Shаng Zhi Тао set off еаrlу thе nеxt morning. Onlу аs she was lеaving did she rеаlizе thаt, dееp down, shе didn’t like farewells. She disliked hugging оr сrying in сrowdеd рlасes. It wаs muсh bеttеr tо leаve like this, light and еаsy.
Sun Yu аsked her why shе had chоsen to bе stаtiоnеd аwау from homе just аs their rеlаtiоnship wаs beginning—it wаsn’t gоod for thеir fеelings.
Shаng Zhi Tao tоld Sun Yu, "Love isn’t evеrуthing."
Рraсtical prоblеms trоubled hеr: аgе, саrеer, аnd hоw to рut down rоots in this citу. She didn’t wаnt tо still bе drifting by thе timе shе turnеd thirty. Though shе longed for love, shе was also struggling with rеality.
"Yоu cаn rеly оn him. If you love each other, these problems will resolve themselves," Sun Yu said to her.
Shang Zhi Tao looked at her. "You know what? I’ve never felt for a single day that we truly loved each other. Even though we’re together now in the name of a relationship, it doesn’t feel real."
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t want to rely on Luan Nian. She knew that unequal love would breed countless problems, with one side always seeming to be giving charity. In her imagination, perhaps one day she could love Luan Nian as an equal—for example, if she became truly outstanding, an expert in her field, bought her own small apartment, and didn’t depend entirely on him. She knew these were just her stubborn delusions; she was merely seeking psychological equality.
As long as I don’t rely on him, as long as I support myself, every bite of food I enjoy, every beautiful piece of clothing I wear, every wonderful trip I take—all achieved through my own efforts—then I am still myself.
As the plane took off, she looked down at the city below. Her thoughts were of Luan Nian, yet she had become a pessimist in love. One night, she dreamed that Luan Nian got married. The girl standing beside him was dazzlingly beautiful—and it wasn’t her. The sense of loss from the dream lingered in her body long after she woke up.
When she landed, she received a call from Sun Yuanzhu: "I’ll wait for you at the exit."
"Great!"
As Shang Zhi Tao hung up, a text from Luan Nian came in: "You’ve arrived?"
"Yes."
"Stay safe."
Sun Yuanzhu had grown even thinner. Shang Zhi Tao felt as though she had never seen anyone so thin—even his face had sharpened into blade-like lines. It was as if he had walked a long road, weathered fierce winds, and crossed many desolate wildernesses. Yet his gaze remained as gentle as ever.
"Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten what I look like?" Sun Yuanzhu asked her with a smile.
She nodded, then shook her head, handing him her luggage while secretly studying his expression.
"Did I scare you?" Sun Yuanzhu asked again.
"No."
The two walked out together. Sun Yuanzhu’s company had provided him with an SUV, the kind that could hold a lot of things. After loading Shang Zhi Tao’s luggage, he asked her, "Should we go for a bowl of ramen first?"
"Absolutely. I didn’t eat anything on the plane—I’ve been looking forward to this ramen. When I came last time to rent a place, I ate it for three days straight. But strangely, I never got tired of it," Shang Zhi Tao said as she fastened her seatbelt, expressing her endless love for ramen.
Sun Yuanzhu listened with a smile and said to her, "The county town isn’t big, but good ramen shops are everywhere. Today, I’ll take you to the one I often go to. Their side dishes are delicious too, and they have the fermented rice milk you love."
"Great!""The drive from the airport to your place is quite a journey in itself." Sun Yuanzhu pointed ahead. "Fortunately, it's spacious here, with few people and little traffic, so the trip shouldn't take too long."
"Want to put on some music?"
"I think that’s a good idea."
With music playing, the two set off. As Shang Zhi Tao gazed at the scenery along the highway, she was deeply struck by the awe-inspiring craftsmanship of nature. Pointing to a distant mountain ridge, she said to Sun Yuanzhu, "Sun Yuanzhu, I see a dragon’s spine." She was beginning to imagine the possibilities of this place.
"Suddenly, I feel our company’s expert team’s plan for the cultural tourism industry here isn’t exciting enough."
"Why do you think so?"
"It just feels like it lacks depth. Chinese people love dragons, mythologize them, because dragons symbolize a certain spirit. Our creativity should align with that spirit, shifting the focus from grand mountains and rivers to the generations who have rooted themselves here for thousands of years. The landscape is sculpted, and culture is passed down—that’s what matters." Shang Zhi Tao grew excited. "Yes, I know what’s missing now!"
