S City, 9 p.m.
Xia Zhi shut down her computer, ending another day of overtime as a corporate slave. She currently works as an event planner at Wenyue Group, a large company with tens of thousands of employees. The branding department she belongs to is notorious for having the worst overtime culture in the entire company. The reason is simple, their manager is obsessed with overtime, forcing these bottom-level workers to stay and work late with him. Several employees have already quit because they could no longer endure the long-term exhaustion. If she were not so short on money, she would have left long ago as well.
Today, Xia Zhi is on her period, and the cramping pain in her abdomen comes in waves, forcing her to step away from this suffocatingly competitive environment.
Work matters, but staying alive matters more.
She picked up her bag and was just about to slip away when her manager, Zheng Wei, called out to her and asked sternly, “Xia Zhi, have you finished all your work?”
The look he gave her was already full of dissatisfaction. Everyone else in the department was still working overtime, yet she alone was packing up to leave. In Zheng Wei’s eyes, this made her a deserter.
Xia Zhi fell silent. Work is never truly finished…
Her expression tightened, and her face turned pale from the pain of her period. Forcing a faint smile, she spoke in the humble tone of an employee, “Manager, I’m not feeling well today.”
Zheng Wei scoffed and sneered, “Can you at least come up with a new excuse? It’s always the same one. Aren’t you tired of saying it? My ears are getting calluses from hearing it.”
“I’m not lying.” Xia Zhi clenched her teeth, no longer caring about propriety between men and women, and said urgently, “I’m on my period right now. My stomach really hurts.”
Zheng Wei gave an indifferent “oh,” then looked her up and down. As if he had suddenly grown a conscience, he said, “Fine, you can leave.”
Xia Zhi let out a sigh of relief. She turned around and had just taken a few weak steps when Zheng Wei’s cold, sinister voice sounded from behind. It seemed directed at her, yet it was also a warning to the entire department.
“This is exactly why I don’t like hiring female employees. One after another, it’s period pain or pregnancy. How am I supposed to run my department like this? Do you think the company is your home, where you can do whatever you want?”
Xia Zhi said nothing.
Her steps came to an abrupt halt.
Zheng Wei was just another employee like them, yet because he held a bit of authority, he acted as if the company belonged to him.
Xia Zhi had always believed in avoiding trouble whenever possible, but Zheng Wei had made far too many outrageous remarks like this. Over time, they had piled up, and now this sentence had pushed her past her breaking point. She finally snapped.
Enduring the pain in her abdomen, she quickly walked back to stand in front of Zheng Wei. Her eyes burned with anger as she glared at him, though her pale face weakened her imposing presence.
The entire department turned to watch, all eager for drama, not a single person stepping forward to help her.
“Xia Zhi, you dare glare at me? What, are you trying to rebel?”
To be honest, she really was about to rebel. Even if she lost her job, it would not matter. She had joined Wenyue Group for its good benefits and large platform, hoping for growth. But ever since Zheng Wei became the branding manager, she had not had a single good day. She truly could not endure it any longer.
Though she thought of it as rebellion, she knew she could not fall into Zheng Wei’s trap. Otherwise, she would be playing right into his hands. He had used this very tactic to force many employees to leave without compensation, turning it into an achievement to claim credit for with higher management.
“I’m not trying to rebel. I just want to reason with you.” Xia Zhi took a deep breath. “We female employees work seriously and responsibly. When have we ever failed to complete the tasks you assigned? Saying that work can’t proceed is simply ridiculous.”
“You…”
“What ‘you’? You’re just relying on the fact that, as a man, you don’t have periods, standing on your so-called high ground to criticize us. If you ever had a period like I do, you’d probably scream louder than me.”
Zheng Wei fell silent.
“Is period pain my fault? Everyone’s body is different, and the severity of period pain is completely beyond our control. Even when I’m in pain, have I ever neglected my work? I’ve still stayed here working overtime with you until nine o’clock, a full three hours past the company’s official closing time. And yet you say I’m irresponsible. As for maternity leave, that is a right granted to us by law. It’s written in the company contract and in labor law. We female employees work hard, create value, and contribute to the company. Why shouldn’t we be able to enjoy our right to maternity leave with peace of mind? Or are you planning to challenge the authority of the law and the company’s own regulations, Manager Zheng?”
Zheng Wei’s face alternated between green and pale. Xia Zhi usually seemed quiet and reserved, yet he had not expected her to be so sharp-tongued in an argument.
With a loud bang, Zheng Wei slammed his hand on the table, stood up from his chair, and shouted, “Don’t bother coming in tomorrow.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong. Why shouldn’t I come?”
“Disrespecting your superior’s authority.”
“Ha, that alone is enough to fire me?”
“Yes.”
Xia Zhi let out a cold laugh. “I don’t accept that reason for dismissal.”
After saying that, Xia Zhi picked up her things, straightened her back, and walked out, leaving Manager Zheng’s furious shouting far behind her.
