Chapter 3

Shang Zhitao sat with over twenty other campus recruits, a thick stack of contracts laid out before them. While everyone else was carefully reading through the documents, she flipped directly to the last page and signed. Her movements were so quick that they almost seemed thoughtless.

What was there to read anyway? Just being here was already a stroke of luck. Shang Zhitao felt nothing but gratitude toward Lingmei—the fact that a world-class advertising agency was willing to give her this opportunity was simply amazing!

Liang Xin watched her sign, put down the pen, and sit there, thinking to herself that this girl’s loyalty to the company was truly high. But she remained expressionless, tapping away on her laptop while her assistant patiently answered various contract-related questions from the others. After an hour, everything was finally settled.

Lingmei had a rotation system for campus recruits, with each position lasting three months. If a recruit was confirmed to stay in a particular department during their rotation, the rotation would end early. Shang Zhitao’s first stop was the marketing department.

The woman from the marketing department who came to pick her up was named Lu Mi—long legs, a slender waist, and an alluring presence. Shang Zhitao followed behind her, catching the faint scent of perfume wafting from her.

“Where do you live?” Lu Mi asked casually, her eyes sweeping over Shang Zhitao’s legs, which were so fair they seemed to glow. How could someone be this pale?

“North Fifth Ring.”

“Wow, that’s really far.”

The marketing department was located on the fifteenth floor, near the edge, right next to the planning department. Lu Mi brought Shang Zhitao to report to Alex. When the door opened, Shang Zhitao immediately spotted the stylish man she had seen early that morning sitting on the sofa. The man glanced up at her briefly, then looked back down.

“Alex, Shang Zhitao is here.”

Alex stood up from his desk to greet her, extending his hand. “Welcome, Shang Zhitao.” His enthusiasm caught her off guard, and Lu Mi chuckled beside her. “First day jitters, huh? Our boss Alex is just that warm.”

“Hello.”

“No need for formalities—our company culture is to use English names.” Alex pointed to Luan Nian. “This is Luke, head of the planning department.”

“Hello, Luke.” Shang Zhitao turned to Luan Nian and smiled.

Luan Nian looked up at Shang Zhitao again and asked Alex casually, “The one Tracy fast-tracked?”

Alex nodded without explaining to Shang Zhitao, then pointed to Lu Mi. “This is your mentor. She’ll assign your tasks. If you have any questions at work, feel free to ask her or me. There’s a department welcome lunch today—we’ll introduce you to the team.”

“Thank you, Alex.”

Luan Nian closed his laptop and stood up from the sofa, saying to Alex, “Alright, let’s proceed. Let me know when you’re checking the venue.”

He walked around the sofa, and Shang Zhitao quickly stepped back to make way. She couldn’t quite explain why, but she felt a little afraid of him. As Luan Nian passed by, his shadow briefly fell over her before he disappeared.

Lu Mi noticed Shang Zhitao’s nervousness and whispered to her, “Don’t worry, even after two years here, I’m still scared of him too. Come on, let’s start your first day at work!”

Shang Zhitao followed Lu Mi on a tour of the company, which was nothing like she had imagined. Lingmei’s office environment was filled with artistic flair—there were reading rooms, capsule rest areas, a gym, freshly ground coffee in the pantry, and even an employee cafeteria.

"Lingmei's corporate culture is very open, with flexible working hours. As long as you complete your work, no one cares if you lie at home all day." Lu Mi paused, cleared her throat lightly, and added, "That's the mentor's spiel. In reality, we're fucking working overtime every day. Leaving at seven or eight in the evening is considered early."

Shang Zhitao couldn't help but laugh at this. Her laughter was like that of a kitten, especially adorable. Lu Mi clicked her tongue, "I hope you can still laugh like this in a couple of days."

After the two finished touring the company, they headed toward the office area. Lu Mi pointed to a row of transparent offices: "Those are all the big shots' offices. You'd better steer clear of the one at the far end—that's Luke's office. Creative folks tend to have pretty weird tempers."

