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“Closing time. No more food today,” Da Zhai said as she stood up and walked away. Though she claimed she wouldn’t cook anymore, she still prepared dishes for the customers who came later. Her disdain was obvious—she might as well have told him to leave.
But Luan Nian remained seated, sipping baijiu with a small plate of peanuts. The tavern’s peanuts were particularly delicious, and he drank half a catty of alcohol while nibbling on them. Da Zhai occasionally glanced at him while serving other customers, contemplating whether to kick him out. Eventually, she decided against it. What was the point of arguing with someone who had traveled so far? She turned and went to the kitchen, telling Old Shang, who was drinking tea: “That guy surnamed Luan is here.”
Upon hearing this, Old Shang stood up and moved toward the door: “Let me go talk to him!”
“What’s the point of talking to him? Sit back down! Don’t bother with him!” Da Zhai went out to tend to the customers, leaving Luan Nian alone. Occasionally, she glanced at him, thinking that Shang Zhitao’s taste wasn’t bad—he at least dated someone who looked respectable.
Luan Nian continued drinking until the last table of customers left.
After cleaning up, Da Zhai said to him: “We’re closing now. Go home!”
Luan Nian got up to pay the bill. Da Zhai pointed to the payment QR code. After scanning it, he didn’t complete the transaction. Instead, he said to her: “Rest early. Staying up late isn’t good for your health at your age.”
Da Zhai gave him a look. She thought about how Shang Zhitao had said she wanted someone who could speak kindly—wasn’t this man speaking politely enough? She couldn’t understand young people’s minds, but anyone who made Shang Zhitao suffer wasn’t a good person in her book. Snorting softly, she returned to tidy the bar. Luan Nian stepped outside and transferred 10,000 yuan.
When the payment notification sounded, Da Zhai rushed out, but he was already gone, disappearing into Ice City’s snowy night.
Shang Zhitao received Da Zhai’s call just after midnight.
“What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Your ex-boyfriend came by earlier.”
Shang Zhitao glanced at the time—it was already 2 a.m.: “What ex-boyfriend? Which one??”
“Luan Nian.”
Instantly awake, Shang Zhitao asked: “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing much. He’s already gone.” Before hanging up, Da Zhai added: “Oh right, he drank half a catty of baijiu with peanuts and transferred 10,000 yuan when paying. I didn’t entertain him.”
“How much?”
“10,000.”
“I see.”
Is he insane? Shang Zhitao cursed inwardly. Peanuts worth 10,000 yuan? If you’re so rich, why don’t you buy the whole tavern?
She hung up and immediately called Luan Nian, but he rejected her call.
What the hell is going on?
Shang Zhitao was fuming.
Her anger surged, making her feel like all the herbal medicine she’d drunk that day had been wasted. She flopped back onto the bed, picked up her phone, and sent Luan Nian a message: “Do you think this is funny? Why did you go to the tavern? Do you really want my parents to know about those dirty affairs from back then? Fine, I’ll tell Mom myself—that I behaved improperly and slept with my boss.”
Shang Zhitao picked up her phone, wanting to call Da Zhai and confess everything about her relationship with Luan Nian. But her hand hovered over the dial button for a long time, unable to press it. If Da Zhai and Old Shang found out their daughter had been working in Beijing as some kind of sugar baby for her boss, they would be heartbroken. Their daughter’s reputation would be ruined!
She slammed her phone onto the pillow, feeling like she had nowhere to vent her frustration. She sent another message to Luan Nian: “One plate of peanuts costs 10,000 yuan? Just because you’re rich, does that mean you can buy my family’s tavern?”
Less than a minute later, she received a transfer of 300,000 yuan.
Luan Nian also replied: “Thirty servings (your family’s portions are too stingy).”
A little while later, another message arrived: “While you’re at it, tell Da Zhai about selling the bags and leaving without saying goodbye. Be objective and fair.”
Luan Nian’s actions infuriated Shang Zhitao to no end. She had always known he was difficult and irritating, but his provocations used to be light and fleeting. Today, however, he seemed to have put great effort into aggravating her.
Luan Nian had clearly not let go of her selling those bags, even though she thought she had explained it clearly in Snow Village and apologized. Yet here he was, cutting her with his dull knife.
She blocked his number and went back to sleep.
Shang Zhitao used to be a sound sleeper, but the past few years of immense stress had robbed her of that luxury. However, on a day like this—after wrapping up a major project and deciding to give the entire company a holiday—she absolutely needed a good night’s rest.
By the time she woke up the next day, it was already noon. Remembering that Lumi’s flight was at 4 p.m., she quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, threw on some clothes, and rushed out to pick her up at the hotel.
Luan Nian was there too.
