Luаn Niаn tried to undеrstаnd Shаng Zhitао's joy, though in truth hе didn't find bеcoming а full-time emрlоуее рarticulаrly worth celebrating. Нis оwn twentу-eight уеаrs hаd beеn smооth sаiling, sо he сouldn't quite grasр thе swelling sеnse of satisfаction Shаng Zhitao fеlt аt thаt mоmеnt.
"Givе mе your wаllеt," Luan Niаn ехtendеd his hand tоwаrd Shang Zhitaо.
"Whу?"
"I'm afrаid you'll drink toо much and won't bе аblе to рay the bill."
...Shаng Zhitао obеdiеntlу tооk оut her wаllеt and hаnded it tо Luan Nian. Нer wаllеt, wеll... it had ink wаsh раintings оn it. Looking clоser, there were twо dogs in the pаinting—a strangе, mismatсhеd cоmposition. Luan Nian frowned: questionable taste.
"Do you have enough cash?" Luan Nian asked again.
"No."
"Which card should I use?"
Shang Zhitao stood up, took the wallet, and pulled out a card to hand to Luan Nian. "This one." She decided to go all out—treating him was just this once.
"Password."
"062400." 0624 was Xin Zhaozhou's birthday. Couples in love often used each other's birthdays as their special passwords. After breaking up, it should have been changed, but Shang Zhitao was lazy and never got around to updating it.
"Alright. Drink up."
Shang Zhitao was in high spirits and drank two more small glasses, but that was her limit. She wasn't much of a drinker and was starting to feel dizzy. She shook her head and said she wouldn't drink anymore, no more. But even as she said it, she took another sip.
Luan Nian paid her no mind, focusing instead on enjoying the foie gras and sashimi. It had been a while since he'd had Japanese food, and this meal tasted quite good, whetting his appetite. The girl across from him had flushed cheeks, and once again, he found her somewhat silly demeanor oddly amusing.
Luan Nian, ever the schemer, was slowly weaving a web. After repeatedly feeling drawn to Shang Zhitao, he had made a decision: he wanted to do something with this woman. But he needed the right timing. He wanted to do something with Shang Zhitao, yet he didn't want to get too close to her. If two people could satisfy each other's needs without having to take responsibility for one another, that would be the perfect arrangement.
"Did you volunteer to go to the mountains?" he suddenly asked Shang Zhitao. The company environment was like this: veterans bullied newcomers, higher-ups bullied subordinates, and those with connections bullied those without. It was rare to find purely professional relationships, unless someone was exceptionally capable and indispensable to their role.
"I did," Shang Zhitao replied, having drunk a lot of water, which eased her dizziness a bit. "I've never done it before, so I wanted to give it a try. I want to learn a lot of things and become someone really capable. Like Kitty." After drinking, Shang Zhitao became surprisingly talkative.
"Why like Kitty?"
"Kitty is truly amazing. She understands everything, can do anything, and does everything beautifully."
Luan Nian glanced at her but didn't respond.
"If Kitty weren't capable, she wouldn't have made it into the Creative Center. Everyone in the company knows that the Creative Center and the Planning Department always pick the best."
"Instead of blindly comparing yourself to others, you'd be better off finding a big tree to cling to." Luan Nian's words were a mix of truth and jest.
"I'm new here and don't know anyone. Whose leg should I cling to?"
"Tracy."
"I'm not close with Tracy."
"Then you could try clinging to mine."
Huh? Shang Zhitao suddenly remembered the jumbled thoughts that had crossed her mind that night—the idea that Luan Nian might try to take advantage of her. She placed her hands protectively over her chest, her expression guarded. "I won't sell myself out."Luan Nian rarely lost his composure, but this time, Shang Zhi Tao had struck a nerve, nearly causing him to spit out his drink. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Then you want me to cling to your coattails? I'm just a young girl, new here, unfamiliar with the place, with little money and average skills. What do I have to cling to your coattails with?"
Luan Nian tapped Shang Zhi Tao's hand. "Move your hand?"
"Huh?"
"Move it."
Shang Zhi Tao withdrew her hand, eyeing Luan Nian suspiciously. He glanced at her chest, then curled his lip. "Your worries are truly unnecessary." Luan Nian chuckled. "Shang Zhi Tao, do you think I want to sleep with you? Am I lacking women?"
Shang Zhi Tao flushed.
"Stop dreaming!" Luan Nian tapped her head across the table. "Wait for a sunny weekend to dry out the water in your brain."
Dry.
Aren't I pretty good? Shang Zhi Tao looked down at her clothes, feeling aggrieved.
The two of them spent a long time over the meal. When Shang Zhi Tao stood up, she swayed slightly. Luan Nian asked the waiter to bring her water and, true to his word, took Shang Zhi Tao's wallet to pay the bill.
Luan Nian had actually made Shang Zhi Tao treat him to a meal. After settling the bill, he handed her wallet back, not forgetting to thank her. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. It's only right."
"Congratulations on being officially hired." Luan Nian said this earnestly. He now agreed with Tracy: a company should have a diverse talent structure. A team shouldn't be all elites; it should also include people like this—interesting big fools.
They left the restaurant, and Luan Nian didn't call his driver. Instead, he stood with Shang Zhi Tao by the roadside, hailing a taxi. She stood unsteadily, her hair tousled by the wind, a clear smile in her eyes. She said to Luan Nian seriously, "I won't sell myself out."
