After the morning meeting ended, the senior colleagues in the channel team quickly dashed off. Yan Kai slowed down to pack his notebook, and when Lu Nan was about to head out, he hurried to catch up with her. “What were you thinking about during the meeting just now?” 

Lu Nan didn’t expect the senior to suddenly ask her this, and his question was somewhat blunt. 

She smiled without answering directly, just gave an embarrassed laugh. “I zoned out.” 

“Did you, by any chance, hear the rumor?” Yan Kai glanced around, then stopped himself. After pressing the down button for the elevator and once it arrived, and they were alone inside, he continued, “You know about Zhou Tian resigning, right?” 

Lu Nan was surprised and looked up. 

She knew that the office had no secrets, but… this? 

“Zhou Tian is dating Sun Bo,” Yan Kai said. “Sun Bo and I get along well. He told me he plans to resign at the end of the year.” 

Lu Nan understood and then said, “Yes, I just found out about Zhou Tian leaving. But for now, this still needs to be kept confidential.” 

“Brother Xiao told you, right?” Yan Kai didn’t wait for Lu Nan to respond and continued, “I know. I’m not the kind of person who talks a lot, but I hang out more with Sun Bo in the dorm. He said his family found him a job, and he plans to go back home to develop, with Zhou Tian going with him.” 

Things are moving fast. 

Lu Nan nodded, “That’s good. The jobs found by their families should be pretty decent.” That was her honest thought. 

Yan Kai glanced at Lu Nan. 

When the elevator reached the ground floor and they stepped out, Yan Kai asked, “What about you?” 

“Me?” 

“Do you still plan to continue working at Yuan Chuan?” Yan Kai pressed, “If Zhou Tian resigns, one of you, you or Chen Lu, will likely be promoted. But you know, this job isn’t always friendly to women, so…” he trailed off, leaving the implication that she might consider resigning. 

Of course, Yan Kai had doubts. After all, he had only known that Lu Nan’s family seemed well-off, but he hadn’t known she could buy a car worth over four hundred thousand right after graduating. It seemed that her family’s condition was not just decent, but very good. 

Lu Nan answered seriously, “Senior, I don’t have any plans to leave Yuan Chuan for now.” That was the truth. 

Yan Kai nodded in understanding, “Then you should be extra careful. Besides Brother Xiao, Manager Wang also has a say in choosing candidates for provincial-level group purchasing managers. The situation this morning shouldn’t happen again.” The last sentence was said with some seriousness. 

“Thanks for the reminder, Senior.” As they reached the car, Lu Nan apologized slightly, “I have a few things to take care of. I’ll head off now?” 

“Go ahead.” Yan Kai immediately changed his tone, nodding politely. 

Lu Nan felt a bit of regret, but in life’s journey, not all friends are meant to stay for a lifetime. 

She saw her senior as a good friend, but he wanted something more. 

Lu Nan couldn’t give him what he wanted, and it was inevitable that they would drift apart. 

… 

Ms. Huang politely declined Manager Ni’s lunch invitation from Green Trading, saying that her company still needed to go through some procedures and would reply soon to finalize the contract and payment. Of course, she mentioned she didn’t have a business card but could exchange phone numbers instead. 

Manager Ni wasn’t concerned; he didn’t care whether the other party was a company, an individual, a speculator, or a counterfeit merchant… as long as they could clear out stock and recover some payment, it was fine. 

At the elevator, Ms. Huang asked him to wait, and after she entered the elevator alone, she sighed and slightly slouched her shoulders. 

She thought, I hope I didn’t do too badly just now. 

Then, she thought, As expected, my daughter was right. Green Trading heard about my wine purchase being around two hundred thousand and casually mentioned that they could give a ten percent discount if I paid the full amount upfront. 

Then, she thought, This troublesome child, pushing me into this situation. The company isn’t even registered yet, and she’s already rushing to make deals!!! 

She took out her phone, intending to call her daughter, but worried she might disturb her at work, so she opened WeChat and typed as she walked. 

Just as she exited the office building, she saw her daughter sitting in the car, with the window fully rolled down, waving at her. 

Ms. Huang, with a smile she didn’t even notice herself, put her phone back in her coat pocket and opened the passenger side door. “What are you doing here? Isn’t it busy this morning?” 

Of course not—what’s there to be busy with? But she couldn’t say that to Ms. Huang. Lu Nan smiled. “Sales jobs come with flexible hours. And besides, I need to take you to handle some official business.” 

“Huh?” 

“Since we’re taking Brother Xu’s order and buying Green Trading’s wine, we need to get the company registered and handle the necessary stuff.” Lu Nan started the car. “Time is money, let’s go, Ms. Huang.” 

Ms. Huang was about to remind her daughter to save time by going to a registration agency but realized Lu Nan already knew the ropes. She drove around the CIMC, parked the car, and said, “Let’s go. This agency is legitimate and efficient. I’ve been here before and already prepared the documents. We just need you as the legal representative.” 

Once again, acting without prior notice! 

But this time, Ms. Huang wasn’t upset. 

Since they’d already decided to move forward, she wouldn’t hesitate now. 

