The “ding” of the descending elevator echoed between the two of them. Sheng Zhiyu paused for a moment before stepping inside first.
Qi Fan wasn’t surprised by his reaction. He waited until Sheng Zhiyu had settled into a corner before leisurely following him into the lift.
It was even quieter as they ascended, making Sheng Zhiyu’s voice sound particularly clear: “What did you just say?”
He had even combed through his memories of that drunken night multiple times to confirm he hadn’t said anything so outrageous.
Qi Fan’s pupils were a deep amber color. The dim light inside the elevator failed to reflect that warm, beautiful luster, making them appear somewhat dark instead.
Coupled with his habitual half-smile, he exuded a heavy “scumbag vibe” as he closed the distance.
Qi Fan stared earnestly into Sheng Zhiyu’s clear, dark eyes. “The morning we left the hotel, didn’t you ask me to name a price?”
Sheng Zhiyu: “…How on earth did you interpret medical expenses as that kind of relationship?”
Qi Fan reconsidered, a trace of misunderstood sorrow crossing his face before he spoke: “If that was for medical expenses, then logically, shouldn’t I be the one compensating you?”
“After all, I was also inside your—”
The elevator display jumped to the number 9. Watching the doors slowly slide open, Sheng Zhiyu acted with lightning speed, grabbing Qi Fan by his coat collar.
Thus, two colleagues standing outside the elevator on the 9th floor were caught completely off guard, coming face-to-face with the two “TOPs” who had recently caused a massive uproar in the Bureau.
Because of these two world-renowned names, these two “Ace” faces, and the mission scenario that had been cited as a textbook example of failure, the sight of them appearing together carried an epic level of impact.
Especially at such a… nearly intimate distance.
“Shut up,” Sheng Zhiyu warned in a low voice. He released Qi Fan’s collar and stepped out of the elevator first.
The two colleagues at the door were dazed. It wasn’t until Qi Fan reminded them with a smile that the doors were closing that they snapped back to reality and entered.
“…Holy crap, didn’t they say those two were like fire and water? What were they doing just now? Kissing?”
“Bullshit, that was clearly the prelude to a fistfight. Didn’t you see how tight the White Moonlight guy was gripping the other’s collar?”
“Is… is that so? But God Qi’s eyes didn’t look like that to me…”
The entire ninth floor consisted of the Pure Love Department Head’s office. The two stood at the door one after the other; as soon as the automatic sensor doors opened, they heard the Department Head’s booming voice.
“Are you two just here for the paycheck? How do you teach your subordinates?”
Sheng Zhiyu and Qi Fan fell silent in unison.
The Head of the Pure Love Department was a female leader named Leng. Her personality was brisk and efficient, and she was known for her sharp tongue.
“One focuses on the external, ruining the protagonist’s career. The other focuses on the internal, shattering the protagonist’s mental pillar. What a wonderful display of teamwork! Other people give up when they can’t do a mission well. Your teams destroy it when they can’t do it well?”
Director Leng’s pitch-black stiletto heels stepped onto a gift box on the floor. She sneered, “But ultimately, you two are even more impressive. Sending me gifts one after the other, are you that afraid of not giving the other departments something to gossip about?”
Chu Song was young and lacked authority; being rebutted by his own team members was a common occurrence, so the sight of him being scolded wasn’t particularly new.
However, the Section Chief of the Scumbag Top Group—a man in his thirties wearing an elegant suit—was being scolded right alongside him. The scene was incredibly comical.
The two Section Chiefs hung their heads in shame. When the Director turned to get some water and saw the two people outside the door, her fire was redirected.
“Oh, our department’s ‘great heroes’ are back.” She blew on her tea and threw two files onto the table in front of them with a cold laugh: “The punishments are inside. See for yourselves.”
Sheng Zhiyu opened the file.
The words were vivid red and concise: This employee has violated Article 7 of the Code of Conduct. Punishment: Demotion from the White Moonlight Group to the Backup Supporting Character Group. Report for duty in three days.
Yet his points, bonuses, and even past performance records not a single bit had been deducted.
