Other than briefly mentioning it to Chen Xiao a few hours ago, Lu Nan hadn’t told anyone that she wasn’t going home for the holiday. Everyone in the dorm had assumed she would—after all, her family was in the same province, and she called them every week. She seemed close to her parents. A five-day holiday. Why wouldn’t she go back? 

So, when Lu Nan opened the dormitory door and saw a pair of men’s sneakers in the entryway, she wasn’t surprised at all. 

This was the moment she had been waiting for. 

She entered quietly. The uninvited guest wasn’t in the living room and hadn’t noticed anyone had returned. 

Perfect. 

The shoes belonged to Zhou Lei. 

After confirming the style of the shoes, Lu Nan silently stepped back out and carefully closed the door behind her. 

Her original plan had been to call her senior for help in “closing the door and dealing with the intruder,” but after half a month, his attitude toward her was still a little awkward. She decided not to trouble him. 

So, she had to adjust her plan. She pulled out her phone and was about to call their landlord, Teacher Zhang. 

But just before pressing the call button, she hesitated—who knew how the person inside would react? If he flew into a rage, things could get messy. Teacher Zhang was already quite old, and there was a young man and woman inside the room. If things got physical, she and Teacher Zhang would definitely be at a disadvantage. 

No, as the saying goes, a wise person avoids immediate danger, and Lu Nan had no intention of putting herself at risk. 

Who else could she call? 

Suddenly, an image of Chen Xiao’s bored and clumsy attempt at making conversation that afternoon popped into her mind. 

Young, strong, and a city-appointed leader. He’ll do. 

Lu Nan stepped into the elevator and pressed the call button. She spoke in a panicked, anxious voice, “Hello? Brother Xiao, where are you? I-I just got back to the dorm and found a stranger inside… It’s terrifying. I didn’t get a good look… Okay, I’ll wait for you downstairs.” 

On the other end of the line, he kept telling her, “Don’t panic, stay calm, get out of there quickly, go somewhere with people, wait for me.” 

She could tell he was genuinely worried. 

“…Alright, sorry for the trouble. I really feel bad about this,” Lu Nan’s voice sounded like she was about to cry. 

With a soft ding, the elevator reached the first floor. 

She ended the call, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear on her face. Instead, she looked composed, with a hint of amusement in her eyes. Holding her phone, she lightly tapped her index finger against the case in a steady rhythm. 

The incident that should have happened over New Year’s had been brought forward to the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, all thanks to her little push.  

Not bad. 

— 

Chen Xiao had just stepped out of the shower when he got Lu Nan’s call. Seeing her name on the screen, he thought he was hallucinating. 

Lu Nan was someone who maintained a strong sense of boundaries. She used email for work matters and would leave messages via text if she needed something. She almost never made direct phone calls—especially not after work hours. 

So, when he heard her panicked voice on the other end of the line, his mind went completely blank. 

In less than fifteen minutes, Chen Xiao arrived, sweating and out of breath. He carefully looked Lu Nan over from head to toe. “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine. A stranger entered our dorm.” Lu Nan had calmed down by now, and her voice was much steadier than it had been over the phone. She took a deep breath and tried to stay composed. “At first, I thought it was a thief. But after going downstairs and thinking about it, something felt off. A thief wouldn’t politely take off their shoes before sneaking in, right? There are only two of us left in the dorm—me and Dong Hui. So while waiting for you, I came up with a theory: Could it be that Dong Hui brought her boyfriend over for the night?” 

“Her boyfriend?” Chen Xiao frowned. “This is a women’s dormitory. The company has strict rules against allowing men to stay overnight.” 

Lu Nan nodded. “We all know that rule. But her boyfriend works for the same company. During the last typhoon, he got stuck here while playing mahjong and ended up staying the night.” 

“Someone from city operations? Zhou Lei?” 

Lu Nan nodded again. 

Chen Xiao frowned. “That’s reckless. Why didn’t you tell me… or Manager Wang back then?” 

