Аlех аssignеd that small prоjеct to Shаng Zhi Taо. Nо оnе in thе dеpartmеnt wanted to take on suсh а minor rеseаrсh рrоjeсt bесаusе it was hаrd to achiеvе notаble results. But Shаng Zhi Taо was willing—no mаttеr whаt, it wаs hеr first timе sеrving as prоjеct mаnаgеr.
She fеlt a littlе hаppу, уet аlso somewhаt nervous. Aftеr rесeiving thе initial projесt mаteriаls, shе sаt аt hеr wоrkstatiоn withоut moving. Тhe аnnual industry rеseаrсh wаs a mаndаtоrу projeсt for the compаny, used to suрport diffеrent dерartmеnts in making advertising decisions for clients across various industries.
Although it was a small project, it was quite complex. Relevant department needs research, analysis of past years' input and output, selection of research firms, project milestones—each aspect had to be addressed. She had followed Lumi on a few projects before and had also read related books. Now, it felt as though she had done all her usual homework and was finally about to take the exam.
By the time Shang Zhi Tao finished reviewing all the materials, it was already very late. When she looked up, the surroundings were empty, with only Luan Nian's office still lit. She thought for a moment, took out her phone, and typed: "I independently took on a project today." Her finger hovered over the send button for a long time before she finally deleted it. She wasn’t sure if they were close enough to share daily updates; Luan Nian wasn’t the type to take an interest in others' lives. So she deleted it, but she still wanted to tell him about this matter—even though it was a small thing, it represented her progress.
"I independently took on a project today," she sent to him.
Luan Nian glanced at his phone, then set it down without replying. Shang Zhi Tao packed her bag while checking her phone, but Luan Nian never responded. She sighed, shouldered her bag, and left the office.
She was lucky today—as soon as she stepped outside, she managed to hail a taxi. She plugged in her earphones to listen to music, but her eyes kept drifting back to her phone. It wasn’t until she was almost home that she saw Luan Nian’s reply: "Do it well. Keep it up." It couldn’t have been more formal.
"Thank you."
Shang Zhi Tao’s project was giving her a headache. The very first step of the needs research was stuck—stuck at the Creative Center.
Kitty consistently refused to define the scope of the Creative Center’s needs. Shang Zhi Tao reminded her twice, but each time Kitty said she was too busy and hadn’t gotten to it yet. Shang Zhi Tao was a little confused. Since this was a service-oriented project meant to support the business, why was Kitty being so uncooperative?
Lumi suggested that Shang Zhi Tao escalate the issue and have their boss pressure Kitty to comply, but Shang Zhi Tao felt that wasn’t appropriate—it hadn’t reached the point of escalation yet. Kitty already disliked her; if she escalated now, there would be no room for reconciliation later.
Ultimately, Shang Zhi Tao was still afraid of conflict. She thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out how to handle it. Finally, on Wednesday evening, she couldn’t hold back any longer and sent a message to Luan Nian: "Luke, sorry to bother you. I’ve independently taken on a project, but I’m stuck at the needs research stage. I wanted to ask for your advice on how to get everyone to cooperate with the project timeline?" She didn’t want to complain about anyone; she just wanted to solve the problem properly.
Luan Nian replied quickly this time. He said: "Hold a project communication meeting that doesn’t target anyone, and have each party report their progress. Then send a follow-up email to standardize the project’s stakeholders."
After a moment, he sent another message: "Don’t be afraid of conflict."Shang Zhi Tao saw him telling her not to be afraid of conflict and felt that Luan Nian truly saw right through her. He clearly hadn’t paid much attention to her, yet he knew what kind of person she was and what kind of things would make her hesitate.
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How are the preparations for the basketball friendly match cheerleading squad going?”
“We’ll rehearse on Thursday and Friday.”
“Good. You’ve worked hard.” Luan Nian thought for a moment and said to Shang Zhi Tao, “Being an independent project manager is a good thing, but what’s important in a project is handling people. Once people are handled, progress will follow.”
He gave Shang Zhi Tao time to think independently.
After replying to the message, Luan Nian packed up and left the office. He had made dinner plans with Jiang Lan. Jiang Lan was the vice-chairperson of the industry association, and the board wanted him to put in more effort to become a domestic industry association consultant. Luan Nian suggested the board choose someone else, but they said no—Jiang Lan just liked him.
Luan Nian drove to the restaurant, a Japanese place. Jiang Lan hadn’t arrived yet, so he sat and waited without rushing her. After waiting about forty minutes, he called Jiang Lan, who answered with a flurry of apologies: “Sorry, sorry, I’m stuck in traffic.”
“It’s fine. Should we reschedule?”
“No, let’s do it today. Since I’m late, I’ll treat. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Okay.”
Luan Nian hung up, knowing Jiang Lan was testing him. She was used to being the client and had developed an air of arrogance. Luan Nian understood. He simply took out his laptop to work. When Jiang Lan arrived, he stood up to greet her: “You’ve worked hard.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s fine. Give me ten minutes—I just received an email that needs urgent handling.” There was no such email; it was just tit for tat. He opened an email, typed something random, and even frowned, putting on a convincing act. Jiang Lan sat beside him, waiting. After twenty minutes, she finally smiled: “You’re petty.”
Luan Nian pretended not to understand and closed his laptop: “Shall we eat?”
“I sincerely apologize. Waiting really isn’t pleasant.”
