Liu Yang wanted to resign, and Lu Nan wasn’t very surprised. 

But out of the bond of having been colleagues and her current position as city manager, Lu Nan still felt she should call and arrange a meeting with her. 

Lu Nan chose a dessert shop near Liu Yang’s residential complex. She’d seen the shop sign last time she dropped Liu Yang off—it had a cute interior and seemed like a good place for a conversation. 

The idea also came from Jiang Chutian—most people tend to feel better when eating dessert. 

When Lu Nan arrived, Liu Yang was already seated, with a half-eaten piece of red velvet cake in front of her. 

“Sorry I’m late.” 

She actually wasn’t late, but Lu Nan still apologized out of politeness. 

Liu Yang shook her head. “I just live closer. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I didn’t order for you.” 

Lu Nan turned to the server who had just walked over. “An Americano, thank you.” 

Once the drink was ordered, the two fell into a brief silence. 

“I want to clarify—I never intended to pressure you into resigning,” Lu Nan said, looking at Liu Yang seriously. 

“I know. This was my own decision after careful consideration. It has nothing to do with you.” 

Lu Nan nodded. “So, have you found a new place to go?” 

At Yuan Chuan Liquor Sales Co., Ltd., positions below city manager didn’t require signing a non-compete agreement, so resigning and immediately joining another company in the same industry wasn’t an issue. 

Speaking of which, Lu Nan suddenly realized that she herself hadn’t signed the supplemental non-compete agreement yet. Probably because Yuan Chuan hadn’t yet encountered the wave of dozens of city managers jumping ship that she remembered? 

Make a note—find an opportunity to remind someone—Chen Xiao? 

Lu Nan thought it over and figured Chen Xiao was the most appropriate person to remind. 

She didn’t know Wu Chuan well, and Director Tong was a seasoned, cunning operator… This wasn’t urgent, Lu Nan thought. Fixing gaps in company policy was a good deed that shouldn’t go unnoticed—once Chen Xiao had secured his footing at headquarters, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask for a small favor in return. 

Realizing she was still in a conversation with a subordinate, Lu Nan refocused and listened attentively. 

“I haven’t, not yet. I plan to take a break for a while,” Liu Yang said, scooping a small bite of cake with a metal spoon. 

Lu Nan gave a polite nod to the server who brought her coffee. Once the server left, she continued, “Last time, you said you weren’t romantically involved with that Mr. Zhang from Sifang Construction. I hope you don’t mind me asking—does your resignation have anything to do with that matter?” 

Liu Yang stopped chewing and was silent for a while. 

“It’s fine if you’d rather not answer,” Lu Nan said, taking a sip of her Americano. “After all, we’re just colleagues. Aside from the routine question about your resignation, I personally just think it’s a bit of a pity.” 

Liu Yang remained silent, then suddenly put down her spoon with a crisp clink against the plate. 

She looked straight at Lu Nan. “What’s a shame? You can’t possibly be unaware of how people out there view women in liquor sales business, can you?” 

She added, “Oh, not ‘we.’ You’re no longer with the group purchasing department.” 

“And?” Lu Nan asked calmly. “So are you dissatisfied with your current job? Or unhappy that I got promoted? Or perhaps you’re just unhappy with your own situation?” 

Liu Yang didn’t respond directly. Instead, she said, “Lu Manager, do you know what it’s like to have no money?” 

Lu Nan didn’t answer, simply watching her and waiting for her to continue. 

“Having no money means constantly feeling anxious. It means not daring to spend more than ten yuan on a meal, not buying clothes, bags, makeup, jewelry—let alone dreaming of owning a home or a car.” Liu Yang gave a sarcastic smile. “I doubt you’d know that feeling. Someone from a well-off family like yours—how could you possibly understand how hard life is for people like me?” 

“My hometown is economically underdeveloped. It wasn’t until I started working that I realized some people spend more on a single meal than my annual living expenses. Some spend enough on a handbag to build two houses where I’m from. I envy them. I want to be like them. Is that wrong? Tell me, Manager Lu—is that wrong?” 

Lu Nan realized that Liu Yang was caught in a negative spiral and probably wouldn’t listen to reason right now. 

There was nothing inherently wrong with wanting material comfort, but still… 

She shook her head slightly, disappointed. “There’s a right way to pursue wealth.” 

“In today’s world, how many people can really stick to the ‘right way’?” Liu Yang restrained the words she was about to blurt out. She had wanted to ask whether Lu Nan’s rapid promotion was really based entirely on merit—but then she thought, since she was leaving anyway, what would be the point? 

In the end, she simply emphasized, “I’m an adult. I take full responsibility for my decisions. This resignation is something I’ve thought through carefully. I hope you’ll approve it.” 

“Alright, I’ll consider it. But you know the company policy—you’re not an intern who can just walk out. You’ll need to hand over client information and go through the proper exit procedures. That alone could take until your leave period starts,” Lu Nan replied. “You’ll still need to attend this afternoon’s weekly meeting.” 

Liu Yang nodded. 

*** 

At 2:00 PM, the weekly meeting began. 

Manager Liu didn’t show up—he finally seemed aware of his transfer and had told Lu Nan he’d come after the meeting ended, when everyone went to lunch. 

Lu Nan stood at the head of the conference table, scanned the group of ‘unruly troops,’ and signaled Zheng Jing to start the projector. 

“I won’t waste time with introductions. Let’s get straight to the pre-New Year work plan.” Her opening line surprised everyone: according to Yuan Chuan’s usual practice, once the previous year’s payments were settled, the time from New Year’s Day to the Lunar New Year was usually a golden window for slacking off—why were there still tasks now? 

