Ling Hanlu emerged from Fang Yucheng's place and took a detour to the library.

　　Ascending to the reading room floor, she didn't catch a whiff of peach gum and white fungus soup, caterpillar fungus chicken soup, or any other kind of hearty broth.

　　The office door was wide open. This wasn't like Xushuping; she preferred it half-closed. That way, the passing borrowers wouldn't catch a glimpse or a whiff of the rich scent of life inside.

　　Ling Hanlu didn't step inside. Instead, she headed for the work desk in the reading room. There, she saw a young girl sitting in Xushuping's spot. The girl perked up at the sound of footsteps, then lowered her head when she realized it wasn't someone with borrowing intentions.

　　"Excuse me, is Xushuping not at work?" Ling Hanlu asked softly, afraid of startling the unfamiliar girl.

　　"Ms. Xu had an urgent matter to attend to."

　　"Oh, and you are...?" Ling Hanlu noticed the girl was in her early twenties, similar to the guy who had been popping into her thoughts recently, and she felt a pang of concern.

　　"I'm an intern from the document cataloging department downstairs. Ms. Xu asked me to fill in temporarily. She seemed really urgent, judging by her complexion."

　　"Oh, sorry to bother you."

　　Ling Hanlu exited the reading room, shaking her head.

　　The fruit tea she held was a gift from Fang Yucheng, originally intended to be shared with Xushuping. Since her friend wasn't around, she had to let it go.

　　She descended the stairs.

　　The building stood empty, its corridors echoing with each step, like the rhythm of a heart beating louder and louder. Ling Hanlu couldn't shake the feeling stirred by the intern's mention of an "urgent matter" and "unwell appearance." It gnawed at her, prompting her to dial a number.

　　"Shuping, feeling under the weather? Noticed you weren't around the office."

　　"Yeah, a bit. Nothing major, just the old ailment acting up," Xushuping replied, the sound of rumbling wheels passing by in the background.

　　"Old ailment, huh? Your leg acting up again? Not feeling too hot? Just finished up here, heading your way... Anything you want me to pick up? Maybe something to munch on?"

　　"No, I'm not at home."

　　"Hospital? Which one?" Ling Hanlu's concern spiked, her cheeks tightening in the cold wind outside.

　　"No, Hanlu, don't worry. I, I'm outside."

　　"Out and about while sick? Especially with the temperature dropping today, why would you..."

　　"I'm indoors."

　　"Where are you? Why's there so much noise? Sounds like you're near the main road, lots of cars, heavy vehicles..."

　　"Hanlu, hold off on the questions, okay? Today, the maid's at home. Once I sort things out here, tuck the little one in, I'll swing by your place. We'll chat face to face."

　　Ling Hanlu left the door slightly ajar, worried that her intense focus on work might drown out any knocks on the door, especially with the broken doorbell.

　　Ever since Gu Pan and Xu Shuping had visited a few months ago, Ling Hanlu had made it a habit to keep a couple of carefully chosen pairs of slippers on the shoe rack by the door. From woven ones to soft fleece ones, she changed them according to the seasons. She believed this small gesture showed more warmth and sincerity than simply saying "welcome."

　　As Xu Shuping entered and slipped on the slippers, she dashed into the room like she was diving into her best friend's arms. "Hanlu, I'm here!"

　　Ling Hanlu heard her friend's voice and emerged from her bedroom.

　　In the living room, Xu Shuping stood like a solitary tree, a bottle of wine hanging like a fruit from one of its branches.

　　"What's all this?" Ling Hanlu shook her arms, sore from long hours at her desk.

　　"Wine strengthens a weak heart," Xu Shuping's mouth twitched slightly, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes, as if pleading for understanding.

　　Ling Hanlu adjusted the living room lights to a warm hue. "Shuping, we should thank the landlord for thinking about lighting so carefully and tastefully. Look, adjustable brightness, isn't it wonderful?"

　　Xu Shuping looked up at the ceiling light, taking a deep breath. It was as if she was inhaling the warmth of sunlight touched by the beach. "Do you sense something, my friend?"

　　"You mentioned needing courage from the wine, so I thought I'd add a bit more reassurance for you, is that not okay?"

　　"I was at Liang Chen's place this afternoon."

　　"Liang..."

　　"Let me explain. I haven't seen Liang Chen around the property when I went to pick up deliveries these past few days. Not this morning either. I asked his colleagues, and they said he's been on sick leave for days now, he's sick."

　　"So when I asked if you were sick, you didn't deny it." Ling Hanlu pieced together the logic herself.

　　"Mm, sorry about that. I don't know what's gotten into me today, but I've been so absent-minded at work. I even almost dropped the new purple clay pot I bought. So, I thought I might as well ask him what's up!"

　　"Did you exchange contact information before?"

　　"Yeah, since he's in charge of our building, what's the harm in exchanging numbers? Hanlu, I swear, your curiosity sometimes surprises me," Xu Shuping hurriedly continued her narrative.

　　"Okay, okay, my bad. So, what happened to him in the end?"

　　"Take a look." Xu Shuping rolled up her sleeve, pointing to a small dark yellow spot. "This is from accidentally rubbing against it while changing his bandages."

　　"From a fight? That's rough," Ling Hanlu frowned. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the pain inflicted on a young man in his twenties. "How many injuries did he sustain? Are they serious?"

　　"Yeah, mostly just superficial wounds. He got cuts on his forehead, neck, and shoulders. But luckily, nothing serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital." Xu Shuping pointed to each area, her brow furrowing occasionally, as if still immersed in the healing atmosphere of applying medicine.

