During the Snowstorm by Mo Bao Fei Bao

Chapter 3.5 The Scenery After the Snowstorm

Her long hair flowed down from her ears as she checked her phone. Her finger hung over the screen, unable to click.

The seconds felt like minutes as time seemed to stand still.

Lin's sudden question broke the silence, "Bad signal?"

Yin Guo was taken aback, quickly looking up at him with a start.

He picked up his phone and stood up, stretching his limbs. "The signal here is erratic," he remarked, a hint of frustration in his voice. "I can't connect to WeChat; I'm going to step out for a cigarette break."

Lin Yi Yang strolled past the tall uncle, who was a towering figure standing at six feet tall, with a muscular build that weighed around 180 pounds. In contrast, Lin was of a similar height but appeared taller because of his lean build. The stark difference in their physique only added to Lin's carefree and youthful appearance as he walked by with a nonchalant air.

As Lin walked out of the laundry room, Yin's gaze followed him. The middle-aged man was sorting his clothes and noticed Lin's departure. He called out to Yin with a friendly tone, "Hey, I thought you two were from different countries. Why are you so quiet?" The man chuckled and continued, "Looks like the low air pressure is getting to us all. I'll just have to hum a tune." He picked up a pile of freshly washed clothes and left the room, leaving Yin alone with her thoughts.

Note: "低气压 (dī qì yā)" is a term used to describe low atmospheric pressure. However, "低气压 (dī qì yā)" can also be used in a figurative sense to describe a person's mood. In this sentence, "低气压 (dī qì yā)" is used to express their mood or emotional state rather than the actual weather conditions.

Yin Guo gazed at her phone, her thoughts swirling as she leaned her head on her arms resting on the long table. Shadows cast by her arms obscured her face as she gazed down at her shoes.

A flood of fragmented and chaotic thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn't make sense of what was happening. It all felt like some sort of twisted joke. Yet, there was no denying the reality of the situation. Even in the quiet emptiness of the room, she felt like she was facing this head-on.

Yin Guo pondered to herself as she replayed Lin's sudden departure in her mind. "Did he really leave just because of a bad signal, or was it an attempt to dodge the awkwardness of the situation?" she wondered.

She weighed her options, considering whether she should ignore it and pretend she had not seen the message. But before she could come to a conclusion, she heard a sound from outside the laundry room. It was Lin, standing there in contemplation.

The burly uncle appeared, balancing a pile of clothes in his arms. He was taken aback by Lin's presence, but then recognition dawned on him, and he broke into a smile. In a hushed voice, he gestured for Lin to come back inside and whispered, "Come in."

The burly uncle, still humming, made his way up the stairs, believing that he was doing them a favor by giving the bickering couple some space.

Lin Yi Yang, meanwhile, strode back and forth outside the door, hands buried deep in his pockets. Eventually, he turned and left the apartment building, his shirt unbuttoned and vulnerable to the cutting wind. He huddled against the door, seeking refuge from the gusts, and produced a classic white cigarette. With a flick of his lighter, he lit it after several attempts.

He felt a pang of regret as those words slipped out impulsively. The lack of sleep in the past few days had left him feeling hazy, and the warm shower he had just taken only added to the relaxed state of mind he was in.

He couldn't help but think back to the comfortable atmosphere from earlier and how he got carried away at the moment. Despite his eagerness, he knew that rushing things would not produce the desired result.