The Early Spring

When yоu'rе уоung, уou're bound tо tаke a fеw detours.

Shаng Zhi Тао's first dеtоur was buying thаt cup of coffeе fоr Luan Niаn. Loоking bасk lаter, shе fеlt shе hаd bеen fоolish—she should hаvе given hеr all to hard wоrk instead оf trying to tаkе shоrtсuts.

Vеrу fеw peорle in this wоrld suссeеd by tаking shоrtcuts; thosе whо cаn are the dаrlings of fortune. Моst hаve tо put in steadу, stер-by-stер еffоrt, thоugh thе outсоme is аlwaуs uncertаin.

Mоrеоver, Luаn Niаn didn’t sееm like someоne who would apрrove of shоrtcuts—to him, thаt was сutting сornеrs.

After stepping out of the elevator and settling at her desk, she thought carefully about Luan Nian’s words and realized he was right. Work truly tempers a person; in such a short time, it had already sparked her potential for learning and reflection.

She earnestly reviewed her work. Before, she had been too busy rushing around to systematically summarize her tasks. As she typed out her responsibilities on the computer, she thought, Wow, I’ve actually handled so many trivial things and learned so much.

She would often revisit this practice later, and this rational way of thinking stayed with her throughout her career.

So, in a way, Luan Nian was actually a very, very good mentor.

At the end of that workday, as her talented colleagues gradually left, Shang Zhi Tao stayed behind, seriously drafting a self-improvement plan for herself.

Everyone has made improvement plans or wish lists at some point.

Shang Zhi Tao carefully considered the gap between herself and her colleagues, wrote down her improvement plan, and even added a wish list of things to accomplish before turning thirty. She didn’t want anyone to see it, so she locked it in a drawer after writing it.

Suddenly, her goals felt clearer, and that feeling was truly wonderful.

Sometimes, interactions between adults can also be surprising.

The next day, she arrived at the office early and started working, so absorbed that she didn’t notice someone approaching her desk. That day was her first time chairing the marketing department’s supplier meeting, and she needed to go over the process once more.

An iced Americano was placed on her desk. Surprised, she looked up and saw Luan Nian standing beside her, saying casually, “Returning the favor.”

“You’re too kind…” Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit flustered, reminded of the awkwardness from yesterday’s coffee.

Luan Nian didn’t say anything else. Instead, he picked up her notebook to look at it. Shang Zhi Tao had beautiful handwriting—the most elegant among everyone he knew. If LAMY ever let her go, she could make a living by writing calligraphy guides. Her handwriting was truly a pleasure to see.

“Supplier meeting this afternoon?” Luan Nian asked her.

“Yes, I’m preparing for it.”

“Among these suppliers, who has the highest execution efficiency? Who is the most cooperative? Which one accepts the longest payment cycle? What’s the maximum advance payment they can handle? What are their respective areas of expertise?” Luan Nian asked her, “Have you compiled this information?”

“I…”

“There’s no existing record of this, right?” Luan Nian pressed.

“No,” Shang Zhi Tao nodded. In the marketing department, when work came in, they usually randomly selected a few suppliers for bidding, and the winner took the job. In fact, most companies operated this way.

Luan Nian raised an eyebrow, then turned and walked away.

Shang Zhi Tao sat stunned for a long while, suddenly realizing that the marketing department didn’t have a unified supplier database? She stared at the coffee for a long time, then called Yao Bei: “Senior, I’d like to ask for your help.”

“What’s wrong, Tao Tao?”"I remember you mentioned before that state-owned enterprises have very strict management of suppliers. I'd like to see your supplier database parameters."

"Only the headers, no other sensitive information."

"Headers are enough. Thank you, senior."

"Don't mention it. Three minutes."

Shang Zhi Tao suddenly experienced the joy of work.

