When Zhan returned to the office, he was still confused about his memories and almost frightened, at the suspicious looks of his colleagues, who asked him why he was the only one who was not at the common breakfast with their new supervisor.

"Um, sorry. I forgot all about it and I had something to do." Gave Zhan as an excuse to his colleagues' questions.

Yu Bin looked at Zhan thoughtfully and shook his head. "What was really going on?" He asked.

"Nothing, I just forgot. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, everyone was gone. I hadn't thought about breakfast at all. And I had an important phone call to make anyway." Replied Zhan.

"What was so important?"

"Oh, Lana's car is still at the garage and she needs it urgently. I called there and put pressure on them. It's been almost two weeks since the repair. And she takes my car every day, which I actually need myself."

"Ah I see. But why doesn't Lana call there herself?"

"Because she's on an important off-site appointment with her boss today. As an assistant, she has to accompany him everywhere and can't make any private calls in between."

"Mmm, that's right. I keep forgetting." Replied Yu Bin.

Zhan just nodded and then went back to his work. In two days he has two appointments with two large corporations who want to renew their insurance with him, and by then he must have included the wishes of the two corporations in the new insurance policies.

Zhan continued to work quietly until the lunch break and then went to the cafeteria for lunch with Yu Bin and Tia, a colleague. As the three of them sat there like that, Yibo approached them and looked at Zhan with a cold expression. "A reminder to you as well, starting today, I'll be holding one-on-one meetings with the staff. After lunch, come to my office, I want to talk to you about your work." He said.

Zhan nodded and quietly replied, "Okay sir." Before he choked down the piece of meat, which almost stuck in his throat when Yibo addressed him. Did Yibo really not recognize him? Or did he not want to recognize him? No matter what it was, Zhan thought, it didn't matter to him.

During lunch, Zhan couldn't get a word out and he suddenly wasn't hungry either. Instead, he sat there lost in his own thoughts, wondering how the once cheerful and warm-hearted Yibo could become such a cold-hearted asshole.

After the lunch break, Zhan went to Yibo's office, he knocked and waited for Yibo to call him in. He entered the office that still smelled of new furniture and fresh wall paint and Yibo said, "Please sit down."

Zhan sat down on the chair in front of the desk and looked everywhere except at Yibo. "So Mr. Xiao, I wanted to talk to you about your work achievements." Started Yibo formally.

"Um, okay." Replied Zhan.

"In my review of the insurance policies sold by you, I noticed that in the past 4 weeks, you sold just 4 insurance policies. And the two months before that, it was even less. How come?"

"Well, it seems that very few people can afford insurance right now."

"And that means?"

"That means I'm selling less insurance, too."

"Then shouldn't you be finding the people who can afford insurance sooner?"

"I um..."

"I think you've forgotten what our work is about. We don't wait for someone to contact us. We offer our insurance to people. Did you maybe work too long in the office and forget that?"

"What? That's bullshit."

"Is it? But then why do your colleagues sell more insurance than you do?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe because they're trying? Because they're trying to find those people who need insurance and can afford it? Because they're not resting on a few corporations?"

"I'm not resting."

"It seems that way to me, though. And from what I see here, you've been working in the office from the beginning and never in the field. I think it would be good for you to experience field work once. When you go door to door and talk to people."

"I..."

"I have decided that for the next 3 months, you will work in the field at least 3 days a week. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. As of the other days, you'll work in the office."

"Saturdays? I've never had to work on a Saturday."

"Well, if you don't like it, you can quit and get another job."

"Have I done anything to you?"

"What makes you think that? You're not the only one who will also be working in the field from now on. I'm just thinking about the business here. And our business only survives if we sell insurance. Or do you disagree?"

"No sir."

"Good, then be prepared to work in the field starting next week on Monday. That' s all. Send Yu Bin in as next."

"Yes sir." Replied Zhan. He stood up and angrily left the office.

When he returned to his desk, he told Yu Bin to go into the office. Furious, Zhan then continued to work on the insurance policies, thinking about whether maybe he really should quit. Both he and Yibo in the same workplace? That's not going to work out.

Never before had Zhan ever had any trouble with a department head or a higher boss. He had never been asked to work on Saturdays, since no one in the insurance agency works on Saturdays anyway. Except for the call center, but they are on a completely different floor and have nothing to do with his department.

When Yu Bin came out of Yibo's office after 20 minutes, he was bright red in the face and looked at least as angry as Zhan. He grumbled about the conversation and said to Zhan, "Imagine, I'm supposed to work in the field now too."

Zhan nodded and replied, "Me too. And I'm supposed to work on Saturdays, too."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"But none of us work on Saturdays."

"I know. But I'm supposed to."

"No wonder you guys don't sell insurance if you use your work time for your private conversations." Yibo yelped from the hallway. Zhan and Yu Bin flinched in shock and their colleagues looked at them reproachfully.

Fearing more trouble from the department head and more reproachful looks from their colleagues, Zhan and Yu Bin continued to work silently until closing time. Not one day in the three years he has been working here has he felt as uncomfortable in the office as he did today.

