The next morning, Yu Ning's head was still spinning, the lingering nausea from the night before making every movement a chore. She packed her bag in a hasty blur and slipped out of the house.
She worked as a part-time receptionist at a four-star hotel near the city center. It was a bustling Saturday; the lobby was a sea of tourists waiting to check in. Beside her at the counter, two girls in navy uniforms were already deep in the morning rush.
"Here's your keycard! Please head toward the lift lobby on the left; the doorman will assist you with your luggage."
The sweet, melodic voice belonged to Li Wen. She looked up from her monitor, her cheeky eyes crinkling into a smile for the foreign guests. As soon as they walked away, she leaned toward Yu Ning, her tone dropping to a hush.
"Yu Ning, why are you so quiet this morning? And oh my gosh... what happened to your eyes? They're so swollen."
"I broke up with my boyfriend," Yu Ning drawled. Her puffy gaze met Li Wen's round-eyed stare.
"WHAT?" Li Wen's exclamation echoed through the lobby. A few guests glanced over.
"I'll tell you at lunch," Yu Ning whispered, turning back to her screen.
As they worked, Yu Ning's typing slowed. Her eyes drifted to her desktop background - a photo of her and Zi Xuan taken less than three months ago.
A dull ache bloomed in her chest, followed quickly by a flash of annoyance. With a few sharp clicks, she scrubbed the image away, replacing it with a generic Windows background before diving back into a mountain of guest emails.
By 1:00 PM, the girls headed out for their shift change. Li Wen led the way to a nearby café, a quiet spot decorated in a minimalist wabi-sabi style.
Over plates of Japanese-Western fusion udon, Yu Ning laid out the wreckage of the previous night. She kept it brief, focusing on Zi Xuan's infidelity rather than the uglier details of his behavior.
Li Wen's face contorted. She gripped her butter knife so tightly it looked like she wanted to use it on Zi Xuan herself.
"Men are disgusting. How dare he cheat on our beautiful Ning Ning?"
She reached across the table to squeeze Yu Ning's hand. The contact was cool, and a sudden, involuntary shiver of goosebumps raced up Yu Ning's arm. She retracted her hand abruptly.
Li Wen froze, looking startled. "Sorry! I didn't mean to jump at you."
Seeing the flash of concern on her friend's face, Yu Ning offered a small, apologetic smile. To break the tension, Li Wen launched into a string of creative curses directed at Zi Xuan.
Yu Ning let out a genuine laugh, the weight on her chest feeling a fraction lighter.
Li Wen was two years older, a senior from her English elective in college. Since they'd both been hired at the hotel a semester ago, she had become like an older sister. She was a good listener, and in the neon-lit rush of the Huangpu District, she was the one of the few people Yu Ning felt she could truly trust.
As they finished their meal, Li Wen remembered something. "Manager He is throwing a farewell party for David tonight. He's heading back to America. Are you coming?"
Li Wen pushed open the café door, leading them out.
"Mm... I guess I should?" Yu Ning said absentmindedly.
"I didn't pack any extra clothes though", she added.
"Don't worry, I have an extra top and jeans, we're about the same size so you should be able to wear them!" Li Wen gave a warm smile, reassuring her.
Yu Ning nodded. It wasn't like she had anywhere to go after this.
By 7:48 PM, the sky outside the hotel's glass panels had bruised into a deep orange. The temperature was dipping below 20°C. When the evening shift arrived to take over, the girls were practically chased into the staff room.
In the locker room, Yu Ning changed into the clothes Li Wen lent her: a white, neck-high halter top and flared jeans. Her bare arms felt strangely exposed.
She caught her reflection in the locker mirror.
Her straight black hair reached her waist, and the puffiness in her face had actually softened her features, making her look less gaunt than usual.
She touched up her makeup, hiding the dark circles. She hadn't dressed like this in a long time. Zi Xuan had always hated it when she showed skin, preferring her in baggy, muted layers.
The door creaked open, and Li Wen bounced in, her blonde curls dancing. She was dressed in a short skirt and bedazzled tights. "I knew you'd look good in that! I'm glad I brought a spare outfit."
"You only brought the spare in case you regretted your first choice," Yu Ning teased.
Outside, a group of staff members, including their manager He Jiang Xue, were waiting for cabs. A tall boy with light brown eyes and sharp, Western features approached them.
"I didn't get to say hello all shift! How are you two?" he asked in English.
"We're good, David. Just busy," Li Wen chirped.
David tilted his head, looking at Yu Ning. "Ning Ning, why do you look so down?"
"She broke up with her boyfriend," Li Wen said at the same time Yu Ning said, "I'm just tired."
Li Wen gave a mischievous smirk; Yu Ning narrowed her eyes. David chuckled, nudging Yu Ning's arm.
"I figured. You looked a bit rough today. But hey, drinks are on me tonight. Forget about him."
"Was I really that obvious?" Yu Ning laughed, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm joking," David added quickly. "You look fine."
The bar was on the third floor of a sophisticated building overlooking the Bund. It was dim, filled with oriental ornaments and heavy chandeliers. While the older staff sat with Manager He, the "young ones" took over a corner of round sofa tables.
It was the first time the younger staff members had stepped into such an establishment and took a while to warm up to the environment.
An hour into the night, the air became thick with shared stories and the clinking of glasses.
The tables slowly filled up with alcohol and the joyous air around them had yet to die down.
Feeling a bit light-headed, Yu Ning excused herself.
She checked her phone, a message from her classmate Shu Hua about a Monday morning group meeting was left unreplied.
She replied hastily, then wandered out toward the long balcony.
Outside, the view was breathtaking. The European architecture of the Bund was bathed in neon, looking like a dream of another country. Below, the city buzzed with tourists.
Yu Ning leaned against the wall and pulled a box of menthol cigarettes from her pocket.
The smile she'd worn for her coworkers faded as she stared into the night. She bit down on a cigarette and fumbled for a lighter, only to realize she'd left it in her bag.
She turned to go back inside but stopped.
At the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of someone.
A man was leaning against the railing a few feet away. He was tall and slender, dressed in a dark suit with a loosened tie. His pale neck reflected beads of sweat, disappearing beneath his crisp collar. A pair of silver-framed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, catching the city lights.
He didn't look back at her, staring out at the skyline, a cigarette perched between his lips.
Yu Ning glanced at him for a short moment before pushing the glass door open and heading back in to grab her lighter.
As the door opened and closed, the sound of slow jazz music wafted out into the balcony.
The man shifted slightly, his eyes catching the silhouette of her retreating figure. His eyebrow twitched, but he simply brought the cigarette back to his lips and exhaled into the wind.
The smoke coiled around him in the cool air, giving him a faint, ethereal glow.