The corner of the file folder pressed into Lu Nan’s soft palm, snapping her back to reality. 

What was I thinking? I had it all planned out. Spend six months in Yuan Chuan, treat it like a long vacation. By October, I’ll withdraw the money from the stock market, buy two old apartments in areas due for demolition in the next two years, and live a life with a home and no debt. Writing? I can still continue with that. Then I’ll find a low-key job with minimal work and pay, mainly to stay connected with society… How perfect. My previous life was all about working hard for a career, and it wore me out. In the end, I didn’t get far. Now, I should find a way to take advantage of the opportunities and enjoy the present. 

Lu Nan repeatedly reassured herself, and when she met Sister Pei at Feixiang and discussed the company’s uniform requirements for the stores, she spoke calmly and clearly. 

Feixiang, being an advertising company, naturally covers this area, and Sister Pei, who handles the company’s finances, understood the materials Lu Nan brought. She quickly grasped the details. 

For instance, the type of material for the shopfront, the color of the wooden flooring inside, the placement of shelves, the position of spotlights, and so on—all had to follow Yuan Chuan’s standards. Sister Pei had been concerned that Lu Nan might not understand the details of shop decoration, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that the young girl was very knowledgeable about it. 

Some might wonder why, even though Feixiang was funding the store’s setup, the decoration had to follow Yuan Chuan’s standards. 

The reason is that Yuan Chuan provides the dealers with a reimbursement for decoration costs—not in cash, but in the form of finished liquor. 

Being experienced, Sister Pei reviewed everything and had no objections. She quickly signed and stamped the dealer’s renovation commitment letter brought by Lu Nan. 

After the official business was done, Sister Pei couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Lu, since I’m older than you, can I call you that?” 

Lu Nan nodded. 

“How did you end up working in the liquor industry?” Sister Pei asked delicately, then quickly added, “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the Yuan Chuan or that I’m dissatisfied with you. Yuan Chuan is a big company, a well-known brand; I admire your work ability. I even watched the video you filmed yesterday, and I think you’re talented and good-looking on camera. But why choose liquor sales? It’s a tough job.” 

Sister Pei didn’t fully understand these things before. Now that she had just started in the alcohol business, she saw how the key account managers her husband hired would sleep until noon, spend afternoons making phone calls and arranging meetings, and often spend late nights at high-end restaurants and clubs, with meetings wrapping up at one or two in the morning. It was common for them to be taken advantage of, either verbally or through actions—all for the sake of pushing sales. As a woman herself, she didn’t like such environments, so after accompanying her husband a few times, she stopped going.  

Seeing Lu Nan now, she couldn’t help but speak more openly. 

In Sister Pei’s view, Lu Nan was different from the more experienced Liu Yuhan and Meng Lusi whom the company had hired. 

She had heard that Lu Nan was a full-time university graduate and had a gentle and quiet demeanor. It seemed like a waste and quite risky for her to work in liquor sales. 

Although it was a bit early to hear this, Sister Pei was still the same person. She had also said these things to her in her past life. 

Sister Pei’s words didn’t offend Lu Nan; instead, she found them genuinely kind. 

Lu Nan smiled, “I understand what you mean, Sister Pei. Before joining, I did hesitate. When it comes to liquor sales, many people have prejudices, as if anything related to alcohol must be somewhat improper. But then I thought I’d give it a try. On one hand, I wanted to broaden my horizons, and on the other hand, the salary and benefits are quite decent.” 

“And being able to work with Feixiang Advertising makes me very happy, because Mr. Yang is a practical person, and with a boss like you, who’s upright and kind, I’m confident in the work and the sales we’ll achieve in the next six months at Feixiang. I really, really appreciate what you said today.” Lu Nan’s words weren’t just polite; they were sincere, and she chose her words carefully. 

Sister Pei, with her two decades of experience in society, could distinguish genuine intentions from false ones. 

Feeling Lu Nan’s sincerity made her feel even more regretful. 

The girl is both smart and principled. 

But she knew when to stop; it wouldn’t be appropriate to say more. 

*** 

It was 10:30 a.m. when she left Feixiang. 

Lu Nan had the day off today, so after thinking for a moment, she decided to head back to her dorm. 

When she reached the door, she could already hear the sound of mahjong from inside, which left her speechless. 

Opening the door, she saw Dong Hui, Wang Xiaoxue, Lin Yan, and Hong Danni around the mahjong table. 

Chen Lu was watching TV on the sofa. “Oh, Lu Nan, you’re back?” 

“Sister Lu is here.” 

Chen Lu gave a sheepish smile. “It’s Monday, so the Green Trading are definitely busy in the morning. I planned to go over in the afternoon.” Implying, she had come to hang out in their dorm for a bit. 

Lu Nan nodded in understanding. “Do you want to come up and sit for a while?” 

“Sure, there’s nothing interesting on TV anyway.” 

As Chen Lu was about to get up, Dong Hui called out, “Sister Lu, don’t go yet. I’ll be cooking soon; you’ll have to replace me!” 

Chen Lu said, “It’s still early, and breakfast was just a while ago. You can continue playing for now.” 

After going upstairs, Chen Lu remarked, “It’s nice to have a room to yourself.” 

“After Liu Yang’s transfer, you have a single room now too, right?” Lu Nan handed Chen Lu a cushion she had bought earlier. “Please sit down.” 

