Тhаt dау wаs аn ordinarу оnе аt Lingmеi. Everyоnе was busy аt their resресtivе роsts, ocсasionally speаking а few wоrds softlу, but mоst оf thе time tурing аwау in silenсe at their соmputеrs.
Luan Nian was in а managеment meеting. During thе mееting, Dоnу wаs discussing the nееd to rеvisе thе new strаtegу оnce mоrе, but no оne spokе up. Luan Nian didn’t sреаk eithеr; he simply rаisеd his hеad аnd gаvе Dоnу а faint glаnсe, оne thаt reveаled nо disсеrnible еmоtiоn.
Тracy аlso glanced up аt Dony, then lоwered hеr heаd аnd sent Luаn Nian a message: "I deliberately put on makeup today."
"You should make it grand," Luan Nian replied.
The meeting dragged on tediously, but contrary to his usual habit, Luan Nian didn’t call for it to end. He even leaned back in his chair, watching the various departments clash.
A little while later, Luan Nian noticed Tracy, who was accustomed to weathering storms, change her expression. She interrupted Dony: "Sorry, Dony, please stop for a moment. Luke, could you step out with me?"
Luan Nian followed Tracy out of the conference room and noticed something amiss at the workstations. Everyone was whispering among themselves, but they suddenly fell silent upon seeing them.
Luan Nian took Tracy’s laptop and saw the email with the subject line: "I am Flora Shang, and I am formally reporting Dony, head of the planning department, for long-term sexual harassment against me."
Blood rushed to Luan Nian’s head. It felt as though something inside him had collapsed, so painfully. His eyes turned to Shang Zhi Tao’s workstation, where she sat upright, enduring the unusual gazes and whispers. So composed and calm, her lips slightly pursed, like a warrior about to face a duel. Luan Nian would never forget that day, nor would he forget Shang Zhi Tao in that posture—a courage and resolve he had never seen before.
"Read it, Luke," Tracy said, unaware that her voice was already trembling. She thought to herself, if she had experienced such an ordeal, how many nights would she have spent haunted by nightmares, unable to sleep peacefully.
"The first time I formally met Dony was in his office. After I explained the budget management process to him, he suddenly asked if I had a boyfriend. I asked if this was work-related, and he said it wasn’t, but he was single. My intuition told me something was off. The first time came too suddenly, and I had no evidence."
"I bought a voice recorder and turned it on every time I was alone with Dony."
"Dony harassed me a second time in the company’s pantry. Colleagues were working at the time, and I was making coffee. He walked up to me, looked me up and down, and said: 'Flora, you look beautiful today. Would you like to have dinner together?' I said, 'Sorry, I have plans tonight.' This time, even though I felt something was wrong, I still thought it might just be normal workplace communication."
"The third time, on a small path near the Dunhuang 108 Hotel, he invited me to dinner the next day, and I refused. That night, he suddenly sent me a half-naked photo and said: 'I always believe men should be disciplined. Flora, would you like to work out with me?' I refused and pointed out that his photo was too explicit, suggesting he not send such things in the future.""Ever since then, I often received messages from him in the middle of the night. Sometimes he invited me to eat together, sometimes he sent photos. Once, he sent a photo of his genitals and asked if I wanted to try it. That time, I broke down and blocked him. But deep down, I was terrified. I didn’t know how to face such a situation, and I started having nightmares."
"But he didn’t let me go. He messaged me on the company communication software, saying: 'Flora, you are very unprofessional. If there’s work, I won’t be able to reach you. If it’s because of that photo, I’m very sorry. I was drunk, and I’ll be more careful.'"
"Dony harassed me, again and again, each time worse than the last. Until that morning in Chengdu, when I went to the restroom, he pulled me into an empty private room."
"I didn’t want to stay in Chengdu. I was terrified. From Chengdu to Beijing, a flight distance of 1,520 kilometers, I trembled the entire time."
"I also contacted other women who had been harassed by Dony before. The evidence is attached below the email. I implore the company to initiate an investigation."
From Chengdu to Beijing, a flight distance of 1,520 kilometers, I trembled the entire time.
