“The men at the dining table… how many do you think are good people?” Li Li repeated, then reached out and patted Lu Nan’s shoulder, looking like a ‘veteran’ as she said, “This isn’t something I said~ it’s what my husband said. Anyway, I can’t answer, Lu Nan, you’re younger and more beautiful. Why don’t you give it a try?” 

Lu Nan clearly felt the designated driver glancing curiously at her through the rearview mirror. 

Don’t argue with drunk people, because they won’t listen to you at this moment. 

Lu Nan just smiled and didn’t answer. 

When Li Li didn’t get a response, she suddenly grabbed the back of the driver’s seat, leaned forward, and reached out to tap the front passenger, Chen Xiao: “Chen Xiao, you’re also one of the men at the dining table, tell me, are you a good person?” 

Chen Xiao helplessly said, “Manager Li, you’ve had too much to drink.” 

“I haven’t had too much.” Li Li tugged at Chen Xiao’s coat shoulder and said, “I’m asking you, don’t change the topic.” 

“Lu Nan, let Manager Li sit properly.” Chen Xiao felt a twitch in his temple. The car was too small to avoid it. He couldn’t directly pull Li Li’s hand off, so he couldn’t help but look at Lu Nan for assistance. 

Lu Nan lowered her head, trying not to laugh. She had planned to take another look at Chen Xiao’s awkward expression, but she was still concerned that Li Li might disturb the driver, so she half-convinced, half-forced, and half-pressed Li Li back into the back seat. 

After Li Li sat down, she muttered, “Good people don’t turn bad when they drink, and bad people don’t turn good when they sober up. As long as they can make money, I don’t care if they’re good or bad.” 

The car was very quiet except for her rambling. 

After a while, a phone rang. 

It was Li Li’s phone. 

She reached into her bag and searched for a while but didn’t find it. Then she grumbled, flipped the bag over, and everything spilled onto the seat: “Hello?” 

The car was so quiet that Lu Nan had no choice but to overhear the voice on the other end of the phone. 

It was Li Li’s husband, asking why she hadn’t returned home yet. 

“I had dinner with a client, just finished. I’m on my way home now.” Surprisingly, after picking up the phone, Li Li sounded quite sober. 

However, the person on the other end clearly didn’t think so. Perhaps because of too many similar experiences, Li Li’s husband was obviously very angry: “When are you going to quit your job? Look at this job, all you do is drink and sing, and you always come back drunk in the middle of the night. You don’t care about the house or the kids, what kind of person are you?” 

“Quit? Why should I quit? I’m doing perfectly well at this job! If I quit, with your little salary, how are we going to pay the mortgage? What about Tiantian’s kindergarten tuition? What about the extracurricular class fees? What about all the social obligations? And the family back home—your parents, my parents—don’t they need money during holidays? Do they not need money for medical expenses? Is it all on your salary?” Li Li fired back with a series of questions. 

The person on the other end was clearly furious, and they argued for a few more sentences. Then, a little girl called out “Daddy,” and Li Li’s husband hung up, leaving a harsh remark before ending the call: “You’re never home, don’t bother coming back!” 

Lu Nan, who had been forced to overhear the entire conversation, could now understand how Chen Xiao must have felt earlier. Without any desire to invade privacy, she now felt quite awkward. 

What was even more awkward followed. 

Li Li was hung up on. 

She stared blankly for a moment, then threw her phone and began quietly sobbing. 

She, Li Li, the manager of group purchases at a provincial office, who normally always kept her hair neat, carried a spare pair of stockings in her bag, and made sure her nail polish never exceeded two millimeters past the nail bed, was crying in the car after drinking. 

The phone she had just thrown bounced off the seat—if Lu Nan hadn’t been quick, it might have hit her in the face, showing just how forcefully Li Li had thrown it. 

Lu Nan put everything that had spilled out of Li Li’s bag back in and zipped it up, then took a few napkins and handed them to Li Li. 

Li Li took the napkins, covered the upper half of her face, and occasionally sniffled. 

Chen Xiao, who had been sitting upright since the phone rang, looking as though he wished he were deaf, turned around and frowned at Lu Nan: “What should we do?” 

Lu Nan pursed her lips and shook her head slightly: “Just get her home safely.” 

