Later in life, Shang Zhitao visited many places, but this trip remained her favorite forever—their youthful selves moving forward on mountain paths, treading the towering peaks beneath their feet. The best travels are those taken with compatible companions.
They returned to Beijing on Sunday, still feeling like they couldn’t get enough. Zhang Ling suggested having another meal at home to summarize their travel experiences. Everyone wanted hot pot, so Song Qiuhan prepared the soup base at home, Shang Zhitao and Sun Yuanzhu went to buy ingredients from the market, and Zhang Ling went to the supermarket for alcohol.
On the way to the market, Shang Zhitao overheard Sun Yuanzhu taking a phone call. It seemed to be his father asking for money, and he agreed to transfer it that afternoon. Then he asked about his father’s health, his sister’s academic performance, and whether his mother was still losing hair. These were all ordinary questions, but Sun Yuanzhu’s gentleness gave those words an elder’s warmth, even resembling old Shang’s tone when calling Shang Zhitao.
Sometimes she would glance at Sun Yuanzhu, his glasses reflecting a bit of light in Beijing’s late summer sun.
Such a quiet person, yet he had said such passionate words when seeing the sunrise: “I want to jump into the sea of clouds.”
He hung up the phone and apologized to Shang Zhitao: “Sorry, that was a long call.”
“It’s fine. When my dad calls me, it usually lasts at least an hour.” Shang Zhitao chuckled. The Shang family was moderately well-off; Shang Zhitao had never been extremely wealthy, nor had she suffered hardship. She was just an ordinary daughter from an ordinary family who cherished her, someone who would blend into a crowd unnoticed.
“You look like someone from a happy family,” Sun Yuanzhu said.
“Oh? How can you tell?”
“Pure, sunny girls are mostly raised with love by their parents.” Sun Yuanzhu turned his face toward her with a smile: “So you must never suffer any grievances, otherwise your parents would be heartbroken.”
“I’ve never suffered any grievances.”
“So is your love life happy too?”
Shang Zhitao wanted to say she wasn’t in a relationship, but there was a small string pulled taut in her heart that couldn’t be touched. If touched, her entire heart would tremble. On one end of that string was her pride that couldn’t be shared with others, and on the other end was a wrong love that couldn’t be disclosed.
“It’s… okay.”
“Just okay isn’t good enough. Your parents wouldn’t want your love life to be just okay. And neither do we—we all hope your love life is wonderful.”
Shang Zhitao pursed her lips without speaking, pointing at the beef and mutton stall: “I want to buy meat today! Lots of meat!”
“Why? You don’t earn money easily.”
“You all keep saying I don’t earn money easily, but I just earn less than you. We put in the same effort.” Shang Zhitao put on a serious face as she reasoned with Sun Yuanzhu: “Besides, I want to buy meat because I got a raise! Shouldn’t I treat everyone for my first salary increase in life?”
Sun Yuanzhu nodded: “Yes, you must treat us today.”
“So do you really like the sea of clouds?” Shang Zhitao asked him.
“Very much.” Sun Yuanzhu didn’t hesitate.
The four of them enjoyed the hot pot together, having a great time. It was while drinking cola that Shang Zhitao suddenly wondered: Had Luan Nian delivered that bouquet? Had he personally selected it? Had he given packaging suggestions?
She cared more about the flowers than about Luan Nian himself. She was brave enough to admit that she envied the woman who received flowers from Luan Nian.
As they were eating heartily, she received a message from Lu Mi, whose excitement was evident even in text: “Shang Zhitao! Guess who I saw?”
“Who?”
“Luke! Remember I told you about that rundown house in my grandmother’s hutong being rented to a fairy-like woman?”
“I remember.”
“I went to the hutong today to get some things and saw Luke! He was carrying a bouquet! Inside my grandmother’s house!!”
The world is so small.
This world is truly too small.
The flowers Shang Zhitao had wanted were in Lu Mi’s grandmother’s house, in that fairy-like woman’s hands.
“What’s the fairy’s name?”
“You’re such a gossip! Hahaha!” Lu Mi was very happy to share this gossip with Shang Zhitao: “Zang Yao, the fairy’s name is Zang Yao.”
“How nice.”
Shang Zhitao thought that the bouquet must have been personally selected by Luan Nian. He would have matched the colors and given packaging suggestions. He must have bought a beautiful bouquet rarely seen on the market.
“I want to receive a bouquet,” she suddenly said to Song Qiuhan. “Could you send me some flowers?”
Song Qiuhan almost spat out her drink, quickly swallowing it and coughing twice before asking Shang Zhitao: “So our relationship mode will now include both pragmatism and romanticism?”
Zhang Ling laughed heartily: “It’s just flowers! Give me your address, and big brother will send you some.”
“Why do you want flowers?” Song Qiuhan interrupted Zhang Ling to ask Shang Zhitao.
“Because all my female colleagues have received flowers, except me.” Shang Zhitao wasn’t lying. The girls at Lingmei were all so beautiful that people often waited with flowers downstairs. After receiving fresh flowers, the beautiful girls would share them with female colleagues, spreading romance throughout the office.
“It’s rare for our Shang Zhitao to show such fighting spirit. Big brother will send you flowers for five days straight.” Zhang Ling patted his chest and guaranteed: “Different ones every day.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable.” Song Qiuhan teased him.
Zhang Ling shrugged: “Even if I haven’t eaten pork, I’ve seen pigs run.”
Sure enough, Shang Zhitao received flowers on Monday morning. She carried the fresh flowers upstairs to her workstation. Female colleagues gathered around as usual, teasing: “Oh, the young lady has an admirer!”
