After comforting Xiang Feifei, Lu Nan returned to her room to sleep. She was also exhausted from the day. 

Lying in bed, listening to the sound of rain hitting the skylight, Lu Nan reflected on the moment when Li Li had broken down. She sighed softly. 

Li Li was already a provincial-level group purchasing manager. As far as Lu Nan knew, her monthly salary should be no less than 10k, with various allowances on top, plus an annual bonus tied to the provincial office’s yearly performance—earning 200k annually was definitely not a problem. The purchasing power of 200k today was far beyond what it would be in ten years. 

But despite being such a polished figure at the office, Li Li still had to face the trivial matters and chaos when she got home. 

“Marriage is really scary.” 

“Of course, being broke is scary too.” 

Lu Nan didn’t feel any particular dislike or sympathy for Li Li. 

Even though Li Li had once insinuated something about Lu Nan, it was likely a misunderstanding about the provincial office’s intentions and Lu Nan’s plans at the time. 

Li Li placed too much importance on the provincial-level group purchasing manager position. She worried that after Zhou Tian resigned, the provincial office would promote Lu Nan from the city office rather than Chen Lu. 

If Chen Lu were to be promoted—Chen Lu was originally from the city’s Harmony Wine group purchasing department, so her promotion would mean taking the provincial-level position of Harmony Wine group purchasing manager, which wouldn’t pose a threat to Li Li. 

Lu Nan, on the other hand, was a different case. The provincial office might consider Lu Nan’s work performance with Feixiang and have Li Li “make room” for Lu Nan—Director Tong, Chen Xiao, and Manager Wang all clearly favored Lu Nan. Even Liu Tao didn’t hold any grudges against Lu Nan—in fact, she appreciated her. 

Harmony Wine’s sales within the province, or rather nationwide, were still less than one-fifth of Classic Wine’s. This meant that last year, Zhou Tian’s year-end bonus was far less than Li Li’s. 

So how could Li Li possibly want to transfer from the Classic Wine group purchasing department? 

Even if this was just her guess, and even though the likelihood was slim. 

Lu Nan thought: the wine Li Li drank from the bottle tonight was partly to cover for her, and partly a way to show goodwill—after all, Li Li had already realized that Lu Nan was not interested in the provincial-level group purchasing manager position. It was even possible that she had heard about Chen Xiao’s impending transfer. In that case, was Chen Xiao’s position still a secret to people at Li Li’s level? Was Li Li’s emotional breakdown tonight a complete collapse, or was it just a strategic move? It was a good chance to show weakness. 

After reviewing everything that happened tonight, Lu Nan rubbed her brow. 

Regardless of the outcome, Li Li was undoubtedly someone who knew how to assess situations. 

After this, she would never again make insinuations, and she might even speak of Lu Nan as a former excellent city office group purchase manager in front of other colleagues—someone who had once been her subordinate. 

Li Li was different from Zhou Lei; she was much smarter. 

And there was no “irreconcilable feud” between her and Lu Nan. 

So, after tonight, it would be enough for Lu Nan to maintain a “former superior-subordinate” relationship with Li Li. 

“Besides, the provincial office’s general manager was an outsider, someone who knew nothing about the provincial office. It’s uncertain whether they would appreciate someone like me, an extraordinary graduate who got promoted. If I were to compete with Li Li over a few things, it wouldn’t do me any good.” 

… 

Two days later, it was time for the Saturday weekly meeting. 

After hearing about the inquiries from Pei Xuedong and the dinner hosted by Mr. Chen from Haortei—of course, Lu Nan didn’t mention the incident that happened while taking Li Li home— 

Pan Sasha exclaimed in shock, “Nan Nan, your week has really been a rollercoaster!” 

Lu Nan massaged her forehead: Who could argue with that? 

“I’m not surprised that Zhou Lei would try to trip you up, considering he only knows how to use these underhanded methods,” Pan Sasha said with a sigh. “The competition results will be announced next Monday, right? What if he tries to report you anonymously?” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “The provincial-level general director position is still vacant. Even if Zhou Lei disagrees with the announcement, it will ultimately be sent to Director Tong’s side. He thinks I’m ‘with’ Chen Xiao, and Chen Xiao is Director Tong’s person. So, he wouldn’t dare to report me—anonymously or not.” 

“That’s good.” Sasha let out a sigh of relief. “It would be so frustrating if your promotion got ruined by trash like that.” 

At this point, Sasha asked eagerly, “So, has the provincial-level group purchasing manager for Harmony Wine—it’s confirmed to be Chen Lu, right?” 

