Love in the Fast Lane - Novelbike

Over the past year, since coming back home, Mo Zihan has been mostly busy with work and hasn’t met up with old friends much. Aside from Qi Xiaomeng, who’s constantly chased by her family to go on arranged dates, even Li Ke hasn’t seen Mo Zihan for several months.

On the second day of snowfall, the skies cleared up, but the streets remained windy and cold, with gusts of wind carrying snowflakes right into people’s collars. Tang Ning had some matters to attend to in the suburbs, so Mo Zihan went to their small company alone-a modest office located on the middle floor of a commercial building. Below were internet cafes and restaurants, while the floors above housed a few tiny offices and studios with various signboards. Among them, theirs was the smallest.

Upon pushing open the glass door, Mo Zihan stepped into their small office. The space, less than 150 square meters, was now divided into small cubicles, a total of ten, with no separate private offices. This meant that when the company officially launched next year, both would have to act like junior clerks, considering the little money they had, combined with their loans, had barely been enough to set up the company. Hiring more staff was simply out of the question.

Even so, both of them still had their jobs at their previous company. Mo Zihan had just resigned after receiving her monthly salary and year-end bonus. Tang Ning, on the other hand, couldn’t give up his job that easily because it ensured their livelihood. Moreover, Murong Feng seemed unwilling to let him go until he was completely used up.

Since their new venture was also a design company, Murong Feng held this against them. Given their limited social connections, Murong Feng proposed to buy all their excellent design drawings for his own company, and Tang Ning had no choice but to agree.

Although Murong Feng’s offer seemed generous, it posed a significant risk-it could hinder the growth of their small company, making them overly dependent on Murong Feng.

But what other option did they have? To be honest, Tang Ning’s vision for the small company was not very clear-it spanned interior design to furniture and fashion design. In interior design, apart from tiny studios, big companies were not interested in sharing the pie. However, in furniture and fashion design, Murong Feng’s company was a dominant force. To ensure their new company could operate smoothly from its inception, maintaining a good relationship with Murong Feng’s company was essential.

Of course, Murong Feng disdained playing any underhanded games with a small company that had just over ten thousand in registered capital, not much larger than a studio. In fact, he hoped Tang Ning’s small company would thrive. If that happened, the design department within Murong Group, coupled with Tang Ning’s company, could significantly boost the company’s development in the coming year.

As for competitors, both Murong Feng and Tang Ning knew well that no small company could become a threat to Murong Group within a decade. Before they even reached that point, their companies were likely to maintain a good relationship. Murong Feng needed design drawings, but many designers were reluctant to get involved in the internal conflicts of a large company. Additionally, many talented designers disliked the rigid rules of big corporations. Finding a talent like Tang Ning was already seen as tremendous luck. On the other hand, Tang Ning’s small company needed the protection and support of Murong Group.

Their savings from the past year and a half were barely enough to register the company and rent this office space, a favor extended by Murong Feng. Although Mo Zihan’s mother had offered to help the two financially, Tang Ning was unwilling to accept, and Mo Zihan wasn’t keen on it either, as it would involve too many complications-best to avoid them. Furthermore, this office space represented Murong Feng’s goodwill and the foundation of their small company’s cooperation with Murong Group for the next six months. For a gigantic entity like Murong Group, the fact that their yet-to-launch small company could connect with them was considered incredibly fortunate by many. Some things are simply impossible to decline, nor should they be.

Yesterday, Mo Zihan asked Qi Xiaomeng, who had been free lately, to come and help. Tang Ning had brought up lighter essential items for the office, like wooden boards, by himself. Today, he needed to go to the suburbs to find cheaper necessities, so Mo Zihan was in charge of cleaning.

The small company, named “Starfire,” was registered under both Tang Ning and Mo Zihan. When it came to asset allocation, the two had never delved deeply into the details; it was just that Tang Ning’s name appeared first on the registration. In other words, if this small company ever grew significantly and if Tang Ning and Mo Zihan had a falling out and needed to divide the company, Mo Zihan would own at least thirty percent of the company’s assets.

However, Mo Zihan didn’t see this as something worth worrying about.

Besides, whether the company could really grow into something big was still an open question. It might just remain a slightly larger studio. So why worry too much about the future now?

The upstairs provided heating, and Mo Zihan sat on a chair for a while, feeling warm all over. She picked up a broom and mop and started cleaning. By a bit past ten, the studio was spotless. Mo Zihan straightened up, feeling both tired and satisfied, sighing with contentment. Regardless of how small it was, this was their own company. An unprecedented feeling made Mo Zihan believe that all the effort seemed worthwhile.

Some say, enjoying going back to work the next day means a career, while having to go back the next day means a job. Now, with an eagerness to launch the company quickly and to come in every day to work tirelessly, did this mean she had found a career to pursue?

After resting for a bit, Mo Zihan, feeling excited, wandered around looking for something else to do. Unfortunately, the studio was so clean that there wasn’t much left to tackle other than having people around.

