After Feixiang signed the distribution contract at the end of June, they made the first payment of 800,000. 

By the end of August, they sent the second payment of 1 million—800,000 for goods and 200,000 as a deposit. 

Now, less than a month later, they’re about to send another 1 million, placing an order worth 1.2 million. 

With this, Lu Nan has already exceeded her six-month target of 2.5 million by 300,000. 

For Feixiang, a new distributor venturing into the liquor business, this kind of momentum is impressive. 

Lu Nan was thrilled because all the payments Mr. Yang processed before the end of the year would directly impact her bonus. 

… 

Handling the order list wasn’t difficult for Lu Nan. She had a clear grasp of Feixiang’s shipping data and knew exactly how much stock was left in their warehouse for each vintage. Maybe not down to the bottle, but definitely down to the case. 

Moreover, she was very familiar with the first and second batches of orders that Chen Xiao had placed. 

So, for the third batch, Lu Nan already had a rough plan in mind. 

One thing to note was that after the grand tasting event, they could slightly increase Feixiang’s allocation of the 20-year liquor. With the year-end approaching, the Shexiang series could also be included. 

While thinking about work, she temporarily put aside the trouble Yan Kai had caused earlier. 

She unconsciously took out her phone and started drafting. By the time the driver stopped the car at the entrance of the neighborhood, she had already come up with a plan. 

Lu Nan returned to the dormitory, washed up, and let her hair down. In less than half an hour, she had finished the spreadsheet. 

Thinking that she was still just a business representative and directly suggesting to Mr. Yang to increase the stock might be overstepping, Lu Nan simply organized her thoughts from the taxi ride, wrote a few dozen words, and put them in the email body. 

After clicking send, Lu Nan absentmindedly used a towel to dry the ends of her hair. 

With work done, the things she had been ignoring resurfaced in her mind. 

She really hadn’t expected her senior to say something like that today. 

It was strange. 

This had never happened in her past life. 

Could it be that being reborn comes with some kind of extra charm bonus? 

Or maybe, in my past life, I was so obvious about my crush on Chen Xiao that my senior backed off, and that’s why I never experienced this part? Was I really that easy to read? No way, right? 

Since she couldn’t figure it out, there was no point in dwelling on it. 

At least she had cut off whatever Yan Kai was trying to say today, so things weren’t too awkward between them. Still… “Now that I know how he feels, should I start keeping some distance? Ugh, Pan Sasha, you and your jinxed mouth! You always say the worst things, and they come true!” 

A few minutes later, her phone chimed with a new message. 

Chen Xiao: “I’ve looked over the list for the third batch of orders for Feixiang. Tell me your thought process behind this arrangement.” 

Can’t this wait until tomorrow? Or at least during work hours? 

After venting internally for a moment, Lu Nan still put on the proper attitude of a diligent employee. 

This wasn’t something that could be explained in just a sentence or two. Typing everything out would be exhausting—and it’s not like she was getting paid extra for it. 

“Brother Xiao, is it convenient for you to take a call?” Lu Nan replied. 

There was no response to her message, but a moment later, her phone rang. 

She picked up. “Hello, Brother Xiao.” 

“Mm, go ahead.” 

“I think the Grand Tasting event has significant promotional value for high-end products like the 20-year vintage. I analyzed Mr. Yang’s guest list, and I’m sure the more affluent clients will have a strong demand for the Zodiac liquor series. So, I believe the luxury series needs to be finalized before the New Year, allowing Mr. Yang’s key account managers to take advantage of the Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival period to push sales of high-end liquor. 

“Of course, aside from group purchases, we shouldn’t overlook the restaurant and premium tobacco and alcohol channels. Around year-end, people will be visiting relatives, gifting superiors—there’s always a demand for top-shelf liquor. That’s why I think Feixiang’s allocation this time needs adjustments compared to the previous two batches. 

After finishing, there was a brief silence on the other end. 

Lu Nan thought, You’re the one who called me to explain—don’t tell me I just bored you to sleep with all that business talk? 

She hesitated, then called out softly, “Brother Xiao?” 

“I’m listening.” Chen Xiao paused, then added a compliment, “Good job incorporating the Grand Tasting event’s impact and traditional holiday trends into your analysis. Your forecasting is solid.” 

Lu Nan smirked. This wasn’t difficult at all. 

Chen Xiao continued, “But you should be aware that changing the allocation plan will lead to a problem.” 

“Because the unit price is higher, the total number of cases will be lower than before,” Lu Nan answered immediately. She had already considered this. “Mr. Yang mentioned payments would be settled after National Day. I’ll make sure Sister Pei arranges everything before October 10, so we can receive payment and ship out on the same day. I’m guessing that’s why you pushed me to finalize the list quickly—to submit it to headquarters before the holiday rush, so they have time to prepare inventory.” 

