Chapter 55: None Are Innocent

Shang Zhitao had agreed with Lumi to watch the sunrise, but Lumi overslept, so she went alone. She put on a trench coat, left the hotel, and walked towards the beach.

The beach was empty, and the ocean still shrouded in the night evoked a sense of inexplicable fear.

People in the company all liked to sleep in. For them, the best kind of trip was to stay in the hotel, eat and drink their fill, go out for a stroll in the evening, and not return until late at night. Shang Zhitao was a little different; she wanted to see the sunrise.

Walking alone by the sea, she saw Luan Nian coming out for a morning run. Shang Zhitao remembered herloss of composure in his room yesterday, gave him a perfunctory greeting, and then turned to face the sea. After finishing his run, Luan Nian saw that the sea level had already changed color a bit, so he simply stopped to watch the sunrise, standing about three meters away from Shang Zhitao.

Never again did she want to have such uncontrollable moments.

Luan Nian couldn’t quite understand himself. He hadn’t been a very possessive person before. His girlfriends could do whatever they liked and wear whatever they wanted. He didn’t restrict them, nor did he ask them to do things according to his wishes. But he had a terrifying possessiveness towards Shang Zhitao.

He didn’t like himself this way.

The two stood there, their backs to each other, both exuding a sense of detachment. Some male colleagues who got up early and came to the beach saw their stance and went in another direction. They always felt as if the two were locked in a silent battle, and joining in would only lead to being caught in the crossfire.

Shang Zhitao was very grateful to Ling Mei and also to Luan Nian. She was grateful to Ling Mei because Ling Mei had given her the opportunity to be in the upper echelons of the industry, allowing society to rapidly unfold before her eyes, and her efforts and gains were proportional. She was grateful to Luan Nian because he was always strict, using his own way to force her to grow.

But her feelings for Luan Nian were complex. Half was love, and half was admiration and respect. She couldn’t have his equal love, nor could she love him without feeling inferior. The sunrise was so beautiful, and he was standing not far from her, yet she didn’t dare to take a step towards him. That three-meter distance would forever be the space between them.

“Luke,” she suddenly called out to him.

“Hmm?” Luan Nian looked at her. The first rays of dawn were breaking, and the sea gently rippled, much like Shang Zhitao’s tender gaze at that moment.

“I’m very happy to be able to watch the sunrise with you,” Shang Zhitao said bravely. Her heart was filled with so much love for Luan Nian, and if she didn’t say a word, that love would overflow and be lost, which would be such a pity. “Sometimes I wish I could watch the sunrise with you, and also watch the sunset together.”

I guess you can tell, I love you. Shang Zhitao didn’t say these words. She wasn’t stupid; she could tell whether a man loved her or not. She could only express herself this much; any more, and today would be the end of their relationship. Shang Zhitao loved Luan Nian, loved him so much that she didn’t have the courage to withdraw, even if it meant staying by his side in such a humble position, she was still willing.

Shang Zhitao turned and ran towards the hotel. When she was with Xin Zhaozhou, she didn’t actively say “I love you.” Most of the time, Xin Zhaozhou would put his hands under her armpits and fiercely ask her, “Do you love me?”

Shang Zhitao would smile and say, “I do.”

She ran back to her room, climbed into bed, and then remembered the bouquet of flowers again. Shang Zhitao felt she should let herself go. Today was a travel journal, tomorrow a bouquet of flowers, the day after a phone call. If this continued, her pain would be endless. She shouldn’t always be like this. She should have her own life, meet other men, and learn to leave Luan Nian.

A male colleague from the department was going surfing. Shang Zhitao and Lumi also borrowed surfboards from the hotel, each carrying one as they followed behind the male colleague. Shang Zhitao was bold. Once she got to the beach, she imitated others for a few minutes and then rushed into the sea. A big wave overturned her. She stood up in the water, her hair soaking wet, and grinned at Lumi in the sunlight, her white teeth dazzling. Lumi screamed in fright, “My goodness, you’re really fearless! Have you ever surfed before?”

“No!” Shang Zhitao laughed loudly. “It’s fun!”

