When Lumi opened her eyes, the sky had not yet brightened. The breakfast stall at the entrance of the residential complex had already opened its doors early, and an imperceptible breeze carried the crispy aroma of fried dough sticks into her window, infiltrating her nostrils. The elderly were out for their morning stroll, and their greetings could be faintly heard.

The night before, she had gone clubbing and had a few drinks, yet she woke up early the next day. Her stomach rumbled, famished.

She lay in bed, her eyes fluttering as she transitioned from sleep to wakefulness, struggling for a long time between getting up for breakfast or continuing to sleep, but in the end, the fried dough sticks won out. They were crispy, making a sound with each bite, paired with a small side of pickles, truly deserving the title of a delicacy.

She scolded herself inwardly for being a glutton, got up to brush her teeth and wash her face, and then, like a gust of wind, she was out the door two minutes later, wearing a pair of plastic slippers on her feet, her clean and fair feet adorned with pumpkin-red glitter nail polish, which still managed to sparkle under the morning twilight street lamps.

The breakfast stall was steaming with heat as the first light of dawn appeared, and a few small tables and chairs were set up at the entrance, with two or three early-rising elderly people scattered around. Upon seeing Lumi, they greeted her, “Little Lumi, you’re up quite early today.”

“Good morning, Grandma Zhang! I was sleeping, but the smell of fried dough sticks got into my nose. Who could resist that?”

They were all old neighbors from the hutongs of the past, and two or three decades ago, during urban redevelopment, some families were assigned to this residential complex. Lumi’s family later went through another demolition and relocation, and her parents gave her this place to live while they found a more spacious home for themselves to enjoy life more freely.

She sat across from Grandma Zhang, casually tying her wavy hair up, resting one foot on the wooden bench, and shouted to the boss, “Two fried dough sticks and a bowl of doufu nao, plus a plate of pickles! Make sure to pour plenty of garlic sauce on the doufu nao.”

“Not going to work after pouring garlic sauce on it?” Grandma Zhang teased her.

“I’m not going to be kissing anyone!”

Lumi’s comment made everyone around laugh, and the boss handed her the fried dough sticks: “Will you be able to sleep after eating?”

“No. I can’t be late today; the new boss might be standing at the company entrance catching people!”

“You’re afraid of the boss catching you?” Grandpa Er, who was sitting nearby, didn’t believe it and chimed in. Lumi didn’t seem to care much about her work, but today she said she was afraid of the boss catching her.

“Grandpa Er, you really think too highly of me; I’m quite timid!” Lumi took a bite of the fried dough stick, which was truly delicious. She wasn’t picky since childhood; she could enjoy a hearty bite of soy milk or braised food, but her appetite wasn’t big. She would take a bite here and there but never ate much.

Recently, her parents had discussed moving her to a new place, but she refused. Deep down, she couldn’t bear to part with the lively atmosphere of the old city, the warmth between neighbors and local folks, which Lumi found quite pleasant.

Grandpa Er asked her, “Are you still having dinner with your grandparents this Saturday?”

“Yes, without fail. Last time, my grandma was even asking about you. I told her you were in good health! How about you come with me this week?”

“I won’t go. Another day, you can tell your Uncle Er to come drink with me.”

“Got it!”

After having her breakfast, Lumi strolled back home and took her time to apply her makeup meticulously. She put in a pair of cat-eye blue contact lenses, and standing there, she looked a bit like a little fairy nestled in the Spider Cave. The slight fatigue left over from the previous night’s drinking was swept away, and now she was full of vigor, very satisfied with herself. She even whistled at the full-length mirror before heading out.

She bought coffee downstairs from her office and saw her good friend and colleague, Shang Zhi Tao. She put her arm around Zhi Tao’s neck and said, “Come on, take a look at your sister’s makeup today. How is it?” She turned her face left and right, her playful demeanor quite unconventional.

Shang Zhi Tao examined her seriously and gave her a thumbs up: “Amazing.”

Lumi chuckled again and took the elevator up with her coffee. The elevator was crowded, and the two of them squeezed in. Lumi was chatty, urging everyone, “Please move in a bit, there’s plenty of space inside! Are you saving it for ghosts?” It took a lot of effort to pull Shang Zhi Tao into the elevator, and finally, the doors closed. Shang Zhi Tao whispered to Lumi, “Your new boss is starting today. Have you heard anything about him?”

“Who cares what he’s like! As long as he’s a man and alive, I’m not afraid of him. At worst, I’ll just sleep with him.” Lumi spoke like this, full of nonsense, and her colleagues in the elevator who knew her just laughed at her words, not taking them seriously. Everyone laughed.

Lumi’s nonsensical talk was something she often did, and she didn’t even remember what she had blurted out, but someone took it seriously.

From the side of the elevator, a pair of deep eyes gazed through the gap at Lumi’s dangling earrings, their expression not friendly.

Tu Ming didn’t expect that on his first day at the new company, he would hear a female subordinate in his department openly joke about him. The crowded elevator amplified the effect of such a joke, which made Tu Ming feel as if he was being sued. He disliked people joking about such matters, feeling that such behavior was inappropriate. As his friend would say: too old-fashioned.

Following the crowd out of the elevator, he saw the woman who had made the joke walking in high heels, her slender waist swaying, greeting people as she went, “Good morning, have you eaten?”

“Looking good!”

“Back from your business trip?”

