At around ten o’clock in the evening, Lu Nan received a message from Chen Xiao: “Check your email.” 

In the email attachment were two video clips, both featuring Lu Nan. The first video showed close-ups of her hands from different angles with clear and detailed breakdowns of the movements. The second video included a full upper body shot of Lu Nan. 

Wasn’t it said that there would be no face shots? I only wore light makeup that day, and my complexion looks a bit off on camera. (This is how a girl’s focus can be so unique.) 

After watching the videos, Lu Nan read the email. 

Chen Xiao wrote, “Send the first video with the breakdown of movements to Liu Tao. As for the second one, keep it as a souvenir.” 

Lu Nan picked up her phone and sent a thank-you message to Chen Xiao—regardless of his motives, such gestures were always heartwarming. If Lu Nan were a young girl in her early twenties, she would probably feel grateful to him, right? 

“You’re welcome.” After replying to Lu Nan, Chen Xiao turned to send a message to Pei Xuedong, “Thank you, Brother Pei.” 

Pei Xuedong replied, “It was no trouble. The extra footage you had Xiao Zhao shoot is actually quite good. We barely edited it and just did some rendering, noise reduction, a few close-ups, and added background music. It would be great if all clients were like this.” 

Chen Xiao replied with a smile, then logged out of WeChat. He opened his call history, found the person he had contacted not long ago, and called back. 

“Hello, Uncle Tong. Have you returned to Shanghai? Yes, the footage is ready. I had Lu Nan send it directly to Liu Tao—no, let’s not mention me and the Hailin City office for now. We still haven’t figured out the Green Trading issue, and I don’t want to attract too much attention here.” Chen Xiao said calmly, “I’ll take care of Lu Nan and may have to inconvenience her a bit.” 

The other party seemed to suggest something like using his charm to resolve the issue. 

Chen Xiao responded with some frustration, “Please don’t tease me. I’m not considering that right now… Alright, then, thank you, Uncle Tong. Your visit has put pressure on Xiang Yunfeng and Wang Xinglong. The problematic person probably won’t act rashly for the meantime, so it will be easier for me to investigate the existing Harmony Wine on the market. Once I find out where the counterfeit Harmony Wine is coming from, we might be able to catch them in the act next time.” 

After hanging up, Chen Xiao lay back on his bed and rubbed his forehead with one hand, feeling somewhat frustrated. He thought to himself that he had not considered things thoroughly. While he hoped Lu Nan’s footage might be used for the autumn promotional video, he had overlooked that headquarters would surely focus on Lu Nan after the report—there was even a slight chance they might notice him. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, I’ll just have to let Lu Nan deal with it. 

…… 

At the Monday morning meeting, Manager Xiang officially announced the placement of the new recruits. 

Among the eight boys from Yunan Province, two stayed at the Hailin City office, while the remaining six were assigned to other cities and would depart in the next couple of days. 

After finishing his announcement, Manager Xiang glanced at Manager Wang. 

Manager Wang took over: “The remaining female staff will all stay at our office. Here’s the new arrangement…” 

Jiang Xiaoyun will be trained by Wu Fang, the office administrator, and will officially take over her position once Wu Fang starts her maternity leave, becoming the new office administrator. 

In the Classic Liquor Group Purchasing Department, due to the departure of two experienced group purchasing managers, Lu Nan, Xiang Feifei, and Dong Hui have been assigned as managers for Yuan Chuan Classic Liquor group purchasing. Lu Nan will handle the Feixiang Advertising account, Xiang Feifei will manage the Haortei Liquor Industry account, and Dong Hui will be a reserve staff member. 

For the Harmony Liquor Group Purchasing Department, Chen Lu and Wang Xiaoxue have been replaced by Lin Yan and Hong Danni. Their main responsibilities will include maintaining good relationships with Green Trading, organizing wine events, assisting distributors with shipments, and collaborating with city managers to find new distributors. 

It seems Manager Wang’s focus for the second half of the year will be on Harmony Liquor’s market expansion. 

This was an announcement, not a discussion. 

So there’s no room for change. 

Lu Nan noticed Dong Hui’s expression darken immediately, and then she muttered something to Wang Xiaoxue as they left the office. Lu Nan was quite curious; with the same work assignment and entirely different personal relationships, she wondered how Dong Hui would talk about her to others. 

