As soon as Teacher Zhang opened the door, Lu Nan handed over some fruit and a small bottle of liquor, greeting her in a soft and obedient way. 

“Why are you being so polite? Take it back, take it back.” Teacher Zhang refused to accept it no matter what. The other person was just a recent college graduate, and buying such things was too extravagant. 

Lu Nan, however, was very firm about giving the gift. “Teacher Zhang, please accept it. The fruit is from a nearby supermarket, and the alcohol is a gift from our company. I didn’t spend much money on it. If you don’t accept it, I won’t give you the new keys!” 

As mentioned before, Lu Nan had a gentle and obedient appearance. Otherwise, Teacher Zhang wouldn’t have rented the place to her simply because she had a good first impression. Now, with the young girl acting a little coquettish, Teacher Zhang’s heart practically melted: Look at this! If I had a daughter back then, she’d definitely be as sweet and thoughtful as her. But no, instead of a little cotton-padded jacket, I got a leather one. And this so-called leather jacket just up and left for another country with his wife. If I hadn’t been rehired to teach, giving me a place to feel useful, I’d probably be stuck at home, bored out of my mind, peeling my nails and staring at the ceiling like an old lady. 

“Come in, come in! Have you eaten? Just stay for dinner!” Teacher Zhang ushered Lu Nan inside and made the decision for her. 

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lu Nan said, “No need, Teacher Zhang. I just came to drop off the keys.” 

But Teacher Zhang pulled her over to sit on the sofa. “No need to be polite. I eat alone most of the time—it’s so quiet. Having someone to share a meal with is a rare treat, so I’m more than happy.” 

Unable to decline the warm invitation, Lu Nan finally chose to help Teacher Zhang prepare the ingredients in the kitchen. 

In the kitchen, with the older and younger pair working together, Teacher Zhang noticed how skillful Lu Nan was in preparing the vegetables and asked, “Xiao Lu, do you know how to cook?” 

“A little,” Lu Nan nodded. 

Teacher Zhang laughed heartily. “Don’t be modest. If you can cook, you can cook. Not many young women cook nowadays—my daughter-in-law doesn’t. But she’s busy with work, so it’s understandable… Besides, it’s not like there’s a rule that only women have to cook, right?” 

Lu Nan nodded vigorously. “Right.” 

For dinner, Teacher Zhang made cola-braised chicken wings, boiled shrimp, garlic sautéed greens, and some pre-made five-spice beef. 

Before they started eating, Teacher Zhang stood by the counter for a moment, hesitating between the red wine and yellow wine, before finally giving up on both. “Tonight, we’ll drink the liquor Xiao Lu brought,” she said, looking adorably decisive. 

Lu Nan smiled and said, “Alright, Teacher Zhang, please give it a try.” 

“Ah, my husband used to enjoy having a few drinks after work, and gradually, he got me into it… It’s a shame, now I don’t have a drinking buddy anymore.” Although reminiscing, Teacher Zhang’s tone was full of happiness. 

As they ate and drank, Teacher Zhang comfortably said, “There are several famous distilled liquors in the world, and if we talk about our country’s liquor, it has a long history, dating back to the Emperor Han Wu…,” she effortlessly brought up some historical anecdotes, “It’s a pity that, due to cultural differences, our national treasure can only flourish within our own country. We can’t make money from foreigners.” 

As the conversation continued, Teacher Zhang inevitably asked a question that anyone who knew Lu Nan well would want to ask: “Xiao Lu, how did you end up in the liquor sales industry?” 

This time, Lu Nan didn’t repeat the standard answer she had given Sister Pei before. 

She lowered her head and smiled. “Because I want to make money and prove that I can live independently and have a good life.” 

These were Lu Nan’s true feelings, from her past life, and in the end, she did achieve it. 

“Wanting to make money is not shameful. Everyone needs money for food, clothing, housing, and transportation!” Teacher Zhang put down her chopsticks and said earnestly, “What I’m concerned about is that this line of work is really tough for a girl.” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “Actually, this job is quite easy. It offers a lot of flexibility, and the pay is pretty good.” 

At some point, their conversation shifted to Teacher Zhang’s son, Xu Chengzhi, and his wife, Wu Li. 

Teacher Zhang took a sip of wine and said that her daughter-in-law worked as a mid-level manager in a multinational company and had been assigned to a position abroad. Her son, Xu Chengzhi, was more of an ‘accompanying worker’ and had found a job teaching Chinese at a language school. A few days ago, he had called via video to discuss starting a business but didn’t want to use Wu Li’s money. He was thinking of selling the apartment they had lived in before, which was the same one Lu Nan and her coworkers were renting. 

“Sell the apartment and cut off all ties with home? When Wu Li finishes her assignment and comes back, who knows what the housing prices in Hailin City will be like by then?” Teacher Zhang said, clearly reluctant. She counted the money in her bank account and mentioned that she had gone to collect a debt from relatives the previous night. It was money she had lent out in the past, and when things weren’t tight, she hadn’t pushed for repayment. But now, she needed the money and had to talk to them. “Besides, for someone who’s never done business before, I told him to start small and steady—it’s the safest approach.” 

