It was Sunday, 10:30 in the morning. Li Jin had just finished seeing a person with schizophrenia. After two hours of effort, she was feeling mentally drained. Rubbing her temples, she stretched lazily, got up to brew herself a pot of Biluochun tea, and then walked to the window to pull back the blinds, letting the bright sunlight flood in. After standing there with her eyes closed, soaking in the sun for a moment, she returned to her desk and pressed the speakerphone button. "Any appointments for this morning?"
"No, but Miss Lin came by earlier. She said She knows you," her assistant replied.
"Oh? What's her name?"
There was a brief pause at the other end before the assistant answered, "It's Miss Lin Wan."
"Please send her in."
The door opened, and the young woman, whom Li Jin had met a few times before, walked in. She wore a dark blue sweater and a deep blue vintage-patterned skirt. Her delicate face, framed by the dark clothing, appeared even paler, almost ghostly white. Li Jin sighed inwardly; she was truly a girl who made one's heartache.
"Sorry, I just happened to be passing by. I hope I'm not interrupting your work," Lin Wan said with an apologetic tone.
"Not at all. Please, have a seat. Would you like some green tea? I just brewed some. People like you who spend a lot of time in front of a computer really need it." Li Jin warmly gestured for her to sit, retrieving a delicate white porcelain tea set from the cabinet.
"Thank you."
"Lin Wan, actually, I had a feeling you'd come."
"I felt the same way."
The faint fragrance of tea slowly wafted from the purple clay teapot, gradually filling the air, and soon, the entire room was saturated with its aroma. Lin Wan took a deep breath, and the tension in her body eased slightly.
Li Jin noticed the change and casually poured the tea into two cups, saying, "Let's chat casually. Feel free to bring up anything you'd like."
"Okay."
Finally, it was the end of work, and Lin Wan rubbed her dry eyes before closing her computer and packing up. She left the office, drained and lacking energy. The past few days had been tough, and her sleep quality had been poor. She knew she was waiting for something—waiting for an outcome, or perhaps a judgment—but it hadn't come. Every day felt longer, as if 24 hours had stretched into 48 or even 72 hours.
The more anxious she became, the calmer he seemed. Everything around her stayed peaceful, like the backdrop of a stage play—silent and invisible. Meanwhile, she felt like the actor with the most roles, but she wasn't good at performing, and she didn't even know her lines. She stood helplessly, facing the darkened audience below, almost to the point of crying. She wanted to run offstage, but her feet were stuck to the ground. Looking down, she realized she had become a puppet…
It was just a dream. Sweating heavily, she woke up and realized how much she had been suppressing. For so long, she had borne everything on her own, never considering or finding anyone who could share the burden. Now, she suddenly had an overwhelming desire to speak out. Maybe it would be easier if she voiced it, so she went to see Li Jin.
There was another reason for her anxiety: her close friend hadn't shown up this month as expected. She had been cautious about this, not wanting to complicate their already messy relationship. The person also didn't want to cause trouble, and in fact, had a better memory than her. That person had even gone as far as calculating her safe period, though with all the planning, one misstep was enough to leave her worried.
Back at someone's apartment, the moment Lin Wan walked in, she sensed an unusual atmosphere, like the oppressive heaviness of a storm.
"Finally decide to come back?" the man sitting on the sofa with a newspaper didn't look up, speaking sarcastically.
Lin Wan, preoccupied with her thoughts, ignored his intermittent outbursts and replied indifferently before heading straight to the bedroom.
"I need to talk to you," the man's voice was cold as ice.
"What is it?" Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat, but she turned around calmly and walked over. Just as she approached, she heard a loud thud as a newspaper was thrown on the coffee table—or rather, thrown right in front of her. Her forehead twitched, but she merely asked in a flat voice, "What's this about?"
Chen Jin stood up, sneering at her, "Don't you want to see your results?" When Lin Wan didn't react, he darkened his expression and said, "Stop pretending. You know exactly what you've done."
Lin Wan lowered her head, silent. She had already seen the headline at the top of the page: "Violent Forced Demolition Leads to Bloodshed, The True Face of a Star Corporation." The page also had a photo of a family of three, their bodies lying among the rubble, bloodied and mangled. The image was horrific, and though it wasn't the first time she had seen it, the sight still made her stomach churn.
"That's right. I did it," She lifted her head and met the man's furious gaze without a trace of fear on her face.
Chen Jin snorted derisively, "You think you're doing what? Utholding justice?"
"Eradicating harm to the people," Lin Wan said, the four words clearly said.
Chen Jin raised his right hand, pausing in the air for a second before changing trajectory and grabbing her by the collar. "Say it again?"
Lin Wan looked into his eyes and calmly replied, "I'm just doing what I want to do, and what I should do."
Chen Jin tightened his grip, his face dark with rage. "Forget the content. Do you know what this means?"
Lin Wan still stared at him in silence. He glared at her, grinding his teeth as he spat out two words: "Betrayal."
Lin Wan scoffed, "Where's the betrayal? I've never belonged to you."