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Shang Zhitao knew that her relationship with Luan Nian had changed. She still greeted him with a smile when they met, but deep down, she knew it was over between them.
It was on a drizzly spring day that Shang Zhitao sent him a message: “Luke, after some thought, I think we should end our relationship.”
Luan Nian’s reply came quickly: “Alright.”
She found herself puzzled by her own reaction. She had expected to break down in tears, drown herself in alcohol, or endlessly cling to him—but she did none of those things. Instead, she asked Sun Yu, “Am I strange? Am I some kind of emotionless creature? Why don’t I feel ashamed after being rejected by him? Why do I not hate him at all? What kind of person am I?”
Her questions were many, yet ordinary ones faced by men and women alike. Her experiences mirrored those of countless other girls. They hadn’t done anything wrong—they simply loved someone they shouldn’t have. And that person hadn’t seemed particularly flawed either; he had merely followed his heart. If every confession elicited a response, why would there be so many broken hearts in the world?
But Sun Yu didn’t know how to comfort Shang Zhitao. She simply gave her a light hug and said, “Maybe you didn’t love him as deeply as you thought, or perhaps true sorrow doesn’t make a sound.”
What baffled Shang Zhitao most about herself was that she still occasionally thought of him—only now, he no longer mattered as much. She felt as though her body had activated some survival mechanism, reordering the people and events around her. Luan Nian had been relegated to the very last place.
She liked this change in herself.
Everything seemed neatly in order—an order so complete that she almost forgot about the bribery scandal she was embroiled in.
The notice for the investigative interview arrived just as Shang Zhitao was wrapping up a meeting.
The internal audit team called her mobile phone and said, “Flora, could you please come to Conference Room 502?”
“Okay.” She carried her laptop to the conference room, where Tracy, Luan Nian, and several colleagues from the internal audit department were seated in a row. Though she felt nervous, she also felt calm, sitting upright in her chair.
Though she knew what the discussion would be about, she couldn’t understand why such a large group had gathered.
Tracy exchanged a glance with Luan Nian before explaining, “Since Luke is currently acting as the head of the planning department, according to company regulations, the head of the department must attend internal audit meetings. Therefore…”
“Let’s get started,” Luan Nian interjected without lifting his eyes from his phone, addressing Tracy. “Cut to the chase—we have two more meetings after this.”
“Alright.”
“The internal audit can begin.”
They began by asking about Shang Zhitao’s basic income information: whether she had any side income, if she enjoyed luxury goods, and so on. The questions were varied, but they all pointed toward one thing—whether she had received any large, unexplained sums of money.
Shang Zhitao answered each question calmly. When asked if she had a habit of buying luxury items, she shook her head. “No, I don’t like luxury goods.” It was true—she didn’t like them. Although Luan Nian had casually given her many expensive gifts, she had never even opened them. Dislike was dislike. As she spoke, Luan Nian briefly lifted his gaze from his phone and gave her a fleeting glance.
The internal auditors then questioned Shang Zhitao about her relationships with suppliers, how she handled bidding processes, and payment procedures. She answered everything clearly.
Finally, Luan Nian put down his phone and spoke in his usual businesslike tone: “There’s no need for excessive politeness—let’s cut to the point. Flora, you’ve been reported by a supplier you onboarded years ago for accepting cash bribes totaling over 400,000 yuan. The company will continue its investigation. In the meantime, please hand over your current projects and suspend work until further notice.” He saw no point in beating around the bush. Hundreds of gentle words wouldn’t change the outcome—it was better to focus on solutions.
Tracy felt Luan Nian was being too harsh and added, “We’ll thoroughly investigate this matter. We won’t wrong an innocent person.”
“Nor will we let a guilty one go unpunished,” Luan Nian added coldly.
As Shang Zhitao listened to their exchange, the voices felt grating. Four hundred thousand yuan was a staggering sum, even for her. The problem was, she hadn’t taken a single cent—not even four yuan.
“Understood. Thank you.”
After leaving the conference room, Shang Zhitao returned to her desk and picked up her bag.
“Where are you going? Aren’t you working anymore?” Lumi asked.
The feeling of being falsely accused was unbearable, especially with Luan Nian’s emotionless delivery. Shang Zhitao didn’t respond to Lumi. She couldn’t speak at that moment—she knew if she opened her mouth, she’d burst into tears. Instead, she sent Lumi a text: “I’ve been reported for taking a 400,000-yuan bribe. The company has asked me to go home and wait for the investigation results.”
“Damn it!” Lumi was furious. She stood up and walked with Shang Zhitao toward the elevator. On their way down, they encountered Luan Nian heading to the café for another meeting. Shang Zhitao stepped back, positioning herself behind Lumi. No one spoke in the elevator. Through the mirrored walls, Luan Nian noticed Shang Zhitao stubbornly pressing her lips together—a familiar expression she wore when wronged.
Inside the café, Luan Nian watched through the window as Shang Zhitao consoled an angry Lumi by holding her hand. After a while, Shang Zhitao left. When she returned home, Sun Yuanzhu was there, tinkering with a small robot. Using a voice modulator, he greeted her: “Hello.”
“Why do you look so upset?”
Shang Zhitao recounted the events to him. Sun Yuanzhu nodded. “You know, some tactics never fail.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. The point is, you need to save yourself.”
Self-rescue—the best way to do that would be to turn to Luan Nian, wouldn’t it? He surely had a clever solution, but Shang Zhitao didn’t reach out to him. She hadn’t sought his help before, and now she had even less reason to.