So she decided to head home. That little nest, just like the studio, always felt like a warm place to her.

Murong Group.

In the past year, Mo Zihan would go straight home after work and head directly to work when she went out, except for the occasional shopping trip with Qi Xiaomeng. She rarely went out alone, but she never felt bored. Even if she couldn’t do anything at home, just lying on the bed watching TV with Tang Ning was a pleasure for her.

Tang Ning was even more dedicated. After returning home from visiting his family during the New Year last year, he focused on building a happy future for them. At the same time, he enrolled in a training program to systematically learn design. He would go to class whenever he went out and return home immediately after class. Although he met many potentially useful contacts, he never even thought about wasting time on frivolous activities.

At the company, with Tang Ning producing increasingly high-quality design drawings almost monthly, more and more mid-to-upper-level managers and even lower-level staff were aware of him and his interactions with others. Despite other companies attempting to poach him, Tang Ning remained steadfast. After they decided one night to start their own small company, he stopped entertaining any other notions. His simple dedication often moved Mo Zihan deeply.

Sometimes, small moments of happiness are more heartwarming than grand, dramatic gestures. Especially when starting a venture together, even just sitting together felt like an immense joy.

After circling the studio, Mo Zihan clapped her hands contentedly, ready to head home. Just then, Qi Xiaomeng called.

Mo Zihan had not forgotten that Tang Ning’s biggest dream was to write something meaningful. This was his aspiration. Even though the past year had been exhausting, especially after setting the goal of starting their own company, Tang Ning got busier by the day. He had to attend classes, produce design drawings for the company, and yet he persisted in writing daily. Despite the meager rewards and sparse readership, Tang Ning remained committed, a devotion that sometimes made Mo Zihan feel both tired and heartbroken for him.

According to Tang Ning, the world was too restless, but this restlessness would eventually fade. As civilization progressed, people would inevitably seek more inner peace and spiritual tranquility. He believed that his perseverance would eventually be rewarded. Mo Zihan always supported this belief, but seeing Tang Ning become increasingly worn out sometimes led her to complain. Tang Ning would always respond with a kind smile and reassure her instead.

As for Qi Xiaomeng, perhaps she treated writing as mere work. Seeing the two of them starting a small company, she shamelessly invested tens of thousands of yuan, claiming it was an advance investment. She also introduced a few decent friends, most of whom had inevitable connections with the future small company. Therefore, this small company fundamentally belonged to the three of them, with Qi Xiaomeng holding a less than twenty percent stake.

However, could Qi Xiaomeng be considered diligent? Watching Tang Ning work himself to the bone and Mo Zihan, typically lazy, becoming increasingly industrious, she was not keen on getting involved in the setup. She even suggested reducing her stake in the company just to avoid any physical labor.

Why was she calling today out of the blue? Had she finally felt ashamed and decided to come out and help with something?

“We’re almost done here. What can you do at this point?” Mo Zihan pouted. She actually found Qi Xiaomeng’s laziness quite convenient. Given Qi Xiaomeng’s scatterbrained nature, it would be better for her not to help, as it might lead to more trouble than assistance.

“Where are you?” Qi Xiaomeng asked groggily.

Mo Zihan, exasperated, replied, “I’m busy at the studio. How can my miserable self compare to someone with your natural air of wealth? Why, having a pang of conscience and planning to treat us to a meal?”

Qi Xiaomeng, showing no shame, chuckled and said, “I’ll treat everyone when the company officially opens. But for now, you busy bees, I wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

Mo Zihan scoffed, “You’re just full of excuses. So, what’s the matter?”

Qi Xiaomeng said, “Li Ke just called me asking about you. You recently quit that job and changed your number. He tried reaching you but couldn’t get through, then went to your old company, found out you quit, and reached out to me.”

Mo Zihan wondered to herself why Li Ke was looking for her.

Qi Xiaomeng continued, “Who knows why he’s looking for you? Probably just bored and wanting to chat. Anyway, I’ve done my part by notifying you. He was driving me nuts. Since you’re a decisive person, I gave him your new number. He should be calling you soon. I’ll leave it to you to handle. I’m going back to sleep.”

The fact that Li Ke was looking for her didn’t stir much emotion in Mo Zihan. Hitting back at the lazy Qi Xiaomeng was more pressing. She retorted with a cold laugh, “You still have the nerve to sleep in? Haven’t you noticed it’s almost year-end? Are you going home for the New Year? Got any excuses or a man ready?”

Talking about this, Qi Xiaomeng was at a loss. She could only respond lazily, “I’ve come to realize that unless you land someone like you two did, it’s no use. I’ve come to terms with it. They can say what they want; it’s not like they can force a man on me, right? I’m not going home this year. I’ll just stay here. If they want to come, they can. Otherwise, I’ll just go silent whenever this topic comes up. It doesn’t matter.”