After the holiday, work resumed, and as expected by Lu Nan, Zhou Lei completely avoided bringing up anything related to Dong Hui in the city office. He didn’t even show any sign of having an issue with Lu Nan. Since they had no real work-related interactions, Lu Nan lowered her level of vigilance toward him. 

~ The first weekly meeting in October. ~ 

At noon, Lu Nan and Pan Sasha, as usual, found a nice little café to eat, drink, and chat. 

Pan Sasha hugged Lu Nan and gave her a playful squeeze. “You’re way too reckless! You actually forgot to lock your door. What if she had put acid in your facial cleanser? I’m telling you; people like her are twisted and dark-minded. They’re capable of anything.” 

“Well, she’s gone now, isn’t she? I don’t have to stay on guard every single day anymore.” Lu Nan gently removed Sasha’s hand that was still pinching her cheek and muttered softly, “What’s going on? Why is everyone pinching my face?” 

“Huh? What did you say?” Pan Sasha didn’t catch the last part. 

“I said, I’ll be more careful next time.” 

Pan Sasha shook her head, “There better not be a next time. Just one encounter with someone like that is unlucky enough. But keep an eye on Zhou Lei—he wouldn’t dare do anything to you openly, but if your work ever overlaps, he might try to trip you up behind the scenes.” 

Sasha wasn’t the first to warn Lu Nan about this, so she made sure to keep it in mind. 

Knowing that Lu Nan wasn’t the type to be careless, Sasha left it at that: “Hey, this bread is really tempting…” 

Lu Nan took a bite and agreed, “It’s really good. High sugar and high fat always taste amazing.” 

“Hey, do you remember last time when we saw Director Xiang pinch Zhou Tian’s waist?” Pan Sasha suddenly had a gossip-ready expression. She looked around, then leaned in and whispered, “I’m telling you, those two are definitely done.” 

Lu Nan just found out that Chen Xiao convinced Zhou Tian to testify against Xiang Yunfeng. So it makes sense that they’re over. Turns out, there are no real secrets in the office—everything leaves a trace. Lu Nan raised an eyebrow at Shasha, who was always so well-informed: “I’d love to hear the details.” 

Sasha lowered her voice and speak in a mysterious tone, “I heard from someone in the circulation network in Fengyun County that Zhou Tian is now dating Sun Bo. When Sun Bo and his team went to nearby counties for work, someone saw their chat conversation. That profile picture, it was definitely Zhou Tian. You think Zhou Tian finally woke up? Although Director Xiang’s rank is high, it’s all thanks to his business achievements back when the company was expanding in a rough-and-ready way. He’s really not that great a person – no diploma, no looks. When Zhou Tian stands next to him, it’s like a fresh flower stuck in a pile of cow dung. As for Sun Bo, he’s pretty decent.” 

This isn’t surprising. Chen Xiao even said that he started looking for evidence of Xiang Yunfeng’s shady dealings through Zhou Tian. As a ‘compromised witness,’ Zhou Tian doesn’t have a good future ahead at Yuan Chuan, so she’s definitely making plans for her future. Sun Bo may be a bit chubby, but he’s not ugly. He doesn’t stand out in the city office, but I remember that he’s planning to buy a car this month – a Q5. Seems like he’s a hidden rich second generation. 

“Have you noticed any signs of this at morning meetings?” Pan Sasha continued analyzing. “I think Zhou Tian has good judgment. Sun Bo’s clothes might be ordinary, but his shoes are always high-end. And when we go out to eat, he’s pretty generous with money. His family must be well off.” 

“Detective Sasha!” Lu Nan laughed. “During morning meetings, the provincial office people don’t come over, so I haven’t really paid attention.” 

“Look at you, someone who stays in the city, yet you’re not as well-informed as I am.” 

They kept chatting and laughing until past 2 PM, then took Sasha’s car back to the city office just in time for the weekly meeting. 

After entering the lobby, they saw the elevator doors slowly closing. Shasha called out, “Wait a moment—” 

Someone inside the elevator promptly pressed the open button. 

As Pan Sasha and Lu Nan jogged to the elevator entrance, they finally saw that the person inside was Chen Xiao. 

Chen Xiao pressed the open button and gave a slight tilt of his head to the two girls. “Aren’t you coming in?” 

“Oh, oh.” Pan Sasha adjusted the strap of her bag, then stepped into the elevator, saying, “Hello, Brother Xiao.” 

Lu Nan followed closely behind and entered the elevator. “Hello, Brother Xiao.” 

Chen Xiao glanced at them. “You two… just got back from lunch?” 

Ah, it was already close to three o’clock. 

Although the people in the office assumed that Saturday mornings were no different from a holiday, having a direct leader ask like that made them feel a bit guilty. 

Pan Sasha, who had been transferred and no longer had to face her boss daily, awkwardly smiled and vaguely said, “It’s been a while since I saw Nan Nan, so we just went out for a meal.” 

“It has been a while.” Chen Xiao nodded in agreement. “With the double holiday, it’s been about thirteen days since you last saw each other. That’s quite a long time.” 

Did he take something bitter today? 

There was no good way to respond to that. 

Pan Sasha kept up her forced smile, then moved her gaze and turned to Lu Nan with a slight pout. 

Lu Nan rubbed her forehead; the elevator doors were so shiny they might as well be mirrors. 

