The Early Spring - Chapter 110

Chapter 110 - Finale

Shang Zhitao poured all her energy into this annual gala.

Lingmei's annual gala was the crowning moment of the corporate culture each year—awards, lucky draws, performances, and the announcement of major strategic decisions. As the project manager, Shang Zhitao asked the marketing department for Lumi to come help her. This was her personal selfish wish. She wanted the final stretch of her time at Lingmei to be spent alongside her favorite person.

It felt like returning to the very beginning, to those days when Lumi had dragged Shang Zhitao around to run event venues. The two spent two days polishing the proposal before bringing Josh, Will, and Tracy together to sign off on it; once there were no issues, they moved into the preparation phase.

They solicited the company's employees for their single favorite photo in life; unaware of what it was for, everyone handed them over cheerfully. They also edited together a wealth of footage from the company's media library showing everyone having fun together over the years, making for a delightful reel.

On the day of the rehearsal, Luan Nian finally returned from his long business trip. Carrying his luggage, he arrived at the venue and watched the event management crew bustling about with the setup. Shang Zhitao was currently holding a pre-rehearsal meeting for the performers. Luan Nian sat down in the very back row, watching Shang Zhitao.

They hadn't spoken for a very, very long time.

Sometimes when they ran into each other at the company, Shang Zhitao's eyes would never shift to his face. Once or twice, when Luan Nian wanted to say a word or two to her, he would recall what she had said:

This dirty, ugly, sickening relationship.

I've never regarded you as my boyfriend.

The Shang Zhitao of today had shed the green tenderness of her twenty-two-year-old self, yet she remained utterly pure and untainted, standing there with that upright, solemn posture that was uniquely hers.

How strange it was. It was already 2016, yet someone still stood with such posture.

When it came time for the executive performance segment, Shang Zhitao invited the heads of each department to the front of the stage, earnestly explaining the program designed for them. Luan Nian stood right across from her, a bit closer this time, catching sight of the dark circles beneath her eyes—she must have stayed up for many nights for the sake of the gala.

Shang Zhitao held the script printed in advance and handed it out to them: "I'll have to ask for all the bosses' cooperation. The program arranged for everyone this year is retro disco. We specifically hired a dance instructor who will teach all of you shortly. The moves aren't difficult, but they look fantastic." This had been Lumi's terrible idea; she said she wanted to see Will and the Stubborn Mule wiggle their rear ends, thinking it would be quite sexy.

"Then why don't you arrange for them to do a striptease?" Shang Zhitao had teased her.

"That won't do—Will still has my bite marks on his body!" Lumi had winked at Shang Zhitao.

"Why did you bite him?"

"He provoked me."

Lumi was hardly one to let herself suffer grievances. A wealthy demolition heiress surrounded by relatives whose mouths were even sharper than hers, who would dare provoke her except Will?

The executives looked at each other, every one of them harboring a bit of resistance. Tracy, as the sole female boss, was delighted: "I'm dancing, I'm dancing! I was the disco queen back in my day!"

The others looked at Luan Nian, hoping he would decline. How nice poetry recitals or piano solos were—simply put, once a person reached a high position, it became rather hard to lower their posture.

Luan Nian, however, nodded: "Let's follow the director's arrangements."

Lumi blew a whistle and pointed at the outfits beside them: "Here are the costumes for all the bosses, ordered in advance and thoroughly cleaned. They were rented according to the sizes you provided for the corporate shirts!"

Glittering, flashy clothes.

Luan Nian had always known that whenever Shang Zhitao was with Lumi, things would derail.

While the others practiced dancing, Luan Nian sat there playing with his phone; yet the rest didn't dare follow his lead, practicing with utter seriousness. When it came to the group rehearsal, everyone stood in their designated spots. As the spotlights shone down, their clothes sparkled brilliantly—it was impossible to describe how cool, retro, and uniquely Lingmei it all was.

Luan Nian hadn't practiced, yet he remembered the moves and danced better than the rest. Will was rigid, refusing to sway his hips, so Lumi held a big megaphone and shouted at him: "Boss Will, you've got to wiggle! You're falling behind!"

"Swaying too slow!"

"Make the movements bigger!"

Shang Zhitao stood to the side holding back a smile, her gaze finally sweeping over Luan Nian. Suddenly, she recalled her very first year when she worked order control, standing beneath the stage watching him perform rock and roll with his friends. Lumi had told her back then: A man like him—you can sleep with him, but whatever you do, don't fall in love with him.

On the actual day of the annual gala, the bosses' performance predictably drove the crowd wild.

The moment the lights flared, people below began clapping and cheering wildly. As the music swelled, it was a remixed version of "Stupid Love."

Luan Nian remained as confident and arrogant as ever, driving people as crazy as before. Shang Zhitao stood beside the stage, catching the look in Song Ying's eyes at the second table—it was the exact same way she herself had looked at Luan Nian back then. This time, Shang Zhitao felt that none of this had anything to do with her anymore.

