Chapter 10

The next morning, Song Jianan got up early. After making breakfast, she woke Song Rui. While they were eating, she suddenly remembered that they hadn’t had a proper talk yet.

Immediately sitting up straight, she tapped the edge of her bowl with her chopsticks.

“Song Rui, we need to have a serious conversation. Your mom said you’ve been neglecting your studies lately and spending all your time hanging around boys.”

Song Rui nearly choked on a mouthful of porridge, coughing so hard her face turned red.

“What’s there to talk about? Don’t give me one of those old-fashioned lectures. Jianan, you’ve been through this yourself. Why does it feel like the generation gap between us keeps getting wider?”

“I’m only saying this for your own good.” Song Jianan sighed. “Forget it. I won’t lecture you. I’ll just remind you of one thing—most relationships at your age don’t last. You should focus on your studies.”

After thinking for a moment, she added another sentence to make her argument more convincing.

“When you get to college and look back on your feelings now, you’ll definitely think, ‘I was so childish. How could I have liked someone like that?'”

Song Rui narrowed her eyes at her. Her round eyes rolled twice before she grinned.

“Jianan, when you look back at the person you liked back then, don’t you think you were childish too? Like… how could you have liked someone like that?”

“I…”

Song Jianan was instantly speechless.

Neither answering nor refusing to answer seemed appropriate, so all she could do was glare at her.

“I’ve said everything I wanted to say. Listen or don’t listen. Just stop coming over so often. I had to wake up at five-thirty this morning just to take care of you. I’m not your mother—I don’t have that kind of patience or perseverance. If you stay overnight again, I’m charging you.”

Song Rui stuck out her tongue and muttered under her breath,

“Ouch, I hit a sore spot. Look how fierce she is. No wonder nobody wants her.”

After Song Rui left, overwhelming drowsiness washed over Song Jianan. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed, but remembering that she still had to finish handing over her work, she forced herself to head to the newspaper office.

She picked up the day’s newspaper from the security desk and opened it.

Sure enough, last night’s report had been published.

She let out a long sigh of relief.

It felt like she could finally put a perfect period at the end of her career as a social news reporter.

People gradually began arriving for work. Everyone flipped through the morning paper—some looked pleased, while others were disappointed.

After the morning meeting, Song Jianan began handing over her assignments to another reporter.

Just then, the department head called her over.

Assuming it was about her transfer, she immediately put everything aside and walked over.

Instead, the department head waved toward a young man typing at a computer.

“Jianan, Zhou Yu is away on a business trip for the next few days. This was originally his intern. Could you take him under your wing for a couple of days?”

She looked surprised.

The newspaper hadn’t planned to recruit any interns this year, so where had this one come from?

While she was wondering about it, the young man quickly stood up and smiled politely.

“Hello, Teacher Song. My name is Fang Yanyan. I’m a senior journalism student from the Foreign Languages University. I’m here as an intern. Please take good care of me.”

His formal introduction made Song Jianan laugh.

“Just call me Jianan. Calling me ‘Teacher’ sounds way too serious. There’s no need for that. We’ll just learn from each other.”

She led Fang Yanyan outside.

Immediately, one of the female reporters noticed him.

“Jianan! Who’s the handsome young guy?”

Fang Yanyan smiled politely.

“Hello, everyone. I’m interning in the social news section. My name is Fang Yanyan. I hope you’ll all look after me.”

Everyone laughed and began whispering among themselves.

Song Jianan brought him into the newsroom’s hotline duty room.

“The regulations and basic techniques for answering the hotline are posted on the wall. Just read through them for now. Teacher Fu will be on duty soon, so follow him and learn. Handling the hotline really comes down to experience. The more you do it, the easier it gets. If there’s any field reporting today, I’ll take you along.”

Fang Yanyan nodded.

“Okay. Thank you, Jianan. I’ll read through these first.”

Song Jianan made a little cheering gesture before turning to leave.

Then she suddenly stopped and turned back.

“Your name, Yanyan… is it taken from the phrase ‘yan xiao yan yan’?”

