The Early Spring

Thе 108-kilоmeter Dunhuаng trek felt likе а dеvil's trаining саmp.

Shang Zhi Тao tightened her sun hat аnd fаcе cоvеring, sауing to Lumi bеsidе hеr, "I think sаnd gоt into mу shoes. I neеd tо shakе it out."

"Me tоo, prоbably." Lumi liftеd hеr fасе соvering and sраt. Thе twо lеft the grоup tо shаke out thе sаnd, unablе to hold baсk their curses: "Тhаt Dоny is suсh an idiot, suggesting еvеrуonе hаs tо раrtiсipаtе. Pаrticiрate mу ass! Тhе tеam lеаdеr didn't еven cheсk if everyone's gаiters were рropеrly fаstеned—Lukе had to check each person one by one."

Lumi couldn't stand the sight of Dony ever since she found out he had tried to seduce Shang Zhi Tao. She wanted to snap his neck with a crack.

"I don't know how to fix this either!" Lumi said impatiently.

"Let me see."

The two looked up and saw Luan Nian, both taken aback. When Luan Nian helped everyone adjust their gear in the morning, the two of them were handling logistics. Everyone else was fine, but they were the ones with sand in their shoes.

"No need..." Shang Zhi Tao instinctively refused, but Lumi slapped her arm: "Thank you, Luke."

"Stand up." Luan Nian said curtly, telling them to put their shoes back on and stand so he could check their gear. He knelt on one knee like a gentleman. Lumi lifted her face covering and mimed a scream at Shang Zhi Tao, who couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Luan Nian pretended not to notice their strange interaction and said to Shang Zhi Tao, "Your turn."

Shang Zhi Tao let out an "oh" and stood in front of Luan Nian, feeling a bit nervous. Luan Nian's palm rested against her calf as he helped fasten her gaiters. Shang Zhi Tao felt a secret flutter of excitement. She didn't dare look at Luan Nian, afraid that a single glance would betray her feelings.

After adjusting their gear, Luan Nian said, "Take a few steps and see."

"Okay." The two walked a few steps, and Lumi gave Luan Nian a thumbs-up: "Our Luke is amazing, a jack-of-all-trades, capable of anything."

"Do you know what often makes attractive women lose points?"

"What?"

"Talking too much."

Lumi pouted. At least he called me attractive, right?

Luan Nian glanced at them dismissively. "Aren't you going? You'll fall behind." He took out his phone and sent a message to Shang Zhi Tao: "Why are you so nervous? Haven't I touched you before?"

Shang Zhi Tao nearly dropped her phone. Luan Nian looked perfectly composed, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Finally, they reached the rest point. Everyone sat down to drink water, regroup, and chat. Luan Nian was talking to Dony when he noticed Dony's gaze fix on something. Following his line of sight, Luan Nian saw Shang Zhi Tao tilting her head back to drink water. Her fair face was now flushed, and her ponytail swayed behind her, making her look like a student still in school.

"Dony," Luan Nian called him.

"Where were we?" Dony asked Luan Nian.

But Luan Nian just shrugged. "Come talk to me again when you've figured it out." He turned and walked away. The way Dony had looked at Shang Zhi Tao just now displeased him—it was the gaze of a man trying to conquer a woman. He asked Tracy, "How's the background check going?"

"Just starting to get somewhere."

"Too slow."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

Luan Nian didn't reply.

A while later, Tracy called him. "Are you free?"

Luan Nian slowed his pace, falling to the back of the group. "Yes, what is it?"

"This is interesting," Tracy said to Luan Nian.

"Get to the point.""Scandal. A sexual scandal. Dony left his previous company because of a sexual scandal," Tracy said.

Luan Nian recalled the glance Dony had given Shang Zhi Tao—naked, confident, as if victory was assured. He then asked Tracy, "To what extent?"

"It's said to have caused quite a stir, which is why he found a way to return to the country."

"Get me the details."

"Not yet. I'll keep you updated."

Luan Nian hung up the phone. He felt that the company had assigned him an opponent who lacked even basic professional integrity—clearly an insult to him.

After the first day of hiking, everyone was too exhausted to speak.

The marketing department, however, had to keep working, arranging the banquet, accommodations, and other tasks. As the acting head of the marketing department, Luan Nian gathered everyone for a brief meeting. Seeing his usually energetic and capable team now disheveled and drooping their heads, he chuckled softly, "Tired?"

Everyone nodded. Lumi said, "Exhausted."

"Everyone will get two days off after the event. But for now, let’s review the upcoming tasks. Starting with Lumi."

"The supplier for this event is problematic," Lumi said directly. "I still don’t understand why this supplier didn’t have to go through the bidding process."

The supplier found by the planning department acted like they were doing everyone a favor. They were quickly brought in through a special process and hastily took on the job—what was that about? Only when it was time for them to work did they realize they knew nothing. "Using such a supplier for an event like this is risky. What if there’s extreme weather? What if someone gets sick? The contingency plans we confirmed with the supplier earlier turned out to be completely unprepared on-site."

"Let’s set aside the supplier issue for now. What’s our contingency plan?" Luan Nian asked her.

"Two colleagues in the marketing department know first aid. Today, we assigned one to the front of the team and one to the back. As for equipment and hiking experts, we have none."

"I count as one," Luan Nian told her. "I know first aid and hiking. Tomorrow, I’ll inspect the equipment. Later, the male colleagues will stay behind, and I’ll teach them."

