"I wаnt уоu tо be my bоss."
"Whу?"
"Весause I enjоу working with yоu. I feel likе I саn lеаrn sо much from wоrking alongside you, and уоu give mе the mоtivаtiоn tо keер grоwing. Моst impоrtantly, I get tо sеe уou often. Аll of thesе feelings аrе wоndеrful." Shаng Zhi Таo blushed а littlе as shе tурed, аlmost аdding: I wаnt to be with уоu evеry day, fоrever.
"What did Тrасy tаlk to you аbоut?"
"...Nоthing. She dоеsn’t knоw аbоut оur relаtiоnship аnywаy."
"What rеlatiоnshiр?" Luаn Nian аskеd hеr. "Тhe kind where уou hide everything whеn something haрpens?" Luаn Nian trulу wаs pеtty and held grudges, Shang Zhi Tao realized.
"..."
Shang Zhi Tao ignored him and focused on studying the job transfer opportunity. She wanted to switch roles because she wanted to take on more specialized work. Lumi had dug up Grace’s old job transfer application and tossed it to her to use as a reference. Shang Zhi Tao looked it over and found quite a bit she could borrow from. So she followed the template and drafted a rough version.
Luan Nian wasn’t as carefree. His phone kept ringing, so he simply tossed it aside and ignored it. But he still had to answer Dr. Liang’s call. Dr. Liang seemed to be in an especially good mood and said to Luan Nian, "Are you hiding something from your mom?"
"Like what?"
"Like... are you dating someone?"
Luan Nian thought for a moment and asked her, "Are you that eager for me to date? That desperate for me to get married and have kids? That impatient to see a granddaughter?"
"Why not a grandson?"
"I prefer girls." Luan Nian teased her on purpose.
"Girls are even better. So, are you dating someone?"
"I am." Luan Nian answered vaguely, leaving Dr. Liang to wonder if it was true or not. But she felt there must be some truth to it—otherwise, why would her son be acting so strangely today? So she asked again, "What does the girl do? What does she look like? Is her personality good?"
When Dr. Liang asked this, Luan Nian actually gave it serious thought. "She’s an ordinary office worker, easy on the eyes, and has a good personality."
"What does 'easy on the eyes' mean?" Dr. Liang wasn’t quite sure—was it pretty or not?
"Easy on the eyes means she’s comfortable to look at."
Dr. Liang suddenly felt a bit relieved, though she wasn’t sure why. She had thought Luan Nian’s bad temper and odd personality would leave him alone for life. Maybe women would date him for his looks and family background, but they probably wouldn’t put up with him for long. Besides, he never seemed like the type to fall in love. "That’s good. I thought you’d end up alone forever."
"Sorry to disappoint you."
Dr. Liang laughed. "How long have you been together? Can I meet her sometime?"
"Mhm, when you come back. So stop introducing me to other girls—I don’t have the energy to deal with it."
"Alright, alright." Earlier that morning, Professor Gong had unintentionally mentioned to Luan’s Father that Luan Nian seemed to be dating someone, and Dr. Liang’s mood had brightened considerably. She was very open-minded—whoever her son dated, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered. Love was supposed to be a joyful thing, and if her son could experience that happiness, what could be wrong with it? She had even thought that if Luan Nian told her he liked men, she would accept it.
"Well then, that’s all for now. Can you send me a photo of the girl so I can see?"
"Mhm." "Alright then, I’ll wait for the photo. Goodbye."Dr. Liang wanted to see a photo, but where could Luan Nian find one? He randomly picked one online and sent it to her. Dr. Liang really did examine it carefully with a magnifying glass. When she spotted the website logo on the photo, she angrily slammed her phone on the table. "That child!"
Luan's Father glanced up from his newspaper and mocked her, "Worrying about things that are none of your business."
"I'm just curious."
"Always curious, always getting brushed off by him."
"Can you stop criticizing me? Why are you so annoying?" Dr. Liang got angry and walked away.
After dealing with Dr. Liang, Luan Nian noticed Luke beside him, tongue out, staring as if seeing through some of his thoughts. He pinched the dog's face. "What are you looking at?"
Luke looked utterly innocent: Was I looking at you? I don't think so?
Luan Nian felt there was no point talking to this silly dog and took it home.
On the day the board members arrived, Luan Nian disappeared.
Tracy called his cell phone—it was turned off.
She called his landline—it was busy.
