After the Lantern Festival, all industries remained at a standstill due to the pandemic. The holiday period extended indefinitely, with no clear end in sight.
Aoxing, where Cen Jin worked, was naturally affected to some extent. Fortunately, most of their clients were retainers, so the negative impact was still manageable.
However, the campaigns were particularly draining. Social media campaigns originally scheduled for the Spring Festival had to be modified or postponed, and filming plans were pushed back. The scripts and decks Cen Jin had worked on day and night before the New Year were practically rendered useless.
After reviewing the updated brief from Yuan Zhen, Cen Jin felt her head was about to explode. Her colleagues weren’t faring much better, venting their frustrations in the group chat.
Cen Jin set her laptop aside, took a few deep breaths, and sipped some water before joining the newly started departmental video conference.
Teddy maintained his usual cheerful and optimistic demeanor: "I think everyone should try to stay positive. At least our clients haven’t given up on us, right? They’re just changing the way we collaborate."
The deputy director chuckled: "Their idea of not giving up on us is changing requirements every single day? I can’t even type fast enough to keep up with their revision requests."
Everyone agreed wholeheartedly and joined in the laughter.
Teddy tried to reassure and motivate them: "There’s no other way. The clients are struggling, we’re struggling—everyone’s struggling. We just have to be understanding. But it’s not all bad news. BN just sent us two POs in the past two days, both worth over half a million yuan, aimed at driving traffic to e-commerce. That shows they still trust us to create value for them. The tougher it gets, the more we need to prove ourselves."
Cen Jin asked, "Is this for the International Women’s Day campaign?"
"Yes," Teddy confirmed. "See? That’s the kind of sensitivity we creatives have."
Lù Qíqí suggested, "How about forming an all-women team? No one understands women better than women."
Teddy replied, "We still need a bit of male perspective, especially since it’s a tech product."
"Is it a phone?"
"Earphones," Teddy posted a product image in the group chat. "They’ve released a pink version of this wireless earphone."
Lù Qíqí exclaimed, "Wow, these are so cute!"
"But this time, the direction is different from before. We need to be sincere, genuine, and straightforward—no jumping on trends, no memes, no clichés, and no over-the-top entertainment. It has to feel fresh and innovative. This will be more challenging for us creatives, so I hope everyone stays sharp and doesn’t let working from home dull your minds."
Someone joked, "Is the target audience for these earphones Party members?"
"Maybe they can listen to 'Study to Strengthen the Nation' while jogging."
"Hahahaha."
The discussion quickly became lively.
...
After the meeting ended, Cen Jin closed her laptop and leaned back against the pillow, exhausted both mentally and physically. She closed her eyes.
Unbidden, a thought of someone came to mind—Wu Fu, her ex-husband.
In all her years working, she had never faced such chaos. She and Wu Fu used to share and bounce ideas off each other, their interactions fueling an endless stream of inspiration. She could be the spark that ignited the fireworks of creativity, while he could be the guide leading the way through the halls of thought. Their late-night brainstorming sessions often felt like literary duels between scholars.But now, as the brain of the team, she had to shoulder the responsibility to explore, integrate, and capture those flashes of inspiration, filling both sides of the paper to make the concept just right.
Three challenging projects pressed down on her simultaneously, making Cen Jin’s mind buzz and hum like grains of rice bouncing wildly in a rice mill. Finally, with a "beep—" the power was cut off, leaving a vast, blank emptiness.
Cen Jin heaved a deep sigh, sprang up, and rushed to the balcony to vent her frustration.
Li Wu, who was attending an online class in the study, saw a beige figure flash past the doorframe, accompanied by the urgent sound of slippers scraping the floor, growing fainter and fainter. He glanced out the window—from this angle, he could just make out the woman’s back behind the railing. Her hair was tousled in the wind, and she occasionally raised a hand to pat her cheeks.
Li Wu propped his chin on his hand, no longer able to focus on the teacher’s lecture.
Fortunately, the class was nearing its end. After the teacher assigned homework, the live stream ended.
Just then, Cen Jin walked back in. Li Wu removed his headphones and was about to call out to her when she turned around, looking somewhat disheartened.
She asked, "Is the online class over?"
Li Wu: "Yeah."