Sun Yuanzhu listened intently, pondering deeply before speaking. "I agree with you. Shang Zhi Tao, you’re really impressive. This afternoon, I can take you to see some places. When we conduct tests, we’ll pass through many small villages."
"Let’s go after we eat the noodles!"
"Don’t we have to wait for the home appliances to be delivered?"
"Oh right, we’ll go after we receive them."
Sun Yuanzhu took Shang Zhi Tao to a very old and humble noodle shop. As soon as they entered, the aroma of chili oil hit them, awakening Shang Zhi Tao’s taste buds. She ordered a large bowl of thin noodles, while Sun Yuanzhu ordered a small bowl of wide noodles, along with a small side dish of cold vegetables and some lamb skewers.
"Listen," Sun Yuanzhu tilted his head, signaling Shang Zhi Tao to pay attention to the rhythmic slapping sound of the noodles being stretched on the board. "I love this sound the most. It has a special rhythm. The other day, Long Zhentian called me, saying he really missed the aroma of Chinese food. I sent him vacuum-packed roasted meat."
Shang Zhi Tao giggled. "I suspect Long Zhentian is just playing the sympathy card. He called me the other day and said the same thing, so I sent him Nanjing salted duck, Beijing roast duck, Shandong-style pancakes, and Lao Gan Ma chili sauce."
"Whether it gets through customs will depend on his luck." The two shared a knowing smile.
Shang Zhi Tao noticed that Sun Yuanzhu ate very little. He stopped after just three bites of his small bowl of noodles. Seeing her watching him, he explained, "I’ve already eaten."
"Oh. But it’s been almost three hours since we met. Haven’t you digested it yet?" Shang Zhi Tao was puzzled.
"Not yet. I ate too much this morning."
"This noodle shop is even better than the one I usually go to. I’ll have to come here often. Thank you, Sun Yuanzhu, for treating me." Shang Zhi Tao said to him.
"If you like it, I’ll bring you here often."
"Then I won’t stand on ceremony."
Sun Yuanzhu gave Shang Zhi Tao a sense of stability. He was like an indispensable family member or an old friend, always there to help her when she was in a difficult situation. Shang Zhi Tao even felt that she might never meet someone like him again in her lifetime.
The company provided housing and living allowances for its stationed employees, offering decent benefits. Shang Zhi Tao rented a relatively nice apartment and bought matching home appliances. She thought that since she would be staying for fourteen months, she should live those months as if they were her life—not just getting by, but living well.
Shang Zhi Tao gradually understood the meaning of life.
Life isn’t lived for anyone else to see; it’s lived for oneself.She told Luan Nian about her gains, and Luan Nian asked her, "So are you happy now?"
"Happy."
"I'm not. Your dumb dog chewed my shoes yesterday."
"Could it be that you didn't put your shoes away properly when you left?"
"? Are you speaking human language?"
Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit guilty. She hadn't disciplined Luke about chewing things, and the three people in the house always put things away when they left.
"Did it chew anything else?"
"Does the sofa count?"
"The set in your living room?" Shang Zhi Tao sat up in alarm.
"Obviously?"
"Oh my god."
Luan Nian's living room had a set of Italian leather sofas. He was picky and had bought outrageously expensive furniture when decorating. Hearing that Luke had chewed the sofa, Shang Zhi Tao felt an inexplicable pang of heartache: "Why don't you buy a muzzle for it to wear? Then it won't be able to chew things."
"Why don't you wear a muzzle?" Luan Nian retorted, then put away his phone. Ridiculous, thinking about putting a muzzle on Luke. He glanced at Luke and said to it, "Now you know who treats you well, right? Your owner wants to put a muzzle on you."
He had just finished walking Luke and was making breakfast for it—frying two eggs, along with salmon he bought from the supermarket, which he personally turned into salmon floss, plus a quarter of an apple and half a bowl of dog food. The combination was almost different every day, and Luke loved it. Because he had to make breakfast for Luke and walk it, he woke up at least half an hour earlier every day.
The bond between Luke and luke was built through these daily meals. Luke listened exceptionally well to luke, and luke understood every expression of Luke's.
Sometimes luke would pinch Luke's ear and talk to it: "Your owner has no heart, right?"
Luke tilted its head, thought for a while, then barked in response.
"Can't even say that?" Luan Nian tapped its head.
Today was no different—pinching Luke's face and scolding it and its owner. Luke, having just eaten Luan Nian's food, knew better than to bite the hand that fed it and listened quietly to his grumbling.