Huang Dafang quietly sneered in his heart: Old Liu ran these meetings for two years without ever using PowerPoint. This new Manager Lu… typical new leader trying to make a splash. So annoying. 

Lu Nan didn’t care what her team thought. She went on: “Before the New Year, we’ll focus on restaurants, premium tobacco and liquor, and distribution channels. The main products to promote are Sourcechuan Tequ and the mini bottle series. These target the mid-end and low-end markets, which I believe are more suitable for Hua’an City.” She clicked the remote and the slide changed. “Take a look—this is Hua’an City’s GDP and CPI over the past five years…” 

Huang Dafang quietly asked his subordinate Hu Yueqing, “I know GDP, but what’s CPI?” 

“Consumer Price Index,” Hu Yueqing replied just as quietly. 

“Tsk—” I’m just selling liquor, why do I need to understand this stuff? 

The sound Huang Dafang made was a bit too loud. 

Lu Nan looked up and asked, “Supervisor Huang, do you have a question?” 

“No, no, please continue, Manager Lu.” Worried that asking questions would earn him another technical manual, Huang Dafang quickly gestured for her to go on. 

“The general consumption pattern in Hua’an is high spending power but moderate consumption levels. This means that, excluding specific situations like gift-giving or formal social events, when people are choosing liquor for personal use or banquets, most would go for two 500-yuan bottles instead of one 1,000-yuan bottle. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons why our Yuan Chuan Classic and Harmony liquors haven’t performed particularly well in Hua’an.” 

Luo Junjie from the supermarket channel asked in confusion, “But Manager Lu, National Liquor is priced even higher than our Classic series, yet their sales in Hua’an are great.” 

Lu Nan welcomed reasonable questions. She glanced at Huang Dafang and said, “Let Supervisor Huang answer that one for you.” 

Huang Dafang wasn’t good with theories, but as a local, his opinion represented that of many local liquor lovers: “If I’m already spending over a thousand, why not add a few hundred more and get National Liquor? It’s more prestigious.” After speaking, he awkwardly scratched his nose. 

He had hit the nail on the head. Lu Nan nodded approvingly: “Exactly. That’s how most people in Hua’an think. In fact, this is common in cities with economies that are considered ‘relatively developed’. These cities share a trait: National Liquor sells well, but high-end products from our company and our competitors that are priced just below it don’t sell as well.” She moved to the next slide. “These are bottle-opening statistics I gathered yesterday afternoon from a local homestyle restaurant. Let’s just focus on the data for white liquor…” 

Indeed, Lu Nan had gone to a dinner meeting with Jiang Chutian the night before and took the chance to chat with the staff. 

“There are two types of customers who drink white liquor. One type orders multiple small bottles priced around ten yuan each—at big tables, the total white liquor bill often exceeds 100 yuan. The other type orders large bottles, usually under 300 yuan per bottle. Of course, there are also customers who bring their own alcohol. The price range is generally under 500 yuan, and only in rare cases do they bring high-end liquor—after all, it’s just a homestyle restaurant.” Lu Nan looked around the room and continued, “So I believe this pre-New Year period is the best time to test my theory. I hope everyone can put in some effort and shift part of the promotional focus away from Classic Liquor and Harmony Liquor to Tequ and small-distribution liquors. Let the sales numbers speak for themselves. If it works, after the New Year I’ll submit a proposal to the company and apply for increased marketing funds for Tequ and distribution from the second quarter onward.” 

That was Lu Nan’s “carrot.” 

For sales teams, more funding is always a good thing. 

Of course, not everyone has the guts or ability to make the most of increased budgets. 

But when funding is sufficient, the company reps can speak to distributors with much more confidence. 

Few people truly believed what Lu Nan just said. 

If budget approval were that easy, city managers wouldn’t constantly be begging the regional office. 

Just like Old Liu before—didn’t he often end up disappointed? 

Some staff were skeptical, but Lu Nan didn’t mind at all, because by next week at the latest, Chen Xiao’s true identity would become known at the regional office. 

A protégé of the boss’s son? You really think a little budget issue could stop me? 

In fact, even without that connection, Lu Nan could rely on her own skills and professionalism to request funds from the regional or provincial offices! 

In her previous life, that’s exactly what she did three years later. 

Highly capable and assertive, she was both admired and feared by leadership. 

… 

After a meeting packed with solid information, it still wasn’t time for dinner. 

Lu Nan asked Zheng Jing to post the dinner time and location in the group chat, then left early—her presence at the office made people uneasy. Just like in Hailin City, Old Wang would also leave right after meetings. 

Once Lu Nan left, the channel supervisors began discussing the content of the meeting. 

Surprisingly, Huang Dafang actually agreed with Lu Nan’s views (Hu Yueqing looked out the window, wondering if the sun was setting in the east). Li Bin from the general distribution channel also expressed agreement with Manager Lu. 

Luo Junjie from the supermarket channel didn’t quite agree with what Lu Nan said, but since their channel was the weakest in the city office and he was the least senior among the supervisors, he didn’t have much say. Given that, he turned to Guo Yu from the catering channel and said, “Brother Yu, looks like you guys in catering are going to have a tough time.” 

Guo Yu glanced at his subordinate Feng Yi and replied, “I’ve been stationed in Wenxiu long-term. For the city’s tasks, listen to Manager Lu.” In other words—let the new manager lead the charge. 

There were never any secrets in the office. By dinner, everyone already knew that Liu Yang was resigning.