“You must be starving?” Luan Nian didn’t take the bait and said to the server nearby, “Please start serving.”
“Want to have some wine?” Jiang Lan asked him.
“I drove here.”
“What about your driver?”
Luan Nian smiled: “I suppose a little wine is fine.”
Luan Nian and Jiang Lan shared a little wine. Like last time, they didn’t discuss work. Jiang Lan talked about how, after her last breakup, she went to Hokkaido alone for a few days: “At the time, I felt relationships were really draining. I’d rather not date again.”
“Learning from experience?”
“Don’t you feel the same?”
“No.”
Jiang Lan laughed. When she smiled, her eyes narrowed into slits, carrying a hint of charm. She was the kind of woman who knew exactly where her appeal lay and how to showcase it: “But I heard your last relationship gave you quite a headache.”
“To be honest, not really. Why trouble oneself unnecessarily?”
That was just the kind of person Luan Nian was—he cherished his freedom now. Jiang Lan rested her chin on her hand, looking at him, thinking this man was truly pleasing to the eye. She only drank a little wine during the meal and barely touched her food, saying to Luan Nian, “I need to be more disciplined. Keeping in shape is really hard.”
“I understand.” Luan Nian nodded.During this meal, Jiang Lan shared much about her past. It seemed she hadn’t opened up to anyone like this in a long time, and once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. She even spoke of her first time—on a drizzly night, in a motel outside Las Vegas.
Luan Nian listened quietly, rarely interrupting.
His patient listening pleased Jiang Lan. After all, despite the apparent liveliness around her, she deeply despised vulgar men. She liked men with a bit of integrity, and she enjoyed dismantling that integrity piece by piece until she merged with them. She relished this game of hunting, and Luan Nian was the highest-quality prey.
After a few drinks, they stepped out into the intoxicating evening breeze. Jiang Lan, slightly tipsy, stumbled a little. Luan Nian reached out to steady her arm and helped her into the car. “Where should I take you?” he asked.
“My place,” she replied, giving an address. The driver nodded, “Alright.”
Jiang Lan gazed at Luan Nian’s face, half-lit in the shadows—such a handsome face. She placed her palm on his knee, leaned in close, and whispered in his ear, “Would you like to come up to my place?”
“I don’t do one-night stands.”
“Long-term… secret… no strings attached…”
“That’s not my habit.” As he said this, Luan Nian suddenly thought of Shang Zhi Tao, who had asked him where to put her contact lens case, bathrobe, and pajamas. Men really could lie without batting an eye. How could he claim it wasn’t his habit? He was cultivating it right now!
Luan Nian snapped out of his thoughts and sighed. “I thought our relationship could be of a higher quality.”
“Such as?” Jiang Lan leaned back against the seat, tilting her head to look at him, her collar slightly open, revealing an alluring glimpse. It was the kind of allure that would disarm most men, but it left Luan Nian unmoved.
Luan Nian smiled at her but didn’t answer.
He turned to look out the window, thinking that next time, he’d have someone else handle Jiang Lan—it was exhausting. After dropping her off, he finally arrived home, took a shower, and lay in bed. Remembering Shang Zhi Tao’s troubles, he called her. “Is the issue resolved?”
Shang Zhi Tao was climbing stairs and sounded a bit breathless. “Not entirely. I’ve sent an email inviting everyone to a project progress meeting tomorrow.”
“I didn’t receive your email.”
“…I didn’t send it to you.”
“Why? You’re holding a project progress meeting without inviting the bosses? How do you plan to assert authority? By flailing around on your own? Even the stray cats outside the company building are fiercer than you.”
“I…”
“What time tomorrow?”
“Three in the afternoon.”
“Got it.” Luan Nian paused, hearing the sound of a lock turning on her end. “Are you home?”
Shang Zhi Tao lowered her voice, whispering into the phone, “Yes.” She was careful not to disturb her roommates. Zhang Lei had been working overtime and traveling frequently lately, Sun Yuanzhu was immersed in the autonomous driving project with a chaotic schedule, and Sun Yu had been pulled into researching a dating website. Everyone was busy and needed good sleep.
She gently closed the door, tiptoed to her bedroom, shut the door behind her, and said, “Luke, I’m home. Aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I just got home.”
“Oh.”
“Go to sleep.”
“Goodnight.”Luan Nian hung up the phone, thinking to himself that he really had too much time on his hands these days, even caring about an ordinary employee's project progress late at night. Shang Zhi Tao, however, was someone who knew how to repay kindness. After hanging up, she still sent him a message to thank him: "Luke, thank you so much for guiding me on my project."
Luan Nian didn't know how to reply, just like that day when she suddenly told him she had independently taken on a project. So he tossed his phone aside, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep. After a while, he picked up the phone again: "It's fine, no need to be polite. Just do your best."
"I'll work hard."
I know.
Luan Nian had never seen anyone work as hard as Shang Zhi Tao. It was just a job, yet she worked as if she had no fallback or confidence. That day, Tracy discussed the company's hiring strategy for the next year with him and mentioned wanting to recruit one or two more people like Shang Zhi Tao. Her exact words were: "Did you see? Shang Zhi Tao is a hiring experiment. The results of this experiment tell us that with just a little talent and enough hard work, we can bridge the gap caused by differences in educational backgrounds."
Tracy was a little proud—Shang Zhi Tao was her very successful test subject. That day, Luan Nian didn't argue with her.
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