MC - Chapter 5

OW Mall is located in Jinghua District, and even without traffic, it takes over half an hour to drive from Zhang Rufan’s home in Binhu District. The subway is convenient, but factoring in the time to get from home to the station and transfers, it still takes about an hour. Even if she could tolerate living at home, she’d still have to consider the commute.

Whether due to objective factors or subjective feelings, Zhang Rufan felt it would be more suitable for her to move out.

Xie Yiwei’s wedding was held at the "Winter Solstice" hotel in Jinghua District. After leaving the hotel, Zhang Rufan went house-hunting. She contacted a real estate agent and started by looking at rentals near OW Mall.

Jinghua District is the most bustling area in Shangjing, filled with office buildings and a large working population. Naturally, rentals are in high demand, and prices have skyrocketed. Zhang Rufan spent the afternoon viewing properties with the agent but didn’t find anything particularly suitable. It’s hard to have the best of both worlds—rentals in good locations with high-end configurations are expensive, while cheaper ones are in poorer areas, and some don’t even guarantee safety.

Zhang Rufan was starting her job after National Day. Though time was tight, she still had a few days of holiday as a buffer. She wasn’t impulsive—when it came to finding a place, it was better to be steady and cautious. Rushing into a decision in one afternoon would only lead to more hassle if she moved in and found it unsatisfactory.

Around five o’clock, after viewing the last property, she asked the agent for detailed information on the few rentals she’d seen that afternoon that were somewhat acceptable—rent, deposit, utilities, etc. After discussing it with him, they agreed to continue the search the next day.

After house-hunting, Zhang Rufan returned to Binhu District. She’d initially planned to eat dinner out, but hesitated and ultimately decided against it.

Before leaving in the morning, Zhang Rufan had registered her fingerprint for the door lock. That evening, she unlocked the door herself and entered. As she was about to change her shoes in the entryway, she noticed a new pair of pink slippers on the shoe rack.

Li Huishu heard the noise and came out of the kitchen. Seeing Zhang Rufan, she said, “Xiao Fan, you’re back.”

“Auntie Hui.”

Li Huishu walked over and pointed at the pink slippers. “Your old slippers were worn thin, so I bought you a new pair. Look at me—I forgot to take them out yesterday. It wasn’t until your dad reminded me that I remembered.”

“Sorry, Auntie was careless.”

Zhang Rufan noticed Li Huishu’s cautious, almost ingratiating tone. She sighed inwardly, bent down to put on the pink slippers, and said, “It’s fine… thank you.”

Li Huishu seemed to relax and asked with a smile, “You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Zhang Rufan nodded.

“Rest for a bit. I’ll stir-fry another dish, and then we can eat.”

“Okay.”

Zhang Rufan planned to change into casual clothes. As she walked back to her room, she passed Zhang Zitong’s playroom and heard the child’s clear, bell-like laughter. She couldn’t help but pause and glance inside.

Zhang Shengyi was sitting on the floor mat, building blocks with Zhang Zitong. As soon as he finished constructing a house, the little girl mischievously pulled out a block from the bottom, causing the house to collapse instantly. Zhang Shengyi frowned in mock anger, but Zhang Zitong wasn’t scared at all. Hugging her rabbit plushie, she giggled uncontrollably.

Zhang Rufan stood at the door, both surprised and puzzled.

Zhang Shengyi seemed to sense something and looked up. When he saw Zhang Rufan, he froze, his expression slightly uneasy. He coughed, suppressed his smile, and said stiffly, “You’re back.”

“Mm.”

When Zhang Zitong saw Zhang Rufan, she immediately got up and threw herself into Zhang Shengyi’s arms, peeking out warily, as if Zhang Rufan were an unwelcome intruder.

“I’ll go back to my room first,” Zhang Rufan said.

She walked to the opposite door, entered, and stood behind it. Soon, she heard the child’s carefree laughter again.

Zhang Rufan recalled the scene she’d just witnessed. In her memory, she’d never seen Zhang Shengyi so warm and affectionate. With her, he’d always been stern, serious, and unsmiling, constantly scrutinizing her behavior and quick to criticize any mistakes. When she was as young as Zhang Zitong, he’d never played games with her or even bought her toys.

