Midnight Bus

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Yu Dong worked in a radio station not far from the apartment complex she lived in. There was a night bus that directly took her there and was only a half hour’s drive.

A DJ’s working hours can be very flexible, and Yu Dong’s midnight program lasts from 12:00 to 2:00 a.m.

Everyday Yu Dong would leave at 11:00 p.m., take the bus to the radio station, host the program, then get home at around 3:00 a.m. afterward.

Xia Feng who had recently only worked the night shift didn’t know that Yu Dong would leave every night for work. He would come back early in the morning and simply figured she was still in bed. So with two people who had been sharing a home for so long, one didn’t deliberately explain, and the other didn’t deliberately ask. Xia Feng thought that Yu Dong was still looking for a job, as she was a recent graduate.

The night breeze was cool. When Yu Dong went to work this night, she put on her newly bought shawl. The bus appeared at the entrance of her apartment complex just on time.

Yu Dong’s driver smiled as she swiped her card to get on the bus.

“Girl, off to work again tonight?” Bus drivers travel long distances with different people every day. It’s actually a pretty lonely profession, so they like chatting with regulars.

“Yes.”

“Is it still at 2:00 at the gates of the radio station?”

“Yes, I won’t be late today.” Yu Dong smiled, took out a cup of hot coffee that she had brought and handed it to the driver, “Thank you for waiting for me yesterday.”

“Yesterday, Yu Dong came out of the station 2 minutes late. She thought she had missed the bus, but when she passed the gate, she saw the bus on the opposite side of the road, the driver waving at her. Yu Dong’s mood then was as warm as the hot coffee she was now holding.

“Coffee, just the thing to keep me from falling asleep!” The driver smiled brightly.

Yu Dong also laughed, and continued further into the bus, finding a seat.

The night bus was usually very fast. Sometimes when the driver sees nobody under the stop sign, he would just continue to drive without stopping. Occasionally, a few people working night shifts get on the bus.

After two stops, the bus opened its doors, and a middle-aged man wearing a suit came up. He swiped his card, footsteps staggering, and passed Yu Dong to sit on the chair behind her, emitting a strong smell of smoke and wine.

Yu Dong quietly opened her window, trying to disperse the strong smell of wine, but perhaps because he was sitting too close to her, the thick smell of smoke made her want to choke. After a few minutes, Yu Dong decided to sit in a different seat.

Moments later, as she attempted to stand, her clothes seemed to be pulled by something. Looking back, Yu Dong found the man, who was probably too tired and fell asleep, leaning on top of her shawl.

Yu Dong thought about it, but in the end didn’t wake the man, simply taking off her shawl and went to sit on the other side of the bus.

The neon lights outside the window seemed more gorgeous during the dark night, but the obvious fatigue of the people outside was too stark of a contrast. It made Yu Dong feel as if she had returned to 10 years ago, to the Yu Dong who went to work and stayed until 1 or 2 a.m., the Yu Dong who was like a cutthroat female general. The old Yu Dong who would fall asleep on the bus, how many times had she been woken by the bus driver at the terminal? When she had started making money, she began to drink Chinese medicine to regulate and nourish her stomach.

“The next stop is the radio station!”

Hearing the reminder, Yu Dong stood up, returned to her seat and patted the man gently on the shoulder.

The man opened his eyes and was somewhat confused as he looked up to Yu Dong. After a while, he finally realized that he was laying on top of other people’s clothes. He immediately blushed in embarrassment and apologized, “Excuse me! I didn’t mean to crush your clothes!”

Yu Dong took back her shawl and said softly, “Never mind! Where are you getting off? I can see how tired you look. Be careful when you leave the bus stop.”

“Chuansha Road!” The man laughed, “I can’t believe I had to think for half a year to remember this.”

Yu Dong nodded and walked to the front of the bus to get off. As the bus stopped, she glanced back to see the man had fallen asleep again. Yu Dong quietly said to the bus driver: “Sir, the gentleman at the back is getting off at Chuansha Road, can you please remind him?”

The driver looked back and nodded with a smile.

Yu Dong shrugged off her long-lost memories, smiled and pulled her shawl on, now smelling like wine. She entered the radio station.

“Here you are!” In addition to the building security, the only person in the station during this time was her co-worker Senior Yu, who was responsible for transferring audience calls. Senior Yu was a middle-aged man in his forties with a good temperament and has been working in this station for more than 10 years.

“Senior Yu, I brought you snacks.” Yu Dong smiled and placed the snacks she had bought downstairs on the other person’s table.

“Oh, this young girl treats me well.” Senior Yu happily accepted the snacks and started to eat.

Yu Dong laughed and said nothing else, she placed down her bag, tidied up a little, and went into the recording booth. She planned to start as soon as the airing program ended.