Lu Nan looked up while washing her dishes. 

Yan Kai continued to explain, “Sales jobs like this require a strong ability to withstand pressure. They involve irregular working hours—no nine-to-five, no weekends, or holidays. You know, dealing with liquor means there are inevitable social engagements. These aren’t like the casual dinners and drinks we have with classmates; everything happens in star-rated hotels and private clubs. I’m concerned you might find it overwhelming when you first start.” 

As if he was afraid of scaring the junior, Yan Kai quickly added, “But don’t worry, as the group purchasing manager, your main role will be assisting distributors with organizing tasting events. The distributors will take the lead, and your primary responsibility will be overseeing expense allocation.” 

Lu Nan thought to herself, ah, although she has hesitations and careful considerations from her past life, she has indeed thought this through carefully. So, she said, “Senior, rest assured, joining Yuan Chuan was a decision I made after careful consideration. I’ll manage things sensibly and won’t force myself to do things I don’t enjoy.” 

She knew everything Yan Kai mentioned and had experienced it all before. Lu Nan raised her glass and clinked it with Yan Kai’s. 

“That’s good to hear. Anyway, if you ever run into any difficulties, be sure to let me know,” Yan Kai clinked his glass. “For example, I overheard you and Wu Fang talking outside about you handling the house-hunting. Do you need any help?” 

“Oh, no need, no need. Tomorrow’s my day off, and I don’t have any plans. I’ll spend the day around here, looking for suitable places. Senior, you just got back from a business trip, so go enjoy your weekend.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you?” 

Lu Nan felt a slight sense of unease in her heart, but she quickly dismissed it. “Really, no need. Didn’t I find my current studio apartment myself? Don’t worry, I can handle it!” 

Yan Kai shrugged. “Alright… You’ve always been stubborn and ambitious.” 

Lu Nan took a sip of her Coke, unable to explain how the determined and ambitious girl in her early twenties had a new core which is ten years older, even though fundamentally she was still the same. Her outward demeanor had been polished and smoothed over time. “It’s not that hard—actually, I want to challenge myself and gain more social experience.” 

After dinner, Senior Yan Kai insisted on paying the bill. 

Because it was only seventy to eighty yuan, Lu Nan smiled apologetically in the end. “Thank you, Senior.” 

“You’re welcome.” Yan Kai smiled back. 

At the bus stop. 

Before parting ways, Yan Kai said, “Lu Nan, the workplace is different from school. The work environment at Yuan Chuan is also quite different from the logistics company where you interned before. It’s better to keep your relationships with colleagues simple… That’s just a small piece of advice from me.” 

Lu Nan understood and agreed wholeheartedly. “Senior, you’re right.” 

To put it bluntly: work is for making money. 

To put it more elegantly: work is to realize your self-worth. 

Anyway, regardless of the point, work is not about making friends. 

The previous Lu Nan had learned this the hard way. 

… 

Back in her rental apartment, after completing today’s quota of five chapters, Lu Nan checked the time: it was already eleven o’clock at night. 

She takes a shower, goes to bed, and sleeps until she wakes up naturally. 

Because there’s no air conditioning, she actually wakes up feeling hot around seven or eight. 

After applying sunscreen, she went out with an umbrella. 

On the bus, she messaged Wu Fang: “Sister Fang, I’m going to look at houses today. I’ll send you the summary later. Hopefully, it won’t take up too much of your rest day.” 

Wu Fang replied quickly: “No problem. I might not reply promptly during lunch break, but I’m free at other times.” 

“Alright!” 

She first went to a nearby real estate agency office, stating her rental requirements. The agent showed her three or four properties, but Lu Nan wasn’t very satisfied with any of them. 

Either the floor was too low, the orientation wasn’t good, the age of the building was too old, or the room layout wasn’t ideal—like the study being too small aside from the master and guest bedrooms. 

Lu Nan recorded videos of the two somewhat acceptable properties, noted down the addresses and prices in her notebook, and then asked, “Are there any properties with better surroundings than here?” 

She looked so young, yet she was remarkably meticulous when choosing a house. The agent was impressed, “Young lady, let me tell you, if you’re this particular, you might struggle to find a place to rent. You’ll either need to increase your budget or consider a more remote location…” 

“When you pay to rent a house, you always want to live in a comfortable place. Otherwise, you might as well stay at home and endure your parents’ nagging.” Lu Nan had a strong knack for languages. She had picked up the Hailin dialect from her local college roommate. After she expressed this to the agent, the agent abandoned the idea of asking for any house viewing fees or effort fees. 

After the agent left, Lu Nan thought for a moment and then headed to a nearby upscale residential area called Xingguang Yipin. 

Let’s try our luck. Maybe… it’s still there? 

Walking around the perimeter of the residential area, near one of the side entrances, Lu Nan spotted a real estate agency named Xinguang Real Estate Agency, operated by the property management of the residential area. 

She walked in and told the young agent that she was looking to rent a house. 

Seeing Lu Nan as a young girl dressed simply in a T-shirt and capri pants, the agent kindly informed her, “Well, we do have several units available for rent in our community, but they are mostly large units.” He gestured towards a blackboard on the wall where indeed several rental listings were posted, with monthly rents ranging from 3800 to 4500 yuan. 

“Okay, we are a group of girls looking to share, so we need at least a three-bedroom unit, ideally around 3500 yuan per month.” 

“Sharing?” Although there was flexibility in rent, the agent seemed hesitant upon hearing about sharing. “Actually, most landlords prefer to rent out the entire unit rather than to sharers. When they entrust properties to us, they usually prefer to rent it out as a whole.” 

Lu Nan explained, “I understand. Landlords are concerned about tenants not taking good care of the property. But we are all recent graduates, all girls, and we are clean and organized. We have agreed not to keep any pets, and our company has rules against hosting outsiders, let alone mixed-gender living.” 

“I see.” The agent pondered for a moment. “So… how many of you are looking to share?” 

“There’s six of us.” 

“Six is quite a few. Are you all recent graduates?” 

“Yes” 

“Okay, I see.” 

“With a budget of 3500 yuan, there might be a slight difference…” The agent looked at Lu Nan, who appeared gentle and studious, much like the good girl from her school days. The agent felt a little sorry for her. “Let me make a phone call to inquire for you.” 

Lu Nan smiled gratefully, “Thank you so much.” 

“No problem, whether it works out depends on the landlords.” The agent pulled up a form on his computer, extracted details of several listings, and began calling the landlords one by one. 

Lu Nan sat nearby and listened quietly. 

The first two calls didn’t go well; as soon as they heard about six people sharing, they refused outright. 

When the agent made the third call and addressed the other party as “Mrs. Zhang,” Lu Nan straightened her back slightly.