The 108-kilometer hike in Dunhuang was like a boot camp from hell.

Shang Zhitao tightened her sun hat and face mask, and said to Lu Mi beside her, “I think I got sand in my shoes. I need to empty them.”

“I think I do too.” Lu Mi lifted her face mask and spat, then both of them left the group to empty sand from their shoes, cursing uncontrollably. “That Dony is such a fucking idiot, suggesting everyone should participate. Participate my ass! The guide didn’t even check if our gaiters were fastened properly; it was Luke who checked everyone one by one.”

Lu Mi couldn’t stand Dony now. Ever since learning that Dony had tried to seduce Shang Zhitao, she wanted to snap his neck with one twist.

“I don’t know how to fix this either!” Lu Mi was getting frustrated.

“Let me see.”

Both women looked up to see Luan Nian and were a bit startled. When he had helped everyone prepare their equipment that morning, they had been busy with logistics. Everyone else was fine, but only the two of them had sand in their shoes.

“No need…” Shang Zhitao instinctively refused, but Lu Mi slapped her arm. “Thank you, Luke.”

“Stand up.” Luan Nian didn’t say much, just asked them to put on their shoes and stand up so he could check their equipment. He knelt on one knee, like a gentleman. Lu Mi lifted her face mask and made a screaming gesture to Shang Zhitao, who couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Luan Nian ignored the strange interaction between the master and apprentice and said to Shang Zhitao, “Your turn.”

Shang Zhitao responded with an “Oh” and stood in front of Luan Nian, feeling a bit nervous. Luan Nian’s palm pressed against her calf as he helped fasten her gaiters. Shang Zhitao felt a secret flutter in her heart. She dared not look at Luan Nian, fearing that one glance would reveal her feelings.

After Luan Nian finished adjusting their equipment, he said, “Take a few steps and see how it feels.”

“Okay.” The two women took a few steps, and Lu Mi gave Luan Nian a thumbs-up. “Our Luke is amazing—knows everything, capable of anything.”

“Do you know what often makes attractive women lose points?”

“What?”

“Talking too much.”

Lu Mi twisted her mouth, thinking, at least he still called me attractive, right?

Luan Nian glanced at them dismissively. “Aren’t you going? You’ll fall behind.” He took out his phone and sent a message to Shang Zhitao: “What are you nervous about? Haven’t I touched you before?”

Shang Zhitao almost threw her phone away, while Luan Nian maintained his composed appearance, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Finally, they reached a rest point. Everyone sat down to drink water, regroup, and chat. Luan Nian was talking with Dony when he noticed Dony’s gaze fixate on something. Following his line of sight, Luan Nian saw Shang Zhitao tilting her head back to drink water. Her fair face was flushed, with her ponytail swinging behind her head, looking like a student still in school.

“Dony,” Luan Nian called out to him.

“Where were we in our conversation?” Dony asked Luan Nian.

But Luan Nian just shrugged. “Come find me when you’ve made up your mind.” Then he walked away. The way Dony had just looked at Shang Zhitao displeased him—it was the look of a man wanting to conquer a woman. He asked Tracy, “How’s the background check coming along?”

“Just starting to get some leads.”

“Too slow.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

Luan Nian didn’t answer her.

After a while, Tracy called him. “Are you available?”

Luan Nian slowed his pace, falling to the back of the group. “Yes, what is it?”

“This is interesting,” Tracy said to Luan Nian.

“Tell me directly.”

“A scandal. A sexual scandal. Dony left his previous company because of a sexual scandal,” Tracy reported.

Luan Nian recalled the way Dony had looked at Shang Zhitao—blatant and confident—and asked Tracy, “How serious was it?”

“Reportedly, it caused quite a stir, which is why he found a way to return to China.”

“Send me the information.”

“I don’t have it yet. Wait for my update.”

Luan Nian hung up, feeling that the company had assigned him an opponent who lacked even basic professional ethics, which was an insult to him.

The first day of hiking ended with everyone too exhausted to talk.

However, the Marketing Department still had to keep busy, arranging the dinner, accommodations, and various other tasks. As the acting head of the Marketing Department, Luan Nian called everyone for a brief meeting. Looking at his normally energetic and battle-ready troops now disheveled and drooping, he smiled softly. “Tired?”

Everyone nodded. Lu Mi said, “Exhausted.”

“Everyone will get two days off after the event. But for now, let’s look at what’s next. Starting with Lu Mi.”

“There’s a problem with this supplier,” Lu Mi said directly. “I still don’t understand why the supplier for this event didn’t go through the bidding process.”

The supplier that the Planning Department had found acted like they were doing everyone a favor. They had been rushed into the system through a special process and hastily took on this job. What kind of arrangement was that? It was only when they started working that they discovered the supplier didn’t know anything. “Using this kind of supplier to organize such an event will lead to problems. What if we encounter extreme weather? What if someone gets sick? The contingency plans we confirmed with the supplier earlier—we’ve just discovered the supplier didn’t prepare them at all.”

“Let’s set aside the supplier issue for now. What’s our contingency plan?” Luan Nian asked her.

“The Marketing Department has two colleagues who know first aid. Today, we assigned one to the front of the group and one to the back. As for equipment and hiking experts, we don’t have any.”

“I count as one,” Luan Nian told her. “I know first aid, and I’m also familiar with hiking. Tomorrow I’ll continue to check the equipment. The men can stay behind for a while, and I’ll teach everyone.”

