Are You Done?

At night while waiting for the store attendant to come home from his work, Bai Yutang receives a phone call from his professor. He was offered a job worth minimum 2500 yuan. The job is similar with the last job he offered, but he doesn't need to do the 3D rendering. He only needs to sketch a lot of design.

His professor said this project is huge, a renovation of an old hotel into a brand new hotel. The concept is modern minimalist. There are two firms that will work together. His professor will be responsible for the park and outdoor design, while the bigger firms responsible for the overall design.

Bai Yutang will work with a group of architects in these two firms. Helping them do the sketch that they need to do but they can't afford to finish it on time. The deadline is in another three weeks.

Two architects already got sick from working over time, that's why they decided to hire a part timer to exclusively do the sketch, so they can focus on doing the more important and urgent job.

His professor said the final payment he'll get depends on the amount of work he has done. Bai Yutang agreed immediately with this offer. 2500 yuan is more than what he earned this month. He could save more than 1000 yuan with this job!

He feels happy when he hangs up the phone. Actually he worried if he could not scrape up more money for October. Because for almost two weeks he had not received any news for a job worth more than 500 yuan. He now realizes how hard it is to earn money.

Bai Yutang used to spend 50 - 100 yuan leisurely to eat at the cafe. Or buy some item in the game worth more than 200 yuan per month. But now, he doesn't even want to spend money just for cutting his hair.

He cursed himself when he imagined how much money he could save back then!

But it's no use crying over spilled milk. He will just try to earn more money in this six month to ease his mind. The more he saves, the more he can be secure for his future. He doesn't want to look back and feel sorry for himself. He will do everything he can do for now.

The store attendant guy comes home from work at 9 pm. Bai Yutang was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Ge, could you cut my hair?"

The store attendant looked at him like looking at an alien coming from another galaxy.

"Why didn't you go to the barber shop nearby? It only cost 25 yuan there. I cut my hair there, not bad."

"For 25 yuan i can eat for one day. Better you cut it for me, it's free."

The store attendant looked at him with a pity. He knows this thin young man never goes out, and rarely converse with other residents here. He agreed to cut his hair the next morning before he went to work. But he warned him that his cut might look ugly since he never cut anyone's hair before.

"Well, there's always the first time for everyone." Bai Yutang responded calmly.

In the morning, Bai Yutang looked at his new hair cut in the mirror. Not really bad. Even though some parts look uneven, at least he feels fresh. Bai Yutang said thanks to the store attendant guy.

"Thank you Ge, I'm sorry i can't give you anything."

The store attendant guy just waved his hand and said he needed to go to work or else the boss will cut his payment if he comes late.

At noon, he got a phone call from an unknown number. It's one of the architects his professor mentioned. This man invites him to a group chat consisting of the group of architects responsible for the room interior and layout.

Bai Yutang politely replied, and was grateful for this job offered from his professor. This way, he also learns how to work in real life later on. He didn't talk much in the group. They look so busy, and he only monitors the chat to see when he will be needed.

After a few days, Bai Yutang feels like he already sketched thousands of details requested by this group. It didn't take him long to sketch, but at first he made a lot of mistakes.

Under his senior's guidance, he learned that sketching the interior or the details of designs not only need to look good. But also synchronise with the overall effects wanted to achieved with the building's main design.

The size also needs to be matched. Sketching in architecture not only draws, but also needs to think about the size and the placement. Luckily the placement is not his problem. But he made a lot of mistakes with the size.

His seniors sometimes called him and instructed him how to revise the sketch so it will match with the concepts and spaces. Bai Yutang listens to the instructions carefully and tries to implement it in his next sketch. The result is after a few days, his sketch is fully approved without any revision anymore.

At the weekend, these seniors in this group seem to have some free time. They lively chatted in the group. Some of them start to ask him questions about his personal life. From which university he graduated, where do he live, his age, and many more.

He answers them politely one by one. All of them are his potential clients in the future! When he registers for the next term, he still needs a part time job to ensure he can safely pass the rest of his university days without running out of money.

I'm still studying in T university. 

I live in B city. 

I come from W city. 

I was taking a break from university because of financial problems, but I strive to register next semester. 

My scholarship application is under review and my counselor told me it might be approved at the end of October. 

I'm still 21 years old.

Since he never met these people, he feels no shame to admit that he has financial problems. He didn't say anything unnecessary, and they didn't ask furthermore. They just praised him for his good work, said he didn't look like he was still studying.

