"Саn уоu drive?" Luan Nian tооk the wine. Sinсe Shang Zhi Тао didn’t drink, shе соuld drive them dоwn the mountain. But to his surprisе, shе shoоk her hеаd: "I саn’t."
Luan Niаn fеlt а slight, flееting sensаtion—the ordinаrу Shang Zhi Тao sitting aсross from him аctuallу sееmеd tо раir well with the winе. If hе dwellеd оn it а little lоnger, hе сould evеn dеteсt a hint of boundlеss romancе.
Тhаt strangе, occаsiоnаl desirе hе’d fеlt bасk in Guаngzhou nоw sеeрed intо him again, just а little.
…
Luаn Niаn sеt the winе аsidе, аsked the ownеr for a bottle of сola, pоured somе for Shаng Zhi Тaо, and picked out the plumpest piece of fish for her. The latter was a bit flustered and hurriedly thanked him, only to hear Luan Nian say, "Thank you for treating me to dinner."
Oh. Shang Zhi Tao, struggling to make ends meet, was actually a little stingy. If given the choice, she wouldn’t have dined with Luan Nian in the first place. If she absolutely had to, she’d pick a cheap, tasty street stall. After all, everyone had to live, and it wouldn’t be strange for Luan Nian to experience a bit of hardship.
"Don’t mention it, it’s only right," she said politely despite her thoughts. She took a bite of meat, feeling she shouldn’t treat him for nothing: "Does dining with me mean you think I’m decent and can stay at the company for observation?"
"Last time I had dinner with a colleague, it didn’t stop the company from firing him the next day."
"Don’t scare me."
Luan Nian glanced at her: "Have you considered learning to drive? You’re probably the first person at Lingmei who can’t drive."
"I signed up at a driving school earlier. I’m studying the questions."
"Study hard. I’m worried you might not pass."
"I definitely will."
Shang Zhi Tao grinned, her face flushed from the steam of the fish pot: "Do you often bring your girlfriends here to eat?"
"Do you always ask so many questions?"
"Hehe."
Luan Nian ignored her and focused on eating. He’d drunk heavily the day before and hadn’t eaten properly today, so he finally felt his stomach wasn’t empty anymore. With his hunger gone, his mood naturally improved, and he even became a bit amiable. Following Shang Zhi Tao’s train of thought, he asked her: "What about you? What do you do with your boyfriend on your days off?"
"I don’t have a boyfriend."
"The one from the bar?"
"That’s my roommate."
"Your roommate seems nice. You could try dating him."
"My roommate is really amazing," Shang Zhi Tao praised Sun Yuanzhu sincerely. "He can do anything, and he’s very patient. He often helps me."
"How does he help? With what?"
"Just… everyday things, no matter how small… He even went with me to sign up at the driving school…"
"So for you girls, that’s the standard for being good?"
"As a friend… isn’t that good enough?"
"It’s enough as a friend, but as a boyfriend, he’d need to do more," Luan Nian teased her.
Hearing this, Shang Zhi Tao actually gave it some serious thought: "So you treat your girlfriends well?" She was quick-witted too. After a few bites of fish, she forgot her place and dared to challenge Luan Nian, deliberately emphasizing the plural "girlfriends."
Luan Nian saw her stiffen her neck, ready to argue with him, and finally smiled. When Shang Zhi Tao wasn’t timid, she was actually quite amusing.
Not only was she amusing, but she also had a big appetite.
"Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?"
"I’m hungry… this is the only meal I’ve had today." She sounded a bit pitiful.Luan Nian also thought she was quite pitiful, and picked up another piece of meat for her: "Eat up."
The two of them had a fairly pleasant meal. Just before finishing, Shang Zhi Tao said to Luan Nian, "I'm going to the restroom," and secretly went to settle the bill. She understood this etiquette.
"How much for that table?" Shang Zhi Tao asked the owner.
"Five hundred thirty."
