Afternoon of the Reflector

Li Wei’s room was like a deep well, the only window facing the towering gray wall of the next building. Every morning, she would get up in the dark, put on makeup under the pale light of her desk lamp, and then rush to her cubicle in a downtown office building.

Lately, Li Wei had become fascinated by a strange pastime: in the afternoon, while others were resting or napping, she would set up a huge reflector, letting it, like a giant mirror, reflect the sparse sunlight from the rooftop into her room.

This artificial light danced on the walls, illuminating the green plants on her desk and the dusty books on her bookshelf. Li Wei would sit in this patch of light, eating a sandwich from a convenience store, feeling that this was what a real day was like.

She was a low-level employee at a tech company, her daily work consisting of filling out forms, replying to emails, participating in endless meetings, and repeating “industry jargon” that she didn't even believe herself. She was like a part manipulated by a precision instrument, accurately executing a predetermined program.

This reflector was the only thing she could control each day.

She started sharing her “afternoon of light and shadow” on Xiaohongshu: photos of her room illuminated by sunlight, and videos of her smiling at the beams of light. Soon, she attracted a group of followers, who called her the “Witch of Light” and wondered how she created such a "miracle."

Li Wei didn't tell them that she wasn't creating a miracle, just a simple physical phenomenon. She even began to feel like she was the reflector, just reflecting other people’s light. Every day, she was reflecting the company’s orders, the boss's desires, and everything that society expected of her.

One day, Li Wei noticed a figure in the window of the building next door. The person was wearing work clothes and a safety helmet, curiously eyeing her reflector.

Li Wei felt a bit nervous, wondering what this person thought of her. Someone who used a reflector to create her own sunlight during the day, someone who was out of sync with the world, pursuing light, someone who pretended to bask in the sun while others were sleeping.

The person suddenly waved at her, and Li Wei hesitated before waving back.

The next day, when she set up her reflector again, she noticed a much larger reflector in the window of the building next door.

That reflector reflected Li Wei's light, like an amplified echo. Two beams of light converged, creating a sea of light in Li Wei’s room.

Li Wei smiled, thinking how absurd it was. This world, maybe, really didn't need her.

She began to think that perhaps she could stop playing the role of a reflector, that she could try to shine.

She quit her job, took her reflector, and left the dark room. She began to wander the city, bringing light to every corner: dark alleys, damp underpasses, and to those young people trapped in their cubicles.

She was no longer the “Witch of Light,” she was just Li Wei, a person who decided to stop reflecting other people’s light.

Finally, her story was noticed by a tech company. They were impressed by Li Wei’s reflector technology and decided to promote it as an “Urban Sunlight Simulator.”

Li Wei was invited back to work, with the title of "Chief Light and Shadow Designer." Her job was to design more reflectors, filling more cubicles with "sunlight."

Li Wei accepted the offer, a familiar, calm smile on her face. She knew she was still that reflector.