“Good.”

“Next, Flora.”

“I’m responsible for food and beverage. I just saw that the actual meals provided are different from what was on the supplier’s menu. I’ve already communicated with the hotel and the supplier. We refuse to pay for the last-minute menu change.”

“Good, thank you for your hard work.”

Going through the process one by one, they discovered many problems. Fortunately, Luan Nian was there. He had experience and solved the problems one by one. And today, he was remarkably easygoing. Working with him was quite pleasant, except for his high demands on subordinates. Especially when he was in a good mood, it was like basking in the spring breeze. He reassured the team: “Regarding the supplier issue, there’s no need to trace back. Once we go through this special approval process and find the supplier unreliable, we’ll prevent it from happening again. Let’s focus on solving the immediate problems. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Lu Mi said to Shang Zhitao, “How is he not tired at all?”

Shang Zhitao glanced at him and shook her head. “I don’t know either.”

How could he not be tired? He had dry eye syndrome and stomach problems. Sometimes Shang Zhitao wondered: he clearly lacked nothing, yet he worked so hard—what was he after? Shang Zhitao went to check on the dinner arrangements and saw Luan Nian sitting on a chair by a dim path, applying eye drops.

When they were alone together, she would help him with his eye drops. He would tilt his head back, she would stand between his legs, help him apply the drops, and then cup his face and give him a kiss.

“Flora.”

Shang Zhitao heard someone calling her and turned around to see Dony. Luan Nian opened his eyes and saw Dony and Shang Zhitao standing on the small path.

Shang Zhitao took a step back. “Is there something you need, Dony?”

“You worked hard today.”

“It’s my job.” Shang Zhitao put her hands in her pockets and took another step back. “I need to go check on the meal.”

“The day after tomorrow, when we arrive at our destination, shall we have dinner together?”

“The day after tomorrow, we still have a lot of wrap-up work.”

“I see. I just thought you all worked very hard and wanted to treat you to dinner.”

“Thank you, Dony.”

“I have time,” Luan Nian emerged from the shadows and smiled at Dony. “Thank you for your concern for the employees of the department I’m temporarily leading. I know a good restaurant. Let’s go together the day after tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.” Dony had never said anything inappropriate, but adult men and women understood what he meant. High-level players operated outside the rules, casually picking a flower—if they got it, they got it; if not, there was no disappointment. You couldn’t even find fault with his words.

As Lu Mi would say: Casting a wide net, not wasting any opportunity.

Luan Nian saw through Dony’s seemingly sunny and refined exterior to the maggot-infested heart within, more disgusting than a sewer. Having such a person even stand in Shang Zhitao’s line of sight was intolerable to him.

He turned to Shang Zhitao and said, “Wasn’t Flora going to check on the meal?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead.”

“What does Luke usually do for entertainment in the evening? I know two great places in Beijing,” Dony said.

“I also know some entertainment spots,” Luan Nian said. “You know, the biggest advantage of working at Ling Meili is being at the forefront of fashion. Let’s play together another time.”

Luan Nian made small talk with him as they walked to the banquet hall, then chatted separately with clients, showing no signs of anything unusual. Jiang Lan had known Luan Nian for over three years and was quite perceptive. She leaned close to Luan Nian’s ear and said softly, “Luke, you’re angry.”

Luan Nian looked at her without saying anything. Jiang Lan was smart—if he were to say he wasn’t angry, she would think he was taking her for a fool.

Jiang Lan narrowed her eyes. “This Dony is interesting.”

“In what way?”

“He says he likes working out and enjoys combat sports.” Jiang Lan winked at Luke. “He mentioned it out of nowhere when he visited me privately.” Such an implication couldn’t be more obvious, but Jiang Lan didn’t like it. She preferred someone like Luan Nian, who didn’t lower himself, who kept his distance, but made you want to approach him anyway.

“Congratulations to Ms. Jiang, then. That’s exactly Ms. Jiang’s type,” Luan Nian said coolly.

“Is that so? My type isn’t like that.”

Jiang Lan laughed softly and walked away. Shang Zhitao returned to the banquet hall after checking the meal and, seeing that everything was set up, found a place to sit down. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead—sore and swollen—each step required great effort.

“Are you okay?” Lu Mi sprawled in the chair next to her, looking at the various clients putting on a show of ease, especially Jiang Lan, who still swayed her waist as she walked, her charm undiminished. “These cunning people!”

Shang Zhitao took Lu Mi’s hand and led her to a secluded spot. “Lu Mi.”

“Yes?”

“Dony asked me to dinner.” Shang Zhitao told Lu Mi.

“What did you say?”

“I said I didn’t have time, but I know he’ll ask me again.” Shang Zhitao paused before continuing, “I guess when he asks me out like this, it’s not because he wants to date me, but because I appear timid and gentle, and he’s calculated that I’d be easy to take advantage of.”

Lu Mi looked inside at the lively scene, filled with all sorts of characters.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I haven’t decided. But I think I might need your help.”

“Help you deal with the maggot? I’d be delighted.”

“Thank you.”

“Why be so polite with me? Silly.”

Luan Nian always called Shang Zhitao silly, but she wasn’t truly silly. While she was busy outside the venue, she received a message from Luan Nian asking, “Has Dony ever harassed you?”

“No.”