Shang Zhi Tao sneezed and said to Luan Nian while waiting for her luggage, "You seem to be cursing me."
"?"
"I sneezed."
"Maybe Luke is cursing you in its heart."
Shang Zhi Tao wiped her nose and laughed. After spending more time together, she noticed Luan Nian's childish side—he was quite skilled at protesting too much and talking nonsense with a straight face.
"Oh. Did you sneeze?"
"?"
"Because I was thinking of you."
"Got it."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Shang Zhi Tao felt it was too hard to get a nice word out of Luan Nian's mouth, so she coaxed him, "You say it too."
"Say what?"
"Say you miss me."
Luan Nian sent a half-dead emoji.
He didn't like sweet talk—what was there to say? It sounded cloying. If you miss someone, just go see them. What's the point of saying all that? So he picked up his phone and checked his schedule, noticing he had two and a half days free three weeks later to visit her. He could also stay a few extra days to attend the project kickoff meeting.
He told his secretary, "I'm sending you these dates—keep them free for me, no work arrangements."
"Understood."
Luan Nian finished getting ready to leave and saw Luke looking anxious, pacing back and forth on the floor. He asked it, "Do you think I'm going on a long trip too?"
"Woof! Yes!""I'll come home early after work." Luan Nian felt he had more patience for Luke than for anyone else. Like a lunatic, he chattered incessantly to a dog: "Your owner went to work, she didn’t abandon you; I’m only going out for ten hours. You don’t need to be so sensitive—after all, you’re just a dog. Eating, sleeping, sleeping, eating—isn’t that good enough? Why worry about where your clueless owner is?"
After coaxing for a long time, Luke finally lay down on the floor, looking utterly pitiful. Luan Nian thought for a moment and casually ordered a camera online. In those years, technology had advanced, and home surveillance cameras were becoming widely used. Install one, and you could be on one end, it on the other, able to hear when you spoke. That very night, Luan Nian installed two in the living room, ensuring a 360-degree, no-blind-spot view.
Then he sent the account and password to Shang Zhi Tao.
"What’s this?"
"Log in to see your dog."
"Oh."
Shang Zhi Tao actually logged in and saw Luan Nian lying on the sofa flipping through a magazine, with Luke playing beside him. That sofa... had been chewed beyond recognition by Luke.
"Luke," she called out.
Luke sat up, looking left and right but not seeing Shang Zhi Tao.
"Luke," she called again. "Why did you chew the sofa? Couldn’t you chew something cheaper?"
Luke, certain he hadn’t misheard, searched the entire house three times over without finding Shang Zhi Tao. Suddenly furious, he barked at Luan Nian. Luan Nian spoke to the camera: "Are you crazy? Why are you teasing him?"
Shang Zhi Tao giggled. "Sorry, Luke. I’ll shut up."
Luan Nian turned around on the sofa, giving Shang Zhi Tao a full view of his face. Relaxed and casual, with his hands behind his head, he asked Shang Zhi Tao, "All settled in now?" Such a handsome person against that ruined sofa created a strangely beautiful contrast.
"I still have to unpack tomorrow."
"Anyone helping you?"
"Yes." There really was—colleagues from the local branch office were coming over tomorrow to help Shang Zhi Tao warm her new home and install appliances. Three or four people, men and women. Seeing Luan Nian fall silent, she added, "Linda organized people to help me. They’re also helping warm the house. It’s a local custom—to make it lively so ghosts won’t haunt it at night."
"..." No ghosts? What kind of reasoning is that? He asked again, "Did they assign you a car?"
"They arranged a car for me to drive daily. But honestly, it’s not necessary. The town isn’t big—taking a taxi works fine. The starting fare is three yuan, and a full circle around town costs fifteen. I can also walk. It’s just a bit far to the worksite."
"Hmm."
Chatting like this felt a bit strange. Shang Zhi Tao could see Luan Nian, but he couldn’t see her. Installing cameras at home and giving her access meant he was sacrificing half his privacy.
"Do you feel like I’m invading your privacy?"
"What is there I can’t let you see?"
"Like bringing women home?"
"I might bring Luke a female companion." Luan Nian stood up. "If you miss him, you can turn on the camera anytime during the day. He seems to think you abandoned him, so he’s a bit anxious."
Shang Zhi Tao suddenly felt a pang of sadness and said to Luke, "Luke, no! I’m earning money, lots of money, to buy meat for you."