When the agent asked whether she wanted to apply as a small-scale taxpayer or a general taxpayer, Ms. Huang decisively said, “A general taxpayer.” That way, she could claim back taxes instead of letting the agency earn extra from the deal. 

Lu Nan sat beside her, not saying much because she trusted that since her mother had walked into and out of Green Trading with confidence, the next steps wouldn’t be difficult for her. 

Ms. Huang chose a standard name from the agency’s list of unregistered company names: Weigou. 

Weigou Import and Export Trading Co., Ltd. 

Registered capital: One million yuan. 

When it came to drafting the company’s articles and share distribution, Ms. Huang insisted on giving half of it to Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan thought for a moment, then shook her head, “I already hold shares in Dad’s company. Signing loan documents every year is such a hassle. I’ll stay out of this one.” 

Considering the complexity, Ms. Huang finally said that since the business hadn’t started yet and she did need cash, she would consider that one million as a loan from her daughter, paying a 1% interest rate. 

1% interest per month is a relatively reasonable rate for private loans, but still much higher than bank rates. 

Some small details weren’t worth fussing over, nor was it worth arguing with her mother — whose words were harder than diamonds. This was the insight Lu Nan gained later in life. 

So, she said very casually, “Do as you like, it’s up to you.” 

Ms. Huang felt that her daughter had grown up quickly after graduating from college, both in courage and ability. 

“I’m going to look for office space in the afternoon.” For some reason, Mother Lu took the initiative to share her plans with her daughter. 

“Oh, you could consider office buildings in this area, the location here is quite remote, and there are discounts on rent,” Lu Nan said indifferently. “But you’re the boss, the choice of location is up to you. After our company’s main account is set up, I’ll transfer the money to you.” 

Ms. Huang replied irritably, “No need to transfer it all, don’t you have interest and car loan payments to deduct from your card every month? Keep a little bit for yourself.” 

Ah, now the question was whether to mention her manuscript fee. 

Lu Nan thought for a moment: Compared to the millions, the manuscript fee was so small, not mentioning it was fine. Well, it’s okay to have a little secret stash of money. 

So, Lu Nan said, “Then I’ll extend the hotel room for a few more days for you.” 

At that, Ms. Huang got a headache again. “Staying at a hotel isn’t a long-term solution either. What, do we have money to burn? I think I’ll need to look for a place to stay as well as an office… Look at you, rushing me like that—I didn’t even bring a change of clothes.” 

“I’m familiar with the rental scene around this area. I lived around here during my internship. I’ll ask my old landlord if there’s still a unit available,” Lu Nan said as she parked the car. “Come on, let’s eat lunch first.” 

After lunch, Lu Nan drove her mother back to the CIMC and handed her the ‘landlord’s’ phone number. Under her mother’s urging look, she ‘returned to work’ — though ‘work’ was a stretch, as things at Feixiang were going smoothly and she had little to do. But she didn’t dare say it, as her mother might remember and ask her to quit. 

… 

Ms. Huang became as busy as a spinning top. 

By that afternoon, she had secured both office space and housing. 

At dinner in a fast food restaurant, she quickly began eating. Lu Nan frowned, “Mom, eat slowly, it’s bad for your stomach to eat this fast.” She pushed over a small steel bowl with steamed egg in it. 

Ms. Huang paused, then took the egg and ate it first. “I rented an office on the 18th floor of CIMC Building. It’s about 40 square meters, with an annual rent of 100,000 yuan. Since I’m from out of town, I qualify for the investment attraction policy, and the rent is 20% off for the first year.” 

Lu Nan knew that business people often cared about feng shui, which was why the 18th floor was not very popular. There were also concerns about floors with the number four, but clearly, Ms. Huang didn’t care about that now. After all, such a good office environment at this price was very affordable, and the discount would cover the property and air conditioning fees. 

“I found a two-bedroom apartment recommended by your landlord. It’s 2,000 yuan a month. It seems pretty good. Do you want to go see it?” Ms. Huang continued. 

The price was reasonable, but… “Mom, if you think it’s fine, there’s no need for me to see it, right?” 

“You’ll be living here next year. What if you don’t like it after I rent it? Your standards for living conditions aren’t low!” Ms. Huang said with a hum. 

Lu Nan was shocked, “Huh, I’m supposed to live there too?” 

“Yes, no matter whether you quit your job next year, I’ll be living here. Why stay in a dorm?” Ms. Huang said confidently. 

She felt she had already made a compromise, and she also had her own little scheme. She thought that although her daughter was reluctant to quit now, if they lived together, over time, she could wear her down and get her to be more obedient. Besides, her small trading company was just a shell, and it would be good if her daughter could help. 

Help, even though I’m already able to be calm and tolerant with my mother, it doesn’t mean I’m willing to live under the same roof with her for a long time… Isn’t distance supposed to make the heart grow fonder? 

Lu Nan blinked her big eyes. Meanwhile, Ms. Huang had already calmly finished the steamed egg and was picking up a stir-fried shrimp. “Hey, you know what? Being by the sea here in Hailin, the seafood is really cheaper and fresher than back home, huh?” 

Lu Nan could tell her mother was in a good mood. 

Lu Nan thought to herself: About this, I really have to give myself some credit for planning ahead… Live together? That’s definitely not happening. Luckily, I made plans early. Hmph.