She used to be too rigid. When tasks were placed before her, she executed them meticulously and thoroughly, but her perspective was narrow. She had never stepped back to think about these issues from a higher vantage point. She felt somewhat grateful to Luan Nian. Picking up her iced coffee, she took a sip—it wasn't bitter at all, sweetened with syrup.

"Thank you, Luke. I'm going to urgently organize the supplier information," she sent a message to Luan Nian, genuinely thanking him. Luan Nian didn't reply, of course he wouldn't. But he raised an eyebrow, thinking that this student he had personally mentored wasn't so bad after all—with some guidance, she could barely hold her own.

Luan Nian had already come to regard Shang Zhi Tao as his student, though he hadn't consciously realized this shift in perception.

The afternoon marketing department meeting also invited Luan Nian. His appointment was about to be finalized, and all the bosses knew. Some were convinced, others were not. But regardless of their opinions, everyone made sure to keep up appearances.

Alex didn't mind. He had collaborated with Luan Nian on several projects, so they were more familiar with each other. Inviting Luan Nian to such an external meeting also signaled his stance.

As the meeting facilitator, Shang Zhi Tao had done extensive preparation beforehand. Before the meeting began, Alex said somewhat proudly to Luan Nian, "This morning, we prepared a major initiative—to pioneer a more professional and systematic approach to the company's external management."

"Looking forward to it," Luan Nian said nothing more.

At the very beginning, Shang Zhi Tao was a bit nervous, with a few strands of hair damp with sweat sticking to her face. Both Alex and Lumi were on edge. Luan Nian heard Alex ask Lumi, "Are you sure there won't be any issues?"

"No issues," Lumi replied, though she still sat up straight, nervous on Shang Zhi Tao's behalf.

Seeing Luan Nian's seemingly unsurprised expression as he sat in the center, Shang Zhi Tao suddenly felt motivated. She wasn't entirely useless. After Alex spoke, she gradually relaxed.

The meeting had several agenda items: reviewing past project progress; introducing major projects and bidding plans for the second half of the year; Q&A; and finally, the Lingmei Marketing Department's agent scoring system.

Yes, that morning, after obtaining Yao Bei's information, Shang Zhi Tao suddenly felt that Lingmei's agent onboarding and termination processes should have a systematic framework—like an exam, with passing scores, retake thresholds, and criteria for dismissal based on poor performance. She shared her idea with Lumi, who widened her eyes and patted her shoulder, "Not bad, Shang Zhi Tao! This kind of system isn't common in the market!"

Alex also praised Shang Zhi Tao, "Flora is indeed impressive."

The entire marketing department spent the morning brainstorming this system in the conference room, not even stopping for lunch.

The market needs fairness. Major suppliers need oversight, and small companies need opportunities. When everything operates under a systematic framework, management will fall into place, avoiding many economic issues.

Luan Nian was clever, but also a risk-taker.He was about to take over Lumei China and hoped the company could undergo some changes. But not all changes should happen after he took charge. During the Monday weekly meeting, Alex updated everyone on the marketing department's supplier conference. On Tuesday morning, an iced Americano with syrup was placed on Shang Zhitao's desk. Luan Nian casually picked up her notes and deliberately asked her a few questions.

If Shang Zhitao didn’t understand, Luan Nian wouldn’t be surprised.

But Shang Zhitao did understand, and she acted swiftly. Her effort and determination to change the situation helped her turn things around. When Luan Nian saw the message she sent in the morning, he felt that as long as she grasped his meaning, his goal was achieved. Yet she handed in an impressive performance, which was somewhat surprising.

Even though he was pleasantly surprised, he remained expressionless, lowering his head to type on his computer, pretending it had nothing to do with him. The company environment was like a deep pool, where the higher you stood, the colder it felt. He couldn’t appear too eager for quick success, nor could he look like everything came effortlessly. Everything depended on timing and the principle that hard work pays off.

The final part was truly brilliant. Luan Nian overheard the supplier bosses whispering, but overall, they held a positive attitude toward Lumei’s marketing department’s new policies.

