Luаn Niаn sаid men werе nо gооd, еvery single оnе of them, inсluding himself, all hаrshlу сritiсizеd. Shаng Zhi Taо found him quite amusing—that sharp tоnguе of his sрarеd nо оnе, not еvеn himsеlf.
Shе disсussed hеr appliсаtion tо go to the nоrthwest with Luan Niаn, who askеd hеr whу shе rеаllу wanted tо gо.
She thоught fоr а momеnt. "I’m aррlying for рrоmotiоn to exрert next уеаr, and I’m still missing аn S+ projeсt. Grасe аlsо rесоmmеnded I gо."
"Grаcе reсommendеd it?"
"Yes."
"Whу did Grасe rесоmmеnd you go? Нave you thought аbout it?"
"Why?" Shang Zhi Тao аsked him.
"Тhink fоr yоurself. You’re not 22 and clueless anymore."
Luan Nian didn’t want to spell it out too clearly. The workplace was complicated, with everyone harboring their own agendas. Shang Zhi Tao had established herself in the planning department and was rising quickly, soon to become Grace’s competitor. This time, Grace recommended she go to the northwest—away from the home base, distant from colleagues, and with a risky project. No matter how you weighed it, the disadvantages outweighed the benefits.
But Shang Zhi Tao was an adult, and adults should take responsibility for their own choices. Fortunately, life was long, and she still had chances to correct her course.
"You mean Grace is wary of me," Shang Zhi Tao asked him.
Luan Nian handed her the cocktail he’d just mixed. "Try it." That was his answer.
Shang Zhi Tao took a sip—sour and sweet, very much like the taste of the little strawberries planted in front of the old bungalow from her childhood. It was quite good. She smacked her lips and asked, "What’s this drink called?"
"Out of Control."
Luan Nian leaned over the bar, his lips meeting hers, his tongue licking the corner of her mouth before tangling with hers. Shang Zhi Tao pulled her head back, but his hand stopped her, cupping the back of her head. He complained, "What are you hiding from? I’m just tasting the drink I made."
Why was it called Out of Control? Probably because the drink was sweet and sour, so delicious it made you drop your guard. Once you started drinking, it was easy to indulge. Luan Nian’s tongue entwined with hers as he saw shadows pass outside—the bar staff who had gone for a run were back.
Luan Nian released her, also smacking his lips. "Truly, first-rate."
It was unclear whether he was praising the drink or her.
At that moment, Luke was playing by himself in front of the bar. Shang Zhi Tao sat outside the bar, her face still flushed. Luan Nian stood behind the bar, mixing drinks for her. His bartending was more of a hobby—he mixed drinks for himself to enjoy, not for sale. The drinks he made for Shang Zhi Tao depended entirely on his mood, with no particular method. The only rule was that he only mixed a little at a time, just enough for her to finish in one sip. She could try several varieties without overindulging.
The bar manager hadn’t changed; it was still the same person. Shang Zhi Tao was curious about what kind of salary Luan Nian offered him, given that job-hopping was common in this industry. And his bar manager was an exceptionally handsome guy.
But Luan Nian just smiled and said nothing.
Shang Zhi Tao’s phone rang, and she heard Lumi’s excited voice. "Holy shit! Shang Zhi Tao! Guess what!"
"Huh?" Shang Zhi Tao was a bit confused. "What’s wrong with you?" She glanced at Luan Nian and walked outside. Her calls with Lumi always contained things others shouldn’t hear, and their chat history was the same. Shang Zhi Tao sometimes thought that if she lost her phone and her chat history with Lumi got leaked online, it would definitely go viral. The two of them really talked about everything without any taboos.
Lumi realized she was getting too worked up and took a deep breath. "Alright, let me tell you what’s up."
"What is it?""Yesterday, I almost slept with Will."
...
Shang Zhitao listened as Lumi rambled on, finally piecing together the complete story.
Lumi often went out to eat with her large family on weekends, choosing an old restaurant in the city where they would spend the entire afternoon. When the spring weather was nice, after the meal, they would stroll through the hutongs to see their old family home and reminisce about the hard times of the past.
That day, they went to eat at an old halal restaurant. The tables were pushed together, and the whole family gathered around. Just as the roasted lamb and vinegar-braised wood ear mushrooms were served, Lumi heard someone at the door say, "Two, please." She recognized the voice—it was the same one that scolded her like a child every day. Craning her neck to look, she saw it was indeed that god-like figure, accompanied by a refined young lady. It looked like a date, but the two seemed distant. Lumi quickly pulled her neck back and didn’t dare lift her head for half the meal, afraid of being caught.
