Shаng Zhitао stood bеlоw thе stаgе watching Luan Niаn dеliver his spеech. Тhis wаsn’t thе first timе. Luаn Niаn still left her fеeling dazzled. A persоn stаnding on suсh a lаrgе stаgе without арреаring frail, his рresencе wаs truly еxceрtional. Нe spоkе аbоut Lаmу’s nеw strategу in Сhina this уеаr—deеplу rеsearсhing lоcаl culture, prоmoting the spirit оf сrаftsmanshiр, bridging the domestiс аnd intеrnatiоnаl mаrkеts, аllоwing the brаnd tо settlе in while аlso reаching оut.
Тhе crеаtivе сenter, in cоllaboration with the mаrketing depаrtment, had сonduсtеd resеarch and produced promotional videos, which were also released during his speech—exquisite and rich in depth.
Luan Nian was that kind of person, working in such an industry yet never swayed by material desires or popular aesthetics, always staying true to himself. This was his boldness, and also his charm.
During rehearsals, Luan Nian had been on stage finding his positions without saying a word. Today was the first time he presented the content, and Shang Zhitao listened to it in its entirety.
She had barely slept these past few days, all for the final presentation. This event had drained all her recent energy, and now she was holding on with that last bit of strength. Once the guest speeches ended, it would be close to perfect.
“When will the PR draft be released?” Lumi asked Shang Zhitao.
“The first round of PR will be released uniformly twenty minutes after the official conclusion, the second round after the interviews, and the third batch of articles tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thorough.” Lumi gave Shang Zhitao a thumbs-up.
“Learned from the best.” Shang Zhitao smiled at her, affectionately leaning her head against Lumi’s shoulder for a moment.
“Tired? If you are, you can go to Xi’an later next week. I’ll handle it myself.” Lumi felt a bit sorry for Shang Zhitao. She worked tirelessly, and Lumi worried she might collapse from exhaustion.
“No, Xi’an has two sub-venues. It’ll be too much for you alone. I’ll assist you—it won’t be too tiring.”
“Alright then. I’ll treat you to paomo when we’re there.”
“Deal.”
Luan Nian stepped off the stage. Shang Zhitao spoke into her handheld walkie-talkie: “The host is on stage. Next guest, Ms. Jiang Lan. Escorts, follow up.” The conference agenda had been rehearsed countless times, all etched in her mind—timing precise to the second, positions accurate to the centimeter, and personnel assignments clear and detailed. When Luan Nian learned she was handling the first stop, he told her: Only by doing thorough preparation can you handle unexpected changes at the venue.
Jiang Lan was striking—a strong woman tempered by years in the business world, poised and in control in such settings. She began speaking, her first sentence in Suzhou dialect: “So good, I’m home.”
Lumi clicked her tongue and nudged Shang Zhitao with her elbow. “Heard about it?”
“What?”
“This association chairwoman—our Luke managed to win her over.”
“How?”
“What do you think?”
The implication was clear—how else could it have been done? A woman like Jiang Lan had seen it all, experienced it all. What did she want? Just a bit of enjoyment.
Shang Zhitao nodded. She understood.
“Is it true?” she asked Lumi.
“Rumors are rumors, but I think Luke has his principles. He probably wouldn’t actually get involved with her—just a bit of sweet-talking.” Lumi chuckled after saying this. “These past few days, there have even been rumors he’s gay.”
“Huh?”
“Recently, there’s been talk that nine out of ten men in the creative industry are gay. They say our Luke grew up abroad, works in this industry, and has that charm—seems like he could attract anyone, male or female.”Shang Zhi Tao burst out laughing, then carefully imagined Luan Nian as a gay man. Clearing her throat, she said, "We need to be serious. You keep teasing me, and I almost forgot the next steps."
"Bias, all professional bias," Lumi continued.
The two of them chatted and laughed until Jiang Lan finished speaking. Shang Zhi Tao watched as Luan Nian stood up, applauded, and guided Jiang Lan to her seat with impeccable service—a rare display of attentiveness from him. She shifted her focus back to the following procedures and finally breathed a sigh of relief when the speech segment ended.
