The Early Spring - Chapter 29

Chapter 29 - Care to Come to My Place?

Shang Zhitao felt like her life was completely over. How on earth could she have blurted out something so brazen? She wasn't normally that kind of person, yet the moment she stood in front of Luan Nian, she turned into someone entirely different.

She agonized over it all weekend, but Luan Nian refused to let her off the hook. In the middle of the night, he sent her a message: "Care to come over? My place."

"I'll report you." Shang Zhitao's retaliation lacked any sort of backbone, carrying a heavy undercurrent of a guilty conscience.

"The voice recording?" Luan Nian's implication was clear: Did you forget I have your voice recording? You're going to report me? He didn't genuinely expect Shang Zhitao to come over to his apartment; he simply found her amusing and had grown addicted to teasing her. His scandalous rumors and tarnished reputation hadn't affected his mood in the slightest. Tossing his phone aside, he burst out laughing.

Shang Zhitao spent every day dodging Luan Nian like a mouse avoiding a cat. Whenever they occasionally crossed paths, Luan Nian would wear a deadpan, professional expression while secretly texting her: "Been drinking?" Drinking implied a loss of composure, and Luan Nian held that weakness firmly over her head. Every time Shang Zhitao glanced at her phone and looked up to find herself blushing furiously, Lumi would suspect something was wrong with her and finally blurt out, "Do you have dirty pictures saved on your phone or something?"

...

My phone doesn't have dirty pictures, it has a total bastard on it, Shang Zhitao thought to herself.

Sometimes, however, encounters were unavoidable—such as during rehearsals.

There were three rehearsals scheduled where the bosses needed to walk through their routines. Shang Zhitao was in charge of coordinating the rehearsals, relaying the stage director's instructions to the executives. While the other bosses were easy to talk to, whenever she had to speak with Luan Nian, Shang Zhitao wouldn't dare look him in the eye; the mere fleeting glance at him would instantly send a rush of heat straight to her face. To Luan Nian, such blushing was perceived as glaring, undeniable proof of her affection for him. Luan Nian, acting somewhat presumptuously, wanted to use her obvious crush to indulge in a bit of casual tyranny. The desires in his heart stirred one after another, and he failed to even realize that his interactions with Shang Zhitao bore the unmistakable suspicion of deliberate pursuit.

Finally, the day of the corporate anniversary celebration arrived.

Luan Nian's performance details, which he had kept tightly under wraps, were finally about to be revealed to everyone. He was slated as the first act, and while Shang Zhitao stood on the outer perimeter maintaining crowd control, she watched musical instruments being carried onto the stage. Tracy specifically slipped backstage to consult Luan Nian: "How about I take a picture of you and send it to the alumni network?"

"Pay up." Luan Nian was in the middle of unbuttoning the satin shirt he wore, a pair of casual jeans making his legs look exceptionally long. Watching him, Tracy clicked her tongue. "Mother Nature really blessed you with a stellar shell."

"How's the internal audit coming along?"

"Ongoing. Worried?"

"I'm not worried."

Luan Nian's friends walked in, each possessing a distinct personal style yet all exuding an unmistakable air of cool swagger. There's no telling how many female colleagues are going to lose their minds today, Tracy thought to herself.

The employees were seated around round tables. In a daze, Shang Zhitao watched someone leap onto the stage as the drumsticks struck a rhythmic beat, the music swelled to life, and the stage lights blazed on.

The man holding the electric guitar was dressed in a satin shirt with the top few buttons undone, revealing a tantalizing expanse of his chest. Shang Zhitao had never seen Luan Nian smile like this before—the corners of his lips curled upward to reveal pearly white teeth, looking a bit roguish yet brilliantly sunny. Something struck her heart with a sudden blow, leaving behind a faint, lingering ache.

They covered "I Hate Myself for Loving You." Luan Nian's fingers flew across the guitar strings, and he smiled as he glanced at his bandmates. The tacit chemistry between them was forged over years of friendship, radiating high-spirited confidence and unbridled arrogance. The colleagues went wild, leaping to their feet and swaying to the rhythm of the music. Shang Zhitao had never heard this song before, nor had she ever witnessed this side of Luan Nian. He was ablaze with dazzling radiance, using this peerless charisma to shatter everyone's preconceived notions.

