Shang Zhitao felt like she was done for. How could she have said something so reckless? She wasn't usually like that. So why did she turn into that person around Luan Nian?
She spent the whole weekend stewing over it, but Luan Nian wouldn't let her off the hook. He texted her in the middle of the night: "Coming? My place."
"I'll report you." Shang Zhitao's counterattack had no force behind it at all, and it came out laced with guilt.
"Recording?" Luan Nian meant: had she forgotten he had a recording of her? She was going to report him? He didn't actually want Shang Zhitao to come over. He just found her entertaining, and teasing her had turned into a habit he couldn't shake. His scandalous reputation hadn't dented his mood in the slightest. He tossed his phone aside and laughed out loud.
Every day, Shang Zhitao avoided Luan Nian like a mouse avoiding a cat. Sometimes they ran into each other by chance, and Luan Nian would keep a straight face, then text her afterward: "Did you drink?" Drinking meant losing her composure, and Luan Nian held that fact over her like a leash. Shang Zhitao would glance at her phone and her face would flush red on the spot. Lumi thought something was wrong with her and couldn't help asking: "You've got dirty pictures saved on your phone?"
I don't have dirty pictures on my phone. I have a bastard on my phone, Shang Zhitao thought.
Sometimes there was no avoiding him at all, like at rehearsal.
They had to rehearse three times, and the executives had to go through the motions for it. Shang Zhitao was in charge of liaising for the rehearsal, relaying the stage director's instructions to each executive. With the others it was fine, but when she talked to Luan Nian, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Sometimes if she did glance his way, her face would flush red on the spot. To Luan Nian, that blush looked like plain, undisguised liking. He wasn't above taking advantage of it, wanting to use her feelings as an excuse to do whatever he pleased. His own interest kept stirring, again and again, and he never noticed that where Shang Zhitao was concerned, he had clearly been making a deliberate effort to get closer to her.
The company anniversary finally arrived.
Luan Nian had kept the details of his performance under wraps, and now it was time to reveal them to everyone. He was the first act. Shang Zhitao stood at the perimeter keeping order and watched instruments being carried onto the stage. Tracy went backstage specifically to ask Luan Nian's opinion: "What if I take some photos of you to show the alumni?"
"Pay me." Luan Nian was undoing the buttons of his satin shirt. A pair of loose jeans made his legs look even longer. Watching him, Tracy clicked her tongue. "God really did give you good looks."
"How's the internal audit going?"
"Still in progress. Worried?"
"I'm not worried."
Luan Nian's friends filed in, each with a different style, but all of them carrying the same kind of presence. There's no telling how many women in the office are going to lose their minds today, Tracy thought.
The staff took their seats around the round tables. In a daze, Shang Zhitao saw someone jump onto the stage, the drumsticks struck a few beats, the music started, and the lights came up.
The man holding the electric guitar wore a satin shirt with a few buttons undone, half concealing and half revealing a fine chest. Shang Zhitao had never seen Luan Nian smile like that before, the corners of his mouth lifted, white teeth showing, a little wicked and yet dazzling. Something struck her heart, and it gave a faint, unexpected ache.
They had reworked I Hate Myself For Loving You. Luan Nian's fingers flew across the strings, and he smiled at his bandmates, their chemistry built up over years, radiant, confident, almost arrogant. The colleagues went wild, standing up and swaying to the music. Shang Zhitao had never heard this song before, and she had never seen Luan Nian like this, blazing with a charisma no one could match, shattering everyone's composure.
"This guy is just incredible!" Lumi cried out in admiration. She turned her head, caught the way Shang Zhitao was watching him, and suddenly shouted in her ear: "Shang Zhitao, there are men you can sleep with, but you should never fall in love with them."
Shang Zhitao understood exactly what Lumi meant: you two aren't from the same world. Luan Nian is one of the sharpest, most talented creative minds in the industry, and handsome besides, while you're just an ordinary girl who works hard. Falling for him would only get you hurt. Of course Shang Zhitao understood that. She had no illusions about it. But she was still drawn to the light coming off him.
She wanted to become someone like Luan Nian too. Back in school she had sung on stage herself. She had almost forgotten that she used to have a moment or two like that of her own, however brief.
"Sleep with him, tonight," Lumi teased, giving her a shove for good measure.
"No, no, too many people want to sleep with him tonight already." Shang Zhitao laughed, then heard a voice come through the radio: "One minute left on the first act, get ready to start the meal. Watch for clearing the stage."
Clearing the stage meant Shang Zhitao's team, the ones keeping order. When Luan Nian's performance ended, everyone shouted "Encore!" together. He seemed to be in a good mood, and played another song.
