Chapter 2, Only one knows whether it is warm or cold.

I solemnly said to Lele: "Lele, my name used to be Lin Ai, but later I took my mother's surname and changed my name." She was very curious and asked, "Why did you take your mother's surname?" I pretended to be reluctant to mention it, and she did not ask further, but kept observing me. I let her imagine freely; with her intelligence, she could only come up with something like parents getting divorced and then following her mother, hence changing her name and surname. Unexpectedly, Song Lingwei's call came in again. I saw it was a mobile number and quickly noted it down. I answered the phone with a "Hello."

I laughed and said, "I was small before, and people always have to grow up." He was also small back then; it was all a matter of over ten years ago. In fact, our relationship is quite simple; we merely had an unfulfilled romance during high school. At that time, who knew what love was? There was nothing profound about it, and it ended without much being said. After so many years, the little flutter of emotions we once had has long since vanished. Once again, we meet, and there is nothing unusual about it; he is just an old friend from a distant place, sharing a meal, chatting, and lending a small hand.

Early the next morning, I hurriedly got up to go to work and said to Lin Bin, who was still lying under the blanket: "Hey, I'm off to work! I've taken the keys, remember to lock the door when you leave!" I quickly tidied up a bit and took out the trash before heading out. While waiting for the bus at the bus stop, I suddenly felt hungry. After a moment's thought, I decided against eating, thinking I could have breakfast and lunch together. I was quite troubled, wondering what to do, as the money I had on me wouldn't last until the end of the month when I would get paid. I had to come up with a solution. Glancing at the paper bag I was holding, I thought of Song Lingwei.

With a smile, he said, "As you eat, you just want to eat more; you can try it if you don't believe me." I scooped half a bowl of soup for him and said, "Once you finish this, you'll have an appetite; it's quite appetizing." He casually took a couple of sips and ended up eating a few bites of the dishes. I picked up a piece of duck meat for him and joked, "This duck is lean, not greasy, flavorful, and tastes really good." Seeing that he didn't pick up his chopsticks, I added, "The taste is just right, neither too tough nor too tender, and there are no bones." Suddenly, he laughed and said, "Lin Ai, you really are different now. I can't imagine the old you doing something like this." I picked up a piece of duck meat for him and joked, "This duck is lean, not greasy, flavorful, and tastes really good." Seeing that he didn't pick up his chopsticks, I added, "The taste is just right, neither too tough nor too tender, and there are no bones." Suddenly, he laughed and said, "Lin Ai, you really are different now. I can't imagine the old you doing something like this."

He did not speak, watching me wipe my mouth, and asked, "Are you done eating?" I nodded and went downstairs with him. He offered to drive me back and even wanted to pull the car into the alley, but I stopped him, saying, "There won't be enough space to turn around later." He opened the car door to escort me inside. I hurriedly said, "No need, no need, I can manage on my own." He did not insist further and leaned against the car door. I took a couple of steps, turned back and smiled, saying, "Next time you buy clothes, come find me, and I will give you a discount." He smiled too, and it was clear that he was genuinely smiling, not just offering a polite smile out of obligation. I hurriedly said, "No need, no need, I can manage on my own." He did not insist further and leaned against the car door. I took a couple of steps, turned back and smiled, saying, "Next time you buy clothes, come find me, and I will give you a discount." He smiled too, and it was clear that he was genuinely smiling, not just offering a polite smile out of obligation. He must have known my little intentions, such a clever person.

I walked into the darkness and suddenly heard him ask from behind: "Lin Ai, what happened to the Lin family?" I paused and replied, "Yes, but it's all in the past now." So many years have passed. He was silent for a moment and then asked, "What about your dad?" I was taken aback and said, "You don't know?" He countered with, "Know what?" Suddenly, I didn't know where to begin, each word felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

He remained silent for a while, then got up to dispose of the leftover instant noodles. Upon returning, he splashed cold water on his face and finally said, "Don't worry, I know my limits." I finally spoke up, "Lin Bin, can you stop getting involved in that line of work? Sooner or later, it will cost you your life." He lay directly on the bed, burying his head and said, "Last night was just an accident, it's nothing serious, I'm just trying to make a living." Last night, the public security bureau dismantled a gambling den for the lottery, and he happened to be present. Since he was not the main offender, he was released after the money was confiscated. Now, both of us are on the verge of becoming proletarians.

