The Early Spring - Chapter 91

Chapter 91 - Unexpected Events

Lumi set her laptop down on the desk, but feeling a chilling glare pinned on her, she picked it up again and set it down with extra care.

Shang Zhitao looked up at her, then glanced toward Will’s office, letting out a couple of soft giggles.

“What the hell are you laughing at!” Lumi protested in a whisper, flopping into her chair like a withered eggplant.

Shang Zhitao sent her a message: “What’s wrong? Didn’t my dear Ms. Lumi say it herself? ‘There are plenty of men in the world; even if they were dragons, they’d still have to coil up in front of you.’ How come you don’t even dare to put your laptop down loudly now?”

“Fuck,” Lumi messaged back. “That guy is so damn terrifying. Considering he saved me once, I’ll swallow my pride.”

Will had saved Lumi once.

Downstairs outside the office building, Zhang Qing had been harassing Lumi when Will happened to run into them. He had beaten up Zhang Qing and his friend with his bare hands. Looking back on it later, Lumi remembered a man who usually looked like a strict, old-school bureaucrat tossing his laptop aside and tangling with Zhang Qing—a muscular guy covered in braided tattoos—taking on two people at once without losing ground.

In Lumi’s words: “It was honestly pretty scary. I guess all the people that stubborn donkey hires are just like him.” That being said, she never quite dared to mess with Will after that.

Shang Zhitao glanced at her, then turned her eyes back to her screen. She was currently reviewing the localized deployment project in front of her. It involved going to a northwestern city to collaborate with government departments on developing an industrial base. It was designated as Lingmei’s S+ tier project for the coming year.

Lumi slid her chair over and noticed what Shang Zhitao was looking at. “Thinking of going?” she asked.

Shang Zhitao nodded. “I want to get promoted to Expert next year. Sister Grace told me that my project quantity, service quality, and overall evaluations are all fine, but there’s just one issue—I’ve never led an S+ project. Opportunities like this are pretty rare.”

“That’s the Northwest!” Lumi pinched her cheek. “Are you crazy? Fourteen months! Not fourteen days! Do you know what you’ll look like when you come back? This soft, tender face will be gone, replaced by two bright red apples on your cheeks.”

Shang Zhitao burst out laughing. “I know, I know. But I really want to go.”

She pulled her bucket list out of a drawer and pointed to it for Lumi. “Look, I’m only one step away—becoming an ‘Expert’—from fulfilling this wish!”

Lumi took a look at the bucket list. It clearly had some age to it, with frayed edges on the paper. At the top, it read: “Wishes to Achieve Before Turning 30.”

“Fine.” Lumi pushed the list back to her. “Maybe I should sign up for this project too. I’m just idling around anyway. Though during our Marketing Department meeting, they said we’d only need to be there for half a month out of every month. It’s not like your department, where you’re required to be stationed long-term.”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting two red apples on your cheeks?” Shang Zhitao teased.

Lumi clicked her tongue. “I’m more afraid of getting chewed out by that bastard Will.” She slid her chair back to her workstation. “He’s so damn annoying!”

Shang Zhitao seriously weighed the possibility of applying for the project, thinking it over for a long time before deciding to hear Grace’s thoughts. Seeing Grace walking out carrying her breast pump, Shang Zhitao walked up to her, and Grace immediately said, “Come on, keep me company while I pump.”

The mother-and-baby room was empty. It seemed women working at Lingmei weren’t particularly interested in having children. Grace started pumping, the pump issuing a low buzzing noise. Shang Zhitao said to her, “Sister Grace, I want to apply for that base project. Do you think I can do it?”

“The situation right now is that no matter how much money they offer, nobody wants to go. Even though it’s an S+ project, if something goes wrong, it’s a huge deal. High risks come with high opportunities.”

“What if it were you?”

“If it were me, twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, single, with no strings attached? I’d go,” Grace said directly. “There are risks, but there are opportunities too. Take risks while you’re young. What else are you going to do? Wait until you’re old?”

