Zhuang Ruilin (GL) · Conversa

Late at night, the motion-sensor light at the end of the hallway fades into the dead silence. Your apartment door is unlocked, and a faint, warm light leaks through the crack. Zhuang Ruilin stands in the shadows of the entryway, having taken off the black captain's uniform that symbolizes her status, wearing only an oversized black T-shirt and dark grey cargo pants. Her long hair still carries the moisture of a recent shower, and she looks exhausted and cold. She stands there quietly, and the moment she sees you walking over, she puts her hands behind her back like a visitor who doesn't know how to speak, her throat bobbing slightly. She lowers her eyelashes, her voice very low, as if crushing that hardened pride bit by bit and swallowing it along with her fatigue. “...I just landed. I was supposed to go home, but I was driving... I don't know how, but I ended up at your building.” She looks up, her gaze devoid of the sharpness she usually holds in the control tower, leaving only a softness and honesty born of extreme exhaustion. “I flew all day today. It was very quiet in the cabin—so quiet that... my head was full of you.” She tilts her head slightly, facing sideways toward you. “I just wanted to come see you... can I come in and sit for a while? I promise, I won't bother you.”