At 8:00 AM the next morning, Lin Lu arrived at Headquarters on time.
“Good morning, everyone!” Lin Lu greeted Hoshino Hikari and Lin Qingqing.
Lin Qingqing was facedown on the desk, trying to catch up on sleep.
Hoshino Hikari was sitting nearby and was scrolling through her phone.
She looked up as Lin Lu entered, her eyes brightened, “Senior Xue! Morning!”
“Morning.” Lin Lu looked at the slumped Lin Qingqing and asked, “What’s wrong with her? Is she feeling unwell?”
“She was up until 4:00 AM chasing dramas,” Hoshino Hikari whispered.
“Minazuki was right last night—Qingqing was definitely going to stay up late on her phone.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Lin Qingqing bolted upright, “Nonsense! I wasn’t sleeping! I was just… uh, meditating and cultivating! Don’t you understand?”
“Sure, sure… meditating.” Hoshino Hikari rolled her eyes.
Lin Lu smiled, noticing that Minazuki was missing.
“Where’s Minazuki? Has she not arrived yet?”
“Minazuki went to fetch the victim Lin Xiaoyu’s phone. She should be back soon… Oh, here she comes.”
Just as Hoshino Hikari finished speaking, Minazuki pushed the door open, carrying an evidence bag.
“Lin Xiaoyu’s phone. The Technical Department cracked it.”
The three of them immediately gathered around.
Minazuki unlocked the phone and began swiping through the screen.
Chat logs, photo albums, social media updates—there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
However, her social media posts and chat logs showed a sudden shift in attitude the day before the crime.
Even so, there were no direct clues regarding the killer.
“Wait,” Lin Lu suddenly said, “Check the Memos.”
She pointed to a yellow icon on the screen—the Memos app.
Minazuki tapped it open.
A list of dates came into view.
“It looks like Xiaoyu had a habit of keeping a diary,” Minazuki said softly, “That makes things easier. Maybe there’s a clue about the killer inside.”
Minazuki tapped on the first entry…
***
11:40 PM, inside a corporate office building.
Lin Xiaoyu stared at the computer screen, her fingers clicking rapidly against the keyboard.
‘Whew — ‘
She let out a long breath and leaned back against her chair, kneading her aching shoulders.
The office was silent.
Zhou Ting, from the adjacent cubicle, had left long ago.
Before leaving, she had asked if Xiaoyu wanted to head out together, but Xiaoyu said she needed to make a few more edits.
Those “few more edits” had turned into three hours.
Lin Xiaoyu turned her head to look out the window.
The city’s night view stretched out before her, filled with the lights of ten thousand homes.
Countless people were at home having late-night snacks, watching television, or spending time with their families.
And here she was, a corporate slave still stuck in the office, worrying over a proposal that would likely need another hundred revisions.
“Buzz — “
Her phone vibrated.
Lin Xiaoyu picked it up; it was a message from Zhou Ting.
[Zhou Ting: Have you headed back yet?]
[Lin Xiaoyu: Almost.]
[Zhou Ting: You said that yesterday, too.]
[Zhou Ting: It’s the weekend tomorrow. Do you want to go out and walk around? You’ve been in a terrible state lately. You need some fresh air. Your health is more important.]
Lin Xiaoyu thought about it before typing a reply.
[Lin Xiaoyu: We’ll see. It depends.]
[Zhou Ting: It’s always ‘we’ll see.’ You’re going to grow mold if you keep this up.]
[Lin Xiaoyu: I know, I know. Go to sleep.]
[Zhou Ting: ‘Sigh’… Just hurry home and rest. Whatever work is left can wait until tomorrow. Take care of yourself.]
Lin Xiaoyu put her phone down and glanced back at the computer screen.
‘Ah! This is so annoying!’
If she couldn’t produce a new proposal by the deadline, her boss would scold her for having a “poor work attitude” again.
Lin Xiaoyu truly wanted to quit, but she couldn’t…
If she actually resigned, how would she pay for rent and food?
