Luаn Niаn drоvе uр thе mountain.
Gоng Yuе hаd оrgаnized a pоеtry reаding session fоr thе studеnts оn thе mоuntain. Luan Niаn had originally plannеd tо chеck оn thе situаtiоn anуwау—thеrе was nо such thing as a dаtе.
Hе had spokеn in anger.
Whеn he entеrеd, thе роеtrу reading hаd аlreаdу bеgun, and it hаpреned to bе Gоng Yue rеciting. Seeing Luаn Nian comе in, shе smilеd at him. Тhe students let оut subtlе lаughter, whiсh Luаn Niаn рrеtеnded nоt tо heаr. Hе walked bеhind the bаr, рlаcеd his рhоnе on the cоunter, took off his jaсket, and madе himself an оrangе sоda.
Luаn Nian was in a bad mood.
Shang Zhi Tao attending a matchmaking event had really struck a nerve. It felt like he hadn’t been this angry in a long time. After finishing her recitation, Gong Yue came to the bar and said to him, “Could you trouble the boss to mix me a drink?”
“What would you like?”
“Anything. Something strong.”
Luan Nian mixed a strong drink for Gong Yue. She took a sip, covered her mouth with her hand, and nearly teared up from the burn. “So strong.”
“You asked for a strong drink.”
“That’s the difference in perception between men and women.” Gong Yue stared at the glass, hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself and downed it in one go. She was quite bold too.
Luan Nian raised an eyebrow and asked her, “Another one?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“It’s not cheap for you to hold events here every week.”
“I have money, and there are plenty of like-minded students.” Gong Yue said this, but in truth, she had put a lot of effort into it. It wasn’t that she wanted anything from Luan Nian—she just found him interesting and wanted to spend more time with him. She enjoyed making friends.
Luan Nian didn’t mind. She was free to come if she wanted. Sometimes they ran into each other, sometimes they didn’t. The bartender returned from outside and took over from Luan Nian. He was about to go for a walk when Gong Yue followed him. “Where’s your dog?”
Luan Nian didn’t answer her. He had never been much of a gentleman, and when he was in a bad mood, he didn’t care who he offended. He didn’t want to deal with Gong Yue, and seeing her adopt an attitude of “if you ignore me, I’ll just follow you anyway,” he stopped and looked at her. “Is there something you need, Teacher Gong?”
Seeing his displeased expression, Gong Yue took a step back. “Nothing. See you later.” She returned to the bar and watched Luan Nian through the window, thinking this man was truly unfathomable. She had only been mildly interested in him before, but now she was especially eager to bring him down from his pedestal.
As Luan Nian strolled along the path, Jiang Lan called him. “Kitty from your company came to interview with me. I think she’s quite good and want to hire her. But I’d like to ask you—what kind of person is she?”
This had nothing to do with Luan Nian. Kitty had left Lingmei because of an anonymous email exposing her misconduct. If Jiang Lan wanted to find out, it wouldn’t be difficult. Since she still called to ask, it meant she was genuinely interested in Kitty. So he said, “Manager Jiang should trust her own judgment. Anything anyone says is just one-sided.”
“During the interview, she mentioned some corruption at Lingmei—for example, in the marketing department, even junior employees had many dealings with suppliers. She said she personally saw suppliers giving gifts to marketing department employees during the New Year.”
“So?”
“No particular reason. From now on, I’ll require our company’s projects to avoid this person.”
“Who?”
“An employee named Shang Zhi Tao.”Luan Nian found it rather amusing. If someone as timid as Shang Zhi Tao dared to accept bribes, she’d probably wake up terrified in the middle of the night. He had known Shang Zhi Tao for four years now and had given her over a dozen bags, yet he’d never seen her carry a single one. So, the idea of Shang Zhi Tao taking bribes was quite interesting. He said to Jiang Lan, “I’ll say it again: anything others say or any judgment they make is one-sided. Lingmei is a very open company. We encourage integrity among our employees, and the company has a reporting mechanism in place. If Kitty had witnessed it back then and had solid evidence, given her personality, she would have reported it directly. She wouldn’t have waited until today.”
Jiang Lan suddenly laughed. “See, if I hadn’t told you all this, I wouldn’t have heard your true opinion of Kitty.”
“What opinion?”
“You know it yourself.”
“Flora joined the planning department through a competitive selection process, so she’ll inevitably have to deal with you in the future. Your bias could cause trouble for her career.”
“Oh?” Jiang Lan grew intrigued. “That girl went to your planning department? Impressive. She must be quite capable. Bring her along to the strategic cooperation meeting next week.”
“Alright. Grace will be going on maternity leave in a few months. She’s Flora’s mentor now, so she’ll come with me to see you next week.”
“Fine.” Before hanging up, Jiang Lan said to Luan Nian, “It just so happens that Kitty will be starting next week. Let’s meet together. No need to feel awkward.”
“It’s not a problem.”
After hanging up, Luan Nian thought to himself that Shang Zhi Tao was probably just unlucky—trouble always seemed to find her. This unlucky person, unaware that she had been dragged into an economic issue, was currently watching a movie. She didn’t want to waste the effort she’d put into dressing up today.
Occasionally, she checked her phone to see if Luan Nian had sent any updates about their date, but there was no word from him. The quieter he was, the less she wanted to back down. Still, she told Sun Yu to deactivate her account.
Not wanting to let her carefully chosen outfit go to waste, she went to watch a movie alone. The theater was filled with couples, and she sat sandwiched between them, feeling utterly lonely.
Why can’t I have a love where I can watch movies together and hold hands while watching the sunset? She suddenly felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. She had felt this kind of regret before, but it had always been light. Today, it felt particularly intense.
Just as the movie was about to end, Sun Yuanzhu called her: “Want to come back for dinner? I brought back some small Tan sheep from Ningxia. I’m planning to grill them for you all tonight.”
