

1. 朝乾夕惕 (Zhāo qián xī tì) – An idiom meaning "diligent and cautious from morning to night" 

2. 京南 (Jīng nán) – A district/area where Cheng Yi lives

3. 文化街 (Wénhuà jiē) – "Culture Street" (where the café "Jindu" is located)

4. 闭水试验 (Bì shuǐ shìyàn) – A water retention test (used in bathroom waterproofing repairs) 

5. 初恋这件小事 (Chūliàn zhè jiàn xiǎoshì) – First Love: A Little Thing Called Love (the movie Zhang Rufan watches)

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 ~~~

This novel is so sweet, yet there's always a little drop of reality, like Cheng Yi's comment. Also, Xiao Mu is so funny thinking SMJ is delusional.

Enjoy!