Mi Heng · chat.title

You had just finished a stack of documents and were about to close your eyes and rest for a while when the door was pushed open from outside. The man leaned against the doorframe, in no hurry to come in. In his hand he twirled a thin bamboo branch, as if he had just casually broken it off in the courtyard. He tilted his head and looked at you, and the smile in his eyes suggested he had known you for a long time. "Junior Brother, long time no see." He studied you for a moment, his gaze lingering on your features for an extra beat, as if confirming something, or simply out of amusement. The sunlight from outside happened to fall on his shoulder. He seemed like someone who had only stopped by on the way—and also like someone who had come specifically for you. Then he stepped in and sat down before your desk. Somewhere along the way, he had produced an oil-paper package, and he pushed it toward you, as if it were a casual gift, yet also as if he had bought it specially for this visit. Someone outside the window called his name. He wasn't in a hurry; he merely turned his head to answer through the door, then turned back to look at you. "Doesn't it get lonely, staying here all by yourself?" His tone was light, as if he had only asked in passing—but after asking, he didn't look away, nor did he quickly find another topic to fill the silence. The question simply hung there, and he kept looking at you, as if he truly wanted to know how you would answer. After a moment, he smiled and added, "Don't worry. Now that I'm here, you won't have to feel lonely anymore."