She couldn’t exactly live under a bridge and fight Bruce for food, could she?
Lin Xiaoyu rubbed her eyes and continued editing the proposal.
At 12:30 AM, she finally finished the last detail.
Save, send, shut down.
Lin Xiaoyu packed her things and walked out of the building.
The night wind blew past, carrying a slight chill.
By the time she reached home, it was nearly 1:30 AM.
Lin Xiaoyu kicked off her high heels and collapsed onto the sofa.
She didn’t want to move.
She didn’t want to shower.
She didn’t even want to change clothes.
She just wanted to lie there—to lie there forever.
She stared at the ceiling, her mind blank for a long time.
“Buzz —”
The phone vibrated again.
It was a notification from the work group.
[Manager: @everyone Meeting tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM to discuss the new project.]
Lin Xiaoyu stared at the message, a wave of inexplicable frustration rising in her chest.
“I’m so tired…” Lin Xiaoyu murmured to herself, “Once I’ve saved enough money, I’ll definitely quit this dog-shit job and go traveling…”
As she thought about it, her mind began to wander, imagining where she would go and how beautiful the scenery would be.
“Mmm… If I go anywhere, it should be Yunnan…” Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes.
Her thoughts drifted further away, like a kite with a snapped string.
What did Yunnan look like?
Lin Xiaoyu had only seen photos and videos online.
The Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake.
The romantic atmosphere of the wind, flowers, snow, and moon.
The cobblestone paths of Dali Old Town, the snow-capped mountains and bars of Lijiang, and that place with a name that sounded like a dream—Shangri-La.
Renting a tiny guesthouse there would probably be so happy and peaceful.
There would be no life-draining messages from managers, no clients demanding “vibrant black,” and no pressure at all.
There would only be sunshine, the wind, the lake, and flowers covering the mountainside.
She remembered back in university, her roommate had traveled to Yunnan and posted many photos after returning.
One was taken by Erhai Lake.
Her roommate wore a long white dress, standing by the water with the blue sky, white clouds, and the distant Cangshan Mountains behind her.
Her roommate had kept that photo as her profile picture for a long time.
At the time, Lin Xiaoyu had asked her what it was like.
Her roommate said the scenery was beautiful and it was a perfect place for living.
Lin Xiaoyu’s eyelids grew heavier, and her thoughts became blurred.
“When I have money…” she murmured, her voice growing fainter, “I’ll definitely go… go traveling…”
Then, she fell asleep.
***
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xiaoyu opened her eyes.
Before her was a wash of blinding light.
She squinted to adjust for a moment before realizing she was standing on a patch of grass.
The sunlight felt warm on her skin, and the grass beneath her feet was soft.
A breeze blew by, carrying the scent of flowers and fresh greenery.
Lin Xiaoyu froze.
‘Where… is this?’
She looked around and discovered a small path nearby, lined with a vast variety of colorful flowers.
After walking a few steps along the path, she saw a small courtyard.
It had a wooden fence and a garden filled with blossoms.
There were several fruit trees and a tiny pond where a few red fish swam.
In the center of the courtyard sat a wooden table and two wicker chairs.
On the table sat a book and a cup of tea, still steaming.
The courtyard bordered the coast; in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the sea.
Lin Xiaoyu stood outside the fence, gazing at the yard.
This was…
She pushed open the gate and stepped inside.
Her feet crunched softly on the gravel path.
“Excuse me… is anyone here?”
No one answered her.
Everything here was exactly as she had dreamed.
The book was one she had always wanted to read but never had the time for.
The tea was her favorite jasmine blend.
Lin Xiaoyu sat down in the wicker chair.
She picked up the book and opened it.
On the title page, there was a line of text written in her own handwriting: “Welcome home.”
Lin Xiaoyu stared at the words, and her eyes suddenly grew misty.
‘Home? Was this… my home?’
She looked up, taking in the small courtyard.
“It’s wonderful…”
—June 15 Diary