#130: How Wonderful

Tracy looked at Shang Zhitao, her heart softening a little. So many years had passed, and she had seen countless people—hired many, fired many. She had long since been forged into an invincible general of the workplace. But in this moment, her heart felt incredibly tender.

“Flora, I also want you to know that you are the most outstanding person I’ve ever hired. Every day working with you was a pleasure. Never think of yourself as mediocre, alright? I’ve met so many people, and anyone I’ve chosen hasn’t truly been ordinary.”

Shang Zhitao’s eyes reddened slightly. Tracy had been so kind to her. Back then, when she was confused and anxious, feeling utterly inadequate, every time she ran into Tracy in the office, Tracy would say to her, “Flora, I heard your recent project is going well. Keep it up.” She always encouraged her, and whenever Shang Zhitao faced difficulties, Tracy was the first to stand by her side.

Tracy had been so good to Shang Zhitao that Luan Nian initially thought they were relatives.

What kind of relatives were they? Simply put, a kind-hearted person had given an ordinary girl a chance.

Tracy had taught her so much.

“If there’s an opportunity, let’s have dinner together—as friends,” Tracy invited her.

“Sure. The next time I come to Beijing, I’ll call you right away, and I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Alright. It’s a deal.”

Luan Nian knocked on their door: “Are you two never going to finish?” His tone suggested, Are you really going to keep this up?

Tracy pointed at Luan Nian and asked Shang Zhitao: “How can you tolerate his temper?”

“Sometimes I can’t.”

Luan Nian snorted and pulled Shang Zhitao out of Tracy’s office. Seeing the colleagues watching them, he stopped, looked at everyone, and said sternly: “I’m not gay. For all these years, I’ve only ever had one girlfriend.” Then, as if remembering something, he turned back and added, “And my health is just fine.”

One day in the break room, Shang Zhitao overheard a female colleague whispering: “Luke is so handsome, but it’s a shame he’s a bit older. They say men lose their vigor as they age.” Another countered: “I’ve slept with one before—it depends on the person.”

When Shang Zhitao heard Luan Nian say this, her face flushed red. He acted as if nothing had happened, pulling her into the elevator. Behind them, Lumi whistled and called out: “Shang Zhitao, keep it up!”

Everyone laughed, stood up, packed their things, and prepared to leave. Wishing each other a happy new year marked the end of another year in their professional lives.

“Were you happy to see your old colleagues?” Luan Nian asked her.

“Very happy.”

“Happy enough to blush?” Luan Nian glanced at her.

Shang Zhitao held his hand: “I feel a bit overwhelmed.”

“Why?”

“I thought about the years I worked at Lingmei—they were truly wonderful years. Many things I couldn’t understand back then now make sense. That feeling is really nice.” Then, gripping Luan Nian’s hand tightly, she added, “You letting me go upstairs meant you were breaking company rules by starting an office romance. People will talk, saying I got promoted quickly because of your favoritism. Or they might think you were playing with my feelings. Either way, the bad rumors would pile up.”

Luan Nian opened the car door and comforted Luke, who had been waiting for a long time. Rubbing Luke’s ears, he asked her: “So what?”

“So it wouldn’t be good for you.”

Luan Nian patted Luke’s head: “Mind your own business.” With that, he implied others should stop meddling. He rarely cared about gossip unless it served some specific purpose.

Shang Zhitao dragged Luan Nian to buy gifts for Dr. Liang and Mr. Luan. They didn’t lack anything, so in the end, they followed Lumi’s advice and bought a box of pastries from an old shop. While buying, Shang Zhitao told Luan Nian: “Lumi said it—there’s always more time ahead.”

Luan Nian hated eating those pastries and stood by with a sour expression. The day before the New Year, the queue at the century-old shop stretched to the entrance—one line for ready-to-eat food, the other for pastries. As they waited in line, people kept bumping into Shang Zhitao. Gradually, Luan Nian grew irritated. Standing there tall, dressed impeccably, with a stiff expression, he resembled an old-school British gentleman. Shang Zhitao glanced back at him several times, and he barked: “What are you looking at?”

