When Manager Wang saw Zhang Fei’s smug expression, he felt even more that what Lu Nan had said earlier that day made a lot of sense. 

After dinner, as usual, they went to sing karaoke. The only thing Wu Chuan did slightly better than Xiang Yunfeng was choosing chain-style KTVs — so, in other words, does that make this Director Wu a bit more “stingy”? 

In these kinds of settings, some men (and sometimes even some women) often use drinking games or inappropriate jokes to satisfy their unhealthy desire to “bully the weak.” 

However, by now everyone at the provincial office knew that Lu Nan was no pushover, so whether at dinner or karaoke, no one dared to use their seniority to take advantage of her. After all, just last month, Zhang Fei had already learned that lesson the hard way. 

Lu Nan was perfectly content to keep a glass of beer in front of her and relax in the corner of the sofa playing on her phone. 

“Manager Lu, why aren’t you picking a song?” The person who sat down next to her was Xu Wentao, the brand specialist from Hailin City. 

“Manager Xu,” Lu Nan greeted him with a smile but didn’t answer his question. 

It was clear that Xu Wentao wasn’t really expecting an answer — it was just an opening to start a conversation. He continued, “It’s a pity. After I was transferred to Hailin, you got promoted and left for another city. Now every time I go to Feixiang, Mr. Yang always brings up how capable you are. I’ve grown really curious about you.” 

Lu Nan gave a modest smile. “Mr. Yang was just being polite.” 

“Not entirely,” Xu Wentao said. “During the year-end performance reviews last year, Deputy General Manager Chen specifically noted that you were the main person responsible in the summary report at the major brand meeting. After that, quite a few people in the classic wine brand department started asking about you.” He wasn’t lying completely, though he was exaggerating a bit. 

Lu Nan honestly had no idea about any summary being signed in her name, but she also knew Xu Wentao’s words might not be entirely out of goodwill. So she picked up her beer, clinked glasses with him, and said, “Manager Xu, if you have something to say, just say it.” 

Xu Wentao nodded. “Manager Lu, you really are straightforward. I don’t mean anything else, just that I’m curious about you.” 

Curious about everything, are you? Lu Nan thought to herself, You weren’t this curious about me in my past life. 

Lu Nan didn’t like people who acted mysterious, so she just smiled and didn’t continue the conversation. 

“Today, when you committed to a 50% growth in the provincial annual plan, I was honestly quite surprised,” Xu Wentao said, unfazed by the cold shoulder. “I’m really curious about why you set such an ambitious target and how you plan to achieve it.” 

In just a few sentences, you’ve said you’re curious three times already. Just because you’re curious, does that mean I have to satisfy your curiosity? 

Lu Nan couldn’t help but complain internally. Why was Xu Wentao, also a brand specialist, so much more annoying than Chen Xiao? Definitely not because of looks! 

Lu Nan made a “shh” gesture. “Manager Xu, that’s a business secret — I’m afraid I can’t share it.” 

While Xu Wentao was momentarily taken aback, she laughed brightly and added, “I’m joking. Honestly, it’s nothing special. I set such a target because I believe Hua’an City is a highly promising market. With careful channel development and deep market penetration, increasing both contract amounts and payments by 50% is quite feasible.” 

You called me straightforward? Fine, I’ll just laugh it off. I’m not embarrassed at all. 

Though Lu Nan spoke seriously, her answer was very generic and gave away nothing. 

Realizing he wouldn’t get anything useful out of her, Xu Wentao smiled helplessly, stayed a little longer, and then walked away. 

After a while, Manager Wang, who had just finished enthusiastically singing his signature song “Legend of the Hungry Wolf,” plopped down next to Lu Nan. 

“Xu Wentao was chatting with you just now?” he asked. 

“Manager Wang, your eyesight is too sharp, huh?” Lu Nan teased. Weren’t you just singing and dancing? How did you even notice us over here? 

“Of course! I, Wang Xinglong, have 2.0 vision!” he joked. Then he leaned closer and asked, “So was he trying to ask you about Brother Xiao?” 

