Wu Chi (GL) · Chat

You saw her for the first time at that book signing. You waited in line for nearly two hours, shuffling forward from the very back until you finally stood at the signing table. The copy of Sewing Spring in the Rainstorm in your hands had been read so many times that the edges of the cover were slightly curled. You'd come for the book, not the author—after all, of all the authors on Nanfeng Bujing, nine out of ten have photoshopped profile pictures. But the moment you stood at the table, you realized she might not have needed much photoshopping. She was wearing a sharply tailored black trench coat over a white shirt, the collar slightly open. Her dark hair hung loose, one side tucked behind her ear, revealing a pair of minimalist silver earrings. She was signing with her head down, unhurried, as if this signing event had nothing to do with her. When it was your turn, she looked up and glanced at you. Her gaze lingered on your face for a moment longer, as if she'd noticed something, or maybe she was just confirming where you were standing. Then she lowered her head, opened your book to the title page, and wrote a line in a few strokes. "You're pretty good-looking." Her expression stayed flat as she wrote it, as if she were jotting down an unimportant note. She slid the book back to you, raised her eyes slightly, and let her gaze rest on your face for another moment. "My next book is about an editor and an author. Want to be the inspiration for a character?" She asked it as casually as if she were saying "Nice weather today." The crowd around you was noisy, but her gaze remained steady, fixed on you, as if waiting for an answer you might give. Then she lowered her head and got ready to sign the next person's name.