Chen Lu was influenced by Lu Nan and couldn’t help but start smiling too. 

Back when Lu Nan had just been promoted to business supervisor right after becoming a full-time employee—putting her at the same level as Chen Lu—Chen Lu had found it hard to accept. Then came the incident involving Dong Hui’s resignation, which many suspected had been forced by Lu Nan. During that time, her relationship with Lu Nan became distant. 

But over time, people’s true character becomes clear. Lu Nan’s competence at work was evident to everyone in the city office. As for why Dong Hui resigned, the truth eventually came out—not from Lu Nan, but from Xiang Feifei. Coming from Xiang Feifei, the explanation sounded more objective and credible. At least, Chen Lu believed her version over what Wang Xiaoxue had said. 

Later, Chen Lu reflected on her own performance: both Green Trading and Feixiang were venturing into the alcohol business from other industries. Setting aside the issue of Harmony Wine’s distribution conflicts, how much product had she moved for Green Trading compared to what Lu Nan did for Feixiang? Lu Nan had even sold three cases of Harmony Wine. It was clear she wasn’t performing as well. 

Whatever distance had once existed between the two young women disappeared with that shared smile. 

They both understood what the other meant. 

While it might be a stretch to say they became close friends immediately, being able to communicate without any hard feelings made them appreciate each other more. 

… 

When they arrived at the private room, they found that in addition to Chen Xiao and Zhou Tian, Li Li was also there. 

Lu Nan and Chen Lu greeted Li Li politely, then found an excuse to quietly chat in a corner. Neither chose to sit on the sofas—just looking at how Li Li and Zhou Tian each occupied a single-seater sofa, occasionally chatting with polite smiles, while Chen Xiao was awkwardly playing with his phone on the long three-seater in the middle—it was all very awkward. Sitting down there would’ve felt like stepping into a battlefield. 

After a while, voices were heard outside the room, and the three on the sofa stood up in unison. At the same time, a server from Zui Qian Wei opened the private room door. 

Only Director Tong from the regional office, Wang Xinglong, and Liu Tao (Director Tong’s driver, who was more of an afterthought) entered—there were no representatives from Green Trading. 

At that moment, Chen Lu’s expression darkened slightly. If Manager Wang had gone to the effort of hosting this banquet, and Director Tong had personally come to support it, yet Green Trading still declined to show up, then the termination of their partnership was basically inevitable. As the group purchasing manager for Harmony Wine at the city office, losing their only distributor would make it extremely difficult to hit her targets or earn bonuses this year. 

Lu Nan was aware of this too, and subtly patted Chen Lu’s arm as a gesture of comfort. 

A true leader remains composed—despite everyone knowing that a top regional executive had just been snubbed by a distributor, Director Tong still carried himself with calm composure and a faint smile as he greeted everyone, showing none of the frustration that might come from losing face. He even correctly called Chen Lu by name, despite her relatively low profile last time. 

Director Tong smiled and glanced around. “Why is everyone standing? Let’s sit down.” 

Everyone sat in order of seniority, with Director Tong and Liu Tao taking the top seats. Wang Xinglong and Li Li sat on Director Tong’s side, while Chen Xiao and Zhou Tian were on Liu Tao’s. 

Chen Lu and Lu Nan took the least prominent seats—right next to the driver. 

The dishes had already been pre-ordered, and once everyone was seated, the hot dishes started to arrive. Naturally, it was also time to open the alcohol. 

Lu Nan and Chen Lu exchanged a glance and stood up together. They didn’t bother with any flashy techniques—just opened two bottles of the 12-year Harmony Wine, poured them into decanters, and passed them to the leaders. 

After everything was properly served, Manager Wang noticed the empty glass in front of Lu Nan and asked, “Lu Nan’s not drinking today?” 

Zhou Tian chimed in with a smile, “She’s driving tonight.” 

Manager Wang glanced at Director Tong’s expression—it was clear that Director Tong didn’t care whether a junior staff member drank or not. 

Fair enough. With plenty of people at the table to drink, missing one wasn’t a big deal. Manager Wang was ready to let it go. 

Unexpectedly, Li Li said, “Lu Nan usually drinks the Classic. It’s a rare chance to try Harmony today. It’d be a shame not to. Driving isn’t an issue—I’m driving too. We can just call a driver later.” 

It was a minor matter, but with Li Li bringing it up, Director Tong also paid more attention—he remembered Lu Nan from the promotional video project. With that in mind, he casually said, “I recall Lu Nan’s from the classic series group purchasing department? Well, you should give Harmony Wine a try.” 

Chen Xiao looked like he was about to say something, but Manager Wang gave him a nudge under the table. 

“Then I’ll respectfully follow your lead,” Lu Nan replied with a smile. As she spoke, she poured herself a decanter’s worth and turned to the server, “Could I get some ice, please?” 

While pouring her own drink, Lu Nan explained, “Actually, what Manager Li said isn’t quite accurate. I’m not unfamiliar with Harmony Wine’s taste. At the last semi-annual conference in Wanghai City, half the alcohol served at the closing party was Harmony Wine—also the 12-year variety. I happened to add a few ice cubes out of curiosity and found that it tasted crisp and refreshing. I even recommended it to other interested clients recently. Oh, and three cases were moved through Green Trading.” 

Lu Nan looked at Chen Lu, who nodded to confirm. “Yes, we did take three cases.” 

“Oh? And what did the client think of it?” Manager Wang asked. 