A flash of surprise and delight crossed his eyes.

“Jianan, you’re amazing. You guessed right.”

She smiled.

“I was actually surprised when I saw your internship acceptance letter on the department head’s desk. Work hard.”

After returning to her seat, several colleagues immediately gathered around her.

“Jianan, didn’t the newspaper decide not to recruit interns this year? How did that guy get in?”

“Connections, obviously,” someone interrupted. “These days, getting into a TV station or newspaper requires powerful backing. I bet that kid has quite the background. The department head asked you to mentor him—that’s a pretty important responsibility.”

Song Jianan quickly explained,

“He was originally assigned to Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu’s away on a business trip, and besides, I’m transferring to the entertainment section soon. Don’t make things up.”

At that moment, the reporter on hotline duty hurried over.

“A citizen just called in. At the intersection of Changchun Road and Shanghai Road, poisonous gas leaked from a heating well. Five construction workers and two firefighters who went in to rescue them have been poisoned. The department head wants you to get ready and take someone with you.”

Song Jianan immediately called Fang Yanyan over.

The two of them took a taxi to the scene.

By the time they arrived, the police had already sealed off the area. Crowds of onlookers packed the street so tightly that traffic had nearly come to a standstill.

Soon afterward, reporters from the provincial television station, the People’s Radio Station, Channel 18 News, Metropolitan Express, Urban Convenience Daily, and several other media outlets also arrived.

They interviewed construction workers with mild poisoning symptoms, the firefighters, and eyewitnesses.

They tried to approach those who had been poisoned to understand exactly what had happened and gathered detailed accounts from witnesses, all while competing with reporters from other media for interview opportunities.

Before long, emergency medical personnel arrived and rushed the victims to a nearby hospital.

Song Jianan and Fang Yanyan hurried there as well, interviewing people outside the emergency room.

When they attempted to ask the attending doctors about the victims’ conditions, the busy medical staff simply refused to answer.

By the time they returned to the newspaper office, it was already after four in the afternoon.

Neither of them had even had lunch.

As Song Jianan wrote the first draft of the article, she silently complained to herself,

“Why did they have to send me to cover a front-page feature story? I don’t need some glorious achievement to wrap up my career.”

Beside her, Fang Yanyan was busy making phone calls, interviewing the hospital, relevant departments, and the people involved while constantly taking notes.

Song Jianan revised the article again and again before handing it to the department head for editing.

Only after it was finally sent to the editor-in-chief’s office did she breathe a sigh of relief.

It was already past six in the evening.

Only then did she realize her stomach was cramping with hunger.

She dug two packs of biscuits out from under her desk, handed one to Fang Yanyan, and said weakly,

“The first day must’ve been overwhelming, right? I’m exhausted. Eat something first. Tonight, go have a good meal and reward yourself.”

Fang Yanyan nodded.

“Yeah. I never imagined my first day would be this exciting. It really pushed me to my limits.”

“You’ll encounter even more things during your internship here—not just work, but interpersonal relationships too. Becoming a good reporter is a process of constant learning.”

Then she suddenly realized she sounded like an old veteran preaching to a junior and hurriedly corrected herself.

“You did really well today. Keep it up tomorrow.”

Fang Yanyan spoke earnestly.

“I’ve always wanted to become a reporter. My cousin is an excellent television host, and my older cousin is even more outstanding. But I’m afraid I won’t measure up. When there are people in your family to compare yourself with, the pressure is always there.”

Song Jianan nodded knowingly.

“I understand. My younger cousin gets compared to me by her mother every single day. Whenever she sees me, the first thing she says is always, ‘I hate you. I don’t want to talk to you.’ But everyone has their own path. As long as you do your best and have a clear conscience, that’s enough.”

Right then, her phone rang.

Zeng Shuyi’s voice came through immediately.

“Song Jianan! Why aren’t you here yet?”

She was completely confused.

“Where? What’s going on?”