"This guy is seriously out of this world!" Lumi cheered for Luan Nian. Turning her head, she caught Shang Zhitao staring fixedly at Luan Nian and suddenly shouted right into her ear, "Shang Zhitao, you can sleep with a man like that, but don't ever fall in love with him."

Shang Zhitao understood what Lumi meant. She was saying: You two aren't from the same world. Luan Nian is an industry-leading creative master, sharp, drop-dead handsome, and dripping with talent, while you are just a hardworking, utterly ordinary person. If you fall for him, you're only going to get hurt. Of course Shang Zhitao understood. She didn't harbor any such extravagant delusions, but she couldn't help being drawn to Luan Nian's brilliance.

She wanted to become someone like Luan Nian, too. Back in her college days, she had sung on stage as well; she almost forgot that she, too, used to have those occasional, shining moments of her own.

"Sleep with him—tonight's the night," Lumi teased Shang Zhitao, even giving her a gentle shove.

"No, no, way too many people want to sleep with him tonight," Shang Zhitao chuckled, just as a voice crackled through her walkie-talkie: "One minute until the first act concludes. Prepare for dinner service. Ensure the area is cleared."

Clearing the area meant clearing the crowd-control team led by Shang Zhitao. With Luan Nian's performance concluded, the crowd began chanting "Encore!" in unison. Seeming to be in a good mood, Luan Nian obliged and performed another song.

Once his singing ended, the strange little flurry of wind in Shang Zhitao's heart died down. Standing at the edge of the venue, she watched her colleagues enjoy the banquet while appreciating the performances on stage. To prevent anyone from tripping or falling, she frequently reminded people, "Watch your step!" "Walk slowly!" She also guided the food service: "Mind the people around you!" She was thoroughly diligent and conscientious.

As Luan Nian chatted with Tan Mian, his peripheral vision caught sight of Shang Zhitao hard at work. Her uniform outfit possessed a certain crisp, dashing edge—the white shirt tucked neatly into black trousers, hair pulled back into a high ponytail, clutching a walkie-talkie with a serious expression. She looked rather like a secret service bodyguard. Luan Nian let out a snort of laughter. Shang Zhitao's deadpan earnestness was actually quite amusing.

"What is it?" Tan Mian, who was mid-sentence, asked him. Luan Nian shook his head. "Nothing."

A staple ritual of the company banquet was to make the rounds for toasts. Even if Luan Nian drank as little as possible, taking just a tiny sip with each person still added up to three or four liangs of alcohol. Soon enough, the various bosses began leading their subordinates around the room to clink glasses, starting with introductions followed by polite pleasantries: "Pleasure working together!" "Thank you for looking out for me!" As they spoke, their eyes would dart toward Luan Nian's table, waiting for the cluster of people around him to disperse so the next wave could immediately step up.

Alex shoved a decanter and a tiny wine glass into Shang Zhitao's hands. Shang Zhitao panicked. "I can't drink today! I have to work until the venue is fully cleared."

"Plain water." Alex gave her a wink. "Too many people, he won't sniff every glass. Just make up the numbers and walk through the motions."

The men and women of the marketing department trailed behind Alex right up to Luan Nian's table. Alex rested a hand on Luan Nian's shoulder. "Luke's performance just now was incredible, absolute pure charisma!"

"Right! So sexy!" Lumi chimed in, eliciting general laughter from the crowd. Shang Zhitao cowered behind the others, keeping quiet and praying Luan Nian wouldn't sniff her glass. As Alex began introducing his staff one by one, everyone followed the unspoken rule of having the introduced person step forward. When it came to Shang Zhitao, Luan Nian's gaze dropped straight to her decanter. "The marketing department's girls sure can hold their liquor." He made that unprompted remark before resting his hand directly on her decanter. Just like back in school when a teacher randomly spot-checked homework and somehow always managed to pick Shang Zhitao, Luan Nian had landed right on her.

I'm finished. Even Alex felt a twinge of nervousness. This kid Shang Zhitao was truly unlucky—whenever there was trouble to be avoided, the moment she got involved, she was guaranteed to get caught red-handed.