However, it seemed she wouldn’t get the chance to hear it firsthand this time. 

“Lu Nan, come here.” 

Entering Chen Xiao’s office, Lu Nan sat down in a chair. “Brother Xiao, is there anything you need me to do?” 

Chen Xiao smiled, “Don’t be so nervous. I just wanted to let you know that you can arrange your day as you like today, consider it as making up for yesterday’s time off.” 

Lu Nan thought for a moment. It wasn’t about trying to appear particularly dedicated in front of her boss, but she already has an arrangement with Sister Pei over the phone on Saturday. “I still have to make a trip to Feixiang in the morning. Sister Pei was at home with her child over the weekend and didn’t have time to carefully review the store renovation standards and budget we provided.”  

“Just arrange it as you see fit.” Chen Xiao nodded. He was quite satisfied with Lu Nan’s diligence in handling the tasks he assigned. 

“Alright, I’ll head out then.” 

Chen Xiao spoke again, “Wait a moment.” 

Lu Nan stopped her movement, looked at Chen Xiao behind the desk, and sensed something was strange today. “Brother Xiao, is there something else?” 

“Regarding the bottle opening and pouring technique you created, last night, Director Tong and I discussed it. We want to submit it to headquarters under the East China Region name, hoping it can be featured in the company’s autumn tobacco, liquor, and wine exhibition video, and it might even become part of the company’s advertisement.” 

Such good news often comes with a “but,” and clearly, Chen Xiao had not finished. Lu Nan nodded without getting overly excited, “That sounds great.” 

Chen Xiao seemed a bit troubled, “But there’s the issue of crediting the material…” 

“Oh…” Lu Nan understood. 

She sat in the chair, leaning her weight back, and gazed at Chen Xiao across the desk. 

Lu Nan had very standard almond-shaped eyes with clear boundaries between the pupils and the whites of her eyes. Her gaze was very clear as she silently waited for Chen Xiao to continue. 

Chen Xiao spoke softly. “The credit might not go to you.” 

Lu Nan straightened her back and said flatly, “Brother Xiao can just remove the word ‘might’.” 

“Lu Nan…” Chen Xiao opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but he knew that no amount of justification could change the fact that her creative work was being taken. “If you have any requests, I’ll do my best to negotiate on your behalf—as compensation. An early promotion? Or an advantage in the annual review?”  

Lu Nan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she calmly played with the decorative hourglass on Chen Xiao’s desk. 

The hourglass was inverted, with the sand flowing from one end to the other. 

“Or, if you’re willing to wait, we can use this material for the company’s spring promotional video next year.” This was Chen Xiao’s last compromise he could think of last night. He would need six months to resolve the issues in Hailin City, and then Lu Nan would receive the reward she deserved. However, it would be a bit more troublesome. He would need to call Director Tong and Liu Tao immediately to communicate and prevent them from reporting to headquarters in the name of Liu Tao from the East China Region. 

Lu Nan lowered her eyes, seemingly weighing the sincerity of Chen Xiao’s words, or perhaps trying to suppress her anger. 

Since Chen Xiao couldn’t see her expression, he couldn’t judge her mood. 

One thing was certain—she was definitely not pleased.  

After a moment, Lu Nan looked up with a calm expression and said, “There’s no need to wait until next spring. I can give up the credit and choose to sell it outright now.” 

“Hmm?” It was rare for Chen Xiao to be caught off guard. 

Lu Nan casually explained, “Anyone who wants recognition can buy the idea outright by paying a buyout fee.”  

Chen Xiao was taken aback, apparently not expecting this request from Lu Nan. He asked, “Have you thought this through?” 

Lu Nan nodded, “Yes, I’ve thought it through. My probation period is three months, and my salary remains the same before and after regularization—only the commission-based performance evaluation changes. The evaluation period ends in December, so early regularization doesn’t mean much to me. As for the annual performance review, I trust that Manager Wang, Manager Li, and… you, Brother Xiao, will give an objective assessment of my capabilities. Your two suggestions hold no real value for me.” 

