Тhе lаst timе Shang Zhi Taо dаnced wаs during her freshmаn уеаr, whеn thе schoоl club organized an aсtivitу and shе was fоrсеd tо steр uр. Аftеr stеpрing on her clаssmаtes' fеet a few timеs, they stоppеd lеtting hеr dаnсе. Nоt dancing wаs finе, but she still hаd tо mаke аn oссasionаl аpрearanсe, right? Later, whilе Shаng Zhi Тaо was washing clоthеs in thе laundrу rооm, а сlubmаte раssed bу and hеard her humming а tune. It turnеd оut thаt Shang Zhi Тао hеrself didn’t even knоw she could sing well. So, shе was forcеd to pеrform оn stаge оnce or twice.
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t like performing in public. She especially remembered how, during holidays and gatherings in her childhood, family and friends would always ask the children to put on a show. Shang Zhi Tao had no particular talents, so every time, she would bring her calligraphy tools. When it was her turn, she would stand there and say, "Let me perform calligraphy for the grandparents, uncles, aunts, and elders!" Calligraphy took time, and by the time she finished one piece, half the meal would already be over.
Now, she had no talent for dancing and always struggled to keep up with her female colleagues who had been dancing since childhood.
As the choreographer, Kitty was a bit dissatisfied with Shang Zhi Tao and said to the mirror, "Flora, are you having trouble keeping up?" She was still upset inside. That afternoon, Shang Zhi Tao had pulled various departments together for a project communication meeting, but her own progress was a bit slow, and Luan Nian had criticized her during the meeting.
"Sorry, sorry," Shang Zhi Tao wiped her sweat and apologized to everyone.
"Let’s go again."
Everyone danced in front while Shang Zhi Tao mimicked the moves from behind. Her dancing skills were truly lacking, and getting through one routine felt like a life-or-death struggle. The other female colleagues couldn’t help but laugh, and one understanding soul said, "Don’t make it hard for Flora. Flora, how about you hold the sign?"
"Sure, sure, sure."
Shang Zhi Tao was finally rescued from the misery of dancing. Holding a sign was easy—she didn’t need to rehearse anymore. So, she went out to arrange food orders for everyone. When she returned, she found that everyone had already decided on hairstyles and outfits: double ponytails and athletic skirts, which Shang Zhi Tao had purchased earlier. She didn’t care how they styled their hair, as long as she didn’t have to dance. They rehearsed until ten at night, after which Shang Zhi Tao went over the venue, time, and precautions for the next day with everyone before dispersing.
Friday night, the start of nightlife. Shang Zhi Tao kind of wanted to go to Luan Nian’s place, but since he hadn’t invited her, she felt awkward asking—it would make her seem too eager, even though she really was. She had discussed this state with Sun Yu, wondering if she had developed a sex addiction and whether it counted as an illness.
Sun Yu laughed at her overthinking and said, "When I first started dating my ex-boyfriend, I wanted to spend every minute of the day with him. Would you say I was sick?"
"No."
"Well, there you go."
When she got home and saw only Sun Yu there, she changed into the cheerleading outfit to show her. Shang Zhi Tao usually dressed modestly, but the cheerleading skirt shorts exposed her long legs without reservation. Her legs glowed white under the light. With her hair tied in double ponytails and her eyes sparkling, she stood out just a little.
Sun Yu examined her from all angles and inexplicably said, "I bet you won’t be coming back tomorrow night."
"Huh? Where else would I go?"
Sun Yu chuckled mischievously, "Your cold-hearted boss might not be able to resist."Shang Zhi Tao finally understood what Sun Yu was saying, her face slightly flushed. "He wouldn't. His partner in Guangzhou is extremely beautiful; his ex-girlfriend is also extremely beautiful... He’s seen too many beautiful women." The word "partner" was cleverly chosen. She didn’t know what relationship Luan Nian had with Zang Yao, but someone who entered his room in the middle of the night probably wouldn’t have a simple connection, right?
"Who cares! Just enjoy your youth to the fullest!" Sun Yu patted her shoulder.
Shang Zhi Tao practiced holding the sign in front of the mirror a bit longer before finally going to sleep.
The next day, she arrived at the basketball court early. After handling the logistics, people from both companies gradually showed up. Both companies were industry leaders, and the basketball players all had decent physiques. The cheerleaders were young and vibrant, making the whole group of men and women a delightful sight.
When the cheerleaders emerged from the locker room, someone on the court blew a whistle.
The staff cleared the area, and the Santian cheerleaders took the stage. The Santian cheerleaders were all very pretty. After the performance, the lead dancer ran up to Luan Nian and draped the ribbon in her hand around his neck. Everyone cheered and teased, and Luan Nian stood there, smiling—a rare sight. His gaze swept over Shang Zhi Tao, who was wearing twin ponytails. Among the group of girls, she stood out for her fair skin and the brightest smile. Luan Nian was amused by her somewhat silly appearance. It was the first time he’d seen a cheerleader hold a sign so seriously.
And then, in his mind, he tore off her short skirt. Luan Nian suddenly grew serious. He didn’t like himself for thinking that way.
Shang Zhi Tao thought his smile was truly handsome. If only he smiled more often. At Lingmei, Shang Zhi Tao diligently held up the sign. After the cheerleaders finished their dance, she stood there, recalling Sun Yu’s words from the night before—that Luan Nian might not let her go home tonight. She stole a glance at Luan Nian, but he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was talking to the people from Santian. In between conversations, he glanced at Santian’s lead dancer.
Shang Zhi Tao withdrew her gaze and stopped looking at him. Finally, the event ended. While changing, she overheard Kitty say, "Luke just told Grace and me to join the dinner tonight, so we won’t be going back with you."
