Later, I Laughed – Teresa Li, Wei Daxun

The chairman of Zhonghe Group fell and fractured two ribs and the ulna in his right arm. During his hospitalization, the company’s performance declined. Enraged, the chairman scolded the executives for over two hours in his hospital room. Immediately, the entire group sprang into action from top to bottom, strengthening their work ethic and aiming to recover the losses within a quarter.

This happened to coincide with the annual employee performance evaluation period, and everyone was highly motivated, competing fiercely with one another. The manager of the internal communications department informed his team that they would join forces with the planning and advertising departments for a mock internal bidding competition to design a promotional campaign for the company’s upcoming new tea beverage.

As a regular officer in the internal communications department of this large conglomerate, Wu Xiuya was assigned to lead the promotional campaign. Wu Xiuya had a lively and intelligent face, which often made people wary of her. However, no one would have guessed that she actually had a people-pleasing personality. She longed for approval from others and worked hard to earn it, but the more she tried to please others, the more she lost her sense of self.

This created a vicious cycle, and many tasks that weren’t originally hers ended up being handed to her. For instance, once she was busy covering a story about President Qin’s inspection of a logistics branch, but her colleague Ma Chao called and insisted that she order takeout for Manager Hu and the chief editor of the Evening News. Despite her refusals, she had no choice but to take time to place the order.

Unfortunately, during the interview, she missed the delivery person’s call, which indirectly caused Manager Hu and the chief editor to go hungry for several hours. This led to Wu Xiuya being harshly reprimanded by Manager Hu. Wu Xiuya’s boyfriend, Zheng Hao, was a standout in the marketing department and had been the company’s sales champion for three consecutive years. Zheng Hao left a deep impression on the chairman and became the youngest deputy director in the marketing department.

Within the group, many believed he was poised for rapid promotion and could become the youngest vice president. One day, her colleague He Xiaoli asked Wu Xiuya to complete a complicated form on her behalf and casually invited her to a newly opened hotpot restaurant. Wu Xiuya reluctantly agreed, but after completing the form and heading to the restaurant after work, she discovered that Xiaoli and the others had already eaten and hadn’t even called her to join.

Behind her back, they gossiped that Zheng Hao’s mother and Manager Hu were close friends, subtly reducing Wu Xiuya’s hard work to mere nepotism. The more this happened, the more Wu Xiuya wanted to prove herself. She wasn’t always so accommodating. In 2005, when she moved with her mother from Shenzhen to Ningxi City, she had a very different personality.

Her mother, a woman who sacrificed her career for the family, gave up her role as a deputy manager in a shopping mall to follow her husband’s relocation. While Wu Xiuya’s father’s career continued to climb, her mother never found a suitable job again. After moving to Ningxi City, Wu Xiuya transferred to Seventh Middle School, where the homeroom teacher seated her next to the class monitor, Shi Ye.

On her first day, unable to find pants to wear, she wore a red dress to school. However, this led her classmates to think she was attention-seeking, and one even outright told her not to wear a dress or sit next to Shi Ye again. Back then, Wu Xiuya wasn’t one to back down. She flatly refused, intending to wear a dress to school again the next day.

However, since her dress was already in the washing machine, she wore pants instead. Another girl, Fang Lu, wore a red dress to steal the spotlight but ended up looking foolish when Wu Xiuya didn’t wear hers. Wu Xiuya was also skilled at basketball, often joining the boys’ games, which strengthened her bond with Shi Ye and made Fang Lu even more jealous.

This group of girls began spreading rumors that Wu Xiuya had transferred schools because of misbehavior at her previous school. Fang Lu even deliberately excluded her from notifications about a change in meeting locations, leading to the school troublemaker Mao Biao ambushing Wu Xiuya. Shi Ye arrived and ended up fighting with Mao Biao and his gang. The fight caused serious injuries, and an ambulance took some students away. This incident had a major impact at school.

Wu Xiuya’s father furiously scolded her and even slapped her. Though she believed she had done nothing wrong, her father, in a fit of rage, smashed all her basketball-related items. The director of studies ordered Wu Xiuya to write a self-criticism letter and required Shi Ye to change seats, claiming that their current seating arrangement was affecting his studies. Shi Ye complied, but this made Wu Xiuya feel humiliated.

During the morning exercise, Wu Xiuya was forced to read her self-criticism over the school’s broadcast system. Seizing the moment when the teacher left the broadcast room, she locked the door and used the microphone to reveal the entire truth. While speaking out made her feel momentarily relieved, she didn’t anticipate that her honesty would indirectly cause harm to Shi Ye and her homeroom teacher, Ms. Mu.

At sixteen, Wu Xiuya decided to hide her true self to prevent anyone, including herself, from being hurt by her sincerity. She told herself to consider others’ feelings when she was angry. Over the years, she continued down this path of suppressing her emotions, losing her sense of self more and more, until she became the person she is today.