“Oh my God! Didn’t you see the text message I sent you? Xiaoyi’s in town on a business trip tonight, so we’re all having dinner together. We’ve been waiting forever, and you never showed up. Turns out you never even got my message.”

Song Jianan immediately jumped to her feet.

“I know! I’m coming right now. Wait for me.”

After hanging up, she turned to Fang Yanyan.

“Nothing else today. You can head home. Aren’t you leaving?”

He smiled.

“It’s okay. I’m staying a little longer. My cousin is coming to pick me up for dinner, so I’ll be here for a while. Jianan, if you have somewhere to be, go ahead.”

She nodded.

“All right. I’ll get going.”

When she arrived at the restaurant, everyone there was an old college friend.

Almost all of them worked in the media industry, mainly in finance or entertainment reporting.

Compared to Song Jianan, their appearance and style were completely different.

The moment they saw her, they began teasing.

“The social news reporter is here! Come on, give us your best Oriental Horizon impression.”

Song Jianan laughed helplessly.

Oriental Horizon had been an old college joke.

Back then, she had dreamed of becoming a social affairs reporter. During a mock production of the television program, she had been so committed to the role that she changed both her alarm clock and cellphone ringtone to the show’s theme music.

Once, while conducting a real interview, her phone rang.

Someone immediately shouted,

“CCTV is here! Everyone hurry and get on camera!”

The entire reporting team had burst into laughter.

She sat down.

“There’s no Oriental Horizon today, and I don’t even have the energy to fool around with you all. I covered a field story today. I’m exhausted and haven’t even had lunch. Could you at least let me eat first?”

Everyone understood.

“Go ahead. The social news section works the hardest.”

Ignoring all decorum, Song Jianan immediately began devouring spare ribs.

Looking at the way she was dressed, Zeng Shuyi commented,

“Jianan, you’re moving to the entertainment section soon. You can’t keep dressing like this.”

Still chewing on a rib, Song Jianan nodded.

“I know. But what choice do I have? I bring two pairs of shoes to work every day—one for the office and one for chasing news. Otherwise these legs of mine would be crippled by now.”

The others nodded sympathetically.

“Hang in there. You’re almost through it. Life in the entertainment section is much easier.”

After dinner, the group headed to a nearby sake bar.

For some reason, the women suddenly became playful and decided to play Truth or Dare.

Song Jianan was already feeling tired.

Zeng Shuyi quietly whispered to her,

“The game’s just an excuse. It’s really for flirting with men. Look over there—those guys are pretty handsome.”

Following her gaze, Song Jianan saw several young men sitting in a corner of the bar.

They looked youthful and energetic.

And they were indeed quite handsome.

No wonder these women had come up with such a clumsy excuse.

Apparently, a little dignity still had to be maintained.

Unfortunately, Song Jianan was picked first.

She chose Truth.

The question was both vicious and embarrassingly direct.

She laughed proudly.

“I’ve never even had a boyfriend. Questions like this are wasted on me.”

Zeng Shuyi leaned over to read it before shaking her head.

“Instead of asking that, you’d be better off asking who she’s secretly liked before.”

Song Jianan waved her hands frantically.

“I’ll switch! I’ll do Dare instead.”

She drew another slip.

It read:

“Go strike up a conversation with a man and make sure everyone in the bar notices you.”

She instantly froze.

There was no escaping it.

Zeng Shuyi kindly recommended a target.

“I looked around earlier. That guy over there looks pretty decent. He seems gentle and refined. Go try him. At least he probably won’t despise you too much.”

The lighting in the bar was dim.

Through the shadows, Song Jianan could make out the man’s high nose bridge, thin lips, slender shoulders, and glasses.

Behind the lenses, his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He seemed to be waiting for someone, yet he looked completely unhurried, quietly listening to the music.

His entire demeanor radiated calmness.

Song Jianan thought that even if she acted rudely, he probably wouldn’t stand up, beat her up, and walk away.

Pretending to be relaxed, she walked over.

As she approached, the man noticed her and looked up.

His eyes were remarkably beautiful—gentle, refined, and full of quiet curiosity.