She originally liked to play, and being overturned by the wave gave her a taste of the fun, so she lay on the board and played again. After a while, a speedboat came speeding towards the shore. A person stood steadily on the surfboard behind the speedboat, arms outstretched to maintain balance, their expression focused and happy.

Lumi ran to Shang Zhitao’s side and cursed, “Damn it, this guy is amazing! How can he know how to do everything?”

Shang Zhitao wasn’t surprised. She knew Luan Nian loved to play and that he kept his work and life separate. But she still thought Luan Nian standing on the surfboard was really cool. She and Lumi sat side by side on the sofa. Lumi somehow got hold of a telescope, put it to her eyes to look at Luan Nian, and after a long while, she said to Shang Zhitao, “This guy has really good stamina.”

“Ah...”

“How about we sisters break through the moral shackles and sleep with him today? I’m so curious about what he’s like.”

“It’s not that serious. Your boyfriend is so handsome, with dreadlocks, tattooed arms, muscles, and a motorcycle. So cool.” Shang Zhitao suddenly felt a little guilty. She almost blurted out, “I know, I’ll tell you.” Lumi was so good to her, yet she was hiding this from her. Shang Zhitao felt a bit sorry for Lumi.

Lumi laughed heartily, “But I still want to sleep with a seemingly refined but actually depraved man like Luke. That’s so exciting!”

It was quite exciting.

Shang Zhitao was a little absent-minded again. The two of them sat side by side by the sea, drooling over the man who was riding the waves. Shang Zhitao had slept with him so many times, yet it still felt new. When everyone was tired of playing, they changed their clothes and agreed to go to Phuket Town for food. They rented four cars, four people in each. Because Shang Zhitao and Lumi were always sticking together, they decided to assign them two male colleagues. After some shuffling, they ended up with Luan Nian and Jony, the male colleague in charge of brand communication.

The ladies weren’t very good at driving right-hand drive cars, so they obediently sat in the back. Jony was in a hurry to revise a communication draft, so the task of driving fell on Luan Nian. Anyway, since they were out for fun, they simply put aside the concept of superiors and subordinates and happily enjoyed the good treatment of having the boss as their driver.

Phuket Island was full of steep slopes. Luan Nian drove with a cool vibe, but Shang Zhitao felt like throwing up, her heart going up and down. She finally endured until they reached the town, found a parking space, and parked the car. Jony went to choose a restaurant, while the others went to stroll around.

Luan Nian rarely wore casual shorts and a T-shirt. He had a baseball cap on, his skin was a little red from the sun, and his hands were in his pockets as he followed behind Lumi and Shang Zhitao. The things girls liked were strange. First, they insisted on buying fridge magnets and postcards. Luan Nian following behind them seemed a bit out of place. What was so good about fridge magnets? You could find them all over the internet.

When it came time to pay, Lumi suddenly looked at Luan Nian and smiled.

Luan Nian scoffed, “You guys have no money?”

They really spread out their hands, each holding a dress, not even carrying bags.

“Then stay here and work!” he said, but he threw his wallet to them. Shang Zhitao felt a little embarrassed, but Lumi felt that it was rare to take advantage of the boss, so of course, she couldn’t be soft-hearted. She took out three large Thai baht bills, threw the wallet to Shang Zhitao, and turned to pay the bill.

Shang Zhitao felt a little awkward holding Luan Nian’s wallet. Luan Nian had given her several bags, but she had never directly spent his money. Her hand reached for the little elephant keychain, and she looked at Luan Nian’s expression. Seeing that he had no reaction, she then went to pick up a small elephant toy. When she reached for a notebook, she heard Luan Nian say to her, “Taking advantage of the big spender, huh?”

“It wasn’t much money, equivalent to tens of RMB.” Shang Zhitao slowly put the notebook back. Luan Nian actually laughed, “Pick something better.”

Lumi came back after paying and heard Luan Nian’s words, her eyes widening. “Pick something better?”

“Otherwise? Should I say your boss sent you these cheap things?”

“Then we won’t be polite?”

“Were you pretending to be polite?”

The one who pays is the boss. A few sarcastic remarks were nothing to Lumi; spending Luan Nian’s money felt even smoother than spending her own. She took the wallet and went on a shopping spree, while Shang Zhitao went to choose postcards.