To complete the promotional plan, Wu Xiuya requested a market research budget of 50,000 yuan from Manager Zheng, but he only approved 3,000 yuan. Just printing the questionnaires cost her 2,000, leaving almost no funds to hire people to distribute them. She decided to use the remaining 1,000 yuan to purchase popular tea beverages from the market for research. However, at the supermarket, she was persuaded by a sales clerk to spend the money on 50 salted duck eggs instead.

While at the supermarket, she noticed they were hiring part-time beverage promoters. This gave her an idea—she applied for the position and was successfully hired. Using the convenience of her new role, Wu Xiuya and Pang Jing managed to distribute 400 questionnaires. Unfortunately, they were still short-staffed, and neither Xiao Zou nor Ma Chao was willing to help.

Meanwhile, Zheng Hao, who was leaving on a business trip the next day and couldn’t celebrate Wu Xiuya’s birthday, surprised her by throwing an early birthday celebration at the office. Although a birthday is meant to be a happy occasion, Wu Xiuya felt uncomfortable when Zheng Hao repeatedly referred to her as “his woman. ” She didn’t address it publicly but privately asked Zheng Hao to stop making such comments. Zheng Hao didn’t take her concerns seriously.

Using her period as an excuse, Wu Xiuya declined Zheng Hao’s suggestion to stay over that night. Later, during a video call with a close friend, she reflected on their relationship. Aside from Zheng Hao’s tendency to lecture her and make decisions on her behalf, he didn’t have many other flaws. Regarding the promotional plan, Wu Xiuya originally intended to handle it herself, but Zheng Hao insisted on helping her.

He introduced her to his friend Zhang Peng, a professional in planning promotional campaigns, and urged her to meet with him. Zhang Peng, in turn, outsourced the project to another party and arranged for Wu Xiuya to coordinate with them. Reluctantly, she agreed. It wasn’t until she met this new contact that Wu Xiuya realized it was Shi Ye. She didn’t recognize him at first, only remembering after he reminded her.

Before leaving, Shi Ye said he took this job specifically because he saw her name and was curious about what Wu Xiuya had become after ten years. However, he bluntly admitted that her changes had disappointed him. Despite this unexpected reunion, Wu Xiuya stayed focused on her work. She worked overtime on the plan, consulted frontline sales staff, and gathered their valuable feedback. Eventually, she completed the promotional campaign proposal.

When the chairman visited the company, he reviewed the promotional plans from the planning, advertising, and internal communications departments. He showed particular interest in the internal communications department’s proposal and asked to meet the department manager and the plan’s lead. However, Ma Chao overheard this first. Seizing the opportunity, he found an excuse to send Wu Xiuya away. Ma Chao followed Manager Hu to the chairman and claimed credit for the plan.

By the time Wu Xiuya received Manager Hu’s message and rushed to the scene, it was too late for her to say anything. She could only watch as Ma Chao exaggerated his contributions, claiming he had worked late nights on the plan. Furious afterward, Wu Xiuya publicly confronted Ma Chao about why he sent her away.

Known for being a shameless office opportunist, Ma Chao denied stealing credit and even brought up the claim that Wu Xiuya only succeeded because of her relationship with Zheng Hao. He Xiaoli advised Wu Xiuya that Ma Chao’s comments were intended to prevent her from reporting him to Zheng Hao. Motivated, Wu Xiuya decided to confront Zheng Hao. But as soon as she arrived at the marketing department, she overheard people gossiping.

They claimed she got her job through Zheng Hao’s connections and suggested the bidding proposal succeeded only because Zheng Hao asked Zhang Peng for help. Disheartened, Wu Xiuya suddenly didn’t feel like saying anything. On her way home, she happened to see Shi Ye. She followed him to a venue and discovered he was performing stand-up comedy. To her surprise, Shi Ye used her experiences as material for his performance.

Finally unable to hold back, Wu Xiuya stormed onto the stage, grabbed the microphone, and improvised her own stand-up set filled with humorous complaints and witty observations. At the age of twenty-six, Wu Xiuya delivered the first stand-up routine of her life amidst the audience’s cheers. Watching her, Shi Ye remarked that this was the real Wu Xiuya.

An impromptu stand-up performance filled with raw, unfiltered complaints had stirred up emotions buried deep in Wu Xiuya’s subconscious. That night, the emotional turmoil overwhelmed her mind, leaving her sleepless for hours. The lack of rest affected her performance the next day—her writing was riddled with typos. Fortunately, her colleague Pang Jing helped her correct the mistakes and expressed concern for her well-being.

After a busy day, Wu Xiuya went home, took a shower, and lay in bed, hoping for a good night's sleep. However, as soon as she closed her eyes, scenes from the stage and Ma Chao’s deceitful display in front of the chairman replayed vividly in her mind, keeping her wide awake. Even after a call with a friend, she couldn’t sleep. In desperation, she turned to advanced mathematics and yoga in the middle of the night.

On the second night of insomnia, her organs, deprived of proper rest, began to weaken, sending signals to her brain that the body was under stress. In response, her brain ordered an increased secretion of adrenaline, which quickened her breathing and blood oxygen levels, ironically making her appear more energetic. For the first time, Pang Jing witnessed Wu Xiuya being unusually talkative.

