[“There’s no need to be so polite between us.”]

The spring in Beijing has always been plagued by sandstorms. No one knows exactly which year it started, but it’s certain that it continued into March of 2021.

Early in the morning, Yu Qing pulled open the curtains at home and looked out. The cars parked in the community lot were already covered with a yellow layer of dust, creating a murky haze. Shaking her head, she thought about how she would go to the market today to pick ingredients for cooking.

Actually, these days, various delivery services are quite advanced, and she could easily place an order on her phone for cooking materials. However, as a food blogger, cooking still requires attention to detail. For her latest video, she planned to make handmade beef balls, which required fresh ingredients that couldn’t be compromised. She had to go to the market to select the freshest beef available.

She was about to leave when she quickly went to her daughter’s room to wake her up. As she knocked on the door, Zhou Leqi was still curled up asleep under the covers.

Yu Qing entered the bedroom and immediately pulled open the curtains, tidying up while talking to her daughter: “Get up quickly, Qiqi. You can’t be late on your first day of work. It will take a long time to get there…”

Busy as always.

The person in the bed didn’t respond for a long time, too exhausted to move. After a while, she finally mustered the energy to grab her phone from the bedside table. The screen showed 6:50.

She sighed and quickly got up.

At 26 years old, Zhou Leqi was still as disciplined and serious as she had been as a child. Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate to get out of bed, but lately, she had been in the midst of a project period, overworked and overwhelmed, having worked overtime continuously for more than half a month. Last night, she stayed up until 2 a.m. reviewing materials and replying to messages, making it understandably difficult to get out of bed.

But she had to get up early.

In the vast city of Beijing, where housing prices were exorbitant, she still couldn’t afford to rent a place within the Fourth Ring Road. Living with her mother meant she couldn’t share a rental with others, so she ended up renting a place in Tongzhou. Her company, however, was located in the CBD, right next to CCTV headquarters. The distance was considerable, so to avoid being late, she had to wake up every day before 7 a.m.

She got up, hurriedly washing her face, changing clothes, and applying makeup. It wasn’t that she loved dressing up; working in investment banking simply didn’t allow for a disheveled appearance. Everyone else was polished and elegant, and if you were the only one without makeup, it would stand out. Although Zhou Leqi generally disliked wearing makeup, she now had no choice but to spend half an hour each morning in front of the bathroom mirror applying cosmetics.

As she drew her eyebrows, she heard Yu Qing preparing to leave. At the door, her mother called out, “Qiqi,” and Zhou Leqi responded. Then she heard her mother say, “We’re having hot pot tonight. Remember to invite your friends over.”

With that, the door closed with a bang, and Yu Qing was gone.

Zhou Leqi sighed and reopened her eyeshadow palette.

It was exactly 8:45 when she arrived at the building where her company was located. There was still time to buy a coffee. Although Zhou Leqi had been interning at the company for nearly a year, today was her first official day as a full-time employee. She felt it was important to mark the occasion with some sense of ceremony.

Fifteen minutes later, she walked into the office right on time, holding a cup of coffee. By then, most of her colleagues were already there. They greeted her and thanked her for bringing them coffee.

When she handed the last coffee to a colleague, the person not only thanked her but also passed along a message, smiling and saying, “Lucky, Mr. Pei said to come to his office once you arrive.”

Zhou Leqi glanced at the VP’s private office across the large office space, then turned back to her colleague and said, “Thank you.”

SWD was one of the top investment banks in the industry, and the investment banking division was the core department of the company. Employees here were graduates of the world’s most prestigious universities. Domestic institutions, unless under special circumstances, only recruited graduates from Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiao Tong Universities—elite among elites.

Zhou Leqi had completed both her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Tsinghua’s School of Economics and Management. During her second year of graduate school, she began interning at SWD and had finally received a formal job offer. By this year, Pei Qiming had become the youngest VP in the company’s history.

At this moment, Zhou Leqi knocked on his office door. Not long after, his voice came from inside: “Come in.”

Zhou Leqi pushed the door open and saw Pei Qiming hard at work.

After seven years, Pei Qiming hadn’t changed much.

He had always been a steady and mature man, exuding elegance at all times. The only difference now might be that he appeared even more refined, embodying the quintessential aura of a social elite. Dressed impeccably in a suit, he was both dignified and adaptable.

He was reviewing some documents while his computer was on, preparing to monitor the morning stock market. When he saw that it was her, his expression softened. He casually closed the documents and gestured for her to sit, saying, “Take a seat.”

Zhou Leqi smiled and nodded, casually placing the Americano she had brought for him on the desk.

He also smiled, took the coffee but didn’t drink it, only saying, “There’s no need to be so polite between us.”

Indeed, there was no need for formality between them. They were too familiar with each other.

They had been classmates for three years in high school, and later in university, they became senior and junior colleagues. Previously, when Zhou Leqi joined SWD, Pei Qiming had helped her out. At that time, he was still an Associate, and she had interned under him. Since then, they had worked together on two IPOs.

“It’s the first day of work,” Zhou Leqi responded. “Everyone gets it.”

Pei Qiming chuckled and shook his head, not saying anything more.

At this moment, Zhou Leqi asked, “Mr. Pei, did you call me here for something?”

