Chapter 28: My Figure’s Good—You’re Not Losing Out…

Shang Zhitao realized that work was a form of spiritual cultivation. Kitty had suddenly toned down her attitude and started working diligently alongside her, making Shang Zhitao’s life slightly easier—but only slightly.

During those half-months in the mountains, she experienced more than she had in four years of college. Every day brought new challenges at work, and every day she was busy overcoming them. By the time she dragged her luggage back to Beijing, she felt like she’d been reborn.

Autumn had arrived in Beijing.

This autumn, she had four days of compensatory leave—a blissful luxury. Unfortunately, her roommates weren’t around: Sun Yu had returned to Guizhou for a wedding, Zhang Lei and Sun Yuanzhu were on business trips. Shang Zhitao slept soundly all day, only waking up as evening approached. Seeing Yao Bei had called several times, she quickly returned the call: “Senior.”

“Want to grab dinner tonight?”

“Aren’t you working?”

“Our department team-building ended early today. I’ll pick you up—what do you feel like eating?” Yao Bei asked.

“Sure, sure! Anything’s fine—I’m not picky. Let me treat you! The company mysteriously gave me a bonus this month—it’s not much, but it’s worth celebrating.”

“Save your money! If you’re not picky, let’s go for barbecue near the university.”

“Sounds good!”

Shang Zhitao hadn’t seen Yao Bei in a long time—three years, in fact. After graduation, they hadn’t met face-to-face but stayed in touch. She waited by the roadside, watching as a small car pulled up. Yao Bei jumped out: “Little Tao Tao!”

Shang Zhitao rushed over and hugged her tightly: “Senior.” She was overwhelmed with joy, even feeling a bit teary-eyed. Spotting a familiar face in such a vast city felt rare and precious.

The two girls embraced for a moment before Yao Bei said, “Let’s go—the line will get long if we wait too late.”

“Okay!”

Yao Bei had changed a lot. A hairpin held her hair neatly at the back, and a stylish trench coat accentuated her slender figure. Shang Zhitao couldn’t take her eyes off her. Yao Bei gently tapped her head: “If you keep staring, I’ll think your orientation has changed.”

Shang Zhitao giggled softly.

As Yao Bei drove, she glanced at her occasionally: “Still in touch with Xin Zhaozhou?”

“No.”

Shang Zhitao felt her breakup with Xin Zhaozhou had been different from most romantic splits—they had parted ways with mutual blessings. At the time, Shang Zhitao had cried into her roommate’s shoulder, tears streaming as she asked, “Why do we have to grow up? Wouldn’t it be great if we could stay in our junior year forever?”

Junior year had been their best year together.

That year, during one stargazing night, Xin Zhaozhou and she had taken a step forward in life. Shang Zhitao remembered their nervousness, surprise, and the sweat on each other’s faces. She felt incredibly brave.

“Is he still in Shenzhen?” Yao Bei asked.

“Yes. His parents are there. They’re new immigrants, and the government policies make it better than Beijing.”

Life was like that—he went south, she went north; neither had a choice.

“Do you still miss him?” Yao Bei asked.

Shang Zhitao thought for a moment, then shook her head: “No, not anymore—it’s been almost a year since we broke up.” The pain had been real, but her resilience was equally genuine. When they were together, everything had been wonderful. After breaking up, she cried a few times, felt sad for about a month, and then reverted to her carefree self. Occasionally, she’d see Xin Zhaozhou on campus, his stubborn refusal to look at her, unwilling to forgive her for not leaving with him.

Where would they have gone anyway? The boy was selfish, thinking that if a girl loved someone, she should follow him wherever he went. He forgot that he had legs too—he could’ve followed her instead.

Yao Bei looked at Shang Zhitao and suddenly smiled.

“What’s so funny?” Shang Zhitao asked sweetly.

“Date more people,” Yao Bei said earnestly.

“Huh?”

“When you’re not working, what else are you doing? Youth is fleeting—spending nights alone instead of cuddling with men—is that fun?”

“Senior, you’re an aerospace engineer…” Shang Zhitao reminded her. It felt odd hearing such talk from a woman dedicated to research.

