After Xiang Yuan sent the WeChat messages, she turned off her phone right away. She hadn’t expected Xu Yanshi to reply. For the next two days, they would be camping out in the wilderness with no access to electricity, so she had to conserve her battery. She had no intention of becoming a dried-up corpse, lost and disconnected in this vast desert.

Gao Leng and Lin Qingqing finally realized that Xiang Yuan was there for work. No wonder at every scenic spot, the two of them ran off excitedly to explore, while she stayed alone in the car. It turned out she had been recording deviations in location data.

Gao Leng re-evaluated Xiang Yuan. He felt a little guilty remembering how he had once joked, “So hype!” He had genuinely thought this was a vacation. On the way to the airport, he’d even ranted to Lin Qingqing, saying their new team leader must be trying to win them over with this trip and replace the boss in their hearts.

So, in the taxi racing toward the airport, he had sworn allegiance to Xu Yanshi via WeChat, 【We won’t be bought off so easily. You’ll always be our boss.】

Then came the slap in the face the next day on his Moments feed.

That day on Mingsha Mountain, Gao Leng had been playing sandboarding with a group of energetic eight- and nine-year-olds. They even held a brief friendly competition, and he won by a narrow margin. It wasn’t until after their game that the kids suddenly realized— ‘This guy didn’t even have a board!’ He had been borrowing theirs and bullying them too. “Get him!”, They yelled. Seven or eight kids swarmed Gao Leng, burying his face in the chilly sand. It hadn’t snowed yet, and the fine yellow sand was invasive and relentless. He ended up choking on a faceful.

After the chaos subsided and he cleaned himself up, he spotted Xiang Yuan sitting cross-legged at the top of the dune, smiling as she chatted with a stranger. Behind her was the dimming sun and a vividly colored, yet heatless, sunset. The entire scene was quiet and serene. It was as if the whole desert had emptied, leaving only her.

Gao Leng rubbed his nose and took a photo with his phone. He posted it on Moments with the caption, 【This is my new daddy.】

He hadn’t expected karma to hit so soon. But then again, he had always been a fence-sitter. Comforting himself with that thought, he felt a bit better. Maybe it was retribution, because right then he sneezed unexpectedly.

Seemed like he had caught a cold.

Xiang Yuan didn’t look surprised. She pulled out a tissue for him and rolled down all the car windows. Then she said to Lin Qingqing, “There’s a white medical kit in the trunk. Grab some cold medicine for him.”

Gao Leng was so touched he nearly cried and called her daddy.

“You’d better pray you don’t get a fever tonight.” Xiang Yuan warned as she pulled a down jacket from the trunk and tossed it to him. “Take off your coat and wear this. Hope you make it back alive.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Xiang Yuan rested her hand on the steering wheel and turned to glance at him. “I’ve only got one son so far. His name is Xiang Bin^[1]Champagne. You interested in being his brother?”

As Gao Leng put on the jacket, he thought, Who’s getting the surname Xiang? Suddenly, his brain exploded with realization like a spark igniting a gas leak. His voice cracked into a screech that nearly blew the roof off the car, “You’re married?!”

Xiang Yuan leaned her elbow against the window frame, her hair blown wild by the sand-laden wind, plastered to her face like an octopus. Her eyes were bright and clear, her smile lazy and amused. She looked ahead at the sand city and said, “Idiot. That’s my dog.”

Unfollowed. For a full minute.

He decided not to mess with this ancestor anymore and focused on putting on the jacket.

Fortunately, Gao Leng was short and skinny. Xiang Yuan’s oversized Moncler down jacket fit him surprisingly well. The only mismatch was the two fluffy black cuffs. It’s clearly a woman’s style.

Xiang Yuan had always kept that jacket stuffed in a bag in the car and rarely wore it. So when Lin Qingqing got in and saw Gao Leng wearing it, she froze. “Why are you……”

Gao Leng had just finished taking a selfie and was posting what would likely be his last Moment before entering the desert. Without looking up, he replied, “It’s Team Leader Xiang’s.”

Lin Qingqing recognized it instantly. It was the Moncler Effraie, listed on the official website for fifteen thousand yuan. She had one too, only hers was a knockoff that cost her four thousand, nearly a full month’s salary.

But this idiot Gao Leng had no idea. To show off the contrast between the feminine sleeve fluff and his cold-ridden face, he even made a rock on hand gesture and captioned it, 【Got a cold [Pitiful face]. Wearing Team Leader Xiang’s down jacket. Don’t I look awesome?】

【Shi Tianyou: No.】

【Zhang Jun: No +1.】

【Li Chi: No + My ID number.】

【You Zhi: Do you think my profile pic looks awesome?】

It was an old joke, and Gao Leng instinctively replied, 【Looks pretty awesome.】

You Zhi replied, 【Very self-aware.】

Gao Leng suddenly felt something was off. He reread the message carefully and only then realized that what You Zhi had typed was ‘Do you think my profile pic^[2]头像 looks awesome?’ instead of ‘Do you think my hair^[3]头; head, hair, or hair style looks awesome?’ So Gao Leng immediately clicked on You Zhi’s profile and saw that the guy had actually changed his profile picture to the photo Gao Leng had just sent. He rushed back to delete his previous message, only to find that it had already been buried under a flood of 【Hahahahaha】 from the group.