Clearly, even this humble wish was becoming difficult to fulfill. 

On the side, Li Li was crying so hard she could barely breathe, or perhaps the alcohol had hit her again. 

Then, she vomited. 

Li Li vomited too quickly, and Lu Nan didn’t have time to find a trash bag. 

Luckily, Li Li remembered to lean forward when she threw up, so all the mess was on the floor mats of the back seat of the driver’s side, though she had inevitably splashed herself as well. 

The designated driver immediately said, “Should I pull over?” 

Clearly, this was just a small issue for the driver. 

Lu Nan threw a bunch of napkins on the floor to cover the mess, not caring whether it was cold or raining outside. She quickly opened the window to let in some air, then covered her mouth and said, “Yes, yes, please pull over, driver.” 

The car quickly pulled over with the hazard lights on. The driver asked, “Do you still need to go to xxx neighborhood?” which was the destination Lu Nan had mentioned earlier. 

Supporting Li Li as she got out of the car, Lu Nan glanced at Chen Xiao, who had come over to help hold the trash bag. Lu Nan shook her head and asked the driver, “Do you know if there’s a car wash open at night nearby?” 

“Yes, there are several nearby. I know a few 24-hour car washes. Should I take you there?” 

“Sure,” Lu Nan said, “Please wait a moment.” 

She helped Li Li lean against the wall, not caring whether her clothes got dirty. 

Then, Lu Nan opened the back door of the driver’s seat, carefully took out the floor mat that Li Li had just vomited on, and wrapped it in a plastic bag. 

“Manager Li, hold this. If you need to throw up again, do it in here.” Chen Xiao didn’t care if Li Li could still hear him clearly. He directly handed her the trash bag and took over what Lu Nan had been doing. “I’ll handle this. Should I toss it out?” 

Lu Nan didn’t refuse, holding her breath and saying, “That would be great.” She went to the trunk and, sure enough, found a half box of bottled water, taking a few bottles out. 

She unscrewed a bottle and handed it to Li Li, asking her to rinse her mouth. 

Then she took the rest, walked over to Chen Xiao: “Let me rinse it off.” 

Chen Xiao looked at her, holding one end of the floor mat at arm’s length, and reached out for the bottle of water. 

Lu Nan stood a meter away and handed it to him. 

After rinsing the mat to about 70–80% cleanliness, she put it back in the car. With the vomit still on it, Lu Nan thought that she would probably throw up in less than three minutes. 

The driver, clearly experienced, quickly found a car wash. 

The car needed a thorough cleaning and an interior sauna, the car wash staff said: “It’ll take about two hours.” 

Chen Xiao paid for the designated driver—after all, it wouldn’t be right to leave someone waiting here when the driver still had business to attend to. 

After putting the money back in his pocket, Chen Xiao said to Lu Nan, “Leave the car here, let’s get a taxi to send her home?” 

It was the only option. 

After throwing up, Li Li looked truly sober. She adjusted her clothes and hair, and said to both Chen Xiao and Lu Nan: “Sorry for the trouble tonight. My house isn’t far from here, I can go back on my own.” 

Chen Xiao checked the time and looked at the weather outside, then firmly said, “We’ll walk you to your building.” 

Lu Nan nodded as well, holding the umbrella she had taken from Li Li’s car. “I’ll go get the taxi first, you two wait inside the store.” 

“I’ll go,” Chen Xiao took the umbrella from Lu Nan’s hand. 

Li Li knew she couldn’t argue with the two of them and reluctantly nodded, “Thank you.” 

Once the taxi arrived, Chen Xiao still sat in the front passenger seat. 

The car remained quiet. 

Li Li lived in a rare gated community that had separate lanes for pedestrians and cars. 

Lu Nan guessed that it was likely for the safety of children playing downstairs that Li Li had chosen to buy property in such an expensive community—perhaps also considering the school district. 

The taxi could only stop at the entrance, and they had to walk the remaining distance. Chen Xiao told the driver to wait. 

After getting out of the car, Lu Nan glanced at Chen Xiao: “There’s only this one umbrella, you wait in the car.” 

Chen Xiao looked at the security guards at the entrance of the gated community, nodded, and stayed in the car. 

Lu Nan, holding the umbrella, escorted the somewhat dazed Li Li to the building entrance. 