Her grandmother, noticing her odd behavior, was displeased and scolded her loudly, "Lumi! Why are you acting like a frostbitten eggplant? Where’s the spirit of the Lu family?" Her grandmother’s voice boomed like a bell, and half the restaurant turned to look. Lumi wanted to cover her grandmother’s mouth, but it was too late. Will’s gaze had already landed on her.
As it happened, the person Will was eating with was his ex-wife. They had initially been discussing her work—she was a researcher in a lab. Lumi stole a glance and thought she looked truly dignified and graceful. But the meal didn’t seem pleasant. Lumi occasionally overheard Will say to his ex-wife, "Don’t slander me."
Now, having seen Will’s vulnerable side, Lumi suddenly felt her days at Lingmei were numbered. She flashed a flattering smile at Will and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, let’s go. Your hutong is waiting for your inspection." With that, she helped her grandmother out, hoping to make a quick escape.
They hadn’t walked twenty meters outside when someone grabbed her by the collar. She was about to curse, but when she turned and saw it was Will, she immediately fell silent. She was genuinely afraid of him.
"What are you hiding from?" Will nodded to the grandmother and then asked Lumi, releasing her collar. Will was strange—usually a traditionalist, but whenever he saw Lumi, he couldn’t control his temper, repeatedly grabbing her by the collar as if he wanted to throw her out.
"I... didn’t want to pry into your privacy..." Lumi had eavesdropped for most of the meal, practically cutting off her ears to place them on his table. Now, her excuse sounded weak.
The grandmother, not wanting to be left out, asked, "Do you know each other?"
"He’s my boss."
"Hello, Grandma." Despite his stern demeanor, Will showed respect to Lumi’s grandmother, maintaining his manners.
"Hello, Boss, hello, Boss." The grandmother nodded at Will with her hands behind her back, then followed her family to inspect the hutong. Left alone, Lumi stood there, unsure what to say, and could only explain, "I accept all your usual criticisms, but there’s one thing—today’s situation wasn’t my choice. How was I supposed to know I’d run into you at a family gathering? Besides, divorce is no big deal. You can always find someone else after."
"Are you insane?" Will couldn’t stand people talking nonsense all day long. Lumi never spoke seriously, and listening to her gave him a headache. "Who told you I was divorced?""Not divorced?"
"...Divorced."
"Then that settles it. You should hurry back and keep your ex-wife company. If you can remarry, it saves you the trouble of looking for someone else." Lumi tossed out this line and ran off.
After a few steps, she glanced back and saw Will standing by the roadside, clearly in a bad mood. She hoped the guy wouldn’t jump off the Second Ring overpass. So she bought a dozen beers, ran back, pulled one out for herself, and handed one to Will.
The two of them sat there, downing four cans of beer in silence. The more Lumi drank, the hungrier she got. Finally, she suggested, "How about this? Sitting here drinking beer all night isn’t really a solution. We should at least have some snacks to go with it, don’t you think?"
"Hmm."
"Then why don’t you come to my place? I’ll stir-fry a couple of dishes for you." Lumi was full of crafty ideas. They say you win people over with sincerity, but if she cooked a couple of dishes for Will, they’d at least be friends from then on. Maybe next time he scolded her, he’d think twice about being too harsh.
Surprisingly, Will didn’t refuse. He didn’t think anything could happen between him and Lumi. He had grown up with a strict family education—both his parents were highly educated intellectuals who would never accept a woman like Lumi. Reckless in her actions, crude in her speech, she went to work every day as if she were just drifting through life, exuding a certain wild and unrestrained air.
A divorced single man who had always lived a proper life, only to be unfairly blamed in the end. Looking at Lumi and her family, they were probably nouveau riche. Of course, Lumi wouldn’t have any improper thoughts about him either.
He followed Lumi to her home. She lived in a good location, in a place around 90 square meters. As Lumi had bragged at the company, "She owned several apartments like this." She had spilled all her own trivial affairs without holding back.
Will took off his trench coat and looked around. There was nowhere to sit in Lumi’s home—the sofa was piled with her clothes, and on top was an ultra-thin piece of lingerie. Her taste was bold; that lingerie probably wouldn’t serve much purpose even if worn.