"Creative?" Shang Zhitao finally managed to interject.

"Come on, we're a world-class advertising agency. Of course, we need creative people. All the hit campaigns you've seen from our company in China over the past few years were done by his team."

"Oh."

Shang Zhitao followed Lu Mi to her workstation. Her desk was spacious, and the colleagues nearby were all absent. Lu Mi explained that they had a launch event in a few days, so everyone had gone to the site. Her office computer had already been delivered—a desktop and a laptop for mobile work. She stood up to make room for the IT staff to set up the computer and took the opportunity to glance around the office area. Her eyes swept past Luan Nian's office, where she saw him standing by the window on a phone call. His posture was upright, his polo shirt neatly pressed against his frame. Even from the back, he exuded a distinct air of style.

His back view was far more amiable than his front.

Luan Nian seemed to sense someone watching him and suddenly turned around. Through the transparent glass of his office, he caught Shang Zhitao before she could look away.

Shang Zhitao's face flushed red instantly, though she couldn't quite explain why.

She quickly lowered her head, pretending she hadn't been peeking at him, and softly asked the IT staff, "Is my computer set up yet?"

"It's ready. Give it a try."

Shang Zhitao hurriedly sat down in her chair, sinking into her workstation. She hadn't meant to spy on him—it was her first day, and she was curious about everything. She had only lingered on his back for a few seconds. Unsure if her behavior was considered impolite, she sat a little lower, turned on the computer, and began registering her onboarding information, reviewing the company's cybersecurity guidelines, and planning to finish two mandatory online courses that day.

Luan Nian was used to being looked at by women and didn't find Shang Zhitao's glance particularly strange. However, her subsequent guilty demeanor made him feel as though she had been ogling him.

"What's up?" the person on the other end of the phone asked.

"Nothing," Luan Nian replied before asking, "Where's the department's welcome party booked? Send me the address."

"Sure."

Luan Nian usually didn't attend department gatherings, except for welcome parties—not by choice, but because it was a company requirement. Tracy said it was part of the corporate culture, and managers had to respect it.

After finishing his work, Luan Nian grabbed his car keys and left his office, only to run into the new graduate following Lu Mi.

"Hello, Luke."

"Hello." Luan Nian nodded, glancing briefly at Shang Zhitao trailing behind Lu Mi.

Remembering the earlier awkwardness, Shang Zhitao blushed again.

The young campus recruit, the one who blushes easily. Luan Nian suddenly felt a bit disappointed with the company. If things continued like this, would they have to start hiring employees wholesale from the labor market? He only thought this to himself as he walked with them to the elevator lobby and stepped inside.

In the spacious elevator, the clear transparent mirror reflected the images of three people. Lu Mi, wanting to showcase her mentor's charisma, decided to break the awkward silence: "Where are you headed?" As a Beijing girl, her accent carried the flavor of the city's alleyways, undeniably amusing. Shang Zhitao pressed her lips tightly together to keep from laughing out loud.

"Qingyan."

"What a coincidence, we're going there too." Lu Mi smiled at Luan Nian through the elevator mirror. Luan Nian disliked such pointless small talk and fell silent, refusing to engage. Lu Mi's mentor pride shattered into pieces, and she secretly glared at Luan Nian.

After leaving the elevator lobby, they each went to find their cars. Only after getting into the car did Lu Mi say to Shang Zhitao, "That's just how he is. Everyone's afraid of him."

"I could tell." Shang Zhitao spread her palms open for Lu Mi to see. "He scared me so much I broke into a cold sweat. I just remembered—I've dealt with him before. He was my third-round interviewer, but he didn't say a single word."

"Damn, what was he interviewing for then?"

Shang Zhitao shook her head. "I have no idea." As they spoke, a car sped past them, its occupant flashing by in a blur. Lu Mi shrugged. "Even though this guy acts like he's got a poker face, he's seriously impressive."

Shang Zhitao finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.