Shang Zhitao blushed from shame. Only she knew the story behind these flowers—it was just her shallow pride and competitive spirit. She secretly messaged Zhang Ling: “I received the flowers, thanks, Brother Lei.”
“? I haven’t sent any yet!”
…Shang Zhitao was stunned. She stood up to look for a card among the flowers, and there was one with a simple message: “Wishing you a good mood.”
That was it.
So who sent me flowers? Song Qiuhan? She asked Song Qiuhan, who denied it, then asked Sun Yuanzhu, who also denied it.
The next day, flowers arrived on schedule.
The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, without interruption.
After receiving flowers for five consecutive days, Shang Zhitao suddenly became the envied female colleague in the company. When she went to the pantry for water, she ran into Tracy, who deliberately walked over to Shang Zhitao and asked with a smile: “Young lady, in love? Your boyfriend is very romantic.”
Shang Zhitao nodded, then shook her head. She wanted to say she didn’t know who sent them, but seeing Luan Nian pass by at that moment, she just smiled at Tracy.
Shang Zhitao didn’t realize she had entered a strange cycle. Her heart had become chaotic because of Luan Nian and couldn’t settle down. She wanted to compete—if others had something, she wanted it too. She didn’t know exactly what she was competing for, perhaps just unwilling to lose face, or more directly: what you can’t give me, others will.
Friday evening, she carried the flowers into the elevator and saw Luan Nian downstairs, who had just finished meeting a client. She politely greeted him: “Hello, Luke.”
Luan Nian’s eyes swept over the flowers in her arms and said: “Nice flowers, but they don’t suit you.”
“Then what flowers would suit me?”
He replied indifferently: “Foxtail grass.” He pressed the close button without giving Shang Zhitao another glance.
Shang Zhitao suddenly felt it was meaningless.
What was the point? From the moment she wanted to compete, she had already lost. She threw the bouquet into the garbage bin and boarded the bus home. This Friday, she still didn’t need to go to Luan Nian’s place. She was going to Phuket with her department colleagues, taking an early morning flight to start their perfect holiday.
This holiday would surely be perfect if she hadn’t seen Luan Nian at the boarding gate.
“Isn’t that Luke?” Shang Zhitao asked Lu Mi.
“Yes, isn’t that Luke? Is he going to Phuket with us?”
“Why is he going to Phuket with us?”
Their whispers fell entirely into Luan Nian’s ears. He took off his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt, turning to tell them: “Probably because I’m the boss, and I can go wherever I want?”
…
That was quite irritating.
Lu Mi and Shang Zhitao smiled at him, with Lu Mi quick to respond: “Indeed, bosses always have better hearing than others.”
Lu Mi was also puzzled. Others were talking so loudly, yet their few whispers were heard by this plague god? It was one thing for the big boss to overhear, but he even joined in? Beijing girls usually couldn’t tolerate such behavior, unless the person was their unyielding boss.
Seeing Lu Mi and Shang Zhitao like two defeated roosters, Luan Nian was in a great mood. While queuing to board, he walked beside Shang Zhitao and suddenly asked: “No flowers delivered to the airport today?”
Shang Zhitao receiving flowers had become Luan Nian’s material for mockery. She pretended not to hear, putting her earphones in to listen to music. In those days, she was listening to “To My Future Self.” She felt childish and shallow, needing a song to heal her unwillingness to accept defeat.
She had imagined what her future self would be like—living well, having her own small house in Beijing, running a small company that could support her, surrounded by good friends, and owning a dog.
Yes, also a dog named Luke, an Alaskan Malamute that she would walk every day, diligently picking up after it and seriously setting rules: “Luke! Sit down! Luke! Stand up! Luke! No food for you if you cause trouble!”
Her imagined future was very specific.
There was no Luan Nian in it, but there was a dog named Luke.
When they reached first class, she thought Luan Nian would stop there. According to company policy, Luan Nian’s travel standard was first class and five-star or above hotels, but he surprisingly continued walking with the main group, sitting in the emergency exit row, his long legs blocking the entire aisle.
Alex even praised him to the female colleagues: “Luke is really good. He almost always flies economy for business trips, saying he doesn’t want special treatment.”
Shang Zhitao didn’t hear this praise. She was listening to music with her eyes closed, mentally beating Luke in her imagination because Luke had fallen in love with the neighbor’s dog and refused to come home with her.
Phuket Island wasn’t as hot as imagined.
The sand was fine, the seawater crystal clear and blue. Shang Zhitao was very satisfied that her first trip abroad was to this place. She shared an ocean-view room with Lu Mi. Opening the window, they could see the sea, a view that made them dizzy.
Upon reaching the hotel, they didn’t rush out but rested individually first, only gathering for group activities in the evening.
“When are we going to wear bikinis?” Shang Zhitao lay on the bed, alternately lifting her legs, relaxed and at ease for once.
“Which one did you end up buying?”
Shang Zhitao became excited, jumping off the bed and pulling out that swimsuit from her suitcase to show Lu Mi: “Look!”
Lu Mi sighed: “Sister, is this a bikini?”
Shang Zhitao had chosen a one-piece backless swimsuit. The front was very conservative, with all the drama in the back—a deep V down to the waist. This was already what she considered the most revealing style.
“I will not allow you to sunbathe with me in this.” Lu Mi shook her finger: “Absolutely not.”
“Huh?”
Shang Zhitao watched as Lu Mi took out two items from her suitcase and threw them in front of her, then heard her lecture: “This is a bikini, understand? Today, big sister is giving you a set of bikinis, real bikinis. You must catch a foreign hunk on the beach, or our friendship is over.”
Shang Zhitao burst into laughter: “Deal!”