Shang Zhitao didn’t know what Luan Nian meant by “reaching out to people”—at least not until she went to his home. He was like an “addict.”

Shang Zhitao was too tired to move, lying limp on the bed, complaining, “Isn’t this trading power for sex?”

Luan Nian glanced at her, “Where’s the ‘sex’?”

“Hmph!”

Shang Zhitao turned away defiantly. Though she had a soft personality, she was a girl from Ice City, carrying some of that Ice City girl quality. She wasn’t short, had smooth lines, and was quite good-looking. But she was still somewhat short of the kind of beauty that would make Luan Nian’s eyes light up.

After all, Luan Nian was blind.

That’s what Shang Zhitao thought.

But her mind was still on the internal competition, so she sat up, hugging her knees, and smiled at Luan Nian, “So will you give me the green light for this competition?” Shang Zhitao asked him.

“No.”

“…Then why did you tell me to reach out to people?”

Luan Nian shrugged, “I won’t give you the green light, but from a fairness perspective, you will succeed. I will approve you.”

“Why?”

“Because you have indeed achieved a lot, have an excellent work attitude, and your brain—well, it’s more useful than before.”

Shang Zhitao giggled, her finger hooking onto Luan Nian’s, “You’re complimenting me.”

“Didn’t you ask me to compliment you occasionally?”

Time is truly a magical thing. Shang Zhitao felt that time changed them, shaped them, and even shaped the relationship between them. Although the relationship existed under a name that wasn’t suitable to tell others, in Shang Zhitao’s heart, it was a comfortable relationship. Despite Luan Nian still being a sharp person, the occasional softness he revealed fascinated Shang Zhitao.

Shang Zhitao didn’t have grand ambitions. She felt the present was just fine.

Luan Nian arranged for Sun Yu to meet investors.

On the day they met, Sun Yu asked Shang Zhitao if she wanted to go. She shook her head and then told Sun Yu, “Can you pretend not to know about the relationship between him and me?”

“Why?”

“Because no one knows except you.”

Sun Yu looked at Shang Zhitao for a while and sighed, “You mean you want me to be polite to him, right? You’re afraid I might say something inappropriate and anger him. Then we’d both lose.”

Shang Zhitao nodded, “Yes. I’m afraid you won’t get the investment, and I’m afraid he’ll get angry.” Her thoughtfulness made Sun Yu feel sorry for her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

“Then I wish you success.” Shang Zhitao hugged her and then said to Luke, “Quick, bark twice for Sister Sun Yu. Sister’s wealth luck will be woof today!”

Luke: Woof! Woof!

They met at Luan Nian’s bar. Sun Yu drove her newly bought second-hand Geely car up the mountain. Pushing open the door of the bar, she saw a man standing behind the counter mixing drinks, with a cold face. This must be Luan Nian. Shang Zhitao had mentioned him countless times.

She walked to the bar and greeted him, “Hello, Luan Nian. I’m Sun Yu.”

“Sit.” Luan Nian nodded toward a high stool. “What would you like to drink?”

“Alcohol.”

Luan Nian raised his eyes to look at Sun Yu. He had seen her once from a distance, on the day Shang Zhitao reported Dony, when she came to pick her up. Otherwise, she was just the Guizhou beauty that Shang Zhitao constantly talked about—an independent, clear-minded, intelligent, and righteous human gem.

Did Shang Zhitao even know what “human gem” meant? Luan Nian thought Shang Zhitao had problems with her aesthetic judgment. Once, in the car, she suddenly pointed at a girl wearing a down jacket by the roadside and said, “Wow, so beautiful.” Luan Nian looked over and couldn’t find the “wow” factor.

Sun Yu was a bit better than that “wow”—at least she was fair and clean.

He pushed the prepared drink in front of Sun Yu, “Take your time. The other party will be here in about half an hour.”

“Then they’re not late. I arrived too early.” Sun Yu didn’t mention that Shang Zhitao had told her the mountain was far away and the mountain road winding, so she should leave early. She didn’t bring up Shang Zhitao at all.

