Luan Nian had never been on guard against Shang Zhitao. If there was one person at Lingmeili who could take him down, it was her. She only had to hand their chat records to the company and his career would be finished.
Shang Zhitao was his weak spot, and also the person he trusted. He wanted her to move to the planning department through the normal competition process, but not now.
Now was not the right time.
Dony had been sent by the board, and the two factions inside the company were maneuvering against each other through him. Luan Nian didn't lean on anyone's backing. He'd earned his position on merit. One faction on the board valued ability, the other wanted to install their own people. Luan Nian showed no reaction to any of it, but he held one line firmly: he could walk away from this job himself, but he wouldn't let someone else push him out. In the end, he was a man who liked a fight. He just didn't want Shang Zhitao dragged into it.
Shang Zhitao lifted the bottle labeled "One Heart" to her lips, then set it back down without drinking.
Luan Nian watched her.
She wasn't the girl fresh out of school from two years ago. She'd seen enough of the workplace by now to know how ugly it could get. She always listened to him, did what he told her to do, because she knew he'd never done her wrong.
"I'm not thirsty. I'm not going to planning, not until you've won your fight. And you don't have to worry about whether I'd turn on you. I won't." She twisted open the cap and poured water into Luke's bowl. "Luke, come here!"
Luke, parched, trotted over to drink. Shang Zhitao picked up the bottle Luan Nian had been drinking from, tipped her head back, and finished the rest. "Now that's one heart," she said.
The corner of Luan Nian's mouth lifted. He looked out toward the mountains ahead, his hand settling over the back of her hand. She turned her palm up to meet his, and their fingers laced together. Neither of them spoke. The mountain wind blew softly. White Luke ran circles around them, disappearing into the green grass, then a flash of white would surface again before he leaped back out. Neither of them could put a name to what they were. They joked about being friends with benefits, but underneath it they trusted each other and felt something close.
Shang Zhitao's Saturdays usually went like this: walk the dog at Luan Nian's place, then he'd drive her and Luke home, she'd go to her language class, have dinner with Sun Yuanzhu, Sun Yu, or Yao Bei, then walk the dog again, then study. Sundays were dog walking, studying, eating, a nap, more studying, more dog walking, more eating. Occasionally she'd take a short trip with Sun Yuanzhu and the others, Bashang, Baiyangdian, Yanxi Lake, always somewhere nearby. She'd gotten used to weekends like that.
But this weekend was different. In a moment of muddled thinking she'd agreed to go up the mountain with Luan Nian, and there they were, letting the wind blow while Luke ran loose through the hills. They found a small trail, and along it Shang Zhitao picked a few unnamed wildflowers. She liked this kind of weekend.
They lingered on the mountain until evening, then took Luke to eat fish. The moment Luke spotted the fish pond he lost his mind and dove straight in. Shang Zhitao nearly had a heart attack. "Luke!" she shouted, sure he was about to drown. But Luke was paddling happily in the pond, and the moment he spotted a fish, he went after it.
"You're paying today," Luan Nian said, watching the dumb dog. He wondered if it might actually manage to catch something. Sure enough, Luke came up with a fish in his mouth.
"Spit it out!" Shang Zhitao yelled from the edge of the pond. "Now!"
Luke whined, swam back to the edge, and spat the fish out. It flopped wildly on the ground. The owner said, "Well, we can't put that one back in now."
Before he'd even finished the sentence, Luke jumped back in.
Luan Nian pointed at Shang Zhitao and told the owner, "She's paying."
By the time Luke was done, he'd caught four fish, in and out of the water. Luan Nian genuinely didn't pay, and on top of it he needled her. "A dog catching its own fish, it's probably tastier than the ones you'd buy."
Shang Zhitao carried a big bucket with three fish in it, the fourth already cooking. None of the fish were small. Luke circled the bucket, yipping, as if showing off. Shang Zhitao borrowed a towel from the restaurant owner and dried his coat again, muttering at him the whole time. "You just jump into a fish pond like that? Can you even swim? What if you'd drowned?"
"Every other dog is scared of water. Why did you just dive right in?"
"Fine, you jumped in, but why go after the fish? Is something wrong with you?"
Luan Nian cut in from the side. "So you finally noticed something's wrong with your dog."
