Chapter Fourteen – Broken Promises

The business at the physical store remained as bleak as ever. Yishu, however, was slowly getting used to it. For the time being, she bid farewell to the hectic days of clients urging her for orders one after another, and no longer had to fight desperately to hit her targets. She could finally settle down and feel time trickling by, minute after minute, while his image drifted gently through her mind.

Just a few days, that's all she needed.

Two tracks, freshly laid, crisscrossing and journeying forward, only to meet at the same destination. In the end, whether you are entwined with me, or I with you, does it even matter?

Tonight, the cinema, the film, "You and Me"—me and you.

Would this count as our first real date?

Time passed much more slowly than usual, as if each day held forty-eight hours, each hour a hundred and twenty minutes.

At noon, she bought a boxed lunch and returned to the store, only to find a customer lingering at the door.

Finally, the first customer?

"Hello, miss. I'd like to look at the curtains in your shop."

Yishu regarded the chubby man standing before her and thought to herself that he seemed to have come with intent.

"Welcome," she replied, taking her keys from her pocket and unlocking the glass door. "What style of curtains are you interested in?"

He pondered for a moment. "I'm mainly buying for my parents. Something simple and elegant will do."

Judging by his appearance, he seemed about thirty, so his parents would likely be fifty-five to sixty, no older than sixty-five. "How about these Chinese-style curtains?" she suggested.

She bypassed the dark-colored "Prosperity in Bloom" hanging in the center and instead introduced the understated "Auspicious Clouds." The main body was a creamy yellow, trimmed with cloud patterns along the sides and hem, while the center featured an auspicious motif embroidered in a slightly deeper camel shade.

The man picked up the curtain and felt the fabric. "I’ll take it. Let me try this one first—if it works, I’ll replace the rest of the windows at home, too."

So decisive? He hadn't even asked the price.

Yishu took the window measurements and helped calculate the curtain size. She recorded his contact number and delivery address, promising to deliver within a week.

After seeing the customer off, she opened her computer, converted the order into a spreadsheet, and sent it to Min Hangrui.

A while later, she sent another message to Min Hangrui:

—How has Yan Lu been lately? She’s on the morning shift this week, isn’t she? Should be in the office area now?

A minute passed, then ten, but still no reply.

—Sorry to bother you, could you answer me?

After a few more minutes:

—Not sure. She didn’t come to work today.

—She didn’t? Is she sick?

—How would I know? You should ask her yourself. I’m busy.

But Yan Lu never replied to her messages on WeChat; even calls were met with a busy tone before being disconnected. Now, when she tried to call again, the phone was turned off.

The phone rang.

Yishu took out her phone. The caller was Xu Shixi.

"Almost off work, right? Something came up on my end, so I might be a little late."

"If you’re busy, take care of it. We can reschedule, or I can go by myself." Yishu had thought about postponing, planning to visit Yan Lu instead, since they hadn’t been in touch for days. After all, Yan Lu was still upset with her. But this was the first invitation from Shixi ever, and if she missed it, would they end up going their separate ways? The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t muster the courage.

"That’s fine, too. Seven o’clock, outside the cinema on the fourth floor of Huafeng Plaza. Don’t be late."

"I’ll be there."

When Yishu arrived at Huafeng Plaza, it was not yet six; the plaza lights had only just come on. Restless, she wandered aimlessly. Remembering that Shixi was busy, she didn’t send any messages to disturb him.

As seven o’clock approached, day slipped swiftly into night, and neon lights spilled their glow everywhere.

When her phone rang again, Yishu felt certain it was Shixi.

Had he arrived?

A strange number?

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Yishu? I’m Yan Lu’s mother." The voice on the other end was choked with sobs.

Yishu’s heart clenched. "Auntie, what’s happened? Please don’t worry, just tell me slowly."

"Has Lulu come to see you? It’s already seven and she’s not home yet."

Phone pressed to her ear, Yishu walked as she listened, hailing a cab at the street corner.

The driver asked her destination, but she wasn’t sure whether to go to Blue Sea City or Kaisheng.

Piecing together Yan Lu’s mother’s halting words, Yishu gathered that after the matchmaking debacle that night was exposed, Yan Lu’s mother had lashed out at her in anger. The silent standoff that night had escalated into a shouting match the next morning.

Yan Lu had stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Still furious, her mother assumed she had gone to work and let her go, her anger too strong to allow her to give chase.

Normally, when Yan Lu worked the morning shift, she’d be home by six. Even if she was running late, she’d always call.

To Yishu, Yan Lu always seemed carefree and unruffled, but in reality, she cared deeply about family. Those bonds meant everything to her.

"To Kaisheng, please," Yishu told the driver, recalling that Yan Lu often frequented the local skewer shop. Unlike the bustling city center with its bars and KTVs, the industrial park area only had restaurants.

