Shang Zhitao felt that heaven truly favored Luan Nian, as even time itself did not affect him.

He seemed completely unchanged. Still the same cold person, with that deep, intimidating gaze.

She walked to the table, took off her down jacket, revealing a plain black sweater underneath. It was as if she and Luan Nian had coordinated to wear matching outfits.

Luan Nian remembered her saying their relationship was filthy, ugly, and disgusting. He also remembered how she had sold off all the gifts he had given her at a discount, and her departure without saying goodbye. His expression wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Shang Zhitao sat down and rinsed her cup with hot water.

Will spoke up at the right moment: “Zhitao is a former Ling Mei employee, and she’s very close with our Lu Mi.”

“Mr. Luan probably doesn’t remember me. I worked at Ling Mei for six years,” Shang Zhitao added, neatly burying any trace of their past connection.

“Indeed, I don’t recall,” Luan Nian’s eyes swept over her, not saying a word more.

Lu Mi couldn’t help but laugh, prompting everyone at the table to look at her, wondering what was so funny. Lu Mi was laughing at Luan Nian pretending to be a big bad wolf. She cleared her throat and said to Shang Zhitao: “Now that you’re an approved Ling Mei supplier, you’ll inevitably have to deal with Mr. Luan in the future. Hey, at Ling Mei we use English names—you remember Mr. Luan’s English name, right? Luke.”

“I remember.”

“Then let’s toast Luke!”

Shang Zhitao poured herself some baijiu and respectfully raised her glass: “Thank you, Lu Mi and Luke, for supporting our small company. We look forward to your continued guidance in the future. I’ll drink this glass down, and everyone else, please drink as you wish.”

She drained her glass and noticed Song Qiuhan across the table, constantly checking his phone, smiling, seeming to be in a good mood.

Song Qiuhan was live-broadcasting in the brothers’ group chat: “Luan Nian encountered his ghost number. So this is the type of girl Luan Nian likes.” He also sent along a photo of Shang Zhitao. Everyone had been wondering these past few years why someone like Luan Nian never had a woman by his side, living like an aging monk every day. They also remembered that year when he stood them all up to go to Tibet with a woman, saying he’d bring her to meet everyone afterward, but then there was never any more news about it.

“She’s so sensual,” Chen Kuannian and Tan Mian commented.

“I don’t quite agree with you guys saying that. I’m sitting right across from her. The girl sits properly, speaks gently and politely, well-bred. Luke has good taste,” Song Qiuhan defended Shang Zhitao. “‘Sensual’ isn’t adequate to describe her, as she’s quite clear and pure.”

Luan Nian had no idea what Song Qiuhan and the others were talking about. Seeing Shang Zhitao unhesitatingly down that glass, his heart tightened and ached a little. Society tempers and changes people. He clearly remembered telling her once, “If you can’t drink, don’t take even a single sip. Don’t set that precedent.”

She had said, “Okay.”

“Ms. Shang Zhitao, are the arrangements for tomorrow’s negotiations all set?” Lu Mi asked her.

“All set. I’ve also invited some local media as a complimentary service from our company. The day after tomorrow’s itinerary is also arranged, and we’ll go through everything again tomorrow evening,” Shang Zhitao replied.

“That’s great. Let’s stop talking about work and chat about something else!” Lu Mi began discussing old times with Shang Zhitao, recalling Shang Zhitao’s first shoot when their car broke down in the middle of nowhere.

“Do you remember how your voice was trembling when you called me? You were so scared,” Lu Mi laughed as she told the story.

The second half of that story was Luan Nian calling her, praising her bravery.

“I remember! I was such a coward back then!” Shang Zhitao and Lu Mi drank merrily together. She took a bite of food, found it cold, and shouted, “Boss lady! Heat the dishes!”

Hearing the call, Da Zhai came over to take the dishes, giving Shang Zhitao a smack on the head: “You silly girl! Drink less!”

Shang Zhitao ducked her head, whining, “Mom! There are so many leaders and friends here!”

“Well done, hitting her!” Lu Mi nodded in appreciation to Da Zhai, then told Luan Nian, “This restaurant is opened by Flora, and the boss lady just now is Flora’s mother. This is a hot spot in Ice City—don’t be fooled by the modest storefront; it’s quite famous. Flora is this.” Lu Mi gave a thumbs-up.