“Shang Zhitao exaggerated about this mountain road, didn’t she?” Luan Nian took a sip of water, his clean hands lightly tapping on the bar. There was an indescribable feeling, only making people think he must be difficult to get along with.

Before leaving, Shang Zhitao had instructed Sun Yu not to mention her, but right from the start, Luan Nian broke the rule Shang Zhitao had set. Sun Yu smiled at him, “She said the mountain road wasn’t easy to navigate.”

“Indeed not easy for a road killer.”

“…”

Sun Yu had heard from Shang Zhitao that Luan Nian had a venomous tongue. She was mentally prepared, but still wanted to punch him when she heard his mockery.

Luan Nian was doing it deliberately.

What kind of lousy activities was Sun Yu organizing? Luan Nian got angry just thinking about them.

Both remained silent. Sun Yu thought that with men like Luan Nian, looks were their only asset. If she were with him, she would first cut off his tongue to shut him up. Perhaps without being able to speak, he might be somewhat more tolerable.

She wondered how Tao Tao could stand him.

They remained silent until the investment banker arrived.

He was a young man in his thirties, wearing glasses and a thick cashmere coat. After taking it off, he revealed an immaculate suit. Seeing Luan Nian, he extended his hand, “Hello, Master Luke.”

Luan Nian was amused by this title. “Did Song Qiuhan tell you to call me that?”

The investor’s name was Xin Ji. He shook his head, “No, I’ve seen your award-winning works. I’m a big fan.”

“That’s in the past.” Luan Nian was unusually modest. “Let me introduce you. Ms. Sun Yu is a partner in this startup, overseeing sales and operations. This is Xin Ji, a project manager at a top investment bank. Xin Ji, what would you like to drink?”

“Alcohol.” Xin Ji was very easygoing. “I’ve heard Luke mixes great drinks. Since I’m here…”

“Then I’ll do my humble best. Shall we chat at the bar?”

“Sure.”

Sun Yu had been silent all along. Luan Nian had directly said everything that needed to be said for her, even transforming into a completely different person, suddenly becoming cordial. So she simply kept quiet, curious to see exactly how much Luan Nian wanted to help her.

Sun Yu had never imagined Luan Nian would be so diligent. He had thoroughly understood their business model and even optimized it for them. From beginning to end, she had hardly spoken. Luan Nian had done all the talking for her.

Shang Zhitao had said Luan Nian wasn’t talkative, like a closed bottle gourd.

Shang Zhitao had also said Luan Nian had a bad temper, becoming cold after just a few words, changing his attitude faster than turning a page.

Shang Zhitao had further said Luan Nian had particularly low emotional intelligence, never considering others’ feelings when speaking, saying whatever he wanted regardless of whether it made others happy.

The Luan Nian that Shang Zhitao described was completely different from the one Sun Yu was meeting. She even thought Shang Zhitao might have some prejudice against Luan Nian.

Finally, Luan Nian patted Xin Ji’s shoulder and said, “Better make a decision quickly. We have appointments with two other companies later.”

?

Sun Yu almost knelt before Luan Nian. We can’t get appointments with any better companies! If this project doesn’t get funding, we’re finished!

But Xin Ji nodded, “I have no issues on my end. I’ll start the evaluation when I get back.”

“When can we expect results?”

“Within a week.”

“That’s a bit long.”

“Within three days.”

“Good.”

And so it ended. Sun Yu and Luan Nian saw Xin Ji out and watched as he got into his car and was driven away.

Luan Nian reverted to his lifeless demeanor. Talking had been exhausting, yet he had kept at it for the sake of Shang Zhitao’s sister’s project. He didn’t know what he was doing it for.

Sun Yu said to him, “Thanks for helping me answer all those questions just now.” Though I didn’t need it, was the subtext. I’m a sales professional—talking is the least of my fears.

“The sooner you get the investment, the sooner you’ll have money to hire actors for those strange offline activities of yours.”

Luan Nian made this inexplicable remark, leaving Sun Yu utterly confused.

“You’ve been drinking. How will you drive back?” Luan Nian suddenly asked her. Shang Zhitao’s dog was like her, and the friends she made were also like her—asking for alcohol as soon as they entered, forgetting they drove here. He couldn’t be bothered to remind her. What did it matter to him?

