Love in the Fast Lane - Chapter 33 - Thoughts Over a Meal Ticket

The elderly always say, “It’s not the snow but the thaw that chills,” and they’re not wrong.

Having slept well, Mo Zihan woke up on time. She pulled back the curtain to a world blanketed in white, shimmering with a rainbow-like brilliance, while the eastern sky was touched by light clouds, now dyed with the vibrant colors of the sunrise. Between this pristine rainbow and the colorful sky stood the vertical architecture, with trees below draped in icicles yet bursting with vibrant life.

Yawning, Mo Zihan felt in a splendid mood. She quickly washed her face and expertly tied her hair up without needing a mirror. After applying some hand cream, she grabbed her bag, which she had carried for many days, and stepped out the door.

A cold blast hit her face as she walked outside. Mo Zihan, who preferred comfort over style and was dressed warmly, couldn’t help but shiver.

“It’s so cold!” she exclaimed with interest as she studied the white breath coming from her mouth. She chuckled to herself and added, “But this feeling, it’s exhilarating!”

Unconcerned with others possibly mocking her and forgetting her age, she bounced out of the residential complex. Just in time, the bus heading to her office arrived. Seeing it wasn’t too crowded, Mo Zihan protected her bag with one hand and grabbed the railing with the other to jump aboard.

Tang Ning had mentioned the night before that he wouldn’t be going to the office until the afternoon. Mo Zihan didn’t have much planned for the morning at work, the weather was pleasant, and it wasn’t going to be a particularly busy day, which made her mood even better.

Mo Zihan thought Tang Ning’s analysis made a lot of sense. First, Tang Ning needed a job to support himself, and this job didn’t necessarily have to be at the office, but the office-or rather, Murong Feng-needed him at this stage. Secondly, the drastically different attitudes Murong Feng displayed before and after their conversation last night, and the speed at which he switched between these attitudes, made them both suspect his magnanimity and courage were just a facade, not entirely trustworthy. Dealing with such a boss required doing both the work and the politics. Thus, rushing to the office was out of the question.

So, when Tang Ning said he would go to the office only in the afternoon, Mo Zihan deeply agreed.

On the bus, it didn’t seem overly crowded from the outside, but once inside, you’d realize there are plenty of others just as cramped as you, barely finding a foothold.

In such a situation, Mo Zihan was not about to lose her small bag. Eyeing the crowd, she squeezed into a circle of women. Standing tall, she held onto the handrail with one hand and covered her small bag with the other, ensuring neither she nor her bag fell prey to any bus perverts-a technique born of experience.

For the grassroots, perhaps, squeezing onto buses also squeezes out experience.

People often say that one should look forward, focusing on those who live better lives, rather than looking back. Looking back might only drag you down with those behind.

Yet, Mo Zihan always believed in occasionally looking back, to regard those who live even less fortunate lives than hers. As a grassroots individual, she preferred not to highlight others, nor contrast herself against them.

Of course, this was just her personal life philosophy and approach, irrelevant to others. Looking back from time to time not only felt refreshing but also happier, and it allowed one to appreciate that many others were also struggling with their lives-a bittersweet kind of happiness.

On the bus, people kept getting on and off, and just when a seat finally became available, Mo Zihan couldn’t sit down. Not because there was a pregnant woman or an elderly person, but because it was her stop.

“It’s always like this, always the same,” she sighed, resigned to her fate, “When will I be able to afford an electric scooter?” Scratching her cheek, the fluffy gloves reminded her that she had playfully left them behind last night.

Heh, she wondered if that stingy guy would endure the pain and buy another pair if he needed to go out today.

Just thinking about him spending money, even for a small pair of gloves, would make that miser squirm for minutes, and Mo Zihan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Chuckling to herself, Mo Zihan raced to the elevator, only to find that the eight-person lift was already crammed with eighteen people waiting. “No way,” she thought, “I’d be squashed into a mummy if I dared to squeeze in there. And if the elevator had any issues… right?”

With a smirk, she pinched her chin, pondered for a few seconds, and then turned to take the stairs.

“Ha, just as I thought-no one in the stairwell. The air’s better here. I’ve still got over ten minutes; I can take my time. As long as I don’t have to rush in at the bell, right?”

However, climbing stairs did require a bit of stamina. After ascending more than ten floors, Mo Zihan started to feel out of breath. “This won’t do,” she thought, “I’m already not in the best of health. Looks like I need to step up my exercise routine.”

Speaking of exercise, that reminded her of Tang Ning. That guy seemed to have endless energy. Despite his sallow complexion that resembled tofu skin, his physical condition was certainly commendable in the city.

Rain or shine, he was committed to his daily afternoon runs. That was his routine-just running.

“Maybe I should start running with him this afternoon?” Mo Zihan thought for a few seconds, clapped her hands, and decided, “That’s settled then. I’ll coax him into it this evening, and he’ll be buying dinner too, plus the workout. Well, tough luck for him, hehe.”

With another mischievous giggle, Mo Zihan caught her breath, then dashed off again, buoyed perhaps by her good mood, or maybe just feeling physically fit. She burst into the office without pausing.

Her appearance left several subordinates in the office agape. Everyone in the company knew that the head of the Market Research Department was notoriously unkempt and lazy. What was going on today? It looked like she had actually run up the stairs!

Mo Zihan shot her subordinates a stern look. Over the past six months, her performance had been outstanding. Neither Murong Feng nor Jin Chan had any complaints about her, and within the office, Mo Zihan didn’t oppress or marginalize anyone. She made sure to share any benefits fairly, thus winning everyone’s favor.

Thanks to some back-end tips from the enigmatic Tang Ning, Mo Zihan had never lost her temper, but her subtle authority always lingered in her subordinates’ minds.

At her glance, no one dared to meet her eye openly.

To look openly… well, that was still looking, wasn’t it?

Mo Zihan twitched her nose, glared again, and with a huff, turned and entered her private office.

The subordinates whispered among themselves, “The boss seems off today, doesn’t she? She’s clearly in a good mood, so what gives?”

“Shh, keep it down. I think we might have dampened her spirits. Let’s be extra careful today!”

This morning, there were no issues at the Market Research Department, as the company is wrapping up for the year, summarizing the past six months of research into reports. Now that Mo Zihan has become a leader, surely she isn’t expected to handle everything personally?

After solving some issues at the company cafeteria during lunch, Mo Zihan spent a cozy afternoon napping in her warm office. When she got up in the afternoon and looked outside, her subordinates were all busy, which brightened her mood.

Just after four o’clock, Tang Ning arrived at the company. Mo Zihan took him to meet Murong Feng, who called in the Human Resources Department manager and the Finance Department manager. They promptly addressed Tang Ning’s situation, and within half an hour, all the paperwork was settled. Tang Ning visited several departments, and when Mo Zihan finished work, the two left the company together.

Tang Ning had come into a small amount of money, which was like a little windfall. Mo Zihan felt she had run around so much in handling the whole affair that she had lost a couple of jin¹, and thus, she insisted that Tang Ning treat her.

Tang Ning laughed and said, “Alright, it looks like I’ve become your meal ticket, okay, where shall we eat?”

Huh? Meal ticket? Well, that’s something…

Footnote:

Jin(斤): “Jin” is a traditional Chinese unit of weight, 1 jin ≈ 500g.