“Alex is just changing jobs as usual, but his connection with Lingmei and everyone won’t be severed. We can still have drinks together when we’re free.” Luan Nian was unusually cordial today. “So before we start the meeting, let’s wish Alex well. I am very grateful for the support Alex and the entire marketing department have given since my appointment. Alex has truly built a formidable team. Thank you, Alex.”

“It’s what I should do.” Alex was as amiable as ever, putting his palms together and waving them slightly. “This is indeed just a normal job change. I’ve been at Lingmei for too many years and wanted a change of environment. Who knows, I might make a comeback someday.”

“Welcome back anytime.”

Luan Nian said welcome, but everyone knew Luan Nian would never allow him to make a comeback. All bosses hate betrayal.

“Shall we officially begin our meeting today?” Luke asked for Alex’s opinion, showing him all due respect.

“Luke decides. I’m just sitting in. If any issues need my resolution, I’ll handle them.”

“Good, then let’s begin.”

Luan Nian called this meeting simply to understand the full picture of the marketing department’s current work and to learn what each person was doing. An executive’s departure would inevitably bring team changes. He needed to prepare contingency plans and determine what kind of people Tracy should recruit in the market. With this purpose in mind, Luan Nian wasn’t nitpicking in today’s meeting. He just listened attentively, occasionally asking work-related questions, but none were pointed.

Everyone’s tension gradually eased, and the atmosphere became increasingly harmonious. By the time it was Lumi’s turn, the atmosphere had relaxed considerably. Lumi was such a casual person that during her report, she casually remarked, “This client is quite a bastard!” Everyone burst into laughter.

Shang Zhitao laughed too. Lumi was just that kind of person. She wouldn’t change jobs for money, nor did she have grand ambitions. Having something to do was good enough for her. She wouldn’t deliberately harm anyone, but don’t provoke her—if you did, she wouldn’t care who you were. Lumi had taught Shang Zhitao a lot.

Luan Nian also laughed and asked Lumi, “How about we make you the sole contact for these clients in the future?” Luan Nian was good at judging people. Lumi seemed carefree, but she was firm, solid, simply because she had confidence. This was why many years later, after the marketing department changed bosses and Lingmei’s organizational structure was upgraded, many employees whose abilities had stagnated were dismissed, but Lumi could still serve as a foot soldier in the marketing department. Later on, everyone at Lingmei knew there was a great Buddha in the marketing department—even when no one else in the company could survive, this Buddha would live on.

Letting go is also a kind of wisdom.

“No way!” Lumi quickly waved her hands. “I still want to live a few more years!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Luan Nian’s eyes swept past Shang Zhitao; she was also laughing, though he didn’t know what she was thinking.

When it was time for Shang Zhitao to report her work, she summarized the new budget management project she had been working on recently. She was the most diligent in preparing her report in the marketing department.

Everyone listened attentively. Luan Nian asked her, “With the new budget management process in place, have you calculated the efficiency improvement rate for the team?”

“We’ve already tested it on two projects. Efficiency improved by 20%.”

“It would be good if it could reach 25%.” Luan Nian looked at Shang Zhitao. He was giving her an opportunity, not expecting her to grasp it, nor expecting her to understand. Although she was down-to-earth and hardworking, she was also young, impulsive, and easily influenced by others. The budget was the core work of the marketing department, and the person managing it had to be strictly self-disciplined. Shang Zhitao was honest and meticulous; she was suitable. He gave her an opportunity after their big argument last night.

There was always something missing between Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao. This decision had been made earlier, but was spoken at such a time. It looked like he was giving her charity.

“If it could reach 25%, it would have a significant impact on the company’s overall business management,” Luan Nian added. “Can you do it?”

Shang Zhitao looked at Luan Nian. She rarely looked directly at him during work, in front of others. She knew she was mediocre, fragile, and seemed vulnerable among these elites, but she longed for Luan Nian to communicate with her as an equal. She had worked so hard for so long, not to be called cheap and obedient.

“It should be possible. But I can’t do it.” She rejected the opportunity Luan Nian gave her. She didn’t want it.

When love and work mix, it disrupts the order that should exist. She could have been calmer when making decisions, but she was young then and didn’t understand these things.

Luan Nian shrugged, his eyes curving slightly before he smiled. “I can see that Flora has given a lot of thought and consideration to her work. I’ve heard Alex and Tracy mention your efforts more than once. After hearing this report today, I think their evaluation of you was too conservative. You’re not just hardworking but also very smart. Keep it up.”

Shang Zhitao smiled back at him, defining his praise as mere pleasantries. She didn’t believe it.

After the meeting dispersed, Luan Nian returned to his office. Tracy was waiting for him and asked, “Did you implement what we discussed a few days ago?”

“What matter?”

“Having Flora assist Lumi in managing the budget.”

“Flora refused. Lumi is an Adou who can’t be lifted.” Luan Nian rarely trusted anyone. He mocked himself internally: Look at these two dishes you’ve chosen.

Tracy almost spat out her water. “Flora refused?”

“Yes.” This matter was over, and Luan Nian didn’t want to mention it again. He opened his inbox to see the people Tracy had sent him, all marketing big shots with impressive backgrounds.