Shang Zhitao was slightly surprised. Based on his usual temperament, after hearing her words these past few days, he should have stormed off.
No one spoke on the way to the airport. When they arrived, Shang Zhitao took out jars of preserved vegetables from the trunk and handed them to Lumi: “Da Zhai said you love these, so I packed a few extra jars for you.”
“Our mom loves you more than me now. I’ll call her personally to thank her later.”
“Tell me when you finish them. She’s been experimenting with other recipes lately—I’ll have her send you some.”
The two chatted endlessly. Shang Zhitao then handed a gift to Will: “Thank you for approving this event for us to execute. I hope we didn’t disappoint you.”
“It’s under 200 yuan—a knife fish dish made by my mom,” Shang Zhitao explained.
Will nodded and accepted: “Thank you.”
“I didn’t know Luke would be here, so I didn’t prepare anything special for you. Please forgive me.”
Lumi internally swore. Shang Zhitao’s harshness toward Luan Nian was beyond what she could handle. But Luan Nian’s expression didn’t change—he simply glanced at Shang Zhitao and walked away.
Lumi chased after him and said: “Luke, I’m heading somewhere else after my flight, so I won’t be able to carry these pickles. Can I give them to you?”
Luan Nian stared at her seriously and asked: “Do you know why you’ve managed to avoid getting fired all these years?”
“...Why?”
“Because you’re smart.” Luan Nian reached out to take the jar of pickles: “Tell her next time to prepare gifts properly. Even if I’m not present, she should set aside a separate portion for me. How can she run an event company without mastering basic reception etiquette?”
Damn.
Lumi cursed inwardly. This stubborn jerk’s mouth was truly unmatched. If he had just been a little nicer, would she have refused to pack pickles for him today? It was just pickles! There wasn’t even any for him. She even wanted to crawl into Luan Nian’s head to see if his brain was full of nonsense.
She chased after him again: “You could tell her yourself, you know!”
That comment hit a nerve with Luan Nian. Of course he wanted to say something, but did Shang Zhitao give him a chance? Over the years, he hadn’t improved much at anything except blocking people.
Seeing that he didn’t respond, Lumi added: “Is Flora blocking you? Then you can’t exactly talk to her yourself, can you?” She snatched the gift bag back and turned to leave. She certainly wasn’t going to let Luan Nian eat those pickles—they were made by Da Zhai herself, and Lumi loved them.
Luan Nian—despite being a good person—had a sharp tongue and a perpetually stoic face. Many in the company feared him. Yet, the new interns adored him. One of them secretly asked Lumi: “Is Luke single?”
“Yes, go for it,” Lumi replied casually.
The girl actually went after him, pretending to bump into him every day, offering to help with reports, and staying late whenever he worked overtime. She persisted for nearly two weeks.
Then one day, the girl looked utterly dejected. Lumi asked her: “What’s wrong?”
“Luke told me to stay away from him.”
Lumi only heard rumors about other things, but everyone had witnessed how increasingly strict Luan Nian had become over the years. Moreover, what puzzled people most was his apparent disinterest in women. Song Ying was beautiful and obviously smitten with him, yet he remained unmoved. Over time, rumors spread that Luan Nian’s sexual orientation wasn’t toward women. The gossip grew wild, claiming that all the men around him were attractive and part of a certain circle.
Lumi fretted over this. How could Luke like men? She wanted to clear his name, but since he didn’t seem to care, people eventually just assumed Luan Nian was gay.
As the plane took off from Ice City, Luan Nian felt an emptiness settle in his heart.
Some people—you may not see them, but they remain vivid in your memory, unfading even after years. When you do see them, they now speak sharply, aiming straight for the pain points.
Luan Nian had never experienced this feeling before and didn’t know how to handle it. He had always been accustomed to facing challenges head-on, refusing to yield or back down. He had thought about what to say when he saw Shang Zhitao again, even drafting some words in his mind. But none of that preparation had been useful. Once he saw her, all he wanted was to understand why she had sold those bags at a discount and why she had left without saying goodbye.
Shang Zhitao had explained it to him, but the answers only made him feel worse.
For the first time, he realized he had no way to deal with Shang Zhitao.
She was surrounded by many men and navigated their presence skillfully. When she spoke to him, her words struck directly at his vulnerabilities, and she wouldn’t spare him a second glance.
“Has President Luan returned? Can you treat me to dinner now?” Chen Kuannian asked in the group chat.
Luan Nian remained silent.
Chen Kuannian pressed on: “Did President Luan suffer a heavy blow? Treat me to dinner, and I’ll teach you how to charm women.” Chen Kuannian’s mouth ran away with him—he was so eager to help Luan Nian. He thought Luan Nian was worse than Song Qiuhan, whose personality also wasn’t great. Chen Kuannian had once worried that Song Qiuhan would grow old alone. But then Song Qiuhan suddenly figured things out with Lin Chun’er. As for Luan Nian? After being entangled with a woman for so long, he still hadn’t woken up.
