“Hmm?” Luan Nian sat on the sofa, taking the call, with Luke jumping up to sit beside him.
“You’ve left early for three days in a row.”
“Is there a problem with me going home after work?”
“…This isn’t like you.”
Luan Nian laughed. “Senior, you’re being a bit paranoid. I quite like Dony.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve been going home early these days because I need to walk the dog.”
“You got a dog?”
Luan Nian thought for a moment. “Mm, I got a very good-looking dog. I’ll bring it to play with you someday.” Luke heard Luan Nian say he was good-looking and tilted his head with a whine. Luan Nian covered the receiver and said to him, “Just kidding.”
“No thanks. The dog you raise probably has the same temperament as you.” Tracy laughed. “Dony plans to open headcount positions for the Planning Department and will discuss it with you at next week’s management meeting. I’m asking for your thoughts in advance. If you agree, according to convention, we should allocate 30% of the headcount for internal candidates.”
“Open them all to external candidates,” Luan Nian said. “Among the people in the company, I don’t see anyone who currently meets the hiring standards for the Planning Department.”
“Alright.”
Luan Nian hung up, turned to look at Luke, and said to him, “Your owner won’t catch this bus. But I think she can catch the next one. What do you think?”
Luke: Woof!
“What the hell are you woofing about!” Luan Nian pinched his dog face, then went upstairs to exercise. Just as he got on the treadmill, he received a call from Jiang Lan. “Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Your company’s new Planning Department manager is not bad. You have a good eye.” How clever Jiang Lan was, able to understand at a glance.
“I’m glad Mr. Jiang is satisfied.”
Jiang Lan stopped beating around the bush with Luan Nian. “He’s coming on strong.”
“That’s good. Without determination, he wouldn’t be appointed. If he’s aggressive, I can be more relaxed.”
“You’re being distant.”
“I just think everyone takes workplace competition too seriously.”
“Let me know if you need help.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Luan Nian hung up and got on the treadmill. When the enemy advances, we retreat—isn’t that also a strategy?
After running just two kilometers, he received a call from Zang Yao. “I’m leaving. Do you want to meet?”
“Didn’t you say you would stay in Beijing for two more years?”
“Not anymore. I’m waiting for you by Houhai. I’ll send you the location later.”
“Okay.”
Luan Nian got ready to leave, and Luke followed him down to the garage. Luan Nian told him several times to stay home, but he acted as if he didn’t understand. With no choice, Luan Nian took him along. Luke sat in the back seat, then seized an opportunity to dart to the front passenger seat, sticking his little nose through the crack in the window to breathe the free air outside.
While waiting at a red light, people in nearby cars who found Luke cute would greet him. Then they would look at the dog’s owner, such a handsome and stylish man, and think that the car, the man, and the dog were all quite impressive. They traveled this way to Houhai. Luan Nian led Luke on a leash to find Zang Yao. Luke seemed to know he was good-looking, walking with his neck stretched upward, giving the impression that he was somehow relying on his human’s status.
Zang Yao was very surprised to see Luan Nian with a dog, especially such a cute one. She looked at Luke, then at him, with an intriguing expression.
“What is it?”
“This isn’t your dog.”
“Then whose is it?”
“I’m guessing it belongs to a woman.” Zang Yao knew Luan Nian too well. He wouldn’t keep a dog, and if he did, it would be a fierce one, like a pit bull or Tibetan mastiff.
Luan Nian found a bottle of water, squatted down to give Luke a drink, tied him to a chair, and then looked at Zang Yao. “You guessed right.”
Zang Yao smiled and went to look at Luke. This dog was handsome. Although it was in an awkward stage of growth, its little eyes were bright, and it smiled at you with its tongue out, carefree and worry-free. They say a dog resembles its owner. Zang Yao imagined what the dog’s owner might look like—probably a harmless, clean, refreshing, and adorable girl just like it.
“When are you leaving?” Luan Nian asked her.
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Why so sudden?”