During a department meeting, when Manager Hu repeated the same old talking points, Wu Xiuya’s mouth reacted faster than her brain, and she blurted out a comment. The room fell silent. Realizing she had spoken out of turn, she quickly apologized and later repeatedly expressed regret in the office. Seeing her condition, Pang Jing offered to write the article on her behalf and urged Wu Xiuya to rest.

However, even on the third night, insomnia persisted, leaving Wu Xiuya so sensitive that even the faintest sounds kept her awake. The prolonged secretion of adrenaline overstimulated her nervous system, making Wu Xiuya hyper-aware of her surroundings. Meanwhile, Manager Gao had a discussion with Manager Hu and later summoned Ma Chao for a long conversation in his office. It was decided that Ma Chao would be promoted to team leader of the internal communications department.

As soon as Ma Chao returned to his desk, he received the official email from Human Resources. Gloating, he couldn’t wait to share the news and treated everyone to milk tea as a celebration. Wu Xiuya, already exhausted and annoyed, lost her patience and sharply told Ma Chao to leave her alone. Although the incident could have ended there, Ma Chao, not even officially in his new position, began throwing his weight around.

He started bossing around colleagues like Pang Jing, who used to be his equals. This was the last straw for Wu Xiuya, who finally snapped and had a heated argument with Ma Chao in the office. Manager Hu observed the altercation but chose not to intervene. Instead, he reported the matter to Zheng Hao. That evening, Zheng Hao invited Wu Xiuya to dinner to discuss the situation.

He suggested that, for the sake of maintaining harmony, Wu Xiuya should apologize to the entire department. This, he reasoned, would give Manager Hu and Manager Gao a way to de-escalate the situation, and they would owe her a favor in return. Zheng Hao also pointed out that her actions could negatively impact his position. Wu Xiuya gave no clear response. On her way home, she passed by a stand-up comedy club and decided to go in for a while.

When she received Zheng Hao’s self-righteous text with a formal apology script, she felt a wave of disgust. The next day, during the department meeting, everyone anticipated that Manager Hu would bring up the incident. Wu Xiuya was called upon to address the matter. Holding a prepared speech, she began to read mechanically. But soon, the bold, confident Wu Xiuya of the past—the one who once wore a striking red dress—resurfaced.

In the midst of her speech, she decided to follow her heart. She stated firmly that she would not apologize and that the person who should apologize was Ma Chao. This was, of course, not the outcome Manager Hu had expected. However, he couldn’t fault Wu Xiuya, as her reasoning was entirely justified. Freed from the burden of guilt and expectation, Wu Xiuya finally regained her ability to sleep peacefully.

Studies show that people speak an average of 140 to 490 sentences a day, but most of those words carry meanings beyond their surface. For those who can’t pick up on the implied undertones, life might seem blissfully simple. Zheng Hao, without consulting Wu Xiuya, took it upon himself to invite Manager Hu and Manager Gao to dinner and apologized to them on her behalf. This smoothed things over, ensuring the matter would not be reported to the chairman.

When Wu Xiuya found out, she was furious, blaming Zheng Hao for acting without discussing it with her. What saddened her more was that, despite the major upheaval from the previous day, nothing changed because of Zheng Hao’s interference. She felt trapped in an invisible web and was hopelessly uncertain about how to prove her capabilities. It was then that she came across a company policy encouraging employees to seek growth opportunities at branch offices in other locations.

Inspired, she wrote a self-recommendation and applied for a transfer. When Manager Hu asked if she had discussed it with Zheng Hao, she firmly stated that she could make decisions about her own life. Manager Hu, seeing her determination, dropped the subject but secretly informed her close friend—Zheng Hao’s mother. Zheng Hao’s mother invited Wu Xiuya over for dinner, leaving Xiuya both nervous and uneasy, sensing an impending storm.

When Zheng Hao returned home from work and saw Wu Xiuya at his house, he was surprised but didn’t say much. During dinner, Zheng Hao noticed that Xiuya struggled with peeling crabs and offered to help. After being declined, he didn’t insist but made a comment that caught his mother’s attention. Soon after, his mother brought up Wu Xiuya’s application for a transfer.

Zheng Hao was shocked to learn that Xiuya had applied for a year-long assignment at an out-of-town branch without informing him. Frustrated, Xiuya explained her reasons for wanting the transfer. Zheng Hao’s mother initially praised Xiuya for her career aspirations but quickly advised her against making rash decisions. She subtly hinted at her concerns, saying that if Xiuya left for a year, who could guarantee that Zheng Hao wouldn’t end up with someone else?

Picking up on the undertone of her words, Xiuya became even more resolved to leave. After dinner, Zheng Hao drove Xiuya home, and they didn’t exchange a single word. A week of cold silence passed between them. Xiuya thought everything would become clear when the list of approved transfers was released the next day. Both Zheng Hao and his mother would finally see her intentions. However, she was entirely unprepared for what happened next.

