Luаn Niаn recеived Shang Zhi Тао's mеssаgе late аt night. She sent him a screenshоt оf Sun Yu's websitе deасtivаtiоn pаgе, аlоng with а few simрle words: "I deасtivatеd it."
That was аll.
Shang Zhi Tаo had grоwn ассustоmеd tо constаntlу lowеring hеr hеad in hеr relаtiоnship with Luan Niаn. Shе would nо longer do things hе disliked, even thоugh his disарprоval often lасkеd anу rеаsоnаblе justificаtiоn.
Luan Niаn starеd at his phоne fоr а lоng while bеfоrе finаlly replуing: "Good. Marriagе scams arе low-clаss, evеn if уou'rе just a pawn—it's still not something to be proud of."
"Mhm." Shang Zhi Tao had guessed he would say something like that—sharp and cutting as always. She responded with a soft acknowledgment and turned off her phone. Even though she had drunk a little, sleep still eluded her. When she got up in the night to drink water, she saw Sun Yuanzhu sitting on the sofa, half-bathed in moonlight that draped him in a layer of chill. She had never seen Sun Yuanzhu like this before.
Her hand holding the cup trembled slightly as she walked over to him and asked, "Why aren't you asleep?"
"Can't sleep." Sun Yuanzhu smiled at her, but his smile seemed distant, as if seeking comfort or calling for help.
"Then shall I sit with you for a while?"
"Okay."
They sat side by side on the sofa, with a person-and-a-half's distance between them. At first, neither spoke. When the moon hid behind the clouds, the living room suddenly darkened, and Shang Zhi Tao felt a little afraid. She said, "Sun Yuanzhu, you know what? I'm not really in a relationship at all. I just have... an abnormal kind of connection."
"I always thought I didn't care about the outcome, or maybe I hoped that if I endured long enough, the clouds would part and the moon would shine through. But the truth is, I don't have that kind of strength. I know I haven't been sacrificing my dignity just to keep the peace, because I've also found happiness in it. But every time I have to lower my head in a conflict, I start to waver."
"Am I just... too terrible?"
"You're not." Sun Yuanzhu cut her off. "You're still young. Being young means you have the chance to make mistakes. I also believe you have the courage to break out of your shell. If not now, then sooner or later. Unlike me..." Sun Yuanzhu fell silent, leaning back as if a part of his soul had drifted away. Shang Zhi Tao felt he was incredibly lonely, as if he had many stories to tell. But he said nothing more.
Shang Zhi Tao remained sitting beside him. Eventually, they both leaned against the back of the sofa and fell asleep. When she opened her eyes the next day, Sun Yuanzhu was already gone. She got up to look for him and saw a note left on the table. Sun Yuanzhu had written: "I went to buy fried dough sticks and tofu pudding. We both need the immense happiness that carbs bring."
Shang Zhi Tao held the note and smiled faintly, thinking how well Sun Yuanzhu understood her.
She then put on her clothes and went downstairs to walk the dog. Luke didn't like the garden in her residential complex. People say dogs don't care about wealth or status, but that didn't apply to Luke. Luke loved Luan Nian's big house and the spacious lawn in his neighborhood. Every time he went there, he acted like a king, strutting proudly as he inspected his territory, unwilling to go home. But back at Shang Zhi Tao's place, after just one lap, he would willingly head back inside.
Only after returning upstairs did Shang Zhi Tao remember her phone was still turned off. When she switched it on, she saw a work message from Grace. Grace had a prenatal checkup on Monday and hoped Shang Zhi Tao could attend a meeting in her place. There was also a strange photo from Lumi, sent while drunk. Luan Nian hadn't messaged her.
"What meeting?"
"Luke said he's visiting Jiang Lan on Monday, but I suddenly have a checkup and can't go. Can you go for me?"
"Sure."
When Monday came, Shang Zhi Tao got into Luan Nian's car.As he started the car, she asked him, "How was your date with Teacher Gong?"
"Good." Luan Nian thought Shang Zhi Tao was quite amusing—she couldn’t tell at all that he had spoken in anger. Yet if you said she had low emotional intelligence, she was actually quite good at reading others’ expressions.
