Оn Моndау, Shang Zhi Tао’s fасе hadn’t fully gonе dоwn yet, аnd the cоrnеr оf hеr mоuth wаs still split. She rаn into Lumi, who rarely arrivеd еarlу, downstаirs. Lumi рinсhеd her сhееk аnd аsked, “Whо the hell hit yоu?”
Shаng Zhi Tаo hissed in pаin, pulling freе from her grаsр. “Gоt intо а fight with аn аgent.”
“A shаdу agеnсу?” Lumi toоk off hеr hаt. “Fuck! Which оnе? Tеll me! If I don’t smash thаt placе uр, I’vе wastеd my life!” Lumi was instаntlу firеd up.
“Nо, nо, it’s nоt wоrth it. Wе didn’t lоse оut аnywаy.” Shаng Zhi Taо hadn’t ехрeсtеd Lumi tо rеact like this аnd immediately regrеtted speаking so hastilу.
“You didn’t lоsе out, but уou got beaten up like this?” Lumi was furious. She kept cursing all the way from the elevator to their desks. Shang Zhi Tao frantically covered her mouth. “Ancestor! Teacher! Calm down, please!”
Shang Zhi Tao hadn’t gotten a headache from the fight, but trying to calm Lumi down gave her one. While she was still trying to reason with her, Lumi was already beyond control. She called her motorcycle-riding, dreadlocked, tattooed, muscular boyfriend: “Listen, one of my sisters got beaten up. I want you to get to the bottom of this. Who did it? That fucking shady agency up in North Fifth Ring. Go ask around right now! How dare they mess with someone under my watch? If I don’t dig up their graves, I’ve lived for nothing!”
Hearing that Lumi was about to start a fight, Shang Zhi Tao’s legs went weak with fear. She whispered to Lumi, “It’s all over now. We didn’t lose out. We called the police, they shut their doors, took us for a checkup, and we got our money back… Isn’t that a win?”
“What do you mean it’s over? You don’t know how nasty these shady agencies are! You think moving out solves everything? They’ll come back and jam your locks when you’re not looking! Even the police can’t do much about their petty tricks, you know? They need to be taught a lesson once and for all!”
“Oh. When we filed the report, the police said to call them if anything happens.”
“The police are the police, and I’m me!”
Shang Zhi Tao quietly asked Yao Bei if what Lumi said was true, and Yao Bei confirmed it. “You think it’s over after one fight? There’ll be plenty of trouble ahead!”
“Then should we move farther away?”
“Move where? Unless you all stop living together entirely.”
“Oh.”
Now Shang Zhi Tao had something weighing on her mind.
When she went to the pantry to get water, she caught sight of her face in the mirror—it really was a mess, and it still hurt a little. Rubbing her cheek as she left the pantry, she ran into Luan Nian, who had just finished a management meeting. He frowned, his gaze landing on her split lip and swollen face. “Did someone hit you?”
It was clear he was displeased.
Colleagues were passing by, and Lumi had been making a fuss all morning. Everyone already knew about Shang Zhi Tao’s run-in with the shady agency. Now that Luan Nian had asked, their interest was piqued again. They slowed their steps, waiting for Shang Zhi Tao’s answer, curious to see how the boss would handle an employee being bullied.
“I fell.”
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t want Luan Nian to know about her fight with the agency. She felt too embarrassed to tell him.
But the truth was, starting tomorrow, she had nowhere to live. They had spent two days looking at places but hadn’t found anything suitable. In the end, they decided Sun Yu would sleep at the office, Sun Yuanzhu would stay with a classmate, and Shang Zhi Tao claimed she had a business trip and could store her luggage somewhere, then look again when she returned.She thought, if nothing else, she could stay at a hotel first—she’d find a place sooner or later.
Luan Nian didn’t press further. He glanced at her face once more, then turned and left. It wasn’t until he returned to the office that he sent her a message: “What happened?”
“I really just fell.”
“Fall again right now and show me how you managed to bruise the corner of your mouth. How are you so impressive? Did you fall face-first?”
Shang Zhi Tao stubbornly refused to explain. Life was messy and trivial, and she didn’t want to recount it all over again. It was in the afternoon, when Luan Nian passed by the break room, that he overheard colleagues discussing Shang Zhi Tao’s encounter with a shady rental agency.