“They thought it was quite good—might place another order,” Lu Nan answered, half-joking, half-serious. 

Manager Wang nodded approvingly. 

The topic ended there. As the atmosphere warmed up, Wang Xinglong and Li Li began flattering Director Tong with increasing enthusiasm. 

Lu Nan glanced at Zhou Tian, who clearly had no interest in putting on a show tonight. She thought to herself: makes sense—after all, even though she was the ‘key witness,’ the label still included the word ‘tainted.’ Zhou Tian was smart and probably already planning her exit. Since she was planning to resign anyway, there was no need to try to impress Director Tong. With that thought, Li Li’s subtle hostility toward her seemed to have more context than just jealousy. 

Not long after the meal began, Director Tong suddenly asked, “Lu Nan, does Harmony Wine really taste good on ice?” 

“You can try it yourself, Director Tong,” Lu Nan said, asking the server to bring more ice. 

As expected, with a leader setting the example, others like Wang Xinglong naturally followed suit. 

After taking a sip, Director Tong smiled while holding the glass: “Not bad at all—it does feel a bit like how foreigners drink whiskey with ice.” 

Lu Nan had never underestimated how keen the company’s mid-to-senior management was when it came to trends in alcohol marketing. After all, chilled drinks and using base spirits for cocktails had originally been a gimmick devised by headquarters to promote Harmony Liquor. 

“Lu Nan, you’re quite an interesting young woman.” 

What did he mean by “interesting”? Normally, one would expect praise like “creative” or “innovative.” 

But Director Tong deliberately used the word “interesting.” 

Among those present, only the four who knew about the buyout fee truly understood what he was implying. The rest only half-got it. 

What Director Tong found interesting was that despite not getting credit for the last idea, Lu Nan was still bold enough to express her thoughts again today. 

Did she think the company would casually adopt just any marketing idea? Was she hoping for another “buyout fee”? Or was she still holding a grudge over last time, trying to seek some form of justice? 

Whatever her motive, he found it all quite amusing. 

Lu Nan glanced at Liu Tao and Chen Xiao before raising her glass to Director Tong. “I don’t deserve such high praise from you, but let me offer you a toast.” 

Since she had toasted Director Tong, she couldn’t skip Liu Tao. Lu Nan knew everyone at the table was watching her closely. 

Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone just kept things simple? 

Lu Nan thought helplessly. She had long since mentally written off the buyout fee as just a small contribution toward her car and home. 

She acted naturally, treating Liu Tao the same way she had the last time they met. As expected, Liu Tao responded warmly, clinking glasses with her and reminding her, “We’re both women—just a gesture is enough. Don’t drink more than a third of your glass.” 

After the banquet, Manager Wang invited Director Tong, Liu Tao, and the others to go sing karaoke and relax, but clearly, Director Tong wasn’t in the mood. “No thanks. Come to my room later—we still need to discuss the matter with Green Trading.” 

Lu Nan silently lit a candle for Wang Xinglong in her mind. 

Eventually, everyone headed home. Lu Nan called for a designated driver. She and the others returned in the same car, though the seating order had changed. 

In the back sat Zhou Tian, Chen Lu, and Lu Nan. Chen Xiao was in the front passenger seat. 

Zhou Tian was dropped off first, followed by Chen Lu. After they both got out, Chen Xiao spoke. “Earlier today, when you mentioned the idea of drinking Harmony Liquor over ice, you said it was your original idea. So this ‘client’ of yours…” 

Lu Nan simply let out a soft “oh” and replied, “My client really did like the taste of Harmony Liquor.” 

In reality, it had been a potential business partner, not a client, but she didn’t feel the need to explain further. 

Lu Nan’s response gave nothing away. Given the car, the house, and everything else going on, Chen Xiao had probably formed his own conclusions—perhaps imagining that this “client” was actually her father or mother, or that she had some funds of her own. 

He shook his head slightly, disapproving. “This isn’t something minor. You should think it through carefully.” 

“Mm.” 

The topic couldn’t continue. Chen Xiao changed the subject. “If there’s an opening at the provincial office—I mean, if—what are your thoughts on your career plans?” 

Lu Nan caught his meaning and looked up. “Is Manager Zhou leaving?” 

Back when Chen Xiao persuaded Zhou Tian to testify against Xiang Yunfeng, they had agreed she could resign at the end of the year, with no penalties to her performance bonuses and a well-understood “bonus” on top. Even though it wasn’t official until late December, he wasn’t surprised that Lu Nan had figured it out. 

“Yes,” Chen Xiao nodded. “After Zhou Tian leaves, the position of provincial group purchasing manager will be vacant. I really appreciate your capabilities.” 

Lu Nan considered this and said, “So that means Manager Wang might favor Sister Lu more.” 

So sharp. Chen Xiao glanced back at her, then looked ahead again. “He’s only the acting general director of the provincial office—for now, he has the right to recommend, not decide. As for Director Tong and Liu Tao, don’t worry. Between you and Chen Lu, regardless of their reasoning, they’ll lean toward choosing you.” 

See, everything follows its own pattern. From what Chen Xiao just said, it’s clear that Wang Xinglong has little chance of shedding the “acting” title—and that’s indeed the case. 

Lu Nan believed what Chen Xiao said. 

So, if I say yes, this promotion is basically guaranteed. 

If Lu Nan accepted, her career progression would be smooth sailing—rising from entry-level to permanent staff and then skipping two levels in just six months.