His attitude of abandoning his responsibilities was crystal clear—he didn't care anymore. The board members sat in Lingmei's conference room, each looking more displeased than the last. The atmosphere in the company was tense, and everyone was holding their breath. Lumi whispered to Shang Zhi Tao, "If they knew this would happen, why did they do it in the first place? Don't they know what a stubborn mule he is? Serves them right for provoking him like this. If that stubborn mule holds out for two more days, the stock price will hit rock bottom, and then nobody gets to play anymore."
"Where did he go?" the board members asked Tracy.
Tracy shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know."
"Send someone to find him."
"He's not at home, his phone is off, and we can't find him." Tracy's tone wasn't great either. She tapped her fingers on the table and said nothing more. She had a temper too, and these jerks knew better than anyone how this situation had come about. Now they were panicking—what were they doing earlier?
Shang Zhi Tao knew where Luan Nian was—he must be at the bar.
During her coffee run, she went downstairs and found a quiet spot to call the bar. Sure enough, someone answered.
"Is Luan Nian there?"
"Switching sides?" came Luan Nian's teasing voice from the other end.
Shang Zhi Tao blushed instantly and hurriedly explained, "No, I was just curious if you were at the bar. They're all here, in the conference room. The atmosphere at the company is really tense." Shang Zhi Tao didn't realize that her resignation had made her seem like a little informant.
"I know."
"Huh?"
"I have my sources." Luan Nian seemed to be in a good mood and said to Shang Zhi Tao, "There's an event at the bar today. Luke and I are sleeping in the mountains. You can go back to my place or yours tonight."
"Oh. Then I want to hear Luke bark."
"Did I kidnap him?" Luan Nian was dissatisfied with Shang Zhi Tao's lack of trust and said to Luke beside him, "Your master is calling you. Give her a bark."
Hearing Luan Nian say this and actually hearing Luke bark, Shang Zhi Tao giggled. "Okay, goodbye then."
"Mhm." Before hanging up, Luan Nian added, "Don't worry, I'm taming hawks!"
These hawks definitely needed taming, or who knew what tricks they'd pull next. Once they were properly tamed, once it hurt them enough, they'd think twice before trying any underhanded moves again.
"Is it time yet? Don't overdo it, or the board might just find someone to replace you.""That's great, I'll just start another company to compete with Lingmei." Luan Nian was truly someone who couldn't be swayed by either soft or hard tactics. If you provoked him and didn't let him vent his anger completely, the matter would never be over.
Tracy naturally knew this too. After thinking for a moment, she asked him, "You have people on the board, right? If you do, you handle the timing yourself. I won't call you about it."
Before, Luan Nian and Tracy were simply alumni and colleagues. But after dealing with a scumbag together, they felt the other was truly trustworthy.
"Alright, goodbye."
Luan Nian was busy at the bar; today was another university event.
Gong Yue was quite interesting. Luan Nian had deleted her, yet she didn't panic. She actually only booked the venue through the bar manager and never proactively contacted him again. She seemed like someone with pride.
Luan Nian took Luke outside the bar to enjoy the autumn scenery. Gong Yue got out of her car, greeted Luan Nian from a distance, and went inside. Her students secretly glanced at Luan Nian, genuinely thinking he was Teacher Gong's boyfriend.
Luan Nian nodded at them and took Luke up the mountain. The autumn scenery on the mountain was beautiful. He found a rock to sit on and stayed there, unaware when someone had appeared beside him. It was only when Luke barked that Luan Nian turned around and saw Gong Yue.
"Shouldn't you be at the event?"
"The event has started, so I don't need to keep an eye on it. I came out for a walk." Seeing Luan Nian frown, Gong Yue took a step away from him, maintaining some distance before saying, "I know why you deleted me, but I actually didn't mean anything by it. We've only met once—what could I possibly be thinking? Tan Mian knows that although I teach at the school, I have a bit of a worldly temperament. Don't be fooled by my appearance; I'm not some delicate little girl. I enjoy making friends."
Before Luan Nian could speak, Luke became unwilling. He sat there barking at Gong Yue, probably meaning, "Be quiet, don't talk." Or perhaps, "Stay away from Luke."
Seeing Luke bark, Gong Yue was taken aback. She looked at Luke, then at Luan Nian. Luan Nian patted Luke's head and said to Gong Yue, "Luke won't let me talk to the opposite sex."
"So the cold-faced Young Master Luan, rumored throughout the world, is being controlled by a dog?"
