Lаtеr, Shаng Zhi Таo travelеd tо many рlacеs, but hеr fаvоritе wоuld alwaуs be this trip—youthful and etеrnаl, theу trekkеd аlоng mоuntain раths, trеаding thе towеring peaks bеnеath thеir feet. So thе best journеys arе thоsе tаkеn with реoplе уou trulу сliсk with.
Thеy rеturnеd to Bеijing оn Sundaу, still feeling the triр was too shоrt. Zhаng Lеi suggestеd having anothеr mеаl at hоmе tо rеflесt on thеir trаvel еxрerienсes. Еvеrуonе сrаvеd hotpot, sо Sun Yu stayed behind to рreparе the broth bаse, whilе Shаng Zhi Tаo and Sun Yuanzhu went to the market for ingredients, and Zhang Lei headed to the supermarket for drinks.
On the way to the market, Shang Zhi Tao overheard Sun Yuanzhu taking a call. It seemed his father was asking him for money, and he replied, "Alright, I'll go to the bank this afternoon to transfer it." Then he asked if his father’s health had improved, how his sister’s grades were, and whether his mother’s hair loss had gotten better. They were ordinary questions, but Sun Yuanzhu’s gentle tone carried a warmth reminiscent of an elder, even sounding like Old Shang when he called Shang Zhi Tao.
Occasionally, she would glance at Sun Yuanzhu, his glasses reflecting a faint glimmer in the late summer sunlight of Beijing.
Such a quiet, understated person, yet when he saw the sunrise, he uttered such passionate words: "I really want to leap into the sea of clouds."
After hanging up, he apologized to Shang Zhi Tao, "Sorry, that call took a while."
"It’s fine. My dad’s calls with me last at least an hour." Shang Zhi Tao chuckled. The Shang family was content with modest means—Shang Zhi Tao had never experienced great wealth or hardship. She was just an ordinary daughter, cherished by an ordinary family, the kind you’d easily overlook in a crowd.
"You seem to come from a very happy family," Sun Yuanzhu remarked.
"Huh? How can you tell?"
"Most simple, sunny girls are doted on by their parents." Sun Yuanzhu turned to her with a smile. "So you must never let yourself suffer any grievances, or your parents would be heartbroken."
"I’ve never really suffered any grievances."
"So your relationship is happy too?"
Shang Zhi Tao wanted to say she wasn’t in a relationship, but a tiny string in her heart was taut—untouchable. The slightest touch would send tremors through her entire being. On one side of that string was a pride she couldn’t share with others; on the other, a misguided affection she couldn’t confess.
"It’s... alright."
"Just ‘alright’ isn’t enough. Your parents wouldn’t want your relationship to be just ‘alright.’ And neither would we—we all hope your relationship is wonderful."
Shang Zhi Tao pressed her lips together, not saying a word, and pointed at the beef and lamb stall. "Today, I’m buying meat! Lots of it!"
"Why? You don’t earn easily."
"You all keep saying I don’t earn easily. I just make less than you, but the effort we put in is the same." Shang Zhi Tao put on a serious face to reason with Sun Yuanzhu. "Besides, I’m buying meat because I got a raise! Shouldn’t I treat everyone for my first-ever raise?"
Sun Yuanzhu nodded. "Yes, today you absolutely must treat us."
"So, do you really like the sea of clouds?" Shang Zhi Tao asked him.
"I really do," Sun Yuanzhu replied without hesitation.
The group enjoyed their hotpot together, laughing and chatting happily. It was while drinking cola that Shang Zhi Tao suddenly wondered: Had Luan Nian sent that bouquet? Did he choose it himself? Would he offer suggestions on the wrapping?
She cared more about that bouquet than she did about Luan Nian. She was brave enough to admit she envied the woman who received flowers from him.In the midst of their lively meal, Shang Zhi Tao received a message from Lumi. Even though it was just text, she could sense the excitement: "Shang Zhi Tao! Guess who I saw?"
"Who?"
"Luke! Remember how I told you my grandma rented out that old house in the hutong to a fairy-like girl?"