Luan Nian remained expressionless, neither picking up his chopsticks nor drinking. However, when Da Zhai came to deliver dishes and smiled at him, he managed to force a smile in return.

Lu Mi imperceptibly raised her eyebrows, thinking, You could be a bit more stubborn! Don’t smile at her mother!

Luan Nian listened as Shang Zhitao chatted with Lu Mi about the difficulties of her entrepreneurial journey these past years. When she mentioned “once getting an IV after drinking too much,” Luan Nian drained his glass, stood up, and put on his coat, asking Song Qiuhan beside him, “Are you coming to the after-party?”

“What after-party?” Song Qiuhan undermined him. He hadn’t had enough of watching the show yet. These two sat at the same table without looking at each other, and if they had to look, it was just a glance, as if the other were some fearsome beast or they harbored some deep grudge.

There was something of an air of “protesting too much” about it all.

“A strip club. Are you coming?”

“Yes.” Song Qiuhan stood up and smiled at the other three: “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

As Luan Nian and Song Qiuhan left, Shang Zhitao glanced their way, thinking the restaurant door was made too short after all. Then she turned back to continue drinking and chatting with Lu Mi.

Outside, Song Qiuhan caught up with Luan Nian and asked, “Where are we going to see strippers?”

Luan Nian glanced at him without saying a word.

“Not going to see strippers?” Song Qiuhan asked again.

“Did you report to Lin Chuner?”

“She wouldn’t mind. She might even be more enthusiastic about it than I.” Song Qiuhan deliberately teased Luan Nian: “I guess this is what it means when people in love trust each other?”

“Let’s go back to the hotel. I have a headache.”

Luan Nian looked back at Shang Zhitao’s small restaurant. She had decorated it with a very homey atmosphere, with red lanterns hanging at the entrance, accentuated by the white snow. Outside the checkered floor-to-ceiling windows was the cold winter, while inside was a world full of warmth and steam. She had put effort into it.

Back then, when she was at his place, she would try all kinds of ways to coax him into cooking. She said she wanted clothes handed to her and food served to her. She was serious about everything she did, except cooking—occasionally, when she tried to make noodles, she would turn the kitchen into a battlefield. Yet now she had opened a small restaurant, with her mother personally supervising, so she no longer needed a man who could cook. Because the best food was right by her side, right under her nose.

“When she mentioned going for an IV after drinking too much at business dinners, you immediately left. Were you worried about her?” Song Qiuhan asked him.

Luan Nian pressed his lips together without speaking. He wasn’t just worried; he was angry. How many times had he told her, If you can’t drink, don’t drink—you can still do business without drinking, but she just wouldn’t listen.

“What does it have to do with me?” Luan Nian asked him.

Song Qiuhan thought Luan Nian was truly a fool. He was worried, so he got up and left, but to others, it seemed like he simply disliked the topic, or perhaps he was looking down on someone. Having been friends for so many years, Song Qiuhan understood Luan Nian, but not everyone could. To others, he just appeared to be a venomous-tongued, cold-hearted villain.

Song Qiuhan felt that Luan Nian didn’t understand, and honestly, he hadn’t understood either—it was only after reuniting with Lin Chuner that he gradually realized love needs to be expressed directly. These were things everyone needed to learn.

“Is Shang Zhitao married?” Song Qiuhan suddenly asked. Since falling in love, he had changed a bit, probably learning bad habits from Lin Chuner, always enjoying twisting the knife in people’s hearts.

Luan Nian glared at him: “None of your damn business.”

After a moment, he added: “None of my damn business either.”

Song Qiuhan chuckled, and the two returned to their respective rooms.

Luan Nian went to the gym to lift weights and do cardio. By the time he returned to his room, it was late at night. He had several missed calls on his phone, all from Ice City numbers. He called one back, and a male voice answered: “Hello, is this Mr. Luan?”

“Yes.”

“Hello, Mr. Luan. This is Fu Dong from the event execution company. I’d like to arrange a time to meet you tomorrow before we depart. What time would be convenient for you?”

“Ten o’clock.”

“Very well. I’ll pick you up at ten. Good night.”

