Luan Nian was interviewing while Shang Zhitao waited outside.

Lingyue paid well, so she had to serve them properly. After finishing this business, she planned to enjoy the New Year holiday. She couldn’t afford any mistakes and worked diligently.

The reporters from the provincial TV station and newspaper asked her, “How much longer until we can go in for the interview?” She looked through the transparent glass and saw Luan Nian leaning slightly forward while talking to someone, which meant he was getting impatient.

She told them, “The current group will finish in five minutes.”

“You didn’t go in to ask?” The provincial TV reporter, who had already established a good relationship with her, questioned her when he noticed Shang Zhitao hadn’t gone in to check as she usually did.

“I took a look, it’s almost done.”

How many interviews had she arranged for Luan Nian in the past? She knew his mannerisms best. Sure enough, three or four minutes later, Luan Nian patted the other person’s shoulder and, together with Will and the others, escorted them out.

Shang Zhitao said to the reporters, “Please, go ahead.”

Luan Nian’s eyes swept over Shang Zhitao before he turned and went back inside. He stood facing the glass wall, able to see Shang Zhitao outside. She was constantly on the phone, probably coordinating the upcoming schedule. Lu Mi walked over and stood in front of her. Shang Zhitao hung up the phone, smiled at Lu Mi, and handed her a cup of coffee she had bought in advance.

Luan Nian turned his attention away and focused on the interview. When it ended, he felt a bit tired, and Fu Dong took him to the rest area.

Luan Nian noticed how Fu Dong was busily running back and forth, so he asked him, “How long have you been with this company?”

“Mr. Luan, I’ve been here for over three years.”

“Aren’t you afraid the company will go bankrupt?”

“…That’s impossible. If our boss runs a company that goes bankrupt, then other companies wouldn’t fare any better.”

Your boss isn’t a miracle worker, Luan Nian thought as he tried to stand up, but Fu Dong quickly said, “Please stay seated. Would you like some coffee? Lu Mi specifically mentioned Americano. It’s already prepared.” He ran out to get the coffee and placed it in front of Luan Nian, explaining, “Lu Mi said Mr. Luan likes iced coffee the most, but our Ice City is too cold in winter. Drinking that would be deadly. Hot is better.”

Luan Nian frowned and asked him, “Who trained you all in reception etiquette?”

“Our boss trained us. Our boss said that except for not being able to sleep with clients, everything else is permissible.”

“So sleeping with clients is the bottom line?” Luan Nian asked him.

“Hehe.” Fu Dong spoke without a filter; he was just saying whatever came to mind. Shang Zhitao had never actually trained them this way—she merely told them to learn to read the room.

Fu Dong chuckled, “Please rest for a while. I won’t disturb you.” Then he left like the wind.

“I want iced Americano,” Luan Nian suddenly said.

“This…” Fu Dong was a bit troubled. There was no iced Americano anywhere near the venue unless he dug ice from the ground. But he didn’t dare say that: “Mr. Luan, please wait a moment. We’ll check.”

He went out to find Shang Zhitao and told her, “Mr. Luan wants an iced Americano.”

Lu Mi, who was nearby, widened her eyes: “Drinking iced Americano at his age? Isn’t that bad for his prostate?”

Shang Zhitao burst out laughing, “He’s hard to please. There’s no iced Americano nearby.”

“What should we do? He looked serious when he made the request. I didn’t dare say there wasn’t any. I’m afraid he won’t pay us.” Having been with Shang Zhitao for a long time, Fu Dong had money constantly on his mind. How could a business continue without payment?

“You go!” Lu Mi pushed Shang Zhitao and said to her, “We’re doing this for his good.”

“I’m not going.” Shang Zhitao took a bite of the reception snack. “Pay or don’t pay; if he doesn’t pay, I’ll sue you all.”

Then she walked away.

She didn’t want to take the bait. She had been with Luan Nian for six years, and after leaving him, she gradually understood many things: which were his bluffs and which were his tactics to make people surrender. That’s how he was, always liking to control others. He would be satisfied once others bowed to him.