By the time he finished, the strange little gust of feeling in Shang Zhitao's chest had settled. She stood at the edge of the room watching her colleagues at dinner, taking in the performances on stage too. Worried someone might trip or bump into something, she kept reminding people: "Watch your step!" "Careful, slow down!" She also guided the staff bringing out dishes: "Don't bump into anyone!" Dutiful as ever.
Luan Nian was talking to Tan Mian, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted the tireless Shang Zhitao. The work uniform she wore had a crisp, sharp look to it, a white shirt tucked into black trousers, her hair pulled up high, and she carried the radio around like she meant business, a little like some kind of bodyguard. Luan Nian let out a short laugh. The way she played her role so earnestly was rather amusing.
"What is it?" Tan Mian asked, mid conversation. Luan Nian shook his head. "Nothing."
A fixed part of the dinner was the toasting. Even drinking as sparingly as possible, taking just a small sip with each person, Luan Nian still ended up putting away a fair amount. Soon the executives, each bringing their own subordinates, started making the rounds, first introducing their staff, then the small talk: "Great working with you!" "Thanks for all your support!" As they talked, their eyes stayed fixed on Luan Nian's table, and the moment one group dispersed, the next one hurried up.
Alex pressed a decanter and a small cup into Shang Zhitao's hands. She quickly said, "I can't drink today, I'm working until the room clears."
"It's water." Alex winked at her. "There's a lot of people, he's not going to sniff every glass. Just make up the numbers. Come on."
The men and women from marketing followed Alex up to Luan Nian, Alex's hand landing on his shoulder. "Luke, that performance just now was amazing, so much charisma!"
"Right! So sexy!" Lumi chimed in, and everyone laughed. Shang Zhitao shrank back behind the others, terrified Luan Nian would smell her cup. Alex introduced the staff one by one, and each time, as custom dictated, the person stepped forward. When it got to Shang Zhitao, Luan Nian's eyes landed on her cup. "This girl from marketing can really drink." He said it out of nowhere, then reached for her cup. Just like a teacher spot checking homework at school and somehow always landing on Shang Zhitao's, Luan Nian had picked her out again.
She was done for. Even Alex tensed up a little. This girl really did have terrible luck. She couldn't get away with anything. Every time she tried something, she got caught.
Luan Nian sniffed at the cup. "My allergies are acting up today." Then he handed it back to her. He figured she wouldn't have the nerve to drink again after that.
Everyone laughed that Shang Zhitao had gotten away with it.
Glasses clinked together, and Luan Nian said with a smile, "Thanks for the hard work, everyone. Let's keep it up together."
The dinner ran until ten before it broke up. Tan Mian had had too much to drink, so Luan Nian sent Liu Wu to take him home first. Once the venue emptied out, he called a driver for himself. Alex, always reading the room, said to him, "It's hard to get a car at this hour. Let marketing send someone to take Luke home."
"Sure, thanks for that." Luan Nian put his phone away.
Alex went to find someone and spotted Shang Zhitao, who had just changed clothes and was eating fruit. She'd been busy the whole time, had only managed a small piece of pastry, then scrounged a fruit plate from the kitchen to fill her stomach before getting ready to head home.
"Flora."
"Alex."
"Can you drive?"
"Yeah." Shang Zhitao had only gotten her license the previous weekend, and at the moment she was riding an inexplicable wave of confidence. "What's up?"
"Go take the boss home."
"Got it! Which boss?"
"Luke."
"...Okay!"
Alex tracked her down and brought her over to Luan Nian. "Let Flora take you home."
"You can drive?" Luan Nian's eyes went sharp.
"Yes, of course I can." Shang Zhitao refused to back down, lifting her chin.
Luan Nian didn't want to embarrass Alex, so all he could say was, "Then thanks for the trouble, Flora."
"Happy to serve, boss!" Shang Zhitao's answer rang out loud, and she followed him down to the underground garage.
Most people had already left, and the garage was nearly empty. Shang Zhitao thought to herself that pulling out should be easy enough. When she reached Luan Nian's car, she realized he'd switched vehicles. It was the car of her dreams. Before getting in, following her instructor's teachings to the letter, she walked a full circle around it, checking front, back, left, and right, like she was performing some kind of ritual. Then she held out her hand. "Luke, could I trouble you for your keys."
Luan Nian suddenly regretted this. Why did he have to spare Alex's feelings of all things. The way Shang Zhitao had circled the car was a little unsettling. But it would look too petty to back out now, so he had no choice but to drop the keys into her palm.