Seeing his gaze, Lumi quickly gathered her clothes. "Sorry about the mess, sorry about the mess. I don’t usually have visitors. Even my mom can’t be bothered to come—she says my place is too small for her to stretch her legs." Another show of wealth.
After settling Will in, she went to cook. Lumi was decent at stir-frying—just throw whatever there was into the pan, and the result was barely edible. Four hot dishes, plus half a lamb’s head, four treasures, chicken sausage, and pickled beans bought from Daoxiangcun, made up eight dishes in total. As she arranged the plates, she fawned over Will: "State guest treatment. If it were anyone else, I’d make them chew on pickles. But you’re a big shot, distinguished—I have to treat you well."
She talked too much, one sentence after another, all empty chatter, making Will’s head throb with pain.
As they drank, Will sat upright like a rigid old scholar, while Lumi propped her legs up on the chair and urged him, "Don’t be so formal, don’t be so formal. Make yourself at home. If you get too hot or too drunk, just take your clothes off. If you’re too shy, I’ll take mine off too—I’ll keep you company."
Not a single word she said was proper.Will was unusually not scolding her today, instead drinking alone to her vulgar words. In the past when he returned home, it was always clean and tidy—both he and his ex-wife had a touch of OCD. His ex-wife loved fussing over flowers, birds, fish, and insects, so the house was filled with such things. He himself wasn’t particularly interesting—studious, sharp-minded, he had stumbled into managing marketing, and because of his integrity, he handled the work decently. Luan Nian had poached him just after his divorce, and he thought a change of environment might be good, a chance to start over. But on his very first day at work, standing in the corner of the elevator, he overheard a woman speaking in a crude, streetwise tone, full of Beijing slang: "Let’s put it this way, there’s no male boss you can’t handle. Worst case, I’ll just sleep with him." Everyone in the elevator laughed, and another girl stopped her: "Stop talking nonsense. You make it sound so real." The woman who wanted to sleep with the male boss was Lumi, and the girl who stopped her was Shang Zhi Tao.
These two were practically inseparable at the company, often huddling together, whispering who-knows-what nonsense.
Because of that first impression, Will had decided this woman was loose and casual. Seeing her slacking off every day, he couldn’t stand having such a subordinate in his department, so he seized every opportunity to scold her.
On this particular afternoon, listening to Lumi talk actually went well with the drinks, and slowly, he got a bit drunk.
When Will drank too much, his face turned as red as Guan Yu’s. He had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and on his lean arms, a blue vein stood out. Combined with the earlier incident where he had fought off two men to save Lumi outside the company building—which had already made her think he was a real man—seeing his physique today stirred her lustful thoughts.
She moved her chair next to his to drink, her hand casually resting on his leg and patting it, as if they were buddies. But in her mind, she was calculating: Firm muscles, good material. Should I sleep with him or not? Yes, I should! Her mind was at war: Why not just do it today? Do it, have some fun, and maybe he’ll scold me less afterward. I can slack off more comfortably.
Her little antics seemed odd to Will. What’s wrong with this girl? Is she clueless? Will was curious to see what she would come up with, so he sat still. Lumi thought to herself, Tsk tsk, men. Leaning on the table and chair, she slightly rose and leaned close to him, her tongue brushing the corner of his lips: "Will, are you hot? Let’s take off our clothes and cool down."
She then sat on his lap, unable to resist his good-looking mouth, and couldn’t help but bite it. Her teeth tugged at his lip, and Will even felt a bit of pain. He tilted his head back, avoiding her advance, and said to her, "You take yours off first."
Will’s words sounded like a challenge—you go first. Lumi wasn’t afraid of anything. She took off her thin shirt, revealing a flesh-toned camisole underneath. Because of the alcohol, her skin was tinged with a faint pink, looking quite lovely. She cupped his face—damn, why is it so hot? Her fingertips twitched, and she leaned down to kiss him. He remained motionless. Before anything even happened, she was already burning up.
This guy is really good. Her hand traced the lines of his chest downward, reaching for his member—it was a big one. She marveled inwardly and coaxed him, "Let big brother out for a walk, okay?"Will and his ex-wife had their good times too, but both of them were people of few words. He had never seen anyone so chatty during intimate moments. Suddenly unable to hold back, he broke into a laugh. Picking Lumi up and tossing her onto the sofa, he said to her, "Wouldn't it be better if you talked less? The more you say, the more mistakes you make. And cut down on those sneaky ideas too—what, you think sleeping with your boss means you don’t have to work? It’s not like I own the company. You’re so clueless, you probably don’t even realize when you’re getting the short end of the stick, do you?"