It felt truly wonderful to stand detached from it all.

Lingmei's 2016 year-end gala was a retro spectacle. Every performance design was remarkably sophisticated, creative, lively, and entertaining. Someone asked, "Who's the director this year? This is way too awesome!"

"Flora! Who else could it be?"

After the seventh segment concluded, Shang Zhitao went backstage. She also had a performance—the final act of the gala—for which she had invited a few close workplace friends to perform with her.

The last time she had sung in public must have been eight years ago. Time truly waited for no one.

She stepped onto the lift platform, slowly emerging onto the stage bathed in a beam of soft light. Behind her played the film reel they had edited in advance; the beginning of the reel featured the laughter from their team-building trip to Phuket years ago, alongside laughter edited together from various company events over the years—one could even tell who the laughter belonged to.

The stage fell quiet, and Shang Zhitao sang the very first line: "That burst of laughter reminds me of those flowers of mine..."

Luan Nian finally raised his head, seeing the Shang Zhitao on stage—a Shang Zhitao he had never seen before. How strange it was. They had been together for six years, yet he had no idea she sang so beautifully.

Everyone was looking at Shang Zhitao. In the past, they had thought Flora was such an ordinary yet hardworking person, but today they finally understood that every single person possessed their own moment to shine. Shang Zhitao was breathtakingly beautiful, standing there in a simple white dress without a single ornament, as pure as morning dew on a lotus leaf, or gentle ripples across a lake in early spring.

Her voice was equally crystal clear.

The images behind her were even more touching.

Everyone saw the photos they cherished most. Shang Zhitao's photo was from Christmas 2010, showing her standing in the snow alongside Sun Yuanzhu and Sun Yu. Time was rich with fragrance, taking away so much, yet leaving behind so much as well.

As the singing gradually faded, another video clip played—edited from roughly five or six years ago, showing deep conversations they had shared on various occasions, shedding tears multiple times at poignant moments.

Lumi stood up on her table, holding up a light stick in her hand, and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Shang Zhitao, I love you!"

Everyone began shouting "Shang Zhitao."

The people of Lingmei were used to calling each other by their English names, yet on this day, they were shouting a Chinese name in unison. No matter who they usually put on a false front for, no matter who possessed immense wealth or a powerful background, at this moment, everyone understood who it was that people truly loved.

It was that Shang Zhitao who remained forever upright, kind, helpful, and generous in the workplace; that Shang Zhitao who was always true to her word and remained the most reliable of all; that Shang Zhitao who was genuinely happy for others' progress and achievements; that Shang Zhitao who dared to stand firm under pressure amidst sexual harassment.

Over six years, Shang Zhitao had used her humility and resilience to complete a transformation in her life—a transformation that could belong to any ordinary person.

Luan Nian suddenly felt his eyes grow warm, and he lowered his head.

It was on that day, after all the performances had drawn to a close, that Luan Nian ran into Shang Zhitao in the backstage dressing room, as she had just finished changing. Their footsteps came to a halt a few meters apart as they looked at each other.

When their eyes met, it seemed as if both had so much to say.

Shang Zhitao simply wanted to say goodbye, yet in the end, she didn't open her mouth.

"Shang Zhitao, I have an urgent flight to the United States tomorrow. When I return, let's have a proper talk, okay?" He finally spoke—the very first words shared between the two alone since that day.

Shang Zhitao nodded. "Okay."

"You sang very well," Luan Nian added.

"Thank you."

"Flora, time for the group photo!" Lumi was calling out to her. Shang Zhitao cast a glance back and said to Luan Nian, "It's the grand group photo."

"Okay."

The two walked toward the stage together, where everyone was already waiting. Shang Zhitao picked up the megaphone to organize the group photo lineup. Once everyone was in position, Lumi asked, "Where are you standing?"

"Wherever is fine."

"That won't do! The director stands in the middle! Stand next to Boss Luan!" said Shelly, who had traveled from afar. And so, a spot beside Luan Nian was quickly cleared for Shang Zhitao. She put down the megaphone and stepped into that spot, her hands behind her back, a fist's distance away from Luan Nian.

The photographer called out: "One, two, three, cheese!"

Everyone shouted "cheese," looking quite stiff.

"Is this still Lingmei? The people of Lingmei need to get hyped!" The photographer was dissatisfied, prompting everyone to burst into laughter, unleashing their natural selves in a multitude of quirky poses. Only Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao stood there straight and upright, smiling faintly as they completed this photo together.

And just like that, it came to an end.

As the excitement faded, Shang Zhitao and Lumi collapsed into their seats in the venue, looking at each other, both sharing that sense of desolation that follows a grand departure.

"Grab a drink?" Lumi asked her.

"Sure. Call Sun Yu."

The three women drank together, all consuming a vast amount that day. In the depths of their drunkenness, they wrapped their arms around each other and wept bitterly. No one knew what they were crying about; it seemed that when women drank too much, they simply loved to cry. If they didn't cry, it only proved they hadn't drunk enough.