Unfortunately, Shang Zhitao no longer bowed down.

Luan Nian sat in the rest area for a long time, waiting for neither the iced Americano nor Shang Zhitao. She had left him hanging.

Luan Nian roughly understood what Shang Zhitao meant: I’m earning this fee, but I won’t cater to you. After struggling and fighting for herself for a few years, she had developed her temperament and dignity.

During the evening banquet, Jiang Lan arrived late. As she passed by Shang Zhitao, who was supervising the food service, she slowed down and walked back. Pointing at her and tapping her head, she tried hard to remember Shang Zhitao’s name.

“It’s been a long time, Miss Jiang. I’m Flora Shang.”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Jiang Lan exclaimed three times. “You’re back with Lingyue?”

“No, I opened an event company in Ice City.” Shang Zhitao took out a business card from her pocket and presented it with both hands. Jiang Lan accepted it, read it carefully, put it in her bag, and murmured, “Very good.” After giving Shang Zhitao a deep look, she walked away.

Jiang Lan sat next to Luan Nian and asked him, “Guess who I just saw?” She then pushed Shang Zhitao’s business card in front of Luan Nian, watching him with great interest. She leaned close to his ear and said, “I think I know why you suddenly came here again.”

Without waiting for Luan Nian’s reaction, she turned to Song Qiuhan and said, “Mr. Song, you wouldn’t accept my dinner invitation last time. Today, let’s have a good drink.”

“Sure.”

The banquet was for Lingyue’s top clients. Shang Zhitao watched them start the feast, gave Fu Dong a few more instructions, and then left the venue. She had a blind date that evening.

The blind date was set in a Sichuan restaurant. When she arrived, she saw that the young man was already seated.

The matchmaker had said the young man was spirited, and it wasn’t a lie. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked quite good.

The young man was talkative. Shang Zhitao didn’t even need to speak; he could keep the conversation going on his own, which was quite entertaining.

When they talked about work, the young man was full of curiosity about Shang Zhitao’s job: “So you’re constantly running between various hotels?”

“Venues,” Shang Zhitao corrected him.

“Whatever. But then you must be familiar with many hotels? Can you get special room rates?”

“…I can. Sometimes even for free.”

“That’s great.”

Shang Zhitao had become numb to blind dates. After chatting with him for a while longer, she made up an excuse about working overtime and left, barely having eaten anything.

Lu Mi called her: “How was the blind date?”

“Just like that, going through the motions.”

“Good?” Lu Mi seemed deaf. “Does ‘really good’ mean it’s a success?” As she spoke, she glanced at Luan Nian through the rearview mirror. His face was expressionless; he hadn’t moved at all. Lu Mi felt a bit out of place. Maybe she was unnecessary. But she wasn’t giving up; she still wanted to try once more.

Early the next morning, she called Shang Zhitao: “Have you left yet?”

“Not yet. Fu Dong and the others went first.”

“That’s great. Are you driving there?”

“Yes.”

“I forgot to include Luke on the list. Can you give him a ride there?”

“I’ll find another car.”

Shang Zhitao hung up and went to look for a car. It was too difficult to find a long-distance car in Ice City during this season. After making about ten calls without success, Lu Mi urged her again: “Hurry up, the stubborn donkey is asking. If he finds out I didn’t arrange it, my year-end bonus will be gone.”

“Oh.”

Shang Zhitao drove to Luan Nian’s hotel and called him: “I’ve come to pick you up to go to the destination.”

“Doesn’t your company have anyone else?”

“Or would you prefer to attend remotely?” Shang Zhitao had no patience for Luan Nian. If he didn’t speak properly, she would be even more difficult. She now especially disliked people who couldn’t communicate properly.

She heard Luan Nian’s breathing over the phone and knew he was angry again. She remained silent, waiting for him to lash out. After a long time, she heard Luan Nian say, “Wait for me at the hotel entrance.”