Luke wasn't like other dogs. How to put it, he was a little slow. Whenever the doorbell rang at Luan Nian's place, Luke got more excited than anyone, running straight out the door to greet whoever was there. Expecting him to guard the house was hopeless.
"There's nothing wrong with Luke!"
"Didn't you just say it yourself?"
Shang Zhitao looked at Luke's foolish expression and felt a headache coming on. Keeping a dog cost too much money. If she hadn't brought him to the fish restaurant, she might have saved a little. Back home, Luke went straight to sleep the moment they walked in. No need to walk him tonight, he was worn out.
Luan Nian dug a bottle out of the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass. "You should really practice your driving," he told Shang Zhitao. "I want a drink while I eat fish, and there's no one around who can drive me home."
"I drive fine."
"Have you driven since you hit my car?"
"No."
She sidled up to him and cajoled him for a drink. "Pour me one?"
"No."
"My tolerance is good now."
He glanced at her and poured her a splash, barely covering the bottom of the glass. She made a face and downed it anyway. "More."
He poured her a bit more, watched her take a sip, then asked, "You've been practicing on purpose?"
"Mm hm."
"Why?"
"I should be able to drink at least a little, shouldn't I? Otherwise if I'm ever in a situation where I need to, and I can't, how embarrassing would that be? It'd ruin the mood."
"What situation requires drinking?" Luan Nian asked.
"Like with clients? Or a boss?" She was teasing him. She had no intention of drinking with clients, a girl drinking with clients was asking for trouble. She just wanted to be able to drink with Sun Yu, Lumi, and Yao Bei, a few girls together, a little wine, some stories, that kind of ease. Luan Nian's face fell, the air around him turning cold. "Do you remember what I told you after that business dinner in Guangzhou?"
"I remember. You said, if you can't drink, never drink."
"Can you manage that?"
Luan Nian kept a tight rein on Shang Zhitao. He didn't want to see her swept along with the crowd. She nodded. "I can manage it. So I guess I can't drink with my boss either." She pushed the glass back to him.
"Now you're calling me your boss?"
"I don't have to."
She squeezed in between him and the bar counter and cupped his face in her hands. "I'm going on a business trip. One of my roommates is heading northwest to test self-driving cars, that'll take a month or two, and the other's going to Pingyao for market research."
"Mm. So?"
"Can I leave Luke with you?"
"You could send your dumb dog to a kennel."
"I can't do that. I couldn't bear it."
"Leave him with me and I'll stew him."
"Then stew me first, then Luke." Shang Zhitao knew Luan Nian's bark was worse than his bite. Even when he grabbed Luke by the throat, he never used any real force, and Luke thought it was a game.
"You're not tasty enough."
"You sure about that?" She stepped closer, her foot landing on top of his. Luan Nian tapped a finger against her forehead. "If he pees in the house, I'll smack him. If he chews my things, I'll smack him."
"Fine, whatever."
Shang Zhitao had finally found somewhere to leave Luke, and her mood lifted. She truly couldn't bring herself to board him. She'd heard some kennels hit the dogs, and she couldn't stand the thought of Luke being hit.
When it came time for her trip, she grabbed her suitcase and left, and true to her word, she left Luke with Luan Nian. Luan Nian had a management meeting at work that day. Dony, newly arrived in his position, was already showing his edge, proposing at the meeting that they use new design elements as this year's main direction, claiming they needed to fall in line with international standards. It completely upended the plan Luan Nian had set the year before.
Everyone looked at Luan Nian, waiting to hear what he'd say. Last year's strategy hadn't had any problems. Sales had been strong, clients were satisfied. But Luan Nian spread his hands. "It's just an A/B test in the end. No strategy is ever absolutely right. I support Dony."
Dony was about the same age as Luan Nian, with comparable standing, and he didn't flinch under the pressure of the room. He simply said, "Thank you, Luke."
"Don't mention it. I'm glad you're here to take some weight off my shoulders." He started packing up his laptop. "That's it for today, then? Dony just got back to the country, he should go see the city after work. Beijing's fun."
He said it with a smile and walked out of the conference room, and no one could read what he was really thinking. His reasoning was simple. If Dony wanted to change the strategy, he'd have to report to the board, and the board would fight over it themselves. What did that have to do with him? Arguing with Dony in the meeting would accomplish nothing. He'd rather spend the time going home to walk the dog.