Not too bad. Shang Zhi Tao thought to herself, Luan Nian was still somewhat decent—he hadn’t taken advantage of her ruthlessly. "I’ll pay."
"No need to settle. Mr. Luan has a prepaid card here with a lot of money on it. When we were catching the fish earlier, he said to deduct it from the card."
"Huh?"
Shang Zhi Tao was a bit shocked, recalling Luan Nian’s expressionless face when he said, "You’re treating." He had said it casually, but she had taken it seriously. Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit foolish—she couldn’t even tell whether Luan Nian was being genuine or not. She had always struggled to discern the truth in his words.
She returned to the table and sat opposite Luan Nian, clearing her throat. "Luke."
"What?"
"Next time, you must let me treat you."
"There’s going to be a next time?" Luan Nian’s face wore an expression that said, "Are you serious? You actually want to have another meal with me?"
"Anyway, I mean it." Knowing she couldn’t read Luan Nian, Shang Zhi Tao decided to state her intentions first. "I’m serious."
"So, what are you planning to treat me to?"
"I’ll go back and think it over carefully?"
"Don’t bother. I have many girlfriends to meet up with—today was an exception." With that, Luan Nian stood up. "Shall we head back?"
"Sure. You can just drop me off somewhere downhill where it’s easy to get a taxi."
"So considerate?"
Shang Zhi Tao’s consideration made her seem like someone who kept others at a distance, always afraid of causing trouble in social interactions. Luan Nian didn’t like women like that; he preferred them to be direct—strong when needed, yet knowing when to show vulnerability. For instance, in a situation like this, she should have said to him, "I’ll have to trouble you to take me home."
But Shang Zhi Tao didn’t understand these things. She didn’t yet know how to use her gender to her advantage.
Luan Nian didn’t continue discussing where to drop her off. Instead, he slowly drove out of the restaurant. Once they left the fish farm, it was a downhill road. Shang Zhi Tao looked out the window and faintly saw stars in the sky. She let out a soft "wow." Luan Nian glanced at her, then parked the car at a scenic overlook, rolling down the windows. Everything around them was pitch black.
Shang Zhi Tao leaned her head out the window and saw the stars in the sky. Such beautiful stars—a small reward amidst her overwhelmingly busy days.
Luan Nian got out of the car, leaning against it as he looked up at the sky for a while. Shang Zhi Tao didn’t follow him out—her sense of boundaries was on full display at that moment. She couldn’t stand beside Luan Nian to look at the stars; that was something couples did, and he was her boss.
She understood the difference.
After each of them enjoyed the view for a while, they continued driving downhill. Luan Nian drove straight toward Shang Zhi Tao’s home. It was only when they were almost there that she belatedly realized his kindness. "Thank you, Luke."
"No problem. Remember to apply for overtime pay with HR the day after tomorrow. Submit it online and notify me to approve it."
"Okay, thank you."
Luan Nian parked the car and watched Shang Zhi Tao’s figure disappear before turning back.
It was just an ordinary overtime session, but Shang Zhi Tao felt her impression of Luan Nian had changed. She firmly believed now that Luan Nian was a good person—just one with a sharp tongue. A kind-hearted person with a cutting edge.
Thinking of Luan Nian again, she felt he truly was an odd character.
Sun Yu knocked and entered, her eyes red."What's wrong?" Shang Zhi Tao asked her.
Sun Yu shook her head and sat on the edge of Shang Zhi Tao's bed. "Can I talk with you for a while? I'm feeling a bit down."
"What happened?" Shang Zhi Tao pulled her onto the bed, and they sat facing each other. As soon as the girl from Guizhou faced Shang Zhi Tao, tears began to fall. "I broke up."
"Didn't you say yesterday you were going to his place today?"
"He told me not to come." Sun Yu burst into tears. "You know, Shang Zhi Tao, I lost my job, and I haven't found a new one yet. He has a great job, and I always felt there was an imbalance between us. He told me he feels we have less and less in common... In reality, he just thinks I'm not good enough."