When the transfer list was announced, Xiuya’s name was not on it. She confronted Manager Hu and discovered that Zheng Hao had once again made the decision for her without her consent. This led to an explosive argument between the two, which Zhang Yan happened to witness. Curious, Zhang Yan later asked Zheng Hao if he had been seeing someone else. Zheng Hao denied it and explained the truth.

Without regard for Xiuya’s feelings, Zheng Hao insisted she accompany him to Zhang Yan’s wedding. There, in front of the chairman, company colleagues, and many others, Zheng Hao surprised Xiuya by proposing to her. Xiuya was caught completely off guard. On one hand, she and Zheng Hao had never discussed marriage; on the other, she genuinely wasn’t ready to get married so soon. Yet Zheng Hao’s domineering behavior left her no room to consider her own feelings.

With a subtle undertone of pressure in his proposal, Xiuya felt utterly cornered. In life, expressions, gestures, and body language all convey unspoken meanings, and now, every move she made was magnified under the gaze of the crowd. Everyone was watching, waiting to see her decision. Among them were those who relished the prospect of seeing Zheng Hao rejected and humiliated, and others who sincerely wished her well. Faced with this public proposal, what choice would the kind-hearted Wu Xiuya make?

In front of everyone, Wu Xiuya felt compelled to accept Zheng Hao's proposal. However, while the proposal appeared successful on the surface, it left scars in both their hearts. After the wedding ended, Xiuya refused to participate in the traditional post-wedding festivities and decided to return home alone. On her way, it began to rain, and she realized she had left her bag at the venue.

She returned to the hotel, grabbed her bag, and impulsively took a sip from a glass of red wine on the table. Her eyes fell on the bouquet on stage, and she walked up to it, talking to herself. She poured out all her frustrations and complaints, venting everything she had been holding in. This was the real Wu Xiuya—sharp, articulate, and brimming with the natural talent of a stand-up comedian.

Suddenly, as she spoke, it all became clear to her. She realized what she truly wanted. Just then, Xiao Lan arrived at the hotel, having rushed over to meet her. Xiuya took Xiao Lan with her to find Zheng Hao, who was in the middle of post-wedding celebrations. She handed the engagement ring back to him and broke up with him. Zheng Hao was completely bewildered. Just minutes ago, Xiuya had accepted his proposal, and now she was ending things.

The next day marked the start of Xiuya's new life. She spent the day shopping, eating, and enjoying herself with Xiao Lan. In the past, Zheng Hao had forbidden her from wearing shorts, saying they looked unprofessional. But now, she was determined to live authentically. She wore shorts and even joined Xiao Lan in a casual basketball game with a group of guys. Xiao Lan had secretly returned to China without telling her parents.

When her mother called, she had Xiuya cover for her. Xiao Lan admitted she wasn’t cut out for academics. Instead of wasting time abroad on a master’s degree, she decided it was better to return home, take it easy for a year, and eventually work with her father at the family factory. Xiuya took Xiao Lan to a stand-up comedy club called Bang He Bar.

There, Xiao Lan’s hair accidentally got caught on Liang Dong’s clothes, sparking his interest in her. However, Xiao Lan was more drawn to Shi Ye, a stand-up comedian performing on stage. Xiuya also took the stage and delivered a stand-up set, impressing the audience. Afterward, the club owner, Cao Zhiyong, introduced Xiao Lan to Liang Dong, Shi Ye, and others.

When she learned the bar was short on bartenders, Xiao Lan volunteered to work there, saying she didn’t even need a salary as long as meals were provided. As they left the bar, they noticed Shi Ye’s camper van outside. Xiao Lan immediately recognized it as a custom build, likely done by Shi Ye himself, which only deepened her fascination with him. Although it seemed like a carefree weekend, an invisible pressure loomed over Xiuya.

She hadn’t heard back from Zheng Hao, and she wondered why he didn’t seem affected by their breakup. One morning, as Xiuya was getting ready for work, she unexpectedly found the engagement ring in her bag. Shocked, she questioned Xiao Lan, who admitted she had gone to see Zheng Hao that night but was too drunk to explain herself and even threw up on him.

Embarrassed and frustrated, Xiuya spent the next few days trying to formally break up with Zheng Hao. However, Zheng Hao was so busy with work that she couldn’t get a chance to meet him. Meanwhile, Xiao Lan discovered that Shi Ye was camping in the park, so she dragged Xiuya along to meet him. When they arrived, they saw Shi Ye’s girlfriend. Xiao Lan, being straightforward, openly admitted her feelings for Shi Ye.

Surprisingly, she and Shi Ye’s girlfriend got along well, as their personalities were quite similar. Later, Xiuya waited in the parking lot to confront Zheng Hao and finally brought up their breakup. Although Zheng Hao agreed to the breakup, he said it couldn’t happen right now. He was in the middle of a crucial promotion process for a director position and didn’t want personal matters affecting his career.