“How do they look? Do you like any of them?” Tracy asked. “Or would you prefer to find someone yourself?”

“No need. The people I’d like wouldn’t come, and I don’t care to look for those I don’t like. Let’s just follow the normal hiring process and look at more resumes.” Luan Nian thought for a moment. “There’s no rush. The marketing department will have personnel changes. We can wait for things to stabilize before bringing in a new leader.”

“Alright.”

“Do you want to review the HR work failures? People are poaching our executives, and you didn’t hear anything?” Luan Nian questioned Tracy.

“I’ve already begun introspection within the team. This was our problem, and I admit it. It won’t happen again.” As a workplace leader, Tracy was always forthright. She never shirked responsibility when there was a problem. With this executive departure, they still had many issues to deal with—not just personnel, but also public relations, brand direction, and many lingering internal problems.

“Talk to Alex and control the public narrative.” Luan Nian was no saint. Alex had also violated regulations, and Luan Nian had evidence. When they spoke face-to-face on the beach in Phuket, he made it very clear: Alex had achieved social mobility at Lingmei, owned three houses in Beijing, two nice cars, and the company had treated him well. It would be best to part on good terms rather than becoming entangled in interest-driven conflicts.

If things escalated, Luan Nian would send Alex to jail.

“Besides, I know you leaked the company employees’ email addresses to Zhang Xin,” Luan Nian had told Alex that day. “But I didn’t hold you accountable because I respect you and am grateful to you.”

The workplace is far more complex than imagined.

For the first time in her life, Shang Zhitao found herself at the center of a workplace storm, with countless doubts in her mind. After work, she didn’t stay for overtime but packed her bag and left. She wanted to take a walk.

She was still thinking about those questions: Did Luan Nian get to where he is today by relying on powerful connections? What was Alex’s real reason for wanting to take her with him? He could take someone more capable. She walked from dusk until nine in the evening, finally reaching the entrance of her residential complex.

Her complex was truly crowded; many people called it the “sleeping city.” As night fell, residents of the sleeping city returned one after another, and the place began to bustle with noise and activity. She thought about every day she had experienced over the past year or more—each day filled with both bitterness and joy. Although it had been tough, looking back, each day had brought some gains.

Sun Yu got off the public bus and was startled to see Shang Zhitao sitting there. “Hey? Why are you sitting here?”

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s lively here.”

The first lesson for someone living alone in Beijing is learning to endure loneliness. Shang Zhitao was an insensitive person and had been relatively fortunate to meet good roommates and colleagues, so her loneliness wasn’t so apparent. But today, she felt a bit lonely. She realized there was a place in her heart that roommates and friends couldn’t fill.

Sun Yu sat down beside her and took her hand, hissing, “Why are your hands so cold?”

“I walked back from the company.”

“Nearly 20 kilometers?”

“Yes.”

Sun Yu said no more, just sat with her, watching the bright streetlights and hurried passersby. Shang Zhitao recalled her first day in Beijing. It had been raining, and she had been arranging her things in that small, cramped room. She had been so simple then, wanting only to grow through lifelong learning.

Both their stomachs growled, breaking the strange atmosphere Shang Zhitao had created. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Forget it, you’re not suited for sadness. You’re suited for coming with me to get something to eat,” Sun Yu teased.

“I am hungry.” Shang Zhitao patted her stomach and stood up. Once hungry, all emotions disappeared, replaced by the urgent desire to fill her stomach. The two held hands and walked toward the Malatang shop behind the complex. Sun Yu secretly glanced at Shang Zhitao several times until Shang Zhitao caught her and asked, “What is it?”

“Disagreed with your boss?” How clever Sun Yu was. For someone as cheerful as Shang Zhitao, who rarely felt particularly upset about anyone, the few times she had emotionally collapsed had been because of Luan Nian.

Shang Zhitao told Sun Yu about her situation. To Sun Yu, this was no small matter. She was working at a startup where team members came and went like a revolving lantern, with very few people interested in their project.

“Do you want to hear my advice?” Sun Yu asked Shang Zhitao. “Your company is so good, unlike our precarious startup. My advice might not be very useful.”

“I want to hear it.”

“My advice is… ask yourself why you came in the first place, then ask if you’re really good enough to leave. The thinking process is painful, but the decision is made in an instant.”

“Thinking helps you better understand yourself. There’s nothing shameful about being confused. No one is born strong.” Sun Yu laughed self-deprecatingly. “Look at me, I was crying today!”

“Why?”

“A premium member was dissatisfied with the dating matches our system recommended. He thought the system’s calculation logic was flawed, first causing a scene with customer service, then threatening to blow up our company. Finally, I stepped in and got severely berated.” Sun Yu giggled. “Aren’t we all our parents’ precious babies? Yet these bastards curse our ancestors to the eighth generation.”

Shang Zhitao suddenly felt that compared to what Sun Yu had endured, her troubles weren’t worth mentioning, yet she had complained to Sun Yu for so long. Sun Yu was the one who needed comforting more.

I’m not strong enough, nor determined enough.

She hugged Sun Yu solemnly. “You’ve had such a hard day. Let me treat you to grilled fish instead!”