Shang Zhitao stood waiting at the door for a while. Luan Nian walked out with a towel wrapped around him, water droplets dripping from his hair, looking gorgeous. But she had no time to admire him. She pointed toward the direction of Luan Nian’s bedroom, “Luke… you have a bathroom in your bedroom too, where you could have showered.” Why are you competing with me for this one? I’m going to be late for work. Shang Zhitao was never late, and she was genuinely worried about being late today. She was also fretting about how she would leave later.
Luan Nian ignored her and walked into the closet to change. Creative professionals have extremely high standards for their appearance. Luan Nian’s clothes were all perfectly tailored, simple yet elegant. Unlike other creative types who dressed flamboyantly, his clothing style was more understated. Yet these understated clothes appeared different on him.
After changing, he found Shang Zhitao had finished washing up, looking refreshed. She didn’t wear makeup, and today she hadn’t even used moisturizer—she hadn’t brought her own, and Luan Nian’s home had no women’s skincare products. So her face remained bare. Fortunately, her skin was good, fair, and rosy—looking beautiful without anything. The only thing troubling her was the love bite on her collarbone.
Shang Zhitao looked at herself in the mirror, remembering how Luan Nian’s teeth had pressed against that spot, his tongue lightly brushing over it. She had previously thought Luan Nian was cold and rigid, that during intimate moments he would lack gentleness and patience, even suspecting he might be like a machine, with no technique at all. How wrong she was. His technique, like his creativity, was top-tier.
Shang Zhitao somewhat frustratedly tightened the strings on her sweater to cover her neck, though it looked rather strange.
“Do you have any band-aids?” she asked, following behind Luan Nian down the stairs. It would be good if she could put a band-aid over the mark.
“Trying to hide it will only make it more obvious?”
“…”
“Are you so afraid of others knowing you have a sex life?”
“No… It’s just awkward if someone asks about it.” Shang Zhitao made up an excuse.
Luan Nian stopped and looked at her, “What’s awkward about it? Just tell them I’m your lover.” It was hard to tell if he was joking or serious.
Shang Zhitao was momentarily speechless, so she simply closed her mouth. When they reached the first floor, Luan Nian turned into the kitchen, took out two plates, and handed one to Shang Zhitao: “Eat before you go.”
Luan Nian could even make breakfast. Shang Zhitao felt somewhat ashamed. She had always thought that since starting work, her life had been chaotic and rushed. When she occasionally encountered Luan Nian at the company in the mornings, she had thought: this guy is enviable, so relaxed every day, someone must have everything arranged for him.
But today she learned there was no one arranging things for him. He woke up early to exercise, shower, prepare breakfast—which of these wasn’t he doing himself? He wouldn’t even hire a housekeeper. Was he saving money to buy bags for women?
She took a bite of the sandwich. Delicious. Just as good as her bread and milk. No, the milk was better than hers—Luan Nian had sprinkled osmanthus flowers in the warm milk, which was truly delicious.
“Luke’s breakfast is really good,” Shang Zhitao gave him a thumbs up. “This milk is so good. It would be even better if I could have another cup.”
Luan Nian didn’t respond to her flattery but took her cup and poured her another glass of milk, then sprinkled dried osmanthus flowers on top. Shang Zhitao finally understood why that girl had cried and refused to break up on the phone, even making a scene at their company: a boyfriend who took such good care of people, was good in bed, and loved giving bags—who could leave such a man easily? It would be like losing half her life.
Fortunately, they were just bed partners. She didn’t have many expectations, so she wouldn’t need to lose half of her life.
Riding in Luan Nian’s car to the company, Shang Zhitao wondered where he would let her get out. But Luan Nian never stopped, driving into the underground parking garage. It was his usual time to arrive at work, and there weren’t many people in the garage yet. As Luan Nian backed into the parking space, Shang Zhitao looked carefully around, making sure no one was there. Once he parked, she opened the door and ran. She didn’t even close the car door properly, afraid of being seen.
Luan Nian watched her fleeing silhouette and thought she was a complete fool. If it were someone else, they would want the whole world to know, in exchange for special treatment.
As usual, he bought coffee and went upstairs. When he reached the office area, he saw Shang Zhitao already sitting at her computer, starting work. Luan Nian went into his office and began his work. During the day, they happened to cross paths in the office area once, and Shang Zhitao followed behind her colleague as before, as if nothing had happened.
That day, the company released the investigation results of the email incident. Tracy personally sent the email, writing: “After a detailed investigation, we found that Luan Nian did not have multiple simultaneous relationships inside and outside the company. The photos presented in the email were confirmed by the technical department to be composite images, and the man in the photos is not Luan Nian. Luan Nian did have a six-month relationship with the woman in question, but they parted amicably. The details involve privacy matters and will not be elaborated in this public notice. We have also investigated the company employee information leak. According to data retrieval and analysis by the technical department, no one performed unauthorized operations within the company’s intranet. The above investigation results will be made public for seven days. If there is any other information, please contact us actively.”
Apart from proving Luan Nian’s innocence, it said almost nothing else. This was the company culture—trying not to escalate matters unless one party wanted to destroy the other. Tracy had asked for Luan Nian’s opinion on whether to publicize the results of the leak investigation. Luan Nian had only said, “Considering it’s a first offense, we can continue to observe. But we should still have a discussion, just the three of us.” As for who exactly leaked the employee information, it was never mentioned.