Gao Leng, desperate, tagged someone, 【@Yierkang Agent Li Yongbiao, I want to report these people for using their phones during work hours!】

He waited angrily for a reply, gripping his phone. But instead of a response from Li Yongbiao, he got something far more shocking— a comment from Xu Yanshi, who never replied to Moments.

【xys: Average.】

That average carried layers of meaning.

You Zhi immediately interpreted, 【Boss’s words have two meanings. First, a straight reply: Not impressive. Second, a hidden reply to the caption: No, not awesome at all. Thumbs up.】

Li Chi replied to xys, 【I beg you! Stop flexing!!!】

Shi Tianyou also replied to xys, 【Love you, mwah!】

【Zhang Jun: So here’s the question— what exactly is average about Gao Leng?】

Gao Leng nearly spat blood. Humiliated, he turned off his phone and stuffed it into the gap in the seat. Then he tightened Xiang Yuan’s down jacket around him and started plucking the fluff off the cuffs, one tiny tuft at a time, completely unaware that each pull cost hundreds.

Lin Qingqing hesitated, wanting to stop him.

Gao Leng mumbled in despair, “Even the boss bullies me.”

Xiang Yuan looked back, “What?”

“Check Moments yourself.”

Xiang Yuan turned her phone back on and finally saw that cold, concise reply. Even worse, he had responded to Gao Leng’s post but still hadn’t replied to her private message.

Hmph.

She shut off her phone again and suddenly started the car, stomping on the gas. Gao Leng, still wallowing in his grief, was caught off guard and was thrown into Lin Qingqing.

But Lin Qingqing had been spacing out too. They bumped into each other, breath mingling, their lips just a centimeter apart.

He was flustered and annoyed, but Gao Leng couldn’t lash out. He shrank back into the car door, wrapping the down jacket tighter around him.

Lin Qingqing, expression unreadable, turned her face away.

……

For the rest of the desert trip, neither Xiang Yuan, Gao Leng, nor Lin Qingqing posted another Moment. It was as if, upon entering the Yellow Sand City, they had driven into a time tunnel that led straight to oblivion— vanishing completely from the world.

────ρя

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Xiang Yuan had disappeared for ten days with Team Two, and to be honest, Li Yongbiao had no idea what exactly they were doing. The leave hadn’t been approved by him, but had come straight from Chen Shan at headquarters. By the time the leave request made it to his desk through the OA system, even Chen Shan had already signed off on it. How could he possibly reject it?

But a certain higher-up’s niece wasn’t having it.

Her name was Ying Yinyin, a self-styled bourgeois girl. Tall, attractive, and, rumor had it, a former flight attendant. Her parents were senior executives at one of the partner companies tied to HQ. Since she hadn’t passed the standard entry exam, she was placed in the sales department in Xi’an for an internship. Once a referral slot from HQ opened up, she’d return there.

Li Yongbiao, who had a good grasp of the situation, knew she wouldn’t be staying long and didn’t dare offend her. As long as she didn’t stir up too much trouble, he was happy to turn a blind eye.

Who could’ve guessed this grandaunt would storm into the company’s several-hundred-person group chat and bombard the HR manager with over a dozen pointed questions?

【Fragrant Green Fields: @HR Xiao Cao, how come the new ‘little princess’ still isn’t at work?! How many days has it been? Who disappears after their first day? Back when my sister got married and I asked for time off, you dragged your feet and even made my uncle call General Manager Li. Is her dad Li Gang^[4]a famous Chinese meme that originated around 2010, when a student involved in a hit-and-run incident said arrogantly, ‘Go ahead and sue me, my dad is Li Gang!’; Li Gang was a local police … Continue reading or something?】

【Fragrant Green Fields: @HR Xiao Cao, I’m also planning to take time off soon. A close friend of mine is having a baby. If you don’t approve, I’ll have to report it to my uncle.】

Report it? Is your uncle the prime minister or something? Always reporting everything.

Li Yongbiao rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. Why is this woman so annoying? Honestly, to this day, he still didn’t know who exactly the so-called uncle at HQ was. If it were just Ying Yinyin ranting alone, he could’ve ignored it. But soon, other women from different departments jumped in as if they’d coordinated the whole thing.