“Mm, Sister Lu didn’t have to compete. She was recommended by Manager Wang. It should be announced next Monday too,” Lu Nan replied, then glanced at Sasha. 

“So it’s finally getting settled. Otherwise, Li Li wouldn’t be trying to mend her relationship with you,” Pan Sasha, sharp as ever, said. “Looks like the provincial general director is probably someone sent from headquarters.” Otherwise, Director Tong wouldn’t be rushing to finalize personnel changes that didn’t absolutely need to be made. 

Lu Nan gave her a thumbs up. “Smart!” 

“Good thing I didn’t invest too much in Old Wang before. Looks like he was still a bit off the mark,” Pan Sasha, sighed. “So, speaking of which, where would you like to go? I heard recently that two city manager positions opened up in our province—one in Jujiang, and one in Hua’an.” 

Lu Nan thought for a moment and answered honestly, “Actually, anywhere is fine, but I’d prefer Hua’an City.” 

“Great! I was just thinking, Jujiang is so far, over 400 kilometers. Hua’an is much closer, only 200 kilometers to Hailin!” Pan Sasha cheered. 

“You make it sound like I can make my wishes come true. This still depends on the leaders’ arrangements,” Lu Nan chuckled. 

Pan Sasha shook her head. “No, no, no. You have to believe in your luck. Since you want to go to Hua’an, you’ll definitely get it.” 

“Well, I’ll take your good wishes.” 

After lunch with her friend and some casual chatting, Lu Nan headed back to the city office for the weekly meeting. After the meeting, she checked her phone. The meeting had run a bit longer than usual. She had dinner plans with her mother, as they kept up the routine of eating together once every two weeks. She quickly waved goodbye to Pan Sasha. “See you next week.” 

“Go, go, or you’ll get caught in rush hour.” Sasha waved her off casually. God knew even Saturday evenings had rush hour now. The traffic in downtown Hailin had become so frustrating. Who knew if it’d get better once the subway was finished? 

Suddenly realizing how much she cared about the country’s issues, Pan Sasha quickly shook her head. She packed up her things and saw the person she had been looking for, calling out, “Brother Xiao.” 

Chen Xiao stopped. 

“I have something I want to discuss with you,” Pan Sasha said with a serious tone. 

The few people who hadn’t left yet looked around, some even glancing at Yi Wei’s expression. 

It seemed like everyone was eager to gossip. 

Chen Xiao glanced at the crowd and said, “Not being proactive after work? Something wrong with your mindset!” Then, he turned to Pan Sasha and said, “Come in.” He was referring to his office. 

It had been a long time since Pan Sasha had been alone with Chen Xiao. To be precise, it was only at the beginning of last year when she was first transferred to the city office. Chen Xiao had taken her on a visit to the distributors, but after that, they rarely had any chances to spend time alone. 

After so long, standing in his office and hearing him say, “Have a seat.” 

Looking at his handsome, sharp features, Shasha was certain—her feelings for Chen Xiao had long become a thing of the past. 

She sat down in the chair, and Chen Xiao asked, “Do you want some water?” He made a move to grab a disposable cup. 

“No need, I just have a few words to say and then I’ll leave,” Pan Sasha said seriously. “Nan Nan… I mean, Lu Nan, wants to go to Hua’an City.” 

“Did Lu Nan ask you to come talk to me?” Chen Xiao, sitting across from her, stared into Pan Sasha’s eyes. 

Pan Sasha’s shook her head. “No, I’m doing this on my own. I think you owe her compensation… for the video material incident last time. You owe her that much.” 

Chen Xiao leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I thought her winning the job competition was compensation enough. Besides, isn’t it a bit late for you to bring this up?” 

Pan Shasha really wanted to say “bullshit,” but held it back—after all, the man in front of her was still her boss. “She got that job because she’s exceptionally capable. She earned it through her own skills. Brother Xiao, Chen Xiao, if you truly appreciate Lu Nan’s work and character, please make sure to inform Director Tong that she wants to go to Hua’an City. As long as the official notice hasn’t been sent, there’s still room for changes. You’re good at handling people and situations—there must be a way to convince Director Tong, right?” 

Originally serious, Chen Xiao suddenly smiled. “Pan Sasha, I now believe that you and Lu Nan are really good friends.” 

“Isn’t that obvious? We’ve even complained about you together…” Pan Sasha blurted out, but as she saw Chen Xiao’s playful gaze, she grew quieter. 

