The Early Spring - Chapter 73

Chapter 73 - Unexpected 

Shang Zhitao had not expected Dony to be in the same city on a business trip. After finishing her work, a colleague from the branch office offered to treat her to skewer hotpot, adding casually, "Dony's here too." The colleague's expression was somewhat subtle and complex.

Shang Zhitao was caught off guard for a moment and asked, "What is he here for?"

"Supposedly to follow up on a planning project."

"Oh."

Shang Zhitao knew Dony certainly hadn't come to Chengdu specifically for her. Her own itinerary had been finalized only the day before her departure, so it was purely a coincidence. It was just that this coincidence made her feel deeply uncomfortable.

"I'll head back to the hotel to write my report first, and then I'll join you guys when I'm done," Shang Zhitao said, trying to find an excuse to escape. However, the colleague grabbed her arm. "Finish eating first before writing! Work is endless!" Just like that, Shang Zhitao was dragged off to the skewer hotpot restaurant. The other colleagues had already arrived, sitting crowded around two small tables. Seeing her, Dony waved her over. "Flora, sit here." Saying that, he cleared a spot beside him. After a moment of thought, Shang Zhitao finally took the seat.

Dony joked with everyone, "I always feel like Flora is afraid of me. Am I some kind of monster?" he asked Shang Zhitao.

"How could that be?" The colleagues laughed and made excuses for her. "Flora is just shy."

Shang Zhitao forced a slight smile, then stood up to go mix her dipping sauce. Dony trailed behind her, asking in a seemingly casual tone, "Flora, which hotel are you staying at? The corporate partner hotel?"

Shang Zhitao nodded. "Yes."

"Then we can head back together later."

"Okay."

After giving that brief reply, Shang Zhitao returned to the table. When the others wanted to drink, Shang Zhitao turned her glass upside down on the table. "You all know I can't drink. I'll still pass today!"

She asked the waiter for a bottle of mineral water and kept it right by her side.

All of this was thanks to having a good teacher.

Luan Nian had told her: "If you can't drink, don't drink a single drop."

Luan Nian had also said: "When a girl is out in public, drink your own water."

Shang Zhitao felt as if Luan Nian were sitting right beside her, keeping a watchful eye on her. Dony didn't force her either, merely praising her, "One look at Flora and you can tell she's a good, obedient girl."

When he praised her, his hand patted her knee in a seemingly natural gesture. Shang Zhitao shifted her legs to dodge it seamlessly, turning to the colleague across from her. "I want something spicier. Let's swap seats."

In the eyes of a hunter, her evasion was nothing more than playing hard to get. Young girls put on a coy act in front of well-off men just to raise their own value, but in the end, they would always yield.

Yet what the young girl was actually thinking inside was: A maggot like you doesn't deserve to sit next to me. No matter what you possess, trash is trash.

Shang Zhitao finished the meal with a calm and sober mind, watching her colleagues who had drunk too much gradually lose their decorum. Dony had a high tolerance for alcohol; all that liquor seemed to pass right through him without changing his complexion in the slightest. He watched the female colleagues make fools of themselves with cold eyes, and when his gaze shifted back to Shang Zhitao, it held a somewhat ambiguous look. He pulled out his phone and texted her: How about coming over to my room for a bit later? He had laid his cards completely on the table.

No thanks, Dony, Shang Zhitao replied.

Just for a cup of tea. When a man had designs on a woman, tea and coffee were always the best excuses—nothing more than a baseless performance.

I have tea in my room.

Needing to put an end to this pointless conversation, Shang Zhitao raised her eyes from her phone and said to the colleague beside her, "You've had too much to drink. How about I take you back?"

Shang Zhitao helped her up and walked out, leaving the rest of their colleagues behind. Once outside, the female colleague leaned against Shang Zhitao for a few steps. As soon as they turned out of the alley where the hotpot place was located, she suddenly stood straight up.

Shang Zhitao looked at her, somewhat taken aback.

The woman, however, showed a touch of helplessness. "I didn't want to drink."

"Why? I remembered you liked alcohol quite a bit."

"Because... there was a wolf at the table." The female colleague didn't state it too explicitly, but Shang Zhitao had a vague feeling that they were facing the very same wolf.