【IT Dept – Xiao Ling: Teacher^[5]used as a respectful form of address, similar to saying Mr. or Ms. in English, even when not directly referring to a formal teacher Cao, could you clarify the situation? Otherwise, this really doesn’t seem appropriate. Normally, we struggle to get any leave approved. Even our overtime pay gets docked. But someone gets to go off for ten days to have fun outside? Honestly, it’s hard not to feel a little bitter.】

【Big Mushroom Wang Jingqi: Yinyin, let it go. It’s not fair to put Teacher Cao on the spot. Besides, Gao Leng and Lin Qingqing went too. Maybe it was some kind of team activity approved by the company?】

【Fragrant Green Fields: Oh, I see. So the girls in sales who break their backs chasing performance targets, drinking with clients, and working overtime, don’t get that kind of benefit? Using company money to travel? Why should we be the ones exhausted while the tech department gets to enjoy the perks? If it’s for Xu Yanshi, fine. But why a newbie who just joined a few days ago? I have no issue with the guys in the tech department. I just hope leadership can give us a proper explanation. Guys, don’t hate me~ [Cute face]】

Righteous and indignant, weren’t they? What they really wanted was just to share in the emperor’s privileges. If they dared, they could ask Chen Shan for a few more days of leave. But every single one of them treated Chen Shan like the Wicked Witch, scrambling for cover the moment she showed up. Li Yongbiao knew exactly what was going on. These women in sales were all smart, ruthless types who didn’t want to miss even the tiniest perk.

As he scratched his head, wondering how to fix this mess, someone knocked on his door. He looked up.

And there he was, the little white poplar^[6]clean-cut and upright young man himself.

Li Yongbiao gazed at the man in front of him, dressed in a black down jacket with a white athletic zip-up pulled to his chin, covering half his face. Thin-framed glasses rested on his high nose bridge. He really did look like a clean-cut and radiant poplar tree. He resembled some movie star, though the name didn’t come to mind.

“Xu Yanshi, perfect timing. Have you seen the group chat?” He asked with a smiling squint.

────ρя


Meanwhile, the tech department was quiet as a grave. The atmosphere was tense.

The men sat in a circle, each staring intently at their phone screens. No one spoke. They glanced at each other wordlessly.

Zhang Jun, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, finally broke the silence, “The boss isn’t here. Should someone make a decision? You Zhi, what do you think?”

You Zhi remained silent, eyes fixed on his phone. Li Chi spoke up instead, “If the boss doesn’t say anything, who dares step in? Ying Yinyin runs to HQ over the tiniest complaint. You think HQ will back us or her? Even Li Yongbiao won’t speak up! And don’t forget last time, when we clashed with sales over year-end bonus allocations. HQ dragged the boss in for a talk, said we young techies were too emotional, too ambitious, and contributed nothing tangible. The boss was furious when he came back. If it weren’t for him, this rinky-dink company would’ve folded ages ago. Wasn’t it supposed to shut down by the end of the year? I think the boss has given up. He’s probably hoping it shuts down sooner.”

Zhang Jun, who had joined late, didn’t quite follow. “If he’s so unhappy, why doesn’t he just resign?”

“He can’t.” Li Chi replied. “I don’t know the details. I only overheard Chen Shan saying something like they’re working on some project, and he’s bound for five years.”

Zhang Jun sighed in pity.

Shi Tianyou took a sip of his Taitai Calming Oral Liquid^[7]a Chinese herbal supplement marketed mainly to women, often used to promote mental calmness, help with sleep, stress, or emotional well-being, especially during hormonal changes or menopause.

Li Chi, clearly used to it, rolled his eyes and looked away.

Zhang Jun stared. “What is that?”

Shi Tianyou turned the bottle to show the label. “Can’t read?”

“Why are you drinking that?”

Shi Tianyou took another satisfying sip. “It calms the nerves, balances the qi^[8]the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis of much Chinese philosophy and medicine, and wards off petty people.”

“……”

Zhang Jun turned to You Zhi, who was still furiously typing. “What are you doing?”

“Arguing.” He muttered. “Ugh, this Ying Yinyin is so annoying. Just because she can’t get who she wants, she’s taking it out on our tech department through Xiang Yuan.”

Zhang Jun’s first reaction was, “Wait, she chased after the boss?”

You Zhi corrected him. “Actually, she chased the boss first. Then me. Now she’s going after Li Chi.”

“……” Zhang Jun turned to stare at Li Chi.

Li Chi held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I’ve been ignoring her lately. I’m not fighting her. I just don’t want to bother with her.”

Just then, Shi Tianyou slammed his supplement drink on the table. “Guys! Check your phones! The boss clapped back!”

Everyone instantly turned to their screens.

【xys: Xiang Yuan is doing on-site field research along the Northwest route. She covered all expenses herself. Here are the data points she sent me. I finished verifying them last night and have emailed everyone the results.】

【xys: It was my oversight that the little princess didn’t file her leave properly before going on assignment. I apologize.】

Just as Shi Tianyou was about to comment on how bold the boss was today, another message dropped.

【xys: When she returns, I’ll deal with her properly. But family matters should stay within the family. Let’s leave it at that.】

The meeting room exploded.

The boss went full savage!!!