What boss hasn’t been talked about behind their back by subordinates? Chen Xiao, who had no interest in knowing the specifics, shook his head slightly, looking helpless. “Don’t worry, I’ll let Director Tong know. But I’m afraid Lu Nan will find out you came to see me today.” 

“Tomorrow is Sunday. By the time the announcement comes out on Monday, everything will be settled. Nan Nan will probably only complain a little, saying I’m overthinking, but she won’t really be angry,” Pan Sasha said, showing she knew how to handle things. 

Chen Xiao nodded. “Alright.” 

When Pan Sasha was leaving, she turned back three times to remind him, “Make sure to call as soon as possible.” 

“Okay,” Chen Xiao replied with a helpless shake of his head. 

What he didn’t say was that, just a few days ago, he had already communicated with Director Tong and had asked him to try to arrange for Lu Nan to be placed in Hua’an. 

As Pan Shasha exited the office, she saw Xu Yao getting water. She smiled at her and then turned to leave: Damn rush hour! Please be late—I still need to get out of the city!!!! 

After getting her water, Xu Yao mysteriously returned to the office and said to everyone, “Guess what I saw?” 

“What did you see?” 

Zhu Lingling asked, “Don’t tell me Brother Xiao and Pan Sasha were being lovey-dovey in the office? That’s impossible.” 

He Manlin, who had already made up her mind to give up on Chen Xiao, couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she heard this. 

Xu Yao shook her head. “It was frosted glass, so I couldn’t see clearly, but they were definitely sitting and talking about something. The voices weren’t loud, so I couldn’t hear clearly. But what I did see was that Pan Sasha was wearing a red stripe stone bracelet!” 

“Oh, is that it?” 

Both Zhu Lingling and He Manlin couldn’t help but roll their eyes at Xu Yao. 

“She’s been looking really good lately, haven’t you noticed?” Xu Yao said earnestly. “She used to wear rose quartz, but now she’s switched to rhodochrosite. Do you think… rhodochrosite is more effective?” 

… 

By 9 AM on Monday, everyone’s work emails had received the personnel transfer notice from the district office. 

To summarize, there were quite a few adjustments related to the Hailin City office: 

1. Wu Chuan, previously from the Market Supervision Department, was appointed Provincial General Director. 

2. Lu Nan would take up the role of City Manager for Hua’an City in the province. 

3. Chen Lu would be promoted to Provincial Group Purchasing Manager for Harmony Wine. 

4. And the most surprising move—Chen Xiao, the Classic Wine Brand Specialist from Hailin City Office, was transferred to the headquarters as the Deputy General Manager of the Classic Wine Brand Department. The next announcement was about his successor, Xu Wentao, who had previously been in the Classic Wine Market Expansion Department at headquarters. 

In the face of such a shocking promotion for Chen Xiao, the previous transfers, including Lu Nan’s two-level promotion in just six months, no longer seemed noteworthy. 

What kind of person was Chen Xiao? 

It was rumored that he was someone from Director Tong’s team, but now it seemed that rumor was unreliable, since it was unlikely Director Tong had enough power to push Chen Xiao’s extraordinary promotion to headquarters. 

Was Chen Xiao someone from President Xia’s team? 

The speculation among the crowd grew more and more outlandish, but no one dared to consider the wildest possibility, perhaps because Chen Xiao and the chairman didn’t share the same surname. 

But Lu Nan knew, once Chen Xiao returned to headquarters, the truth would likely spread there, and at the latest, after the Lunar New Year, the colleagues in Hailin City Office would find out. 

Having worked with the chairman’s son was definitely a noteworthy experience. 

At the same time, Lu Nan realized why Pan Sasha had gone to see Chen Xiao alone after the meeting two days ago. Unlike Xu Yao and the others, who speculated it was about something personal, Lu Nan instantly understood why Sasha wanted to talk to Chen Xiao privately. 

This silly girl Did she go threaten him or something? 

On Monday evening, in the gym’s boxing room, Lu Nan was taking her last personal training session when the coach mentioned that Chen Xiao had booked the next time slot, so she stretched for a while. 

When she saw Chen Xiao in sportswear, she directly asked, “On Saturday, did Sasha…?” 

“Yes,” Chen Xiao answered before Lu Nan could finish her question. 

Lu Nan smiled helplessly. “Brother Xiao, don’t take it personally. In the end, she did it for me.” 

Chen Xiao muttered vaguely, “You two really are good friends.” 

“Huh?” 

“Never mind. I was just thinking, want to have a little practice? You attack; I defend.”