“You really have great foresight,” Lu Nan said, then suggested, “Brother Xu might want to consider doing some import-export business. He can find a local agent in China to help source goods, then ship them overseas. Foreign trade still has a lot of potential these days. In the beginning, he just needs a variety of products to fill a small shipping container. Small goods and daily necessities don’t require too much initial capital—just around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan worth of goods. Once they reach the U.S., they sell well, and the profit margins are decent.”  

Lu Nan wasn’t just making this up. 

“He did have this idea before,” Teacher Zhang said but she shakes her head. “Unfortunately, I don’t know much about it and can’t really be of any help. As for finding an agent… that’s not as simple as it sounds. He does want to try, but he’s been teaching for over ten years… his mind’s not as sharp anymore. Also, when I went to collect the money yesterday, all the relatives and friends around us didn’t seem to have much faith in it. They just told him to focus on supporting Wu Li’s career. Their words were so sour. Even though my son has a good temper, he didn’t like hearing that.” 

“I see,” Lu Nan hesitated. “It’s definitely hard for a complete outsider to break into the business.” 

“Xiao Lu, you seem to know quite a bit about foreign trade?” Teacher Zhang took another sip from her small cup. 

Lu Nan smiled again. “Ah, yes… my dad is in the import-export business.” 

“Alright, I’ll bring it up with my son and see if he’s still interested. Maybe he could get in touch with your father?” 

Lu Nan pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and didn’t speak for a moment. Then, she forced a smile. “My parents are divorced. I live with my mom and don’t keep in touch with my father much.” 

Teacher Zhang apologized with a face full of regret: “Ah, this is really my fault. I shouldn’t have said anything!” 

“It’s fine, it’s been years,” Lu Nan raised her head and smiled. “But if Brother Xu has anything he wants to know, feel free to ask me. My mom used to work at my dad’s company, so she knows a bit about the import and export processes.” 

“Okay, okay,” Teacher Zhang took Lu Nan’s hand. “Even though your parents are separated, but! Xiao Lu, you’re really great. Knowledgeable, well-mannered, optimistic…” Her voice grew emotional, clearly moved. 

The two of them were slightly tipsy. When Lu Nan was about to leave, Teacher Zhang grabbed her hand and said, “Come visit more often. I love spending time with young people, chatting and such, it makes me feel younger.” 

Lu Nan readily agreed. 

Back at the dorm, everything was quiet as usual. Tonight, while having a few sips with Teacher Zhang, Lu Nan hadn’t used her “golden finger.” 

She opened the laptop on the dining table and quickly typed up two extra chapters. That’s right, who says the main story ends when it’s finished? You can still write extras. 

After all, Li Bai could compose a hundred poems while drinking—why not take inspiration from him? A web novelist could surely have a surge of creativity after some drinks too. 

The next three days of her break were spent in a very structured routine. 

She woke up at 8 a.m., ate eggs and drank milk, then started writing. 

After a little over two hours, she’d take a break, stand up, clean up, or hang out laundry. 

For lunch, she’d prepare something simple, then clean the kitchen afterward before taking a short nap upstairs. 

After waking up, around two or three in the afternoon, she’d go to the gym to stretch. 

Fortunately, she never ran into Chen Xiao. 

In the evening, one day she went to the riverside to watch the sunset, and the next day she went to the park to watch people skateboard. 

A young guy wearing a flowery headscarf noticed Lu Nan was eager to try, so he invited her to give it a go. 

Lu Nan confidently walked over, gave him a high five and a fist bump. Her familiar gestures made him say, “Wow!” Several nearby skateboarders stopped to watch. 

Lu Nan smiled, “I only know a little, and I haven’t done it in a while.” That was the truth. 

Her first run was a bit rusty, but in the end, she managed a smooth trick to wrap it up stylishly—at least it wasn’t a complete failure. 

The guy with the headscarf was named Chi Yan, a sophomore at Qianjiang University. 

“Junior?” Lu Nan laughed. “No wonder you look a bit familiar.” 

Chi Yan smiled shyly, “Hello, senior.” Then he added, “We can skate together next time.” 

“I can’t, I had a bad fall once,” Lu Nan shook her head. “Just being able to do an ollie again is good enough for me.” 

But the junior insisted on adding her on WeChat, and in the end, Lu Nan agreed. 

Her return home time varied, but it was always before seven. She would then grab something casual for dinner. 

In the past two nights, Lu Nan spent some time seriously thinking about her parents’ current relationship, her mother’s problems, and potential solutions. She even made a plan. 

Of course, before putting the plan into action, there was some preparation to do—and she needed to give her mother more time to calm down. Right now, she wasn’t in the right state for a proper conversation. 

*** 

On the last day of the holiday, around four or five in the afternoon, the four girls from Yunan Province returned. 

Because Lu Nan had mentioned in the group chat that the door lock had been changed, they had informed her in advance of their expected arrival time, so she could be at home to help them open the door. 