When it was finally 5 pm and the end of Zhan's work, he silently got dressed, picked up his bag and left the office. He waited for the elevator with Yu Bin and to their misfortune, Yibo joined them as well. Zhan was so angry at Yibo, that he preferred to take the stairs.

"You don't have to walk downstairs." Said Yibo as Zhan walked away from the elevator.

Zhan would have loved to show him his middle finger. But instead, he just kept walking and Yu Bin followed him. "Zhan, this behavior is childish." Yibo shouted after him.

Zhan spun around angrily and replied, "To you Mr. Wang, it's still Mr. Xiao!" Then he turned around again and walked with large steps towards the door to the staircase.

Yu Bin stopped Zhan in the stairwell and asked him, "What was that just now? Do you know each other?"

Zhan looked Yu Bin in the eyes and smiled bitterly. "I had told you about my ex once, right?"

"Yeah, that asshole who dumped you so coldly."

"Mhm exactly. And Wang Yibo is that asshole!" He almost bit his own tongue for saying it to Yu Bin, of all people, even though he didn't want to. But now that it was out, it was too late anyway and he could only hope that Yu Bin would keep this to himself.

"Fuck, for real now? No shit?"

"No, no shit. It's him. And he's even worse than he was then, and pretends he doesn't know me."

"Why? I mean, I know your history with you and him, but why has he changed so much?"

"How should I know? I asked him that back then. I messaged him again and again. But instead of replying, he just got a new cell phone number."

"Shit. And now you have to see him every day."

"No, not every day. Don't forget I'm on field work now, too."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Just don't remind me."

"Maybe I really should get a new job. Selling insurance had never been my dream anyway, and was just supposed to be a stopgap until I got a job in my career field."

"Well, are they looking for editors in publishing houses right now?"

"I don't think so. But sending out an application can't hurt, can it?"

"Mhhh, I'd better look for a new job too. Because I think Wang Yibo has his sights set on us and is going to make our jobs like hell."

"Yeah, that's how it feels to me too. And I don't even know why. I mean, I really try hard at work. I don't just sit around and play. But he acts like I'm being lazy."

"To me, he said something similar. And to two other colleagues, too."

"I'm still writing applications today. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I don't feel like being yelled at by Yibo on a regular basis, or even seeing him on a regular basis."

"I can understand. And he didn't even let on that he knew you?"

"Except just now at the elevator when he called me Zhan? No. Not at all. And he doesn't have to. Better he and I stay out of each other's way."

"But I think he should know how bad you felt back then."

"Oh, God, no. Give it a rest. You know what's really dumb?"

"What?"

"I had a job offer from a publisher. But it was in Hong Kong. And I didn't move there because of my parents. And then when I started working at the insurance agency, my parents moved to Hong Kong. That's really ridiculous."

"Well, they didn't move there until you married Lana, though."

"I know. But still. I could have moved there and worked there. But stayed here instead and ended up at this insurance agency where I now have Yibo as my direct supervisor after he broke my heart back then. Wow, really."

"Well, you can't change it now, though. Until you get a new job, you're going to have to try to get along with him."

"Yeah I know. Come on, we better hurry before the bus is gone." Replied Zhan.

The two ran down the stairs and exited the building. It had started raining again and so the two of them, in the pouring rain had to run 500 meters to the bus stop only to find out that the bus had already left.

Freezing and wet, the two sat in the bus stop, where they had to wait another 30 minutes for the next bus, when a car stopped next to the bus stop. Zhan didn't pay any attention to it until Yu Bin tapped him and said, "That's our new boss."

Zhan looked briefly at the car and shrugged his shoulders. Then the window on the passenger door went down and Yibo called out to them, "Come on, I'll drive you home."

Yu Bin immediately got up and walked to the car, but Zhan remained seated. He would rather continue to freeze than go into the lion's den. He saw Yu Bin get into the back of the car. "Zhan, come on. You'll get sick if you sit here in this weather with your wet clothes on." Yibo shouted.

"It's none of your business! Besides, I don't want to get your fancy car dirty." Replied Zhan.

Suddenly, Yibo got out of his car, came to Zhan, grabbed him by the forearm and pulled him with him to his car, where he almost pushed Zhan into the passenger seat already. "Really Zhan, do you have to act like that?" He asked as he slammed the door. Yu Bin looked at Zhan in shock and Zhan didn't know what to say or think.

When Yibo was back in the car and saw that Zhan was not yet buckled in, he tried to buckle Zhan in. Zhan flinched and almost yelled, "I can do this by myself. Don't touch me!" He was startled himself, at his reaction.

Zhan buckled his seatbelt and Yibo watched him do it. Yu Bin saw something in Yibo's gaze that did not match what he experienced in the office today. He was measuring Zhan with a worried and warm look, Yu Bin thought.

Yibo started the engine and Yu Bin told him where he lived. "I know where you live, I read it in the employee files." Explained Yibo, looking at Zhan. Zhan, however, preferred to look outside through the window. He couldn't look at Yibo without his heart starting to ache and becoming angry again.