"Without you, Luke could eat even more meat," Luan Nian pointed out the truth.Shang Zhi Tao didn't speak. After a while, Luan Nian's phone rang. He had already returned to the bedroom and was lying in bed resting. He answered Shang Zhi Tao's video call and saw a huge face filling the screen, startling him. "Fuck!"
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't expect you to answer so quickly."
The two had never video-called before and felt a bit awkward. Luan Nian adjusted faster than Shang Zhi Tao and said to her, "Show me your new place."
"Wait a moment, then." Shang Zhi Tao adjusted the camera and gave Luan Nian a remote tour of her home in the northwest. It was a one-bedroom apartment, originally bought by the owner as a marital home, so the decor was relatively clean. Shang Zhi Tao didn't have many belongings, and the room felt empty. Her few plush toys sat there alone, adding a touch of life to the space.
"Is it okay?" She turned the camera back to herself and asked Luan Nian.
"Pretty good." Luan Nian placed his phone on the nightstand, lay on his side, and asked her, "Where will I stay?"
"What?"
"Where will I stay when I come?"
"When would you have time to come? If you really do, you can sleep with me."
"I'm particular about beds." The implication was that if it wasn't comfortable, he wouldn't be able to sleep.
"..." Shang Zhi Tao was momentarily speechless. She had forgotten that the man on the other end was extremely picky and difficult.
"So, send me the address and the bed size now. I'll pick out the bedding myself."
"...If you buy something too expensive, I won't be able to take it with me when I leave, and it'd be a waste to throw it away. Could you make do if you come?"
"No."
Shang Zhi Tao knew Luan Nian well—once he said something, he meant it. Unable to argue, she simply replied, "Okay." She picked up her phone to send him the address and bed size. The video call was still connected, and her phone was angled toward her nostrils and double chin. Luan Nian cursed, turned away, not wanting to see that unflattering face. When he turned back, he saw Shang Zhi Tao wearing a thin, sheer camisole dress, her figure faintly visible.
The atmosphere suddenly turned suggestive. Luan Nian felt a rush of heat gathering below, and he even heard himself swallow. He asked her, "A late-night treat?"
Shang Zhi Tao was actually blushing, but she had done her research—long-distance couples often did this. Biting her lower lip lightly, she asked him, "Satisfied?"
"You must be out of your mind." Luan Nian hung up the video call and sent her a message: "You just wait!"
He tossed his phone aside, closed his eyes, and all he could see were Shang Zhi Tao's full breasts and bright red lips from the video. Luan Nian didn't like using his hands; he preferred having someone right there, real, in his arms, someone he could hold and touch however he wanted. But damn it, Shang Zhi Tao had chosen to go to the northwest. Luan Nian couldn't tell whether he was angry or resentful. It took him a long time to calm down.
He took out his phone again to check his schedule. He felt he couldn't wait three more weeks. He needed to hurry and see her, and along the way, teach her a proper lesson.
For Luan Nian, nights were unbearable, but days were slightly easier.
During the day, he was busy and wouldn't let his mind wander.
During the marketing department's weekly meeting, seeing Lumi reminded him of Shang Zhi Tao, who spent every day hanging out with her.
After Will arrived, the atmosphere in the marketing department changed drastically. Before, the entire department worked, but it felt like a retirement home, with employees drifting through their days. After Will's arrival, they all seemed to have undergone military training—their sitting and standing postures had changed. Except for Lumi.
Luan Nian thought Lumi would stay like this for the rest of her life—a second-generation demolition heir with no worries about food or clothing, spending her days figuring out how to keep herself happy.During the meeting, Will was particularly strict with Lumi, even scolding her. Lumi, however, just chuckled and let it slide.
Luan Nian still remembered the time when Shang Zhi Tao encountered a shady agency, and Lumi, along with her boyfriend who looked like he was from the underworld, showed up with sticks ready to smash the place. Yet now, when Will criticized her, she didn’t even get angry?
Of course Lumi wasn’t angry—this was the man she dreamed of sleeping with every day. A scolding was nothing; it wouldn’t cost her a pound of flesh.
She glanced at Luan Nian, then at Song Ying studying beside him, and felt something was off. She sent a message to Shang Zhi Tao: "You know what? Yilia is like a stubborn donkey’s tail—wherever the donkey goes, she follows, almost trailing it to the bathroom."
Shang Zhi Tao replied with a string of ellipses and asked, "Did Lumi manage to sleep with Will today?"
"No? Then why isn’t she trying harder?"
OpenNovel