“Wow.” Shang Zhi Tao felt healed just thinking about the small Tan sheep, even before tasting it. She hunched over and slipped out of the theater, heading straight home.
The house was filled with the strong aroma of barbecue seasoning. Sun Yuanzhu, wearing transparent gloves, was marinating the lamb. He had bought the freshly butchered sheep early in the morning and brought it back with him on the flight.
Shang Zhi Tao offered to help, but Sun Yuanzhu refused: “You’re missing a knack for cooking…” Shang Zhi Tao chuckled and withdrew her hands, standing beside him with her hands behind her back, giving random instructions like a senior official.
“Are you leaving again?”
“Not for the next few months.”
“Really?” Shang Zhi Tao was delighted. “Then let’s find a weekend to visit Long Zhentian, okay? He’s leaving soon! We should see him off, and I’ll treat you all to a nice meal. Long Zhentian introduced me to a very reliable French teacher last year!”
“How’s your French coming along?” Sun Yuanzhu asked her.Shang Zhitao nodded, "It's good. You know, when I was in school, I never realized I had a bit of a talent for languages. My French teacher said I have a good sense for the language. She even praised me, saying I look like a French woman when I wear a long trench coat."
Shang Zhitao did indeed have a hint of a French woman's charm. She was tall, with a good figure, though not a petite frame. When she wore a tight-fitting sweater, one could see her straight shoulders.
Sun Yuanzhu watched Shang Zhitao gesturing animatedly, so happy she seemed formless—happiness shouldn't be constrained, nor should it have a shape. It was wonderful.
Some barbecue seasoning had gotten on his cheek, a bit spicy, so he tried to wipe it off with the back of his hand, only to spread it further. Shang Zhitao ran to get a tissue and helped him wipe it off. Standing closer than before, she saw the clarity in Sun Yuanzhu's eyes and suddenly felt this wasn't right. She withdrew her hand and said to him, "Go wash it off."
"Okay."
Shang Zhitao stood there in a daze as Sun Yu walked in.
She seemed a bit tired, but her eyes lit up when she saw Sun Yuanzhu coming out of the bathroom. "You're back?"
"Yes. We're grilling lamb tonight."
"Then I'll go make some cold dishes."
Sun Yu was an excellent cook, but in recent years, she hadn't cooked for anyone else. She only cooked in this house. Shang Zhitao followed her into the kitchen and asked softly, "Are you happy?" She gestured outside with her finger.
Sun Yu smiled, "It feels like it's been a long time since I've been this happy."
"Then you..."
Sun Yu patted Shang Zhitao's head without saying a word.
"Is Luan Nian better?" Sun Yu asked Shang Zhitao.
Shang Zhitao pursed her lips.
"You two are really strange. If you're just casual partners, why is he so angry? If not, why hasn't he made any further moves? I saw that account—all the people he contacted were women who graduated from prestigious overseas universities. No matter what, that represents an attitude." Sun Yu glanced at Shang Zhitao, afraid she might be upset, and didn't say more. This was the fourth year of her entanglement with Luan Nian—four years without even a proper title. Should she wait for another four years? Probably not.
Shang Zhitao peeled garlic beside her without speaking. Most of the time, she was clear-headed, knowing there would be no future between her and Luan Nian. But occasionally, she still had fantasies—like when Luan Nian lost control and stood up for her. She would think there might be something a little different between them.
Sun Yu sighed. She worked in the matchmaking business, where people's conditions were quantified, and everything was laid out clearly online. This was the essence of most marriages—whether your conditions and mine were compatible.
Halfway through the meal, Sun Yu was called away by a colleague's phone call, leaving only Shang Zhitao and Sun Yuanzhu. She asked Sun Yuanzhu, "Still not dating?"
Sun Yuanzhu shook his head, "Don't want to hurt any girl."
"How is dating hurting a girl? Any girl who dates you would be so lucky!"
Sun Yuanzhu smiled at Shang Zhitao's sincere expression. He reached out to pinch her cheek but stopped just before touching her face, ending up just patting her head.
"Dating isn't important; being together is," Sun Yuanzhu said.Shang Zhitao felt that this sentence seemed to be referring to her relationship with Luan Nian, perhaps Sun Yuanzhu had sensed something. In reality, it wasn’t—Sun Yuanzhu was talking about himself and Shang Zhitao. When he returned from his business trip and saw the panicked girl running desperately through the deep night, finally rushing into his home, from that day on, he felt that his perpetually aching heart had found a small place to rest.
The girl was sincere, always offering her heart with a naive earnestness. She was also simple—her thoughts were never something you had to puzzle over, as they were all written on her face. The girl was hardworking too, moving forward every day, never pausing in her steps.
Sun Yuanzhu liked this girl.
But he would never say it out loud.
“How’s the barbecue I made?” Sun Yuanzhu asked her.
“Delicious!” Shang Zhitao nodded.
“Then has your unhappiness eased a bit?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
“I dressed up a little today.” Shang Zhitao stood up to show Sun Yuanzhu.
Sun Yuanzhu smiled: “Dressed up so nicely, you should be going on a date.”
Shang Zhitao imitated Luan Nian’s shrug, not even realizing she had done it. She didn’t want to continue this topic. She didn’t want to tell Sun Yuanzhu that her feelings had never seen the light of day, that it was merely Luan Nian’s passing whim. In front of Sun Yuanzhu, Shang Zhitao wanted to hide all the less-than-glamorous parts of herself, though she herself didn’t know why.
Shang Zhitao felt she was really in a slump today. Why was she feeling so down? She got up to find a glass of wine: “I want a drink.”
“Go ahead. Don’t worry about Luke, I’ll take him for a walk.”
“Thank you.”
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