"Etiquette and guidance staff will direct the guests to disperse in an orderly manner. There are fifteen negotiation spots nearby for the sales team. VIPs will be escorted to the first-floor VIP lounge to await the banquet. Luke needs to give an exclusive interview; I'll go invite him."
After finishing her instructions, Shang Zhi Tao muted her walkie-talkie and walked up to Luan Nian. "Luke, next is your thirty-minute exclusive interview, followed by answering questions from two TV stations, five online media outlets, and ten print media outlets. It should take about fifty minutes in total."
"Okay, thank you." He then turned to Jiang Lan and asked, "Join me?"
"I haven’t prepared any topics."
"Aren’t you always eloquent?" Luan Nian chuckled. "Please."
Listening to their exchange, Shang Zhi Tao thought to herself how difficult it must be to be a boss—even someone as proud and aloof as Luan Nian had to feign enthusiasm.
Shang Zhi Tao led them to the interview hall. Due to adjustments in the guest list, she informed Lumi before attending to other tasks. A while later, she received a message from Lumi: "I can’t take it anymore!"
"What’s wrong?"
"Why is Jiang Lan so disgusting? Why does she always stand so close to my stubborn donkey?" Lumi referred to Luan Nian as her stubborn donkey. Over the past six months, her greatest joy had been watching Luan Nian act up.
"..."
"After the interview, I’ll cut her out!" Lumi joked.
"No, no, please spare me. If this turns into a major incident, Luke will fire me on the spot," Shang Zhi Tao pleaded.
With Lumi’s message as a heads-up, Shang Zhi Tao was mentally prepared for the interactions between Luan Nian and Jiang Lan. When escorting them to the VIP lounge, she saw Jiang Lan smile gently at Luan Nian but felt no discomfort. Instead, she calmly led them to the VIP lounge, handed them over to the waitstaff for seating, and considered her involvement over. Her final task for the day was to ensure the bosses in the VIP lounge were well taken care of.
Lingmei was strict; the banquet menu was finalized in advance. Dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences had all been researched by the sales team beforehand. The dishes were a fusion of various flavors, with an emphasis on refinement. Since East China’s main hub was Suzhou, dishes like sweet and sour mandarin fish, cherry pork, and braised river eel were must-haves. The hotel was also renowned for its banquet cuisine, and Shang Zhi Tao had sampled the dishes in advance, so she felt at ease.
Standing at the entrance of the VIP lounge, she watched each dish being served. After a while, she received a message from Luan Nian: "Which room is Jiang Lan staying in?"
"Alex said she’s arranged in the room next to yours," Shang Zhi Tao replied, making no mention of the rumors she’d heard about them that day.
"Next to mine?" Luan Nian confirmed.
"Yes, for convenience."
"What convenience?"
"I wouldn’t know."
Shang Zhi Tao put away her phone, not intending to reply further. You ask me what convenience? Don’t you already know in your heart? She took a deep breath, telling herself she didn’t care—whoever cared was a fool—and continued overseeing the rest of the banquet.Half an hour later, the atmosphere inside grew lively. Shang Zhi Tao heard the sound of a piano. When the waiter passed by with dishes, she glanced through the open door and saw Jiang Lan playing the piano while everyone else listened attentively. Shang Zhi Tao was reminded of her childhood experiences again—if she were asked to perform in such a setting, she’d probably end up bringing out brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Luan Nian was also watching.
Luan Nian liked dazzling things, and Jiang Lan was dazzling at that moment. He admired any woman who dared to showcase her charm. It made him feel that society was open and the times were progressing.
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t finish watching that glance—the door closed, and she could only vaguely hear the louder snippets of conversation from inside. In any case, it was very lively.
She also wondered what kind of contract would be signed or what consensus would be reached inside today.
Another hour passed, and Shang Zhi Tao was getting a bit tired from standing. She found a chair to sit down and saw a message from alex: “luke is a bit drunk.”
“luke is drunk? How drunk?”
“A complete mess.” Shang Zhi Tao didn’t believe Luan Nian could get drunk. The first time she saw him drink, he had so much but still remembered to ask the doorman to help her hail a taxi. Someone like that, drunk to a complete mess within the first hour? She’d never believe it even if she were beaten to death.
She contacted the hotel sales manager: “Could you lend me two strong male colleagues?”