…Damn. Sun Yu just remembered she had driven here. She looked at her car, then at Luan Nian. He hadn’t been drinking; perhaps he could drive her.

But Luan Nian put on a good-person facade, “I’ll drive you back then. You can find someone to pick up your car another day.”

“Thank you then.”

Luan Nian drove Sun Yu to the entrance of her residential area. Sun Yu felt a bit guilty and politely said, “Thank you so much for today. Let me treat you to a meal.”

“Hasn’t your company’s funding chain broken?”

Sun Yu thought, This man’s mouth is truly disgusting. I still have enough for a meal myself.”

“Then treat me.” Luan Nian took out his phone and called Shang Zhitao, “Come out.”

Sun Yu felt there was something mysterious about the relationship between Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian. Though they hardly spoke to each other, there was a strange emotion flowing between them, making even the air feel ambiguous. It made the Japanese restaurant feel a bit sultry. Luan Nian ordered sake. Sun Yu kindly reminded him, “You’re driving.”

“I have a driver.” Luan Nian smiled without emotion, looking quite punchable.

Sun Yu looked at Shang Zhitao, thinking: This is the man who has you head over heels? Shang Zhitao pouted, as if to say, You haven’t seen Lu Mi—she’s nearly gone crazy. Then she beamed happily, as if asking, Isn’t this man good? I like him. I think everything about him is good.

The three drank together. Shang Zhitao’s alcohol tolerance had improved a bit. Three small sake bottles sat in front of her, her small face flushed red. She even took the initiative to clink glasses with Sun Yu, “This year is almost over. Although it’s been as terrible as ever, at least as it’s ending, you might get some investment, and I’ll go to the planning department I’ve been dreaming of. This is a bit of a reward for our mundane lives.”

The two suddenly remembered that around this time every year, they seemed to encounter something bad. So they encouraged each other, saying the next year would be better, and they would welcome their happy new era. However, the next year was invariably cruel. Life was inherently bitter—bitterness was a medicine of life.

Sun Yu took a sip of alcohol and suddenly cursed, “Who the fuck knows when this damn life will get better.”

“Sooner or later.”

Luan Nian sat beside them, not speaking. He had once wondered if Shang Zhitao’s life wasn’t satisfactory, like the broken pieces of life she unintentionally showed him—getting sick, shady agents, workplace sexual harassment. But there were many places he couldn’t see, where she and her friends got through on their own. And Shang Zhitao? Every time she appeared at his home, she brought sunshine, even like that poem “laughter illuminating the four winds,” like clouds in April, truly an early spring clarity.

The two women drank merrily. Shang Zhitao took off her sweater, revealing the delicate skin and smooth curves of her waist, quite eye-catching. Luan Nian discreetly wrapped the sweater around her waist. Seeing his action, Sun Yu thought: Someone’s in the game without even knowing it.

After drinking, Luan Nian drove them to their building. Sun Yu made an excuse to go upstairs first. Shang Zhitao’s toes kicked at the remaining snow on the roadside. Her speech was a bit slurred from the drinking, “If we could hug before parting, that would be the best.”

Luan Nian smiled. He didn’t know how good-looking he was when he smiled—the kind of beauty like everything flourishing in an April world. He pulled Shang Zhitao into his arms, but his words weren’t gentle: “Drinking with others will be the death of you.” Taking off your clothes so readily—what were you wearing underneath?

Shang Zhitao giggled in his arms, teasing him, “Do you want to take me and Luke to your place?”

They were about to be separated for a long time again, and Shang Zhitao didn’t like it.

“I’ll call a designated driver.”

Sake has a strong aftertaste. Shang Zhitao kept insisting on opening the window in the car, feeling the wind all the way. When they reached Luan Nian’s home, she started vomiting.

Fuck. Luan Nian cursed inwardly.

While resisting the urge to kill her, he cleaned up, thinking that she and her dog were both quite awful—her dog defecated in his house, and she vomited in his house. They both deserved to be dismembered.