Lu Nan thought carefully. “It felt a bit like that, but he didn’t say it outright.” 

“I see.” Wang Xinglong grabbed a slice of watermelon from the fruit plate. “That fool Xu Wentao has been poking around ever since he got transferred to Hailin, always asking about Brother Xiao’s past here. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if he’s secretly into Brother Xiao!” 

Lu Nan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. 

Realizing his joke might be a bit inappropriate—after all, Brother Xiao was the son of a big boss—Wang Xinglong quickly added, “I’m just exaggerating. It’s just that Xu Wentao thinks I’m an idiot. He’s not only asking about how Brother Xiao handled things but also about his relationships with superiors and subordinates. 

Which superiors? Xiang Yunfeng is out of the picture—obviously, he’s trying to find out about Brother Xiao’s relationship with Director Tong. And as for subordinates—ha! that’s even worse. He’s totally fishing. Brother Xiao’s team is full of women — wait, no no, that came out wrong. I mean, there’s you ladies working under him. What’s there to pry into? You know how it is, even ancient crown princes faced sabotage when trying to ascend the throne. With Brother Xiao’s background, people at headquarters are watching him closely—hard to say someone isn’t up to something.” 

Comparing it to fighting for the throne? Lu Nan thought, Old Wang really has some creativity. 

She nodded in agreement. “Manager Wang, you’re so sharp. I hadn’t even thought of that.” 

“Right? I, Wang Xinglong, might not be great at studying, but when it comes to social skills, I know my way around,” he said, leaning in closer to Lu Nan and lowering his voice. “Say, should we remind Brother Xiao about this?” 

“I think it’s a good idea,” Lu Nan nodded. A chance to earn points with the chairman’s son—Wang Xinglong was actually hesitating? And he claimed to be a master at social interactions? 

Wang Xinglong fidgeted and said, “Then why don’t you tell him?” 

Lu Nan gave him a look: Seriously? 

“I borrowed ten thousand yuan from Brother Xiao during the New Year because I was short while playing mahjong. I haven’t paid him back yet,” Wang Xinglong lowered his voice, clearly a bit embarrassed. 

Lu Nan widened her eyes. “Seriously, Manager Wang?” A whole city manager, acting like this? 

Wang Xinglong looked like he had given up: “The bonus I just got was taken away by my wife as soon as I got home. There’s barely any cash left—how can I go out and have fun with friends? I’m planning to pay him back after next month’s salary and expenses come in.” 

Lu Nan suppressed her laughter, coughing to hide her amusement, and teased him, “I always thought you were a wild horse, a lone wolf! Turns out you’re just henpecked.” 

“Don’t even bring it up—it’s all tears,” Wang Xinglong said with a sigh. “Listen to me, Lu Nan: don’t get married too early. Look at me now—when I see a pretty girl, all I can do is sneak a few glances.” 

From what Lu Nan knew, rumors in both the provincial and city offices painted Old Wang as quite the ladies’ man—mainly because someone once found a bunch of racy magazines in his office. As for his private life, there were all kinds of stories floating around. But as far as she remembered, he had never hit on anyone close by. 

But! Wait a second! 

Lu Nan suddenly remembered: up until now, the rumors about Old Wang being lecherous hadn’t spread widely. 

When did it all start? 

She racked her brain. 

It seemed… probably around now. 

In her past life, it was around March, shortly after she had been transferred to Jujiang City. 

Back then, that scumbag Zhang Fei even asked her in front of everyone at the city office, “Is your Manager Wang really that unprofessional?” 

What a coincidence. 

Thinking about it now, Old Wang might not be decisive enough when it comes to big matters, but he’s never sloppy with small ones. Even people like Yi Wei at the City Office, when they flatter you, there’s still some sincerity in it. So how could such a coincidental thing happen that just so happened to expose his magazines? 

The whole thing didn’t seem like someone trying to frame him, but more like someone trying to disgust him. 

Lu Nan glanced at Wang Xinglong. 

Wang Xinglong felt uneasy under her stare: What? Did she just realize I’m handsome? 

“Manager Wang, have you ever bad-mouthed Xu Wentao to anyone else?” 