He understood nothing!
“Let’s go to the bar.” Luan Nian dropped off his luggage and headed to the bar. Chen Kuannian and Tan Mian were already there, drinking. When they saw Luan Nian, they teased him: “Look at this heartbroken man!”
They began lecturing him—how to sweet-talk, how to make a girl happy, and how to take the relationship further at the right moment. Luan Nian’s head throbbed.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore: “Did you guys attend the same ‘jerk training course’?”
The other two exchanged glances and, after a long pause, said: “It’s for your own good.”
“For my good? Then move your collection exhibition to Ice City!”
“I’m not going—it’s too cold.”
“Then I’ll send your favorite archaeology Ph.D. a video of you from two years ago at the Gold Coast.” Luan Nian pulled out his phone. Chen Kuannian quickly raised his hands in surrender: “Alright, I’ll go.”
“Then call her now to discuss business.” Luan Nian handed him Shang Zhitao’s number.
“Why don’t you just use your phone?” Chen Kuannian suddenly realized: “Oh, she blocked you again?”
The word “again” stung. Luan Nian gave him a look and fell silent.
Chen Kuannian dialed the number and heard a gentle voice: “Hello?”
“Is this Shang Zhitao?” Chen Kuannian crossed his legs: “A friend recommended you to me. They said your company handles events in Ice City. Can I hire you for an exhibition and a product launch?”
Shang Zhitao paused: “Could you please provide your company information and event requirements?”
“Can I add you?” Chen Kuannian raised an eyebrow at Luan Nian.
“Sure.”
After hanging up, Chen Kuannian sent a friend request to Shang Zhitao, muttering as he did so: “What’s so hard about this? Why does someone keep getting blocked over and over again?”
Once they became friends, he sent her his ideas. After a while, Shang Zhitao replied with her thoughts and an initial quote—it was quite reasonable.
She also asked: “May I ask which friend referred you?”
Luan Nian interjected: “Don’t answer. If she asks your name, just say you’re surnamed Chen.”
“Are you afraid she’ll reject the job if she hears your name?” Chen Kuannian clicked his tongue: “In my lifetime, I’ve finally seen someone who can tame the untamable Luan Nian.”
Of course, Luan Nian didn’t respond, but they scheduled a site visit in Ice City two days later.
Luan Nian tagged along.
When Shang Zhitao went to pick them up, she spotted Luan Nian first, then Chen Kuannian beside him. She had seen Chen Kuannian’s photo before.
Some things were strange. During all those years they were together, she had never met his friends. Yet in less than a week, first Song Qiuhan appeared, then Chen Kuannian, and now his friends kept popping up one after another.
“Shang Zhitao?” Chen Kuannian extended his hand first.
“Hello, Mr. Chen.” Shang Zhitao removed her gloves and shook his hand. Then she extended her hand to Luan Nian: “Hello, Mr. Luan.”
Chen Kuannian stifled a laugh at their transparent attempts to act casual, watching them with amusement.
Luan Nian reached out and took her hand—it was icy cold. His fingertips brushed against the back of her hand before he withdrew.
“Mr. Chen, do you have any dietary preferences or restrictions?” Shang Zhitao asked as she drove.
“I heard there’s a tavern...”
Shang Zhitao glanced at Luan Nian. He was looking out the window, the shadow of his nose cast upon his face, his profile strikingly handsome. She didn’t know what he was thinking or why he had come back to get involved after so many years. Was it just to settle a score? Like before, was he setting another net to slowly reel her in? What was he after?
After Fu Dong escorted Chen Kuannian into the tavern, Shang Zhitao grabbed Luan Nian’s arm.
Luan Nian stopped and looked at her, his gaze falling on her hand.
“What do you want?” Shang Zhitao withdrew her hand under his stare.
“Nothing. Just introducing clients to you. Consider it targeted poverty alleviation.” The northern country was bitterly cold, and the temperature had dropped sharply that day. Luan Nian’s ears were red from the cold, as was the tip of his nose and even his eyes slightly. He had listened to everything Chen Kuannian and the others said the previous day—they had told him that if he wanted to win her over, he needed to lower his pride.
“Are you trying to sleep with me again like before?” Shang Zhitao was infuriated by Luan Nian’s arrogant attitude. She felt like all the herbal medicine she drank today had been wasted.
“Fine.” She nodded: “I get it. President Luan is going to spend a fortune to sleep with someone again, oh wait, this time he’s also roping in connections.”
Her hand rested on the door handle. Before opening the door, she said to him: “Tonight, whoever regrets this is a coward!”
“Stay here!”
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