“Does being an aerospace engineer mean I can’t have a sex life?” Yao Bei burst into laughter. “Tell me, after being in Beijing for a few months, has any man made you feel a little hungry?”

Shang Zhitao suddenly thought of Luan Nian—the heat of his skin against her fingertips when he was drunk. That night, she had wondered: What’s Luan Nian like?

Her cheeks reddened as she gazed out the window. Luan Nian was cold—even naked, he probably wouldn’t warm up. Maybe he frowned during intimacy, showing no emotion. Perhaps he didn’t even bother with foreplay.

What am I thinking about? Shang Zhitao shook her head, trying to chase away these strange thoughts.

Yao Bei talked about her own relationship: “He wants to get married, but my parents say no marriage without a house.”

“What do you think?” Shang Zhitao asked.

“His family’s burden is heavy—his parents are in the countryside, and retirement is a problem. I’ve become more pragmatic now, you know? Most women in our field marry well.” Yao Bei wasn’t the same person she used to be. At twenty, she thought love was everything, but now, life had tempered her. She knew women needed more than love—they needed houses, cars, security for aging parents, and plans for their children’s education. Women had so many issues to consider. At a red light, Yao Bei sighed softly: “Tao Tao, I think I want to break up.”

Before, it was Sun Yu—her boyfriend cheated on her with a highly accomplished woman, chasing their bright future. Now, it was Yao Bei—who saw reality clearly and decided to navigate this world on her own terms. Shang Zhitao suddenly felt that once you stepped out of campus, love became distant and unreachable.

She didn’t know what to say. She herself was still muddled about the world, but the experiences of those around her kept telling her: Love is fragile, love is insignificant.

But Shang Zhitao barely had time to dwell on romance. Just surviving was enough. She had to live on her own—she couldn’t keep asking Old Shang and Da Zhai for money!

Yao Bei took her to eat grilled skewers and insisted on drinking. Shang Zhitao didn’t drink often, but she ordered one cup, then two, then three. After three beers, she was already drunk though she hadn’t eaten much. Still slightly lucid, she called Lumi, her voice slurred: “Teacher, I drank too much…”

Lumi shouted on the other end: “Where are you? Who’s the bastard you’re drinking with?”

Shang Zhitao giggled, and Yao Bei snatched the phone: “Are you Tao Tao’s colleague? We’re both drunk—can you come pick us up?” She quickly gave the address, acting as if she were part of the group.

Lumi was loyal, throwing on sportswear and hailing a taxi. She found the two women sitting—one slumped over the table, the other resting her cheek on her hand. At least they weren’t causing trouble.

“You guys are something else,” Lumi muttered, pointing at Yao Bei. “Was it you who called me? Where are the car keys?”

Yao Bei handed over the keys, and Lumi helped Shang Zhitao up. Following behind them, she teased, “This piece-of-crap car!” She stuffed both women inside. Thankfully, Yao Bei wasn’t too drunk to remember where Shang Zhitao lived. After rummaging through Shang Zhitao’s backpack pockets for keys, Lumi helped her home, unintentionally placing her palm on Shang Zhitao’s chest and giving it a squeeze: “Wow, quite the figure here!”

Even as Lumi took advantage, Shang Zhitao weakly swatted her hand away. In her drunken state, she was carried home, given water to rinse her mouth, wiped clean, and tucked in. Then Lumi left to drop off Yao Bei. Lumi didn’t know what bad karma she had accumulated to be dealing with these two women late at night.

As for Shang Zhitao, she fell into a deep sleep, waking up twice to drink water. She wasn’t sure if she was sober yet. In her haze, she heard her phone ring, picked it up, and saw Luan Nian’s name blurred on the screen.

Oh~ Luke? That’s the guy who wants to fire me.

The next morning, Shang Zhitao sobered up and carefully reflected on the previous night. After Lumi had dropped her off, she couldn’t recall anything else. She vaguely remembered answering a call and checking her phone—yes, it was Luke’s number.

She couldn’t remember what was said during that call, and panic set in. After much deliberation, she decided to call him back.

Luan Nian rejected the call.