Chen Xiao cleared his throat, realizing he had lost his composure and forced himself not to think about the 50-yuan transfer. 

The awkward atmosphere inside the silent elevator lingered. 

Then Cheng Xiao spoke up, “We’re here.” 

Hm? 

Oh. 

The elevator had arrived. 

In perfect sync, Pan Sasha and Lu Nan stepped to the side. “Brother Xiao, after you.” 

Chen Xiao stepped out of the elevator and glanced at Lu Nan. She was chatting in hushed tones with Pan Sasha as they walked, covering her mouth and smiling with her eyes curved. 

*** 

The main focus of the weekly meeting revolved around “shipment.” 

After all, it’s the last quarter of the year. Whether they would be making substantial profits or just scraping by depended on these next few months. 

Manager Wang went over the work plan with each sales department, instructing the business supervisors to assist distributors and channel partners in pushing out shipments during the upcoming peak season for alcohol sales. 

Everything was for the year-end payment collections. 

The year-end, for the sake of all payments. 

Payments, for everything at the year-end. 

As the meeting was about to end, Director Xiang appeared with a stack of documents. 

Everyone thought he was going to get involved in the weekly meeting again, but to their surprise, he had no such intention. He waved his hand and said, “You can continue. After the meeting, come to my office.” The last part was directed at Manager Wang. 

Lu Nan felt that it probably wasn’t anything good. 

*** 

After the meeting, Manager Wang knocked on Director Xiang’s office. 

“Come in,” Director Xiang said. “Green Trading has sent us a notice to terminate the partnership. Are you aware of this?” 

Manager Wang nodded. 

“Tell me your thoughts,” Director Xiang handed him a cigarette and tapped the filter with his fingers. 

Manager Wang frowned. “I’m just worried that after terminating the partnership, Green Trading will start selling off its stock at low prices. If that happens, it will be incredibly difficult to find new distributors for Harmony in Hailin City.” 

Director Xiang nodded. “Exactly. Their termination terms are too harsh—headquarters definitely won’t approve the return of their performance bond, let alone repurchase their inventory at the original price. There’s no precedent for that. If things go this way, Green Trading will undoubtedly hold a grudge.” 

“So, the best-case scenario would be for us to quickly find new distributors for Harmony Liquor. After the new distributors make the payment and place their orders, the headquarters might be willing to buy back Green Trading’s stock at a discount. But that still may not be the perfect solution…” because Green Trading definitely wouldn’t want to wait. 

Manager Wang held the cigarette but didn’t light it, looking troubled. 

Director Xiang then asked, “How’s the progress on attracting new investors?” 

Manager Wang answered honestly, “Not very promising. People in the industry have already caught wind of Green Trading’s situation and don’t want to take on a risky deal. As for those outside the industry… finding someone as bold as Mr. Yang is extremely difficult.” 

Director Xiang nodded in understanding. “If it really comes to it, we can relax the conditions a bit and recruit a few secondary distributors in different districts first. I noticed that a few premium tobacco and liquor stores in the city have decent sales—consider them as backup options.” 

Manager Wang wasn’t too keen on this idea because second-tier distributors are smaller in size and harder to manage. 

But he knew that if it came down to it, this might be the only option left. 

*** 

The provincial and city office leaders, whether out of genuine concern or mere pretense, showed interest in the Harmony liquor distributors. Meanwhile, Chen Xiao had been so busy in the past few days that he was nowhere to be seen. 

None of this, however, had anything to do with Lu Nan. 

After the weekly meeting ended, she said goodbye to Sasha and went to the supermarket to buy groceries. Since October, she had been to Teacher Zhang’s house for two meals, and this time, after receiving another invitation, she planned to showcase her cooking skills. 

Unexpectedly, she ran into Chen Xiao at the supermarket. Lu Nan gave a nod as a greeting. 

Looking at the items in her shopping cart, Chen Xiao asked with interest, “You’re cooking? What are you making?” 

“Meatball soup.” 

“How do you make it? Is it delicious?” 

“Everyone has different tastes. I think it’s delicious, but others might not feel the same. I’ll send you the recipe later, and you can give it a try,” Lu Nan glanced at him but didn’t say what he wanted to hear. After gathering everything, she said, “I’m done shopping. I’ll go pay now.” 

Chen Xiao walked alongside her shopping cart. “Didn’t you say you owe me a favor? Have you figured out how to repay it?” 

Lu Nan nodded. “Actually, I’ve already thought of a way to repay that favor. I’ll make sure you, Brother Xiao, are satisfied.” 

Chen Xiao looked at her. “You’re so sure about that?” 

Lu Nan nodded firmly. “Absolutely. Just wait and see.” 

“Well, can you at least reveal a little about what it’s related to?” Chen Xiao was still a bit curious since Lu Nan had made it sound so serious. 

There was no need to keep it a secret in front of Chen Xiao, so Lu Nan generously revealed a little. “Isn’t the issue of Harmony liquor being sold through unauthorized channels something you’re already wrapping up? I’m also doing my part to see if I can clear Green Trading’s inventory. There’s already some progress.” Helping you fully resolve this matter—does that count as repaying the favor? 

Chen Xiao was stunned. He hadn’t expected Lu Nan’s way of repaying the favor to be like this. 

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be happy that she was concerned about his problem or disappointed that, to her, it always came down to work. 

While he was lost in thought, Lu Nan had already lined up to pay.