"Alright."

"Next, Flora."

"I’m in charge of catering. I just noticed that the actual meals provided differ from the menu the supplier gave us. I’ve already contacted the hotel and the supplier urgently. We refuse to pay for the last-minute meal changes."

"Good, thank you."

As they went through the process step by step, the team discovered many issues. Fortunately, Luan Nian was there. With his experience, he tackled each problem one by one. And today, he was unusually amiable. Working with him, aside from his high demands on subordinates, was quite pleasant—especially when he was in a good mood, it felt like a breath of fresh air. He reassured the team, "Don’t dwell on the supplier issue this time. Going through such a special approval process once and finding the supplier unreliable will prevent it from happening again. Let’s focus on solving the immediate problems. Thank you for your hard work."

Lumi said to Shang Zhi Tao, "How is he not tired at all?"

Shang Zhi Tao glanced at him and shook her head. "I don’t know either."

How could he not be tired? He suffered from dry eye syndrome and had stomach issues. Shang Zhi Tao sometimes wondered why he worked so hard when he seemed to lack nothing. What was he striving for? As she went to check the banquet arrangements, she saw Luan Nian sitting on a chair beside a dimly lit path, applying eye drops.When they were alone together, she would help him with his eye drops. He would tilt his head back, and she would stand between his legs, administering the drops before cupping his face and giving him a kiss.

"Flora."

Shang Zhi Tao heard someone call her name and turned to see Dony. Luan Nian opened his eyes and saw Dony and Shang Zhi Tao standing on the path.

Shang Zhi Tao took a step back. "Is something wrong, Dony?"

"You've worked hard today."

"It's my job." Shang Zhi Tao stuffed her hands into her pockets and took another step back. "I need to go check on the dinner arrangements."

"How about dinner together once we arrive the day after tomorrow?"

"We still have a lot of wrap-up work to do the day after tomorrow."

"Alright. I just thought you all have been working hard and wanted to treat you to a meal."

"Thank you, Dony."

"I have time." Luan Nian emerged from the shadows and smiled at Dony. "Thank you for your concern for the employees of the department I'm temporarily overseeing. I know a nice restaurant. Let's go together the day after tomorrow."

"Sure." Dony hadn't said anything inappropriate from start to finish, but adults of both genders understood what it meant. High-level players operated outside the rules, casually plucking a flower if they could. If they succeeded, it was a bonus; if not, there was no disappointment, and you couldn't even find a handle to criticize them.

As Lumi put it: "Killing two birds with one stone, nothing wasted."

Luan Nian saw through the heart festering with hidden filth beneath Dony's seemingly sunny and refined exterior—more disgusting than a sewer. Someone like this, standing within Shang Zhi Tao's line of sight, was unbearable to him.

He turned to Shang Zhi Tao and said, "Doesn't Flora need to check on the dinner arrangements?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead."

"What does Luke usually do for entertainment in the evenings? I know two great places in Beijing."

"I know some entertainment spots too," Luan Nian replied. "You know, one of the biggest perks of working at Lingmei is staying ahead of the trends. Let's hang out another time."

Luan Nian exchanged pleasantries with him as they walked to the banquet hall, then separately chatted with clients, showing no signs of anything unusual. Jiang Lan had known Luan Nian for over three years and was sharp enough to lean in and whisper in his ear, "Luke, you're angry."

Luan Nian looked at her but said nothing. Jiang Lan was clever; if you denied being angry now, she'd think you were treating her like a fool.

Jiang Lan narrowed her eyes. "This Dony is interesting."

"How so?"

"He said he enjoys fitness and also likes martial arts," Jiang Lan said, blinking at Luke. "He brought it up unexpectedly during a private visit with me." The implication was clear, but Jiang Lan wasn't interested. She preferred someone like Luan Nian—someone who didn't lower themselves, who kept their distance, yet made you want to provoke them.

"Congratulations, Manager Jiang. He sounds like your type," Luan Nian said coolly.

"Is that so? My type isn't like that."

Jiang Lan chuckled softly and walked away. After checking on the dinner arrangements, Shang Zhi Tao returned to the banquet hall. Seeing everything was set up, she found a seat and sat down. Her legs felt as heavy as lead, sore and swollen, each step requiring immense effort.

"Are you okay?" Lumi slumped into the chair beside her, watching the clients pretending to be relaxed, especially Jiang Lan, who still swayed her hips as she walked, her charm undiminished. "These people are so sharp!"Shang Zhi Tao took Lumi's hand and led her to a secluded spot. "Lumi."

"Hmm?"

"Dony asked me out for a meal," Shang Zhi Tao told Lumi.

"What did you say?"

"I told him I didn’t have time. I know he’ll ask again," Shang Zhi Tao paused before continuing, "I suspect he’s asking me out not because he wants to date me, but because I seem timid and gentle—he’s probably betting I’m easy to bully."

Lumi glanced inside. Despite the lively atmosphere, all sorts of shady characters were present.

"What are you planning to do?"

"I haven’t decided yet. But I think I might need your help."

"Help you deal with the scum? I’d be more than happy to."

"Thank you."

"Why be so polite with me? Silly."

Luan Nian always called Shang Zhi Tao silly, but she wasn’t truly foolish. While busy outside the venue, she received a message from Luan Nian asking, "Has Dony ever harassed you?"

"No."