“How could I? If we kicked him out during a typhoon and something happened, who’d take responsibility? Besides, it was just that one night, and it never happened again.” Lu Nan defended herself, sounding a little wronged. “My relationship with Dong Hui isn’t that great to begin with. After that grand tasting event, she cried her eyes out in front of everyone. If I said anything after that, the colleagues at the office would think I was bullying her.” 

“What a mess.” For the first time, Chen Xiao found Dong Hui’s little tricks truly irritating. He was usually courteous and rarely spoke harshly to women, but this situation annoyed him. “You didn’t go inside, did you?” 

“No. As soon as I saw the men’s shoes, I got scared and backed out immediately.” Lu Nan hugged her laptop bag, looking a bit embarrassed. 

Chen Xiao nodded approvingly. “That was the right thing to do. Your safety comes first when facing an unknown risk.” 

“So… what should I do now?” Lu Nan looked a little lost. 

“Give me the landlord’s number.” 

Lu Nan obediently handed over her phone. 

Chen Xiao called Teacher Zhang, who happened to be home. After listening to the situation, she responded decisively, “Let’s go to the property management’s surveillance room first.” 

As the owner of the unit, Mrs. Zhang had the authority, and Lu Nan, as the tenant, was also present. The security staff at Xingguang Yipin were professional and cooperative. After narrowing down the time frame, they pulled up footage from the elevators and hallways. 

At around 8 p.m., the three of them saw Dong Hui and Zhou Lei entering the elevator together, chatting and holding hands. Since they were the only ones inside, their conversation was captured clearly on the recording. It was typical couple talk—Zhou Lei saying he didn’t want to leave her, and Dong Hui sweetly coaxing him to stay the night. “Anyway, everyone in our dorm has gone home.” 

Zhou Lei pretended to hesitate. “Are you sure? This doesn’t seem right…” 

Fast-forwarding through an hour of footage at eight times speed, they saw no sign of either of them leaving. Instead, the video captured Lu Nan returning upstairs. Less than a minute later, she hurriedly pressed the elevator button to go back down. She had her head lowered, clutching her laptop bag tightly, shoulders hunched. Inside the elevator, she immediately made a distressed phone call, looking visibly shaken. 

At this point, the case of the mysterious men’s shoes in the women’s dorm was basically solved—they belonged to Zhou Lei. 

And as of now, at 10 PM, he still hadn’t left. 

Chen Xiao’s frown deepened. “Unbelievable.” 

“I thought it was a break-in. Luckily, it wasn’t.” Lu Nan let out a sigh of relief before quickly apologizing to the landlord. “Teacher Zhang, I’m sorry. We agreed not to allow men to stay overnight when we rented the place, but now…” 

Teacher Zhang wasn’t overly strict. She said, “The lease states no mixed-gender rentals. Technically, having a partner stay over is bending the rules, but it’s not something I can control. However, Xiao Lu, let me tell you this—what your colleague did was very irresponsible. Not only is she putting herself at risk, but by bringing a man into your shared dorm without informing anyone, she’s also creating a safety hazard for all of you. You need to report this to your management. This kind of behavior should not be tolerated.” 

Lu Nan nodded. “You’re right, Teacher Zhang. This is my supervisor.” 

“Oh? He’s so young?” Teacher Zhang chuckled. “I thought he was your boyfriend.” 

Lu Nan smiled awkwardly. “No, he’s really my supervisor.” 

Chen Xiao glanced at Lu Nan but didn’t say anything. 

After repeatedly apologizing and thanking Teacher Zhang, she waved her hand dismissively. “Alright, I’m heading back. I’m not one of those elderly people who sleep at eight or nine. But my son and daughter-in-law are abroad, and there’s a time difference. We scheduled a video call tonight, so I won’t be sleeping this early.” 

As they left the surveillance office, Chen Xiao asked, “What’s your plan now?” 

