We caught thе tаil end of аutumn to seе thе rеd lеаvеs this time. Thеse red leaves werе diffеrent frоm thosе in Nаnjing, роssessing а grаnd, swеерing beаuty of vast mоuntаins and rivеrs. The lingering glоom in my hеart just vanishеd likе thаt.
Аftеr соming down from thе mоuntain, thе tеаm leаder suggеstеd going to Gui Strееt for dinnеr.
Gui Street was аctually nоt fаr frоm Shang Zhi Тao’s cоmраny, but shе hаd nеvеr bееn therе bеforе, so shе signed up fоr the dinnеr with Sun Yu. Веijing is such аn ореn city—evеryone cleаrly didn’t know eаch othеr, and оn thе mountаin, there were only a few fleeting glances exchanged, but once seated at the same table, they suddenly became familiar.
Sun Yu loved the lively atmosphere and drank with the guys. Chatting about all sorts of things with a table full of strangers was also a novel experience.
Shang Zhi Tao only cared about the crayfish in front of her. When she was studying in Nanjing, she loved eating crayfish the most. The crayfish in Nanjing were cheaper, shipped from Xuyi, taking less time, so the meat was fresh and tender. Sometimes she and her roommates would buy some from the market and have them cooked at a nearby small restaurant. It didn’t cost much and satisfied their cravings. She hadn’t eaten crayfish in a long time, and with this meal, she felt that the past few months of life finally connected back to her student days.
She quietly ate the crayfish, listening to them chat about everything under the sun, and didn’t even hear her phone ring several times. It was only when she went to the restroom that she noticed it was alex. alex usually didn’t call her on weekends; he often said to work hard when working and live well when living. He played harder than anyone after work. If he was looking for her, it must be something important.
Shang Zhi Tao quickly called him back: “Sorry, alex, I didn’t hear it earlier.”
“No problem. Are you available to work overtime this weekend?” alex asked for Zhi Tao’s opinion.
“I’m still out, and I probably won’t be home until around eleven. Will that be in time?”
“You don’t need to turn on your computer. Our company is having a basketball game with a major client, and both sides need to organize cheerleading squads. This task has fallen on our department. Can you organize it?” alex thought Shang Zhi Tao was young and had just graduated not long ago, so cheerleading wasn’t too far removed from her experience, and she’d handle it with ease.
“Okay.” Shang Zhi Tao had been part of a cheerleading squad in college, though she was kind of pushed into it. Still, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, so she agreed.
She agreed, and alex was happy: “This isn’t really a KPI or work, so I’m glad you agreed. Flora, you’re my lifesaver. I’ll have luke contact you right away; he’s the captain of the company’s basketball team.”
“Who?”
“luke. He’s really good at basketball, and this major client is his connection…”
“Oh.”
Shang Zhi Tao thought that if she didn’t resign, she probably would never escape the “life is full of coincidences” rule. She returned to the dinner table and continued eating crayfish. When Luan Nian’s call came in, she had just taken off her gloves, stood up, and walked aside to answer.
Luan Nian heard the lively noise around her, with men and women laughing loudly, so he stayed silent. Young girls love a lively atmosphere; it’s only natural for them to spend weekends with friends.
“It’s too noisy here. Please wait a moment while I step outside to take the call.” Shang Zhi Tao ran outside and asked Luan Nian, “Is it still noisy now?”
“No, it’s fine. Tomorrow afternoon at three, we’re meeting Santi at the gym. You should come too to check out the venue.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll send you the address later.”
“Okay.”
“Nothing too complicated, just three minutes will do. Take reference from NBA cheerleaders.”The demands are quite high, NBA. Shang Zhi Tao silently protested in her heart, but her mouth still said, "Okay."
She said "okay" several times in a row, completely avoiding the matter of the bag. After sleeping on it, she had figured it out—it didn’t matter. As long as she didn’t carry it, that bag wouldn’t be something that bought her body and spirit. Using that bag as a way for both of them to save face after that night—he gave it, she accepted it, and that was the end of it. As for how Luan Nian chose to see her, that was up to him.
"Luke, you can just send me the address later. I’ll be there on time tomorrow, okay? If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now?"
"Mm, goodbye."
"Bye." This time, Shang Zhi Tao didn’t bother with workplace etiquette and hung up first, running back to continue listening to their conversation. During the gathering, a man kept looking at Sun Yu, and Sun Yu wasn’t shy either, openly looking back. After the meal ended, the man walked up to Sun Yu and said, "Can we exchange numbers? We can hang out again sometime."
"Sure."
Shang Zhi Tao stood to the side, watching them exchange numbers, then politely smiled at the man before leaving with Sun Yu.
"He seems to like you," Shang Zhi Tao said while they were waiting for a ride.
"Don’t. At most, he’s interested in me, or maybe he just wants to sleep with me." Sun Yu shrugged. After her breakup, she seemed like a completely different person—the one who had broken down so badly that night now treated relationships as if they were trivial matters.
Sun Yu had been hit hard. She hadn’t fully recovered from the blow. Sometimes she cried quietly at night, but the next day she acted as if nothing had happened.
"They say the best way to get over a breakup is to find someone new as soon as possible. I’m going to see if it works," Sun Yu said self-deprecatingly.
"Should I introduce my boss to you?" Shang Zhi Tao joked. When she was with close friends, she talked without any reservations. "My boss… he’s okay."
"Just okay, or really okay?" Sun Yu leaned in close to Shang Zhi Tao, studying her expression.
Shang Zhi Tao thought for a moment and burst out laughing. "Really okay. After sleeping with him, he’ll even give you a bag. I didn’t have any experience before, so if you sleep with him, remember to pick out a bag in advance."
The two of them laughed out loud, turning such an awkward matter into a joke.