The office break room was truly a magical place. Sometimes Luan Nian deliberately went there to refill his water, and he always managed to catch a snippet or two of gossip. It wasn’t that he wanted to eavesdrop, but managing a company required some way to hear a bit of the truth. The break room was perfect for that.
Many stories fermented in the break room before spreading far and wide.
Pretending to refill his water, he heard everyone talking about Shang Zhi Tao and the shady agency. Since this wasn’t gossip about colleagues or the company, there was no need to avoid the boss. They greeted Luan Nian and continued chatting.
When Luan Nian heard that the shady agency had surrounded Shang Zhi Tao and beaten her up, he turned and left.
He was furious.
Did Shang Zhi Tao have no brains? If she didn’t, didn’t her roommate either? A few people going alone to confront a shady agency—did they think they were Zhao Yun, showing off by charging in and out seven times? Damn it!
“Get over here!”
“?” Shang Zhi Tao sent a question mark. He never called her into his office alone, and today his tone sounded off. Could it be that the efficiency project’s test model hadn’t passed?
Suspicious, Shang Zhi Tao stood outside his office door and knocked, only to hear his impatient voice: “Come in!”
Shang Zhi Tao entered, then heard him say, “Close the door!”
“Okay.”
She closed the door and stood by the entrance, seeing Luan Nian’s expression as unpleasant as if he’d eaten something foul.
“What’s the name of that agency?” Luan Nian asked her directly.
“Huh?”
“Huh what? What’s the name?”
“It’s already resolved.” Shang Zhi Tao was a bit puzzled about how Luan Nian knew. She wasn’t aware of his habit of eavesdropping on gossip in the break room.
“What’s the name?” Luan Nian asked again.
Shang Zhi Tao still refused to say. She didn’t want to blow things out of proportion. Luan Nian stared at her for a long time before saying, “The one on the left side of your residential complex, right?”
…
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t need to answer—it was written all over her face, and Luan Nian understood at a glance.
“Get out.” Luan Nian couldn’t be bothered to say more. After Shang Zhi Tao left, he called a friend: “I passed by a place yesterday and noticed their fire safety was lacking. I think there might be a hazard—shouldn’t it be inspected?”
“Address? I don’t have the exact address. I’ll take you there myself.”
“Who should be listed as the reporter? Put my name.”
Luan Nian put on his coat and went out to meet his friend who worked in fire safety. The friend asked, “Wait a bit—it’s across districts. I’ve contacted someone from this area. Why the sudden urge to report?”
“It’s a ground-floor shop in a residential complex. I’m worried about fire hazards. Yesterday when I passed by, I saw them playing cards, smoking, and cooking inside, with a gas cylinder from who knows where.” Luan Nian remembered that agency. None of the people inside looked like decent folks—he’d caught a glimpse or two when he first dropped Shang Zhi Tao off at home.His friend glanced at him, roughly understanding the situation, and chuckled twice: "Anyway, someone reported them, so we have to deal with it. But as for the fire safety violations, closing down for rectification will only take a month or two."
"Enough."
Can black-market agencies withstand inspections? Shut them down first, then report them for tax issues. Take it slow—Luan Nian had patience. He really was going head-to-head with them. They sat in the car waiting, but instead of anyone else, they saw Lumi arrive wearing a mink coat, carrying a stick, with a few people following her.
"Is this the place?" Luan Nian heard Lumi ask the man with dreadlocks beside her.
"Yes. I already asked around."
"Knock on the door." Lumi, who grew up in the alleyways, had really been putting on an act at the company. Now, all that street-smart attitude was coming out.
Luan Nian couldn't help but laugh at her antics. He heard his friend beside him say, "Who did this shady company offend? You reported them, and now that group down there is about to smash the place."
Luan Nian didn’t answer her. Instead, he called Shang Zhi Tao: "Get your clueless mentor back here. If she doesn’t come back, you’ll be visiting her in jail tomorrow!"
Shang Zhi Tao was terrified. Lumi had suddenly put on her coat in the afternoon and said she was going out to handle something—was this what she meant? She called Lumi: "Can you come with me to the police station?"