Quoting one of this senior who also graduated from T university, 'As expected from T uni students' Those lines followed by booing and ridicule from others who didn't graduate from there.

They told him that he did the right thing, and encouraged him to finish his study. Bai Yutang feels lucky to know these people. He realised he missed having good conversation with other people.

He suddenly missed his friends. To converse with them, joke with them, eat together in their favorite cafe. Bai Yutang didn't know why, but he missed Jian Ge the most. He missed watching movies and eating good food with Jian Ge, and enjoyed the calm conversation and tranquil atmosphere between them. 

Bai Yutang opened his photo album on his mobile phone and looked at his friend's photo. He just realised, he has no photo of Jian Ge.

His friends still call him sometimes, but he didn't answer. Jian Ge also calls him regularly, but the frequency is reduced. From a few times a day, now a few times a week. Jian Ge's messages still come everyday, though.

At first, he didn't want to answer. Now, he doesn't know how to answer. He knows that he disappointed them. If he was in their position, he would also get mad to himself. Their group chat turns into hibernate mode. Yu Dong, Tang Yuxuan, and Liu Xiang didn't talk much in the group like they used to.

Bai Yutang wonders whether Yu Dong is still pursuing Mu Xiaoya? Whether Tang Yuxuan is still playing basketball or decide to reduce his activity preparing for their final year? Does Liu Xiang still talk about their historical meeting with Zhen Guo?

Does Jian Ge get back to watch movies by himself? Alone?

Bai Yutang sighed. He regrets his impulsiveness, but he knows he really can't stay strong if he receives their help at that time. And he doesn't want to see anyone to pity him.

Another week passed by. The sketches he did were all approved, even some receive high praise from his seniors. One of them asked if he could help with the presentation also. Bai Yutang didn't have anything to do, so he agreed.

It's already another weekend. All the workload is reduced. The project is near to finished. Only one week left. Bai Yutang leisurely doing another sketch. He doesn't need to, but he doesn't want to spend his time doing nothing. Or else his mind will fly back to all the sad things from before.

Because Bai Yutang fell asleep early last night, this Monday morning he woke up earlier than usual. He decided to take a bath and went out to buy some rice porridge from the food stall near the park. He was bored eating buns everyday.

When he walked towards the park, he looked at the yellow leaves hanging in the tree branches. He remembers, last year it was never across his mind that this year he will walk alone in an unknown place, questioning his future. 

Bai Yutang looked at the rice porridge stall, it was closed. Reluctantly, he walked to the usual food stall he visited every morning, bought another buns again for his breakfast.

When he walked back to his hostel, the sun was rising high enough to peek from the buildings around him. He looked at the blue sky. Even though his life is hard in the last few months, he's glad that he could manage to get through this. He shuddered, and felt the weather already getting cold. He needs to wear a thicker jacket next time he goes out.

Bai Yutang went back to his room, and decided to read books today. Read more books on his break, and maybe next semester it will help him to maintain his scholarship. He had nothing else to do.

He lies down in his bed, leisurely reading A Pattern Language. He's glad he bought quite a number of e-book previously. This book is interesting, It's not a must read textbook for architecture students. But the author provides a wide variety of simple formulas that make a house into an excellent living space and demonstrates why some interior spaces are successful and why some fail.

He absorbed in his book, when he heard his room knocked by someone. He wonders, who will knock his door at this time? He already paid this month's rental fee. No one ever knocked on his door before. Maybe it's the store attendant guy? Or he just heard it wrong? Maybe someone knocked his neighbour's door?

But after a while, he heard it really comes from his door. Bai Yutang frowned. He put his tablet on the table next to his bed, then walked to open the door.

When he opened the door, he saw a tall man in his light blue long sleeve shirt, with dark blue coat perfectly wrapped the body underneath. The bluish black pants matched well with the black leather shoes this man wore.

He saw that cold face. That peach blossom eyes that usually curved along with the affectionate smile, now having a piercing look like icy glaze stabbed him without any warmth inside. The warmhearted aura that usually accompanies this man is gone, replaced with a dark somber emit from inside.

Bai Yutang was stunned. Why could Jian Ge appear here? Does he really stand here in front of his shabby hostel room? Or this is just his imagination?

Bai Yutang just stares at Jian Ge, still thinking is this real or only his hallucination. Then the cold voice that finally emerged from that lips telling him that this is not his imagination.

"Are you done hiding?"