That night, Luan Nian heard Luke frolicking downstairs. He closed his laptop and was about to go down to check when he saw Shang Zhi Tao walk into his room, take off her clothes, and crawl into his arms. She was trembling uncontrollably, as if frightened by something.
He asked her what was wrong.
She said it was nothing.
Luan Nian closed Tracy’s laptop and walked back to his office, locking the door behind him. It felt as if a raging fire was burning inside him, searing his heart with a sizzling pain.
Outside, it was quiet. A moment later, Lumi overheard Kitty saying at her workstation, "Couldn’t reach an agreement, huh?…"
Just that one sentence, dripping with malice. A colleague nearby nodded, saying, "Dony has always been polite to me."
Lumi glanced at Shang Zhi Tao, who sat there in silence. The world’s malice swept over her like a gale. From the very beginning, she knew people would say it was impossible, that it couldn’t be true, why would he choose her? Was it because the terms weren’t agreed upon? Only a few would ever believe that the girl was simply bullied for no reason.
Lumi stood up, walked to the aisle, then turned toward Kitty’s workstation. Suddenly, she reached out, grabbed Kitty’s hair, and yanked it back forcefully. "I’ll fucking kill you today! Don’t think no one knows about the things you’ve done! Do you believe I’ll expose all your dirty laundry?!"
Kitty struggled, but Lumi leaned back, refusing to let go of her hair.
Lumi beat Kitty up fiercely, and no one stepped in to stop her. Today, Lingmei was shrouded in a strange atmosphere. Shang Zhi Tao’s whistleblowing email shattered the superficial prosperity of Lingmei, laying bare its inner decay and rot.
Suddenly, a girl spoke up, her voice small and timid, but finally spoken aloud: "I also received messages from Dony. I thought he liked me."
Luan Nian heard the commotion outside but didn’t move. He was listening to the recording in Shang Zhi Tao’s email.
When Shang Zhi Tao first started working, she spoke very softly. If you glanced at her, she would blush. She had a gentle heart, always helping others, navigating social interactions with her almost clumsy social skills. A girl like this was pulled into a pitch-dark private room and told, "Do you think you’re not experienced enough for the planning department?"The moment her body hit the wall, a burst of static crackled in the recording, and that noise scraped across Luan Nian’s heart like a blade.
A sharp, piercing pain.
He removed his headphones, unaware that the corners of his eyes had grown damp. Standing up, he left his office and walked into Dony’s. Without warning, he snatched a teacup from the desk and smashed it against Dony’s head. Screams erupted outside as Dony rose to retaliate, but Luan Nian gave him no chance. He grabbed Dony’s tie, twisted it around his neck, and yanked hard, hissing into his ear:
“You like tying people up, huh?”
“You like choking them?”
“You like drugging them?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you?”
Luan Nian had no intention of letting go—he wanted to kill him. As a teenager, he’d been fascinated with guns and combat, always dreaming of wiping out the scum of the world, but none had been as vile as the man before him now.
Finally, two people rushed in and pulled Luan Nian away. Tracy stepped in front of him and said, “The police are here.”
He released the tie, his palm marked with angry red lines, but his eyes were even redder—like a beast ready to burn and slaughter. He walked out of the office and saw everyone staring, but he said nothing. Instead, his gaze cut through the silent crowd and landed on Shang Zhi Tao.
His heart was breaking.
Truly.
Such a wonderful girl, tormented by a maggot for so long, haunted by nightmares, yet forcing a smile every day. He had shoved her against the wall, his hand squeezing her throat—hard enough that the recorder had crackled with static.
How terrified she must have been, trembling all the way from Chengdu to Beijing, a flight of 1,520 kilometers.
Luan Nian hated himself for acting too slowly, and he blamed Shang Zhi Tao for taking matters into her own hands.
Dony stumbled out of the office, clutching his neck, and glared at Luan Nian. “You set me up?”
“I actually wanted to kill you.”
Luan Nian’s expression was terrifying. When he was truly enraged, the killing intent wasn’t overt—it simmered in the depths of his eyes, a thin, cold layer, and he would glance at you just once, disdainful of a second look.