She tried again, and he rejected it once more.

Damn.

Shang Zhitao cursed inwardly. What did I say on the phone? She slapped her forehead, then reassured herself not to be so anxious. After carefully wording her message, she sent him a text: “Hi, Luke. I had a drink with friends last night. This morning, I saw your missed call. Just confirming—did you assign me any tasks last night? If so, what were they? Sorry, I honestly can’t remember.”

Luan Nian glanced at the message, tossed his phone aside, and continued with the meeting. Shang Zhitao grew more anxious and sent another message: “Was it urgent?”

Luan Nian still ignored her.

That call last night had left Luan Nian thinking Shang Zhitao’s brain was full of nonsense. Didn’t she know what she said?

Today’s meeting was a boring progress update filled with long strings of numbers, reports, and verbose statements. Such things irritated Luan Nian. He preferred simplicity—anything overly complicated made him restless.

Finally, he interrupted: “I’m not targeting anyone, but today’s progress meeting was completely meaningless.” He pointed at Alex: “Alex, what did Doris just say about the Q3 forecast for South China?” Alex, caught off guard, hesitated: “Over 90%?”

Luan Nian didn’t press further but turned to Doris: “What did Alex just say about the rejection rate of marketing budget applications?”

“Around 70%?”

Luan Nian shrugged: “These critical figures are buried under piles of unnecessary information. How much of this meeting will anyone remember? It’s pointless—a waste of time. That’s it for today’s progress report. Everyone, go back and reorganize your content—we’ll meet again tomorrow. My requirements are simple: clarify important matters, ensure everyone understands core progress, reach consensus on cross-departmental collaborations, and provide solutions to all problems. Okay?”

“Yes, yes, agreed,” everyone nodded.

Seeing the tension rise, Tracy suggested: “Let’s move on to the next agenda item: finalizing the anniversary celebration schedule for the China region. We’ve already discussed this with marketing and planning departments. We’ll hire a high-end venue, invite performers we’ve worked with before, and start filming promotional videos. As in previous years, we’ll include a performance by the bosses. You can discuss what to perform this year.”

Tracy noticed Luan Nian remained silent and teased: “Luke was in a band back in school. How about performing solo this year?” Only Tracy dared to put Luan Nian on the spot like this. Sure enough, Luan Nian frowned. But Tracy didn’t give him a chance to speak, continuing: “This is Luke’s first year overseeing operations, and it’s essential to properly introduce yourself to everyone.”

Luan Nian disliked performing. Although he occasionally sang with friends in a rented rehearsal studio to relieve stress, that was different.

“So it’s settled,” Tracy decided for him, then winked at Luan Nian: “Team leaders, please discuss performances and what preparations we need. Later, corporate culture and marketing will form an anniversary project team to coordinate with everyone.”

After everyone left, Tracy spoke to Luan Nian: “I suggested you perform because it’s your first year in charge. People feel distant from you, which isn’t conducive to your work. Please understand.”

“How polite of you,” Luan Nian snorted. “Got it—I’ll arrange it.”

“What will you perform?”

“A striptease.”

“I’ll let the female colleagues anticipate that,” Tracy joked before leaving.

Luan Nian picked up his phone and saw a message Shang Zhitao had sent three minutes ago: “Luke… Did I say anything inappropriate last night…?” Clearly panicked by his silence and lack of response. Panic or not, it was none of his concern. He set the phone aside and returned to work.

Every second of his silence tormented the cautious Shang Zhitao. She tossed and turned in bed, her mind racing: Did I mess up work? Did I tell him off? Did I fall asleep mid-conversation?

Forget it—I’ll try calling one last time! Trembling, she dialed Luan Nian again, only to hear his voice unexpectedly: “What is it?”

“I…”

“What do you mean?”

“I drank yesterday... When I woke up today, I saw that you called me yesterday…”

“Hmm, I was in a rush yesterday to check the budget for the filming project.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I’ll send it to you right away.” Shang Zhitao let out a long sigh of relief.

“No need, Alex already gave it to me.”

“So… Did I say anything else…?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know…”

Luan Nian didn’t feel like talking to her anymore and hung up directly.