She got out and headed north on foot.

At night, the area was always lively, bustling noise masking more noise. The place was thick with the air of everyday life. After a long day, people from all over the city would gather, crowding around tables, eating heartily, talking loudly, letting off steam and drinking freely.

Yishu ignored the crowds, weaving through the corridor cluttered with goods and bicycles.

Sure enough, there was Yan Lu at the skewer shop, sitting beside someone Yishu didn’t recognize.

There weren’t many people in the shop tonight.

"Yan Lu, your mother is worried sick about you," Yishu said as she approached, bending down to speak softly. "I’ve been worried, too. We haven’t talked in days."

Yan Lu hiccupped and looked up at Yishu, squinting against the overhead light. "Do you still care about me? Didn’t you become a store manager and leave me behind?"

"I know I was wrong. I should’ve explained myself better," Yishu said, ill at ease.

"Don’t bother. It’s pointless," Yan Lu’s tone became emotional. "I don’t want to hear it."

"Alright, if you don’t want to hear it, I won’t say more. But can you please go home? Your mom is really worried." Yishu’s words were almost a plea.

"I’m not going back," came the stubborn reply.

"You must be Su Yishu." The young man beside Yan Lu stood up.

"I am."

"Yan Lu told me you’re her best friend," he said gently. "She’s in a bad mood today, so don’t take it to heart."

Yishu nodded. Of course, she didn’t take it to heart; she knew she was at fault. Scenes flashed chaotically through her mind—perhaps every friendship must be tested, not out of pettiness, but as a necessary affirmation, even if only symbolic.

"And you are?" Yishu asked.

"I forgot to introduce myself—my name is Lu Xugao. I’m the new shipping clerk at Kaisheng."

"And the previous clerk, Lu Xuyang?"

"He’s my cousin. After he got married, his family didn’t want him working in shipping, so he quit. I was looking for a job, so he recommended me."

Lu Xugao read the confusion in Yishu’s eyes. "Yan Lu seemed upset today, so I was worried something might happen to her, so I..."

"Why say so much?" Yan Lu grumbled, pouring herself another drink. "Nothing’s going to happen to me. Are you cursing me?"

Yishu snatched the cup away. "Don’t drink anymore. Am I really unforgivable in your eyes?"

Her eyes grew misty, moisture blurring her vision. Was nearly twenty years of friendship so fragile that a single mistake could shatter it? Had all those moments of loyalty meant nothing? Would everything end here, in this moment, crumbling into dust and vanishing without a trace?

"Don’t be so dramatic, as if we’ll never see each other again," Yan Lu’s sharpness softened. She tugged Yishu down beside her. "I’m not blaming you. I’m just upset and hurt. Today’s mess has nothing to do with you—I’m just in a bad mood."

Tears, sorrow, frustration, and confusion—all melted away into the hazy night.

Most of the passersby on the street had already gone.

With grievances aired and misunderstandings resolved, Yishu felt a weight lift from her heart.

So they were still friends, after all.

As for Lu Xugao, it was too late for Yishu to learn more about him, and Yan Lu was in no mood to explain. Some relationships, like sprouting beans, are best left to grow at their own pace; there’s no need to know the exact moment they break through the soil, take root, or shoot up strong and tall.

Leaving Yan Lu’s home, Yishu glanced at her phone. It was a quarter past nine.

Oh no!

She had completely forgotten her date with Shixi.

Her phone screen was filled with missed calls and WeChat messages.

"I’m so sorry," Yishu apologized as she finally reached him, her face full of regret.

"Thank God," his voice drifted faintly from the other end, almost inaudible.

"I’m just glad you’re alright," Xu Shixi explained. "I was late by over ten minutes and thought you’d gone in ahead. But I couldn’t find you anywhere, and your phone wouldn’t connect. I thought something had happened to you—I was about to call the police."

"I really am sorry for worrying you," Yishu said, gripping her phone tightly, her eyes misting over once more. "Something happened with my friend. I rushed over in such a hurry I forgot to tell you."

"Is everything okay now? Do you need me to come help?"

Yishu sniffled. "It’s all sorted out."

"Then..." He hesitated. "Get some rest."

Was the misunderstanding resolved?

It should be, right?

On her way back to Jinlan Community, Yishu reflected: perhaps, for two people to be together, trust must come first. Without trust, even the deepest feelings will fracture and collapse. Trust, perhaps, is born of love. Even distrustful love has a measure of care in it. But that, too, can become a burden and a shackle.

You had summoned your courage to draw near to me, yet I, by some twist of fate, had avoided you. Will you ever again find the courage to approach me once more? If you stop, should I take the step instead?

I, too, want to be brave for once.

Because I never have been, not once.