Her personality had always been a bit rigid, strictly following rules and being proper. Even though she had a close personal relationship with Pei Qiming, she still respectfully called him “Mr. Pei” at the company, whether in public or private.

Pei Qiming was already accustomed to her style. When discussing official matters, he became slightly more serious, replying, “Yes, there is something I want to inform you about in advance.”

What Pei Qiming wanted to discuss was a recent case their team was handling.

Pielno was a Sino-Italian joint venture wine company planning to go public in Hong Kong soon. This project had fallen under the group led by Pei Qiming, and Zhou Leqi had previously followed up on it for some time. Their major production sites were in Tuscany and Piedmont, Italy. The company had many business dealings in Europe, so SWD’s due diligence report would inevitably require a trip overseas.

Pei Qiming intended to personally visit Europe, but he was managing multiple projects, and it was uncertain if he could find the time. Therefore, he planned to send Zhou Leqi abroad once her current project was completed. This was a necessary part of the job process for new employees.

Zhou Leqi had no objections and expressed that she would quickly hand over her previous work on Pielno to her colleagues, preparing herself to enter the project at any time.

Her dependability had always been appreciated by Pei Qiming. He knew there was no need to give her further instructions. His demeanor softened, shifting into a more relaxed mode outside of work. Smiling, he asked her, “It’s your first day of work; shall we celebrate with dinner?”

“We should celebrate, but we can’t eat out,” Zhou Leqi sighed. “My mom has already planned what to cook yesterday and insisted that I invite you. She wouldn’t believe me when I said you were busy.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Qiming raised his eyebrows, showing great interest, and said, “Auntie cooking? Then I must attend, even if I’m not working overtime.”

This was rare. Everyone knew that Mr. Pei of SWD was someone who worked tirelessly, capable of staying awake for days to complete a project. Out of 365 days, he spent at least 300 days working overtime at the company. It wasn’t easy to make him take a day off.

Hearing this, Zhou Leqi teased that her mother held significant influence. He chuckled and agreed, saying that he could only watch Auntie cook in videos, longing for the food but only able to like, comment, and subscribe. Today, having the opportunity to taste her cooking, he couldn’t miss out on such a bargain.

They both enjoyed the conversation.

In the evening, Zhou Leqi left work with Pei Qiming. He had bought a car, a Volvo SUV, low-key yet stable. However, even the best cars couldn’t move swiftly on Beijing’s roads, especially during rush hour. It took over two hours to drive from the CBD to Tongzhou, and they arrived home at nearly 8:30 PM.

By then, Milan was already there, helping Yu Qing bring dishes to the dining table for the hot pot. Seeing Zhou Leqi and Pei Qiming return, she greeted them warmly. As she wasn’t very familiar with Pei Qiming, she specifically greeted him with “Hello, Senior.”

Milan had maintained a good relationship with Zhou Leqi over the years.

During her college entrance exam, Milan had performed exceptionally well, directly meeting Renmin University’s admission line, astonishing all the teachers at No. 1 High School. No one doubted her talent. Unfortunately, her score fell short of her first-choice major in law, so she opted for international relations to ensure stability. Now, she was working as a director-producer for an international news program at Beijing TV, with a smooth career development.

She and Zhou Leqi hadn’t kept much in touch during their freshman year, but they met again during a volunteer service activity in their sophomore year. Recognizing each other, they exchanged WeChat contacts and gradually became close friends.

Milan had indeed changed quite a bit over the years.

Her hair used to be mid-length, only able to tie into a small bun. Now, she had grown it long, appearing more gentle and mature. People working in television valued appearances, wearing professional suits to work, looking sharp and competent, far from the flashy childlike appearance she had before.

Upon seeing Zhou Leqi, Milan started complaining, “You’re really something, starting work like this, dragging me in as extra labor. Just me and Auntie doing all the work while you guys wait to eat?”

Zhou Leqi laughed, feeling embarrassed, and quickly removed her beige blazer, rolled up her shirt sleeves, and went to the kitchen to help. Pei Qiming also felt a bit awkward, explaining that the traffic was bad, but he also offered to assist. Yu Qing promptly stopped him, saying, “Little Pei, don’t bother. Today is mainly to thank you for helping QiQi with her formal employment. How can we let you get your hands dirty—go wash your hands, we’ll be eating soon.”

Yu Qing treated Pei Qiming very kindly.

She knew that this young man had been good to her daughter, helping her a lot since choosing her university major and throughout university. Even now, he looked after her at the company. Such kindness deserved heartfelt gratitude.

Although Yu Qing had spoken, Pei Qiming couldn’t just stand idly by. He still insisted on helping in the kitchen. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Yu Qing quickly seized the opportunity, saying, “Alright, alright, Little Pei, go help Auntie open the door. I can’t spare my hands…”

Milan watched these two people pushing responsibilities back and forth, feeling exhausted and speechless. Over the years, she had eaten many meals at Zhou Leqi’s house and had become familiar with Yu Qing. By now, she was bold enough to drop her tasks, saying, “Auntie, if Senior doesn’t go, I will. I’m the best at opening doors.”

Clearly trying to slack off.

Yu Qing sighed, unable to say anything against it, letting her go. Pei Qiming and Zhou Leqi both smiled, the latter’s gaze slightly subtle.