? Shang Zhitao’s face was full of question marks. She had no mood to take a vacation at all, so she canceled her leave that day and rushed to the company early the next morning. As soon as she entered the elevator, she saw Luan Nian holding a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Luke,” Shang Zhitao cautiously moved to the corner, stealing glances at Luan Nian. Why does he look so expressionless? He... Why did he turn his head? Before Shang Zhitao could avert her gaze, her nervous eyes met Luan Nian’s.

Luan Nian raised an eyebrow, slowly lowering his gaze to glance briefly at her chest, then shrugged indifferently. This sudden look left Shang Zhitao blushing furiously. What exactly is going on?

Not bad. Luan Nian thought internally. She still lives up to her own praise. What did she say that day?

“I’m telling you, I have a great figure. You won’t regret it.”

Luan Nian had never encountered someone like her who so openly offered herself. If it weren’t for her being drunk, he would’ve fired her on the spot that day. So many nonsensical words came out of her mouth after drinking just a little. How much did she drink to forget her own name? Does anyone think they can just climb into my bed?

The elevator door opened, and Luan Nian stepped out with his long legs first. Shang Zhitao followed behind him like a deflated balloon. She sat down lifelessly and tapped her head: “You should really recall properly!” She looked up at Luan Nian, who had already started working on his computer.

Her early return from vacation delighted the marketing department. With so much work piled up, her arrival felt like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. After some discussion, they assigned her the task of coordinating the company anniversary event.

Lumi dragged her chair over to Shang Zhitao and sat down to ask her, “Why did you cut your vacation short? It would’ve been nice to take a long weekend break!”

“All my roommates are gone. Being alone isn’t fun.”

“Oh… Don’t drink anymore, okay?” Lumi teased, “With such a low tolerance, why even bother showing off?”

“No more drinking, no more.” Who knows what might happen if I drink again! After thinking for a moment, Shang Zhitao secretly asked Lumi, “That day when you took me home… Did I say anything… weird?”

“Does saying you’re good at what you do count as weird?” Lumi lowered her voice, “Shang Zhitao, I never expected this from you. You seem so well-behaved normally, but once you drink, you’re quite bold!”

“Is that possible...?”

“Next time you drink, tell me beforehand, and I’ll bring a video camera. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Lumi shook her head and returned to her workstation, leaving Shang Zhitao pale-faced.

After a while, Lumi remembered there was something important she hadn’t said yet. She wheeled her chair back over to Shang Zhitao: “This company anniversary project is actually pretty good. Though it’s tedious, it doesn’t count toward KPIs. But you can use this opportunity to get familiar with the bosses from various departments. Because this year, the bosses from each department will give a joint performance, and Luke will also perform solo.”

“Luke? Performing solo?” What kind of performance could Luke possibly do—performing a deadpan face? Shang Zhitao muttered internally.

“I don’t know about that. He’s always refused to participate before. Tracy must have forced him into it this year.”

“Oh, oh, oh. So what should I do?”

“Tracy will create a project group chat on the internal network soon. I can’t guide you through this project, but if you have any questions, you can go directly to Tracy.”

“Okay, thank you, Lumi.”

“You’re welcome.”

After delivering the important news, Lumi’s expression changed. In a low voice, she asked Shang Zhitao, “Have you seen it?”

“What?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, it’s quite something.” Lumi grabbed her laptop and pulled Shang Zhitao closer. “Shhh!”

Shang Zhitao bent her head to look at the computer screen. Wow, it really is something. The email clearly stated that Lumi’s new CEO openly played with women’s feelings, leading to his ex-girlfriend’s suicide. Shang Zhitao widened her eyes and looked at Lumi. Her first reaction was, “Why didn’t I receive it?”

“It’s possible someone got hold of our company’s employee email list somewhere and sent it to a selected batch.” Lumi closed her laptop and pursed her lips, “There’s a mole within the company! Corporate culture sure is exciting. Right after Luke was appointed, he gets reported for misconduct, and it’s sent to the company email. Without a mole, how would they get the employee email addresses?”

“Do you believe it?” Lumi asked her.