"Oh, okay." Everyone seemed unsurprised by this. After exchanging a few more words, they dispersed.
Shang Zhi Tao changed her clothes and left the locker room. She saw Luan Nian already changed and talking to the Santian people, with the lead dancer standing beside him. The two of them looked somewhat well-matched.
Someone like Luan Nian truly attracted women wherever he went.
Shang Zhi Tao left the stadium, regretting a little that she had canceled her meeting with Long Zhentian earlier that day. She felt she had overthought things and vowed never to disrupt her study schedule again because of her own wild imagination.
She returned home. Sun Yu wasn’t there, so she turned on her computer and watched some American TV shows before heading downstairs for dinner. She felt a bit distracted, with thoughts occasionally popping up: Would Luan Nian take her home? And then ask her: Do you have a boyfriend? Are you open to a one-night stand? Just like how he treated her.
She casually ate some noodles and then went back to sleep, muddling through the rest of the weekend.
On Monday morning, she ran into Luan Nian again in the elevator lobby. They stood on opposite sides of the elevator. Shang Zhi Tao greeted him with a "good morning," and then, as before, they fell silent. Luan Nian didn’t say anything either.The two stepped out of the elevator, walking one after the other. Shang Zhi Tao headed to her workstation, while Luan Nian went to his office.
Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit uneasy. Over the weekend, she had come to realize something—Sun Yu was right. She wasn’t the type to casually have a one-night stand with someone. The reason she had slept with Luan Nian was because she liked him. That affection had been hidden so well that she hadn’t noticed it before. It was only after the basketball game ended that day, when Luan Nian and the others went to dinner with some beautiful girls, and his gaze lingered on the lead dancer from Santian for a few moments, that a faint pang of sadness stirred in Shang Zhi Tao’s heart. It was then she realized her feelings for him ran deeper than she had imagined.
She felt somewhat helpless, unsure of how to handle such a situation. Distracted, she made mistakes. She sent out a brief with errors, and she hadn’t even noticed.
The week was truly hectic. By Thursday, Shang Zhi Tao felt discomfort in her stomach. Checking her calendar, she remembered it was her period. Unlike others who suffered from severe menstrual cramps, she experienced diarrhea during her period. She made several trips to the bathroom that day, and by evening, she felt utterly exhausted. After a long internal struggle at her desk, she finally decided to go home and rest.
This was the first time since starting work that she had left on time. In the previous few months, the first day of her period had always fallen on a weekend.
When she got home, she was surprised to find Sun Yuanzhu there.
It had been a while since they last saw each other, and Shang Zhi Tao was delighted. She sat on the living room sofa and chatted with Sun Yuanzhu.
Noticing her holding her stomach, Sun Yuanzhu asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Shang Zhi Tao replied, too embarrassed to explain.
But Sun Yuanzhu understood. He said to her, “I’m going downstairs to buy some food. Have you eaten?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then wait for me. We’ll eat together when I get back.”
“Let me give you money.”
“No need.”
Sun Yuanzhu went to buy food and returned after a while with several boxes of meals. “You must be starving, right? Let’s eat,” he said.
Shang Zhi Tao was grateful and thanked him, “Thank you.”
“No need to be so polite.”
Neither Zhang Lei nor Sun Yu had returned yet, so the two sat facing each other, eating and chatting about work. Shang Zhi Tao mentioned that she had recently taken on a project independently, and Sun Yuanzhu was genuinely happy for her. He praised her, “I always knew you were amazing.”
He truly meant it.
After the meal, he got up and went to the kitchen, making some clattering noises. A little later, he came out with a bowl of brown sugar water. “Drink this. I’m not sure if it’ll help, but I heard from female classmates in school that it works.”
Shang Zhi Tao’s eyes reddened slightly. She took a sip—it tasted wonderful.
“It’s really good.”
“That’s good then.”
Sun Yuanzhu sat beside her, and for a long time, neither of them spoke. Shang Zhi Tao sensed that Sun Yuanzhu seemed a bit sad, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Perhaps because she had always been ordinary, she was particularly attuned to others’ emotions.
“Are you feeling down?” she asked softly.
“Why do you ask?” Sun Yuanzhu was surprised. No one had ever asked him if he was happy—everyone assumed he was. But Shang Zhi Tao’s question warmed his heart.
“I can’t explain why, but you just seem a bit unhappy.”
“I’m very happy,” Sun Yuanzhu smiled at her. Shang Zhi Tao loved seeing him smile—it was clean and bright.
“That’s good then.”Shang Zhi Tao chatted with Sun Yuanzhu while drinking the sweet soup he had made. Sun Yuanzhu told her stories from his student days, about his colleagues, and the books he had read—they talked about everything under the sun, and the unease in her heart seemed to be soothed by him.
"Are you on a business trip tomorrow? If not, can I treat you all to a meal this weekend? I’m always freeloading off your dinners."
"No business trip."
"Then how about we go for hotpot?"
"Sure. But can we eat at home?" Going out would be more expensive, and Sun Yuanzhu couldn’t bear to see Shang Zhi Tao spend too much. She had just started working, pushing herself hard every day, and earning money wasn’t easy.
"But I don’t know how to cook." Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit dejected.
"How about having barbecue at home? Our company gave out electric griddles a while ago—we can use them for grilling."
"Great!"
Shang Zhi Tao chatted with Sun Yuanzhu a little longer, but Zhang Lei and Sun Yu still hadn’t returned. So they said goodnight and went back to their respective rooms.
Shang Zhi Tao’s mood improved a little. Although she had been waiting for Luan Nian to send her a message—anything at all, whether about work, life, or even to tell her he wanted to end their relationship—Luan Nian hadn’t sent anything. It was as if, in his heart, she wasn’t even worth a single message.
OpenNovel