Where the Christmas evening was the perfect occasion for everyone to celebrate and enjoy with their loved ones, Jun on the other hand, was working in his condo all alone. He didn't have to do work as an assistant librarian for a week now, so he thought about getting so work done related to Sky Publishing.
On his laptop, he went through the nurous story drafts his cousin Yunru sent him. But Jun wasn't really impressed with any of them. He sighed in frustration.
"All bland…"
He pressed his brows and shut his laptop. His phone beeped with a ssage. He took a glance and stiffened. His gaze flickered with an unreadable emotion.
'Jun, I want to talk to you. Can we et up today?'
He clutched the mobile in his palm. Recalling the events of his past life that happened on Christmas Eve the sa year as this was, he didn't know what to reply to her. Sohow he also had a feeling that she wanted to talk more about their breakup which he didn't want to.
He typed a reply but deleted it. His fingers hovered over his phone's keyboard for a long ti, but he couldn't co up with anything. In the end, he just threw his phone away on the couch.
Jun stood on his balcony as he watched the city light up beautifully in the evening. He imagined the couples spending a lovely evening together, and a wry smile lifted his lips.
All my Christmases now would be boring like this for the rest of the years, wouldn't they?
He raised the wine glass and chuckled as he made a toast to himself.
"Cheers to a lonely Christmas, Jun."
—
Christmas evening for Ai was nothing better than what Jun was having. At ho, she was watching news on television and everywhere, there were talks only about Christmas celebrations. Watching couples in the background, laughing and holding hands made her chest ache. A dull pain enveloped her heart.
Her phone buzzed. It was a ssage from Yating.
'Ai, can we et? I have sothing important to say to you.' eyelids softly trembled. She knew what he had to say.
'I love you Ai. I really love you a lot. Will you be my girlfriend?' Yating had confessed under a beautifully lit Christmas tree.
The confession that made her heart flutter in bliss once upon a ti felt like a thorn pricking her chest now.
Ai ignored his ssage. The news began to make her uncomfortable, so she switched it off.
She sighed.
In the past, after Ai had accepted his confession, they had baked a cake together at Ai's ho to celebrate. It was nothing fancy, nevertheless the ti they spent together was heartwarming.
A while later, she got up and decided.
"So what if we aren't together? I can still bake a cake for myself. I have resolved to think about my future in this precious second chance that fate has given ," she nodded in determination. "I will celebrate Christmas by myself."
With a fire burning in her eyes, she opened a recipe on her phone to bake the most delicious cake.
And a while later...
Ai stared at the smoke leaping out of the oven's door slit towards the kitchen's roof.
"..."
"Hey, what was that? Is there smoke coming from sowhere?" One of Ai's neighbors cautiously stepped out of her house.
"Yeah, I sll that too. Sothing's burning- Hey isn't that that young woman's house? What was her na again?"
"Zhou Ai."
"Yes, yes. It's coming from there."
*Boom!*
Suddenly, they heard a small explosion. Their hearts almost jumped out of their chests.
"Oh my God!"
"What was that blast?"
They quickly knocked on her door. "Hey! Co out. What's happening?"
Ai opened the door, coughing. She pursed her lips. Her face was slightly covered in soot. "I am sorry for the disturbance. There is a slight problem."
Her neighbor was dumbfounded. "Your house is on fire! That isn't a 'slight' problem! Oh my God. Sobody please call the fire station!"
During the commotion, Ai's landlady, Mrs. Zhong also arrived after she was inford.
She gasped in horror. "My house!"
"I am sorry," Ai sincerely apologized.
"Ai…what is happening?" She asked in disbelief.
Mrs. Zhong was Ai's mother's acquaintance who helped her get this apartnt when she moved to the city.
"A small accident."
"How is a fire a small accident?"
Amidst their discussion, the firefighters were quickly called, and after the whole fire was put out, they asked, "Madam, what were you doing exactly?"
"Baking a cake."
Their mouths twitched. "Madam, the temperature setting of the oven was wrong. It was way too high and kept switched on for a long ti."
Mrs. Zhong and the neighbors - "..."
She apologized once again. "I am really sorry."
Mrs. Zhong softly exhaled. "It's fine. I know you didn't do it on purpose."
"I will pay the full compensation for the damages-"
"No, no, Ai. I will talk this with your mother and sort this out. You don't worry."
The firefighter-in-charge sighed. "Well, it's not dangerous anymore. But you cannot exactly live there until the repair work is done."
Mrs. Zhong worriedly asked, "How much ti will it take?"
"I guess around a month? The damage to the kitchen is the most severe that has shaken off the ceiling structure of your living room. It will take a while."
Ai bit her lower lip. There was the problem of living sowhere for a month…
She glanced at her neighbors, and they quickly looked away. Nobody wanted a young beautiful woman to live with them for a whole month and possibly…try to seduce their husbands.
"I-I am sorry dear. Actually, I have so relatives coming over tomorrow so…"
"Yes, yes, my son and daughter-in-law are also coming."
Everybody gave so or the other excuse.
Mrs. Zhong apologetically said, "I don't have any extra room in my house either, dear."
Ai smiled and assured them. "It's alright. I will manage."
"Are you sure…?"
She nodded. "I am."
She called her friend and editor, Xing Bi and ca to know that she had extended her vacation. She rembered it was the sa in her past life too.
"I am sorry Ai! I would have definitely welcod you, but I am not gonna be there. Unfortunately, I have only one key to my house and it's with ," she lanted.
"It's okay."
"Oh wait. Ai, why don't you stay with Guiying? I know she is out of the city too, but I think her neighbor has a duplicate key. You can talk to her."
Ai lowered her gaze. "I don't want to bother her."
"But isn't she your best friend? Ai, is it because of what happened during the book signing event? Don't you worry! I beat the shit out of Zhan Yahui! Nobody will bully you now!"
She shook her head. "It's nothing like that. She will get worried about , and I don't want her to cancel her vacation because of . Don't worry, Xing Bi. I will think of sothing."
Ai hung up and then contemplated her options.
I could stay at a hotel for tonight, but I don't have the money to stay for an entire month.
She didn't have any choice left, so she went ahead to stay the night in a hotel and decide what to do next.
—
"I am sorry, Mam. But all the rooms have been booked," The receptionist apologized. "It's Christmas and New Year will be coming soon, after all. All our rooms get booked at least three months in advance."
"...It's alright," she hid her disappointnt.
Ai had the sa luck in all the nearby hotels. No rooms available.
She travelled quite a far of distance to check all the possible hotels until she reached the complete opposite direction to where her apartnt was.
But she had no luck. Christmas was a super busy evening.
She sat on a bench in a park, tired. With no alternative left, she put the bag on one side of the bench and rested her head upon it.
I can make do for one night in the park.
She closed her eyes but then heard an incredulous voice a few minutes later.
"What are you doing sleeping at the park?"
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