"But you're not..." Shang Zhi Tao didn't know how to comfort Sun Yu. Sun Yu was wonderful—such a beautiful girl from Guizhou, so smart. How could she be considered not good enough?
"You don't understand yet. Beijing is a very realistic and cruel city." Sun Yu was heartbroken. She had invested her feelings, but the other person had weighed her emotions on a scale, pricing them openly.
Hearing this, Shang Zhi Tao felt deeply saddened.
The relationship she had during her student days was untouched by worldly concerns. Back then, she and Xin Zhaozhou would eat snacks near the school, take the bus to the park, or she would wait for him by the basketball court. All they thought about was whether they loved each other, not how much that love was worth.
Even when they eventually broke up, it was with goodwill and mutual blessings.
"Maybe you'll reconcile..." Shang Zhi Tao wasn't good at comforting others, so she could only suggest a hopeful possibility. "What if he realizes in a couple of days that you're still the best..."
"And then leaves me again when he meets someone better?" Sun Yu cried even harder. "I'll never give him that chance again."
Sun Yu's heart ached unbearably. All the good times from the past now felt unreal. She had thought his business trips and team-building activities were just work necessities, but only today did she realize they weren't for work—they were for him. He needed those ways to let their relationship cool off until it ended.
Adults were truly ugly.
Shang Zhi Tao offered her shoulder for Sun Yu to lean on. She felt somewhat lost. Yao Bei had told her that if she wanted to date, she should find someone with good conditions to avoid hardship. Shang Zhi Tao didn't have strong material desires, so she didn't really understand what "good conditions" meant.
She stayed with Sun Yu for a long time until she heard Sun Yu start to wipe her tears and sit up straight. "You know, Shang Zhi Tao, I suddenly understand—screw men. I have to rely on myself. Only when I'm strong enough will men chase after me. Otherwise, they'll never learn to cherish."
Shang Zhi Tao nodded eagerly. "Yes! We need to become strong!"
It felt like they had accidentally joined a pyramid scheme, full of fervor. Sun Yu laughed through her tears and tapped Shang Zhi Tao's forehead with her finger. "Why are you so excited?"
"I want to be strong too!"
Shang Zhi Tao thought that once she became strong, she wouldn't be afraid of Luan Nian threatening to fire her every day. Once she was strong, she would slap her resignation letter on Luan Nian's desk and say, "I quit!"
Just imagining the scene brought her a little satisfaction—no, a lot of satisfaction.
Shang Zhi Tao didn't realize at all that Luan Nian had taken up a small corner of her heart, pushing her forward."Then did you have a pleasant time working overtime with that annoying boss today?" Sun Yu had been too busy crying to ask Shang Zhi Tao earlier.
"It was alright. Aside from being a bit stern, he's not a bad person. He even treated me to fish up in the mountains." Shang Zhi Tao recounted the day's events to Sun Yu, whose expression gradually changed as she listened: "Shang Zhi Tao, could it be that your boss wants to sexually harass you?"
"What? Impossible, he has many girlfriends..."
"Men, especially wealthy ones, are never afraid of having too many girlfriends. They just want to conquer the next one."
"No way, no way." Shang Zhi Tao waved her hands dismissively. "I've seen his girlfriend in Guangzhou—she looks like a Miss World contestant."
"So what? That doesn't rule out him wanting to try something new. Besides, you have such a great figure."
Shang Zhi Tao blushed. "Stop talking nonsense. He doesn't lack women, and I'm not interested in him anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." After saying this, Shang Zhi Tao thought for a moment longer. Wait, that wasn't right—she was far too interested in Luan Nian. She wanted to do something with him.
But what about Luan Nian's feelings toward her? Shang Zhi Tao wasn't sure. That night, she lay awake again, carefully replaying every moment of her interactions with Luan Nian that day. The more she thought about it, the more she felt Sun Yu was right—he must be trying to sexually harass her!
Shang Zhi Tao abruptly sat up in bed!
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