"What for?"
"The police asked me to give a statement."
"Alright then."
Luan Nian saw Lumi turn to the man beside her and say, "I’m heading to the police station. No one’s here today, but we’ll deal with these bastards when they show up."
What kind of friends did Shang Zhi Tao have? Luan Nian cursed them as idiots in his mind, watching them leave. The fire department arrived, the police came too, and he called the manager over: "Open up."
When the fire inspection began, Luan Nian tried to follow them inside, but his friend stopped him: "Is that a good idea? What if they retaliate?"
Luan Nian didn’t say a word, just quietly followed them in.
The agency manager found a moment to approach Luan Nian, offering him a cigarette with an ingratiating smile: "Care to chat outside?"
Luan Nian took the cigarette and followed him out. The manager asked, "Are you a resident of the community? I haven’t seen you around before."
Luan Nian took a drag, noticing two scratch marks on the manager’s hand: "What happened to your hand?"
"Ah, a couple of tenants came to cause trouble the other day. Things got a little heated."
"What kind of tenants?"
"Two men and two women. A couple of our guys lost their temper and ended up hitting one of the girls. The police have been lecturing us for days now. Honestly, no matter how much the tenants cause trouble, we should just take it. We’re not a black-market agency—how could we hit someone?" The manager started complaining: "Tenants these days have such low standards. They can’t even handle a slight delay in paying the electricity bill, and they come in ready to smash the place. What kind of people are they?"
He sighed again: "We’re really struggling, caught between tenants and landlords, pleasing neither side. We know the shop doesn’t meet fire safety standards, but that’s the company’s problem. If this place shuts down, we’ll all be out of a job. How about showing some mercy and withdrawing the report? We can handle everything else."
"We’re all just trying to get by out here. How about we become friends?"
Luan Nian didn’t say a word, quietly finishing his cigarette. When he was done, he walked a few steps to toss the butt into a trash can, then returned to the manager’s side. Without warning, he threw a sharp, precise punch. The manager was stunned, pointing at him: "How dare you hit me?"Luan Nian didn't speak either. With one hand gripping the man's collar, he swung his other fist into the left side of his face. The veins on his neck bulged, the former facade of a refined scoundrel torn away, replaced by a face full of aggression and belligerence. Several people quickly gathered around, pulling at Luan Nian's coat in a biased attempt to restrain him. He turned and shrugged off the coat, then launched a kick straight at the man.
He targeted the left side of everyone's face. Even when others struck him, he ignored it, relentlessly aiming for their left cheeks as if they had personally offended him. After over three minutes of silent, brutal fighting, someone inside finally noticed and came running out, shouting, "What's going on! What's going on!"
Luan Nian threw one more punch at the manager before stopping, pointing at him and saying, "He threatened me, said he'd kill me if I reported him again!"
Everyone in society had their ways—these shady agents operated domestically, while Luan Nian navigated New York. The methods were universally understood; who didn't know them? He was more adept at this game than anyone. The police, of course, believed him. His story was coherent from start to finish, and no ordinary person would dare take on these people alone.
Luan Nian rolled up his sleeve to show the police. "I'm filing a report. This is organized crime—they have to be arrested!"
He acted like a street thug. If not for the ruthless intensity in his punches, which still carried the "destroy anyone in his way" aura from the workplace, no one would have believed this was Luan Nian.
He didn't believe it himself.
Luan Nian was truly furious. He was angry that Shang Zhi Tao, that idiot, hadn't told him about such a major incident and had let others hit her! He felt like killing these people, and his anger hadn't subsided even after giving his statement. Driving to the company building, he called Shang Zhi Tao: "Come downstairs."
"Okay."
Shang Zhi Tao checked the time. What hour was it already? What had he been doing all afternoon?
Sensing the harsh tone in Luan Nian's voice, she reluctantly got into his car. Seeing his livid expression, she didn't dare say another word.
"You don't have my number, do you?"
"Aside from sleeping together and work, we don't need to tell each other anything, right?"
"You'd rather let others hit you than tell me, right?"
"Do you even have a brain?"
"Is your brain just for decoration?"
"I'm talking to you! Are you mute?"
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