“How was last night’s event?”

She wore perfume, its scent lingering in the air, unusually pleasant, but Tu Ming didn’t like it. It was too intense, making the early summer season seem a bit restless. He didn’t hear her stop talking until she turned into her workstation.

Indeed, she’s my department’s employee.

Tu Ming had managed all sorts of employees. Regardless of how they were in private, at least in public, they all maintained a proper demeanor. It was his first time encountering someone who completely let go of their inhibitions and spoke nonsense. His eyesight was good, and he scanned the name on the employee’s partition: Lumi.

Lumi sat down at her workstation and looked up to see a man entering the big boss Luke’s office. The man had a straight posture and a serious face, with the word “lawsuit” written all over his good looks, appearing difficult to get along with. She turned her chair to Shang Zhi Tao and said, “Did you see the guy who just went in? Could he be our new boss? I heard the new boss is a trendsetter. Why does he look so bitter and full of grudges?”

Shang Zhi Tao was amused by her and said, “I just saw him too, but I think he looks quite upright.”

“Who cares!”

Lumi spun her office chair back to her workstation and turned on her computer to assign tasks to suppliers. She worked swiftly and efficiently, her fingers tapping on the keyboard with a rapid clatter, without a moment’s pause. Occasionally, she looked up and saw the man coming out of Luke’s office. Immediately after, a message popped up in the work group: “Please be on time for the meeting at 10:30 in Conference Room 501.”

“Flora, that guy just now is probably my new boss,” Lumi said to Shang Zhi Tao. Ling Mei had a culture of English names, and every employee had an English name, which they had to decide on before joining the company. She was too lazy to come up with one, so she simply filled in the transliteration of her Chinese name, Lumi, while Shang Zhi Tao’s English name was Flora.

Lumi particularly disliked being called by her English name at the company; it made her feel like it was narcissism without blooming—just pretentious.

She followed her colleagues to Room 501 with her notebook in hand. The conference room was packed with people, and Luke and the man were sitting together. The man exuded a sense of righteousness, sitting upright, nodding slightly and smiling with a hint of aloofness when greeting others. He was a bit like a gentleman from the old days, with an indescribable scholarly aura.

A big, cunning wolf.

The term suddenly popped into Lumi’s mind. She had seen all sorts of people over the years, and when she encountered someone who put on airs, she instinctively felt that they were pretentious. She preferred men like Luke, who advanced and retreated on their own terms, with their wolfish nature written all over their faces, without pretense.

Lumi wasn’t very interested in such meet-and-greet sessions. She found a seat in the back row, intending to just get through it. Her attitude of just getting by was quite evident. When she looked up, she saw Luke seemingly giving her a mocking glance, and she mentally scoffed. Luke had privately said that she was like mud that couldn’t be supported on a wall, but she didn’t care. If she couldn’t be supported, then so be it. What was so great about being on a wall, exposed to the wind and sun?

The supplier was still discussing work matters with her on the computer, and she replied to messages with her head slightly lowered, the sound of her long nails tapping on the keyboard like a special shorthand for the meeting.

Tu Ming glanced at her, his eyebrows and eyes tightening slightly before looking away. There would be plenty of time; he wasn’t in a hurry to discipline his subordinates. Teaching for two years at a school and managing students wasn’t much different from managing employees.

“My name is Tu Ming, you can call me Will. My office is right across from your workstations, and I welcome everyone to come and communicate.” That was it. Tu Ming hadn’t prepared any grand opening speech; it wasn’t necessary. He himself didn’t like grandiosity; the simpler, the better. Even the colors of his clothes were black, white, and gray, never out of line.

He didn’t ask his subordinates to introduce themselves either. He found it awkward, like a large-scale blind date event. After a brief introduction, he said, “Next, I’ll ask Tracy’s department to arrange one-on-one communication sessions. There’s no set agenda, just a casual chat to get to know each other.”

And with that, the meeting was over.

Lumi attended a five-minute meet-and-greet that provided no useful information. The new boss didn’t say a single unnecessary word, saving even punctuation. Of course, he didn’t say anything substantial either. How unusual. Indeed, Luke’s hire was like him. As she left the conference room, she glanced back again. Tu Ming was standing by the conference table, seeing everyone off. He appeared cultured and refined, but upon closer inspection, there was a hint of restlessness, a touch of ferocity in his bones.

Quite rare.

During lunch, she chatted with Shang Zhi Tao: “The first time I saw my new boss, I was eighty percent sure he was a sinister person. I mean, past bosses have also looked intimidating. But the one who sent chills down my spine, he’s the first.”

“Sent chills down your spine?” Shang Zhi Tao looked at her in surprise. She had never seen Lumi afraid of anyone.

Lumi shivered: “Yes. I vaguely feel that my good days are over, and life won’t be easy from now on.”

Shang Zhi Tao was amused by her and firmly disagreed: “I don’t agree with you saying you’re just getting by. You work faster than anyone, so you seem more relaxed than others.”

“What if my boss is blind?” Lumi asked rhetorically, then answered her own question: “I can’t be so unlucky to run into a blind person.”

She muttered to herself, and Shang Zhi Tao kicked her under the table. She turned her head and saw Tu Ming and Luke, who had just put down their trays. Luke’s eyes swept over them, giving them a perfunctory smile, while Tu Ming’s expression was calm, as if he hadn’t heard her say he was blind.