By the time the clock edged toward closing, Lina's head was already heavy.
"Finally," Yuqi muttered, stretching her arms above her head. "If I stay here any longer, I'm going to resign on the spot."
"You say that every day."
"And one day I'll mean it."
Lina let out a small breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
Almost.
They packed up slowly, neither in a rush, neither really wanting to stay either.
"Let's go," Yuqi said, grabbing her bag.
"Before they remember we exist and give us more work."
Lina nodded.
Outside, the air felt different.
Cooler.
Lighter.
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
They walked side by side, not talking much. Just the sound of footsteps, passing cars, distant voices.
"Are you okay?" Yuqi asked suddenly.
Lina blinked.
"…I said I'm fine."
"Yeah, but you always say that."
A pause.
"I'm fine," Lina repeated.
Softer this time.
Yuqi didn't push.
"Okay," she said. "But if you collapse tomorrow, I'm not carrying you."
Lina smiled faintly.
Later that night, her room was quiet.
Too quiet.
She didn't think too much.
Didn't want to.
She made something simple—ramen.
Steam rising softly as she sat on the edge of her bed, eating slowly, absentmindedly.
No thoughts.
Just...
Silence.
By the time she lay down, her body felt heavy.
Sleep came fast.
But not peacefully.
Morning came too soon.
Lina groaned softly as she sat up, her head dull, her body still tired.
She reached for her phone without thinking.
And froze.
Her reflection stared back at her faintly from the screen.
Her eyes...
Puffy.
Slightly red.
"…great."
She dropped back onto the bed, covering her face with one hand.
A notification buzzed.
Yuqi.
She opened it lazily.
Don't forget. Someone important is coming today.
Lina stared at the message.
Then...
Dropped her phone.
"I might as well skip work today."
Her voice came out flat against the pillow.
No energy.
No motivation.
Just...
No.
She turned slightly, about to bury herself back under the covers...
Then paused.
Someone important…
Her brows pulled together slightly.
Yuqi wouldn't text that for no reason.
And if it was something big...
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…oh."
She sat up immediately.
"No, no, no—"
She rushed out of bed.
Everything after that was chaos.
Brush.
Water.
Clothes.
Bag.
She didn't even think about food.
By the time she ran out...
Her hair was still slightly damp.
The bus stop was crowded.
Too crowded.
She checked the time.
Late.
"Seriously…?"
By the time she finally got on...
She was already behind.
The ride felt longer than usual.
Every stop...
Too slow.
Every second...
Too loud.
When she finally got down and reached the company...
She froze.
Everyone was already lined up.
Perfect rows.
Straight posture.
Like a scene out of something formal.
"…I'm dead."
Her breath came out quietly.
Then...
A hand waved frantically from the side.
Yuqi.
Of course.
"Over here!" she mouthed.
Lina rushed over, slipping into place beside her, trying to steady her breathing.
"What's going on?" Lina whispered quickly.
Yuqi leaned slightly toward her.
"You really don't know?"
"No."
Yuqi's eyes lit up.
"It's the CEO's wife."
A pause.
"Wife?"
"Okay—future wife," Yuqi corrected. "Elena Zhang."
The name settled.
"She's elegant," Yuqi continued in a hushed tone. "Beautiful. Everyone talks about her. I heard she's his first love too."
Behind them...
Voices whispered.
"She's so pretty..."
"I saw her once...she's unreal—"
"They're definitely getting married soon—"
Lina stayed quiet.
"Ohhh," Yuqi said suddenly, but not in an excited way. "So that's it."
"What?"
"I thought something big was happening," she said, shrugging slightly. "Like promotions… salary raise… maybe turning us interns into full staff."
Lina almost smiled.
"But no," Yuqi continued, sighing. "It's just romance."
A pause.
Then...
"Well, rich people romance."
The line straightened suddenly.
Movement ahead.
Someone was arriving.
Lina lifted her head slightly.
And for some reason...
Her chest tightened.