The apartment was tiny.
One room that served as bedroom and living room. A bathroom barely big enough to turn around in. A kitchenette with a hot plate and mini fridge.
But the lock on the door was new and strong. And Wanyin had the only key.
"It's perfect," she told Xiao Ling, who'd helped her move in.
"It's a shoebox."
"It's mine."
She'd bought secondhand furniture from a thrift store. A futon that doubled as a couch. A small table. Two chairs in case she ever had a guest. Everything was cheap, mismatched, worn.
It was beautiful.
That first night alone, Wanyin sat on her futon and just breathed.
No one telling her when to sleep or wake. No rules except the ones she set. No eyes watching, judging.
Freedom tasted like instant noodles eaten at midnight because she could.
Work at the bookstore became routine in the best way. She learned the inventory, learned the customers, learned which books to recommend for which moods.
Mrs. Zhou taught her how to do the ordering, how to manage the register at closing. Slowly, Wanyin was becoming indispensable.
"You're good at this," Mrs. Zhou said one day. "Better than you were at modeling probably."
"How would you know?"
"I looked you up. After you told me your real name. You were stunning in photos but you never looked happy. Here, shelving books and talking to customers? You look alive."
Wanyin thought about that. About the difference between performing beauty and actually living.
"I think I was dead for a long time. I just didn't know it."
"Well you're not dead anymore. So what are you going to do with this life?"
That was the question, wasn't it?
She'd been so focused on survival, on escaping, she hadn't thought about what came after.
Who was Liu Yin? What did she want?
She started making lists. Small goals.
Save money for a real bed. Learn to cook something besides instant noodles. Read all the classics she'd never had time for.
Bigger goals too.
Get her GED - she'd never finished high school, went straight to modeling. Maybe community college after that. Maybe a real career that didn't depend on her face or body.
The future felt wide open. Terrifying but exciting.