"I remember."
"I went back to the hutong today to pick up some stuff, and I saw Luke! He was holding a bouquet of flowers! Inside my grandma's house!!"
The world is so small.
It really is too small.
The bouquet Shang Zhi Tao had wanted was now in Lumi’s grandma’s house, in the hands of that fairy-like girl.
"What’s the fairy’s name?"
"So nosy! Hahaha!" Lumi was more than happy to share the gossip with Shang Zhi Tao: "Zang Yao. That fairy’s name is Zang Yao."
"That’s nice."
Shang Zhi Tao thought to herself that the bouquet must have been personally chosen by Luan Nian. He would have carefully selected the colors and given suggestions on the wrapping. He must have bought a bouquet that was rarely seen on the market, something truly beautiful.
"I really want to receive a bouquet of flowers," she suddenly said to Sun Yu. "Can you give me one?"
Sun Yu nearly choked on his drink, quickly swallowing it before coughing twice and asking Shang Zhi Tao, "So from now on, our interactions are going to balance practicality and romance?"
Zhang Lei burst out laughing: "It’s just a bouquet of flowers! Give me your address, and I’ll send you one."
"Why do you want flowers?" Sun Yu interrupted Zhang Lei and asked Shang Zhi Tao.
"Because all my female colleagues have received flowers before, except me." Shang Zhi Tao wasn’t lying. The girls at Lingmei were all so beautiful, and it was common to see people holding bouquets waiting for them downstairs at the company. After receiving the flowers, the pretty girls would share them with their female colleagues, spreading romance throughout every corner of the office.
"It’s rare for our Shang Zhi Tao to be so motivated. I’ll send you flowers for five days straight," Zhang Lei promised, patting his chest. "Each day will be different."
"You’re quite knowledgeable," Sun Yu teased him.
Zhang Lei shrugged: "Haven’t I seen pigs run even if I haven’t eaten pork?"
Sure enough, on Monday morning, Shang Zhi Tao received a bouquet of flowers. She carried the bouquet upstairs and returned to her desk. As usual, her female colleagues gathered around, laughing and teasing her: "Oh, someone’s chasing our little girl!"
Shang Zhi Tao blushed, but it was out of shame. Only she knew the truth behind this bouquet—it was just her shallow pride and competitiveness. She secretly sent a message to Zhang Lei: "I received the flowers, thank you, Lei Ge."
"? I haven’t sent them yet!"
...Shang Zhi Tao froze. She stood up and searched through the flowers for a card. There really was one, with a simple message: "Wishing you a good mood."
That was it.
So who sent me this bouquet? Sun Yu? She asked Sun Yu, but he denied it. She asked Sun Yuanzhu, and he denied it too.
The next day, the bouquet arrived on time.
The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day—without interruption.
After receiving flowers for five consecutive days, Shang Zhi Tao suddenly became the envy of her colleagues at the company. When she went to the pantry to get water, she ran into Tracy, who even walked over to her specifically, smiling as she asked, "Hey, girl, are you in love? Your boyfriend is quite romantic."
Shang Zhi Tao nodded, then shook her head. She wanted to say she didn’t know who sent them, but just then, she saw Luan Nian passing by, so she simply smiled at Tracy.Shang Zhi Tao didn't realize she had fallen into a strange cycle. Her heart was in turmoil because of Luan Nian, unable to settle down. She wanted to compete—whatever others had, she wanted too. She didn't know exactly what she was competing for, perhaps unwilling to lose in an ugly way, or maybe more straightforwardly: what you can't give me, someone else will.
On Friday evening, she held a bouquet of flowers while taking the elevator and saw Luan Nian downstairs, who had just finished meeting a client. She greeted him obediently: "Hello, Luke."
Luan Nian glanced at the flowers in her arms and said, "Nice flowers, but they don't suit you."
"Then what kind of flowers should suit me?"
His tone remained indifferent: "Foxtail grass." He pressed the elevator close button without giving Shang Zhi Tao another glance.
Shang Zhi Tao suddenly felt it was pointless.