Shang Zhitao had stayed up late last night, so she was wearing framed glasses with dark circles under her eyes. Much of her hair was scattered at her neck, looking particularly lazy. She didn’t get out of the car to open the door for Luan Nian; it was too cold and snowing. They needed to leave soon, or the highway might close, and who knew when they’d reach their destination.

Shang Zhitao had just bought a new car last week. The company’s business was doing well, and sometimes she needed to maintain appearances when meeting clients. She couldn’t afford anything too expensive, so she made a down payment on this car that cost less than 700,000 yuan. Luan Nian got into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and said lightly, “Bought with money from selling bags?”

Shang Zhitao glanced at him and smiled: “Bought with money from selling myself.”

They both knew what each other meant. Shang Zhitao felt nothing, but Luan Nian’s heart felt like it had been struck with a hammer.

Quite harsh.

With no one else around, there was no need to pretend to be polite. Shang Zhitao didn’t speak and started driving.

Luan Nian wanted to sleep in the car, but Shang Zhitao was playing loud music, like “East Not Bright, West Bright” and “Oh I Said Fate!” The suona noise made Luan Nian’s head hurt. He frowned at Shang Zhitao and finally spoke after an hour on the road: “Is this your taste in music?”

“What’s national is global,” Shang Zhitao replied loudly, then focused on driving again.

She had worked late last night, and if she didn’t listen to such songs, she would get drowsy. Even with the music, she was somewhat sleepy, and her foot on the gas pedal drifted a bit. She heard Luan Nian ask, “How are you driving?”

Shang Zhitao stopped on the emergency lane. The snow outside was getting heavy, and traffic jams were inevitable. She said to Luan Nian, “Can you help me drive for a while? I worked too late yesterday and can’t drive anymore.”

“Get out.”

The two got out of the car, crossing paths in the wind and snow, and switched positions. As soon as Shang Zhitao sat in the passenger seat, she couldn’t keep her eyes open and fell asleep against the seat. Luan Nian could finally turn off that noisy music and drive in peace.

Three hours passed, and their progress was slow. Gradually, they got stuck in traffic. Someone tried to cut in, but Luan Nian wouldn’t let them. When half of the other car’s front had squeezed in, Luan Nian lightly pressed the gas pedal and scraped against it. The force was just right—both cars were scratched but not deformed. Shang Zhitao opened her eyes in horror, saw the collision, wrapped her down jacket tightly around herself, and got out of the car.

Luan Nian also got out. The other driver was a large man who asked Luan Nian, “How are you driving?”

“So cutting in is right?” Luan Nian was particularly aggressive. If you didn’t speak properly to him, that was fine—he had never spoken nicely either. He said to Shang Zhitao, “Get back in the car!”

Shang Zhitao was too cold. She glared at him, suppressed her anger, and got back in the car. She had just bought this car, and now she felt like killing Luan Nian.

Outside, Luan Nian was saying something to the man. His eyes went sharp, he took out his phone to take photos, and was about to call the police when the man stopped him, clearly guilty about something. The two exchanged WeChat contacts, and the other man transferred money to settle it privately. Shang Zhitao guessed that Luan Nian had caught some weakness of the man’s; otherwise, he wouldn’t have settled so quickly.

As soon as Luan Nian got in the car and closed the door, Shang Zhitao angrily said, “How are you driving! What’s wrong with letting him cut in?”

“I just bought this car last week!”

“You need to pay me back! Why did he transfer the money to you for hitting my car?”

She was furious and kept talking, one sentence after another, like a machine gun. Luan Nian listened to her rant for a while, then asked when she was drinking water:

“You’ve never hit my car, right?”

Shang Zhitao guiltily fell silent and leaned back in her seat without making a sound. Luan Nian glanced at her: “How do I give you the money?”

“Forget it, I don’t want it anymore. Or you can transfer it to my bank account.” Shang Zhitao took out her phone, edited her bank account number into a text message, and sent it to him.