This time, their luggage was full. In addition to winter clothes, they also had some jars of homemade preserved sauces and snacks from their families. 

Xiang Feifei invited Lu Nan, “Let’s have dinner together tonight, I’ll let you try my cooking.” 

But Lu Nan replied, “No rush, I need to talk to you all about something first.” 

Without adding any personal opinions, she recounted what had happened on the night of September 30th. 

Seeing Hong Danni’s face change, Lu Nan kindly added, “Zhou Lei didn’t stay overnight, he left that night.” However, she couldn’t guarantee if anything had happened while he was there. 

She then continued, detailing the events of October 1st at noon and their outcome—Dong Hui had ‘voluntarily resigned,’ and Zhou Lei had his pay deducted. 

The four girls were clearly shocked by the news. Though it was said that Dong Hui had resigned, everyone knew that she hadn’t passed her probation period, which meant she had been fired. 

They had initially thought she would just be fined, so they whispered in surprise, “Oh my god!” “How did it come to this?” 

Lu Nan didn’t rush them. She smiled and said, “Take your time unpacking, I’m heading upstairs first.” 

People’s feelings are complicated. When Dong Hui was around, some might have found her behavior a bit too flashy, but that kind of minor friction between girls didn’t necessarily mean they wished misfortune upon her. 

For example, Hong Danni had thought it was outrageous when Dong Hui brought Zhou Lei back to stay overnight, but when she found out that her roommate of nearly three months had quietly been fired, a bit of regret still appeared on her face. 

Now, in this dormitory, Dong Hui and Lu Nan had never gotten along. From a ‘conflict’ perspective, Lu Nan had undoubtedly won. But did that mean the others wouldn’t sympathize with Dong Hui? Or perhaps, wouldn’t they see Lu Nan as overly forceful or aggressive? 

After all, Dong Hui was already gone, and the direct cause was related to Lu Nan. 

Because “empathy” is inherently a paradox, Lu Nan never expects everyone to stand on the same side as her. 

After all, they’re just coworkers. It’s unreasonable to expect everyone to share the same values. 

With a faint smile, Lu Nan walked up the stairs step by step. 

Over twenty minutes later, Xiang Feifei called from downstairs, “Lu Nan, you don’t eat celery, right?” 

Lu Nan stepped out of her room, stood on the stairs, and looked down towards the dining area. “Hm?” 

Holding a spatula, Xiang Feifei said, “I remember you don’t like celery. How about braised noodle stew with string beans? I brought some meat sauce my mom made—it’s delicious!” 

“Alright.” Lu Nan nodded and smiled. 

After dinner, Lu Nan took the initiative to wash the dishes. 

Xiang Feifei also entered the kitchen to help her with draining and drying: “You must have been scared on the night of the 30th, right?” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “It was fine. When I was leaving, I felt the shoes looked familiar, and then I remembered Zhou Lei had worn them several times.” 

“I was just listening to you talk about it, and I felt like my whole worldview was about to collapse.” Xiang Feifei finished drying the plates and started on the bowls. “I don’t know what others think, but you mustn’t fall into the trap of victim-blaming. You did nothing wrong. The ones at fault are them! What frustrates me is that Dong Hui got fired, and Zhou Lei didn’t face any consequences, just a small deduction from his pay. I’m telling you; you need to be careful in the future. Zhou Lei doesn’t seem like a good person. You must keep your guard up, or he might pull some shady tricks on you.” 

Lu Nan raised both hands, covered in rubber gloves, and gently hugged Xiang Feifei with her arm. “Thank you, Feifei.” There’s a lot of malice in this world, but there’s also a lot of kindness. She has a good memory, but she only wants to remember the people and things that give her warmth. 

Xiang Feifei was caught off guard by Lu Nan’s sudden display of affection, her face turning a little red. She cleared her throat and even slipped into her local dialect. “No need to be so polite.” 

The next day, after the morning meeting at the city office, Manager Wang casually mentioned that intern Dong Hui’s internship had ended and she would be seeking other opportunities. 

Of course, this wasn’t the main point. The main point was that after she left, there was a personnel reshuffle in the city office. After discussing with Chen Xiao, Manager Wang decided to transfer Lin Yan from the Harmony Wine department to the Classic Wine department. 

Chen Lu and Wang Xiaoxue, who lived in the other dormitory, were both shocked. 

The male interns clearly hadn’t been informed either. Yi Wei kept asking Zhou Lei what was going on. 

What could Zhou Lei say? Manager Wang hadn’t publicly mentioned his pay deduction, and that was already showing special leniency. How could he dare say more now? 

Lu Nan speculated: 

These star-crossed lovers probably didn’t have the face to tell their usual “friends”, who they’d always gotten along with and gossiped together, about the things they had done. 

At this point, Zhou Lei must really resent Yi Wei for being such a big mouth, right? 

Serves him right. When you take advantage of someone’s personality, you should also be prepared for the consequences—Yi Wei has always been the type who never reads the room.