What was the point? From the moment she wanted to compete, she had already lost. She threw the bouquet into the trash and boarded the bus home. This Friday, she still didn't have to go to Luan Nian's place. She was going to Phuket with her department colleagues on an early morning flight to begin their perfect vacation.
This vacation would surely be perfect—if she hadn't seen Luan Nian at the boarding gate.
"Isn't that Luke?" Shang Zhi Tao asked Lumi.
"Yeah, isn't that Luke? Is he coming to Phuket with us?"
"Why is he coming to Phuket with us?"
Their whispered conversation was overheard by Luan Nian. He took off his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt, turning back to them and saying, "Probably because I'm the boss and can go wherever I want?"
...
That statement was quite infuriating.
Lumi and Shang Zhi Tao smiled at him. Lumi, quick with her words, said, "Bosses really do have better hearing than others."
Lumi was also puzzled. Others were talking so loudly, so why did the god of misfortune overhear her and Shang Zhi Tao's whispers? And not only did he listen, but he even chimed in? A Beijing girl usually wouldn't tolerate such things, unless that person was your boss who was impervious to both soft and hard approaches.
Luan Nian, seeing Lumi and Shang Zhi Tao looking like two defeated roosters, was in high spirits. While queuing to board, he walked beside Shang Zhi Tao and suddenly asked her, "Didn't the flowers get delivered to the airport today?"
The fact that Shang Zhi Tao had received flowers had become a subject of Luan Nian's mockery. She pretended not to hear and put on her earphones to listen to music. The song she had been listening to those days was "To My Future Self." She felt she was both childish and shallow, relying on a song to heal the unwillingness in her heart.
She had imagined what her future self would be like—living well, with her own small apartment in Beijing, running a small company that could support her, surrounded by good friends, and owning a dog.
Yes, a dog named Luke, an Alaskan Malamute. She would walk it every day, diligently picking up its poop from behind, and seriously setting rules for it: "Luke! Sit! Luke! Stand up! Luke! If you cause trouble, no food for you!"
Her imagined future was very specific.
There was no Luan Nian in it, but there was a dog named Luke.
When they reached the first-class cabin, she thought Luan Nian would stop. According to company policy, Luan Nian's travel standards were first-class flights and five-star or higher hotels. Yet, he followed the crowd toward the back, a tall man sitting in the emergency exit row, his long legs blocking the entire aisle.Alex also praised him to the female colleagues: "Luke is really great, almost always flying economy class for business trips, saying he doesn't want special treatment."
Shang Zhi Tao didn't hear this praise. She had her eyes closed, listening to music while mentally beating up Luke in her mind, because Luke had fallen in love with the neighbor's dog and refused to come home with her.
Phuket wasn't as hot as she had imagined.
The sand was fine, the sea water azure and clear. Shang Zhi Tao was quite satisfied that her first trip abroad in life was to this place. She shared a sea view room with Lumi, and when they opened the window, they could see the ocean, which made them dizzy.
They weren't in a hurry to go out after arriving at the hotel, first resting separately, and only gathering for group activities in the evening.
"When are we going to wear bikinis?" Shang Zhi Tao lay on the bed, her legs alternately raised, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.
"Which one did you end up buying?"
Shang Zhi Tao happily jumped off the bed, rummaged through her suitcase, and held up the bikini to show Lumi: "Look!"
Lumi sighed: "Sister, is that even a bikini?"
Shang Zhi Tao had chosen a one-piece backless swimsuit, conservative in the front, with all the excitement in the back—a deep V reaching down to her waist. This was already the most daring style she thought she could handle.
"I won't allow you to wear this to sunbathe with me." Lumi wagged her index finger: "Absolutely not allowed."
"Huh?"
Shang Zhi Tao watched as Lumi took two items from her suitcase and threw them in front of her, then heard her scold: "This is a bikini, understand? Today, sister is going to give you a real bikini. You must hook a foreign hottie on the beach for me, or else we're ending our friendship."
Shang Zhi Tao burst into laughter: "Deal!"
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