"Li Wu," she said suddenly, her tone serious and her eyes brimming with envy, "let’s swap souls. I’ll go to school, and you go to work."
Li Wu: "…" He wouldn’t mind.
But if Cen Jin really wanted to attend classes, it wasn’t impossible. He promptly extended an invitation: "The next class is English. Do you want to join me?"
Cen Jin was left speechless, her smile as chilly as the wind: "I’m very busy and probably don’t have the time~"
Li Wu: "…Oh."
Cen Jin drifted back to the living room, forcing herself to face reality.
She reopened her laptop and asked in the group chat: Has the brief for the BN headphones been sent?
This time, the "messenger" for them was no longer Yuan Zhen but another Account Manager named Yi Hao, an intern under Yuan Zhen’s guidance who was said to have deep knowledge of digital products.
Yi Hao replied: I’m still refining it.
Cen Jin asked: Have you used this headphone model?
Yi Hao: Yes.
Cen Jin asked: What are its advantages? How does it feel to use? Can you describe it?
Yi Hao: Comparable to Beats and Sony.
Cen Jin: ………………………………………………………………………………
Seeing their senior copywriter nearly flooding the chat with ellipses, the young Account Manager’s heart pounded like a drum: Gin, just say it directly. I’m scared with all these dots.
Cen Jin tagged Lù Qíqí: Have you used BN?
Lù Qíqí: Huh? I’ve used the wired ones.
Cen Jin: How do they feel?
Lù Qíqí: The noise cancellation is excellent, and they don’t get uncomfortable even after long use. It feels like the whole world disappears, leaving only the music in your ears.
Cen Jin said: Hao Hao, that’s the kind of answer a designer would give.
Yi Hao: …My mistake.
Yuan Zhen quickly stepped in to rescue his apprentice: @Aoxing-Gin, just wait and see what his brief looks like.
Half an hour later, Cen Jin received what could only be described as an "undergraduate thesis"—yes, a thesis, aptly titled "Analysis of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Major Bluetooth Headphone Brands in the Current Market."
She tagged Lì Fēi in the group: Hao Hao could join your strategy department. It’s a waste for him to be an AE.
Lì Fēi laughed until tears welled up: I’d welcome him anytime. We’re already swamped as it is.
Yi Hao simply replied with a crying emoji.
Cen Jin exited the group chat and began browsing other products on BN’s flagship store. Before long, an icon flashed in the lower right corner.
Cen Jin clicked into WeChat—it was a message from Yuan Zhen.The woman's words were full of defense: "Jinjin, everyone starts as a newcomer. It's barely been over a month since Hao Hao joined the company. Give your little brother some room to grow, don't discourage his enthusiasm."
Cen Jin protested: "When have I not given him space? I'm teaching him. His current approach just won't do."
Yuan Zhen retorted: "You're not teaching, you're forcing growth."
Seeing how protective she was being, Cen Jin saw right through it: "If Yi Hao were even slightly less good-looking, this private conversation wouldn't be happening."
Yuan Zhen didn't deny it: "Exactly, that's just my type. From head to toe, even his hair strands hit all my aesthetic preferences. I like pretty young things, even if they're clueless. Why else would I assign him to handle female clients? They like him too."
Cen Jin rubbed her temples: "Fine, I won't play teacher for you anymore. Go over his brief with him again. The product descriptions on the flagship store are better written than his work. I really can't turn a pile of scattered sand into a castle for him."
Yuan Zhen: "Got it! Don't get so worked up either! It's not worth it!"
...
With Yi Hao's brief sent back for revisions and no hope in relying on this young man who'd squeezed into the team based on looks alone, Cen Jin began searching everywhere for BN's product information and previous advertising materials, hoping to draw inspiration from them.
This work kept her busy from afternoon until evening, to the point where Li Wu had to bring her dinner to the coffee table.
It was the first time Li Wu had seen her so intensely focused—frowning at the screen as if staring down a sworn enemy, only occasionally rubbing her eyes or taking a sip of water.
Not wanting to disturb her, Li Wu finished his homework and, having nothing else to do, started mopping the floor.
Since the housekeeping aunt couldn't come during the pandemic, he had taken the initiative to handle the cleaning.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cen Jin kept seeing his shadow moving back and forth without pause, growing increasingly irritated. She snapped her laptop shut, tucked it under her arm, and marched straight to the bedroom.