He was startled by the way I was eating and asked, "Haven't you eaten all day?" I thought for a moment and replied, "I suppose so." In comparison, what I usually eat hardly qualifies as a meal. Feeling a bit embarrassed by his question, I restrained myself slightly and asked, "Did you say you hadn't eaten dinner? Why not?" He continued to sit beside me smoking, the smoke enveloping him in a somewhat hazy manner, making it hard to discern what he was really thinking. At that moment, he extinguished his cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray, saying, "Looking at it makes me not want to eat anymore." I understood; I used to be like that too, the better the food, the less interest I had—back then, I didn't know how to appreciate it. The smoke enveloped him in a somewhat hazy manner, making it hard to discern what he was really thinking. At that moment, he extinguished his cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray, saying, "Looking at it makes me not want to eat anymore." I understood; I used to be like that too, the better the food, the less interest I had—back then, I didn't know how to appreciate it

"Have you been sleeping?" I poured the water from the thermos and drank it, the warm steam wafting up to my face, feeling quite comfortable. The hot water slid down my throat into my stomach, warming my entire body. He lay on the ground with his head cradled in his arms, mumbling, "Lin Ai, why do you live in such a place where the dead reside?" I scoffed and said, "Hey, hey, hey, clarify that for me, how is this a place for the dead?" He retorted, "Living underground all year round, never seeing the light of day, isn't that a place for the dead?" I ignored his nonsensical remarks; according to his logic, wouldn't that make me a ghost?

I stopped talking, knowing I couldn't persuade him, and crawled into the blanket, covering myself tightly. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I remembered something and yawned, saying: "Lin Bin, when are you leaving tomorrow?" He mumbled, "In the morning, I suppose." He was probably also close to falling asleep; what time was it anyway? I replied with an "Oh," propped myself up, grabbed the bag from the table, took out a bank card from my wallet, and threw it at him: "Here!" It took him a while to stretch out his hand to catch it, and without any further nonsense, he shivered and said, "How do you survive in this godforsaken place without heating in the dead of winter?" I squinted my eyes and replied irritably, "The password is your birthday. I’ll buy an electric blanket in a few days; I heard it’s on sale. Don’t worry about me, take care of yourself." Before long, I fell into a deep sleep.

As it approached 10 o'clock, everyone had finished work, leaving only Lele and me behind. Song Lingwei indeed came over. I handed him the shirt and asked, "Do you want to try it on again?" He glanced at me sideways and replied, "Haven't I already tried it on?" There was a hint of mockery in his eyes. I pretended not to know and took the opportunity to ask, "Song Lingwei, we have several new styles of clothing today. Didn't you come to buy clothes yesterday?" He responded nonchalantly. I quickly unwrapped the shirt in my hands, picked up the latest business-style trench coat, and said, "This looks quite nice together." I pretended not to know and took the opportunity to ask, "Song Lingwei, we have several new styles of clothing today. Didn't you come to buy clothes yesterday?" He responded nonchalantly. I quickly unwrapped the shirt in my hands, picked up the latest business-style trench coat, and said, "This looks quite nice together."

He asked over there: "What do you need from me?" I replied: "Isn't your shirt still with me? When are you coming to pick it up?" He paused and asked: "What time do you close?" I said 10:30. He responded: "Then I'll come by at 10:00 to pick it up." Their company is nearby. I took the shirt out of the bag and asked Zhu Zhu: "This shirt has a missing button, can it be exchanged?" She glanced at it and asked: "Is there a tag?" I checked the collar, and the tag was missing, so it couldn't be exchanged. I then said: "Isn't it being repaired upstairs?" She replied: "Hey, they charge for that!" I asked: "Isn't the company covering the cost?" She spat and said: "You're not a customer, without a receipt or proof, will the company reimburse you?!"

There is nothing that cannot be said, so many years have passed. Even my father himself said that he has committed countless wrongdoings in his life, and being executed would not be excessive. I do not know what exactly he has done, I only know that he cared for me the most

I pulled a trailer to bring boxes of goods into the warehouse, first scanning and registering them on the computer, then stacking them on the shelves in the storage room. I plugged in the steam iron and laboriously pressed the creases out of the shirts. The store manager came in to open the safe and take out money. Seizing the opportunity, I asked, "Manager, if I sell clothes, can I also receive a commission?" She replied while counting the money, "In theory, it should be like that." However, in reality—implied but unspoken. Because I am not a sales staff, I cannot account for it in my salary. I blinked and smiled, saying, "Manager, if I sell a large item, how about we split the commission?" The employees' salaries are all accounted for by the store manager.

He took a glance, nodded, and said, "Alright, let's go with this one." I did not expect him to be so straightforward, and I was momentarily taken aback, then quickly asked, "Are you really going to take this?" He nodded and casually flipped through other clothes. My heart raced with excitement, and I hurriedly followed him, asking, "You can wear this size, right?" He said yes. I immediately picked up a handmade suit and said, "You need a suit for work, right? What do you think of this one?" Without looking at the price, he glanced at it and said, "This one is nice." He reached out to take it. I quickly said, "No, no, I’ll carry it." I led him to the leisure area and asked, "Do you need a winter coat? This one is pure wool and quite good."