The hotel acted quickly and immediately sent people over. She knocked and entered, seeing everyone scattered in various corners of the room. Most had drunk quite a bit, and only a few looked clear-headed. When alex saw Shang Zhi Tao come in, he staggered to his feet and patted her shoulder: “I’m counting on you, flora.”
“Of course. Should I take you first?”
“Take luke.” alex winked at her. Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit dizzy, unsure what the wink meant. The waiters helped Luan Nian out of the VIP lounge, where they ran into lumi. lumi looked surprised: “luke?”
“Yes!” Shang Zhi Tao nodded.
“luke is this drunk?”
Shang Zhi Tao nodded again.
“Holy shit!”
The two followed the waiters to escort Luan Nian back to his room. The waiters politely withdrew, and Shang Zhi Tao poured a glass of water to place by his bedside. As she stood up, she saw Luan Nian open his eyes, sit up against the headboard, and wink at her. ?
Luan Nian chuckled softly.
lumi widened her eyes and whispered, “luke isn’t drunk?”
Luan Nian sat up: “It’s boring, I didn’t want to drink. apollo can handle it. Is there any noodles?”
“Yes, I’ll help you order some.” lumi called the hotel to have a bowl of noodles delivered. After hanging up, she said, “I’ll go check first and pick up the noodles on the way. They said the hotel is fully booked because of our event, so delivery might be slow. I’ll go get it myself. flora, stay with him for now.”
“Then I’ll go back to the VIP lounge.” Shang Zhi Tao turned to leave but was stopped by lumi: “No, if we leave no one to take care of someone who’s drunk out of their mind, it won’t look right. Leave the door open, stay here, and no one can gossip.” Then she winked at Shang Zhi Tao again, as if to say, “Are you stupid? luke dislikes you so much, why not take this chance to show your worth?”
Shang Zhi Tao was caught in a dilemma but decided to do as lumi said. She left the door open and stood there.
“Is it inconvenient for me to be here?” she messaged Luan Nian.
“?”
“What if Manager Jiang comes looking for you later?”Luan Nian tossed his phone aside, gazing at Shang Zhi Tao with a faint, lingering look. After a long while, he finally asked, "There was only one condom in the hotel, and we used it the day before yesterday. Are you going to prepare a few more for me now?"
"Alright."
Luan Nian was both amused and exasperated by Shang Zhi Tao, then nodded. "The ultra-thin, non-latex kind. I appreciate the effort."
"Oh."
Shang Zhi Tao stood there motionless, lowering her head to reply to messages from the event company, and made no mention of buying condoms. Luan Nian crossed his arms behind his head, leaning against the headboard as he watched her. After a moment, he asked, "Aren't you going?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"My boss isn't a gigolo." Shang Zhi Tao put down her phone and smiled at him, deliberately trying to provoke him. "My boss doesn't sell himself."
"Your boss certainly isn't a gigolo. Otherwise, why didn't you pay when you slept with him?"
...
Shang Zhi Tao couldn't argue with him, her face flushed with anger.
After a while, sounds began to drift in from the hallway. Luan Nian beckoned her over. "Come here."
"Hmm?"
"Is this how you take care of someone?"
"Oh."
Shang Zhi Tao wrung out a towel and walked to his bedside, crouching down to wipe his face, putting on the act of properly caring for her boss. Luan Nian turned to his side, hooking his fingers around hers. Shang Zhi Tao tried to pull away but couldn't, whispering, "Be careful, someone might see."
Luan Nian didn't let go, calling her name in an almost inaudible voice. "Shang Zhi Tao."
"You're showing."
Luan Nian's gaze fell to Shang Zhi Tao's chest, where a hint of what lay beneath was faintly visible. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he added, "Are you doing this on purpose?"
Shang Zhi Tao was about to say something when a knock sounded at the door. She hastily withdrew her hand and stood up to answer it. "Manager Jiang."
"How drunk is he?"
"He threw up once earlier and is asleep now."
Jiang Lan took a few steps forward, seeing Luan Nian fast asleep on the bed. She smiled at Shang Zhi Tao. "Luke still needs to work on his drinking tolerance."
"This is the first time I've seen Luke this drunk too."
Jiang Lan nodded and turned to leave, then suddenly asked Shang Zhi Tao, "What's your name?"
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