"Раid bу thе sеcond." Luan Niаn hung uр the phоne aftеr giving thе аddrеss.
Shаng Zhi Тao quiсkly brushed her teeth and wаshеd her fаcе, thrеw оn а largе Т-shirt, аnd hеаded оut. The addrеss Luаn Nian sеnt was a cаfé, crowdеd with peорlе. Ву thе timе she arrivеd, hе was аlrеаdy thеre, sitting in а сorner whеrе he сould see thе entire cаfé with а singlе glanсe.
Luan Nian tооk оne lооk аt thе unkеmрt Shang Zhi Таo аnd guessеd she might staу like this fоr thе rеst of hеr lifе—а рlain facе without makeup, nevеr standing out anуwhere.
"Sit hеre." Luаn Niаn pоinted to the seat beside him. Shang Zhi Tao sat down and saw him push a plate of chocolate waffles toward her. "Didn’t have breakfast?"
"No."
"Finish eating before you work."
He was being unusually amiable today, so much so that Shang Zhi Tao wondered if some strange entity had possessed him. She was genuinely hungry but only took a few bites before setting the fork down.
"Dieting?" Luan Nian suddenly spoke up.
"No... I get nauseous if I eat too many sweets when I’m hungry..." Shang Zhi Tao felt a little embarrassed. She wasn’t a picky eater, but she did have this small quirk: she couldn’t handle too much sugar on an empty stomach.
"Still hungry now?"
"No."
"Then get to work." Luan Nian pulled the USB drive out of his laptop and handed it to her. "Copy the Q4 project inventory folder to your computer."
"Okay."
Shang Zhi Tao quickly copied the files and waited for Luan Nian’s instructions.
"Organize the data. Compare it with Q3 for new client additions, month-over-month contract amounts, and service project screenings. Pivot the results and write your conclusions. Did I make myself clear?"
"Clear." Shang Zhi Tao immediately got to work. Luan Nian watched her for five minutes. She had at least one redeeming quality: she was proficient with office software, writing all her data formulas by hand, with a solid foundation. As she worked, her lips pressed tightly together, fully absorbed in her computer, oblivious to everything else around her.
Luan Nian lowered his head and continued with his own tasks.
After organizing the basic data, Shang Zhi Tao also sorted through each salesperson’s figures. Lingmei’s sales department was a powerhouse, their performance among the best in the industry. Even so, when their data was laid out, various issues became apparent—such as contract cycles, contract amounts, and differing service terms for the same clients. Shang Zhi Tao didn’t understand and frowned, thinking for a long time.
"What’s wrong?" Luan Nian asked when he noticed she hadn’t typed for a while.
"I don’t quite get it. This contract, for example—it was first reported in May but wasn’t signed until July 1st. And this one too. Every salesperson has cases like this."
"Can’t figure it out?" Luan Nian asked.
"No."
"Look at it in relation to their KPIs." Luan Nian reminded her before turning back to his own screen.
Luan Nian was always like this—he never gave Shang Zhi Tao the answer directly but made her think for herself. Shang Zhi Tao opened the KPI spreadsheet and studied it carefully for a long time. She seemed to grasp a little. Softly, she asked Luan Nian, "I see they all slightly exceeded their Q2 targets, so did they hold these clients over for Q3?"
A faint smile tugged at Luan Nian’s lips. "Not completely clueless." Seeing Shang Zhi Tao nod, he asked her, "If it were you, how would you solve this problem?"
"I don’t know."
"What’s the point of having a brain? Think."
"Oh."Shang Zhi Tao thought seriously again, but she had never done sales management. However, she had been handling market budget management for the past two months. If a project exceeded its budget, the surplus would carry over to the next month or quarter—this was an unwritten rule. As for Lingmei’s sales incentives, achieving 100% of the target meant receiving the full bonus.
She pondered for a long time before tentatively asking Luan Nian, "Should we raise the targets a bit?"
Luan Nian chuckled at this. "Just raise the targets directly? Do you believe they’d all resign together tomorrow?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Luan Nian closed his laptop and took the spreadsheet Shang Zhi Tao had prepared. He reviewed it carefully—no data errors, and the analysis logic was clear. "This part of the work is ready to hand over."
"Okay," Shang Zhi Tao replied but remained seated.
"Not leaving?"
"The question from earlier hasn’t been answered yet."
"Consider it tuition paid with your overtime pay."
"Isn’t that a bit unfair?" Hearing that her overtime pay would be deducted, Shang Zhi Tao quickly tried to negotiate. "How about you teach me when you have time on a weekday? I’m not in too much of a hurry."
Openly bending for the sake of survival—a testament to resilience.
Luan Nian suddenly thought of this phrase. Shang Zhi Tao possessed a tangible resilience for survival. She had inadvertently drawn a good hand but was trembling with fear of losing this round, striving to find a balance within it.
"Implement a tiered sales reward system. Instead of setting a single target, categorize their performance into ranges. Top performers could earn more, while underperformers would effectively face a pay cut. This allows the company to identify, motivate, and weed out talent. That’s one answer," Luan Nian explained. "If you’re interested, go ask your Tracy. I discussed it with her over the phone yesterday afternoon."