Coincidentally, the chairman arrived at that moment, forcing Xiuya to play along with Zheng Hao and pretend everything was fine between them. Afterward, Xiao Lan speculated that Zheng Hao might be stalling in hopes that Xiuya would change her mind. Xiuya dismissed the idea, believing Zheng Hao wouldn’t resort to such childish tactics. In reality, Zheng Hao had heard every word when Xiuya first mentioned breaking up, but he pretended it never happened.

For the next two days, he found excuses to avoid seeing her. He thought Xiuya would be heartbroken and crying under her blanket after their breakup. Little did he know, she was at home watching stand-up comedy and laughing her heart out.

Wu Xiuya experienced her first cold reception on the stand-up stage. The shift from a hit to a flop didn’t take long, and it all began three days earlier. Three days ago, during lunch, Xiuya made an excuse and packed her food to eat in the office. Zheng Hao also left the table shortly afterward. Throughout the meal, the two didn’t exchange a single word. It was obvious to everyone that something was wrong between them.

He Xiaoli questioned Zhang Yan, and he accidentally spilled the beans. News of Zheng Hao and Xiuya’s breakup spread through the company at lightning speed. As one of the company’s most admired young talents, Zheng Hao’s personal life was always under scrutiny. Most of the staff, eager for drama, began spreading all kinds of rumors. The gossip escalated wildly—from claims that Zheng Hao had cheated to even alleging he had a three-year-old child outside the relationship. Xiuya was under immense pressure.

As one of the central figures in these rumors, she wanted to explain, but Zheng Hao stopped her from doing so. Bearing this stress and frustration, she went on stage to perform stand-up comedy. In the audience was Wang Jin, a fellow stand-up comedian with skills comparable to Shi Ye but better crowd reactions. However, both Liang Dong and Cao Zhiyong disliked Wang Jin, as his jokes relied heavily on crude humor to provoke laughs.

The moment Xiuya got on stage, she started to speak but suddenly realized she couldn’t joke about Zheng Hao in the tone of teasing a boyfriend—after all, she had already caused him harm. This thought stuck in her throat, and she couldn’t say a word. The performance fell flat. Wang Jin took the microphone and dismissed Xiuya from the stage.

Hurt and disheartened, Xiuya overheard Shi Ye and Cao Zhiyong betting on whether she would bomb her performance, which only made her feel worse. But she consoled herself, telling herself it was just a fluke. Unfortunately, every performance afterward also bombed. Initially confident in her abilities, even Cao Zhiyong and Liang Dong became disheartened, losing many bottles of wine to Shi Ye in their bets. Seeing how defeated Xiuya felt, Liang Dong shared his own experiences with failed performances.

Cao Zhiyong and Shi Ye also recounted their flops, explaining that the reasons for bombing varied. Cao Zhiyong analyzed Xiuya’s situation and suggested she jot down all her inspirations and jokes into a full script. Xiuya followed their advice, but it didn’t help—she continued to fail on stage. Desperate, Xiuya asked Shi Ye for advice. Shi Ye told her she needed to identify the real source of her troubles.

For Xiuya, there were two main issues: the unresolved breakup with Zheng Hao, which could only be finalized after his promotion to director, and her frustration over her carefully crafted project plan being mishandled by Ma Chao. Things escalated when Wang Tong, a member of Ma Chao’s team, finally quit, refusing to work under him any longer. With a lack of team members, Ma Chao asked Manager Hu for help. Xiuya volunteered to join Ma Chao’s team.

Although Ma Chao strongly opposed this at first, Manager Hu ultimately decided to assign Xiuya to the team, warning them both to resolve their conflicts or risk being fired together. Gradually, Xiuya’s stage performances improved slightly. However, Shi Ye bluntly pointed out that unless she made a firm decision to change, she wouldn’t truly move forward with her life. The company later went on a team-building retreat.

During an escape room game, Ma Chao screamed like crazy, while Zheng Hao and Xiuya, preoccupied with their thoughts, remained calm. Eventually, Xiuya pulled Zheng Hao aside for a serious talk, but the rest of the team eavesdropped from behind a curtain, hearing everything. The cheating rumors were cleared up, but some staff members began speculating that Zheng Hao might have performance issues, which they imagined was the reason Xiuya broke up with him.

After the retreat, Zheng Hao saw Xiuya riding on Shi Ye’s bicycle and watched her enter a bar. He followed Shi Ye and confronted him, leading to a street fight. Although Shi Ye didn’t know Zheng Hao personally, he could guess who he was. Shi Ye lied, saying that he and Xiuya got together only after she and Zheng Hao had already broken up.

Shi Ye appeared calm on the surface, and his inner composure was even more resolute. The brief scuffle with Zheng Hao had indeed quickened his pulse, but the moment he entered the Banghe bar, his heartbeat returned to its usual steady rhythm. Regarding the injuries on his face, he casually explained that he had fought with his ex-girlfriend’s former boyfriend. Wu Xiuya had no idea that the person Shi Ye fought with was Zheng Hao.