Sheng Zhiyu’s gaze paused. When he looked up, he realized Director Leng was already staring at him.
After a brief exchange of looks, Director Leng slowly turned back, looking at the two Section Chiefs with a “disappointed in you” expression: “Get out, all of you. Looking at you makes my head ache.”
The two Section Chiefs had been waiting for their “imperial decree” for a long time. They immediately stood up and scurried toward the door, terrified the Director might change her mind and give them another earful.
But just as they reached the office door, Sheng Zhiyu gently pulled his hand away.
“Section Chief, you go back first. I still have something to attend to.”
Chu Song looked at him hesitantly, but seeing Sheng Zhiyu’s calm expression, he could only nod.
He walked out anxiously, only to run straight into the man in the business suit.
The man spoke: “What, did the Director punish him too heavily? Your Ace can’t take it?”
Chu Song, who had been dejected just moments ago, instantly turned into a fighting rooster, retorting: “Shen Xiao, what are you so smug about? If your guy’s punishment was light, would you have needed to bring a crate of wine up here first thing in the morning?”
Shen Xiao looked back at Qi Fan. Seeing no emotion on his face, he turned back and smiled: “Director Leng and I are old friends; we exchange gifts as friends normally would… As for you, bringing two crates of calcium tablets? Is it because you can’t grow taller yourself that you think everyone else needs a supplement?”
“Bullshit!” Chu Song was so angry his hair nearly stood on end. “You’re the only tall one in the whole Bureau. The air at 1.9 meters must be very thin, right? Haha, you’ll never experience the joy of being 1.7 meters in your entire life!”
Just as Shen Xiao was about to reply, the data monitors on both Section Chiefs’ wrists suddenly lit up.
Then came Director Leng’s icy voice: “I said get out. Do you have to open a marketplace right outside my office door?”
“…” The two immediately fell silent and hurried toward the elevator.
Since Sheng Zhiyu hadn’t come out yet, Chu Song was naturally unwilling to share an elevator with people from a rival group, standing outside with a look of disdain.
Shen Xiao ignored him, only looking back at Qi Fan with a worried voice: “Is the punishment heavy?”
The ears of the posturing Chu Song immediately perked up.
He had no idea what Director Leng was thinking. Xiao Yu was a composed kid; if he actually went back in to ask, the punishment must be unbearable.
His heart was in his throat, desperate to know Qi Fan’s punishment so he could deduce how badly Xiao Yu had been penalized.
As the doors closed, he heard Qi Fan say nonchalantly: “It’s alright. Points, performance records, and bonuses all cleared to zero, and a demotion to the Supporting Character Group…”
Hearing this, Chu Song’s brain went numb.
How was that different from starting over from scratch?!
It was over! His Xiao Yu couldn’t possibly be punished more severely than that, right?
Inside the Director’s office.
Director Leng was sitting in her office chair, calming her nerves. Sheng Zhiyu stood at the door for a while before hearing her say coldly: “How much longer do you plan on standing out there?”
Sheng Zhiyu walked to her desk and placed the punishment notice on the surface.
“Director, my punishment…” He paused. “Is it a bit too light?”
Director Leng lifted her eyelids to look at him. “You really have been spoiled by Chu Song. Are you unhappy that the punishment is light or something?”
Sheng Zhiyu shook his head. “I’m just curious. For an S+ gambling contract, even for a first offense, the punishment shouldn’t be this light.”
Director Leng paused, slowly setting her teacup on the desk. “So, you still remember that yours is a gambling contract.”
Sheng Zhiyu remained silent.
“Fine. Since you’ve noticed, I’ll tell you. Normally, all data would be wiped, the contract demoted, you’d be banned from scenarios, and transferred to the System Group.” Director Leng looked at him. “But that punishment is based on the scenario collapsing with you bearing full responsibility.”
“I don’t bear full responsibility?”
“You bear… about 40%.” Director Leng looked away, rubbed her nose, and whispered, “There’s someone even more of a bastard than you.”