She turned her face toward the window, pretending not to understand what Luan Nian meant. She wasn’t a 22-year-old girl anymore, adding his contact to receive his money, then falling step by step into his trap. Back then, he had been calculating, and she hadn’t understood anything. It had seemed like she was always taking the initiative, but in fact, she had just fallen into his trap. The old fox.

Neither of them spoke. At the service area, Luan Nian made a report call: “Yes, a car with fake plates.” Then he gave detailed information about the car’s direction and location, and uploaded photos to the platform. Shang Zhitao wasn’t surprised by his actions; he was the type to seek revenge for the smallest grievance. She gave him a sideways glance and silently drank her warm water. When she finished drinking, Fu Dong called: “Boss, we’ve arrived. The hotel is trying to pressure us, saying they want to raise the price?”

“They want to raise the price after we’ve cooperated so many times?”

“Yes. They said it’s the peak season.”

“Bullshit.”

“Should we ask your brother-in-law to step in?” Fu Dong said.

Luan Nian paused for a moment when he heard the words “brother-in-law.”

Shang Zhitao called Xing Yi: “The hotel is bullying us. Are you going to handle it?”

Xing Yi’s laughter came through the car’s navigation system: “You shouldn’t get angry over such a small matter. I’ll make a call.”

“Good. But what if they go back on their word again?”

“They wouldn’t dare. I’m here, don’t worry.”

“Oh.” Shang Zhitao responded with a simple “oh.”

“Where are you now?” Xing Yi asked her again.

“Still fifty kilometers away.”

“Be careful. Let me know when you arrive.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Shang Zhitao hung up, and the car was exceptionally quiet.

Luan Nian had imagined that someone with Shang Zhitao’s personality could probably make friends anywhere—female friends, male friends—and there would be men who liked her, and she would date once or twice. He had imagined all of this. But he felt a bit uncomfortable.

They didn’t speak again until they reached their destination.

Upon arrival, Luan Nian got out of the car, took the room key, and checked in silently.

Lu Mi was discussing the next day’s meeting arrangements with Fu Dong. Seeing Luan Nian’s expression, she asked Shang Zhitao, “What’s wrong? Did you upset Luke?”

Shang Zhitao shrugged: “I don’t know. I didn’t upset him.”

Before introducing boyfriends to Shang Zhitao, friends and family would ask her, “What kind of person do you like?”

After careful consideration, Shang Zhitao told all the well-meaning people: “I want to find someone with a good temper, who knows how to talk, and who dotes on me.”

“What else? No requirements for height, appearance, or income?”

“Nothing else.”

Friends and relatives firmly remembered Shang Zhitao’s requirements and introduced boyfriends who could all speak sweet words. No matter what kind of person they were, they could all talk well.

Da Zhai couldn’t understand and asked her once: “Your requirements aren’t very specific. Some men can say all sorts of sweet things but aren’t trustworthy in their actions. Why do you have such a strange requirement for someone who ‘knows how to talk’?”

“Mom, you don’t know. Sometimes words are like knives. When they stab into your heart, it’s really painful.”

“Oh. I don’t understand that. Your father has always spoken nicely to me.”

In front of her, Lu Mi was looking at the agenda and said to Shang Zhitao, “Friend, am I seeing this right? You’re the trilingual host?”

“What’s wrong? It’s too expensive to hire someone from the market, so I’ll do it myself. We can save some money too.”

In the few years since Shang Zhitao started her business, she saved wherever she could and did things herself whenever possible. Sometimes the company had to advance large sums of money, and sometimes they could take small events for just ten or twenty thousand. She calculated everything very clearly.

Living to her thirties, it seemed she had become a bit more clear-minded. She was still nice to everyone, and everyone said, “Ms. Shang is elegant.”

Fu Dong, who was used to seeing Shang Zhitao’s good temper, secretly told his colleague:

“I don’t know why, but the boss is very fierce toward Mr. Luan.”

“But our boss is never fierce to anyone.”

“I’m not lying to you.”