"That's not a good way to put it," Luan Nian said unhappily. "This isn't just any ordinary dog; this is my friend." He added, "My dog son."
"The autumn scenery is quite nice; enjoy it a bit longer." Luan Nian gave Luke a command: "Let's go!" And off they went. As he walked, Luan Nian glanced at Luke. You? Worthy of being my friend? My dog son? You don't even have a brain; all you do is bark randomly. It's strange—you don't bark when I talk to men, but you get angry when I talk to women. What are you angry about? Can't I talk to women?
They walked all the way back to the bar and saw the students holding a book club. Each person had a book in front of them, and the host was organizing discussions. In those years, this suddenly became popular, as if not attending a book club meant the book was read in vain. Luan Nian scoffed, took Luke back to the break room, and took a nap.When he opened his eyes, the event had long ended, and a heavy fog had descended on the mountain. Luan Nian sat by the window, watching the outside world that resembled Silent Hill, until he saw several cars slowly drive up and park in front of the bar. The corner of Luan Nian’s mouth twitched. The eagle couldn’t take it anymore and flew here on its own. Probably afraid the stock would drop another two limit-downs.
He remained seated, watching as his old friends walked in. Everyone was well-versed in social decorum, and upon entering, they refrained from saying anything inappropriate. First, they ordered drinks from the server, then sat across from Luan Nian. They were unfazed by Luan Nian’s lack of greeting—they were used to it.
Of the three board members who had come, two were American and one was Chinese. The Americans preferred to get straight to the point, while the Chinese liked to start with sentiment. Thus, they took two different approaches. The American asked Luan Nian, “When are you coming back to work?”
The Chinese asked him, “Running this bar must cost quite a bit, right?”
Luan Nian was amused by them. He first replied to the Chinese, “I still have some savings, enough to cover it.” To the American, he said, “I’m not going back.”
The American smiled. “From now on, the China division will follow your lead.” They knew when to yield and when to stand firm.
Luan Nian didn’t take the bait. Instead, he said, “Today’s drinks are on me. You all must be tired from flying from the U.S. Drink up and get a good night’s sleep.”
“State your demands,” the American said.
“Process my resignation as soon as possible.”
Luan Nian truly didn’t know what was good for him. But if he did, he wouldn’t be Luan Nian. This time, everyone fully understood Luan Nian’s temperament. The negotiation reached a deadlock, and they exchanged glances, sipping the drinks Luan Nian had offered.
After finishing a glass, Luan Nian finally spoke. “What Dony did caused significant harm to that employee. The company hasn’t even shown any intention to apologize. How can the employees feel at ease?”
“What’s your suggestion?”
“I suggest two things. First, grant stock options immediately as a gesture of the company’s sincerity. Second, have that scumbag record an apology video.”
They hadn’t expected Luan Nian to propose this. They exchanged glances—this wasn’t difficult. One of the Americans spoke up, “Stock options equivalent to 100,000 RMB?”
Luan Nian nodded. “That works for the other employees who provided evidence. But the first whistleblower was choked and faced a life-threatening situation. If she goes to the media with the details, the stock could drop another five limit-downs.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“My suggestion is 200,000 RMB worth of stock for the first whistleblower, and 100,000 for the other four employees.” He added, “This is a special reward and will not be publicly disclosed.” If it were made public, people might say, “Look, this matter isn’t so simple—there might be something shady going on.” Luan Nian didn’t want the girls dragged into another media storm.
“Agreed.”
Once they reached a consensus, the American asked again, “When are you coming back to work?”
“First, handle the employee apology matter tomorrow. Once it’s resolved, I’ll return to work.” He paused for two seconds, worried the American shareholders might not fully grasp his meaning, and added, “What I mean is, I need to see the signed stock option grant agreements from the employees and that scumbag’s apology video.”
That was Luan Nian’s stance.
He stood up and saw them out.
He had already calculated everything. The stock would drop for one more day, and the girls would acquire their shares at the lowest point. Within half a year of exercising their options, the stock would rebound to its high. He hoped they could sleep well tonight.Luan Nian had never realized before that he could occasionally have such a good heart. He had always thought of himself as a cold-blooded person.
The next day, when Shang Zhi Tao sat in Tracy's office and saw Tracy pull out a thick stack of documents, she was a bit stunned: "Is the company firing me?"
Tracy was amused by her silly expression: "Take a look."
Shang Zhi Tao really did look. Stock Grant Agreement? What was this?