"Wow, that’s impressive," Shang Zhi Tao said, delighted to have learned something new. She praised him but noticed something off in his tone. "What do you mean by 'my Tracy'... Why is Tracy mine..."
Luan Nian refused to engage further. Glancing at the time—already 5 p.m.—he asked Shang Zhi Tao, "Are you still hungry?"
"Starving," she answered truthfully.
"Let’s go grab a bite."
Grab a bite? Was Luan Nian treating her? Was she about to enjoy a meal paid for by her boss? Because she worked overtime on the weekend? Or because she was overly adorable? No, how could she let her boss pay? Did she want to lose her job?
Shang Zhi Tao’s mind raced with thoughts. Considering her remaining budget for the month, she finally couldn’t help but ask, "Should we split the bill?"
Luan Nian paused while packing his laptop, looked up at her calmly, and said, "You want to split the bill with your boss?"
"Then how about..."
"You treat."
With those two words, Luan Nian walked out, his expression serious enough to show he meant it. Shang Zhi Tao followed behind, thinking she couldn’t pretend to be something she wasn’t. Old Shang had said that in relationships, people come together when they get along and part ways when they don’t. Even if you’re my boss, you can’t take advantage of me.
As they set off, Shang Zhi Tao noticed Luan Nian driving toward an unfamiliar part of town. To be precise, aside from the areas near her office and home, she didn’t know Beijing well at all.
"Any dietary restrictions?" Luan Nian asked, noticing Shang Zhi Tao’s silence. He thought to himself, this fool is really scared. When will she ever learn to hide her worries and emotions instead of wearing that mix of anxiety and defiance on her face?
"None."
"Then let’s go eat fish.""Hmm?"
Luan Nian said no more, focusing entirely on driving up the mountain. He had a favorite fish restaurant there, where they served freshly caught rainbow trout, stewed in an iron pot—a truly flavorful dish.
The mountain road was dark, with few lights, so Luan Nian drove slowly before eventually pulling over to the side. Noticing Shang Zhi Tao’s wide-eyed expression, he asked her quietly, "Afraid I’m going to kill you and dump the body?"
...
Shang Zhi Tao was taken aback, recalling Luan Nian’s usually aloof demeanor, which did indeed resemble that of a serial killer who might murder and dispose of bodies. Trying to stay calm, she replied, "I told my roommate before I left that I was working overtime with my boss. I also gave her your contact information."
"Really!" Shang Zhi Tao added, pulling out her phone to show Luan Nian. She wasn’t lying—she had sent Luan Nian’s phone number to a contact.
For a young woman navigating the world alone, basic self-preservation was essential for survival. Shang Zhi Tao wasn’t as naive as she appeared.
"Then you’ve escaped disaster today," Luan Nian remarked with a raised eyebrow, deciding not to scare her further.
"Shall we continue on our way?"
"Wait a moment." Luan Nian’s eyes were bothering him, so he took out eye drops from beside him, applied them, and then closed his eyes to rest briefly.
"Are your eyes bothering you?"
"Dry eye syndrome."
"Oh..." Shang Zhi Tao had always thought Luan Nian was invincible, but even someone like him had ordinary troubles, like dry eye syndrome.
"My dad has dry eye syndrome too."
"And then?"
"He stopped working on the computer and switched jobs."
"So, what kind of job do you think would suit me?"
...
Luan Nian really wasn’t an easy person to chat with. As Da Zhai put it: Some people just have a sharp tongue. After resting for a few minutes, Luan Nian continued driving. By the time they reached the mountain, it was already dark. The fish restaurant was lit up with vibrant red lanterns, bustling with activity.
The owner recognized Luan Nian and came out to greet him from afar. "Mr. Luan, you’re here?"
"Here for some fish," Luan Nian replied. "The usual?"
"Of course!" The owner then smiled at Shang Zhi Tao. "Hello."
"Hello, boss."
Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit awkward. The way the owner looked at Luan Nian made it seem as though she were someone special to him. After the owner walked away, she hesitantly asked, "Should we explain to the owner?"
"Explain what?"
"Explain that I’m not your girlfriend..."
"Do you look like my girlfriend?" Luan Nian was amused by Shang Zhi Tao’s assumption. What kind of scandalous thoughts filled her head? Did sharing a meal automatically make them a couple? Was she overestimating herself, or did she simply not know him well enough?
"Don’t I?" Shang Zhi Tao retorted, feeling indignant.
"Do you?"
...
What kind of person is he!
Behind the fish restaurant was a long corridor. While waiting for their fish, the two went to sit there, each taking a seat on opposite sides.
Shang Zhi Tao received a message from Sun Yu: "Why aren’t you back yet?"
"Just having dinner, then I’ll head back."
"He’s not giving you a hard time, is he?"
"No."
"That’s good."
Shang Zhi Tao put away her phone and glanced sideways at Luan Nian, recalling the strange sensation from her fingertips the night before. Her cheeks flushed slightly. She couldn’t tell whether it was lust or ordinary affection stirring within her. Whatever it was, Luan Nian’s handsome face was right beside her, leaving her feeling a little flustered.
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