TES - 22

Chapter 22. Endless Wind and Moon at This Moment.

“Can you drive?” Luan Nian took the alcohol; Shang Zhitao didn’t drink, so she could drive down the mountain. Unexpectedly, Shang Zhitao shook her head: “I can’t.”

Luan Nian’s heart felt a little flutter. The ordinary Shang Zhitao sitting across from him somehow felt a bit intoxicating. If he dwelled on it further, there was even a sense of boundless romance.

The strange desire that occasionally surfaced in Guangzhou now seeped into his body once again.

...

Luan Nian set the alcohol aside, asked the owner for a cola, poured it for Shang Zhitao, and picked out the most succulent piece of fish for her. She was a bit overwhelmed by the favor and hurriedly thanked him, only to hear Luan Nian say: “Thank you for treating me to dinner.”

Oh. Struggling on the brink of poverty, Shang Zhitao was indeed a bit stingy. If she had a choice, she would first not dine with Luan Nian. If they had to eat together, she would choose an inexpensive roadside stall that served good food. After all, everyone needs to live, and it wouldn’t be strange for Luan Nian to experience some of life’s hardships.

“You’re welcome, it’s what I should do,” she said politely despite her thoughts. After taking a bite of meat, she felt like she couldn’t let this meal go to waste: “Does eating with me mean that you think I’m okay and can stay at the company for observation?”

“The last time I had dinner with a colleague, it didn’t stop the company from firing him the next day.”

“Don’t scare me.”

Luan Nian glanced at her: “Have you considered learning how to drive? You might be the first person in Lingmei who doesn’t know how to drive.”

“I signed up for driving school before. I’m studying for the theory test.”

“Study hard. I’m worried you won’t make it.”

“That’s impossible.”

Shang Zhitao grinned, her face flushed red from the steam of the fish hot pot: “Do you often bring your girlfriends here to eat?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

“Hehe.”

Ignoring her, Luan Nian continued eating. He had drunk heavily the previous day and hadn’t eaten properly today, so he finally felt his stomach wasn’t empty anymore. Not being hungry naturally improved his mood, making him somewhat more amiable. Following Shang Zhitao’s train of thought, he asked her: “So what do you usually do with your boyfriend when you’re off?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“What about the guy from the bar?”

“That’s my roommate.”

“Your roommate seems nice; maybe you should try dating him.”

“My roommate is really amazing.” Shang Zhitao sincerely praised Sun Yuanzhu: “He can do anything, and he has a great temper. He often helps me.”

“How does he help you? What exactly does he help you with?”

“Just... small things in daily life, everything... He even accompanied me to sign up for driving school...”

“So, for you girls, is this the standard of being good?”

“As friends... isn’t that enough?”

“It’s enough as friends, but as a boyfriend, he still needs to put in more effort.” Luan Nian teased her.

Hearing Luan Nian say this, Shang Zhitao seriously thought about it for a moment: “So, are you good to your girlfriends?” She was quick-witted, and after swallowing a few bites of fish, she forgot her own name and dared to challenge Luan Nian. That “them” was intentional.

Luan Nian looked at her, her neck stiff, ready to engage in a heated debate. Finally, he smiled. When Shang Zhitao wasn’t timid, she was actually quite amusing.

Not only was she amusing, but she also had a big appetite.

“Not afraid of gaining weight?”

“I’m hungry... I’ve only eaten this one meal today.” She sounded a bit pitiful.

Luan Nian also found her pitiful and placed another piece of meat on her plate: “Eat up.”

They both enjoyed their meal fairly well. As they were about to finish, Shang Zhitao told Luan Nian: “I’ll go to the restroom.” Secretly, she went to settle the bill. She understood this etiquette.

“How much is our table?” Shang Zhitao asked the owner.

“530 yuan.”

It was alright. Shang Zhitao thought that Luan Nian was still a reasonable person and hadn’t ripped her off: “Let me pay.”

“No need to pay. Mr. Luan has a card here with a lot of money stored. Just now, while fishing, he said to charge it from the card?”

“Huh?”

Shang Zhitao was a bit shocked, remembering Luan Nian’s emotionless words: “You treat me.” He had said it casually, but she had taken it seriously. She felt a bit foolish for not being able to tell whether Luan Nian was being sincere or not. She had never been able to distinguish the truthfulness of Luan Nian’s words.

She returned to the table and sat across from Luan Nian, clearing her throat: “Luke.”

“What?”

“Next time, let me treat you for sure.”

“Is there going to be a next time?” Luan Nian’s expression read, “Are you serious? You want to have dinner with me again?”

“Anyway, I’m serious.” Knowing she couldn’t see through Luan Nian, Shang Zhitao made her stance clear first: “I’m serious.”

“So, what are you planning to treat me to?”

“I’ll research it when I get back?”

“No need to research. I have a lot of girlfriends to date. Today was an exception.” With that, Luan Nian stood up: “Going back?”

“Yes. Just drop me off at a place where I can easily catch a taxi.”

“This considerate?”

Shang Zhitao’s consideration made her seem very distant in social interactions, always afraid of causing trouble for others. Luan Nian didn’t like women like that; he preferred women to be direct—knowing when to be strong and when to show vulnerability. For example, in this situation, she should have said to him: “I’ll trouble you to send me home.”

But Shang Zhitao didn’t understand these things. She didn’t know how to use her gender advantage.

Luan Nian stopped discussing where to drop her off and slowly drove out. After leaving the fish restaurant, it was a downhill road. Shang Zhitao looked out the window and faintly saw the stars in the sky. She exclaimed softly. Luan Nian glanced at her and stopped the car at a scenic spot. He rolled down the windows, and the surroundings were pitch black.