Zhang Rufan had always felt that Zhang Shengyi was more like a drill instructor than a father. But just now, he’d seemed every bit like a doting dad. When he frowned, Zhang Zitong wasn’t scared at all, whereas if it had been her, she’d have immediately straightened up and reflected on what she had done wrong.

Zhang Rufan felt that Zhang Shengyi had changed—and yet, he hadn’t. At least toward her, his attitude remained the same.

She didn’t think he was biased. Zhang Zitong was still so young, while she herself had long outgrown the age of seeking parental attention. It was only natural to dote on a child born in one’s later years. Besides, he’d never given her a father’s affection, so she had no way of gauging how much lighter his love for her was—nor could she resent it.

Zhang Rufan changed clothes, picked up her phone, and sat at the desk. She’d asked Cheng Yi to add her to their high school class group chat, which was lively today with many people catching up. While house-hunting in the afternoon, she’d found the messages too noisy and muted the group. Now, when she checked again, there were already hundreds of messages, and they were still flooding in.

Someone had posted group photos from the day, mostly with the bride and groom. In a few, the bridesmaids and groomsmen also made appearances. Zhang Rufan swiped through the photos casually until her finger stopped on a solo shot of Shen Mingjin.

The photo was taken during his magic performance on stage. A spotlight shone directly on him as he removed his suit jacket, leaving only a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves. In one hand, he held a deck of cards; in the other, he pinched a single card to show the audience. She zoomed in—the card was the Ace of Hearts.

Zhang Rufan stared at the photo for a long time. After putting down her phone, she took out the letter from the drawer and examined it again.

Though she’d seen Shen Mingjin today, they hadn’t spoken, and she’d gleaned no information about the letter. Moreover, whether it was her imagination or not, Shen Mingjin seemed more distant toward her than toward their other classmates.

So, was it teenage malice?

Zhang Rufan lowered her head, looking at Shen Mingjin’s bright, cheerful smile in the photo. For no reason, she felt a pang of guilt but quickly dismissed the thought.

If not malice, then was it affection?

The mere thought made Zhang Rufan flush with shame, feeling she lacked self-awareness. She considered this possibility extremely low. The most plausible explanation was the third option—the letter wasn’t written by Shen Mingjin at all.

Someone had written a love letter in his name as a cruel joke—but was the target him or her?

Zhang Rufan felt she was overthinking it. A letter from five years ago hardly warranted such scrutiny. Even as she rationalized it, she couldn’t let it go.

Her brow slightly furrowed as she looked at Shen Mingjin’s photo and then the letter. After a moment’s thought, she picked up her phone and opened the group chat details. Everyone in the group had their names listed. She carefully scanned the members until she found Shen Mingjin.

His profile picture was a basketball hoop bathed in sunset light, and his WeChat name was simply “Jin.” Zhang Rufan clicked “Add Friend” and hesitated before sending the request. In the end, she typed a brief self-introduction: “Hello, I’m Zhang Rufan.”

Click. Send.

Zhang Rufan spent most of her holiday house-hunting. Finding a place near the OW Mall commercial area was tough, and she wasn’t the type to settle for convenience.

Her aunt, Zhang Shengpin, knew she planned to move out after the holiday and scolded her for a while. Eventually, seeing her determination, she gave up and, still worried, decided to help.

Zhang Shengpin ran a beauty salon and had a longtime client who owned a studio apartment in Jinghua Garden, near the OW Mall area. Recently married, the client had moved in with her husband but kept the apartment as a safeguard against marital risks. When Zhang Shengpin inquired, the client happened to be interested in renting it out but was wary of irresponsible tenants trashing the place. The inquiry from an acquaintance was perfect, so she offered a discount on the rent.

Jinghua Garden was well-located, with a subway station nearby—just five stops from OW Mall. Most importantly, the complex had excellent security, making it ideal for a woman living alone.

Zhang Rufan wasn’t so aloof as to reject well-meaning help from family in the face of practical difficulties.

With the apartment secured, Zhang Rufan arranged for movers to transport her belongings from Cheng Yi’s place to Jinghua Garden. She spent the last two days of the National Day holiday unpacking. Her possessions were sparse—just two boxes of clothes and some scattered odds and ends.

The apartment was mostly furnished but lacked kitchenware. After graduating, Zhang Rufan had lived with her grandmother and had grown accustomed to home-cooked meals, so she rarely ordered takeout. Though no master chef, she occasionally cooked.