I do not know whether that secretary will convey the message; in any case, I have been brushed off so many times that I no longer care much. Unexpectedly, half an hour later, Song Lingwei called the store. My mobile phone had long been suspended, so I used the store's phone to call him. He said he was looking for Lin Ai, and the person who answered, Lele, was taken aback for a moment and said there was no such person, that he had dialed the wrong number. I happened to be checking inventory in the store, and upon hearing this, I hurried to the front desk, but she had already hung up. My heart was simply filled with anguish! I happened to be checking inventory in the store, and upon hearing this, I hurried to the front desk, but she had already hung up. My heart was simply filled with anguish!

During the lunch break, I took out the business card that Song Lingwei had given me. It simply stated in bold letters, "General Manager of Zhonghong Group, Song Lingwei, Beijing." I then dialed his number. As expected, I was greeted by the secretary's official tone: "Zhonghong, may I ask who is calling?" I replied that I was looking for Song Lingwei. She politely responded, "I’m sorry, but Mr. Song is currently in a meeting. Is there anything you would like me to convey?" I hesitated for a moment and said, "Could you please let him know that Lin Ai is looking for him?" She readily agreed.

I shook my head, no longer thinking too much; after all, since I was here, I might as well eat, and if I didn't eat, it would be a waste. He took me to a private room, and I said, "Is it really necessary? We could just eat downstairs and leave, wouldn't that be more convenient?" He insisted on the best private room, the best service, and the best dishes. The restaurant manager personally attended to us, and the waitstaff came and went respectfully, making not a sound. He sat there at ease, as if he were born to be served in this manner. I looked at the large table filled with a dazzling array of dishes and thought to myself, eating like this in the middle of the night, would it cause indigestion? I then made a decision: even if it caused indigestion, I would still eat. Without waiting for him to invite me, I picked up my chopsticks, tapped them on the table, and began to eat voraciously.

He asked again, "Is your father doing well?" No wonder he kept asking about my father; back in the day, my father was a well-known figure, someone everyone in the city knew—Lin Demin. I replied calmly, "He was executed." I saw him freeze. Before he could say he was sorry, I quickly left.

She raised her head and glanced at me. I continued, "If I sell a large item, how about I take 80% and you take 20%?" She was taking away the fruits of others' labor without any qualms and should have been content. She asked nonchalantly, "Mu Xi, are you in dire need of money?" I nodded without hesitation, admitting that I was so short on money that I was about to go hungry. Not about to, but at this very moment, I was already starving. She did not respond and left with the money.

Song Lingwei was indeed not being polite with me, pushing six or seven paper bags towards me, while he himself was also carrying a mix of large and small bags, leaving him no time to spare. In a very good mood, I followed closely behind him, humming a little tune and almost obsequiously asked, "Can you carry all this? Do you want me to get you two more?" He glanced at me and replied, "That is exactly what I was going to ask you." I kept reminding myself to stay calm, calm! It was just a commission of five thousand yuan, equivalent to two months' salary, what was there to be proud of! I had seen money before in my life.

He nodded as well. Without hesitation, I asked him if he wanted pants, a scarf, and a tie. He thought for a moment and said, "Since I need them anyway, let's buy them all together." I felt my face flush with excitement, and eagerly asked, "How about we get two more shirts? After all, a man can never have too many shirts."

I feel like a dog catching a mouse, meddling in others' affairs. So I went upstairs to the place where they cut the edges, borrowed some needle and thread, chose the thread, and sewed it stitch by stitch. Then I pressed it flat with an iron, found a folding board, and carefully folded the edges so that it looked like it had never been unsealed, and finally packaged it in a transparent bag meant for shirts. I showed it to Zhu Zhu and asked, "Zhu Zhu, do you think it looks new?" She gave me a sideways glance and replied, "Isn't this new?" I laughed

The large and small bags were packed neatly and stacked in a row on the ground. It is often said that women are terrifying when it comes to shopping, but it seems that men are not much better. Lele was also a bit excited and quickly said, "Muxi, please help this gentleman carry the bags." I agreed and went in to grab the bags, saying, "Then I will just leave work directly; you take care of the rest."

I sighed and said slowly, "Brother, the Lin family is not what it used to be. What is wrong with us working diligently and honestly?" He did not respond but instead said, "Lin Ai, how can you live in such a place? Just look at it, this is no place for a person to live! If Dad knew how I was taking care of you, he would rise from his grave at midnight to kill me." I spat at him, "Stop talking nonsense! What is wrong with me earning a proper living? Dad would be happy to know! I earn my money through hard work, honestly and without guilt. I can stand tall and sit straight, not afraid of ghosts knocking at the door at midnight; isn't that what we seek?" He remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Lin Ai, I am not you."