“Thank you.”

The people Shang Zhitao hired were polite and spoke clearly. She had been the same way when leading project teams in the Northwest. Her entire team was like her—humble, polite, and efficient in their work. At that time, Luan Nian had thought she had a talent for team leadership and had even considered giving her a small department to manage, but the timing hadn’t been right.

After hanging up, Luan Nian called back another number. The phone rang several times before a somewhat muffled voice answered: “Hello.” It sounded like standing in the wind and snow. That voice penetrated straight into Luan Nian’s heart—their last call had been more than three years ago.

Luan Nian held the phone away, looked at the number, and tossed out a word: “Speak.”

“Mr. Luan.”

“Ling Mei doesn’t have the habit of calling people ‘Mr..'” Luan Nian said.

“Luke.” Shang Zhitao cursed him in her mind: What a foul mouth!

“But you’re not Ling Mei staff either,” Luan Nian added.

Shang Zhitao was half-sobered up, thinking if they hadn’t paid yet, I wouldn’t be catering to him.

“What should I call you then?” Shang Zhitao asked.

“My name is Luan Nian.”

“But I don’t think we’re familiar enough for me to call you by your name!”

This was the first time Shang Zhitao had confronted Luan Nian, and she suddenly discovered how satisfying it was to argue with someone. No wonder he always argued with people!

“Get to the point.”

“Just now our Fu Dong couldn’t reach you. He wanted to arrange a time to pick you up tomorrow.”

“That’s been taken care of.”

“Very well. Sorry to disturb you.” Before Shang Zhitao hung up, she heard Luan Nian say: “Next time, call me when you’re sober.”

She ignored him and hung up directly.

Luke was watching her from the side and barked once. Shang Zhitao tightened her hat and said to Luke: “Aren’t you going to go pee?”

For Shang Zhitao, there were two kinds of drinking. One was with people she liked, such as Lu Mi, Sun Yu, and He Yun; the other was for business. Running an event company was very hard work, keeping her busy every day, and sometimes requiring her to move things herself. Once, when an exhibition stand wasn’t set up properly, she climbed up the high frame herself, only realizing her legs were shaking when she came back down. She warned herself never to do that again. She only hired young men because girls couldn’t endure such hardships, and she couldn’t bear to see girls suffer like that. Apart from the hard work, the most exhausting part was entertaining clients.

Shang Zhitao didn’t like business entertaining. She would rather stay in bed doing nothing, but since returning to Ice City to start her company, she had to build her network resources from scratch. The dining table became the best place for that.

Today’s drinking made her happy because her beloved Lu Mi was there. After Luan Nian left, they chatted about many old stories, with Will frowning beside them, nearly snatching away Lu Mi’s glass.

When Will went to the bathroom, Lu Mi secretly told her: “My old sweetheart doesn’t like me drinking. I don’t care.”

“But you’re afraid of him.”

“Nonsense! When have I ever been afraid of anyone?”

Shang Zhitao was happy for Lu Mi. She and Will were clearly in love. Even when Luan Nian was present, Will hadn’t shown any distance.

Luke came running back after peeing, looking up at her again.

“What are you looking at?”

Luke barked once: “Who were you on the phone with just now?”

“You don’t know them.”

Woof! “Nonsense!”

Shang Zhitao argued with Luke as they went inside. She changed clothes and lay down on the bed. As soon as she lay down, the alcohol hit harder, and she drifted off drowsily. Luke jumped onto the bed and barked at her, unusually agitated.

Shang Zhitao sat up angrily, glaring at him: “Luke! Stop barking!”

Luke jumped down from the bed and lay there, looking pitiful.

Shang Zhitao said to him: “Let me tell you, I won’t let you see him again. Don’t think I’ll compromise just because you’re making a fuss! You’ve finally moved on, so don’t pick it up again. Dogs can’t go back down the same road!”

When Luke first returned to Ice City, he was like a sick animal, sitting by the window every day, staring outside. Sometimes Shang Zhitao would call him several times, and he wouldn’t respond.

Old Shang said: “Could it be that Luke is sick?”

Shang Zhitao never answered.

She knew that dogs, like people, feel uncomfortable when first separated from someone, but gradually they get better.

Wasn’t he already better now?