Shang Zhitao nodded resolutely, “I believe it!” She wanted to tell Lumi that she’d heard Luke on a breakup call! And she’d heard him invite a woman to a concert! She even saw a woman enter Luke’s room in Guangzhou! But ultimately, she said nothing and shook her head, “I’m not close to him…”

“Whatever, it has nothing to do with us. If Tracy finds out, she’ll initiate an internal audit. Our company takes these kinds of things seriously.” After finishing, Lumi nudged Shang Zhitao’s arm and lifted her chin towards Luke’s office, “Look, here she comes.”

Shang Zhitao looked up and saw Tracy entering Luke’s office.

“What’s the matter?” Luke looked up and asked her.

Tracy placed the printed email in front of Luke, “Take a look. Never expected such excitement first thing in the morning.”

Luke glanced at Zhang Xin’s real-name email. The photos inside were indeed scandalous—intimate pictures of a man and a woman. Luan Nian shrugged, “I don’t have those kinds of preferences.”

“I don’t care whether you do or not, but since the issue has arisen, it needs to be resolved today. Give me a solution.” Tracy was genuinely stressed. If this wasn’t resolved, Luke would face the risk of being kicked out.

Luke tossed the paper into the trash bin, “Did anyone else besides you receive it?”

“I had IT check. About 30% of our colleagues received it.”

“So how did she manage to get our employee list? Was there a slip-up in your work?” Luke leaned back in his chair and looked at Tracy, “Did you sell our employee information?”

“We’re talking about your issue, don’t try to shift the blame onto me. Anyone could’ve leaked the employee information.”

“Then shouldn’t we investigate?”

“What we’re discussing now is your problem. Can you resolve it?”

“Yes.” Luan Nian smiled, “Find another woman to come forward and send another email stating that this one is fake. My physique isn’t that bad.”

… Tracy couldn’t help but laugh at Luke’s response, “If you don’t handle this properly, I’ll have to involve the internal audit and legal teams.”

“Agreed.” Luan Nian nodded, “Investigate quickly. If there’s any damage to my reputation, let the company sue accordingly.”

“Alright.” Tracy sighed and left.

Luan Nian watched her leave. When he shifted his gaze back, he noticed employees passing by his office looking at him meaningfully. He didn’t care. He was ready to continue working. But what was up with Shang Zhitao? She sent a message: “Luke, I believe you.”

Shang Zhitao thought, upward management means supporting the boss when they’re in trouble—even if she believed everything in the email was true! Although the photos were disappointing. Despite Luke dressing well normally, without clothes, he was just average.

Luke observed her insincerity—she was an ungrateful wolf who couldn’t be tamed. He coldly glanced in the direction of her workstation and continued working.

Shang Zhitao thought her upward management was complete and prepared to focus on her work. Alex told her to compile all the bosses’ performances by today. All the other bosses were cooperative; six department heads, two performances each—it took less than five minutes. Only Luke remained.

She sent another message to Luke: “Luke, I know you must be feeling down, but I’ll always support you. By the way, we need to confirm your performance content for the company anniversary today. Could you please give me a rough idea?”

“Shang Zhitao.”

“Boss, I’m here. Do you have any instructions?”

“Pack your things and get out!”

Shang Zhitao understood Luke somewhat by now. Seeing this message didn’t panic her as it might have before. Even though Luke had chased her away countless times, he’d never actually followed through. Besides, he was in a bad mood today—it was natural for him to vent his frustration on her. She fully accepted it.

“So what’s your performance going to be?” She dared to follow up with another question.

Damn. Luke cursed under his breath. What was wrong with this woman, Shang Zhitao? Why was she so infuriating? Luke was usually the one making others angry, but now he was half-killed by Shang Zhitao’s cluelessness.

He remained silent, which was unusual. He didn’t get angry at Zhang Xin’s poorly worded, vulgar email, but those two casual remarks from Shang Zhitao had set him off.

He didn’t reply to Shang Zhitao all day. After Alex asked three times, Shang Zhitao finally couldn’t sit still anymore and decided to find Luke. She asked the secretary outside his door, “Does Luke have time right now?”