　　"Shirt off? I bet," Ling Hanlu teased. "Because you were applying the ointment..."

　　"Shirt off," Xu Shuping confirmed.

　　"Oh..."

　　"From the waist up! What are you thinking?" Xu Shuping untied her scarf, exposing her neck completely, and blew into her collar to cool down.

　　"Feeling too hot from drinking too much?" Ling Hanlu handed over a few tissues. "Here, wipe it off!"

　　"Let that laugh out, Hanlu, don't hold it in!" Xu Shuping pinched the stem of her glass, raising the wine-red liquid to eye level. "I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, I have boundaries."

　　"Who did Liang Chen get into a fight with?"

　　"He works as a waiter at a nightclub. Four days ago, he got beaten up by the current boyfriend of a divorced woman, who mistook him for a rival. Unbelievable!" Xu Shuping spat out the words with seething hatred.

　　"What the heck... so, they just let it slide after the fight?"

　　"Well, his friend was about to call the cops on the guy who hit him, but he stopped him."

　　"Why? Can he really just let it go like that? Not standing up for himself?"

　　"He didn't want to involve the police and risk the property management company finding out about his part-time job at the nightclub. So, they settled it privately."

　　"Hmm... By the way, why does Liang Chen resort to that kind of place for work? Is he really strapped for cash?"

　　"The guy's from an average family. After graduating from college, he couldn't find a satisfactory job. Working for the property management company was just a temporary solution. He wants to save up for something else."

　　"Something else? Like what?"

　　"Liang Chen didn't say. But it's always good for young people to have ambitions, don't you think?" Xu Shuping gestured for Ling Hanlu to raise her glass in agreement, hoping for more ideological alignment.

　　"Compared to someone with no ambition, having lofty goals obviously fits society's expectations for young people," Ling Hanlu clinked her glass. This gesture seemed to awaken her desire to elevate the conversation.

　　"Ugh, you just stated the obvious! Hanlu, if you saw where he lived, you'd definitely feel sorry for him. Seriously, I'm not being melodramatic."

　　"You feel sorry for him because that's where he—lives."

　　"He lives so far away, it took me half an hour by taxi to get there. His place is so rundown, with poor lighting and bad soundproofing. You heard all the traffic noise... I couldn't help but think, how can a guy who understands the sadness in my nocturne live such a stifled life?"

　　"So what do you want to do about it?"

　　"I could do something, right? At least help him buy a softer blanket... replace that dusty little lamp with something nicer, get some fancy wallpaper to cover the peeling walls..."

　　"You're into him."

　　"..."

　　"Are you? Shuping, be honest."

　　"Hanlu, you might not believe it, but I never experienced that teenage first love thing. I mean, not even a crush."

　　"Oh."

　　"My dad was a military man, super strict with me since I was little. He wouldn't let me stay in the college dorms, rented a place nearby for my mom to stay with me. Even after graduation, when it came to marriage, it was all arranged by my dad. He introduced me to his favorite student. You know what? When I first met our Old Chen, he was already thirty... I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to touch the face of a guy in his early twenties."

　　"And now you know?"

　　"...Kind of. His scent is so good! I'm just standing there applying ointment to him, and from a foot away, I can smell that sexy yet fresh aroma seeping from his skin. Men complain about the 'old lady smell' on older women, right? But actually, men of a certain age can have a murky scent too..."

　　"It sounds like you're into him right now, at this moment."

　　"Young, and... understanding..." Shuping seemed to be lost in ruminating over the scent of youth. Not only that, but also over her gratitude towards that young man. Grateful for his understanding.

　　"Yeah, understanding your sadness, huh? By the way, when you went to see him, how did he react?"

　　"Liang Chen was pretty surprised. But he didn't refuse my help. I was applying medicine to him, accidentally scratched the wound with my nail, and he endured it without a sound. I knew it must've hurt, but he didn't utter a word. Later, I saw him wiping away tears, thinking he was in pain. But he said it wasn't that, he was just missing his mom... Ha, calling her out like that, do you think there's anything to worry about?"

　　"Okay... chasing dreams isn't a one or two-day thing. Do you plan to keep helping him?"

　　"My abilities are limited, I can't help him much."

　　"It's not always like that."

　　"Trust me, I'll keep it in check."

　　Ling Hanlu took out the package of fruit tea she hadn't shared earlier in the afternoon, intending to split it with Xu Shuping.

　　When Xu Shuping learned it was a gift from Fang Yucheng, she promptly handed it back. "It's his heartfelt gesture, I won't meddle."

　　Ling Hanlu could detect the mixed feelings behind Xu Shuping's words. Rather than engaging with it, she decided to go along with the flow, thwarting any teasing. "Alright, I'll enjoy it myself then!"

　　Indeed, the conversation came to an end. Xu Shuping wrapped her scarf around her neck and bid her farewell. The room now held a bottle of wine, still sixty percent full.

　　Pouring herself some more wine, Ling Hanlu felt as if pouring and drinking alone somehow made her sink into a subdued mood.

　　The bottle of wine, initially opened by Xu Shuping to set the tone for their conversation, was now in Ling Hanlu's hands. She gently swirled the glass stem, her body swaying in rhythm. Quietly, she returned to her bedroom. Opening the drawer of her desk, she revealed a sleek and simple wooden box. Inside lay her treasures.

　　She wasn't fond of extravagant jewelry; the only thing she was willing to wear was bracelets. Agate, glacier stone, garnet... and a blue-dyed woven bracelet.

　　Ling Hanlu locked it away, along with the awkward memory from that day on the sofa.

　　However, no matter how sturdy the wooden box, there were always cracks.