Shang Zhitao read the email and remembered asking him last night, “Do female colleagues ever come to your home?”
Luan Nian had replied, “What? You want to meet your sisters?”
She admitted she didn’t know much about Luan Nian, but today she somewhat believed him regarding this matter. Luan Nian might be sharp-tongued, but he wasn’t as cold-blooded as his words suggested. Thinking about this, Shang Zhitao suddenly felt afraid. Has my brain been controlled by my lower body? Are the things I saw and heard all false?
Her thoughts deepened, and she didn’t hear Lu Mi calling her several times.
Lu Mi, sitting in her chair, pushed with her long legs and slid over to her, waving a hand in front of her eyes, “What are you doing? Lost your soul?”
Shang Zhitao came back to her senses and quickly asked, “What is it?”
“Did you see the announcement?”
“Yes, I did…”
“I said this guy was wrongfully accused, and indeed he was.” Lu Mi smiled, seeing the mark under Shang Zhitao’s strange collar, and clicked her tongue twice, “Sister, you know you’re being completely obvious, right? Just show it proudly: ‘I had sex last night!’ What’s shameful about that? Look at Linda from the sales department, flaunting her affairs every day.”
Shang Zhitao blushed, “Stop it.”
She pulled her collar even higher, then said to Lu Mi, “The research project mentioned in today’s morning meeting—can I apply to be the project manager? It’s a small project that nobody seems to want. I’ve never done it before, so it’s a good opportunity to learn.”
“Of course! If you want it, go find Alex. If you have any problems, we’ll solve them together.” Lu Mi patted her, “Go for it!”
Shang Zhitao smiled shyly, “Lu Mi, why don’t you ever take on projects proactively? You’re so capable and can handle anything well.”
“I don’t need any more stress!” Lu Mi shrugged, “I don’t need the money. Isn’t it nice being an ordinary employee?”
“Good, good, good.” Shang Zhitao gave Lu Mi a thumbs up, “So strong-minded.”
Lu Mi patted her head and laughed, “Thanks to the country, thanks to my great-grandparents, thanks to my parents.”
Lu Mi was very straightforward. She had no ambition for work; having something to do was good enough. She was a slacker, but the work handed to her was always done without fault. Lu Mi’s existence taught Shang Zhitao that colleagues could be of many different types, and not everyone wanted to climb the ladder.
“If I take on that project and there’s something I don’t understand, will you still teach me?” Shang Zhitao felt she couldn’t do without Lu Mi. Without her, she might not have lasted at Lingmei until today.
“What kind of question is that? If I don’t help you, who would I help? That annoying Kitty?” Lu Mi hated Kitty the most. Kitty was manipulative every day, wearing three different faces—one for the boss, one for peers, and another for outsourcers. This workplace chameleon was thriving, and Luke even let her independently take on a creative project. Wasn’t that blind of him?
“You should learn from Kitty sometimes. Look at her attitude toward leadership—she gets all the good projects. That’s real money.” Lu Mi spoke earnestly, “Some people just fall for her act.”
As they were talking, they saw Kitty go into Luan Nian’s office. Kitty dressed very revealingly. Even in late autumn, she wore a tight-fitting bodycon dress, black over-the-knee boots, exposing one white, tender leg. When she walked past, a waft of perfume followed.
She took some printed materials and placed them on Luan Nian’s desk. Instead of sitting across from him, she stood beside him, resting her hand on the desk, her good figure fully on display.
“Tsk, tsk.” Lu Mi clicked her tongue, “See that? Learn from it. Your figure is better than hers.”
Shang Zhitao remembered being in Luan Nian’s car, his hand covering hers with that obscure gaze. Her face reddened slightly, “No. I’d be uncomfortable.”
“Be more confident, Taotao. You need to be more confident.” Lu Mi returned to her position and began working.
Shang Zhitao glanced at Luan Nian’s office again. He was frowning, as if thinking.
Luan Nian was frowning because he disliked Kitty’s perfume. He agreed women should wear perfume, but perfumes should be appropriate for the occasion. Hers was too strong today. Luan Nian pointed to the seat across from him, “Kitty, sit there and wait for me for a moment.”
“Okay.” Kitty sat properly across from Luan Nian, crossing one leg over the other, steadily looking at him.
Luan Nian didn’t notice her gaze at all.
He was reviewing the creative draft Kitty had submitted. Kitty was a very talented person. Her print creative used bold colors with strong visual impact. But it didn’t align well with the brand.
“Let’s communicate with the client about this.” Luan Nian didn’t directly point out her problem, letting her interact with the client herself, which would help her grow faster.
“Alright. In person? The client is in Shanghai.”
“Yes, in person.”
“Would you come with me? I don’t feel confident without you.” Kitty was showing weakness while also displaying loyalty. Luan Nian smiled at her, “Have Grace accompany you.”
“Alright.”
Kitty left, but her perfume lingered in Luan Nian’s office. He got up to open the window. When he sat back down, he saw several people from the marketing department standing in the corridor talking. Shang Zhitao had her hair tied in a ponytail, was clean and simple, and stood with perfect posture, completely out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.
Strangely beautiful.