“Yes. But I only have one bathroom there, unlike here, where you have a floor to yourself. It’s clean and refreshing.” 

Lu Nan didn’t know how to respond to this. She couldn’t invite Chen Lu to move in, and besides, Chen Lu might not want to give up her single room for either Xiang Feifei or herself, or settle for the small study upstairs. 

Better to change the subject. “Will you be taking everyone with you to Green Trading this afternoon?” 

Chen Lu laughed, “It’s not like we’re going to fight; why would I bring so many people? They can go if they want to, but honestly, we’ll just be sitting there doing nothing. It doesn’t matter who I bring.” 

Lu Nan shook her head slightly. It seemed this wasn’t a good topic either. Her small talk skills were definitely declining today. 

She decided not to answer, giving a wry smile that showed she understood. 

“There’s not much to say about Green Trading. It’s just a waste of time. Didn’t you hear what Manager Wang said this morning? The Harmony Wine purchase department needs to hurry up and find new distributors,” Chen Lu said with a helpless smile. “Today, you’re officially connecting with Feixiang. There are six small meetings this month, right? It’s going to be tough.” 

Knowing that the other party’s distributor was ‘on its last legs,’ Lu Nan was also quite mindful: Although Chen Lu was polite, she likely didn’t want to be compared with the newcomers. 

“I haven’t independently hosted a small event before, so Brother Xiao will also attend the first few times.” she explained. This had already been arranged with Chen Xiao and Feixiang, so there was no need to hide it. 

Chen Lu remarked, “That’s great; Brother Xiao is a good man. He would always take good care of his people, especially the women, during social events.” 

Lu Nan shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. 

After chatting for a while, Chen Lu stayed in Lu Nan’s room for over half an hour, until Dong Hui called her downstairs to take over her spot as the “wall builder.” 

When lunch was almost ready, Xiang Feifei returned. She had gone to Haortei Wine Industry in the morning. Seeing the shoes on the shoe rack as she entered, she called out from the entryway to the upstairs, “Lu Nan, are you home?” 

“Yes,” Lu Nan came out of her room and leaned on the handrail, “What’s up?” 

“Let’s have a meal together. I went to the CBD area today and picked up some cold dishes from that place you recommended last time,” Xiang Feifei said, lifting the takeout box she was carrying. 

Chen Lu exclaimed, “Oh, is it that Northeast noodle place? The one we went to last time!” 

Xiang Feifei nodded, “Yes, Sister Lu, you and Lu Nan have been there, right? It seems the food there is really good, otherwise, Lu Nan wouldn’t be recommending it to everyone.” 

Lu Nan nodded vigorously, “You’ll know once you try it. Since I moved here, I’ve missed the Northeast noodle place in the CBD and the roast duck rice near my old apartment.” 

Dong Hui, who came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a spatula, said, “Hah, I haven’t even seen you eat two meals a week.” She seemed very familiar with Lu Nan, then turned to the others and added, “Sister Lu, Feifei, don’t believe Lu Nan. If you do, you’ll enjoy the food but end up gaining weight. She’s actually dieting and secretly getting prettier.” 

“Who’s on a diet? Who’s on a diet?” Lu Nan thought. If you want to joke at my expense, I’ll fire back with a joke too. “It’s called optimizing my diet, reducing some carbs, and fighting against sugar! Quick, look it up on Baidu if you don’t understand.” 

Sister Lu, the little cutie, really looked it up on the spot and felt like she had learned something new. “Oh, so there’s such an explanation?” She seriously read through the article. 

These were concepts that wouldn’t become popular until years later. The girls, upon hearing this, felt enlightened—and found it quite reasonable. 

Xiang Feifei suggested, “Shall we try it too? Try to eat less noodles in the evening?” 

Hong Danni and the others were willing to try as well. Even Dong Hui, who had some complaints about Lu Nan, thought: Although Lu Nan wasn’t great, her skin was decent enough. Also, the article said there was scientific backing, so why not give it a try? 

Lu Nan took Dong Hui’s subtle attempts at stirring trouble and turned them into a skincare session for women, using a few simple and inexpensive tips to connect with the others downstairs. 

The meal time passed quickly with chatting and eating. 

After the meal, Lu Nan smiled and said, “I’ll take care of the cleanup this time. I won’t pay for the meal, but I’ll handle the dishes.” 

Of course, Xiang Feifei and the others had no objections. Since Lu Nan wasn’t eating with them regularly, it would be too petty to ask for a small amount like five or ten yuan for a casual meal. Now that she was willing to clean up, it could count as covering her share of the meal. 

Xiang Feifei thought: No wonder I always feel so comfortable around Lu Nan. It’s because, like Sister Lu, she maintains a bit of distance in social interactions, making people feel at ease. 

… 

After washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen, Lu Nan said goodbye to her colleague’s downstairs who had started playing mahjong again, and then went upstairs. 

She was planning to write, but her mind feels a little restless. 

She decided to remove her makeup and take a short nap.  

While wiping her face, she noticed the noise-canceling earplugs among her skincare and remembered she hadn’t paid Chen Xiao for them yet. 

However, her relationship with Chen Xiao was a bit delicate right now, so giving him money might be a little awkward. 

He might think she still harbored some grievances and resentment—which wouldn’t be helpful for her future work. 

To ensure she could smoothly receive the buyout fee, Lu Nan felt it was better to wait until the video material situation was settled before addressing it.