For the first time, work brought Shang Zhitao a sense of accomplishment.

As the meeting ended and she was organizing the meeting minutes, she also reflected on her gains. She hoped that no matter what task she encountered, she could elevate her perspective and approach problems with a different way of thinking. Only by mastering this skill could she go further. Shang Zhitao, who had muddled through for twenty-two years, suddenly developed a professional ideal.

Her meeting minutes weren’t completed until after midnight. She had been hunched over for so long that her shoulders and neck were sore. Standing up to stretch, she noticed the light was still on in Luan Nian’s office, where he was working intently.

Why was he leaving so late today?

Shang Zhitao had a strange feeling about Luan Nian. She was afraid of him, yet sometimes felt he was teaching her something.

She wanted to thank Luan Nian again but felt it would be unnecessary—he didn’t like being disturbed.

Thinking this, Shang Zhitao packed her things and left the office.

Buoyed by her sense of accomplishment, her mood felt light and almost soaring, and she didn’t feel tired at all. Aside from the difficulty of finding a taxi late at night, everything was perfect. She stood by the roadside trying to hail a cab, but many people were leaving work late, and taxis were scarce—she couldn’t get one.

After more than half an hour, she considered walking a bit to try her luck when a car pulled up in front of her. It was Luan Nian.

Shang Zhitao felt embarrassed to trouble him again and waved him off. "It’s too late, you should head home."

"It’s on the way," Luan Nian pushed the car door open.

Shang Zhitao checked the time. It was too late, and she didn’t dare to be stubborn, so she got into Luan Nian’s car.

"Is it really on the way?"

"No, get out," Luan Nian said as he started the engine. In less than twenty days of working, Shang Zhitao had already grown accustomed to Luan Nian’s way of speaking. She chuckled and asked him, "Where do you live?"

"Near you." Luan Nian wasn’t lying about it being on the way. There was a villa area in Shahe, about fifteen minutes’ drive from Shang Zhitao’s home.

"Then why do you live so far away? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to live near the office?"

"Why do you live so far away?"

"I don’t have enough money to rent a place closer." Shang Zhitao didn’t feel embarrassed saying this. She had just graduated and hadn’t received her first month’s salary yet—it was no surprise she was short on money.Luan Nian didn't speak much, tilting his head to glance at Shang Zhi Tao. Even sitting in the car, she was rigidly proper, her legs pressed tightly together as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"What?"

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No, I'm not. If I were afraid of you, I wouldn't have gotten into your car."

Shang Zhi Tao spoke lightly, not daring to look at Luan Nian for too long. She turned her head to gaze out the window at the vibrant night scenery, suddenly struck by a thought: perhaps she should learn to drive? Yes, she should learn to drive. What era is this, and she still doesn't know how to drive!

Luan Nian turned on some music, easing Shang Zhi Tao's tension. She finally turned her head back to face forward and even initiated conversation: "Thank you for today."

"For what?"

"For your guidance this morning." Shang Zhi Tao said, "I know I don't have much talent, and I'm even quite ordinary. So I accept all your criticism and advice. I just want to ask you to give me a little time to grow."

Luan Nian looked at her seriously and, for once, gave a quiet "Mm" of acknowledgment.

"In the future, if there's something I don't understand or can't do, may I ask you for advice?"

"Don't you have a mentor? A boss?"

"It's different."

How was it different? Alex and Lumi made Shang Zhi Tao feel at ease; they made her feel that even if she was ordinary, she could still be accepted. But Luan Nian was different—he made her feel the constant threat of being eliminated. She had learned so much from him. In less than twenty short days, Luan Nian, in his own way, had helped Shang Zhi Tao's thinking take a small step forward.

"Don't ask me foolish questions. Think carefully before you ask." Luan Nian tacitly agreed to Shang Zhi Tao's request, setting only one condition.