Shang Zhitao nodded.

She used to dislike taking risks, taking every step cautiously and strictly holding herself back. But just as Grace said, if you don’t take risks while you’re young, are you going to wait until you’re old? Adults needed the capability to take responsibility for their own choices.

The present Shang Zhitao felt she possessed that capability.

After returning to her seat and sitting for a moment, she sent a message to Luan Nian’s secretary: “Hello, I’d like to inquire about Luke’s schedule today. I’d like to reserve about fifteen minutes to discuss something with him.”

Luan Nian had been extremely busy since the New Year and spent very little time in Beijing. On the rare occasions he was in the office, his time was packed with various meetings and appointments, so his secretary had started scheduling reservations. Shang Zhitao could have messaged him directly, but she didn’t want to do that. She didn't want to cross the line anymore.

“One moment,” came the reply five minutes later. “Luke has half an hour at noon. I’m ordering lunch for him now, and I’ll order a set for Flora as well. You two can chat while eating.” The secretary had high emotional intelligence; she couldn't let Luan Nian eat while Shang Zhitao watched, so ordering two portions saved them from embarrassment.

“Okay, thank you.”

When noon arrived, Shang Zhitao saw Will walk out of his office. Sure enough, the secretary said to her, “Come in, Flora.”

Shang Zhitao stood up and walked into Luan Nian’s office.

It was early spring in April. She wore an apricot silk shirt, its hem casually tucked into a pair of vintage jeans, looking fresh and gentle. Luan Nian looked up at her and offered a slight smile. “Sit.”

“Thank you.”

It felt as though they hadn’t been alone together for a long time. As Shang Zhitao sat down, she looked at the attractive bridge of Luan Nian’s nose as he lowered his head, feeling a stir in her heart. Yet it wasn't as intense as it used to be. Time really seemed to obscure certain things.

Sitting opposite him, Shang Zhitao took the meal box he pushed toward her. The secretary had ordered the steak and shrimp set. She opened it and took a bite. “Delicious.”

“Is your salary not enough for you to eat actual good food?” Luan Nian mocked her softly. She called everything delicious, a trait he couldn't stand.

“It barely lets me treat myself once a month. So, can you give me a bigger raise this year?” Shang Zhitao seized the opportunity to make her request.

“No.” Luan Nian glanced at her. It was only April, yet sitting in the sunlight, fine beads of sweat were already forming on the tip of her nose. How could someone sweat so easily? “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Luan Nian took a bite of steak and set his fork down to ask.

Shang Zhitao set hers down as well, looking at him seriously. “I want to apply for that stationed project.”

“Fourteen months, with only two days allowed back each month. And high risks,” Luan Nian reminded her.

“I still want to go.”

“Why?”

Shang Zhitao thought for a moment. “Because I’m still young, and I want to take a risk.”

Luan Nian raised an eyebrow and lowered his head to continue eating. He had been hungover last night and hadn't eaten anything this morning, so he was starving now. Shang Zhitao divided her shrimp and steak equally to share with him, and Luan Nian simply ate them without complaint.

After finishing their meal in silence, Shang Zhitao asked him, “Will you approve my application?”

“I have no objection.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“What about Luke?” Luan Nian suddenly asked her.

“I’ll figure something out when the time comes. If all else fails, I’ll take him with me.” The dog Luke was indeed a problem, and Shang Zhitao began considering the possibility of taking him along.

“He can be boarded at my place,” Luan Nian suggested. “Before you leave, you can bring him over to get familiar with the environment.”

“But you travel for business too.”

“There’s a dog walker in my residential community now.”

“Oh, right. Okay.” Shang Zhitao smiled. “But you don’t like Luke.”

“You certainly know me well.” Luan Nian took a sip of water, his brow furrowing slightly.

The secretary knocked on the door. “Luke, time’s up.”

“Alright.”

Shang Zhitao stood up and said to Luan Nian, “Thank you, Luke. I’ll go back and submit my application in the system then.”

“Okay.”

