Luan Nian drove up the mountain.

Gong Yue was organizing a poetry reading with students on the mountain. Luan Nian was originally planning to check on the situation, but there was never any date at all.

He had spoken in anger.

When he entered, the poetry reading had already begun, and coincidentally, Gong Yue was reciting. Seeing Luan Nian enter, she smiled at him. The students let out secretive laughter, which Luan Nian pretended not to hear. He walked to the bar, placed his phone on the counter, took off his coat, and made himself an orange soda.

Luan Nian was in a bad mood.

Shang Zhitao, participating in a matchmaking event, had gotten under his skin; it seemed like he hadn’t been this angry for a long time. After Gong Yue finished reciting her poem, she came to the bar and said to him, “Trouble the boss to mix a drink for me.”

“What would you like?”

“Anything. Something strong.”

Luan Nian mixed a strong drink for Gong Yue. She took a sip and covered her mouth, nearly tearing up from the burn. “So strong.”

“You asked for a strong drink.”

“This is the cognitive difference between men and women.” Gong Yue looked at the drink with hesitation, but finally steeled herself and downed it in one go. She was quite bold.

Luan Nian raised his eyebrows and asked, “Another one?”

She shook her head. “No thanks.”

“Your weekly events here must cost quite a bit.”

“I have money and many like-minded students.” Gong Yue said this, but actually, she had put in a lot of effort. It wasn’t about anything with Luan Nian; she just found him interesting and wanted to spend more time with him. She liked making friends.

Luan Nian didn’t care either way; if she wanted to come, that was fine. Sometimes they would run into each other, sometimes not. The bartender returned from outside and took over for Luan Nian. He prepared to go out for a walk, and Gong Yue followed behind him. “Where’s your dog?”

Luan Nian didn’t answer her. He had never been a gentleman, and when he was in a bad mood, he was always indifferent to everyone. He didn’t want to deal with Gong Yue, and seeing that she had that slight attitude of “if you ignore me, I’ll just follow you anyway,” he stopped and looked at her. “Does Professor Gong need something?”

Seeing his displeased expression, Gong Yue stepped back. “Nothing. See you later.” She returned to the bar and watched Luan Nian through the window, thinking this man was truly unfathomable. She had only been casually interested in him before, but now she was especially keen to bring him down from his pedestal.

Luan Nian was walking on a small path when Jiang Lan called. “Kitty from your company came to interview with me. I think she’s good and want to hire her. But I wanted to ask you what she’s like as a person.”

This had nothing to do with Luan Nian. Kitty had left Lingmei because of an anonymous email exposing her improper conduct. If Jiang Lan wanted to know about this, it wouldn’t be difficult. Since he still made this call, it proved he was interested in Kitty. So Luan Nian said, “Mr. Jiang, just trust your judgment. Anyone else’s opinion would only be one-sided.”

“During the interview, she mentioned some corruption at Lingmei, such as in the marketing department. Even junior staff have many entanglements with suppliers. She said she saw suppliers giving gifts to marketing department employees during the New Year.”

“So?”

“Nothing specific. Just that for future projects, I’ll require avoiding this person.”

“Who?”

“An employee named Shang Zhitao.”

Luan Nian found this amusing. If Shang Zhitao, with her timid nature, dared to accept bribes, she’d wake up frightened in the middle of the night. He’d known Shang Zhitao for four years and had given her more than ten bags, none of which she had ever used. Now, to say Shang Zhitao took bribes was interesting. So he told Jiang Lan, “I’ll say it again, anything anyone else says or any evaluation they make is one-sided. Lingmei is a very open company. We encourage employees to be honest, and we have reporting mechanisms. If Kitty saw something at the time and had solid evidence, with Kitty’s personality, she would have reported it directly. Not waited until today.”

Jiang Lan suddenly laughed. “See, if I hadn’t told you this, I wouldn’t have heard your true opinion of Kitty.”

“What opinion?”

“You know in your heart.”

“Flora has joined the planning department through competitive recruitment and will inevitably have dealings with you in the future. Your prejudice will cause trouble for her professional career.”

“Oh?” Jiang Lan became interested. “That girl went to your planning department? Not bad. Seems quite capable. Bring her to the strategic cooperation meeting next week.”

“Alright. Grace will be on maternity leave in a few months. She’s Flora’s mentor now, so they’ll both come to see you next week.”

“Fine.” Before hanging up, Jiang Lan said to Luan Nian, “By the way, Kitty is starting next week, so you’ll meet her too. No need to feel awkward.”

“It won’t be.”

Luan Nian hung up the phone, thinking that Shang Zhitao probably had bad luck, with one wave of trouble after another. This person with bad luck didn’t even know she had been implicated in an economic issue and was watching a movie, not wanting to waste her effort in dressing up for the day.

Sometimes she would check her phone to see if Luan Nian had sent any updates about their date, but there was no movement from him. The quieter he was, the less she wanted to give in. Yet she still told Sun Yu to cancel her account.

With her careful dressing up that she didn’t want to waste, she went to see a movie by herself. The theater was full of couples, and she sat alone among them, feeling isolated.

Why can’t I have love where we watch movies together and hold hands as we watch the sunset? She suddenly noticed the dissatisfaction in her heart. She had felt such regrets before, but they had always been light. Today, the regret was particularly strong.

As the movie was about to end, Sun Yuanzhu called her. “Want to come back for dinner? I brought some Xiaotanyang from Ningxia. Planning to grill it for you all tonight.”

