Ten

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At dawn, Xiao-ya Xian awoke from her dreams. The first thing she did was get up and examine the medal, which sat on the display rack. She turned it over and over in her hands, confirming that her own name was indeed engraved upon it—there was no mistake. Yet, why had she seen Jason’s name on it last night? The whole thing felt utterly bizarre. It must be that her nerves had been stretched too thin lately. Feeling somewhat calmer, she realized it had been nothing but a false alarm, and a weight lifted from her chest, leaving her feeling light again. After breakfast with Ai, she left home early and headed to the office.

The weather was especially fine today—azure skies, morning light unfurling. On her way back to the company, Xiao-ya Xian ran into Miss Lin at an intersection in the neighborhood.

She wanted to avoid Miss Lin, but Lin had already spotted her from afar. Whether she was deliberately waiting for Xiao-ya’s appearance or it was mere coincidence, Xiao-ya could not tell.

“Miss Xian, is that you?” Xiao-ya had tried to angle away, avoiding her gaze, but Miss Lin darted over with a single stride.

“Miss Lin? What a coincidence,” Xiao-ya replied, pretending she hadn’t noticed her at first, then turning back politely.

“I wasn’t mistaken after all! It really is you.” Miss Lin stepped in closer, looking as if she wouldn’t let her slip away.

“Ha, I almost didn’t see you. Are you heading to the office as well?”

“No, I’m off to see an apartment.”

“Are you on leave today?”

“Yes, I specifically took half a day off to look at places. My current place is too far from work; now I want something close by.” As she spoke, Miss Lin glanced around, scanning her surroundings.

“Is that so? Where did you find? Is it close to the office?”

“It’s quite close, just behind this high-tech district.” Miss Lin gestured southwest.

Xiao-ya glanced in that direction. She’d never been over there, though it was near her office.

“I didn’t know there were residential areas back there,” she remarked.

“Yes! Normally, I just go to work and never paid attention to the fact there’s an old neighborhood nearby. It’s close, but even after circling the area, I still can’t find the entrance—” Again she looked around, as if still searching for the way in.

Miss Lin continued, “A friend recommended it, said it’s an old apartment building behind the central district, but she only sent me the location pin and couldn’t come with me. So I have to find it myself.” She seemed to be having a hard time finding the place on her own.

Xiao-ya had no intention of getting involved; she just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. But suddenly, Miss Lin grabbed her arm and pleaded, “Um...by the way, do you know this address? Let me show you—” She pulled up a location on her phone for Xiao-ya to see.

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Xiao-ya shook her head after looking at it. “I’ve never been, I’m not sure.”

“Oh dear, I only took half a day off. If I can’t find it soon, I’ll have to rush back to work.”

“Miss Lin, I’m in a hurry too. I’ll head back to the office now.”

“Oh, right, I won’t keep you. Off you go, then. See you around!”

“Okay, see you.” I hope we don’t meet again, Xiao-ya muttered inwardly.

She had barely taken a few steps when her phone suddenly rang—

“Hello?” Xiao-ya stopped and listened carefully to the voice on the other end. After a while, she said, “All right, I’ll head back later. Send me the address, and I’ll go over.” After hanging up, a location pin popped up on her phone.

The landmark read: “Jintan Garden.”

Miss Lin called out, “Miss Xian, you haven’t left yet?” She walked over again, and intentionally or not, glanced at the location on Xiao-ya’s screen. Suddenly she cried out in surprise, “It’s the same place! What’s going on, are you looking for this area too?” She pulled out her own phone, and the location pin also showed the same community.

“What a coincidence, it’s the same place. I’ve been navigating here as well. It should be around this area, but the GPS can’t pinpoint the exact entrance,” she chattered on.

Xiao-ya was also puzzled. How could this be? Someone from the company had just called her, saying there was an old client living nearby, and asked Xiao-ya to visit in person. If the old customer renewed their contract and continued investing with the company, it would be a great boon.

But why was Miss Lin always haunting her path? Their fates seemed strangely intertwined.

“Jintan Garden?” Xiao-ya felt she’d heard the name somewhere before...it seemed familiar, but she couldn’t recall.

“Yes, that’s it! Since you’re looking for this place too, why not go together? Two people searching will be much quicker.” Miss Lin, unreserved and overly familiar, had already taken Xiao-ya by the hand, ready to head southwest.

Reluctant but unable to refuse, Xiao-ya allowed herself to be pulled along.

Miss Lin pointed across the street. “Maybe the entrance is over there? Let’s try.”

“All right.” She had no choice but to follow.

“Good thing you’re with me. Otherwise, I’d never find it alone this morning,” Miss Lin said.

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Xiao-ya forced a thin smile.

As she turned away, she failed to notice the increasingly odd look on Miss Lin’s face.

Passing through a narrow side street, they came upon an old residential complex, made up of low-rise houses and dilapidated apartment blocks—some the remnants of old housing reforms. The buildings looked to be at least thirty years old. No wonder no one paid attention to this place—it felt like a closed-off world. The white-collar workers of the financial district would never set foot here; the buildings were broken, ancient. The streets were narrow, uneven, scattered with ill-laid tiles. At night, with no streetlights, walking would be treacherous. There were no bins for sorted trash, and household waste seemed to be dumped wherever there was space—perhaps only cleared late at night by sanitation workers. So even this early, piles of rubbish had already formed. Xiao-ya found the filth unsettling and hoped to finish her errand and leave as soon as possible. Miss Lin, on the other hand, was in high spirits, dragging Xiao-ya from one spot to another, peering around.

They passed through another hidden alley and emerged beside a public restroom at the corner. Compared to the high-tech district, this was another world entirely: a dozen low-rise residential buildings, some nine stories high with no elevators, others only six stories, also without lifts. Dozens more were single- or double-story houses. Xiao-ya was surprised these old buildings hadn’t been torn down. She’d worked in the financial center for years and never noticed this area.

Miss Lin searched the address on her phone and soon discovered, at the end of the block, a community indeed named “Jintan Garden.” Its appearance was just as run-down, and it too had no elevators. It seemed most original residents had moved out, renting their flats to others.

“This place is so old—no wonder the rent is cheap. I think this must be it,” Miss Lin said, giggling as if she’d struck a bargain.

“Is this really Jintan Garden?” asked Xiao-ya.

“Mmm, I’m sure of it. Old as it is, it’s close to the office and the rent is low. Why don’t I show you the place I’m considering?” She turned back, beaming.

Xiao-ya didn’t want to go up, but she needed to find someone too, so she had no choice but to follow.

“Didn’t you say you’re here to find someone as well? Since we’re together, let’s look together—maybe the person you need is upstairs,” Miss Lin said.

Xiao-ya checked the location again and confirmed this was indeed the place. There were eight buildings; if this wasn’t the right one, she’d have to check the others. The client’s address was incomplete—only the community name was given, which was odd. She nodded at Miss Lin, signaling she would go up together.

“It’s just stairs, so I don’t want to rent too high up. Third floor is just right—not too tiring,” Miss Lin said, pulling Xiao-ya up the stairs.

Though it was morning and the sun outside shone brightly, once they entered the stairwell, the light seemed unable to penetrate. Everything was gloomy, tinged with a faded yellow that gave the sense of stepping into an old photograph—no longer vivid or warm, but broken, aged, and faintly sorrowful.

With every step, Xiao-ya felt as though she were trudging through molasses, as if countless secret eyes were watching her. She was deeply unwilling to go further, but couldn’t say why—a vague sadness began to rise unbidden from deep within her…