As Shang Zhitao walked out, she recalled that he seemed a bit uncomfortable today. After sitting at her workstation for a long while, she sent him a message: “Are you feeling unwell?”

“?”

“You’ve been frowning the whole time.”

“Stomachache.”

Luan Nian had been going on consecutive business trips recently with an intense workload, and he felt like something might be wrong with his body. He felt a slight dragging pain in his lower abdomen, so he asked Dr. Liang what the issue might be. Dr. Liang thought it over and answered evasively. Luan Nian lost his patience and told her to speak frankly. Dr. Liang gave a chuckle and asked if he had engaged in unsafe sex. Furious, Luan Nian hung up the phone. Why did she think he was so unselective? Unsafe sex, of all things? He was practically living like a monk. He raised his head and glanced at Shang Zhitao, who was talking to Lumi. He had no idea what secret topic the two were chatting about. The gossip written all over Lumi’s face couldn't be hidden, while Shang Zhitao’s mouth was stretched into an 'O' shape, looking rather surprised.

The gossip they were discussing was about Will.

Lumi had inadvertently gotten to know a former colleague of Will’s from his previous company and learned a piece of gossip: Will had been divorced for two years. This gossip completely shocked Lumi, but the point of her surprise wasn't that Will had been married or divorced, but rather: “Holy shit! A virile, full-blooded man staying single for two whole years? The reason behind this divorce is definitely worth digging into!”

Seeing the wicked expression all over Lumi’s face, Shang Zhitao felt a chill run down her spine. “How do you plan to dig into it?”

Lumi grinned mischievously. “Remember my famous motto?” She winked at Shang Zhitao and lowered her voice. “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”

“…How are you going to join him?”

Lumi raised her eyebrows. Realization suddenly dawned on Shang Zhitao, and she hurriedly tried to dissuade her: “Don't do anything reckless! With Will’s strict, old-fashioned personality, if you act up, won't he just teach you a lesson?”

“Let him teach me a lesson then. If he’s got the balls, let’s settle it in bed.” Lumi dragged out her words, in an extraordinarily good mood. Shang Zhitao was helpless against her and let out a sigh.

Shang Zhitao sat back at her desk and began studying the S+ government-tourism project. It was a joint venture between Lingmei, a tech company, and the government. The government was responsible for providing the funding and allocating the land, while Lingmei and the tech partner handled the design, aimed at ultimately creating a top-tier national scenic area. The preliminary inspection, planning, and design phase would take half a year, with the remaining eight months dedicated to execution and rollout.

Now this was interesting.

Shang Zhitao had never participated in a government-level project of this scale, and the company was tense from top to bottom. Luan Nian had traveled to the location countlessly, and establishing a preliminary cooperative intent among the three parties alone had taken nearly half a year. The contract process had only wrapped up recently.

Lingmei’s creative design capabilities were top-notch.

The project needed a project manager. By previous standards, Shang Zhitao’s qualifications didn't meet the requirements; the company would normally send an expert like Grace to serve as the manager. But just as Grace had said, the project conditions were tough, and no one wanted to go.

Shang Zhitao was willing.

This was her chance.

She placed her bucket list back into the drawer; the next time she took it out would likely be at the end of the year. If the company truly approved her application, she would have to set off in July, and by the time she officially returned, it would already be September of the following year.

Time really flew. In the past, collaborating clients looked at her as just a young girl, but now they addressed her as Miss Shang. In a few more years, it would become Ms. Shang.

By the time Shang Zhitao finished studying the project materials and looked up again, it was already past ten o’clock. She packed up her things to head home, only to see Luan Nian slumping over his desk in his office.

He had never been like this before.

In the office around them, colleagues had either left, gone on business trips, or left to work from home; there was no one else left besides her and Luan Nian.

Feeling vaguely worried, she thought it over and went to knock on his office door. Luan Nian’s voice sounded slightly shaky: “Come in.”

“Luke.” Shang Zhitao stopped short. She saw beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down Luan Nian’s forehead. “What’s wrong with you?”

“It hurts.”