Crossing through the dark, deserted alley where the cold wind howled, I stomped my feet and squeezed into an old, dilapidated building. I then skillfully descended the eerie, narrow, and damp staircase. The steps were somewhat high, and dragging my feet down was exhausting. The handrail was still wooden, creaking as I leaned on it, as if it might collapse at any moment. With my hands shoved in my pockets, I kicked the door and shouted, "Lin Bin, Lin Bin!" After all, living in the basement, I could make as much noise as I wanted without worrying about neighbors complaining. After a while, I heard a faint "pop" from the door. I kicked the door again and shouted, "Lin Bin, Lin Bin!" After a while, I heard a faint "pop" from the door. I shouldered the door open, and Lin Bin was already lying on the floor with a blanket. This basement had only one room and a bathroom so small it could hardly be called one, lacking even shower facilities.

I casually asked, "Have you eaten yet?" He covered his head with the blanket and replied no. I jumped up and said, "Lin Bin, are you silly? You don't even know to eat?" He lifted the blanket and sat up, mumbling softly, "It's not that I don't have money!" I was taken aback and immediately said, "I was in a hurry to go to work and forgot. What should we do now? I have a cup of instant noodles; you can eat it if you want, or let it sit if you don't." Seeing that I didn't move, he couldn't help but say, "Aren't you going to hurry up and soak it?" I didn't even lift my eyes, poured hot water to wash my face, and said while exhaling, "If you want to eat, can't you do it yourself?!" He dawdled for a while, then said, "I was in a hurry to go to work and forgot. What should we do now? I have a cup of instant noodles; you can eat it if you want, or let it sit if you don't." Seeing that I didn't move, he couldn't help but say, "Aren't you going to hurry up and soak it?" I didn't even lift my eyes, poured hot water to wash my face, and said while exhaling, "If you want to eat, can't you do it yourself?!" He hesitated for a while, and only when I lifted the blanket and climbed onto the bed did he reluctantly get up. His messy hair, like a bird's nest, could not hide his handsome face. The Lin family members are all good-looking, especially him. After fumbling around for a bit, he finally plugged in the electric pot and started to cook the instant noodles. I squinted and said, "So troublesome! Isn't there hot water? Just soak it for a bit!"

He said slowly, "At that time, you suddenly transferred schools. I didn't understand before, but now I wonder, was it at that time that something happened to your family?" Seeing that I didn't respond, he continued, "Not long after you transferred, my dad got promoted, and I came to Beijing." I nodded, no wonder he was completely unaware of the big incident that happened back then. I slowly said, "At that time, nothing had happened yet; in fact, I wasn't very clear about what happened that year. My family thought I was too young and kept it from me." To ease the atmosphere, I changed the subject, "Are you doing well later on?"

He nodded and said, "Not bad. However, I saw you hiding in the fitting room sleeping yesterday, and I thought I had mistaken you for someone else. I was a bit worried at first, but now it seems you are doing well." He did not specify in what way I was doing well, and I did not ask, just smiled and said, "What happened in the past is in the past. Although I am a bit poor now, I can still find joy in being poor. It all depends on how one thinks about it." He nodded gently

He suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Since you put it that way, I might as well take two more." He grabbed five items from the shelf in one go, only looking at the model and not the style. When it was time to check out, I secretly followed him to the cash register, and the total had already exceeded six figures. I thought he must be crazy. But who cares, he can afford it, so why should I feel uneasy about it

I am extremely fatigued, drowsy, yet the aroma of instant noodles still compels me to open my heavy eyelids. He turned to ask, "Do you want to eat?" I thought for a moment and replied, "No, I just brushed my teeth." Instant noodles only smell good; they are quite unappetizing. Watching him eat heartily, sweating profusely, I suddenly felt a pang of sorrow and said, "Brother, when are you leaving?" He paused his chopsticks, did not look up, and mumbled, "I will leave tomorrow." I hesitated for a moment but still said, "Brother, please don't do this anymore. Money doesn't matter; as long as you are alive, that's enough."

He stuffed the bag into the trunk in one go, rubbed his hands together, and barely had time to speak. He said naturally, "Let's go." I was not polite and sat down without hesitation. Riding in his luxury car was certainly more comfortable than squeezing onto a bus, after all, it was on the way. However, he did not drive straight home but stopped in front of a restaurant. I yawned and said, "Coming to eat so late?" He nodded, "I haven't had dinner." I took a careful look at him and noticed the fatigue and weariness in his eyes. A big boss of Zhonghong Group is hungry? The president of Zhonghong Group is just a figurehead; he is the one truly in charge. I knew this much. Is he really that busy? Busy enough to skip meals, just like me?