“I broke up.” Zang Yao extended her arm, which still had purple marks on it. “He drank too much and couldn’t control himself. I cut his arm with a knife, so he didn’t get the better of me. That’s that. I’m going back to America.”
Luan Nian looked at her arm, his brows furrowing. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Where does he sing?”
“He left.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid you’d fight for me, and I wouldn’t be able to resist telling you I love you.” Zang Yao looked at Luan Nian. “This is probably the first and last time I’ll confess my feelings directly, Luan Nian. You know I can’t hide my thoughts. All these years, the only thing I’ve hidden is that I love you. I probably fell in love with your happy, perfect family, and also with your forever unrestrained demeanor. I never expected to be with you. Not everyone gets what they want.”
Luan Nian didn’t speak. Luke, sitting nearby, suddenly barked at Zang Yao, raising his front paws onto Luan Nian’s leg, then barked at Zang Yao once more.
Zang Yao laughed. Such a beautiful person, her smile like a fleeting glimpse of a wild goose. “This dog is watching over you for its owner!”
Luan Nian looked down at Luke. “Him? He’s just a silly dog.”
Luke barked at Luan Nian again, displeased.
Zang Yao was amused by Luke, but her smile faded as she looked at Luan Nian. “Remember to come see me when you’re in New York.”
“I will. He left?”
“Yes, really left. He couldn’t make it here. The money he earned wasn’t even enough for his drinking.”
“Good. Then I wish you a safe journey.” Luan Nian checked his watch and went to untie Luke’s leash. Zang Yao saw Luan Nian crouching there, his hair always neat and clean, his clothes always appropriate, always rational. She regretted that in all these years of knowing him, she had never seen Luan Nian’s other side.
Luan Nian stood up, and Zang Yao extended her hand to him. “Shall we hug?”
“Okay.” Luan Nian stepped forward, just as he reached out, Luke stood between them, even sitting down with a grin. Zang Yao shrugged, gave him a symbolic hug, then quickly stepped back. She looked down at Luke and said, “You’re so smart.”
Luke suddenly stuck out his tongue as if saying: Of course.
Zang Yao turned and left. She had always been a decisive person, drifting around the world for so many years, never stopping despite winds and rain—a very cool woman. Luan Nian didn’t have many female friends; Zang Yao was probably the only one. Luan Nian remembered the day he met Zang Yao. Someone pushed his shoulder and said, “Go for it!”
He shook his head. “The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew nothing would happen between us.” But they could be friends.
Luan Nian walked with Luke along the edge of Houhai. Young girls approached with blushing faces to play with Luke. And Luke? He enjoyed being the center of attention, showing off all his special tricks to the girls one by one.
But there was one thing—if any girl spoke to Luan Nian, such as asking how old the dog was, what his name was, or commenting on how cute his dog was… as soon as they opened their mouths, Luke would bark, not allowing anyone to talk to Luan Nian.
When Zang Yao said Luke was watching over him for his owner, he thought it was just a coincidence, but by now, he didn’t think it was a coincidence anymore. He pinched Luke’s dog face and asked, “Are you watching over me for your master?” Seeing him bark once righteously, he scolded, “What relationship do we have for you to watch over me?”
He patted Luke’s head firmly. “Let’s go home!”
Luan Nian contentedly played the role of dog dad for a week, arriving at the office at nine in the morning and leaving at six in the evening. Tracy became a bit restless, and his colleagues were getting a bit scared. In the workplace, if someone’s work habits change dramatically—for instance, going from diligent to not diligent, or from easy-going to suddenly confrontational—it indicates that this person is dissatisfied with the company or is planning to leave.
On Friday, as Luan Nian was packing up to leave as usual, Tracy entered his office.
“Let’s talk on Monday. I need to go home and walk the dog.”
“No.” Tracy sat down. “Let’s talk now.”
“Won’t live till Monday?” Luan Nian retorted, glancing at his watch. If he got back late, Luke would wreck the house. He should have listened to that fool Shang Zhitao and put Luke in a cage.