Tracy stood in the middle of the hallway, met Luan Nian’s gaze briefly, then turned to the crowd, her tone sincere and tinged with sorrow. “At Lumi China, the ratio of male to female employees is 45% to 55%. Our female colleagues are the driving force behind Lumi’s rapid growth in the domestic market. I never anticipated something like this would happen, especially after reading Flora’s email—it broke my heart.” For the first time in front of everyone, tears fell. “As a woman myself, I am deeply saddened by what Flora has endured. Truly.”
Shang Zhi Tao remained seated, unmoving. Lumi sat beside her, holding her icy hand.
Tracy wiped her tears and composed herself. “Dony was hired by Lumi’s headquarters, and his background check wasn’t conducted by Lumi China—this was an oversight on the group’s part. Early this morning, we received a call from the police requesting our cooperation in investigating a case of sexual assault, which led to the scene you all just witnessed.”
“I’ve also learned from the police that Dony is suspected of involvement in more than just this one case—six women have filed joint reports. However, as I don’t have full details yet, I can only share this much for now.”"As the head of human resources for Lumi China, I will initiate an internal investigation into Dony today. I welcome female colleagues to come and speak with me. At the same time, I urge everyone to respect every woman who steps forward. If you haven’t found yourself in such a situation, it’s only because you’ve been a little luckier."
"Thank you."
Tracy bowed to everyone, walked over to Shang Zhi Tao, and patted her shoulder. What a wonderful girl—she had liked her from the very first sentence she spoke during the interview.
"Flora, I listened to the recording you provided. There’s one thing I feel I must say to you personally: Dony claimed your qualifications for the planning department were insufficient, but I disagree. In your over two years at Lumi, you’ve received two A+ performance ratings, led the supplier management project and the marketing efficiency improvement project, achieving remarkable results and demonstrating outstanding abilities that are evident to all. The planning department will soon open internal transfer positions, and I welcome you to apply."
Shang Zhi Tao nodded, but she felt exhausted. Even though she hadn’t spoken much or worked today, her body felt completely drained. She said to Tracy, "May I take the day off today?"
"Of course."
Shang Zhi Tao packed her things and went downstairs. She didn’t want to stay in the office. As she passed by Luan Nian, she fought back the urge to throw herself into his arms and sob uncontrollably—overwhelmed by unprecedented feelings of grievance and vulnerability. The gazes of others had stripped her bare. She knew she would face doubts and had prepared for it, but when she heard the words "Couldn’t reach an agreement, huh?" all her defenses crumbled.
Lumi escorted her downstairs, where Sun Yu and Sun Yuanzhu were waiting for her. Luan Nian stood by the window, watching as Shang Zhi Tao approached them. Sun Yuanzhu took her backpack and patted her head. Then they left.
Luan Nian had asked Shang Zhi Tao countless times, "Has Dony ever harassed you?"
She replied, "No."
She had never thought to tell him about Dony. Whenever she faced difficulties, she never felt he could help her. She would rather endure fear, worry, and anxiety alone, struggling through one dark night after another, than seek his assistance.
Standing by the window, watching them walk away, he suddenly realized that Shang Zhi Tao was never the person he thought she was. She had never truly relied on him. She was clear-headed and independent, always keeping him outside the boundaries of her trust. Just as he had told her at the very beginning:
We’re just bedmates; we don’t need to take responsibility for each other.
If either of us finds new feelings, we can end it at any time.
Let’s part on good terms.
Shang Zhi Tao had fulfilled every word of it.
Luan Nian sat back at his desk, suddenly finding everything tasteless. He opened his computer and wrote a resignation letter:
I refuse to take the blame for the company’s flawed hiring strategy. Dony’s appointment was made without my involvement, and even the background check materials were questionable.
I don’t know whose interests Dony represents, but this hiring incident fully demonstrates the company’s lack of trust in me.
I resign from all my positions at Lumi, effective today.
That’s it.
Luan Nian closed his laptop and walked out of the office building.
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