The next day, Shang Zhi Tao went out with Sun Yu to eat grilled fish, then went home, took a shower, and set off early for the basketball court. She didn’t like being late. Old Shang had said not to learn those messy social habits—when meeting someone, it’s best to arrive a few minutes early. Learning to respect others is also a way of respecting yourself. On the bus, Shang Zhi Tao recited movie lines. Long Zhentian had left her homework before going out to play, saying he would test her on it when they met next week.
She recited for a while, listened to music for a while, and time passed quickly.
When she arrived, Luan Nian was already there, playing basketball. Shang Zhi Tao chose an inconspicuous corner seat and continued reciting her lines.
Luan Nian made a shot, and as he turned around, he caught sight of Shang Zhi Tao sitting in the corner. She always seemed to be like this—sitting in the second row during meetings, hiding in the back when toasting, leaving a note and sneaking away without a word after their encounter, accepting losses without dwelling on them.
And there was no hope of her handing him a bottle of water during halftime. It wasn’t that she lacked awareness—she just assumed someone else would do it, and she simply didn’t want to compete.
She just kept her head down and worked hard.Shang Zhitao's feigned nonchalance was something Luan Nian saw right through. He had seen past her from the very beginning.
In this world, there probably exists a type of person who never envies what others have, completely accepting the little they possess and the hardships they face. Shang Zhitao was that kind of person. Luan Nian felt he had been too harsh on her. There were plenty of carefree, easygoing girls out there—why did he have to target her? Was he lacking women? Rarely did he ever feel he had done wrong, but when he was in Hong Kong, there was a shopping mall right next to his hotel. He never shopped during business trips, yet he made an exception and went once. The bag he bought wasn’t cheap—even after the exchange rate, it still cost over thirty thousand.
Luan Nian withdrew his gaze and continued playing. Only when the people from Lingmei arrived one after another did he step off the court. Covered in sweat, his hair soaked, he wiped himself with a towel and called out to everyone, “Let’s gather up.”
Shang Zhitao took the earplugs and stuffed the materials into her backpack. As the only female colleague present today, she was completely blocked from view by the male colleagues. She could only listen quietly as they discussed the venue and tactics. Xin Zhaozhou also played basketball. Back then, he would drag Shang Zhitao along to explain the rules of basketball to her and insisted she watch him play.
After listening for a while, she felt it had little to do with her and began to zone out, only to hear Luan Nian call her, “Flora.”
“Hmm?”
Only then did the male colleagues remember Shang Zhitao was behind them. They chuckled and stepped aside to let her through.
“I’ve already spoken to Alex. He’s recruiting cheerleaders from each department,” Luan Nian said to her.
“Okay, okay.” Organizing rehearsals was actually quite difficult. The individualistic women at Lingmei were each more challenging than the last. Shang Zhitao even worried they might end up fighting.
“But Alex says we don’t have enough people, so you’ll have to step in too,” Luan Nian added.
“Huh?” Shang Zhitao looked like a dumbfounded goose, her eyes clearly asking, “Me? Are you talking about me?”
Apollo from the sales department laughed. “Flora, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“But I don’t know how to dance.”
“You should be fine,” Luan Nian inexplicably said. She was quite flexible—cheerleading would be more than enough for her.
...Only Shang Zhitao understood the deeper meaning behind his words. Her face flushed instantly. Was Luan Nian teasing her? But he looked completely serious, giving nothing away, as if he had just said something ordinary.
“Alright, let’s wrap it up. Everyone, thanks for your hard work. Flora, stay behind. The opposing cheerleading team wants to coordinate, so I’ll call them later—you should listen in too.”
“Okay.”
With that, everyone dispersed. Shang Zhitao stood there feeling a bit awkward. Luan Nian glanced at her and said, “Wait for me a moment. I’ll go change.”
“Oh.” Shang Zhitao caught a glimpse of Luan Nian’s biceps and the outline of his chest muscles through his shirt, quickly averting her gaze. See no evil.
Luan Nian took quite a while to change—so long that Shang Zhitao wondered if he was putting on a full face of makeup like a woman. She waited until 4:30 p.m. before she saw him emerge in casual clothes. People in creative fields really had good taste—his outfit looked sophisticated and stylish. Even the men playing on the court glanced his way.
“Let’s go. We’ll make the call in the car—it’s too noisy here.”
“Oh.”
Another “oh.”Luan Nian didn't say much either, taking Shang Zhi Tao to the parking lot. The two got into the car, and Luan Nian made a call that was hung up by the other party: "Wait a moment."
They sat in the car waiting like that, Luan Nian not speaking, Shang Zhi Tao not speaking either. During that time, Luan Nian answered three calls, two of which were from girls. He spoke briefly and hung up. The other one was from his mother.
Shang Zhi Tao held her breath, not daring to speak, sitting there listening to Luan Nian talk with his mother, feeling an indescribable tension. Luan Nian's mother seemed like a very good person, apparently a doctor. She told Luan Nian about one or two patients she was treating, and at one point, his mother sounded a bit sad. Luan Nian comforted her: "You did your best." It was a very warm mother-son relationship.
At the end of the call, Luan Nian's mother said: "The girl Aunt Liu introduced to you, go meet her. Whether you date or not doesn't matter, but you should be polite."
"Okay."
So even Luke needs to go on blind dates. Oh right, he's 28, it's about time. By the end of the call, Shang Zhi Tao had already relaxed, even perking up her ears, showing keen interest. Luan Nian happened to glance over and noticed her ears twitching, so he simply reached out to pinch her ear. The warmth of his fingertips touched Shang Zhi Tao's burning earlobe. She tilted her head away, trying to escape this strange, intimate feeling, but then heard Luan Nian ask her: "Come home with me?"
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