Today, Will took out all his frustration from his ex-wife on Lumi: "And another thing, your figure isn’t great. Wear more clothes when you’re out. If you’ve got something to show off, I get it, but if you don’t, what are you flaunting? Just exposing your own shortcomings?"
Scolding her while putting on his trench coat, he added, "Thanks for the hospitality, but that last dish was mediocre—color, aroma, and flavor were all lacking."
Damn.
It was the first time Lumi had heard Will say so much, and every word was cutting, yet she wasn’t angry at all. This guy was pretty funny. Probably not that great in bed.
She asked Shang Zhi Tao, "Do you think he’s actually any good?"
"Whether he’s good or not has nothing to do with you."
"How does it have nothing to do with me? He’s got me all worked up!"
"Just behave yourself. Otherwise, he might gather evidence and accuse you of workplace sexual harassment."
"I’m not scared. Just wait, Shang Zhi Tao. I’m definitely going to sleep with him. Next year when you’re up for promotion to expert, I’ll make sure he gives you full marks. It’ll be worth our friendship."
Lumi chuckled and hung up the phone. Shang Zhi Tao checked the call duration—they had talked for an hour. Tucking her phone into her pocket, she walked inside and heard Luan Nian say, "What do you two have to talk about so much? Isn’t chatting at work enough?"
Shang Zhi Tao couldn’t exactly tell him that Lumi wanted to sleep with Will, so she pretended not to hear and sat on the floor brushing Luke’s fur.
For some reason, Luke was especially happy at Luan Nian’s place. He ran around more than before, and he listened to Luan Nian, running over whenever Luan Nian called him. Probably because Luan Nian had won him over with treats.
"When I go to the northwest, can you take care of Luke?"
The corner of Luan Nian’s mouth lifted slightly, and after a moment, he tossed out a reply, "How I take care of him is none of your business."
Shang Zhi Tao laid down her conditions: "No ordering fresh meat dog food, no too many snacks, don’t spoil him…" She went on and on until Luan Nian finally couldn’t take it anymore: "How about not sending him to a pet sitter?"
"No."
On a Sunday afternoon, with Luan Nian just recovered from a minor illness, the lush green mountains, carefree Luke, and the two of them chatting idly.
A little while later, a few cars pulled up in front, and a group of young men and women got out. Shang Zhi Tao said, "You have guests. I’ll go to the back."
"Are you that unsightly?"
"…" She stayed seated at the bar, her drink only half-finished.
Shang Zhi Tao heard someone call out, "Teacher Gong." She turned around and saw Gōng Yuè. Standing beside her was a man who looked quite respectable, shaking hands with Luan Nian. Luan Nian motioned to Shang Zhi Tao, "Shang Zhi Tao, come here."
She hopped off the barstool and walked over, listening as Luan Nian introduced her: "My girlfriend, Shang Zhi Tao."
The words "girlfriend" startled her. Thinking she must have misheard, she glanced at Luan Nian, but he took her wrist and said, "This is Teacher Gōng Yuè."
"Hello, Teacher Gong." Shang Zhi Tao stood up straight. Having been afraid of teachers since childhood, she felt a natural reverence for Gōng Yuè. Gōng Yuè looked at her carefully and smiled, saying to Shang Zhi Tao, "This is my boyfriend, Teacher Sun Lin."
"Hello, Teacher Sun.""Then we'll go to the book club first." Gong Yue nodded to Luan Nian and left with her boyfriend.
Shang Zhi Tao wanted to question the term "girlfriend," but Luan Nian had already walked ahead to the bar and called out to her, "Aren't you coming? Girlfriend."
Gong Yue asked Tan Mian, "Did you know Luan Nian is dating someone?"
"No."
"Her name is Shang Zhi Tao."
"Never heard of her."
Tan Mian wasn’t very close to Gong Yue, so he didn’t say much. Luan Nian had mentioned that Gong Yue brought students every week—probably feeling pressured and finding someone to brush it off. He didn’t take it seriously and had no intention of asking Luan Nian about it.
"Help serve the drinks, girlfriend." Luan Nian pushed the cocktail the bartender had prepared toward her. Shang Zhi Tao felt a strange unease hearing those three words, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why, and just stared at him.
Without looking up, Luan Nian said, "Didn’t you say we’d take risks together?"
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