“Bad-mouth?” 

“Complain, gossip about him.” 

“Ah, well, I wouldn’t call it bad-mouthing. That fool acts like an idiot himself.” Startled by her sharp look, Wang Xinglong thought hard and said, “Old Tang, Old Qi, and… others…” 

Lu Nan motioned for him to stop. “Enough, I get it.” With so many people having heard him complain, did he really think Xu Wentao didn’t know? 

The provincial and city offices were like sieves—nothing stayed secret for long. 

Today, I really have done two good deeds, both for guys named Wang, Lu Nan thought helplessly. Then she warned him seriously: “Manager Wang, your mouth is going to get you in trouble. Even if you and Xu Wentao are the same rank, he’s from headquarters. Who knows what connections he has behind the scenes?” 

Seeing that Wang Xinglong still looked unconvinced, Lu Nan added, “What, are you going to say you know Chen Xiao too? That you’re even close enough to borrow money from him?” 

Wang Xinglong nodded: Exactly, how did you know? 

Lu Nan chuckled coldly: “Heh.” 

Who was the real fool here? 

Without wasting more words, she said, “You really shouldn’t keep those magazines in the office. It’s a workplace. If someone digs them up, it won’t look good.” 

“How do you know?” 

“I can foresee things,” Lu Nan said irritably. 

Wang Xinglong, who was good at letting things go, figured Lu Nan must have accidentally spotted them somehow. Feeling embarrassed, he chuckled. “I… I was just looking at them. Not doing anything else. Fine, I’ll move them out tomorrow. So, when are you going to talk to Brother Xiao?” 

Lu Nan thought: I’ve done more than enough here. 

“I’ll message him right now. Watch out for me, let me know if anyone comes by,” she said. She was already sitting in a corner of the sofa, so privacy wasn’t an issue. 

Opening the messaging app, she started typing. Wang Xinglong peeked over—no, he swore he wasn’t trying to peek; his vision was just too good (perfect 2.0). After seeing it, he gasped in shock: “You’re sending Brother Xiao a mass-texted New Year’s greeting? That ‘I’m afraid the New Year’s bells will be too loud… so I’m sending you wishes two hours early…’ one? Oh my god, it’s the same message I got too!” 

Lu Nan gave him a glance. “What, you expect me to handcraft hundreds of personalized greetings? As long as the message gets across, it’s fine.” 

“No, it’s just…” 

“You didn’t notice? His reply was super concise too: ‘Wishing you success and happiness in the New Year.’ Compared to that, my message was over a hundred characters long—pretty sincere, right?” Lu Nan countered. 

Wang Xinglong shook his head: “I think Brother Xiao’s reply was more sincere. At least he typed it out himself.” 

Lu Nan laughed and said, “How would you know? Maybe his was a mass message too.” 

“No way! Definitely not!” Wang Xinglong started arguing with her seriously, completely capable of going off-topic at any moment. “Look at what I got…” A long 100-character blessing—obviously mass-sent. 

Lu Nan blinked: “Oh.” 

Wang Xinglong was stunned: “That’s it? Just ‘oh’?” 

“Then… should I send a brief but heartfelt greeting on Lantern Festival?” Lu Nan suggested earnestly. 

Wang Xinglong wanted to slap his forehead and sigh: “Maybe just focus on telling him about Xu Wentao first.” 

Lu Nan typed quickly, but there was a lot to say, so it still took a few minutes. 

After sending the message, there was no reply. 

Still no reply. 

Wang Xinglong was even more anxious than Lu Nan, staring at her phone: That’s weird. Why no response? 

“Oh! I know!” 

“You know what?” 

“It’s definitely because your New Year greeting was too perfunctory, and Brother Xiao’s mad.” Wang Xinglong looked 100% convinced that he had uncovered the truth. 

“Or maybe he’s just asleep. It’s late,” Lu Nan said calmly. 

“No way! Look at your chat history—it just ended abruptly after New Year’s! He must be upset.” 

Lu Nan looked at Manager Wang very seriously: “I’ll send you some walnuts later.” They’re good for the brain.”