Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  The whole journey back, Yu Lili was in a dazed stupor. When the taxi arrived at her home, it took several shouts from the driver for her to come to her senses and realize she had to alight.

  She paid her taxi fare and fumbled for her house keys while in the lift. She had only been out for a day, but her emotional attachment to the place was evident.

  Although it was a leased apartment, it was the only place in the world that she could call home. Yu Lili keyed in the passcode and opened the door with her keys. The apartment was pitch black when she stepped in.

  Following her memory on where the switch was, Yu Lili felt her way in the dark to it. When she switched the lights on, a rustle suddenly sounded from further inside the apartment.

  She heard the sound of a pair of high-heeled shoes. Yu Lili was suddenly on guard. At the same time, a raucous greeting filled the air, “Surprise!”


  Many familiar voices called out the greeting together excitedly. The most excited voice among them belonged undoubtedly to Old Mrs. Shen.

  The chandelier in the sitting room was switched on, revealing a sky of balloons on the ceiling. Everyone present was wearing a party hat, looking cute and festive.

  Old Mrs. Shen held on to a heart-shaped balloon as she walked toward Yu Lili and yelled out, “Lili, why are you home so soon? We weren’t finished with our preparations!”


  As Yu Lili witnessed the scene before her, she was stunned speechless. In front of her stood Old Mrs. Shen, Shen Zhilie, Ye Qianqian, and Ye Youyou, as well as a few friendly acquaintances from the office. They’d all come for her?

  “Doesn’t work only start on the eighth day of New Year? It’s only the fifth day today!” Yu Lili blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

  Ye Qianqian and a few colleagues went forward and hustled her over to the couch to sit.

  “Yeah, but I came back earlier. It’s your birthday today, and we’d already planned this in advance. We came to give you a surprise. How is it? Were you surprised?” Ye Qianqian asked.

  Yu Lili stared at them wide-eyed. She took in the decorations all around, the huge cake box on the coffee table, and all her friends and colleagues surrounding her happily

  Her heart, which had initially been frozen over, began to thaw and warm up. Yu Lili looked at Ye Qianqian’s wide smile facing her.

  Her eyes started to well up with tears. Just as quickly, she blinked her tears back and faced the crowd with a happy smile. “Aren’t you all wasting your leave because of me? I’m not going to make up for any of your losses!”


  Ye Qianqian produced a party hat out of nowhere and secured it on Yu Lili’s head. She rolled her eyes and replied, “You’re not going, too? I’m going to demand that you bring us on a trip!”


  “You want to go on a trip?” Yu Lili asked.

  Ye Qianqian pulled her to a corner and questioned conspiratorially in a hushed tone. “Yeah! I heard all about it. You’ve really broken up with Ou Ming?”


  When Yu Lili heard that, she was taken aback. One look at Yu Lili’s reaction, and Ye Qianqian knew that she was right.

  Before Yu Lili could reply, Ye Qianqian immediately said, “Beautifully done! Such a piece of trash is worth remembering. Look at how good Shen Zhilie is. He’s handsome, rich, and a psychologist. And, he’s psychologically stable. Why would you want to reject a beautiful bouquet of flowers for a pile of cow dung?”


  Ye Qianqian held back no punches in her comparison.

  Yu Lili held back her smile when she heard that. This was the first time she had ever heard anyone likening Ou Ming to a pile of cow dung.

  Ye Qianqian ignored her expression and feigned ignorance. With a thump on her own chest, she said, “Don’t you worry. You’ll have me in future to guarantee that all you see from now on are fresh flowers. Look at that flower in front of you. Isn’t he dashing?”