Shang Zhitao was brimming with confidence. What was there to worry about? Her instructor had said she had real talent. She got in, adjusted the seat, adjusted the mirrors, buckled her seatbelt. Everything the driving school had taught her was still fresh in her mind, she hadn't forgotten a thing. She put the key in, shifted into gear, released the handbrake, and even said to herself in her head, here we go.
There was a loud crash.
Pulling out was easy enough, as long as you were going the right direction.
Luan Nian's buzz vanished instantly. He sat frozen. Shang Zhitao froze too, not daring to say a word.
After a long moment, Luan Nian finally spoke. "How long have you had your license?"
Shang Zhitao held up one pale finger, a little sheepish. "One week."
Luan Nian felt like the top of his skull was about to blow off from sheer fury. One week, and she'd had the nerve to say she could drive. He held back the urge to strangle her. Shang Zhitao, undeterred by the risk, said, "Luke... we should probably... call the insurance company..."
This car had cost Luan Nian nearly two million yuan. He had only picked it up the previous weekend, and today was the first time he'd driven it out. What a coincidence that the car's age matched Shang Zhitao's years of driving experience exactly.
Shang Zhitao's attitude toward taking the blame was excellent, and she offered on her own initiative. "How about this. I'll wait for the insurance company with you, since you're the car owner after all."
Luan Nian shot her a look and leaned back in his seat to sober up. The exhausting silence was unnerving, until Shang Zhitao's stomach growled, breaking the awkwardness and replacing it with a different kind.
"Haven't eaten?" Luan Nian asked her.
"No..."
Luan Nian sighed and called Liu Wu. "Head back to the venue in a bit and handle an accident for me. I'm leaving first." Liu Wu didn't ask questions, just agreed readily. "Sure, you go ahead. I'll take care of it."
The two of them left the garage. There was no one around anymore. After some trouble, they managed to flag down a car. Shang Zhitao quickly said, "Take this gentleman first." She was trying to stay on Luan Nian's good side, worried that once he came to his senses he'd make her pay for the damage. If his car had taken a hit like that, it would eat up half a year of her salary.
Luan Nian said nothing, watching Shang Zhitao fawn over him. For a man, his feelings toward a car weren't so different from his feelings toward a woman. His brand new car had just been hit by Shang Zhitao, and no matter how generous he tried to be about it, he still wanted to give her a proper scolding. But he couldn't do it in the car. How would that even look? The cab driver would think him petty. He held it in until they reached the destination, then said only, "Get out."
The two of them stood in the cold wind. Luan Nian worked himself up, ready to give Shang Zhitao a real talking to. She seemed to know she was in the wrong, staring off anywhere but at him.
"Do you actually know how to drive or not?" Luan Nian glared at her.
"I do... I have a license..." Shang Zhitao sounded genuinely wronged.
"Having a license doesn't mean you know how to drive." Luan Nian looked at her, on the verge of tears, and told himself, forget it, forget it, no point, that's what insurance is for.
Shang Zhitao's stomach growled again. She was starving. She'd been at the venue since early morning, had only managed a few bites of a boxed lunch at noon, and had just started eating fruit in the evening when Alex pulled her away to drive Luan Nian home. She was hungry enough to feel sick.
Luan Nian glared at her, then said, "I'm hungry too. Let's go."
"Go where?"
"My place to eat, obviously. Where else?"
"Isn't that... not a good idea?" Your scandal hasn't even blown over yet, and you're being this bold? Next thing I know I'll be reported for seducing a female subordinate.
"Something wrong with you?"
Thinking it over, Shang Zhitao supposed he had a point. If word got out about the two of them, people would probably say: how much effort would Shang Zhitao have to put in to land Luke, did she drug him or something? Luan Nian's scandalous reputation would never land on her. Whatever was between them looked about as innocent as it could possibly look.
Shang Zhitao followed Luan Nian to his place, standing a little stiffly at the door. Luan Nian pointed to the shoe cabinet. "Change your shoes."
"Okay." Shang Zhitao changed her shoes, and when she stood up she saw Luan Nian taking off his coat. His shoulders were broad, his waist trim, genuinely good to look at.
Luan Nian went into the kitchen. He'd had a lot to drink that day and hadn't eaten much, so his stomach was fairly empty. Shang Zhitao followed him and watched him take pasta and a steak out of the refrigerator. So he could cook too. A little embarrassed, she asked quietly, "Do you need me to do anything?"
"No."
Shang Zhitao couldn't manage the same ease Luan Nian had, as if being alone with a woman in his home was an ordinary thing for him. The only person she'd ever been that comfortable around was Xin Zhaozhou, and even then it was because they had known each other so long, familiar enough that there was no room left for awkwardness.
She sat properly on the sofa and waited, and then watched Luan Nian carry the pasta and steak out. "Come eat."