With the door closed, the world fell silent.
Li Wu watched her series of seemingly sulky actions, utterly bewildered.
After hesitating in the living room for a moment, he rinsed the mop again, wrung it dry, and carried it toward Cen Jin's bedroom.
Pausing briefly, he knocked twice on the door with his knuckles.
A woman's voice came from inside: "What?"
Li Wu asked: "Does your room need mopping?"Ah—" she let out a sharp scream, as if on the verge of collapse.
Li Wu grew even more confused, awkwardly lowering his hand. Just as he was about to leave, the door swung open from inside. Cen Jin, clutching her laptop, brushed past him and returned to the living room.
The grand Buddha reclaimed her spot on the sofa, glanced at him, and ordered imperiously: "Just mop the bathroom. And remember to use the vacuum for the carpet."
Li Wu said nothing, merely nodding slightly before turning to fetch the cordless vacuum from the balcony.
Cen Jin's bedroom was decorated more exquisitely and tastefully than the rest of the house, with subtle, non-cloying fragrances mingling together like an invisible flower garden.
Too embarrassed to look around freely, Li Wu focused on his cleaning task until the floors and tiles were spotless, then exited and closed the door behind him.
He glanced at Cen Jin—the woman in the center of the sofa was completely absorbed, eyes closed as if in deep meditation, but her expression was anything but serene, almost as if she were on the verge of losing control.
Afraid of interrupting her train of thought, Li Wu didn't dare speak to her again. He quietly put away the tools, quickly grabbed his clothes, and slipped into the bathroom.
Only after locking the door did Li Wu let out a sigh of relief.
He turned on the shower, soaked his changed clothes in the basin as usual, and stepped into the tub.
Ten minutes later, the sound of water abruptly ceased.Li Wu wiped his face and damp bangs, pulled a towel from the high shelf, vigorously rubbed his black hair a few times, then shook his head to tousle it dry.
He reached for the stacked clothes.
The next moment, the young man’s gaze froze, and his body stiffened abruptly.
In his haste, it seemed he had brought two pairs of pants into the bathroom.
Glancing at the thoroughly soaked shirt in the basin by his feet—damn it. For the first time in his life, Li Wu silently cursed under his breath.
For the next quarter of an hour, Li Wu agonized in the bathroom, frantically racking his brain over how to step out bare-chested.
The steam had dissipated, and even with the heat lamp on, the chill of the weather was gradually seeping in.
After pressing his ear to the door to listen for any movement, Li Wu gritted his teeth and decided to make a desperate dash at top speed, praying that Cen Jin wouldn’t notice him passing by.
Click.
He turned the doorknob.
Outside, Cen Jin was fully absorbed in typing into a document. She wasn’t making much progress, likely due to a lack of firsthand experience, when a sudden idea struck her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the freshly showered youth darting past like a gust of wind. Cen Jin quickly called out, "Li Wu!"
The figure halted in confusion.
"Could you grab my headphones from the study..." she instructed calmly, lifting her head from behind the screen.
Cen Jin’s voice abruptly trailed off.
The atmosphere in the living room instantly turned rigid.
Before her stood the young man, completely shirtless, wearing only loose gray lounge pants. Whether from shock or something else, his shoulders, arms, and every line of his body were tensed defensively. In the dim, shifting light, he appeared taut and powerfully built—especially his lean waist and abdomen, where compact muscles were clearly defined, yet not overly so. He looked clean and slender.
Cen Jin was utterly stunned, her gaze locked in place, her tone growing unsteady. "Where are your clothes..."
The lighting was faint, but in an instant, a visible blush spread from his face down to his neck. He averted his eyes, stammering, "I—I brought the wrong clothes to the shower."
"Oh..." Cen Jin scratched her brow uncomfortably, took a light breath, and repeated her earlier request. "Once you’re dressed, remember to bring me the headphones from the study."
"Okay." The young man tossed out the word, fleeing her sight as if afraid to linger a second longer.
As soon as he left, Cen Jin slumped back as if drained, blinking once, then again. Finally, as if unable to contain her urge to vent, she pulled out her phone, tapped on Chun Chang’s name, and erupted in silent screams in the chat bar:
「Ahhh!」
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