By the time Luan Nian finished work that evening, he hadn’t received a single message or call from Shang Zhitao. He wasn’t surprised. After getting into his car, he made a phone call: “Look into something for me.”
“Yes, I just want to know if there’s any connection between them.”
“Also, I’d like to discreetly check the company’s accounts.”
“Don’t worry—I won’t use this information for anything illegal.”
After hanging up, Luan Nian thought for a moment and sent the company’s details to the other party, adding, “Only check the information I mentioned.” Luan Nian had never been a man of integrity. If the other party was guilty, fighting fire with fire was the best approach.
“Make it quick.”
After starting the car, Luan Nian spotted a vehicle with a Golden Retriever sticking its head out of the window, looking rather silly. It suddenly reminded him of Luke.
If his relationship with Shang Zhitao was truly over, did that mean he would never see Luke again? Yet, there were still snacks in his trunk that he had bought for Luke. He pulled over to the side of the road, thought about it for a long while, and eventually turned the car back toward home.
At home, there were still some of Shang Zhitao’s belongings: a few changes of clothes, cosmetics, slippers, and other miscellany. As Luan Nian packed them up, he realized that prolonged companionship inevitably leaves traces. He carefully placed her things into boxes—along with Luke’s water bowl, food dish, toys, and snacks—filling two large boxes. His spacious house usually made these items seem scattered and almost invisible, but now gathered together, they occupied nearly two square meters of space.
This was the first time he had proactively called her after rejecting her. The phone rang for a long time before she finally picked up, her voice muffled: “Hello?” Her voice sounded strained, as if she couldn’t fully open her mouth. Sun Yu had handed her a few face masks, telling her that beauty brought better luck. Since she was under investigation and stuck at home, this was a good opportunity for self-improvement.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m applying a face mask.” Shang Zhitao peeled off the mask, her voice becoming clearer. “Is something wrong?”
“Applying a face mask at one in the morning?”
“Just… felt like doing it. What is it, Luke? Are the investigation results out?” She called him “Luke,” because in her mind, he was Luke—not Luan Nian.
“You left some things at my place. Do you want to come pick them up?”
“No, it’s too late tonight. I’m planning to go out tomorrow, so it wouldn’t be convenient. If they’re taking up space, just throw them away.” Shang Zhitao knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to sever all ties with their past completely, as if nothing had ever happened. She was also preparing to switch jobs. Alex had reached out to her—he had firmly established himself in his company and needed someone trustworthy to assist him. Shang Zhitao thought this was an excellent opportunity. However, Grace was going on maternity leave, and morally speaking, Shang Zhitao felt obligated to stay until after the leave ended to ensure Grace’s clients were secure. It was a way of repaying her kindness. Reciprocity was part of workplace etiquette.
“Aren’t you waiting at home for the results?”
“The outcome will be the same no matter where I wait.”
“I’ll bring your things over.”
“Oh.”
Shang Zhitao didn’t take him seriously, but Luan Nian really showed up. She was washing her face when his call came through: “Come downstairs.”
Throwing on a light robe, Shang Zhitao went down. Time had flown by—it was already early summer. The summer nights were intoxicating, with comfortable breezes and the chirping of insects. Luan Nian stood by his car, smoking. Beside his feet were the two large boxes.
Shang Zhitao approached and looked at the boxes, feeling as though they bore the words “time flies swiftly,” or perhaps “a fleeting dream,” or even “an absurd farce.” She thought Sun Yu was right—their unconventional beginning was destined to end poorly. She had fallen far short of his standards, and sooner or later, their paths would diverge.
“So much stuff,” she said indifferently.
Luan Nian didn’t respond, only lowered his head slightly as he smoked. Shang Zhitao crouched down to open one of the boxes. Luan Nian noticed strands of loose hair spilling onto her pale neck from her bun. She was such a peculiar woman—one moment pouring her heart out on the phone, making it sound like he was indispensable, and the next acting as if nothing had ever happened. She seemed capable of both attachment and detachment.
Inside the box were various odds and ends she had left at his place: a water bottle, toiletries, cosmetics, clothes, slippers. She glanced around and spotted a trash bin about ten steps away. She carried the box over and dumped everything into the bin. What use was there in keeping them? In her rented apartment, though simple, she lacked nothing.
Luan Nian watched her discard the items with unwavering resolve, his eyes narrowing into a slit, emanating a coldness he himself wasn’t aware of. But Shang Zhitao acted as if she didn’t notice. She returned to him, opened the second box, and saw it filled with Luke’s belongings. Luan Nian certainly hadn’t skimped—Luke’s dog treats cost more than the meals she ate.
“I’ll thank you on behalf of Luke,” she said, picking up the box and taking two steps back. “Do you want me to return those bags you gave me? I saw online that some people ask for expensive gifts back after ending a relationship.”
Luan Nian glanced at her, said nothing, got into his car, and drove off. In the rearview mirror, he saw her carrying the box into her building without looking back once.
He called Tan Mian: “Want to grab a drink?”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
Shang Zhitao went upstairs, closed the door behind her, and only then realized she was crying. It was strange—her tears flowed so fiercely, yet she felt nothing. She took out the snacks and fed them to Luke: “A friend of yours once bought these for you. Eat up.”
Luke seemed to recognize the treats and barked softly in the middle of the night, breaking Shang Zhitao’s heart further.
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