Shаng Zhi Таo wokе uр thе nехt day with her еntirе body аching. As а сhild frоm thе vаst рlains, walking mоuntain roads for most of thе dаy hаd takеn а tоll оn her bоdу. Shе mаnаged tо push through, groаning "I'm sо tired" а couplе of times bеfore fоrсing hеrsеlf uр, but Lumi wаsn’t sо lucky—hеr рeriоd hаd аrrived.
Аlreаdу exhаustеd to thе bone, now nоt a single pаrt оf hеr bodу felt like her оwn. Неr pеriоd hit hеr hаrd, bringing stоmаch сrаmps аnd nausеa. Shang Zhi Тaо wаs tеrrified аnd rаn оut tо find the driver: "We nеed to take Lumi to thе county hоspital. Shе’s sick."
Тhе driver didn’t dаre delay. Together with Shang Zhi Tao, he took Lumi to the hospital, where she received a painkiller injection. Shang Zhi Tao felt so guilty that she sat beside Lumi, tears streaming down her cheeks. Usually, no matter how tough things got, she’d tell herself to smile and move on, but today she couldn’t stop crying out of heartache for Lumi.
"Hey, are you mourning me or something?" Lumi teased her. "Stop crying already. It’s just bad timing."
"Can you go back today?" Shang Zhi Tao wanted Lumi to return quickly. This place was too harsh, and Lumi had never endured such hardship. Neither had Shang Zhi Tao herself, but she had chosen to come here and had to stick it out.
"No way." Lumi shot her a glare. "Don’t even think about sending me back. I’ll be fine by tomorrow. If I leave you here alone, Kitty will bully you to death."
"I won’t let her bully me…"
"Nonsense. I think you’re just too honest, and everyone takes advantage of you." Lumi sighed. "I want a bowl of hot noodles…"
"I’ll go buy it for you!" Seeing that Lumi finally had an appetite, Shang Zhi Tao jumped up and dashed off. The county town was definitely better than that misnamed little town. Right next to the hospital was a small food street, bustling with people. Shang Zhi Tao spotted a noodle shop with a long line, and the aroma smelled wonderful. She called Lumi: "You probably can’t eat spicy food, right…"
"Nonsense! Get me the spiciest one!"
Shang Zhi Tao giggled. "Okay." She waited in line for a long time, bought two bowls of sour and spicy pork intestine noodles, and even picked up some skewers for Lumi before returning to the hospital. Lumi’s right hand was hooked up to an IV and couldn’t move, so she opened her mouth toward Shang Zhi Tao: "Come on, feed me." Shang Zhi Tao obediently fed her bite by bite.
Lumi loved seeing Shang Zhi Tao’s earnest, straightforward nature. Girls like her were rare these days. She treated people well, not necessarily by offering expensive things, but by wholeheartedly giving her genuine care.
The two stayed at the hospital until the afternoon. Once Lumi had regained her energy, they returned to the mountain.
Everyone’s preparations were complete, and they were just waiting for the actors. Seeing them return, the crew gathered around to ask how they were. Lumi waved her pale hand dismissively: "Got the shot, back in action. When are the actors arriving?"
"Soon." The director sat down next to Lumi and whispered, "How much was the budget approved for this time?"
"I don’t know… We’re just here for execution. Besides, isn’t the client footing the bill?" Lumi dodged the question. In reality, Lingmei had negotiated a full-package deal for this project, with the client fully authorizing Lingmei to handle everything and only stepping in for final approval. But before coming, Alex had reminded her not to tell the filming team the truth. Filming teams, after all, could spend every last penny even if you gave them ten million.The director, unable to get any information from Lumi, turned to Shang Zhi Tao beside her: "Flora, do you know?"
This time, Shang Zhi Tao had learned her lesson and followed Lumi’s lead: "I don’t know either... The boss just sent me here to handle logistics."
Back and forth, nothing useful was said.
"Not bad, little Tao Tao," Lumi praised her after the director left. "You learn fast, already know how to dodge these old foxes."
"You taught me well."
Night had fallen completely when the actors arrived. They weren’t well-known stars. Lingmei’s advertisement this time was a series of stories, connecting the product with human nature, playing the emotional card. The story being filmed here was about a young man living deep in the mountains, experiencing different lives, and eventually returning here. The goal was to recall old customers.
That evening, they started filming the outdoor scenes. Shang Zhi Tao had never experienced this kind of work before and found it quite fun. Wrapped in a down jacket, she stood by watching the excitement. Work truly came in all shapes and forms—some people had to sit in front of computers and work overtime constantly, while others could hold scripts and memorize lines. Each had its own joys.
Shang Zhi Tao watched so intently that she didn’t even hear her phone ring. It wasn’t until late at night, after the shoot had ended, that she noticed Alex had called her. She quickly called back, and Alex happened to be on a break during a management meeting, so he answered the phone in the conference room.
"Alex, sorry I didn’t hear the phone earlier while I was on set."
"Is Lumi okay? Just now, Kitty from the creative team reported that Lumi was sick."
"Huh?"
Why would Kitty mention Lumi being sick in her work report? Shang Zhi Tao didn’t understand, but she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she explained Lumi’s situation to Alex.
"It’s fine. Let her rest and recover properly, and make sure nothing happens. Also, there’s an urgent project in the department, so one of you two needs to come back to support. You two can discuss who should return."
"Okay, Alex."