Before parting, Li Li shyly said, “Please thank Chen Xiao for me, I’m really sorry for the trouble tonight.” 

Lu Nan thought for a moment and said, “Go take a warm shower and get some rest. I left the business card for the car wash in your outer jacket pocket, and I also left your number with them. They’ll contact you before 8 AM tomorrow. I’ll take this umbrella for now.” 

“Okay, thank you, Lu Nan,” Li Li said softly. 

“You’re welcome.” Lu Nan said her goodbyes and turned to leave after watching Li Li walk inside. 

It took about four to five minutes to walk from Li Li’s building to the community’s main gate. Lu Nan held the umbrella, which shielded her from the rain and snow, but not the biting wind. 

She didn’t know what Li Li would face after getting home. 

But as Li Li said, this job still provided a decent income, so how could she easily quit? 

When she reached the community gate, the taxi’s flashing lights glowed softly in the rainy night, and Chen Xiao, sitting in the front passenger seat, looked at Lu Nan with concern. 

Lu Nan adjusted her facial expression, avoiding the small puddles in the road, and quickly walked over to the car. 

After folding the umbrella and getting in, the contrast between the inside and outside temperatures made her sneeze several times, even though she tried covering her mouth. 

Chen Xiao opened his mouth but finally said to the driver, “Go to Xinguang Yipin first.” 

The ride back was still quiet. 

When Lu Nan got out of the car, Chen Xiao reminded her, “Go upstairs and take a hot shower right away. I’ll tell Manager Wang for you. You don’t have to go to the morning meeting at the city office tomorrow.” 

“Okay, thanks, Brother Xiao.” 

Lu Nan opened the door and entered the dormitory, where her roommates had left the hallway light on for her. 

Hearing the noise, Xiang Feifei came out in her pajamas. “Back this late?” 

Since it concerned Li Li’s privacy, Lu Nan didn’t want to say too much. She just casually replied, “Ran into some unexpected situations. What about you, still not asleep?” 

Xiang Feifei sighed lightly. “A bit of insomnia.” 

“I’m going upstairs to take a shower and change clothes. If you’re still not tired later… should we chat?” Lu Nan suggested. 

“Sure.” 

Since she didn’t need to wash her hair or dry it, Lu Nan was quick, and in just ten minutes, she came back downstairs. 

When she returned, Xiang Feifei was still staring blankly in the living room. 

Lu Nan squeezed beside her. “Is it because of what Mr. Chen said?” Is that why you can’t sleep? 

“Maybe a little.” Xiang Feifei hesitated. “So… am I really not good at my job?” 

“Of course not. It’s just that the way Haortei does things doesn’t suit you.” Lu Nan gave a few examples, “You caught onto the expense reporting quickly, you got the contact info for the small guest list from Sister Ying, and during the Feixiang grand event, you covered for me for over an hour without a single mistake. You’re already excellent, how could you doubt your own ability?” 

Xiang Feifei smiled shyly. “Actually, I do think I’m okay, but sometimes I can’t help but compare myself to you. And then…” 

“Little sister, don’t compare yourself to others. You’re unique as you are, Xiang Feifei.” Lu Nan paused, then added, “Actually, there’s something I didn’t want to tell you early—I plan to suggest to Manager Wang and Mr. Yang that you should take over Feixiang if I win the competition. But you know, I only have the right to suggest. The final decision is up to Manager Wang. After what Mr. Chen said today, I feel that Manager Wang might replace you at Haortei. In a few days, I’ll talk to Old Wang, and the chances of you taking over Feixiang will be much higher…” 

“Lu Nan,” Xiang Feifei said seriously, “Thank you. Whether this works out or not, I still want to thank you.” 

Xiang Feifei thought: You didn’t have to say all this for me, you didn’t have to tell me things that still had uncertainty, but you did. So, thank you. 

Lu Nan was in a good mood, having been thanked by several people today, and gently patted Xiang Feifei’s head. “It’s almost midnight, go to bed.” 

Xiang Feifei blushed from the warmth of the gesture and didn’t react for a while. “Wait a minute, Lu Nan, I remember you’re a few months younger than me? ‘Little sister’? Who are you calling little sister?” 

Lu Nan: Ah… I just said what was on my mind!