The secretary picked up the phone and called Luke, then hesitantly told Shang Zhitao, “Luke said anyone except you can come in.” The phone hadn’t been hung up yet when Luke told the secretary, “Repeat it word for word to her.” How much must he dislike someone? The secretary felt a bit sorry for Shang Zhitao.

“Oh, okay, thank you.” Shang Zhitao returned to her desk and waited. By the time Luke left his office, it was past midnight, and the office was empty. Seeing him heading out, Shang Zhitao hurriedly grabbed her bag and followed, “Luke, are you leaving work?”

“Did you have nothing else to do all day?” Luke didn’t look back, his pace not slowing down in the slightest.

Shang Zhitao jogged alongside, laughing nervously, “Well, not exactly. There’s a lot of work, but Tracy and Alex have asked several times about your performance.”

The two entered the elevator, and Shang Zhitao was a bit out of breath after chasing him.

“Luke, you…”

“Shang Zhitao,” Luke spoke, calling her name, “You want to know what you said to me the other night, right?”

“Ah…”

“You said you wanted to sleep with me. You also mentioned that although you don’t look good, your body is amazing. You said your ex-boyfriend praised you for hiding your talents well and suggested I try sleeping with you once.”

The elevator doors opened, and Luke walked out. After taking a few steps, he turned around, reached out to stop the closing elevator door, and looked at Shang Zhitao, whose face was red like a fresh peach, “Not coming?”

Shang Zhitao wished the ground would swallow her whole. That night, Yao Bei kept telling her, if you have urges for someone, don’t hold back. We’re all adults. As long as it doesn’t violate morality, anything goes. Take advantage of your youth and experience more. Every time she said that, Shang Zhitao couldn’t help but think of Luke.

Luke was in a good mood. Dealing with someone as dumb as her was easy. Her own stupid actions were enough to make her regret later. Lowering his gaze, he saw Shang Zhitao step out of the elevator, her face still flushed. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

They parted ways. He went to fetch his car, and as expected, Shang Zhitao couldn’t get a taxi. He slammed on the brakes in front of her, “Get in.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Shang Zhitao waved her hands frantically. Luke didn’t argue further and drove off. Whether she got in or not was none of his concern. Watching her shrinking figure in the rearview mirror, the autumn wind picked up, making her look a bit pitiful. He turned the car around and came back, “Are you getting in or not?”

“Yes!” She was dressed too lightly and definitely didn’t want to catch a cold.

Sitting in Luke’s car, Shang Zhitao felt a bit short of breath. She wanted to explain herself, “Luke, that night, I was really drunk… I might’ve said some nonsense. Please don’t mind it.”

“So am I your sexual fantasy object?” Luke turned his face to look at her, “Do you think of me when you masturbate?” Having lived abroad for so many years, he found open discussions like this completely normal. Moreover, Shang Zhitao appeared obedient and sensible, but her mind was filled with lascivious thoughts, which amused him.

“I…”

“What? Or maybe you want to come home with me?” Luke continued teasing her, “I’ve been single for a while too. Let’s not take it seriously, how’s that sound?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Shang Zhitao waved her hands, “Don’t ruin your precious time.”

“I’m helping you fulfill your wish. Just thank me. No need to be too polite.”

“It’s not appropriate for you to harass your subordinate like this.”

“Is that so?”

Luke took out his phone, clicked play on a recording, and Shang Zhitao heard her own slurred voice: “I really want to sleep with you…” Panicking, she quickly grabbed his phone, pressed pause, and threw it back to him.

“So who’s harassing whom?”

“I harassed you, I harassed you, I was wrong.” Shang Zhitao raised her hands in surrender, “I admit I was a bit restless that night. I don’t have those thoughts when I’m sober. Please believe me.”

“People only dare to speak the truth when they’re drunk.”

“No, no, it’s not like that.” Shang Zhitao waved her hands, “Luke, could you please pull over by the roadside? I have someone waiting nearby…”

Seeing the subway station ahead, Luke stopped the car by the road. Watching Shang Zhitao flee in embarrassment, he burst out laughing.