For a brief moment, Song Jianan lost her nerve.

Still, she kept her voice steady.

“Excuse me, sir. Could you do me a favor?”

The man smiled politely, apparently assuming she was trying to hit on him.

“What is it?”

Song Jianan gritted her teeth and steeled herself.

“I’m sorry.”

The words came out first.

The man blinked in surprise.

Before he could react, Song Jianan suddenly raised her voice several times louder.

“What? You’re only paying two hundred yuan for the whole night? Isn’t that way too cheap?”

Instantly…

The entire bar fell silent.

The effect was astonishingly successful.

She watched the man’s expression go from frozen to twitching in disbelief.

Then she turned around and walked away as gracefully as possible.

The group of women who had dared her were completely dumbfounded.

Zeng Shuyi shook her head.

“Song Jianan… you either stay quiet or make the biggest splash imaginable.”

Almost everyone’s eyes were fixed on her.

She kept a completely straight face.

Only after a long while did everyone’s attention finally shift elsewhere.

Zeng Shuyi nudged her foot.

“Jianan, that handsome guy keeps looking this way. Maybe you should leave first?”

Feeling guilty, Song Jianan shook her head.

“No. I’m safer staying with all of you. Do you think I might’ve offended some gang boss or something? At least I’m a reporter for the biggest evening newspaper in the province. I’ve got a little status… right?”

Even Zeng Shuyi felt the joke had gone too far.

“You should probably go explain things to him later. We thought you’d just slam your hand on the table and yell, ‘I’m breaking up with you!’ Who knew your imagination would be this… impure?”

Song Jianan suddenly realized what she meant.

Then she let out a miserable scream.

“I messed up! Ahhh—”

The bar gradually returned to its usual lively atmosphere.

The man seemed completely unaffected.

He continued sitting leisurely at his table.

After returning from the restroom, Song Jianan slowly shuffled over to him at the speed of a turtle.

Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.

“Sir… I’m really sorry. We were playing Truth or Dare. I didn’t mean it. I just… really didn’t have any other choice.”

The man adjusted his glasses and smiled.

“Miss, what’s your surname? Which television station are you from?”

“Huh?”

Song Jianan’s mind immediately tied itself into knots.

Was he really planning revenge?

She decided to play dumb.

“My surname isn’t important. What’s important is mutual understanding and forgiveness.”

“The provincial TV station’s Legal Online. Li Xinyi, right?”

The man smiled and glanced toward the table where her friends were sitting.

Song Jianan looked at him warily.

Resting one hand on the table, he continued smiling.

Before he could say anything else, the phone on the table rang.

He glanced at the screen before looking back at Song Jianan.

“Then… goodbye, Miss.”

He turned and left.

Song Jianan snorted softly.

The changing lights reflected against the glass window as the man’s figure disappeared in an instant.

She returned to her seat with a sigh of relief.

The game continued.

Then someone suddenly gasped.

“Oh my God! That was actually Xi Luoyu! How could I not recognize him? Jianan, the man you just flirted with was Xi Luoyu!”

“A gang boss?” Song Jianan asked irritably.

“No!”

“Then it’s fine.”

She had no interest in who he was.

As long as he wasn’t going to kill her or retaliate, everything was fine.

A petty man like that was better avoided anyway.

Someone who kept score over every little thing was even more annoying than some women.

“But he’s the star lawyer at Ningxin Law Firm! One of this city’s Top Ten Outstanding Young People last year! More importantly… he’s unmarried! I wanted to interview him before, but that shameless little brat stole the assignment from me.”

Everyone immediately changed the topic to Xi Luoyu.

Song Jianan secretly congratulated herself for not choosing the legal affairs section.

It seemed transferring to the entertainment section had been a very wise decision.

Otherwise, if she ran into him often at work and he deliberately made things difficult for her, she’d be in real trouble.

What she never expected, however, was that even outside of work, fate would continue bringing them together.

Only then would she realize that although the world was enormous…

their world contained only two people.

And for just two people…

It felt unbelievably crowded and impossibly small.