Luan Nian sat opposite her, watching her pick up a pen to write. She had chosen more than a dozen cards, and he wondered when she would finish writing them all. Luan Nian glanced at the signatures. The first one was addressed to someone named Sun Yu, and the second one seemed to be Sun Yuanzhu? So they were for her roommates.

He sat there drinking coffee, also waiting to see which one, if any, was for him. She wrote more than a dozen and finished, with no intention of writing to him. Her emotional intelligence was clearly low. He couldn’t help but remind her, “Finished writing?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t forget anyone?”

Shang Zhitao looked through them seriously and shook her head. “No.”

“What about mine?”

“? You want one too?”

“Otherwise? I spent money and got nothing? What are you thinking?”

“Oh.”

Shang Zhitao got up again to choose a card and asked Luan Nian, “Is this one okay?”

“Mm.”

Shang Zhitao’s beautiful handwriting finally came in handy. Luan Nian lowered his eyes to watch her write. Her strokes were remarkable, and the characters were truly beautiful. But she only wrote three words: “祝开心” (Zhù kāixīn - Wish you happiness). That was it. It was a bit perfunctory.

Luan Nian reached out, took it to look, and then tossed it back on the table. “I received it. No need to mail it, save on postage.” He stood up to take an international call outside. Through the window, he watched Shang Zhitao intently sticking stamps. The collar of her dress was askew, revealing a small part of her fair shoulder, an unaware beauty.

Luan Nian didn’t like it, but he no longer interfered. He realized a problem: he had been too controlling of Shang Zhitao, exceeding the boundaries of a casual relationship. If it continued like this, there would be no way to end it gracefully.

It was already difficult to end.

Luan Nian didn’t talk much during dinner. They finally chose a Thai restaurant, which the locals said served excellent seafood. While Lumi and Jony were choosing seafood, Luan Nian received a call from Jiang Lan. He didn’t avoid Shang Zhitao, engaging with Jiang Lan with a smile. Jiang Lan asked if he wanted to experience Thai massage services, and Luan Nian said he hadn’t been feeling well lately, glancing at Shang Zhitao as he said this.

The latter deliberately turned her face away, but her earlobes turned red.

It was as if his poor physical condition was her fault. They clearly hadn’t done anything today, yet she was the first to feel guilty.

Luan Nian felt restless, as if a cat was scratching at his heart. He reached under the table and held Shang Zhitao’s wrist. Shang Zhitao’s hand met his, her fingernails lightly scratching his palm, and he gripped it tightly. Luan Nian thought: Friday’s meeting must happen no matter what. He couldn’t wait another week. Another week of waiting was a waste of their prime years; only when their bodies were intertwined did it count. Otherwise, it was all in vain.

His palm was slightly sweaty. He released her hand before Lumi and the others returned and also said goodbye to Jiang Lan.

Shang Zhitao couldn’t quite explain what had happened during this trip. Her relationship with Luan Nian had changed again.

He was urgent, passionate, his hands restraining her, not allowing her to move, forcing her to explode all her enthusiasm within him, not listening to her hoarse pleas for mercy, but suddenly asking her, “Was Mount Tai fun?”

“Better than being with me, right?”

Luan Nian was fundamentally a petty and vengeful person. To see her on Friday, he worked overtime for three days. When he rushed back to the company, he saw her skipping work with her bag on her shoulder. He asked her where she was going.

She said she was going hiking.

Knowing full well that it was Friday, she resolutely chose to go hiking, without even an explanation.

Just like when she stayed overnight at his place, she would get up early on Saturday morning and leave without saying goodbye, always leaving a small note on the pillow.

Shang Zhitao finally couldn’t bear it anymore and bit him hard. Luan Nian grunted, pinched her face to make her let go, and then punished her even more severely, exhausting her from the inside out. Afterwards, she lay limply on the bed, unwilling to move, and he pulled her into his arms, where she fell into a deep sleep.

===

Shang Zhitao only found out what Alex and Luan Nian had been talking about seriously on the beach in Phuket that day when she returned to work.

Alex was resigning.

Job changes in the workplace were clearly very common, but Shang Zhitao felt a little lost. She really liked Alex, and she didn’t even understand why Alex wanted to leave. So she secretly asked Lumi, “Alex is doing so well, why does he want to resign?”