After the morning meeting in the internal communication department, Manager Hu announced that Xiuya had officially been transferred to Ma Chao’s team, reporting directly to him. He Xiaoli and Pang Jing both felt that Xiuya was willingly throwing herself into a pit of fire. But Xiuya’s goal was clear—Ma Chao’s team was likely to participate in the hands-on promotion of the new tea beverage, and she wasn’t about to let Ma Chao claim the victory for himself.

Even though Xiuya had already witnessed plenty of Ma Chao’s foolish antics, his behavior after becoming a leader surpassed her expectations. For example, he nitpicked Xiuya’s PowerPoint slides endlessly, forcing her to revise them more than 20 times, only to conclude that the first version was the best. Xiuya was left utterly speechless. Ma Chao was convinced that Xiuya had joined his team to seek revenge on him.

To prevent her from overshadowing him, Ma Chao devised a strategy: he would refuse to let her do what she excelled at. Ma Chao deliberately assigned tasks in ways that set everyone up for failure. He made Xiao Zou conduct interviews, knowing he was inexperienced, assigned Pang Jing—whose writing was weaker than Xiuya’s—to draft reports, and relegated Xiuya to proofreading and managing the social media backend. As a result, the team’s work was a chaotic mess.

Manager Hu instructed Ma Chao to take Xiuya along to liaise with the North and East China market representatives. However, Ma Chao ditched Xiuya, taking the representatives out for a meal while ordering her to deliver materials to their hotel and then return to the office to wait for him before she could leave. Xiuya was furious but restrained herself, knowing that if there was another incident, Manager Hu might really fire her.

Instead, she vented her frustrations through stand-up comedy, but her performances continued to bomb. Finally, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and ran outside Banghe, letting out a loud yell. Ironically, her shout caused a misunderstanding: Shi Ye, who happened to be nearby, was mistaken for a thug harassing Xiuya. Three hot-headed young men reported him to the police, and Shi Ye was taken to the station. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved in the end.

Shi Ye found the incident amusing and thought it could be turned into a stand-up routine. Xiuya also liked the idea, and the two argued over who would get to use the joke. During breakfast, Shi Ye advised Xiuya that while joking about workplace issues was fine, going overboard made it less funny. Xiuya took his words to heart and began observing those around her, realizing that everyone carried a unique story.

With this mindset, Xiuya felt confident about completing the team’s report. Meanwhile, Pang Jing and Xiao Zou were despondent, worrying about the foolish comments Ma Chao might make during the alignment meeting. Xiuya suggested they find a way to keep Ma Chao from attending, and the three of them staged an act to distract him with other tasks. As expected, without their “sand-in-the-gears” leader, the alignment meeting went smoothly, and Xiuya’s capabilities were widely recognized.

However, Ma Chao created a major problem elsewhere—he had mixed up the interviewee entirely without realizing it. To salvage the situation, Xiuya quickly conducted a phone interview with the correct person, Zhao Ming, covering up Ma Chao’s mistake. She used the incident to make Ma Chao feel guilty and then objectively explained that the success or failure of one team member impacts the entire team. Ma Chao, deeply ashamed, was left speechless.

This experience gave Xiuya a new perspective on handling challenges. That night, she made a bet with Shi Ye that she wouldn’t bomb her performance. True to her word, Xiuya’s stand-up routine was flawless, and she shone brightly on stage. In that moment, Shi Ye’s heart raced wildly, and he realized he was falling for this dazzling version of Xiuya.

Wu Xiuya regained her confidence and performed exceptionally well on stage, earning waves of applause from the audience. Meanwhile, Xiao Lan crafted a new cocktail called Dream of a Lifetime and even printed words on the glass. Xiuya found the phrase quite meaningful, took a photo of the drink, and posted it on her social media. Zheng Hao, who hadn’t heard from Xiuya for a long time, saw her post and was tempted to check in on her.

However, he eventually deleted all the words he had typed in the chatbox. Usually sharp and decisive, Zheng Hao found himself at a loss when it came to Xiuya. At the Zhonghe Group, the chairman showed interest in the promotion of a small project. However, his true intent was to drive corporate departmental reform.

He proposed forming a joint task force, with the internal communications department as the lead and personnel from both the advertising and planning departments assisting in the project’s execution. Lao Gao told Hu Jianjun (Manager Hu) that the chairman was considering establishing a new independent brand promotion department that would report directly to him. If the project succeeded, Hu Jianjun would undoubtedly head this new department.

Hu Jianjun, who had risen through the ranks from a junior publicity officer to the manager of the brand promotion department, thought she had already hit the ceiling of her career. The prospect of further advancement stirred her excitement, even though she outwardly claimed indifference. Hu Jianjun knew well that the project’s success relied on Wu Xiuya, even though Ma Chao was the team leader on paper.

She devised a strategy to prevent Xiuya from outshining her in front of the chairman by assigning Xiuya to work behind the scenes on the proposal. Though disappointed, Xiuya was too busy with work to dwell on it. The long hours of overtime eventually led to illness, leaving her with a fever and cold. Despite this, she powered through to complete both the proposal and its presentation script, sending all the materials to Ma Chao.