“Exactly.” 

Lu Nan continued, “So, based on the logistics delivery time, the third batch of wine can enter the Feixiang warehouse before October 15. I will urge Brother Pei to do the inventory check in mid-November and mid-December to ensure that by the end of December, Feixiang can make the fourth payment for the purchase, with an amount between 500,000 to 700,000. I’ve looked into it—this year, the Lunar New Year falls in February, and if payment is made by the end of December, logistics will definitely still be running after New Year’s Day.” 

At this point, Lu Nan was feeling confident. 

She was absolutely thrilled! This sense of achievement felt almost unreal! 

In her past life, Feixiang’s sales volume wasn’t nearly as high as it was now. 

To put it bluntly, at least 400,000-yuan worth of their current sales could be credited to her efforts. 

Chen Xiao could imagine that her eyes must be sparkling at this moment. 

“You’re very forward-thinking and have a great sense of the big picture,” he said approvingly. Then, remembering she couldn’t see his nod, he made sure to clearly voice his praise. 

This was exactly why he let Lu Nan handle things instead of managing it all himself. The results showed that she was strong in her work abilities and growing rapidly, which reassured him. 

Lu Nan wanted to thank Brother Xiao for the compliment, but just as the words “thank you” were about to come out, she changed it to, “It’s all thanks to your guidance.” 

“Alright, get some rest. I’ll call Mr. Yang tomorrow to discuss this.” 

“Goodnight, Brother Xiao.” 

“Goodnight.” 

Lu Nan waited for Chen Xiao to hang up, since he was her superior. 

However, after waiting four or five seconds, the call remained active. 

Ah~ such gentlemanly behavior. Lu Nan wrinkled her nose and pressed the hang-up button. 

Feeling mentally and physically tired, Lu Nan didn’t insist on typing more. She waited for her hair to dry a little before going to bed. 

The next morning, after having breakfast and typing for two hours, she figured the gym would open around ten, so she changed into workout clothes and headed out. 

Since she had been going out a lot this week, she was pretty sure she had taken in way too many calories. 

At 11:30, while she was stretching, her phone rang. 

It was Chen Xiao again. 

Lu Nan wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but it felt like he had been contacting her a lot these past two days. He used to reach out often, too, but mostly through emails about work. Now, he was calling more. 

But when she answered the call, it was indeed about work. 

“Go to Mr. Yang’s place this afternoon? Oh, no problem. Two o’clock, right? Okay, I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the neighborhood.” 

She silently reminded herself: Work life, work mindset. Take things one day at a time. Since I haven’t resigned yet, this is still my responsibility. 

When she returned to her dorm, Zhou Lei and Dong Hui had just finished lunch. 

Yes, Zhou Lei. 

Lu Nan didn’t even need to ask Xiang Feifei; she could guess easily. 

This was just another case of a young couple feeling like a day apart was an eternity. Dong Hui wanted to show off how considerate she was, so she called Zhou Lei over to try her cooking—just like in TV dramas, where they push that nonsense about winning a man’s heart by winning his stomach.  

And since the hygiene situation in the boys’ dorm was probably unbearable, the only place Dong Hui could show off her cooking skills was their dorm’s kitchen. 

It was easy to predict—Zhou Lei would be coming over for meals more and more often. 

Luckily, Lu Nan rarely used the kitchen. 

Out of sight, out of mind. 

“Lu Nan, you’re back from your workout?” Dong Hui greeted her warmly. “Have you eaten? I can heat up some food for you.” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “Thanks, I’ll eat this.” She waved the whole wheat toast in her hand and turned to go upstairs. 

An hour later, Lu Nan came downstairs. 

Dong Hui, snuggling with Zhou Lei on the couch in the living room, asked again, “Are you going out?” 

“Mm.” Lu Nan just nodded, then changed her shoes and went out. 

After the door closed, Dong Hui rested her head back on Zhou Lei’s shoulder and whispered to him, “See? I told you she doesn’t give in, no matter what.” 

“Just be patient,” Zhou Lei reassured her. “You already took the initiative to apologize and make peace the other night. If she keeps acting like this, the others at the office will see for themselves who the real problem is.” 

That way, if any conflicts came up in the future, people would take Dong Hui’s side. 

Zhou Lei found it kind of amusing, teaching his girlfriend these things. On the surface, Dong Hui seemed bold and strong-willed, but in reality, her little workplace tactics were still pretty immature. 

… 

When Lu Nan arrived at the entrance of the neighborhood, it was 1:55 PM. She hadn’t expected Chen Xiao to already be waiting in a taxi. 