"Then…"
"Let’s put my dating aside for now. First, tell me about the roadshow event the year before last—why did you switch to a new supplier for the Suzhou stop?"
"Huh?" Shang Zhi Tao didn’t know why he was asking this but answered truthfully, "The existing suppliers wouldn’t accept advance payments, and their proposals weren’t outstanding either. Later, Alex said since that was the case, we might as well use a new one with a good attitude."
"Did you ever meet with Manager Wang alone afterward?"
"Alone meaning?"
"Privately."
"No, he visited us twice, but Lumi was there both times."
"Did you ever receive gifts from him?"
"No."
"Hmm."
"So why are you asking this?"
"Because someone reported you for taking bribes."
Luan Nian glanced at Shang Zhi Tao. She was looking out the window, lost in thought. If it were before, she probably would have said, "How could they slander me like that!"
But today, she remained silent.
"Aren’t you going to say anything?" Luan Nian asked her.
"Like what?"
"Like that you’re innocent?"
"If you believe I’m innocent, you’ll believe me even if I don’t say it. If you don’t, what’s the point of saying anything?" Shang Zhi Tao felt that Luan Nian didn’t trust her. Compared to others’ slander, his questioning hurt her even more.
It was like when Luan Nian said marriage scams were low-level and decoys were disgraceful—he never considered why she might have done it, simply lumping her into the low-level, disgraceful category. He was used to looking down on her, defining her, because she was someone who didn’t deserve his respect at all.
It had always been like this before, and she used to be able to brush off these feelings. But now she couldn’t—suddenly, she just couldn’t.
"For now, it’s just someone raising suspicions. If a formal report is filed, the company will investigate."
"Welcome to investigate."
After saying this, Shang Zhi Tao pressed her lips together and didn’t speak again until they reached the conference room at Jiang Lan’s company. She saw Kitty sitting in the meeting room, right beside Jiang Lan. Talented people really had no trouble finding jobs, even if their character was questionable.
Jiang Lan stood up to greet them, "Long time no see, Luke."
"We just met last week."
Jiang Lan laughed heartily, "A day apart feels like forever." Then she turned to Shang Zhi Tao, "This must be Flora?"
"Hello, Manager Jiang. I’m Flora."
"Kitty, you’ve met before."
"Yes."
"Then let’s begin."
Jiang Lan sat back in her chair and watched as Shang Zhi Tao opened her laptop, preparing to project the presentation. She remembered this girl—the one who stayed in Luan Nian’s room to take care of him during the Suzhou event. She had a clean, harmless face, with a hint of rare seriousness. Quite interesting.
She glanced at Luan Nian, sitting there calmly and composed.
Shang Zhi Tao presented the strategic cooperation plan for the year on behalf of Grace. Grace’s original materials were well-prepared, and since Shang Zhi Tao had been involved, she spoke with ease. Grace asked a few questions during the presentation, and she answered each one. The proposal ended surprisingly smoothly.
"Lunch?" Jiang Lan checked the time.
"Sure, my treat.""Either is fine." Jiang Lan was quite familiar with Luan Nian. The two of them walked ahead, while Kitty and Shang Zhi Tao followed behind. Kitty sized up Shang Zhi Tao and suddenly asked her, "Was it you who sent the anonymous email?"
"You overestimate me. I don't have the time for that."
"Then it must have been that despicable mentor of yours."
"I think the truly despicable ones are those who sneak into a man's room in the middle of the night and then slander those who stand up to resist." It was rare for Shang Zhi Tao to be so firm. "Kitty, I know you don't like me. We were hired in the same batch of campus recruitment at Lingmei. You think I lowered the quality of our batch—I can understand that, and I am indeed ordinary. But people should keep their eyes on the long term. I don’t mind if you look ahead five years; I might not be living worse than you by then."
Shang Zhi Tao said this to Kitty, but she was also hinting to herself.