“People always strive for better opportunities.”

“Are there even better places?”

Lumi saw that Shang Zhitao was genuinely confused and rarely spoke to her seriously. “Flora, you won’t stay at Lingmei forever either. For Alex, a better place means better treatment and more room for growth. There will definitely be companies willing to pay more to hire him.”

“Then why doesn’t Lingmei keep him?”

“They made a token effort to keep him. Luke discussed it in Phuket. But there wasn’t a better offer, so Luke’s thinking is clear: Lingmei is never short of people.”

“Their relationship is very good.”

“This is the workplace.”

Shang Zhitao was greatly shaken. Alex had been so good to her, always supporting her. She was even very worried about what her situation would be like with a new leader. It was during a department meeting after work that Alex officially announced the news and said to everyone, “Before the new Marketing Director arrives, Luke will supervise the Marketing Department.”

Shang Zhitao heard everyone’s wails.

Changing bosses meant adapting to a new work style. Luan Nian was like a devil, and everyone had an underlying resistance to him. But they were all professionals, so after the wailing, they let it go. They would work as they should.

When Shang Zhitao got home in the evening, she received a message from Lumi. Lumi told her, “Alex will probably take two people with him. I heard the salary increase is over 50%, and the job level will be raised by one.”

“Did he contact you?”

“He did.”

“Then you’re leaving too?” Shang Zhitao suddenly felt nervous. Selfishly, she didn’t want Lumi to leave. Lumi was the first friend she had made in the workplace, and she was genuinely good to Shang Zhitao, the kind of goodness that came from the bottom of her heart.

“I’m not going. I don’t lack money. Changing places means having to readjust to a new environment. Lingmei is so good. I’m familiar with everything, I can walk sideways, and everyone makes way for me.”

Shang Zhitao breathed a long sigh of relief and then heard Lumi say, “Alex contacted me, contacted Sunny, and there’s one more person he wants to take with him. That person is you.”

“What?”

“Yes, you heard right. Alex wants to take you with him. If you go with him, you’ll be on the fast track. As long as he doesn’t fall, you’ll be fine. If he does, you can start over. If you don’t go with him, you’ll face the pressure of a new boss. The new boss will definitely want to bring in their own people. Currently, the department’s headcount is full, so they’ll naturally target existing employees. Whether you’ll be fired is uncertain.”

Alex wanted to take her with him. Why? She was so mediocre. Shang Zhitao was still young and didn’t understand the boss’s strategy for hiring. Not all bosses were like Luan Nian; most were like Alex. They valued diligence, obedience, competence, and high loyalty. Luan Nian’s primary consideration was ability. Nothing more.

Shang Zhitao was precisely the kind of person most bosses liked.

When Alex called her, she even felt a little flustered, and also a little touched. She heard Alex say to her, “Flora, the Marketing Department is your first stop at Lingmei, and I’m your first boss. Over the past year and more of working together, I believe you understand my character. I’m going to build a new marketing team in another emerging field, and you can consider whether you want to come with me.”

The first question Shang Zhitao thought of was: Can I do it? I’ve only graduated for over a year, and I haven’t even independently handled any projects. I’m the newbie in the workplace. What can I do to help you if I go? She was wholeheartedly thinking about Alex, and she had no concept of the so-called salary increase. She only wanted to know if she was capable, so she directly asked, “Can I ask you, why me? I think I’m too mediocre.”

Alex chuckled on the other end of the phone. “Flora, don’t underestimate yourself. Think about your achievements in the past year: building the supplier warehousing bidding system, independently completing the first stop of the roadshow project, and no errors in budget management. Why do you think you can’t do it? Don’t doubt my judgment. You just need to decide whether you want to come with me or not.”

Shang Zhitao rarely heard such direct praise. Alex’s words moved her deeply, and there were even tears in her eyes. She remained excited for a long time after hanging up. Only when she calmed down did she realize that she couldn’t make a decision at all. She wanted to consult Luan Nian, but she felt that would be equivalent to betraying Alex, so she forced herself to hold back.

She held back, but Luan Nian sent her a message: “If Alex wants to poach you, there are only two reasons: you’re cheap and obedient. Figure out the rest yourself.”