Shang Zhitao sent the meeting minutes to Luan Nian, then messaged him: “Hello Luke, the meeting minutes have been sent to your inbox, please check.”
Ten minutes later, Luan Nian replied: “What were you doing earlier?” Luan Nian’s meaning was clear—if you knew you needed to notify me after sending the minutes, why didn’t you confirm yesterday after sending them?
“It was too late yesterday, I was afraid of disturbing your rest.”
“Good work habits have nothing to do with time of day.”
“Thank you for your guidance, I’ll remember that.”
Luan Nian frowned slightly, tossed his phone aside, and continued confirming other work with Grace.
“We’re going with the client to a factory in Shunde this evening to follow up on the client’s products and civilian spokespersons. Once we clarify the basic information, we can provide the first draft of creative ideas.” Grace explained her work: “But the client’s schedule is tight, and once we arrive, I’ll need an assistant. Can Lumi come with us? I’ve worked with her several times before. She’s bold and can handle the clients well.”
“Fine. Take Flora along too,” Luan Nian added.
“Great. We all like her. She’s always smiling and very capable.” Shang Zhitao had approached Grace twice; she was humble and easy to communicate with. Grace found talking with her effortless.
She’s capable?
Luan Nian glanced at Grace but said nothing more.
“So we’ll set off at four in the afternoon. Luke won’t be joining us?”
“I won’t go, I have something to do.”
Luan Nian stayed at the hotel to handle work, but went out in the evening. He rarely had opportunities to visit Guangzhou, where he had a special friend. At Gangding, there was a small dance studio. When Luan Nian arrived, the children were still in class. He stood at the entrance watching for a while. Zang Yao was still the same as before, her hair tied in a neat bun at the back of her head, revealing her smooth forehead. When she saw Luan Nian standing at the door during a spin, the corners of her mouth turned up, incredibly beautiful.
A pleasure to behold.
If you asked Luan Nian who he thought was the most beautiful woman, his friends would answer for him: Zang Yao! Is that even a question?
Luan Nian waited patiently at the entrance, watching Zang Yao dance.
He didn’t have many friends—only Tan Mian in China, plus two good friends in America whom he saw a few times each year. Besides these people, there was only Zang Yao. They had known each other for ten years. From eighteen to twenty-eight, they had traversed quite a long stretch of life together.
Tan Mian once asked him: “Nothing ever happened between you and Zang Yao?”
Luan Nian would never answer this question. There was always something missing between him and Zang Yao. As for what that was, he couldn’t say clearly.
Zang Yao came out from the classroom, smiling as she approached him: “Why so early? I need to shower and change.”
“No rush, go ahead.”
Zang Yao stepped closer to Luan Nian, smiling brightly: “You look well. It seems this breakup, once again, hasn’t caused you fatal damage.”
“So nosy.” Luan Nian tapped her head: “Go on, we’ll have a drink later.”
“Okay, wait for me.” Zang Yao turned and ran, her ballet skirt fluttering beautifully.
Zang Yao took Luan Nian to eat rooftop barbecue near the studio. The two sat on the roof, feeling Guangzhou’s humid evening breeze.
“I’m thinking of setting off for the next place,” Zang Yao said to Luan Nian while gnawing on an oyster.
“Where’s the next place?”
“I’m thinking maybe Guiyang. Guangzhou is too hot. Guiyang is cool—refreshing Guiyang.” Zang Yao raised a finger as she lifted her beer mug: “But doesn’t Guiyang have fewer of your company’s clients?”
“Two.”
“So you can still come see me?”
“Yes.”
Zang Yao put down her glass and tapped her fingertip on the back of Luan Nian’s hand: “Why did you break up again?”
“Boring.”
“You find women boring?”
“No, intimate relationships are boring.”
“So you’ll just stay single? Not address your physical needs?”
Luan Nian shrugged: “Don’t know.”
Luan Nian hated constraints. He couldn’t understand why women, once they started dating, always wanted to restrict you—what time you come home, who you’re with, whether you’re replying to other women’s messages. While walking, he asked Zang Yao: “Would you care which females are in your boyfriend’s contact list?”
“Why would I care? He should be the one worried about me.” Zang Yao looked incredulous: “Only insecure women want to constrain men. Confident women have men chasing after them.” After saying this, she seemed lost in thought, then said to Luan Nian: “You hate being restricted, perhaps because you don’t love enough.”
“Is the psychological consultation starting?” Luan Nian asked her.
“No, I wouldn’t dare.” Zang Yao swept her long hair to one side, revealing her pretty neck, laughing: “There’s nothing wrong with your psychology. Your fundamental problem is that you’re too arrogant.”
“I’m arrogant?”
“Aren’t you? Didn’t you once say that most of your colleagues are idiots?”
“I take that back. I said that because I hadn’t encountered truly stupid people yet.”
…Shang Zhitao sneezed.
“I thought you took it back because you recognized your issues. So tell me, isn’t your mouth particularly vicious?”
“If telling the truth counts as vicious, then I admit it.”
Zang Yao couldn’t argue with him: “When are you going back?”
“Friday night.”