“I think you look especially handsome.”

Luan Nian gave a token smile, indicating he appreciated the compliment. Finally, it was their turn, and Shang Zhitao didn’t hesitate—she bought two full boxes of pastries. Enough for the two elders to eat until next year.

Luan Nian carried the two boxes of pastries to the car and called Dr. Liang: “We’re coming over now. We’ll be downstairs in fifteen minutes.”

“Got it!” Dr. Liang sounded thrilled, and Shang Zhitao couldn’t help but laugh behind her hand.

She had heard Dr. Liang and Luan Nian talk on the phone countless times and was familiar with Dr. Liang’s tone—a kind and gentle person.

“Flora, Shang Zhitao, Tao Tao,” Dr. Liang called her by three names in succession: “See you soon!”

Shang Zhitao straightened up immediately: “Yes, Dr. Liang.”

It was a habit of hers—sitting upright while speaking as a sign of respect. Luan Nian was used to it.

In the past, when he observed her posture, whether sitting or standing, he always thought she didn’t look like a modern person. But it was precisely this demeanor that made her stand out from others.

Luan Nian started the car, and Shang Zhitao opened her phone to see a message from Lumi: “Tao Tao, do you know what everyone said after you left? My gossipy heart can’t hold it in—I need to tell you now.”

“What did they say?”

“They said: Now we suddenly understand why Luke wanted to strangle that guy.”

…

Shang Zhitao recalled that scene—his eyes blood-red, like a demon ready to devour someone. Putting down her phone, she looked at Luan Nian with an incredibly tender gaze.

“What are you looking at?”

“I want to ask you—why did you beat Dony that year? Was it because he bullied female employees and disrupted company order? Or because he was sent by headquarters?”

“It was because he bullied you.”

If he had committed any wrongdoing, Luan Nian could have pursued legal action. But the sound of Shang Zhitao’s body hitting the wall drove him out of control. He told her: “I even wanted to kill him.”

“If I hadn’t done anything, I would never forgive myself.”

This was Luan Nian. His gentleness was hidden deep within his shell, buried in the deepest part of his being. He protected her in his own way, and she had almost missed him.

She smiled and looked out the car window. This year’s Beijing was different from Beijing ten years ago. Over the past decade, the city had quietly undergone significant changes. For example, where she once rented a place in the northern fifth ring road, ten years ago, five kilometers away, there were still remnants of cornfields. Later, with urbanization accelerating, buildings sprouted one after another, and the city became home to more and more people. Some came here to work, fall in love, get married, have children, and put down roots; others, on some early morning or late evening—just an ordinary day—quietly left.

“This year’s New Year seems livelier than usual,” Shang Zhitao said. In previous years, when she left during the holiday, the city nearly turned into a ghost town. One year, she returned on the third day of the Lunar New Year to rush a project, and the bus was completely empty.

“I didn’t realize it before, but at least it’s livelier than last year,” Luan Nian said.

“Why did Dr. Liang return to China?”

“A medical research project invited her back, and she found it meaningful, so she came back. A philanthropic project.”

“Wow.”

As they talked, they arrived at the entrance of the old neighborhood.

Shang Zhitao saw two elderly people standing there—the woman intellectual and elegant, the man dignified and handsome. No wonder Luan Nian inherited such good looks from his parents. He parked the car, and as soon as Shang Zhitao opened the door, Dr. Liang rushed over: “Flora.” She was teasing her—back then, when Dr. Liang had asked her name over the phone, she had said her name was Flora.

Shang Zhitao blushed at the nickname and quickly said: “Dr. Liang, please just call me Tao Tao.”

“Since when do you call her ‘Dr. Liang’?” Luan Nian teased from the side, pointing to Luan Mingrui: “What do you call my dad?”

“…Uncle.”

“I call my dad ‘Old Luan.’ Why don’t you learn from me?” Luan Nian continued to tease her. He loved seeing Shang Zhitao flustered and unable to handle jokes.