After cleaning up, he helped Shang Zhitao brush her teeth, rinse her mouth, and take a shower, toiling until the middle of the night before finally settling down. Luan Nian pinched Shang Zhitao’s face fiercely, “A little cat piss and you cause so much trouble. Let’s see if you’ll drink again?”

In her dream, Shang Zhitao impatiently pushed away his hand, then burrowed into his arms, murmuring his name repeatedly, “Luan Nian, Luan Nian, Luan Nian…”

This name was like a spell, trapping Shang Zhitao firmly within his domain. She couldn’t escape, nor did she want to. She liked this city he had built around her. Except for the lack of freedom in love, it had everything else.

Another year passed. Shang Zhitao took Luke back to Ice City, while Luan Nian went to America.

Dr. Liang was also petty, remembering that Luan Nian had lied to her about having a girlfriend. She followed behind him, saying, “I checked that dating website, it’s not bad. There are many decent girls there. I thought the conditions all seemed good, so I casually registered one for you too.”

?

Luan Nian stopped packing his luggage and saw Dr. Liang take out her phone to show him, “Look, how did Mom fill out this profile?”

Luan Nian took the phone and saw in the introduction: World-class advertising award winner, youthful genius, well-known foreign enterprise executive, annual salary in the millions. Oh, and from a good family. Dating requirements: No restrictions. Dr. Liang had even carefully selected photos, somehow obtaining several pictures of handsome men, obviously fake.

Dr. Liang was somewhat proud, “Afraid of affecting your stock price, I changed your name and photos. And you know what? There are many girls interested in you, sending private messages.”

Seeing Luan Nian’s puzzled expression, Dr. Liang thought, You’re still too green to compete with your mother. She smiled and said, “Guess what? The world is so small. Among these messages, there’s a girl who is the owner of that photo you randomly found. She also sent a private message.”

Hearing this, Luan Nian frowned, his mood extremely displeased. He opened the private messages and saw a message from Shang Zhitao’s account: “Hello, I also work in Beijing. Want to get to know each other?”

…

The surroundings were very quiet. Luan Nian wanted to kill Shang Zhitao. Dr. Liang sensed Luan Nian’s anger and took back her phone, still provoking him, “This girl is quite cute. I said, Why not meet? The girl said, ‘Meeting alone might be awkward. Why don’t we sign up for the website’s offline activity together?”

After saying this, Dr. Liang left, holding back her urge to burst into laughter. Her stomach hurt from suppressing it. She discovered for the first time how fun it was to tease her son.

Luan Nian never expected that on New Year’s Day, he would get a stomachache from being angered by Shang Zhitao. He took some stomach medicine and chatted with Song Qiuhan, Chen Kuannian, and others. He said to Song Qiuhan, “I’ve been thinking about that dating project, and it doesn’t seem very reliable. There are too many marriage scammers. It might be better to halt your investment, at least to reassess the risks.”

Song Qiuhan naturally didn’t know why he was saying this and seriously replied, “I’ve assessed the risks with my domestic colleagues. Real-name authentication can avoid some issues, so the problem isn’t significant. This project is quite good, creating a spring for single people.”

…Spring my ass! That stupid Shang Zhitao is almost becoming the poster girl for that website!

Far away in Ice City, Shang Zhitao sneezed, not knowing who was cursing her. Old Shang and Great Dai were busy in the kitchen, with Luke sitting at the kitchen door waiting for them to occasionally throw out a piece of meat.

Shang Zhitao protested, “Don’t give it so much meat! It’s not good!”

Luke barked at Shang Zhitao once: Woof! I have a whole drawer of meat at the bar! I eat it every day!

Shang Zhitao couldn’t understand and thought Luke was defying her. She picked up a slipper and chased after it, “I tell you not to eat, and you bark at me? I’ll beat you!”

Old Shang was displeased and grabbed the slipper from her hand, “You dare to hit Luke even once! I’ll kick you out of the house!”

“? I’m your daughter!”

“Don’t say useless things. Luke is more important than you.”

Hmph!

Outside, firecrackers popped and crackled. As usual, Shang Zhitao sent Luan Nian an email, “Happy New Year. May everything be good in the new year.”

Luan Nian replied, “Happy New Year. Stop being a marriage scammer!”