Shаng Zhitао rushеd intо the elеvаtоr, thеn liftеd her leg to рlаce hеr backрасk оn it, stuffing thе businеss English boоk inside. Just as the elevatоr dоors wеre аbоut tо сlosе, thеу орenеd again, and Luаn Niаn, weаring sunglasses, steрped in.
Flustеred, Shang Zhitао lоwеrеd hеr lеg and straightеnеd up tо grееt him: "Goоd morning, Lukе."
"Мorning." Luan Niаn glаncеd at her through his sunglаsses, noticing hаlf оf thе business Еnglish book still sticking оut оf hеr bag. Sо, thе slоw bird still nееds tо crаm Еnglish on thе waу? Unawarе of Luаn Niаn's sсrutiny, Shаng Zhitао stоod stiffly and аwkwardly. She knew Luan Niаn disliked small talk, sо after grеeting him, shе rеmainеd silent. Her expression was serious and earnest, as if she were handling something of great importance.
But she was surprised by how diligent Luan Nian was. In the five working days last week, except for one morning when he went to meet a client, he arrived early every day to handle work. When talented people work harder than others, it’s truly intimidating. So, his claim that he worked to earn money to splurge was definitely a lie. He arrived earlier and left later than anyone else—when would he even have time to splurge?
Shang Zhitao concluded that Luan Nian was the type who said one thing but meant another. He had a sharp tongue and a peculiar temper, but he wasn’t someone who lived a carefree, indulgent life. She had never heard of anyone who lived that way putting in over ten hours of intense work at the office on weekdays.
The two stepped out of the elevator one after the other. With his hands in his pockets, Luan Nian spotted the cleaning lady and surprisingly took the initiative to greet her: "Good morning, Auntie."
The cleaning lady didn’t seem surprised: "Morning."
Shang Zhitao was stunned. Could it be that Luke, who usually ignored people, actually had good manners? Lost in her thoughts, she nearly bumped into Luan Nian when he suddenly stopped.
"Do you come at this time every day?" Luan Nian asked her abruptly.
"Yes," Shang Zhitao replied, looking a bit dazed. "There’s no traffic at this hour."
Seeing Luan Nian turn to leave, she hurried after him and asked, "Is there any work you need me to handle in the morning, Luke?"
"Shouldn’t you be asking your boss what work you need to handle?"
"Then why did you ask me what time I come every day?" she pressed, stubbornly seeking an answer.
"To see how long your diligence lasts."
Luan Nian gave a half-smile, tossed out this remark, and walked away. Shang Zhitao followed behind him with a suspicious look, then turned into her own workstation. As she sat down, she glanced toward Luan Nian’s office. He was already seated at his desk, turning on his computer.
Shang Zhitao remembered what Lumi had said about Luan Nian: "He’s serious, but he’s very dedicated when it comes to work."
Shang Zhitao thought Lumi was right. He really was incredibly focused at work, much more so than Alex. Alex worked in marketing, lived a carefree life year-round, and was often hard to track down. But Alex had the advantage of being easy to get along with, always wearing a pleasant expression. Unlike Luke, who always wore a stern face. Stern-faced and constantly mocking others. How annoying!
Lost in these thoughts, Shang Zhitao opened a document and wrote down her daily work plan. She knew she had no shortcuts and didn’t want to be eliminated, nor did she want to let Luke have his way. She recalled Luan Nian’s advice for her to change jobs. Now, she felt that being eliminated wasn’t shameful, but being proven right by Luan Nian would be the most humiliating.
For some reason, she found herself quietly competing with Luan Nian in her heart.Luan Nian, of course, had no idea that Shang Zhi Tao was competing with him. He had a major case to handle, but the creative department was short-staffed, and his communications with several departments had yielded no results. So he asked Alex, "Can you lend me two purely executional people?"
"What do you mean by 'purely executional'?"
"People who don’t need to think, just help me mechanically process some materials and follow up on workflows." Luan Nian thought for a moment and added, "Someone sharp."
"How about Lumi and Flora?" Alex understood what Luan Nian meant by that addition—wasn’t he implying that Shang Zhi Tao wasn’t up to the task? Well, Alex wasn’t having it. "They happen to be the ones interfacing with your department, so it’ll be easy to get them started."