“Me?” Lu Nan thought for a moment. “I definitely can’t stay in the dorm tonight… I guess I’ll find a spot in the other dorm.” She didn’t sound too sure. 

“There’s a hotel near the office with a corporate discount. I’ll take you there. You can get a room for the night,” Chen Xiao suggested. 

Lu Nan nodded—she had never actually planned to squeeze into another dorm. That was just an excuse. 

Chen Xiao continued, “I’ll report this to Manager Wang later. He needs to have a talk with Zhou Lei. Company rules aren’t just for show. While workplace relationships aren’t explicitly forbidden, that doesn’t mean employees can overstep boundaries like this.” 

Lu Nan nodded in agreement. That was the best outcome. 

Although it didn’t have the same satisfaction as confronting them face-to-face like she had initially wanted, this approach was safer. 

“Alright, thanks, Brother Xiao.” 

Thanks to the company’s corporate discount, Lu Nan was able to book a hotel room before the holiday rush and avoid the high prices. 

After checking in, she thanked Chen Xiao again. 

Chen Xiao said, “Let me know when you plan to go back to the dorm tomorrow. I’ll go with you.” He was clearly worried that something else might happen. 

Lu Nan forced a smile and said, “…It shouldn’t be that bad, right? I think after you talk to Manager Wang, he’ll remind Zhou Lei to be more mindful.” 

Chen Xiao still seemed a bit uneasy. 

Lu Nan quickly said, “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight.” 

Back in the room, Lu Nan placed the laptop bag on the coffee table. 

Then, she threw herself onto the soft bed and let out a silent sigh. 

Taking care of three things in one night. Not bad… 

First, the leaders at the office were now aware of what Dong Hui and Zhou Lei had been up to. Zhou Lei was definitely going to get reprimanded, and as for Dong Hui… well, she had been given the perfect opportunity to dig her own grave. There was no way she’d disappoint… Ha. 

Second, she had confirmed something she had suspected for a while but found hard to believe—Chen Xiao treated her differently. Most likely, he had feelings for her… Sigh. 

Third, and most importantly, she had successfully strengthened her connection with Teacher Zhang… Yay. 

The first and third things were truly satisfying. As for the second… The 23-year-old Lu Nan might have been thrilled, but the current Lu Nan mostly found it troublesome. 

She sighed helplessly. Does being reborn automatically trigger a romance mode? 

Chen Xiao was different from Yan Kai. 

That day, Yan Kai had the kind of ‘bravery’ that came with youth, so Lu Nan had cut off the possibility before he could even voice it. 

But Chen Xiao was different. Other than the occasional actions that hovered between appropriate and inappropriate, he hadn’t made any obvious moves. There was nothing she could reject—because he hadn’t expressed anything for her to reject. 

Don’t rush it. Lu Nan sat up and reassured herself. Chen Xiao is nothing but trouble. He knows that too, which is why he wouldn’t look for a girlfriend at the office. He’s probably just curious about me for now. Besides, he’s sensitive and has a strong sense of pride. If I subtly keep my distance, he’ll definitely take the hint and back off. 

Finally, she muttered to herself with a hint of self-satisfaction, Well, it’s not my fault I’m good-looking, highly capable at work, and have such a charming personality. 

Guess the tables have turned, huh? 

Having figured things out, Lu Nan drifted off to sleep peacefully. 

The next morning, she woke up before eight, thanks to her body clock. After having breakfast at the restaurant, she returned to her room. Since there was still plenty of time before checkout and she had her laptop with her, she figured she might as well get some writing done. 

Lu Nan didn’t know exactly how Chen Xiao had spoken to Manager Wang or how Manager Wang had addressed Zhou Lei. But around nine, Chen Xiao called her. 

“Zhou Lei left last night. Dong Hui is planning to move into another dorm. You can return to Xingguang Yipin anytime.” 

Lu Nan raised an eyebrow. 

She deliberately set this up to give Dong and Zhou a chance, not just to end up with some harmless criticism and them moving out.