After parting ways with her colleague, Shang Zhitao returned to her hotel room, locked the door securely, and placed her luggage on a chair to wedge against the entrance. Only after completing all of this did she go take a shower, then lay down on her bed. Work hadn't been that exhausting, but having dinner with Dony was draining; Shang Zhitao hadn't even eaten much. It was only after spending these few years out in society that she realized some people were simply rotten to the core.

Has your fever broken? Have the other symptoms eased up? She sent the message to Luan Nian, not expecting him to reply.

Yet, against all odds, Luan Nian called her directly. Shang Zhitao was even a little flustered when she answered, "Why did you call?"

"Weren't you complaining that I don't reply to your messages or call you?"

"..." He had heard what she said. That feeling was truly wonderful. Shang Zhitao felt her little bit of vanity fulfilled, letting out a couple of giggles. She felt slightly guilty, yet sounded like a child acting spoiled. "So, are you feeling better?"

"No."

"Did you take your medicine?"

"I did."

"Then how come?" Shang Zhitao felt a bit anxious. "Do you need to go to the hospital? If it's not getting better, maybe get an IV drip? Once when I was sick before, I had a fever for days and couldn't shake it. Sun Yu took me to the small clinic downstairs for a shot in the butt, and I was cured that very night!" When she was worried, she tended to chatter on. Listening to her babble incessantly, Luan Nian wondered how there could be a woman with so much to say.

A woman who talked a lot, yet wasn't annoying.

Sometimes Luan Nian hated garrulous people; it made him feel surrounded by noise. He preferred a world that was quiet and orderly.

"Is Sun Yu that roommate of yours who's starting a business?" Luan Nian asked her. Shang Zhitao would occasionally mention her roommates in a sentence or two—like Sun Yu injuring her foot, Zhang Lei getting a promotion, or Sun Yuanzhu needing to stay in the Northwest frequently. She also had a senior named Yao Bei who often took her out for meals. When she talked about these people, Luan Nian never interrupted, but over time, vivid images of them took shape in his mind. Take Sun Yuanzhu, for instance—a knowledgeable, kind, and refined gentleman; who knew how many girls carried a torch for him. Shang Zhitao included.

"Mm!" Remembering what she had promised Sun Yu, Shang Zhitao mulled over how to bring it up.

Sensing the meaning behind her pause, Luan Nian said, "If you need something, just say it."

"Well, it's about Sun Yu... Hasn't she been looking for investments all this time? I remember one day you were on the phone with a friend, and that friend seemed to work in investment banking... I..." Shang Zhitao still felt embarrassed to ask, always worried that it would burden Luan Nian.

"Were you eavesdropping on my phone call?" Luan Nian teased her. He had never avoided her, taking all kinds of calls right beside her.

"I wasn't eavesdropping..." Shang Zhitao hurriedly explained. "You took the call right next to me. I'm not deaf..."

Luan Nian's low chuckle came through the phone. Shang Zhitao stopped talking, realizing he was teasing her, and her face suddenly felt a little hot.

"Shang Zhitao."

"Hmm?"

"Does Sun Yu's company have a company profile? Or a project proposal? Whatever it is, send it over to me."

"Really?"

"Otherwise?"

"There is no otherwise! I'll send it to you right now!" Shang Zhitao hadn't expected Luan Nian to agree so quickly. Afraid he might go back on his word, she immediately opened her laptop to pull up the files and forwarded them to him. "I've sent it over!"

"Mm, let me take a look." Luan Nian leaned against the headboard, pulled over his laptop, opened it, and raised an eyebrow. "Sun Yu is running a matchmaking business?"

"...Ah... What's wrong with matchmaking... Isn't that a great market... I feel like... I mentioned it to you before..."

"Give me a second." Luan Nian flipped through the materials. It was well-prepared with real thought behind it; finding a bit of investment shouldn't be difficult. Looking further down at their accumulated past cases, he saw a photo from what looked like a speed-dating event. Shang Zhitao was shaking hands with a young man who was holding a rose, her smile blooming like a flower. Unbeknownst to himself, Luan Nian's brow furrowed tightly.

"Is Sun Yu running a matchmaking service or a marriage scam?" His tone carried a touch of sarcasm.

"Huh?"

"What kind of people attend their offline events?"

"Singles. They're all single."