“That’s not right.” Sheng Zhiyu frowned. “Even if Qi Fan exceeded his authority, the root cause of the scenario’s collapse was Gu Wangzhou’s character breaking down. The fault lies with me.”
“Whether the fault lies with you is one thing, but the System detected abnormal fluctuations in Gu Wangzhou’s data.” At this, Director Leng sneered. “What, are you doubting my judgment?”
Sheng Zhiyu’s voice caught for a second, then he said: “You have always been fair and just; your judgment would naturally not be flawed… I just want to know, what reason did Qi Fan use to take the blame for me?”
He had seen through it after all. Director Leng frustratedly grabbed her hair, making her tall ponytail a bit messy.
“I find it strange. Don’t you two dislike each other? Why does one…” Director Leng paused. “Why aren’t you gloating that his punishment is heavier than yours?”
Sheng Zhiyu did not reply.
Director Leng clicked her tongue, her face grim: “He said it would be ‘interesting’ this way.”
…Interesting.
What did that mean?
Did it mean that compared to empty performance records, points, and group rankings, it was more “interesting” to tease him with various small tricks, mess up his plotlines, and watch him struggle to keep up once they entered a scenario?
Sheng Zhiyu cared about his performance, but he wasn’t someone who shirked responsibility. He was prepared to bear the consequences of the scenario’s collapse.
By taking the blame like this, was Qi Fan trying to tell him that the so-called performance competition was nothing more than a game to him?
“Director, I—”
“Sheng Zhiyu.”
Director Leng suddenly stood up and walked over to him. “The final decision on the punishment lies with me. I don’t know what grudge you two have, and I don’t care, but once a decision is made, I won’t change it. I don’t believe I’ve exempted you from responsibility. You committed a 40% error, so you received a 40% penalty. Do not doubt me.”
The implication was that even if Qi Fan had indeed come to see her first, this was still the final judgment she had made based on everything.
“Don’t act on impulse.” Director Leng looked at him, a trace of helplessness in her eyes. “You know how heavy your gambling contract is.”
The punishment remained unchanged in the end. When Sheng Zhiyu walked out of the office, he saw a worried Chu Song.
Upon learning that Sheng Zhiyu was only being demoted to another group, Chu Song instantly felt like he had been resurrected from the depths of hell.
“This is good! Once your data meets the standard and you pass the promotion exam, you can come back. This is great, truly great.”
Sheng Zhiyu gave a casual “mm,” his expression deep.
“Why are you unhappy? Do you still think the punishment is heavy?” Chu Song whispered. “It really isn’t. Next door…”
Ding. The elevator doors opened.
Sheng Zhiyu didn’t hear the second half of the sentence. He stepped out of the elevator. “Section Chief, I have something to do. I’m leaving first.”
Chu Song let out an “oh.” It wasn’t until the elevator closed again that he realized Sheng Zhiyu had actually stopped on the 3rd floor where the Scumbag Top Group was located.
Sheng Zhiyu walked expressionlessly through the corridors of the Scumbag Top Group, drawing the gazes of everyone in the section.
He scanned the area calmly. Seeing no one he was looking for, he was about to ask someone when a frivolous voice came from behind him.
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like the type to get lost and end up here.” Qi Fan was holding a cardboard box containing small items from his workstation. “Looking for me?”
Sheng Zhiyu glanced at him, then looked up.
“Qi Fan, about what you said before we entered the elevator… Is it because you’re short on money, or do you think maintaining such a relationship is ‘interesting’?”
It took Qi Fan a moment to realize that this cold person before him was actually discussing the topic of being “kept.”
Sheng Zhiyu’s expression was serious, not a hint of a joke in sight.
Qi Fan lowered his eyelashes and casually flipped an hourglass inside the box.
The bottle turned, and the sand began to slide.
He looked up again, meeting Sheng Zhiyu’s eyes. “I’m not short on money.”
Sheng Zhiyu understood. As he turned his face away, his lips pursed slightly as if making a decision.
After a long while, he looked at Qi Fan again.
“Fine. Eight o’clock tonight. The same hotel as that night. The same room.”