Shang Zhitao stuck her head out the car window and saw the stars in the sky. Such beautiful stars were a reward amidst her busy days.

Luan Nian got out of the car, leaned against it, and looked up for a while. Shang Zhitao didn’t follow him; her sense of propriety was fully displayed at this moment. She couldn’t stand beside Luan Nian to look at the stars—that was something couples did, and he was her boss.

She knew the difference.

After admiring the view separately for a while, they continued driving down the mountain. Luan Nian drove directly towards Shang Zhitao’s home. Shang Zhitao realized belatedly, only noticing Luan Nian’s kindness as they approached her house: “Thank you, Luke.”

“No problem. Remember to apply for overtime pay with HR the day after tomorrow. Submit it online and notify the relevant person to fill my name.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Luan Nian parked the car and watched Shang Zhitao’s figure disappear before heading back.

It was just an ordinary night of working overtime, yet Shang Zhitao felt her perception of Luan Nian had changed. She firmly believed Luan Nian was a good person, albeit with a sharp tongue—a sarcastic good person.

Thinking of Luan Nian, she found him truly peculiar.

Sun Yu knocked and entered, her eyes red.

“What’s wrong?” Shang Zhitao asked her.

Sun Yu shook her head and sat on the edge of Shang Zhitao’s bed: “Can I talk to you for a bit? I’m feeling upset.”

“What’s wrong?” Shang Zhitao pulled her onto the bed, and they sat facing each other. The Guizhou girl, upon facing Shang Zhitao, burst into tears: “I broke up.”

“Didn’t you say yesterday you were going to visit him today?”

“He told me not to come.” Sun Yu cried: “Do you know, Shang Zhitao? I’m unemployed, and I haven’t found a new job yet. He has a good job, and I always felt our relationship was unequal. He said we have less and less in common... Basically, he thinks I’m inferior.”

“But you’re not inferior...” Shang Zhitao didn’t know how to comfort Sun Yu. Sun Yu was so wonderful—a beautiful girl from Guizhou, so smart—how could she be inferior?

“You don’t know. Beijing is a very realistic and cruel city.” Sun Yu was too upset. She had invested her feelings, but others weighed her emotions on a scale, assigning a price to them.

Listening to her, Shang Zhitao also felt sad.

Her past relationship during school hadn’t been tainted by worldly concerns. Back then, she and Xin Zhaozhou ate snacks by the school, took buses to the park, or she waited for him by the basketball court. They only thought about love, not its monetary value.

Even though they eventually broke up, they parted ways with goodwill and blessings.

“Maybe you’ll reconcile...” Shang Zhitao wasn’t good at consoling others but tried to offer a positive possibility: “Maybe in a couple of days, he’ll suddenly realize you’re the best...”

“And then leave me again when he meets someone better?” Sun Yu cried harder: “I’ll never give him such a chance again.”

Sun Yu’s heart ached. All the past goodness seemed unreal now. She thought his business trips and team-building activities were work-related until today when she realized they weren’t. It was something he needed for himself. He used these methods to cool things down between them until they broke up.

Adults are truly ugly.

Shang Zhitao offered her shoulder for Sun Yu to lean on. She felt a bit lost. Yao Bei had told her that if she wanted to date, she should find someone with good conditions to avoid hardship. Shang Zhitao didn’t have high material desires, so she didn’t know what “good conditions” specifically meant.

She stayed with Sun Yu for a long time, listening as Sun Yu wiped her tears and sat up straight: “You know, Shang Zhitao, I suddenly realize—to hell with men—I need to rely on myself. Only when I’m strong will men chase after me. Otherwise, they’ll never understand how to cherish.”

Shang Zhitao quickly nodded: “Right! We need to become stronger!”

It sounded like they had accidentally joined a pyramid scheme, full of enthusiasm. Sun Yu stopped crying and laughed, tapping Shang Zhitao’s forehead with her fingertip: “Why are you so excited?”

“I want to become stronger too!”

Shang Zhitao thought that when she became stronger, she wouldn’t fear Luan Nian threatening to fire her every day. When she became stronger, she would slam her resignation letter on Luan Nian’s desk and say: “I quit!”

The thought alone brought a sense of satisfaction—not just a little, but immense satisfaction.

Shang Zhitao didn’t realize that Luan Nian occupied a small corner of her heart, pushing her forward.

“So, how was your overtime with that annoying boss today?” Sun Yu, preoccupied with crying, forgot to ask Shang Zhitao.

“It was fine. Besides being a bit strict, he’s not a bad person. He even treated me to fish on the mountain.” Shang Zhitao recounted today’s events to Sun Yu, who gradually changed expressions as she listened: “Shang Zhitao, do you think your boss wants to take advantage of you?”

“What? Impossible, he has many girlfriends...”

“Men, especially wealthy men, never mind having many girlfriends. They just want to conquer the next one.”

“No way, no way.” Shang Zhitao waved her hand: “I’ve seen his girlfriend in Guangzhou—she’s like Miss World.”

“So what? It doesn’t exclude the possibility that he wants something different. Besides, you have such a great figure.”

Shang Zhitao blushed: “Don’t talk nonsense. He doesn’t lack women, and I’m not interested in him.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” After finishing, Shang Zhitao thought for a moment. No, she was too interested in Luan Nian. She wanted to do something with Luan Nian.

What about Luan Nian’s feelings toward her? Shang Zhitao wasn’t sure. She lay awake at night, carefully reviewing every detail of her interaction with Luan Nian today. The more she thought, the more she believed Sun Yu was right—he wanted to take advantage of her!

Shang Zhitao abruptly sat up on the bed!