Besides, by next spring, she won’t even be at Yuan Chuan, so what’s the point of a formal recognition or award? Who cares? 

She continued, “It’s better to just give me a buyout fee—clean and simple. I can even put it in writing that I won’t showcase this skill again before the company’s promotional video airs. But since I’ve already demonstrated it twice at the provincial office gathering, any leaks from other sources won’t be my responsibility. What do you think, Brother Xiao?” 

Hearing this, Chen Xiao’s impression of Lu Nan became more complicated. 

At first, he had been relieved that she was clear-headed and didn’t let emotions cloud her judgment, which might cause him unnecessary trouble—yes, to him, He Manlin and Pan Sasha’s feelings were nothing more than trouble. 

Now, he felt he had underestimated this young woman, or rather, underestimated Lu Nan. 

How would most fresh graduates react in this situation? 

Since Chen Xiao’s university experience wasn’t applicable, he recalled the female colleagues who joined last year and this year’s female newcomers, imagining them in Lu Nan’s current situation. 

They would probably be outraged and at a loss, right? Some might cause a scene in pursuit of justice, while others would grit their teeth and accept their misfortune. But it’s very rare for anyone to, like Lu Nan, immediately analyze the situation and clearly say—’Alright, we have a deal.’ 

“Okay, I’ll do my best to get you a good price. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.” 

Lu Nan asked, “Anything else, Brother Xiao?” 

Chen Xiao shook his head. 

“Oh, by the way, if needed, I can also delete last night’s email records.” Lu Nan got up, walked to the door, and said without looking back, “Though it feels strange to say this now, I still need to say: please make sure to negotiate a good price for me, and thank you, Brother Xiao.” 

Chen Xiao watched the door close and sighed. Lu Nan was easier to appease than he had expected, but he didn’t feel relieved because dealing with such matters wasn’t honorable; it was clearly taking advantage of a young woman. 

For a brief moment, he even wondered what she meant when she said “thank you.” 

Was she thanking him for the advance notice that she would lose her credit? 

Or was she thanking him for agreeing to sell her idea at a good price? 

… 

Outside the office, Yan Kai stepped forward. “Brother Xiao called you again?” 

Lu Nan casually replied, “Yes, he’s asking me to handle some things at Feixiang. I’m heading there now.” 

“Let’s go together. I’m heading to see the distributors.” 

Lu Nan turned back, “Is it on the way?” Feixiang Advertising was in the Innovation Industry Park, while her senior’s distributors was near the mall. 

It wasn’t on the way. 

Yan Kai added, “I meant we should leave together.” 

Lu Nan and Yan Kai took the elevator down together and left the building, but she had no desire to start a conversation. Her mood wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t great either.  

It wasn’t until they parted ways and got into separate taxis that Lu Nan leaned back, closed her eyes, and let out a chuckle. 

What did I say? Good-looking but black-hearted. 

Luckily, I wasn’t blindly moved by the short video last night. Tsk, I wonder how much buyout fee he’ll offer in the end. 

In my last life, I gave this skill to the company for free, and in return, it gave me a slight boost when I was promoted to city manager. This time, I’m exchanging it for money. At first glance, it might seem like a loss since I’m giving up the chance to gain recognition. But what do I, an unconfirmed group purchasing manager (technically just a business representative), need fame for? It’s not like I’m aiming for a promotion to sales supervisor. Whether I get twenty or thirty thousand, it’s all unexpected income. 

And less than that wouldn’t make sense. Having spent years in Yuan Chuan in her past life, Lu Nan knew the true value of this idea. For the distribution channels, it was dispensable. But for the group purchasing department, especially a high-ranking young manager like Liu Tao, it could be a brilliant addition to her resume. 

Liu Tao was in the regional group purchasing department. For her, this creative concept was particularly important. 

The anger Lu Nan displayed in the office was genuine, but it was only a small part of it. 

Her frustration wasn’t about her work being claimed by someone else; after all, it’s common in the workplace for others to take credit. What truly made her angry was the fact that she had no say in whether or not her idea was up for negotiation. 

In other words, she didn’t even have the right to say no. 

This must be because of my low position, so she can’t speak out. 

Lu Nan gripped the file folder tightly, but her thoughts seemed to drift away.