The beginning

<<Warm Heart Coffee Shop>>

Two more days until 2023 comes to an end. 

Lin Chuyi sat in the very corner of the cafe with her headphones on, and typing on her laptop. After checking if everything was correct, she clicked the send button and sent out her resume. 

The fall semester just ended and Lin Chuyi has already sent out like five resumes to five different companies. But so far there's no reply back yet. Even though she isn't in a rush to find one really, her bank account is saying otherwise. 

It's already 5:44 pm, and it is dark already. 

Lin Chuyi finished the last sip of her drink, and packed her things. 

As she exited the cafe, there was this man walking past her. And at that moment, Lin Chuyi could feel her heart beated. She took a little turn to see where that man walked over to, and saw him stopped at a table.

Once he sat down next to a girl, Lin Chuyi's 'dream' went into shatter. 'Nice looking guys are just hard to find!' she thought to herself with a sigh and left the cafe. 

Lin Chuyi walked to the train station and took the train home. 

About forty five minutes later, she got off the train. As she walks home, she checks her phone with two missed messages from her best friend, Liu Sichun. 

"Chuyi! Guess What!" 

"I heard back from Double V Magazine. They scheduled me for an interview this Friday." 

After reading the message, Lin Chuyi decided to call her instead. 

Before Lin Chuyi could say anything, Liu Sichun was screaming on the other end of the phone. Lin Chuyi quickly puts the phone away from her ear. 

"Chuyi, did you see? Can't believe Double V Magazine is giving me a chance. I'm so nervous but also excited!" Liu Sichun kept blabbing all about this exciting news and Lin Chuyi just listened until she finished talking.

"You got this! If you pass, don't forget to buy me dinner!" Lin Chuyi says with a smile. 

Both of them made a bet as to whoever finds a job first, will buy dinner. 

"Of course! Have you heard anything yet?" Liu Sichun asks. 

"Nope, not yet." 

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Chuyi arrives back home. Her dad is in the kitchen cooking dinner and mom is inside helping. 

"I'm back!" Chuyi says and slouches on the couch. 

"Later, your uncle, aunt, and cousin are coming over. Don't just sit there. Come help set the table," her mom says. 

Chuyi takes a deep breath and gets up from the comfy couch, and goes to set the table.

*Ding Dong* 

Chuyi quickly walks over to the door and opens it. 

"Welcome!" Chuyi happily greets them. 

"Chuyi Jiejie!" her little cousin Lin Nanxi happily calls out to her. Lin Nanxi is six this year, and loves to stick around Chuyi everytime she sees her. 

"Xixi, how have you been?" Chuyi holds her up and softly pinches her cheeks. 

"She has been a little naughty. Wouldn't go to her piano class. Chuyi, please help me out here," her aunt, Wang Mei says. 

Nanxi stuck out her tongue a little and didn't want to listen. 

Chuyi smiles, "I brought some snacks last time. Let's go find it," Chuyi says and goes upstairs with Nanxi. 

"Don't eat too many snacks! Dinner is almost done!" her mom yells. 

"Nanxi only listens to Chuyi. Hopefully, we can find out why Nanxi doesn't want to go to her class," Wang Mei says. Her husband puts a hand around her, "don't worry," he says with reassurance. 

Chuyi takes out the bag of snacks that she prepared for Nanxi, and opens a pack of crackers for her. 

"Xixi, can you tell jiejie why you don't want to go to school?" Chuyi asks her softly. 

At first Nanxi didn't want to tell her, but after two more times of asking, Nanxi finally told her. 

"There's always this boy that sits behind me that pulls my hair. And always bullies me," Nanxi says and sorta feels relieved after telling her. 

Chuyi seems to understand now. That boy might've liked her little cousin here and tries to get her attention. But did it the wrong way. 

"Don't worry. When you go to class tomorrow, I'll go with you. I promise I won't let him bully you again!" Chuyi says. 

The next day, Chuyi took Nanxi to her piano class. As she walks in with Nanxi, "is that boy here?" she asks Nanxi. 

Nanxi looks around and nods her head. "It's him," she says and points. 

The boy seems to notice Nanxi and walks up to her with a poker face? 

Nanxi quickly walks behind Chuyi while hugging her leg. "Don't worry, you go inside and I'll talk to him." 

Nanxi quickly walks in from the back door before giving the boy a chance to go near her. 

"Who are you?" the boy asks Chuyi. 

Chuyi finds this kid a little too cool, but also cute. She squats down so they can be at eye level. 

"I'm Nanxi's sister, Lin Chuyi. And you?" Chuyi introduces herself and asks him. 

"Shen Nian. Lin Nanxi's classmate." 

Chuyi nods and observes him. "I heard that you were bothering my sister? Do you know who I am? So, tell me. Why do you bother her?"