“Wow.” Shang Zhitao felt healed even before tasting the Xiaotanyang. She hunched over as she left the theater and headed straight home.

The house was filled with the strong smell of barbecue seasonings. Sun Yuanzhu, wearing transparent gloves, was marinating lamb that he had bought early in the morning and transported back.

Shang Zhitao wanted to help, but Sun Yuanzhu refused. “You’re missing a screw when it comes to cooking…” Shang Zhitao giggled and withdrew her hand, then stood beside him with her hands behind her back, giving random directions like an old cadre.

“Are you still leaving?”

“Not for the next few months.”

“Really?” Shang Zhitao was very happy. “Then, can we find a weekend to visit Long Zhentian? He’s leaving! We should see him off. I want to treat you both to a good meal. Long Zhentian introduced me to a reliable French teacher last year!”

“How’s your French coming along?” Sun Yuanzhu asked her.

Shang Zhitao nodded. “Pretty good. You know what? I never realized during my school days that I have a bit of a talent for languages. My French teacher says I have a good feel for it. She also complimented me, saying I look like a French woman when I wear a long coat.”

Shang Zhitao did have something of a French woman about her. She wasn’t short, had a good figure, but wasn’t small-boned. When she wore tight sweaters, you could see her straight shoulders.

Sun Yuanzhu watched Shang Zhitao gesticulating wildly, happy without any particular shape to her happiness. Happiness shouldn’t be constrained; it shouldn’t have a shape. How wonderful.

He got some barbecue sauce on his cheek. It was a bit spicy, so he tried to wipe it with the back of his hand, which only spread it further. Shang Zhitao ran to get a paper towel and helped him wipe it. Standing closer than before, she saw Sun Yuanzhu’s clear eyes and suddenly felt that this wasn’t right. She withdrew her hand and said to him, “Go wash it off.”

“Okay.”

Shang Zhitao stood there in a daze as Sun Yu entered.

She looked somewhat tired, but her eyes brightened when she saw Sun Yuanzhu coming out of the bathroom. “You’re back!”

“Yes. We’ll grill lamb ourselves tonight.”

“Then I’ll prepare the cold dishes.”

Sun Yu was skilled at cooking but hadn’t cooked for anyone in years. She only cooked in this house. Shang Zhitao followed her to the kitchen and softly asked, “Are you happy?” Her finger pointed outside.

Sun Yu smiled. “It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy.”

“Then you…”

Sun Yu patted Shang Zhitao’s head without saying anything.

“How’s it going with Luan Nian?” Sun Yu asked Shang Zhitao.

Shang Zhitao pouted.

“You two are strange. If you’re just friends with benefits, why is he so angry? If not, then why hasn’t he made any further moves? I looked at that account, and all the contacts were foreign-educated, prestigious university graduates. Regardless, this represents an attitude.” Sun Yu looked at Shang Zhitao, afraid of making her sad, and refrained from saying more. This was the fourth year of her involvement with Luan Nian. Four years, and not even a proper status. Would they wait for another four years? Probably not necessary.

Shang Zhitao was peeling garlic beside her without speaking. Most of the time, she was clear-headed and knew that she and Luan Nian wouldn’t have a future. But occasionally, she would fantasize. It happened when Luan Nian lost control and stood up for her. She would think that there was something a little different between them.

Sun Yu sighed. She was in the matchmaking business, which quantified people’s various attributes, making everything clear online at a glance. This was also the essence of most marriages—whether your conditions and my conditions were suitable.

Halfway through the meal, Sun Yu was called away by a colleague’s phone call, leaving only Shang Zhitao and Sun Yuanzhu. She asked Sun Yuanzhu, “Still not dating anyone?”

Sun Yuanzhu shook his head. “Don’t want to hurt some girl.”

“How is dating hurting a girl? A girl dating you would be so happy!”

Sun Yuanzhu looked at the sincere-faced Shang Zhitao and smiled. He reached out to pinch her cheek but stopped just before touching her face, and finally just patted her head.

“Dating isn’t important; being together is important,” Sun Yuanzhu said.

Shang Zhitao felt like this statement was about her relationship with Luan Nian, as if Sun Yuanzhu had perceived something. But it wasn’t; Sun Yuanzhu was talking about himself and Shang Zhitao. When he returned from his business trip and saw the panicked girl running wildly in the deep night, eventually running into his home, from that day on, he felt his perpetually aching heart had found a place to rest.

The girl was sincere, always foolishly offering her heart to others. The girl was also simple; you didn’t need to guess her thoughts, as they were written on her face. The girl was also hardworking, advancing every day without stopping.

Sun Yuanzhu liked this girl.

But he would never say it out loud.

“How’s my grilled meat?” Sun Yuanzhu asked her.

“Delicious!” Shang Zhitao nodded.

“Then has your unhappiness eased a bit?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good.”

“I dressed up a bit today.” Shang Zhitao stood up to show Sun Yuanzhu.

Sun Yuanzhu smiled. “Dressed up so beautifully, you should be going on a date.”

Shang Zhitao shrugged like Luan Nian, not even realizing she had done so. She didn’t want to continue this topic. She didn’t want to tell Sun Yuanzhu that her relationship had never stood in the sunlight; it was just Luan Nian’s momentary impulse. In front of Sun Yuanzhu, Shang Zhitao wanted to hide all her less-than-glamorous aspects, though she didn’t know why herself.

Shang Zhitao felt she was down today. Why was she so down? She got up to find a glass of wine. “I’d like to drink a bit.”

“Go ahead. Don’t worry about Luke, I’ll take him for a walk.”

“Thank you.”