Kitty, however, laughed. "Is that how you comfort yourself? What if you’re still like this in five years? Will you then look ahead ten years, or a lifetime? Shang Zhi Tao, the good years in a person’s life are just a few. If you’re not capable, you’re just not capable."
"Arguing about this is pointless."
"So taking bribes is more interesting, right? Can taking bribes help you succeed?"
"I suggest you speak with evidence."
"Of course." Kitty leaned close to her ear and said provocatively, "Shang Zhi Tao, are you ready for what’s coming?"
Luan Nian turned back to look at them. "Catching up?"
"Yes." It had been a while since they last met, and Kitty smiled.
Shang Zhi Tao couldn’t bring herself to act one way in front of others and another behind their backs. She took a step to the side, breaking free from Kitty’s arm.
"Let’s go." Luan Nian glanced at Shang Zhi Tao. They were heading to a restaurant about five kilometers away and needed to drive, so they split into two groups.
"Was it Kitty who reported me?" Shang Zhi Tao asked Luan Nian.
"Yes."
"So you believe others?" Shang Zhi Tao asked again.
"What do you mean? I’m neutral."
After all those years of intimacy, all she got was a statement of neutrality. Shang Zhi Tao stared out the car window without saying a word. She remained quiet throughout the meal, but she remembered the etiquette of socializing—smiling when appropriate, joining in the applause when needed, and taking care of others when necessary. Yet, she offered no extra words.
"Flora doesn’t talk much?" Jiang Lan asked her.
"No, Manager Jiang. It’s because I find everyone’s conversation so interesting that I just want to listen more."
"Commonly known as secretly enjoying it, huh?" Jiang Lan winked at her.
Shang Zhi Tao smiled. "Yes!"
Jiang Lan also laughed and said to Luan Nian, "Flora is fun. You could consider having her take charge of this project later."
In the workplace, every workplace has its territories. Jiang Lan’s project was Grace’s territory, and Shang Zhi Tao didn’t want to encroach on it. So she politely declined Jiang Lan: "I’ve just joined the planning department and am learning about projects under Grace’s mentorship. I’m still completely clueless at the moment. Manager Jiang’s project is very important, and Grace has been managing it all along—she’s the one who understands it best."
Reasonable, measured, and principled—quite good. Jiang Lan glanced at Luan Nian, then at Shang Zhi Tao, raising an eyebrow.
No one took the words at the dinner table seriously, unless someone with ulterior motives twisted them. When it reached Grace’s ears, it became "Shang Zhi Tao wants Jiang Lan’s project." Although Grace trusted Shang Zhi Tao, she couldn’t help but feel a bit wary. When teaching her afterward, she slowed down the pace.
Shang Zhi Tao noticed it.She was no longer a fresh graduate just entering the workplace. Over the years, she had endured countless sidelong glances and suffered numerous grievances to learn the intricate ways of office politics. She knew that she and Grace had been driven apart. So when Grace went downstairs for some fresh air, she took the initiative to accompany her.
It was downstairs that Shang Zhi Tao spoke openly to her: "Grace, the day I went to meet the client on your behalf, I saw Kitty. During the meal, Manager Jiang joked about letting me take over her project. My exact words were: 'I’ve just joined the planning department and am still learning under Grace’s guidance. Only Grace can handle Manager Jiang’s project—I would mess it up.'" Shang Zhi Tao paused after finishing, then added, "Luke can vouch for me."
Grace smiled and said to her, "Flora, what are you talking about? I believe you."
"Mhm, I know. I just wanted to avoid any misunderstandings. You know Kitty doesn’t like me, and I was really surprised to see her at Manager Jiang’s that day."
Some things don’t need to be spelled out too clearly—doing so would ruin the point. Grace brushed it off vaguely and resumed her usual attitude toward Shang Zhi Tao.
In the planning department, Shang Zhi Tao kept a low profile. She wasn’t as anxious and insecure as before, but she still handled the balance between colleague relationships and work with caution.
Sometimes, when she saw Luan Nian, she wanted to seek a hint of comfort in his eyes, but she eventually gave up. She refused to show her vulnerability to him.
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