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墨書 Inktalez
Ziya pressed her fingerprint, and the security guard's words piqued her curiosity. She paused to chat with the unremarkable guard for a few moments, picking up on some clues from what he said.
"Do you think there's something off about the security guard?" Ziya whispered, lowering her voice as she leaned toward Zhou Chen. The sky remained overcast, and the late summer weather felt perpetually gloomy, creating a sense of oppression.
"He's been here... all along," Zhou Chen replied in a low tone. A strange chill washed over Ziya, causing her to tighten her collar.
She felt that the cold penetrated deep into her heart. Looking at the dim sky, she truly felt a shiver of fear. Others around her were dressed similarly, so why did she feel so cold? Unable to suppress it any longer, she shuddered violently and tugged at her collar to hide her earlier tremor. Although Lao Ran's money was lost, she had to find a way to repay him! Today’s events were indeed troublesome.
"You want to pay back Lao Ran?" Zhou Chen asked unexpectedly. This left Ziya puzzled; how did he know what was on her mind? Just then, a kindly-looking Cleaner Aunt approached from across the room.
No matter how Ziya looked at this person, she felt an inexplicable familiarity. She hurried over and politely called out, "Liu." The woman stopped in her tracks and stared at her for a long moment before pulling down her mask.
"Young lady, do I know you?" Liu appeared to be around forty years old, speaking with a thick Sichuan accent and wearing a simple yet warm expression. She was dressed in handmade cloth shoes and had an overall rustic appearance.
"Uh... no... I don't know you. I'm just... Liu told me about your situation," Ziya stammered, caught off guard by the sudden question and quickly fabricating a lie.
"Oh? What's going on, young lady?"
"Liu, can we talk privately for a moment?" Ziya noticed that there weren't many people at the entrance of the hall and wanted to find somewhere else to speak with Liu. However, she was unaware that someone was anxiously waiting for her in Zhang, the Chief Editor's office.
"Sure, let's go to my break room!" Liu readily agreed and led Ziya toward the elevator.
"Where's your break room?" Ziya assumed that employee break rooms were usually located downstairs or in some corner of the building; she didn't expect they would need to take an elevator. Feeling a bit intimidated by the red color of the elevator, she steeled herself and followed Liu toward it.
"In the thirteenth floor, oh dear! My old bones and arms are giving out. I plan to finish this year and go home to take care of my grandchild. My son and daughter-in-law don’t like it! If it weren't for the slightly higher salary here, I wouldn't bother with this degrading job."
Ziya could sense that Liu felt a sense of helplessness about the work here. Since the Boss offered such high wages, why not provide them with insurance? As she thought about this, she looked at Liu, who appeared strong and healthy. Deep down, she suspected that Liu was not an ordinary person. After all, the distance between the thirteenth and fourteenth floors wasn't far, yet Liu seemed completely at ease.
"Take care, Liu. Let's talk more in your break room!" Once inside the elevator, Ziya took a deep breath, looking at the elevator bathed in red light. Zhou Chen and Ziya entered one after the other.
The elevator hummed softly as it moved, displaying numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 on the panel before coming to a stop. Whether moving or still, such a sudden silence often left room for wild thoughts.
Both Ziya and Liu felt a wave of tension; it seemed Liu was quite familiar with the situation here, which explained her unusual expression. The elevator doors opened with a whoosh as another Cleaner stepped in. Zhou Chen remained silent in the corner.
"Liu!" The newcomer called out enthusiastically. Both Liu and Ziya let out quiet sighs of relief and exchanged smiles.
"Oh, this is Cui Er, someone from my hometown."
"Hey there! Little sister." Cui Er spoke briskly and cheerfully, exuding a vibrant energy; she was certainly younger than Liu. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she smiled at Ziya and greeted her.
"Hello," Ziya replied as memories of this young woman surfaced from her dreams.
"Have you finished your tasks?" Liu asked with a chuckle.
"Uh-huh, just wrapped up! I was so busy I worked up quite a sweat; I need to clean up before taking a break." Her bright voice was truly pleasant to hear; Ziya thought her own mother's voice was lovely, but this lady's voice was even more delightful.
"I'm going to take this little sister to the thirteenth floor to rest; you should come up later."
"Alright, I'm heading out now." The elevator reached the 12th floor, and Cui Er turned to smile at Ziya and Liu before stepping out as the doors opened.
"Sigh! She's quite a woman, it's a pity her husband passed away."
"Oh, did he die from an illness?"
"I don't know! He died so young; it always leaves people feeling uneasy. There's a saying that those who die young are called short-lived ghosts. Poor Cui Er."
"Do you know the reason for Luo Daoming's death?" Ziya seized the opportunity to ask.
"That short-lived ghost? Don't even mention him! He's a complete weirdo. He would wake up in the middle of the night and go outside to urinate facing the Stone Lion. Even though it was late at night, there’s still heaven above and earth below! He really tarnished his own reputation. Then he'd come into our clean office to smoke, making us so busy we had no time to rest."
"What? He would get up and walk around in the middle of the night?"
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