Tracy noticed her confusion and explained: "You know the company rewards a small number of employees with stock every year, right?"
Shang Zhi Tao nodded. She knew. But only expert-level employees were eligible.
"This is a special stock grant from the company, rewarding you for your bravery and fearlessness, fighting alone to secure a safe working environment for female colleagues."
"Huh?" Shang Zhi Tao's first reaction was that she couldn't accept it. If she did, people would say she did it for the money.
But Tracy pushed the pen toward her: "Reward stock grants are confidential. You don't need to worry about anyone knowing. Only you and I know about this. Oh, and Luke. This was one of the conditions for his return to work."
Luan Nian?
Luan Nian had never mentioned this to her. Shang Zhi Tao looked at the grant agreement. It was a significant amount—200,000 RMB. This was 2012, and for many ordinary workers, 200,000 RMB was a huge grant.
"Accept it," Tracy said. "Consider it for the benefit of all colleagues. If you don't accept, Luke won't return, the stock will keep falling, and everyone's year-end bonus will be gone."
Shang Zhi Tao's hand holding the pen trembled slightly again. Tracy held her hand, teasing her: "Shaking already? In a few years, if you compete for an expert position and get millions in stock, won't you just faint?"
Shang Zhi Tao laughed at her teasing and neatly signed her name.
After also signing a confidentiality agreement, she asked Tracy: "Is that it?"
Tracy nodded: "Someone will contact you to open a stock account. The vesting period for this stock is three days—yes, not three years, three days. After three days, it's all yours. Finally, take care of your assets."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Tracy said. "Well done, Flora."
After leaving Tracy's office, Shang Zhi Tao saw the company TVs all switch to the same screen. Dony was on camera saying: "I apologize to the women I have harassed. I'm sorry."
He even stood up and bowed.
The office was quiet. Everyone looked at each other, and suddenly someone started clapping. This was probably the closest thing to the perfect company in everyone's minds.
Tracy turned off the speakerphone and said to Luan Nian: "Did you hear that?"
"I heard."
"Feeling better?"
"Not bad."
"Coming back to work?"
"Next Monday."
Luan Nian hung up the phone, feeling somewhat pleased, and whistled at Luke. Luke's ears perked up: Meat? Play? That's all he ever thinks about.
Luan Nian patted the dog's head: "Look at that brain of yours, exactly like your owner's."
Just as he finished speaking, that brainless owner called. Her voice sounded a bit muffled: "Tracy said..."
"Moved to tears?"
"...No... I mean, I wanted to say thank you."
"You're welcome."Luan Nian didn’t like it when Shang Zhi Tao thanked him. This wasn’t something worth thanking him for—it was just a small favor he’d done without much thought. Even though this small favor had been achieved through a high-risk gamble, Luan Nian felt it was worth it.
He never lacked money anyway. A lousy job was just a lousy job—if he didn’t do it, so be it.
If he won, that would be even better.
After all, he was competitive by nature.
“Was Luke well-behaved today?”
Luan Nian glanced at Luke, who was busy devouring his meat, and replied, “Not bad.”
“Then let me treat you to dinner tonight, okay?”
“I don’t like eating out.”
“I’ll cook!”
Luan Nian fell silent. Shang Zhi Tao’s cooking was truly inedible. “Let’s just eat out.”
“I’ve learned a few signature dishes…” Shang Zhi Tao insisted.
“You said the same thing last time,” Luan Nian reminded her.
They couldn’t reach an agreement and hung up.
A while later, Luan Nian sent a message: “How’s the preparation for the promotion materials going?”
“Still working on it. I just feel like it’s not good enough.”
Luan Nian thought to himself, You really are naive. At this point, you’re still obsessing over the documents? The reviewers are all internal colleagues. Now’s the time to focus on relationships, and you’re nitpicking the files? So he told her bluntly, “Who are the leaders in the planning department? What are their styles? How’s your relationship with them? The core of an internal promotion is interpersonal connections. If you don’t reach out to people now, when will you? After you fail?”
Shang Zhi Tao thought it over carefully and realized Luan Nian was absolutely right. The bosses in the planning department each had their own styles, preferences, and areas of expertise. Even if the documents were perfect, one unanswerable question could ruin everything. This was probably part of workplace culture too.
Shang Zhi Tao humbly accepted Luan Nian’s criticism and asked him, “So who should I reach out to? Who has the final say in this matter? Do you have any suggestions?”
A long time later, Luan Nian replied:
“Me.”
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