Tracy didn’t engage with Luan Nian’s provocation and asked directly, “What do you think of Dony?”
“He’s good.”
“What’s your basis for judgment?”
“After taking office, he quickly visited the core clients, actively prepared new strategies, and got along well with colleagues. All very good.”
Tracy nodded. “That’s good.”
“What do you think?” Luan Nian asked her.
“I also think he’s quite good.” After working in human resources for so many years, Tracy’s intuition told her that Dony was not simple.
Luan Nian smiled. “So why wasn’t Dony’s background check document sent to me?”
“We just received it today. The board hired him directly, so the background check didn’t go through our department,” Tracy explained.
“But you must have arranged a separate background check.” After years of working together, Luan Nian understood Tracy. She appeared gentle but didn’t allow others to challenge her authority. When the board arranged for someone to come over without the background check going through her, she would first feel that the situation was uncontrollable, and then she would take the initiative. Therefore, when it came to battling with others, one couldn’t be hasty. Given a little time, with various interests laid out, everyone’s stance would become clear. Like Tracy’s. Today, the board dared to arrange a Dony without her involvement; tomorrow, they might arrange a new HR director without consulting her.
Tracy smiled meaningfully. “Since it didn’t go through our company’s background check agency, Luke will have to find a way to approve this expense for me.”
The corner of Luan Nian’s mouth turned up. “Okay.” Luan Nian stood up and said to Tracy, “I need to walk the dog.”
“You got a dog?”
“Why would I lie to you?” Luan Nian took out his phone and showed her a photo of him and Luke by Houhai. A girl had taken it for them. Originally, she was going to send it to Luan Nian’s email, but Luke had barked at the right moment, so Luan Nian apologetically said, “Post it on Weibo, and I’ll download it.”
The photo was nice. Luke and Luke—both quite handsome.
Tracy exclaimed, “Nice dog. Can’t you hire someone to walk it?”
“No.” Luan Nian smiled ambiguously and turned to leave.
Tracy picked up her phone and called, “Continue with the background check on that person I mentioned last time. The money is taken care of.” She returned to her desk and forwarded Dony’s background check document from headquarters to Luan Nian.
When Luan Nian got home, he saw that Shang Zhitao had returned from her business trip and was in a meeting with suppliers about August’s event bidding. Luke was lying at her feet, clearly having been walked already. Luan Nian sat on the sofa, opened his laptop, and looked at the file Tracy had sent him.
The resume was indeed impressive—consulting plus an artistic background. Luan Nian skimmed through it; there wasn’t much to see. What the board sent would be something everyone could see, and Luan Nian wasn’t interested in these honors. Seeing Shang Zhitao finish her meeting and close her laptop, he asked, “How much reserve budget does the Marketing Department have left unused?”
“This quarter still has over 600,000.”
“Human Resources needs to do a project. They’ll send an approval email tonight. Have finance transfer it to them.”
“Okay.”
“Special approval,” Luan Nian added. “Pay attention to confidentiality.”
“Alright.”
Shang Zhitao felt like she was in the same boat as Luan Nian, which was a peculiar feeling. She didn’t ask what special project HR was doing or why it needed special approval—there was nothing to ask. But she could ask about Luke’s situation. She had asked once during her business trip, and Luan Nian had said he was fine, adding, “If you don’t trust me, I can send him to boarding school today.” So she hadn’t dared to ask again.
“Was Luke well-behaved?”
“Mm.”
“He didn’t get sick or anything, right? He’s still young and gets sick easily. That’s also why I didn’t want to send him to boarding.”
Luan Nian didn’t answer her directly but pointed at Luke. “Isn’t he fine?”
Luke suddenly stood up, ran to Shang Zhitao’s side, and barked repeatedly, as if he had suffered some grievance.
?
Dogs can’t talk. Luan Nian leaned back on the sofa in a relaxed posture, not forgetting to complain, “This dog you raise barks all day. It’s quite annoying.”