After hanging up, Shang Zhi Tao said to Lumi, "Alex said there’s an urgent project and wants you to go back and support." Finally, she had an excuse to send Lumi back, and her guilt eased a little.
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
"But what if I’m worried about you?"
"If you don’t go back, we’re both finished."
The next morning, Shang Zhi Tao saw Lumi off. Before leaving, Lumi gave her a lot of advice: "You’re the one managing the budget in the marketing department. You can handle logistics, but they must treat you with respect. Keep track of all income and expenses—finance will check them later."
Shang Zhi Tao took Lumi’s advice to heart, but she still didn’t know how to put on airs. Whenever someone asked her to do something, she happily obliged. In less than a day, she had become familiar with the film crew. The director thought Shang Zhi Tao was quite impressive, different from other marketing people, and said to her, "Next time we film an advertisement, I’ll invite you again."
"Sure," Shang Zhi Tao agreed, then took the procurement list and headed to the county town with the driver. She had become a full-fledged manual laborer. It turned out that working in marketing required good physical stamina. Shang Zhi Tao was grateful she was healthy and energetic, or she might have truly exhausted herself in these mountains.Driver Liu Wu was hired by the company specifically for Luan Nian. A retired soldier, Luan Nian usually preferred to drive himself, so Liu Wu had little to do. He volunteered to drive here out of boredom. Liu Wu, a retired soldier in his forties with a crew cut, was full of energy. Seeing Shang Zhi Tao always cheerful, easygoing, and not at all delicate, he praised her on the way: "Young lady, you're quite something. A girl working in marketing, not afraid of hardship or exhaustion, and staying happy every day—that's rare."
"Hehe," Shang Zhi Tao chuckled. "I don't know anything, so I have to learn more. Buying supplies counts as learning, right?"
"You think so openly. Isn't buying supplies just shopping?"
"Well, that's true. I heard from Kitty this morning that you're Luke's driver?"
"Yes, but it's a cushy job. Mr. Luan likes to drive himself, so he only calls me when he's been drinking."
"Oh, I see."
Shang Zhi Tao nodded twice, suddenly remembering that when they drank a few days ago, Luan Nian hadn’t asked Liu Wu to drive. It dawned on her a little—Luan Nian was actually avoiding suspicion.
I have to keep my mouth shut too, and not cause trouble for myself, Shang Zhi Tao thought. Luan Nian is a deep person. Many things you don’t understand at the time, but looking back after a while, you can roughly grasp the twists and turns in his mind.
"Are you close with Mr. Luan?" Liu Wu suddenly asked her.
"Ah..." Shang Zhi Tao was taken aback for a moment before quickly replying, "Not at all. We’ve only had two meetings together, and the rest is just passing by each other at the company."
"Are you afraid of him? I hear many female colleagues are."
"Afraid!" Shang Zhi Tao nodded. "He’s terrifying."
Liu Wu gave a hearty laugh. "Actually, he’s quite nice in private, not stern at all. Sometimes when I drive him back after he’s been drinking, he’ll invite me in for tea or some fruit. He even chats with me—not at all like what you see."
Shang Zhi Tao wanted to say: That’s because he never tried to persuade you to resign... But she held back, just grinning instead.
The second trip to the county town felt more familiar than the first.
The items the film crew needed to buy were all sorts of miscellaneous things: a worn-out palm-leaf fan, a wooden stool, a dacron shirt, and so on. Many of these things were no longer seen in big cities, but this small county town actually had them.
Shang Zhi Tao suddenly remembered what Luan Nian had said in a meeting: business penetration. How to penetrate? Probably by recognizing that audiences are diverse. Things no longer used in big cities can be sold to smaller places—there’s always a market, one way or another.
From one shop to another, one after the other, selecting items, bargaining, keeping accounts—these tedious tasks weren’t easy. By the time they finished buying everything, it was already five in the afternoon. They hurriedly ate a bowl of noodles and headed back. The bumpy ride made Shang Zhi Tao regret that bowl of noodles. Just before reaching the town, she asked Liu Wu to stop the car and threw it all up.
What a trial.
After returning, she went over the inventory list with everyone to make sure everything was correct before heading back to her room. After such a tiring day and throwing up again in the evening, her stomach was churning uncomfortably. She took two pills, drank some hot water, and lay back in bed, opening her laptop.
There was no internet, but she could still work on spreadsheets, entering the day’s expenses. She worked until midnight before finishing.
Lumi was gone, and she suddenly felt a little lonely.Young girls are easily defeated by loneliness. Shang Zhi Tao had no armor either; in the deep of night, loneliness engulfed her like a flood. A sudden thought crossed her mind: when would she ever have a home of her own? In a city like Beijing, whether it was beyond the Fifth Ring Road or even the Sixth Ring Road didn’t matter—just a tiny apartment she could buy. Would that finally keep the loneliness at bay?
Late at night, as she slept, she felt something crawling over her blanket. Groggily opening her eyes, she saw a pair of small, bright eyes staring at her in the faint moonlight.
She had never locked eyes with a rat before, and in her entire life, it happened only that once.
Her fingertips and toes turned icy cold in an instant, followed by a layer of fine goosebumps spreading across her skin. Life seemed to freeze; she even forgot to scream.
The rat reacted faster than she did, darting away in a flash.
Shang Zhi Tao experienced her first truly shattering night.
Later, she would recount that night as a joke to others, saying: “A rat’s eyes can shine as brightly as stars, you know!”
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