During the joint meeting, Hu Jianjun came up with a plan to ensure that Ma Chao would only give a report without facing any discussion or questions. However, when the chairman unexpectedly arrived, Hu Jianjun’s attempt to flatter him backfired. Ma Chao failed to answer the chairman’s questions, revealing to everyone that he wasn’t the real mastermind behind the project. The chairman naturally deduced who was.

Furious, Hu Jianjun accused Xiuya of using her illness as an excuse and even implied it was part of a scheme. Lao Gao dismissed the idea, believing Xiuya wasn’t capable of such cunning. When Xiuya heard about what had transpired, she was stunned. She hadn’t expected the fairness she had long sought to come in such a manner. Later that day, Cao Zhiyong, Liang Dong, and Shi Ye came to visit her and care for her while she was ill.

After eating and drinking their fill, Xiuya fell asleep. Assuming that Shi Ye had already left, Cao Zhiyong and Liang Dong quietly departed as well. However, Shi Ye had been resting on a sofa behind the bookshelf. When he woke up and found that Xiuya’s condition had worsened, he immediately took her to the hospital for an IV drip. During their time alone, Shi Ye helped Xiuya address her doubts about bombing on stage versus killing it.

His words gave her a revelation: she needed to be her true self, even if that meant being disliked. She realized she had to muster the courage to stop trying to please everyone. After the IV treatment, Shi Ye brought Xiuya home, cooked something for her, and only then left. On Monday, when they returned to work, Manager Hu softened her attitude toward Xiuya. However, she refused to approve the new promotional plan Xiuya had come up with.

Left with no choice, Xiuya presented the original proposal to the chairman. When asked if she had confidence in it, Xiuya, remembering her resolution to be authentic, gave her honest opinion. To her surprise, the chairman highly praised her new plan, recognizing her capabilities. Zhang Yan shared the news of Xiuya being praised by the chairman with Zheng Hao and casually suggested that Xiuya might appreciate congratulations from him. Zheng Hao thought back to Xiuya’s social media post.

After work, he bought balloons and planned to confess his feelings and ask to get back together. However, as he arrived at Xiuya’s home and saw Shi Ye by her window, Zheng Hao silently released the balloons into the night sky and walked away.

Back in high school, Wu Xiuya's unrestrained rant in the broadcasting room awakened Shi Ye’s comedic talent for roasting others. This newfound ability even spilled over into his work life, where he occasionally couldn’t resist roasting eccentric clients to their faces. Later, when Shi Ye discovered stand-up comedy, he resolved to quit his job and fully commit to this craft. Not long ago, Shi Ye received a call from Zhang Peng, who happened to mention Wu Xiuya's name.

That prompted Shi Ye to take a particular gig, which led to their reunion. Watching Wu Xiuya rediscover herself and shine brightly on stage, Shi Ye decided to confess his feelings for her—feelings he had harbored since high school. However, just as he was about to confess, Cao Zhiyong interrupted with an announcement. Cao Zhiyong revealed that Xiuya had been invited to perform at Alpaca, an open mic hosted by Cheng Cheng.

Alpaca was a prestigious event in the stand-up community, held only about ten times a year. The audience consisted entirely of seasoned comedians, making it a stage that symbolized the highest level of stand-up comedy. Xiuya's invitation to Alpaca stirred discussions across various comedy clubs. Many doubted whether a young woman like her could handle stand-up comedy well. Feeling the pressure, Xiuya struggled to write material and felt dissatisfied with her drafts.

Xiao Lan comforted her in her own simple and slightly clumsy way, but it still helped Xiuya a little. Determined, Xiuya worked tirelessly on her material. Even while eating, she scribbled notes, catching the chairman’s attention. Impressed by her dedication, he instructed his subordinates to prioritize young talent in the newly established Brand Promotion Department. Meanwhile, Shi Ye, though he had been confessed to many times, had never confessed to anyone himself.

He wanted to confess to Xiuya but found himself unable to muster the words. Xiao Lan, having learned from Zhao Na that Shi Ye was currently single, decided to pursue him and asked Xiuya for advice. Xiuya suddenly realized what Shi Ye’s earlier hesitation might have meant. However, she couldn't reveal this to Xiao Lan, who was determined to chase after Shi Ye. That evening, Shanghai was hit by a torrential downpour.

Xiuya, unaware of messages in the group chat, braved the rain to reach Banghe, only to find it closed. Before leaving, Liang Dong noticed a man entering Banghe and remembered he had taken the shop’s only umbrella, leaving Xiuya without one. Concerned, he called her phone, but no one answered. He then called the shop, but there was no response. Xiao Lan mentioned in the group chat that Xiuya hadn’t returned home and couldn’t be reached, worrying everyone.

Seeing Liang Dong’s messages, Cao Zhiyong wanted to check on the bar but couldn’t leave because he was accompanying his wife. Shi Ye, upon seeing the messages, immediately set out despite his car breaking down on the way. Determined to ensure Xiuya’s safety, Shi Ye ran through the rain to Banghe. At Banghe, a guest had come specifically to hear stand-up comedy. Taking the opportunity, Xiuya decided to test her new material, performing exclusively for him.