After cleaning and organizing, Zhang Rufan set aside time to shop for daily necessities. She took the subway to OW Mall—partly because its vast selection of stores meant she could get everything in one trip, and partly to familiarize herself with her future workplace.

She browsed OW Mall, ticking items off her pre-written shopping list. Laden with bags, she opted for a taxi back to Jinghua Garden to avoid the hassle of subway security.

Non-resident vehicles couldn’t enter the complex. Building 5, where Zhang Rufan lived, was a distance from the gate. Arms full, she trudged forward as if each step would leave a mark on the ground.

Inside the building, she watched as Elevator 1’s doors slowly closed. She didn’t call out or rush, calmly resigning herself to waiting for the next one.

Just then, the doors reopened. As Zhang Rufan reached them, she instinctively turned—and locked eyes with someone inside.

Shen Mingjin had heard footsteps and kindly held the elevator. About to invite the person in, he looked up and saw Zhang Rufan’s startled expression.

He hadn’t expected to meet her here either and was momentarily stunned, but managed to stay composed.

“Aren’t you coming in?” Shen Mingjin asked.

Snapping out of it, Zhang Rufan lowered her head and stepped inside, slightly flustered.

She set down the rice cooker box in her right hand and reached to press the button for her floor—21. The button for 20 was already lit.

The doors closed, leaving the cramped elevator uncomfortably silent, the air thick with tension.

Seeing Shen Mingjin reminded Zhang Rufan of her unanswered friend request. He hadn’t accepted it the night of Xie Yiwei’s wedding—she’d assumed he was busy or drunk. But days later, he still hadn’t.

She realized he didn’t want to add her—just as she’d done with Du Sheng.

She’d locked the letter away, pretending she’d never seen it and resolving not to dwell on it. Yet now, face-to-face with Shen Mingjin, her unresolved obsession stirred again.

The elevator stopped at the fifth floor. The doors opened to an empty hallway before closing again.

In that brief interlude, Zhang Rufan felt like a diver surfacing for air. Straightening up, she turned and initiated conversation.

“Um… do you remember me?”

She wasn’t confident. She wasn’t wearing makeup today, but the difference from her light makeup was minimal. Only days had passed since Xie Yiwei’s wedding—surely he still recognized her.

Shen Mingjin gave her an odd look, hesitated for a second, and replied, “I remember.”

Zhang Rufan exhaled, clenched her palms, and forced out an awkward, “What a coincidence.”

“Mm.”

His response was flat, devoid of his high school cheerfulness or the warmth he’d shown their classmates at the wedding.

Zhang Rufan pressed her lips together, the sense of his deliberate distance weighing on her. She wanted to give up, but felt compelled to speak.

The letter was like a grain of sand lodged between her heart’s valves—not painful but impossible to ignore.

After a pause, she looked up resolutely and said, “Shen Mingjin, I have something—”

“No need to apologize,” Shen Mingjin cut her off without turning.

Zhang Rufan froze.

She didn’t understand. Apologize? For what? For refusing to join the track team? Was that worth an apology?

“Did I… offend you before?”

Shen Mingjin’s aloof facade cracked. He rubbed his forehead, speechless for a moment, then looked down at her in disbelief. “Ace of Hearts, are you seriously playing dumb with me?”

1. 京华区 (Jīng Huá Qū) – Jinghua District, a bustling commercial area in the fictional city of Shangjing.

2. 滨湖区 (Bīn Hú Qū) – Binhu District, a residential area where Zhang Rufan’s family lives.

3. OW商城 (OW Shāngchéng) – OW Mall, a large shopping center where Zhang Rufan will work.

4. 冬·至酒店 (Dōng·Zhì Jiǔdiàn) – "Winter Solstice" Hotel, where Xie Yiwei’s wedding was held.

5. 京桦花园 (Jīng Huà Huāyuán) – Jinghua Garden, an apartment complex where Zhang Rufan rents a studio.

6. 红桃A (Hóng Táo A) – Ace of Hearts, a key symbol in Shen Mingjin’s magic performance and his nickname for Zhang Rufan.

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.

Sevyn here ~~~

The family situation makes me sigh, it's kinda sad. More will be explained later in the novel. You guys will understand her obsession with wanting to understand the letter and her family circumstances.  Anyways, more SMJ appearance now YAY!