Shang Zhitao had thought being Luan Nian's secretary would be exciting. Watching him handle the first client that day, everything had felt easy and pleasant. Watching him handle the second, everything changed. She didn't quite know how to describe what she felt. She had never seen a client behave the way this one did, more like an adversary than a partner. She told herself she probably just hadn't worked long enough yet to have met every strange character the industry had to offer. The trouble started when the client said the concept needed "fine-tuning." Shang Zhitao understood fine-tuning to mean small changes, a different color palette, a shift in tone, that sort of thing. Most people would have understood it the same way. This client didn't mean that at all. What he meant was scrapping the whole thing and starting over. He said it in a slow, Hong Kong-accented drawl. "As for this commercial, we've decided it still needs to be torn down and redo...
Shang Zhitao finally understood what a business trip at an advertising company really meant. She had always imagined business trips as relaxed, even leisurely. The reality was nonstop. After that morning's tea, the work never let up. The team split into four groups. Since she had no experience, she was assigned as Luan Nian's assistant, while Lumi was sent to the venue. Shang Zhitao didn't hold a grudge, and the unpleasantness from that morning faded quickly. But she couldn't tell whether Luan Nian still remembered it, and one by one her colleagues drifted off, leaving just the two of them sitting there. She felt a little on edge, though she couldn't say exactly why. Being around Luan Nian always put her on edge. She had a vague fear that he'd find some excuse to lecture her again, as if she were still the stubborn student who refused to back down. "Sit." Luan Nian tipped his chin toward the seat beside him, and Shang Zhitao obeyed. She sat down ne...