When Shi Ye finally arrived, he saw Xiuya dazzling on stage, a scene that instantly made her the brightest figure in his eyes. After the guest left, taking Shi Ye’s raincoat with him, Shi Ye stayed behind to help Xiuya clean up. Suddenly, the power went out. Shi Ye took out a bottle of Cao Zhiyong’s treasured liquor, and they shared a drink.

As they worked, they discovered water had seeped into the shop and quickly used sandbags to block the door. Amidst the chaos, a fish slipped in with the water, startling both of them. They laughed at each other’s reactions, and in that moment of shared amusement, something unspoken and intimate grew between them. Just as their emotions seemed to draw them closer, the power came back on, interrupting a near-kiss.

However, the spark lingered in Xiuya’s heart, creating ripples of emotion. Shi Ye later escorted her home. Upon arriving, Xiuya saw Xiao Lan asleep on the couch and felt a small pang of guilt.

In evaluating the success of a shop, it’s not just about the number of customers, but rather the table turnover rate. The turnover rate refers to how frequently a table is reused. The higher the turnover rate, the better the business is doing. One day, Cao Zhiyong noticed that half of the customers in the shop were stand-up comedy fans, likely there for Wu Xiuya.

However, these people would order a bottle of wine and stay for the entire evening, which meant the shop’s turnover rate was low, and as a result, the shop's earnings for the day weren’t good. Cao Zhiyong was worried. On one hand, Xiuya was busy working overtime and didn’t have time to perform, and on the other hand, the business was suffering due to these people coming to watch stand-up.

He asked Xiao Lan to talk to Xiuya and convince her to come to Banghe and perform a set, even if it was just as a guest performer. Xiao Lan agreed to mention it to Xiuya. In fact, Xiuya wasn’t working overtime. The real reason she didn’t go to Banghe was that she probably didn’t want to run into Shi Ye, nor did she want to compete with her good friend Xiao Lan for a man.

She might have just gotten out of a relationship and wasn’t ready to dive into another one so soon. Xiao Lan thought Xiuya wasn’t going because she was afraid, but Xiuya didn’t explain herself. She ended up going to Banghe after work that evening. Cao Zhiyong was overjoyed to see her and Xiuya performed a set on stage. Afterward, she had a private conversation with Shi Ye.

They both agreed that the night in the rain was just an accident, and they shook hands, agreeing to remain good friends. Just then, they overheard someone talking about Xiuya allegedly copying her material. Upon investigating, they discovered that the joke had actually been performed by a comedian named Liu Qi at Crazy Growth Club, where both Xiuya and Shi Ye had heard it. So, Shi Ye and Xiuya went to Crazy Growth Club to watch Liu Qi perform.

The first joke he performed was the same classroom-style stand-up routine that Xiuya had come up with. Liu Qi was the same person who had listened to Xiuya perform her stand-up alone in the bar that night. Shi Ye and Xiuya confronted Liu Qi, hoping he would admit to copying Xiuya’s material. However, Liu Qi was slippery and denied copying the joke. Even though Shi Ye recorded the conversation on his phone, it didn’t capture anything useful.

The incident sparked a lot of discussion within the stand-up comedy community, and there were many who criticized Xiuya. As a result, her invitation to perform at Alpaca was revoked. Shi Ye couldn’t stand by and watch, so he personally confronted Liu Qi. This led everyone to believe that Liu Qi had been beaten by Shi Ye, and the three of them rushed to Banghe to demand an explanation. Shi Ye quickly admitted his mistake.

Not only did Shi Ye admit his mistake, but he also suggested inviting everyone to Binhai Park for a meal, where he would apologize to Liu Qi in person. The incident spread like wildfire in the stand-up community, and many comedians chose to skip Alpaca to attend the event at Binhai Park. Xiuya asked Shi Ye about what happened, and he explained that he hadn’t beaten Liu Qi.

Instead, he had written the word “Plagiarist” on Liu Qi’s forehead with an indelible marker. Liu Qi, feeling guilty, covered the word with a bandage and lied to his friends, claiming that Shi Ye had beaten him. Shi Ye had set up the entire thing, which led to the scene at Binhai Park. Shi Ye planned to have both Liu Qi and Xiuya perform the joke in front of their peers.

The others would be able to see for themselves who truly owned the joke. As long as Xiuya remembered that the joke was hers, that would be enough. Sure enough, Liu Qi, who only knew how to plagiarize, couldn’t grasp the joke’s essence and couldn’t deliver it well. In contrast, Xiuya’s natural delivery and eloquence captivated everyone in the audience.

At that moment, there was no need for further words; it was clear who the true creator was, and who had plagiarized. This established Xiuya’s standing in the stand-up comedy world. A billionaire, Xu Yunfeng, took notice of her and searched for her name online, discovering that she worked at Zhonghe Group.