Sun Yu pinched Shang Zhitao's cheek: "You have to live well, okay?"

"You too."

Lumi wiped away her tears from the side, weeping as she cursed: "Fuck! I hate goodbyes the most."

"What a coincidence. So do I."

On Shang Zhitao's final working day at Lingmei, her resignation approval had already cleared all the sign-offs, needing only Josh's approval. It so happened that because she hadn't been evaluated as an expert, once the sign-off reached Josh, the process was released automatically.

That day, Lingmei held a flea market, claiming it was to welcome the new by bidding farewell to the old. Shang Zhitao brought over all the handbags Luan Nian had gifted her, hauling them in Lumi's car.

Lumi had never known that Shang Zhitao possessed so many luxury goods—fourteen designer bags, all brand new: "You're actually a closet millionaire! Shang Zhitao, you never told me you were so rich!"

Shang Zhitao smiled faintly. "It's a long story. Let's not talk about it!"

It was the first time Shang Zhitao had opened the gifts Luan Nian had given her—so many bags. Luan Nian's taste was truly exquisite; he hadn't bought a single mass-market style, and every bag he had picked for her was beautiful.

"Holy shit!" Lumi stood beside her and asked, "How much are you planning to sell these for?"

"I don't know. Help me price them!"

"You could easily sell them at a three-percent discount off retail."

"Then let's do ninety-seven percent of the original price. Help me stick the price tags on."

Lumi was extremely knowledgeable about handbags, knowing every price by heart, and her pen moved remarkably fast. Shang Zhitao held down her hand: "Wait a second."

"What?"

"Which one do you like? I'll give it to you."

"They're way too expensive."

"Fifty percent off. As you can see, I'm rich."

Lumi laughed, pointing at the most expensive one: "This one. Even with me owning several properties, I couldn't bring myself to buy it."

"How much is it?"

"Just under two hundred thousand yuan."

Shang Zhitao nodded—Luan Nian had truly been willing to spend money. She was equally generous: "I'll sell it to you at half price."

"That won't do. No matter how good our relationship as sisters is, I can't take advantage of you to the tune of one hundred thousand yuan. Sell it to me at fifty percent off, and I'll throw in two of my old bags for you. I don't feel like carrying them anyway."

Shang Zhitao was amused by Lumi. "Alright."

She sold another one at half price—to Tracy. Tracy had refused as well, but Shang Zhitao forced the sale. She said to Tracy, "Tracy, I really love you. It's just a bag—I even wanted to give it to you as a gift."

"Don't." Tracy hugged her. "Flora, no matter which company you go to, no matter where you are, I hope you understand that you are remarkably exceptional—the most outstanding employee I've ever seen. Don't believe anyone's slander against you; just believe in yourself."

"Okay." Shang Zhitao's eyes turned red. "Thank you."

Everyone in the company was stunned. None of them had expected that Shang Zhitao, who usually didn't wear a single luxury item, actually owned so many top-tier luxury goods. They gossiped secretly about what kind of background she truly had. Shang Zhitao remained unbothered; when it was time to leave work, she left with her bag, without even saying goodbye to everyone.

On the day she left Beijing, snow fell over Beijing as well. Luke had already been driven back to Harbin by a friend the day before.

Dragging her suitcase to the door, she cast a final glance at this apartment where she had lived for six years. Here lay her most beautiful and most painful memories. Unbidden, her tears began to fall. Tomorrow, Sun Yu would move out too; the story they shared together reached its conclusion here.

"Let's go," Sun Yu said to Shang Zhitao.

The car drove all the way toward the railway station, carrying the original versions of themselves. On that day years ago, it had been raining, and a newly unemployed Sun Yu had welcomed Shang Zhitao upon her initial arrival in Beijing with a smile, wearing a raincoat to take her on her first visit to the food market.

As they passed by that food market, Shang Zhitao kept looking back. It was as if she could see four twenty-something-year-olds walking out while carrying meat and vegetables, chatting and laughing—that was the four of them, so very, very young.

She bade farewell to Sun Yu and Lumi at the train station, saying, "I will change my phone number and start life anew. The day I call you will be the very first day of my true rebirth. Thank you."

The three girls embraced each other, all holding back their tears.

Lumi said, "I'm not fucking crying! How embarrassing!"

Yet as the train slowly pulled away from the platform, she suddenly burst into loud, wailing tears.

Shang Zhitao watched outside the train window as Lumi suddenly burst into weeping, and her own tears flooded through the gates. The train wheels clattered dully against the iron rails, making her heart feel as though it had been run over.

Finally pulling out her phone, she sent Luan Nian a text message through her tears: "Thank you for six years of companionship. I wish you all the best."

Then, she deleted all of Luan Nian's contact information.

During those years, the phrase "fleeing Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou" had suddenly become popular on the internet. As her train sped out of Beijing, Shang Zhitao thought: This isn't a flight—this is a grand retreat.

Because I want to possess another possibility.

Goodbye, Beijing.