She knew that after this, Zheng Wei would definitely make things difficult for her, forcing her to leave even if she did not want to. He had already used this method to push many people out of the department. The ones who remained were nothing more than a group that blindly followed his lead.
But she was not afraid of him.
She had long been secretly gathering evidence of his embezzlement of company marketing funds. If he really pushed her to the edge, then at worst they would both go down together.
Thinking this, Xia Zhi walked to the elevator and pressed the button, waiting for it to arrive at her floor. At Wenyue Group, each department basically occupied its own floor, and the branding department was located on the twentieth floor of the main building.
While waiting, her phone vibrated. A message from her landlord quietly appeared on the screen.
It was a rent bill.
Xia Zhi opened it and saw the amount clearly written, 2,868 yuan.
Salaries may arrive late, but rent bills are always on time.
This was S City, where there was always more braised pork rice to eat, more urban villages to live in, and endless rent to pay.
Her fingers brushed over the rent bill on the screen, her eyes filled with envy. If only she were the landlord, she would not have to endure this miserable job and such a disgusting boss just to survive.
Her landlord was about the same age as her, also twenty-five, yet their lives were worlds apart.
Her landlord had inherited many properties from her parents. She had never worked a single day in her life, slept until she woke naturally every day, flew around the world on a whim when bored, and stayed home doing whatever she liked when tired.
She never worried about survival, only about how to pass the time.
It was practically a fairy-like life.
So enviable.
But envy was useless.
She… had no properties to rent out.
Xia Zhi’s expression collapsed instantly.
Ding.
The elevator finally arrived at her floor. She temporarily put away her dejection, forcing a smile that barely held together her longing for life. But when the elevator doors opened, her expression nearly fell apart again.
Inside stood a man around thirty years old. He wore a black custom-made suit, exuding a powerful presence without even showing anger. One hand rested casually in his pocket, and the Vacheron Constantin watch on his wrist sparkled brilliantly under the elevator lights.
This man was her current big boss, the CEO of Wenyue Group, Wen Shihan. Wenyue Group was a family business founded by his grandfather, Wen Chaoyue, who had built it up from a small company into a nationally influential enterprise. Wen Shihan had returned to the country five years ago to take over the company and was now the third-generation leader.
Her interactions with Wen Shihan were minimal, and she had only seen him a handful of times. After all, she was just an insignificant, overworked employee at the bottom, while he stood at the very top of the food chain. Only top executives operating at the same level could regularly see him.
She had not expected to run into the big boss today.
“Are you getting in or not?” His voice was calm and indifferent.
Xia Zhi thought of the disgusting Manager Zheng still in the branding office, and made a decision. She strode into the elevator.
If Zheng Wei showed no mercy, she would not be polite either.
The elevator slowly descended.
Xia Zhi took a deep breath and called out, “President Wen.”
Wen Shihan did not even turn his gaze, responding with a cold, indifferent “Mm.”
Xia Zhi fell silent.
Since she had already made her decision, there was no turning back. In a firm voice, she said, “I want to report someone in the company for embezzling public funds.”
Wen Shihan finally turned his head, looking at her with a slight frown. “Who?”
Zheng Wei.
Before the name could leave her mouth, the elevator suddenly lost control and began to plummet.
Xia Zhi could no longer think about reporting anyone. She stared in horror at what was happening. The floor numbers flickered wildly, jumping from the twentieth floor to the first in an instant, then shooting back up to the fifteenth.
Wen Shihan remained relatively composed. He pressed his lips together, his long fingers rapidly hitting every button on the control panel, hoping the elevator would stop at some floor.
But it was completely out of control. It shot upward like it had gone mad, then plunged down just as crazily. The elevator scraped violently against its shaft, sparks bursting out in terrifying flashes. Xia Zhi’s body was thrown off balance by the violent motion, leaving her dizzy and staggering. Wen Shihan was no better off, just as disheveled as she was.
During another violent jolt, their bodies collided. At this life-and-death moment, Xia Zhi had long forgotten about reporting anything. She only wanted to know, could they survive this?
Grabbing onto Wen Shihan’s arm in fear, her voice choked as she asked, “Can we get out alive?”
“Yes.” Wen Shihan’s voice was firm, though a slight tremor could still be heard beneath it.
In the face of life and death, no one could remain completely calm.
Right after he spoke, the elevator plunged even faster. Xia Zhi grew more dizzy, and a sudden thought flashed through her mind. Could this accident have been caused by Zheng Wei? But she quickly dismissed it. They had just argued, he could not possibly know yet that she intended to report him, and he would not act so quickly. Besides, the CEO himself was in the elevator with her. Even if Zheng Wei had a hundred times the courage, he would not dare touch Wen Shihan.
So this was simply an accident.
She was only twenty-five, still so young. Her dream of becoming a landlady had not yet come true. She did not want to die so soon. If time could turn back, she would never have stepped into this elevator.
But there were no ifs. Everything was fate. All she could do was be more careful in her next life.
Xia Zhi finally lost consciousness.