(The main text of the novel takes a pause here, and now we start the story of Old White and Yuqing.)
Every year, by the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Zhuo Yuqing would have already returned to her home in A City to celebrate the New Year with her parents and younger brother. However, this year was different. She had a job, and everything had to revolve around work. Originally, she had no duties during the New Year holiday, but just as she was ready to book a ticket back to A City, her editor-in-chief notified her that she had to be on duty on New Year's Eve.
"It must be that wicked woman Tong Bi behind this," Liu Lian, who didn't have to work, complained on her behalf. "Who would want to stay in the magazine office on duty during the New Year? I saw the duty roster earlier, and your name wasn't even on it. You're from A City and seldom go home to be with your parents. Not letting you go back during New Year's is simply inhumane."