Dr. Liang smacked him on the back: “What’s wrong with you?”

Her tone was identical to Luan Nian’s.

Shang Zhitao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. Her face was flushed, and when she smiled, her face glowed brightly. Her eyes were clear and gentle. His son truly had excellent taste.

Dr. Liang silently praised Luan Nian in her heart and adored Shang Zhitao. Turning to Luan Nian, she said: “Come, take a photo of me and Tao Tao.”

“What for?”

“Hurry up and take it. Afterward, send it to the family group.”

“…” Luan Nian looked reluctant but still took out his phone and snapped a picture. Dr. Liang glanced at it and immediately sent it to the group chat. As she sent it, she said: “I feel so triumphant. My bachelor son finally brought a girl home.”

Shang Zhitao laughed again upon hearing this.

Luan Nian shot her a glance and snapped at Dr. Liang: “If we don’t hurry, it’ll be too late!”

The four of them went to the supermarket and bought a lot of things.

Dr. Liang held Shang Zhitao’s hand and walked behind, letting Luan Nian and Mr. Luan push the cart in front. Dr. Liang shared her beauty secrets with Shang Zhitao: “Don’t do heavy lifting.”

“Let the men carry things. You don’t need to lift a finger.”

Shang Zhitao nodded. Luan Nian didn’t let her do any work anyway—even cooking was his responsibility.

Shang Zhitao really liked Dr. Liang.

Dr. Liang was a bit scatterbrained but very gentle. She cared deeply about her patients and the environment, paying no attention to trivial matters. On the other hand, Mr. Luan rarely spoke, but when he did, every word counted—no small talk.

Luan Nian’s personality seemed to resemble his father’s.

Shang Zhitao thought that perhaps it was because of a mother like Dr. Liang that Luan Nian had such unintentional tenderness deep within him.

When they returned home, Dr. Liang pulled Shang Zhitao into the bedroom. Inside were several bags. She told Shang Zhitao: “These aren’t for you, so don’t worry. I don’t like them either.” From the bottom of her jewelry box, she took out a jade bracelet and said to Shang Zhitao: “A family heirloom.”

“Did Luan Nian mention it to you? The Luan family used to be a prominent household in the area, but almost none of the old artifacts remain. The elders all loved bracelets, and this one was preserved with great difficulty. It has been passed down for five generations.”

“I can’t accept it. What if…”

“Don’t say ‘what if.’” Dr. Liang wouldn’t let her entertain such thoughts: “You’ve come this far—what ‘what ifs’ are there? Live your lives well, and I’m entrusting my son to you. Luan Nian has always had a bad temper, so don’t tolerate him. If he yells at you, yell back. If he’s harsh with others, bear with him—he doesn’t have ill intentions. His face may look restless, but I know my own son—he’s actually quite settled.”

Dr. Liang was touched and wiped the corner of her eye.

“If you ever feel wronged, you can tell me without hesitation. I’ll take care of him for you. But I only hope you won’t leave him easily. Because he truly loves you.”

“Tao Tao, he’s almost forty years old, and this is the first time he’s brought a girl home.”

When Shang Zhitao heard this, she could only nod with tears in her eyes: “Alright, I won’t leave him.”

The next day was New Year’s Eve.

Another year had passed.

This was the first New Year Shang Zhitao spent with Luan Nian. Having him by her side made her feel grounded—she no longer had to watch fireworks and miss him.

After calling Da Zhai and Old Shang, Shang Zhitao returned to the living room to chat with them. Dr. Liang was feeding Luke meat, saying as she fed him: “Little guy, you sure can eat.”

When the New Year’s bell rang, Dr. Liang handed a big red envelope to Shang Zhitao, who thanked her three times. Luan Nian interrupted: “Why are you thanking her endlessly?”

Shang Zhitao walked to the window to see if there were any fireworks outside. There were, but far away. She pressed her forehead against the glass to look, and Luan Nian stood behind her, pulling her into his arms. He whispered in her ear: “Shang Zhitao, Happy New Year.”

“May everything be good for us.”