Chapter 2: Encountering a Drunk Cat at Night Late into the night, Lu Liang was getting ready for bed. Suddenly, he heard a faint metallic clicking sound. It was quiet but erratic and grating. His single apartment was convenient and simple—furnished and ready to move in—but it was on a low floor with thin walls, offering poor sound insulation, nothing like a proper complex. Most of the residents were young people, partying until two or three in the morning, which was practically routine. At first, Lu Liang ignored it, even trying to bury his head under his pillow, but the noise just wouldn’t stop. “Who the h*ll is making that noise?” He got up, visibly annoyed, and opened the door, where he saw a girl with long hair standing with her back to him. It was late March, and Shanghai’s temperatures were still in the single digits, but she wore a short skirt, a wool coat, and thigh-high white socks over a pair of Lolita platform shoes. From her knees up to her thighs, there was nothing to ward off the early spring chill, suggesting she couldn’t be very old. “Li Manli, do you have any questions?” After repeatedly reviewing the footage, Li Manli had seen herself clinging to Lu Liang and throwing up all over him. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment, unable to think of anything to say. “Give him a proper apology. He helped you and ended up spending the whole night here because of it,” an officer advised her. “I’m really sorry, sir.” Li Manli quickly stood up and bowed in apology. “Alright then, I’ll be going now.” Lu Liang’s expression remained cold. Did she just call him “sir”? Did he really look that old? The officer gave a small smile and sighed, “Thanks for your cooperation, Lu Liang.” “Cooperating with law enforcement is every citizen’s duty,” Lu Liang replied with a polite smile as he left the station. Li Manli, still uneasy, asked, “Officer, he lives right across from me. He won’t cause trouble for me, will he?” “Just buy some fruit and apologize properly. He doesn’t seem petty.” The older officer gave her some advice. The younger officer also reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry. If there’s ever an issue, you can always reach out to us.” “Thank you.” Li Manli hesitated for a while, then decided to follow their advice. She’d just moved in and didn’t want to have to find a new place again, so she bought a bag of fruit to offer as an apology to Lu Liang. But after pacing around for a long time, she couldn’t bring herself to knock on his door. Her mind raced with thoughts—what if he was a bad person? What if he wouldn’t leave her alone? Then, hearing faint sounds from inside, she panicked and was ready to retreat to her room. Her plan to apologize flew right out the window. Only then did she realize that her keyhole was jammed. On the verge of tears, she felt a surge of despair. Suddenly, the door behind her opened. She saw Lu Liang stepping out. Li Manli forced a nervous smile and waved. “Hello.” Lu Liang didn’t respond. He simply looked at her with an impassive face, got into the elevator, and left. Relieved, Li Manli frowned, muttering with a huff as she glared at his retreating figure. “Petty jerk.” Meanwhile, Lu Liang strolled leisurely into the office. “Brother Lu, you’re finally here. Manager Liu was fuming!” A young girl, barely out of her teens, greeted him, looking worried. She had joined near the end of last year, struggling to meet her sales quota, and Lu Liang had introduced her to a few clients, helping her close her first deal. She had been grateful ever since. ꞦÂŊȫ𐌱ĚȘ “It’s no big deal.” Lu Liang shrugged, heading to his workstation, where he was surprised to find his computer locked. In a hushed voice, Xiao Wen explained, “Manager Liu just came in this morning and had Manager Wu lock your computer.” A voice echoed from the office, “Xiao Wen, you haven’t closed a deal this month. Aren’t you supposed to be out scouting?” Lu Liang glanced over. “Manager Liu, a few days without seeing you, and you’re finally looking a bit more like a person.” At that, muffled laughter filled the room. “Looking like a person” implied that before, he was anything but. Liu Jianchun’s face twisted in anger. “Lu Liang, it’s work hours. You’re not part of this company anymore, so leave.”