Luan Nian's eyes fixed on the clasped hands of Shang Zhitao and that man. "Holding a rose and shaking hands—does that mean they've hit it off?"

"Mm... yeah... Once they hit it off, the organizers provide their contact info, and then they can chat, go on dates..."

Fuck.

Luan Nian's fever must have been burning out of control; a surge of anger rushed straight to the top of his head, giving him the sudden urge to throttle Shang Zhitao. Chatting, going on dates... How the hell are you so busy?

Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Shang Zhitao assumed he was thinking it over, so she asked him, "Do you think these materials look alright? Sun Yu is a very reliable person, and her partner and team are very dependable too. If the materials are okay, could you ask your friend to help out?"

"Help with what? Aid and abet a villain?" Luan Nian's tone turned exceedingly hostile.

"...How can this be aiding and abetting a villain? This is providing a platform for single men and women to make friends, helping everyone find their destined other half..." Shang Zhitao recycled all the brainwashing pitches Sun Yu usually used on her. "This is benefiting humanity." After speaking, she even praised herself internally; listening to Sun Yu's preaching wasn't in vain after all, as it came in handy at the crucial moment.

Luan Nian finally came to full realization as to where Shang Zhitao went during those missing weekends—hanging out with her roommates, attending matchmaking events to meet men, going on dates. He had assumed she was an utterly well-behaved girl, only for her to undergo a complete transformation every weekend. Shuttleing among unfamiliar men, she was probably making plans for her own marriage as well.

He had truly been fooled by her obedient exterior.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you tired? Do you want to get some rest early?"

"Not sleepy." He had been infuriated into full alertness by Shang Zhitao.

"Oh. Then will you help out?"

"Mm."

Luan Nian looked over the materials and felt it was indeed a good project, so he forwarded it to his friend named Song Qiuhan, who had gone into investment banking and reviewed projects as well.

"Thank you."

"Mm."

"Then take your temperature again now and see if the fever has gone down?"

"Why are you acting just like my mom?"

"Because I care about you..."

"Save it!" Luan Nian said so, yet he still reached for the thermometer and tucked it under his armpit. Sure enough, his fever had spiked again.

Feeling hungry, Shang Zhitao got up to grab a piece of complimentary fruit. The bite of the apple was crisp and sharp, sounding exceptionally clear over the late-night phone call.

"Didn't eat dinner?" Luan Nian asked her.

"I did, but I didn't have much of an appetite." Shang Zhitao left out the matter concerning Dony. Luan Nian, however, was no fool. He knew Dony was on a business trip to Chengdu, so he asked her, "With Dony?"

Shang Zhitao thought for a moment. "With a lot of people."

Regarding the matter with Dony, Luan Nian was well aware of Shang Zhitao's intentional evasion. He kept asking, and she kept avoiding it.

"Dony isn't a good person. If any female colleague thinks Dony is getting close to them to pursue a relationship, tell her to save her energy. Dony has his head in the clouds; none of the women in this company are good enough for him. He's just constantly switching partners for the sake of novelty." Luan Nian's words were harsh, meant specifically for Shang Zhitao's ears. He knew Shang Zhitao wasn't that kind of person, yet suspicion still took root after her repeated secrecy.

To Shang Zhitao's ears, it sounded as if he were talking about the two of them. Him and her—one a passing shadow high in the clouds, the other wild grass on the plain, engaging together just for a bit of novelty. How strange. Entering their third year together, had Luan Nian's sense of novelty still not worn off?

Taking another bite of her apple, she said to Luan Nian, "I don't know which female colleague Dony has designs on, since we're not close; nor do I know which female colleague has feelings for Dony, since it has nothing to do with me. Whether Dony wants to date someone or sleep with them is probably only known to the parties involved. In other words, I don't poke my nose into other people's business."

...

What kind of talk was that? Luan Nian felt his temperature rising again. Pulling out the thermometer, he checked—sure enough, 38.4 degrees. If he kept talking on the phone, he'd be dead soon. Who on earth said lingering on late-night phone calls was a good thing? Out of their mind, surely. What was there to chatter on the phone about for no good reason?

He promptly hung up the phone and ignored Shang Zhitao completely.

He was furious once again.

Still recklessly playing with fire, Shang Zhitao sent him a text message: What if Dony is just looking for true love?