My wishful thoughts

A place for tomorrow

Chapter nine

The next morning arrived wrapped in sunlight.

Not the harsh kind that demanded attention.

The gentle kind.

The kind that slipped quietly through the curtains and stretched lazily across the floorboards.

When Simu opened her eyes, she remained beneath her blanket for a few seconds.

Listening.

The house was already awake.

The soft clatter of bowls from the kitchen.

The hum of the television.

The distant sound of running water.

And, inevitably—

Zhang Meilu's voice.

"Aiya! Why is cooking oil more expensive than my dreams?"

Simu laughed before she even sat up.

The sound escaped naturally.

Without effort.

Without thought.

And for a moment, she paused.

Because there had been a time when laughter felt heavier.

When even smiling required energy.

Now it simply happened.

Like breathing.

Like sunlight.

Like home.

By the time she entered the kitchen, breakfast was already waiting.

Steam rose from fresh buns.

The smell of warm soy milk filled the room.

He Lifen looked up immediately.

The way mothers always somehow knew.

"Morning."

"Morning."

"Sleep well?"

Simu nodded.

"Very well."

And she meant it.

Meanwhile, Zhang Meilu pointed at the television.

"Look at that."

A luxury jewelry advertisement filled the screen.

An actress stepped out of a sports car wearing enough diamonds to buy half the street.

Zhang Meilu sighed dramatically.

"That should've been me ,if I had focused back then".

"really"

Simu grabbed a bun.

"I wished you did actually"

"you .."

"im sorry my lady , I'm on your side." simu smiled stretching her hands to touch her aunt's hand.

"don't get me started young woman" Zhang Meilu teased

"oh my queen"

For a second, silence filled the room.

Then laughter exploded around the table.

Even He Lifen nearly choked on her tea.

The warmth lingered long after breakfast ended.

While helping clear the dishes, Simu found herself smiling again.

Not because anything special had happened.

Nothing special ever happened.

That was the point.

These moments used to feel ordinary.

Now they felt precious.

The shop was unusually quiet that afternoon.

Sunlight pooled across rolls of fabric.

A soft old song drifted from the speaker.

Outside, people wandered through Wuma Street carrying shopping bags and iced drinks.

Inside, time seemed slower.

Gentler.

Simu sat behind the counter and unlocked her phone.

Seventy-three unread messages.

She sighed.

"Xiaoyu."

And immediately knew who was responsible.

Opening the chat confirmed her suspicion.

Xiaoyu:

I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS.

Three minutes later:

WHY IS EVERYONE IGNORING ME?

Yuna:

Because we're working.

Xiaoyu:

You people never support my dreams.

Simu laughed.

A real laugh.

The kind that made her shoulders shake slightly.

Another message arrived.

Xiaoyu:

Let's go out tomorrow.

Yuna:

For what?

Xiaoyu:

Friendship.

Yuna:

Friendship doesn't require spending money.

Xiaoyu:

Then let's spend money celebrating free friendship.

Simu covered her mouth.

A customer glanced over.

She quickly looked away, trying—and failing—not to laugh.

I'm free tomorrow.

The moment she sent the message, three dots appeared.

Xiaoyu:

SHE'S ALIVE.

Yuna:

You've been speaking to her every day.

Xiaoyu:

THAT IS NOT THE POINT.

The smile remained long after the conversation ended.

Even after she put the phone down.

Even after she returned to measuring fabric.

Halfway through cutting a piece of cotton, she suddenly realized something.

She was excited.

The realization surprised her.

Tomorrow.

Just tomorrow.

A simple outing.

A walk.

Food.

Laughter.

Nothing extraordinary.

Yet her heart felt strangely light.

Because not too long ago, she measured time differently.

A new interview.

A new photo.

A new post.

A glimpse of someone far away.

She used to wait for those moments.

Depend on those moments.

Sometimes build entire days around them.

The realization made her pause.

When had that changed?

She couldn't remember.

Life had simply returned little by little.

So quietly she hadn't noticed.

Through breakfast conversations.

Through folding clothes with her mother.

Through He Meilu's endless complaints.

Through Yuna's steady presence.

Through Xiaoyu's ridiculous messages.

Small things.

Ordinary things.

Yet together they had stitched something back inside her.

The thought stayed with her all afternoon.

That evening, after the shop closed, Simu stepped outside.

The sky above Wuma Street glowed orange and gold.

Children raced bicycles through the street.

Shop owners pulled down shutters.

The smell of grilled skewers drifted through the cooling air.

Life moved around her was busy ,messy and beautiful

She stood there watching.

Simply watching.

Then, almost out of habit, she reached for her phone.

A few taps later, Li Xun's latest post appeared.

A photograph.

Coffee in hand.

A tired smile.

The kind he always wore when schedules became too heavy.

Immediately, the familiar thought appeared.

Eat properly.

Simu laughed softly.

Of course.

It was always her first thought.

Her gaze lingered on the photo.

Not because she was hoping for something.

Not because she expected anything.

Just because she genuinely hoped he was taking care of himself.

Months ago, seeing him tired would've left an ache in her chest.

She would've carried that feeling home.

Into bed.

Into tomorrow.

But tonight was different.

Not because she cared less.

She didn't.

The affection remained.

Soft.

Quiet.

Steady.

But it no longer swallowed everything else.

For so long, she thought caring about someone far away had to hurt.

That longing and loneliness belonged together.

Now she wasn't so sure.

Maybe it was enough to simply wish someone well.

Maybe it was enough to smile when you saw them.

Maybe affection didn't always need an ending.

Her thumb hovered briefly over the comment section.

Thousands of comments rushed by.

People asking for replies.

People confessing love.

People begging for attention.

Simu smiled.

Then locked her screen.

The evening breeze brushed gently against her face.

And for the first time in a very long while, the distance between her world and his no longer felt painful.

It simply existed.

He belonged to his world.

She belonged to hers.

And somehow—

that felt okay.

Tomorrow her mother would make breakfast.

her anut would complain about prices.

Xiaoyu would create chaos.

Yuna would pretend not to enjoy it

Life would continue.

though deep down in her heart she feels so feed up and tied down,but she don't want her love ones to worry much about her ,so she have to grow up a bit ,she can think about him , imagine things in her head but she won't allow those thoughts to get to her but to relieve herself of how partial life can be .

sometimes those thoughts makes her quarry her life , about how distant this small world can be , sometimes partial , sometimes fair but she will always believe in spending ones life enjoying every bit of the moment with the one you love .

being with lixun is just a thought but she hopes it will be real someday but sometimes she ask ; will he accept a low life like her, without fame or wealth ,not much beautiful nor special compare to the ladies he has meet out there as a celebrity . she just want to love him naturally but those feelings are not easy to let go.

And as Simu stood beneath the fading sunset, she found herself smiling at that thought.

Not because something extraordinary was waiting for her.

Just because life was.

"I love lixun , I really do but the gap and distance is so weird and intriguing , you have a lot of camera's in your world, while I am in a remote village, an unknown girl, you are so perfect , and he has lots of fans that have that same feelings as as her's.

but I still want to imagine and have my thoughts" she whispered to herself and smirks as she went inside.