“Ah, sorry, sorry!” Lu Nan quickly apologized as she got into the back seat. “Brother Xiao, why didn’t you let me know you were here? I would’ve come out earlier.” 

Chen Xiao smiled casually. “I just got here. I’ve already bought the fruit basket. It’s on the back seat.” 

Lu Nan nodded and absentmindedly complimented, “Brother Xiao you’re so thoughtful,” while glancing at the taxi meter. 

The ride took over forty minutes. Chen Xiao didn’t say much, and Lu Nan didn’t start a conversation either. She just quietly listened to the radio the driver had on. 

Mr. Yang lived in a villa. 

One basement level, two and a half above-ground floors, with a small garden. 

Lu Nan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Even if I take the money out of the stock market next month, I still can’t afford such a big house. So… even though housing prices haven’t skyrocketed yet, one or two million isn’t really that much, right? 

Thinking about that, she suddenly felt like slacking off was a waste of her second chance at life. 

Mr. Yang took them on a tour of his home. 

From the floral arrangements in the living room, the rocking chair in the sunroom, and the scented candles in the guest bathroom, Lu Nan could tell that Sister Pei was someone who really knew how to enjoy life. 

They also took a quick look at Mr. Yang’s living room and wine cellar—it was obvious he had quite the collection and a particular love for strong liquor. 

After sitting down on the sofa, the housekeeper brought over tea and fruit. 

Chen Xiao got straight to business. 

Convincing Mr. Yang wasn’t too difficult since both sides ultimately wanted to move inventory. The only difference was their estimated projections for the types of products that would be sold over the next three months. 

Mr. Yang wasn’t a stubborn person. After listening to Chen Xiao, he nodded. “You’ve thought this through well, Manager Chen. Let’s go with this plan.” 

Chen Xiao glanced at Lu Nan. “Actually, it was Lu Nan who thought of this. She brought up the issue to me last night.” 

Hearing this, Mr. Yang looked at Lu Nan with approval. “Manager Lu, young and capable. Really impressive.” 

After the business discussion, Chen Xiao and Lu Nan sat for a while before preparing to leave. 

Coincidentally, Sister Pei came home with her daughter, who had just finished an extracurricular class. 

Mr. Yang’s daughter, Yang Pei, was about ten years old and had already done a solo piano performance at the grand tasting event the day before. 

As soon as the little girl saw Lu Nan, her eyes lit up, and she grinned. “I remember you! You were the shortest sister in the dance performance that day!” 

Sister Pei gently patted her daughter’s back. “Speak properly. Don’t be rude.” 

Uh… well, she wasn’t wrong. 

But was a three or four-centimeter height difference really that noticeable? 

Even if it was, couldn’t she have put it a little more nicely? 

Like… ‘the most unique sister’? 

Just kidding. 

Lu Nan knew she was being shameless even thinking that, so she simply smiled and explained, “Yep, I was a substitute, so I didn’t match up with the other sisters’ heights.” 

Yang Pei stuck out her tongue playfully. “Mom, I was joking.” Then she seriously added, “Sister, what I actually wanted to say is that your dancing was really beautiful! My piano teacher said your movements and expressions had a lot of charm.” 

“Well, thanks for the compliment, Yang Pei! Your piano solo was absolutely perfect too! And help me thank your piano teacher for the praise.” 

After chatting with Yang Pei for a bit, for some reason, she suddenly decided they were now “good friends.” So, she pulled Lu Nan along to check out her piano room. 

Lu Nan ran her fingers over the black-and-white keys, feeling a bit nostalgic. 

“Sister Lu, can you play the piano?” 

“Just a little bit. I learned when I was a child, but I haven’t played much since then…” 

Before Lu Nan could finish speaking, Yang Pei cheered and said, “Let’s play a four-hand duet!” 

“It’s too difficult for me, I’ve gotten rusty.” 

Being very considerate, Yang Pei started with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and as Lu Nan’s fingers got more comfortable, they moved on to Canon in D. 

Later, Mr. Yang and Sister Pei invited them to stay for dinner. 

Chen Xiao and Lu Nan exchanged a glance, finding it hard to refuse such sincere hospitality 

After dinner, they said goodbye to Mr. Yang and his family. Yang Pei even made a big deal out of scheduling their next piano session, speaking so formally that Lu Nan couldn’t help but seriously agree. 

As they walked out of the neighborhood, Chen Xiao complimented, “You play the piano really well.” 

“Ah, that? My mother forced me to learn it when I was a child.” Lu Nan smiled helplessly. 

“How about dancing? Was that the same?” Chen Xiao asked again. 

Lu Nan paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah.”  

Yeah, that too.