As if cheering herself on, her slight anxiety was noticed by Luan Nian. He suddenly understood: Shang Zhi Tao liked him.
====
Shang Zhi Tao and Lumi set off. On the plane, Lumi said to Shang Zhi Tao, "We usually call the marketing department big shots, but once you get there, you'll realize they're just their little errand runners—thirsty one moment, hungry the next, complaining about bugs in the hotel the next. At home, I'm waited on hand and foot, but here I have to serve those fussy people."
Shang Zhi Tao laughed heartily at Lumi's words.
Lumi was a true young lady. For her, work was just a way to pass the time. So she feared no one but had no ambitions either. As she put it, "What's so great about being a boss? Their salary isn't even as much as the rent I collect!" She was something of a tyrant in the company, and her colleagues gave her a wide berth.
They got off the plane, met up with the filming crew, and boarded a bus. A group of over a dozen people traveled for more than six hours before finally arriving at a small town in the mountains. The town stretched barely a kilometer from east to west, with houses scattered at varying heights. Even in 2010, such a town still existed, and Shang Zhi Tao found it fascinating.
Kitty held her camera, snapping photos everywhere. In her words, "This is the perfect opportunity to experience life."
Lumi curled her lip and said to Shang Zhi Tao, "Experience life? Does she really think she's a fairy descending to earth?"Shang Zhi Tao hurriedly covered her mouth, her heart constantly in turmoil, always feeling that Lumi would eventually clash with Kitty. Lumi didn’t like Kitty; she thought Kitty was too "pretentious."
After Kitty left, the advertising director handed Lumi a list of filming locations, politely asking them to help coordinate the scouting.
"Not finalized yet?" Lumi asked.
"Just a preliminary look before."
Lumi took the stack of papers and pulled Shang Zhi Tao along: "See? It’s starting now."
This town, from here to there, didn’t look far. But walking it was truly exhausting. Shang Zhi Tao took a few steps and nearly tripped. The tree roots extended underground and protruded above the surface in places, which she hadn’t noticed.
The two of them trudged along, checking each filming location one by one. By the time they finished, the sky had turned completely dark.
Once night fell in the mountains, the temperature dropped. The two shivered as they made their way back. When they reached their lodging, they saw everyone dressed warmly, sitting outside drinking and chatting. Kitty spotted Shang Zhi Tao and waved her over: "Flora, you’re back? The marketing department’s work is really tough. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t handle it."
Lumi clicked her tongue: "Seeing Kitty on this scouting trip, I thought your stamina must be pretty good. When you’re free tomorrow, come with us to the filming location at the back mountain."
Kitty didn’t dare provoke Lumi. She smiled at them and turned to talk to others.
Kitty didn’t like Shang Zhi Tao. The reason for her dislike was that she had accidentally seen Shang Zhi Tao’s resume and felt she had only gotten into Lingmei by luck. Kitty always believed she should be among equally outstanding people, and being in the same batch as Shang Zhi Tao made her doubt her own abilities. Not only that, Kitty despised Shang Zhi Tao’s personality. She was always smiling, agreeing with whatever others said. Someone without talent relying on hard work to win favor wasn’t worthy of respect.
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t know Kitty’s thoughts. She only knew Kitty didn’t particularly like her because Kitty spoke to her differently than she did to others. But it didn’t matter; Shang Zhi Tao didn’t care.
She and Lumi each took a bite of hot instant noodles before burrowing under the covers. The mountains were too cold, and there was no hot water today, so neither of them wanted to wash their faces. They barely managed to brush their teeth.
They thought the day would end once they were under the covers, but after everything quieted down, they heard rustling sounds from the corner. Shang Zhi Tao sat up and turned on the light, spotting a mouse in the corner. The mouse was as big as a foot, plump and greasy. Seeing the light, it suddenly scurried wildly around the room.
Shang Zhi Tao had been afraid of mice since childhood. She screamed and jumped off the bed, then remembered the mouse was on the floor and leaped back onto the bed. Lumi was also scared; her scream was even louder than Shang Zhi Tao’s. She jumped onto Shang Zhi Tao’s bed, and the two clung to each other.
Their screams woke everyone up. Male colleagues knocked on the door outside, and Shang Zhi Tao and Lumi scrambled to the door, opened it, and ran out.
"What happened?"
"A huge mouse! This big!" Lumi gestured to her colleagues. "Didn’t they say they put out rat poison before we came?"
The innkeeper also rushed out. Hearing this, he looked somewhat embarrassed: "We ran out of rat poison; two rooms didn’t get any... Sorry, sorry, I’ll go buy some in town tomorrow."Shang Zhi Tao wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and said, "It's fine, it's fine."
She was truly terrified. Her hands and feet were ice-cold. She knew this trip to the mountains would be difficult, but she never expected to be defeated by mice on the very first night. Fortunately, a kind male colleague had swapped rooms with them.
Lying on the hard wooden bed, listening to the noises outside, Shang Zhi Tao felt terribly sorry for Lumi. "Lumi, I'm really sorry. If I hadn’t insisted on coming here, you wouldn’t have to suffer with me."
"Don’t say useless things like that. I’m here to experience life," Lumi comforted Shang Zhi Tao. "After an experience like this, I’ll appreciate everyday happiness more. When I get back, I’ll kowtow to my parents twice."
"How about I treat you to a meal when we get back?"
"Forget the meal. When we get back, cover a couple of shifts for me instead! You know how much I hate overtime..."
"I’ll cover a month’s worth of shifts for you."
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