Luan Nian gave Shang Zhitao's decanter a sniff. "My allergic rhinitis is acting up today." With that, he handed the decanter back to her, figuring she certainly didn't have the guts to drink alcohol anyway.

The surrounding group chuckled at Shang Zhitao's lucky escape.

As their glasses clinked together, Luan Nian smiled and said, "Everyone's worked hard, let's keep pushing forward together."

The banquet dragged on until ten o'clock before breaking up. Tan Mian was heavily intoxicated, so Luan Nian arranged for Liu Wu to drive him back in advance. Once the crowd dispersed, he hailed a designated driver for himself. Having good situational awareness, Alex turned to Luan Nian and said, "It's tough to flag down a car at this hour. Why doesn't the marketing department assign someone to drop Luke back?"

"That works too. Thanks for the trouble." Luan Nian put away his phone.

Alex went off to find someone and spotted Shang Zhitao, who had just changed out of her uniform and was eating some fruit. Having rushed around until this late hour, she had only managed to grab a tiny pastry earlier, so she scrounged up a fruit platter from the back kitchen to fill her stomach before getting ready to head home.

"Flora."

"Alex."

"Do you know how to drive?"

"Yes, of course." Shang Zhitao had only obtained her driver's license the previous weekend and was currently basking in an undeserved wave of self-confidence. "What's up?"

"Go give the boss a ride home."

"You got it! Which boss?"

"Luke."

... "Alright!"

Having secured his person, Alex led Shang Zhitao over to Luan Nian. "Have Flora drive you."

"You know how to drive?" Luan Nian narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, absolutely." Refusing to back down, Shang Zhitao lifted her chin.

Reluctant to flat-out reject Alex's face, Luan Nian had no choice but to say, "Then I'll trouble you, Flora."

"Happy to serve the boss!" Bellowing her slogan with full enthusiasm, Shang Zhitao trailed right behind Luan Nian down to the underground parking garage.

With most people already gone, the hotel's underground garage was practically empty. Parking garage exits should be pretty easy, Shang Zhitao thought to herself. Arriving at Luan Nian's vehicle, she discovered he had switched cars—it was her dream car. Before getting in, strictly adhering to her driving instructor's teachings, she walked a full circle around the front, back, and sides of the car, assessing the surrounding environment like she was performing a ritualistic exorcism. Then she held out her hand toward Luan Nian. "Luke, could I trouble you for your car keys?"

Luan Nian suddenly felt a wave of regret. Why did he care about giving Alex face? Shang Zhitao treated driving like a Daoist ritual; this was starting to look terrifying. But not wanting to appear overly petty, he had no choice but to drop the car keys into her palm.

Filled with absolute confidence, Shang Zhitao thought, What's the big deal? The instructor said I'm naturally gifted! She climbed into the driver's seat, adjusted her seat, adjusted the rearview mirrors, and clicked her seatbelt into place. The lessons drilled into her by the driving school were still piping hot in her memory, completely unforgotten. She inserted the ignition key, shifted into gear, released the handbrake, and even muttered a confident battle cry in her head: "Off we go!"

Crash.

Exiting a garage is easy, provided the direction of travel is actually correct.

Luan Nian's alcohol buzz instantly sobered up. He sat there completely frozen; Shang Zhitao sat there completely frozen, not even daring to breathe.

After a long pause, Luan Nian finally spoke up: "How long have you had your license?"

Holding up a fair, delicate finger, Shang Zhitao replied with a heavy dose of a guilty conscience: "A week."

Luan Nian felt like the top of his skull was about to blow off from pure rage. You dared to claim you knew how to drive when you've had your license for a week?! He fought down the overwhelming urge to strangle Shang Zhitao right then and there. Yet Shang Zhitao, completely fearless, blurted out, "Luke... we need to... call the insurance company..."

Luan Nian had spent close to two million yuan on this car, picking it up just last weekend and driving it out for the very first time today. What an incredible coincidence—the car's age and Shang Zhitao's driving experience were precisely identical.