He drove home in a hurry, worried Luke might be staging a coup in his apartment. When he got there, the place was dark and quiet. He turned on the lights, and the sight in front of him was exactly what he'd feared: the apartment in ruins, a flowerpot smashed across the floor, and Luke had chewed up his rug.
And Luke? He bounded over to greet him, his paws springing off the floor like they had coils in them. Luan Nian grabbed a slipper and chased after him, and Luke barked once and bolted. He ran, Luan Nian chased, and between the two of them the apartment was turned upside down.
Eventually Luan Nian gave up the chase and dropped onto the sofa, waving Luke over. "Come here."
Luke tilted his head, tongue hanging out. Woof! Not a chance.
"Come here."
Woof! No!
Luan Nian dug out the dog treats Shang Zhitao had left behind, set them on the floor, and said gently, "Come on, you idiot."
Luke couldn't resist that. He trotted straight over and lowered his head to eat, and Luan Nian grabbed him by the collar. "Still going to run? You think you can take me on?" He raised his hand as if to threaten him, but when Luke's round eyes blinked back at him in confusion, so much like his owner's, he just rubbed the dog's head hard instead and said through gritted teeth, "Wreck the place again tomorrow and you're going to be a stray."
Luke's head turned out to be surprisingly fun to pet, soft fur underneath his hand. Luan Nian rubbed his head, and Luke simply rested his face against Luan Nian's knee, tilting one ear toward him, then the other, letting himself be scratched, every bit as docile as Shang Zhitao herself.
Did dogs end up resembling their owners? Luan Nian ate dinner while watching Luke, and the resemblance to Shang Zhitao was uncanny, that same ridiculous, monkeyish little face, grinning the whole time as if something wonderful had happened.
He had napa cabbage at home, so he blanched two leaves in a pan. Luke sat beside him, drooling, wanting a taste. What was so good about cabbage? He gave him a piece anyway, and Luke swallowed it whole, then wanted more. Bite after bite, until he'd eaten half the cabbage.
That night, after Luan Nian showered, he heard Luke whining, sounding agitated, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, you idiot?"
Luke stared at him, completely still, and then his back legs dropped and, right there, he had diarrhea. Luan Nian gagged, and before he could clean it up, Luke did it again. And that was that, his apartment was ruined.
He called Tan Mian. "Why would a dog have diarrhea?"
"If it's a puppy, it might be parvo, that can be deadly. You need to get him to a vet. Wait, you have a dog now?" Before he'd even finished the question, Luan Nian had already hung up and scooped up Luke to head for the car.
Hating the dog was one thing, but it was still a life, and if it actually died on his watch, he'd have no way to explain it to Shang Zhitao. He found a twenty-four-hour animal hospital, and Luke went through blood tests and a full workup. Finally the vet told Luan Nian, "I checked him over, it's not parvo. He just ate something that upset his stomach. What did he eat?"
"Napa cabbage."
"How much?"
Luan Nian thought about it. "Two leaves."
"That shouldn't have caused this." The vet prescribed medication and told Luan Nian to give it to him at home.
The whole trip cost him two thousand yuan. Luan Nian thought to himself that Shang Zhitao, broke as she was, had no business keeping a dog. When he got home, he found his housekeeper had already finished cleaning and was about to leave, so he gave her an extra five hundred yuan.
After all that trouble, he was worn out. Luke lay there looking dejected. Dogs were simple creatures, and he probably thought Shang Zhitao had abandoned him, and now that the thought had caught up with him, he was a little sad about it. He stayed listless straight through the next morning when Luan Nian left for work.
Luan Nian felt bad that Luke had gotten sick once already, so during the day he looked up how to make homemade dog food, and at lunch he found time to buy the ingredients. He figured the stuff tasted about as good as it smelled, which was to say, it probably smelled fine and tasted disgusting. He ground meat into filling, minced carrots, apples, cabbage, and sausage, mixed in flour, shaped it into small balls, and steamed them. Luke sat beside him the whole time, waiting. When it was finally done, he fed him a piece, and Luke swallowed it in one gulp, then sat obediently, waiting for more.
It was actually pretty satisfying.
He left the office early three days in a row, which caught Tracy's attention. While he was feeding Luke, she called him. "Are you unhappy about the new appointment from headquarters?"