Anger

Hesta walked to a three-story shopping mall. The commercial study room Yu Xuekun had recommended was on the third floor. It was about four bus stops from Industrial University—not exactly close, but acceptable.

She stood before the mall directory for a while. The first floor was mostly watch, perfume, and cosmetics shops; the second floor sold clothing; the third floor offered a more diverse selection: electronics, film and television merchandise, bookstores, outdoor equipment... She rose slowly on the escalator, her gaze drifting idly over the people leisurely wandering through the shops. Amid the hollow clamor, she felt a long-forgotten sense of emptiness.

Holding the business card, Hesta made a circuit of the third floor but saw no sign for the study room. Only after asking a passerby did she learn that it was between the bookstore and café near the elevators. Its entrance was in the café, and its exit was in the bookstore. Several years ago, the two shops had knocked down the partition wall between them, combining their otherwise unusable corners into a new, oddly shaped space. The landlords had crammed partitioned desks into these cavity-like areas and opened for business.

The corridor lights were dim, with no natural light at all. Only after walking farther inside did Hesta see the many lamps glowing from the study desks.

"...Is there anywhere bigger?" Hesta asked. "These places all look so depressing."

"Oh, yes. We have study seats facing the street, but those require a monthly subscription."

"Can you show me?"

"This way."

At the end of the corridor, the clerk pushed open a glass door. The moment Hesta stepped into the room, she felt disappointed. Though it faced the street, though it was spacious, though it had an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, the view was still terribly dim—sunshades