Displaying a commendable attitude toward confessing her sins, Shang Zhitao proactively offered, "How about this? I'll stay with you and wait for the insurance company, seeing as you're the owner."

Luan Nian glared at her, leaning his head back against the headrest to nurse his sobriety. That agonizing, pin-drop silence was utterly hair-raising. Shang Zhitao's stomach let out a loud rumble, shattering the awkward atmosphere and transforming it into an entirely different kind of awkwardness.

"Haven't eaten?" Luan Nian asked her.

"Nope..."

Letting out a sigh, Luan Nian dialed Liu Wu. "Circle back to the venue later and handle the accident for me. I'm heading out." Without asking any unnecessary questions, Liu Wu readily agreed, "Got it, go ahead. I'll take care of it."

The two of them walked out of the garage, where the surrounding area was completely deserted. After finally managing to flag down a taxi, Shang Zhitao quickly chimed in, "Let's drop this gentleman off first." She was trying to butter Luan Nian up, terrified he'd remember to make her pay for the damages. If she dinged Luan Nian's car like that, half a year's salary wouldn't even cover the repair bill.

Remaining silent, Luan Nian watched Shang Zhitao lay on the charm. Men possessed an emotional attachment to their cars akin to women; having his brand-new car smashed by Shang Zhitao left him wanting to give her a fierce lecture, no matter how magnanimous he tried to be. But lecturing her inside a cab was out of the question—what would the taxi driver think, that he was being petty over a scratch? Gritting his teeth all the way to his destination, he dropped a single command: "Get out!"

Standing together in the biting chill of the wind, Luan Nian mustered all his energy, fully intending to deliver a proper tongue-lashing to Shang Zhitao. Realizing she was in the wrong, she kept her eyes glued to the ground, not daring to look him in the eye anywhere else.

"Do you actually know how to drive or not?" Luan Nian glared down at her.

"I do... I have a driver's license..." Shang Zhitao whimpered, looking deeply aggrieved.

"Having a license doesn't mean you know how to drive." Seeing that Shang Zhitao looked on the verge of tears, Luan Nian mentally reasoned with himself: Forget it, forget it. No point getting worked up over it, that's what insurance is for.

Shang Zhitao's stomach growled once more. She was simply starving; she had entered the venue early that morning, only managed a few bites of a boxed lunch at noon, and right as she was about to eat some fruit at night, Alex had dragged her away to chauffeur Luan Nian. She was so hungry she felt ready to pass out.

Glaring at her one last time, Luan Nian dropped a final phrase: "I'm hungry too. Let's go."

"Where to?"

"My place to grab some food, obviously. Where else?"

"Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Your scandal hasn't even blown over yet, and you're this thick-skinned? I'll report you for seducing a female subordinate next.

"Are you out of your mind?"

...

On second thought, Shang Zhitao realized he had a point. If word got out about Luan Nian and her, people would most likely say, "Just how much effort did Shang Zhitao have to put in to hook Luke? She must have slipped him a love potion." No matter how rumors about Luan Nian spread, they would never land on her; the two of them looked about as innocent as two monks sharing a cell.

Following Luan Nian back to his apartment, Shang Zhitao stood by the entryway, feeling rather constrained. Luan Nian pointed at the shoe cabinet. "Change your shoes."

"Oh." Shang Zhitao slipped into a pair of slippers and rose to her feet, catching sight of Luan Nian peeling off his outer jacket. His shoulders were broad and his waist was trim—he genuinely looked incredible.

Luan Nian headed straight to the kitchen. Having consumed a lot of alcohol and very little food that day, his stomach felt completely hollow. Shang Zhitao trailed after him, watching as he pulled pasta and a steak out of the refrigerator. He actually knows how to cook? Feeling a bit embarrassed, she asked him softly, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No need."

Shang Zhitao couldn't match Luan Nian's effortless composure; for him, being alone in a room with a woman seemed to be the most ordinary thing in the world. Shang Zhitao had only ever experienced that kind of dynamic with Xin Zhaozhou, but back then they had been intimately familiar with each other—so familiar that awkwardness was entirely out of the question.

She sat properly upright on the sofa, waiting until she saw Luan Nian carry out a plate of pasta and a steak. "Come eat."