Su Qiang was still at the company, nervously gnawing on her fingernails. The lights around her were dim, and she was the only one left on this floor.
It was already two in the morning, but she had no intention of clocking out yet.
"Why hasn't she come yet?"
Su Qiang was growing anxious.
Three days ago, she had been given a hard time by her colleagues and forced to stay late for overtime, which was when she encountered a woman.
The woman was from the Secretarial Department. Although Su Qiang had never met her, she knew the woman's position was higher than her own, so she had greeted her politely.
The name on the woman's ID badge was Jiang Su, and she had asked Su Qiang to accompany her to the 18th floor to pick up some items.
The 18th floor... wasn't that the floor managed by that scavenger named Nan Yue?
That scavenger was incredibly powerful, but Su Qiang hadn't dared to approach her. For one, the company's hierarchy was strict, and she couldn't find an opportunity to strike up a conversation with a high-level V4 employee.
Furthermore, many powerful scavengers were ruthless, using any pawns that came their way as expendable tools to test the waters.
So, Su Qiang had been trying to survive on her own.
She had followed Jiang Su to the elevator. In the reflection of the doors, she discovered that the once-graceful Jiang Su appeared as an unrecognizable, mangled mess of blood and flesh.
She nearly fainted right then. Just as Su Qiang thought she was certainly going to die, Jiang Su suddenly turned her head. Using a mouth so rotten it was just a mass of writhing red meat, she spoke a single sentence.
"Run! Get out of the company!"
Jiang Su didn't take Su Qiang's life. Su Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, believing this was a hint provided by the mission.
She spent an entire day thinking about it but couldn't understand Jiang Su's meaning.
Leave? How? Hadn't all the scavengers who resigned ended up dead?
On the second night of overtime, she encountered Jiang Su again. The woman acted as if she didn't recognize her, once again asking her to follow her to the 18th floor to deliver materials.
This time they entered the elevator. Su Qiang was completely tense. She didn't dare resist the ghost's request, but her curiosity also drove her to find out if there were other clues on this spirit.
The pressure of being in a confined space with a ghost was even stronger than before. She had to mentally prepare herself several times before asking, "Yesterday... you told me to leave? Why?"
Today, Jiang Su didn't transform into that terrifying form. Her eyes were filled with tears as she recounted her experiences at the company.
"...Everything is just the company brainwashing us. Our value shouldn't be found in being an excellent employee, but in our free, authentic selves."
"We shouldn't be trapped here, doing the same things day after year, while our spirits grow emptier and emptier."
Su Qiang was a bit confused. She didn't quite understand Jiang Su's constant rambling, but she knew these were clues, so she listened quietly.
The elevator didn't reach the 18th floor; it stopped at the 5th floor, and Jiang Su vanished.
On the third day, Jiang Su told her the secret of the man who jumped. After learning it, Su Qiang was trembling with fear even while working at her station.
That day, the elevator stopped on the 10th floor.
Today was the fourth day, and Su Qiang was waiting for Jiang Su.
Jiang Su only appeared near three in the morning. She had forgotten the previous events and asked Su Qiang to go to the 18th floor with her.
Su Qiang was no longer afraid of Jiang Su. As soon as they entered the elevator, she asked hurriedly.
"How do I leave this place? How on earth do I leave?"
This time, Jiang Su turned to look at Su Qiang with a stiff and peculiar gaze. Just as Su Qiang was about to break under the pressure, Jiang Su finally spoke.
"Leave. At any cost, leave."
The elevator stopped on the 15th floor, and Jiang Su vanished.
Su Qiang felt a bit discouraged. She didn't even know if she should listen to this woman who had been dead for so long.
This was a mission; if she made the wrong choice, she would die.
Many things had happened at the company lately. Several people had died in the Sales Department alone, and she was becoming increasingly panicked.
Fortunately, Jiang Su was still there. Through Jiang Su's words, she had found ways to avoid the risk of death.
Wait a bit longer...
She would leave once she was certain enough.
...
When the sun rose the next day, the trio's condition had improved significantly. Except for Nan Yue, who was still a bit pale, the mental stability of Zhu Xi Ning and Gu Xiang Kai had returned to normal.
However, Gu Xiang Kai was still somewhat weak due to the excessive blood loss.
"Let's go. To the company."
Nan Yue couldn't wait to leave this place. If Lan Jing Shui intended to leave today as she suspected, they had to leave before him, or things would get complicated.
The three of them didn't go to their own workstations; instead, they went to the Sales Department.
With Nan Yue's rank, she was the most powerful person in the company besides the five heads. No one dared to question why she was wandering around during work hours.
Therefore, bringing Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning along seemed perfectly reasonable.
Nan Yue dismissed an area manager who came over to curry favor. As the three of them entered the Sales Department's office area, many people began to whisper among themselves at the sight.
Su Qiang naturally saw them too. Looking at the direction they were headed, she tensed up and immediately buried her head in her work.
What's wrong with them? Don't they know who that person is...
"Geng Xin Hui."
The honest man, who was diligently working on reports at his station, immediately bolted upright upon seeing the person looking for him, a somewhat flattering smile on his face.
However, his smile was filled more with bitterness and dread, making his expression look quite strange.
Sigh, how long had this person been at the company to reach V4 already, while he had struggled for over ten years and was still only V9...
Comparing oneself to others really is infuriating.
"Sister Nan, did you need something from me?"
Nan Yue gave a gentle smile. "Don't be nervous. I'm conducting an opinion poll to see how the company atmosphere is."
Geng Xin Hui was tense, the veins on his forehead twitching. "It's good, very good. The company is like a big family, a harbor that shields us from the storm."
Nan Yue patted him, her voice growing even softer.
She remembered that Dongfang Yuelai's voice was very distinctive—gentle yet faintly commanding. She tried her best to mimic that softness, speaking persuasively.
"I want to hear the truth. Rest assured, no matter what you say, I won't blame you. Moreover, if your answer satisfies me, I can promote you today."
Geng Xin Hui's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Re... Really?"
Geng Xin Hui scratched his head and straightened his cheap tie. He hesitated for a long time before testing the waters. "...It's just that the competitive atmosphere is too intense. It's a bit... a bit exhausting."
Geng Xin Hui's voice was barely audible by the end, but Nan Yue's smile only grew wider.
"Well said. Let me ask you, what do you think is the true meaning of work?"
Geng Xin Hui looked bewildered. "The meaning?"
He lowered his head and thought for a moment. "It should be... to make oneself happier."
Hearing this answer, Nan Yue sighed softly in her heart.
"Geng Xin Hui, have you ever thought about leaving the company?"
Geng Xin Hui instinctively wanted to deny it, but for some reason, a surge of inexplicable emotions welled up in his heart.
His voice choked up slightly.
"I have... but I... I wasn't firm enough..."
"I regret it so much... If only I hadn't hesitated... If only I had insisted on leaving..."
"...That would have been enough."
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