"No."
"Who’s a no?"
"Flora’s a no."
"Then there’s no one else..." Alex started playing coy. Others in the company might defer to Luan Nian, wary of the rumors that he might actually be appointed to a higher position. But Alex didn’t care about that—a marketing professional could find a job anywhere. You can look down on me, but looking down on my people? No way. At the end of the day, Alex was someone who fiercely protected his own.
Luan Nian caught Alex’s drift: take Shang Zhi Tao or leave her, but the marketing department had no one else to offer. He glanced up and saw Shang Zhi Tao standing up, talking to Kitty over the partition. Kitty was saying something, sounding a bit overbearing, while Shang Zhi Tao kept nodding.
Pathetic. So respectful to the boss, yet unable to hold her head up even among her peers. Luan Nian frowned and said to Alex, "Fine. Can’t you hire some capable people? Didn’t Tracy give you headcount?"
"We’re hiring! For now, take these two and return them to me as soon as you’re done."
"Alright. Have them pack tonight and come with us to Guangzhou tomorrow."
And so, Shang Zhi Tao’s first business trip arrived without warning. She went home late that night to pack, and when she lay in bed, she found herself unable to sleep. It’s just a business trip, not a wedding—why was she so excited? She sat up, took out her journal, and hand-drew a simplified map of China, sticking a small flag on Guangzhou. As she worked, she thought, My journey starts here. I’ll go to even more places in the future.
She stayed awake until dawn, then dragged her luggage to catch the early morning flight. The sunrise over the airport expressway was truly beautiful, the sky awash with hazy colors that softened everything in the world.
She arrived two hours early, still bathed in the morning glow, her cheeks slightly flushed from the rush, her hair cascading over her shoulders—a warm, vibrant presence. Luan Nian was drinking coffee, his gaze pausing briefly on the hurried figure. Shang Zhi Tao wore a pair of black-framed glasses, looking like a silly goose. That silly goose glanced at him, then pretended not to see him, sitting down with her back to him in the distance.
Impressive.
Such clumsy acting.
Shang Zhi Tao felt as if needles were pricking her back, convinced that Luan Nian was staring at her. It was her own guilty conscience, pretending not to have seen him. What else could she do? Greet him only to be ignored? She didn’t realize her stiff posture betrayed her tension, as if waiting for someone to rescue her. Pitiful, really.
Finally, Lumi arrived, walking gracefully like a model. Shang Zhi Tao let out a long sigh of relief and waved to her. "Lumi."
"Oh, you’re here early. Hey, isn’t that Luke?"
"Really? Luke’s here too?" Shang Zhi Tao pretended to turn around and saw Luan Nian with his head down, reading a book, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.Lumi pulled Shang Zhi Tao in front of him. "Morning, Luke."
"Morning." Luan Nian looked up from his book and saw Shang Zhi Tao's expression as if she had just noticed him. He curled his lip. "Morning to you too, Flora."
Huh? Taking the initiative to greet her?
Seeing the teasing in Luan Nian's eyes, Shang Zhi Tao flushed bright red. "Morning, Luke."
"Why are you blushing?" Lumi suddenly asked Shang Zhi Tao, who secretly poked her in the back with a finger. Lumi added, "Then why are you poking me?"
...
Luan Nian suddenly laughed—audibly.
Lumi had been at the company for two years and had never heard Luan Nian laugh like that. She looked at him in surprise, then noticed how good-looking the guy was when he smiled—his teeth neat and clean, radiant like sunshine, nothing like his usual ghostly demeanor.
"Want some coffee?" Ignoring their gazes, Luan Nian stood up and asked them.
"Huh?" Shang Zhi Tao was slow to react.
"Yes!" Lumi reacted quickly. After all, he was the boss—if there was a chance to take advantage, she would. "Little Tao Tao, help me get it. I just arrived and I'm still catching my breath!"
Luan Nian walked a few steps, then turned back to Shang Zhi Tao, who was still standing there, and tossed her a line. "Coming or not?"
OpenNovel