On the escape pod, Rong Yi felt dizzy as if the metal shell on her body was being stripped away by the wind. For a moment, she mistook herself for a crayfish that had shed its shell.
“Bang.”
“Ah!”
She landed heavily on the toilet seat, the hard edge of the toilet pressing against her thigh, causing pain as she lost the protection of the metal shell. Rong Yi sucked in a breath sharply. Fortunately, the company restroom was very clean, so she wouldn’t pick up any stains from falling on the floor.
However, the stall was narrow, and with her tall stature and long legs, she got stuck in the gap between the toilet and the door. One leg was caught between the trash can and the toilet, while the other leg was hooked over the toilet bowl, curling up against the door.
She tried to stand up, but her sweaty palms slipped on the clean, smooth tiled floor, unable to find leverage no matter what she did.
Breathing heavily, she looked up to see the locked door. It was an outward opening door – all she needed to do was unlock it and she could get out!
Stretching her long arms upward, her fingertips were just inches away from the door lock!
“Is it here?” Suddenly, a man’s voice rang out.
A man? Rong Yi was startled. Wasn’t this the women’s restroom?
She swallowed her shout and waited to see what would happen.
“Yes!” Another man’s voice sounded anxious as he checked each stall.
Was he looking for someone?
“Rong Yi! Rong Yi, are you there?” The man called loudly, “Answer me if you hear me! Don’t be afraid, I’m here to rescue you!”
Rescue? Rong Yi furrowed her brow. Why would I need rescuing?
And who is this man, she wondered warily, how does he know my name? His voice sounds somewhat familiar…
It had been eleven hours since she entered the dungeon. It was early the next morning, still before many employees arrived at work, and the restroom was empty. The man quickly arrived outside the stall where she was.
He tried to open it, but it didn’t budge.
“It’s locked!” he said. Another man asked seriously, “Who has the keys to this unit?”
“Well, Officer Zhang, the Auntie Wu who was on duty last night had to leave early because her grandson was sick, so I let her go without doing the key handover…” Rong Yi recognized the voice as their administrative director’s.
Officer Zhang: “We can only force the door open.”
Rong Yi: “Wait—”
She finally remembered whose voice it was!
The man: “I’ll do it! Hang in there, Rong Yi! I’m here to rescue you!”
Rong Yi: “Don’t—”
“Bang!”
Before she could finish her cry, she felt a massive force slam into her waist from behind the door, causing excruciating pain.
“Ahhhhh—”
With Rong Yi’s scream, the door opened.
Supporting her aching waist, she tumbled out of the stall with the door.
Outside the door, the administrative director, the CEO, three policemen, company security, and another face that had lost its anxious look and was now showing surprise, formed a circle, all looking down at her.
Rong Yi: “Fan Xingze!!!”
“Sister Rong, Zoe is also worried about you. It was unintentional. Please forgive him.” Her secretary, Linda, held a cup of warm water, carefully serving it next to Rong Yi. “Come on, sister, have some water.”
She was still lying on the door panel in the restroom stall. Because of Fan Xingze’s powerful kick, with a force as if moving a mountain, Rong Yi felt excruciating pain in her waist with any slight movement, sweating cold, her face already pale with pain.
Seeing her condition, no one dared to move her. Fan Xingze quickly dialed 120, and now the ambulance was on its way.
Well, she could still survive unscathed in the dungeon, but just as she left the dungeon, she almost lost half her life to her colleague.
Rong Yi watched Fan Xingze’s back, gnashing her teeth.
The person who caused this was being questioned by Officer Zhang, making a police record.
“Yes, I called the police.”
“I didn’t see her after work last night. There was an important report meeting scheduled for this afternoon, she usually works overnight, so I didn’t pay attention.”
“But this morning, when I arrived early, I saw the lights on in her office, her bag was there but she was missing.”
“She didn’t answer calls, she was nowhere to be found, and when asked, other colleagues said they hadn’t seen her.”
“She has an unidentified online boyfriend, I have always suspected that person. A wealthy single woman is easy prey for criminals!”
Rong Yi:…
“In a hurry, I called the police. It was only after checking the surveillance footage that we found out she went into the restroom yesterday and never came out.”
Officer Zhang nodded while taking notes, “Being vigilant and showing care for colleagues is good, but don’t overreact, understand?”
Fan Xingze clicked his tongue, “I don’t think this is an overreaction. If she faces a similar situation again, I will still report it. And I still do not rule out the possibility of ill intentions from her boyfriend.”
Officer Zhang: “…Alright.”
He made a few notes on the police record, had Fan Xingze sign it, then squatted down and asked Rong Yi, “So, Rong Yi, you stayed in the restroom all night until this morning? Why?”
Rong Yi: “…Yes, I was just too tired from work and fell asleep.”
Officer Zhang: “On the toilet?”
Rong Yi: “…Yes, on the toilet.”
Officer Zhang quickly jotted down a few more notes without looking up and advised, “Remember to balance work and rest! Look at how much your colleagues care for you. And about that unidentified boyfriend, if you notice any suspicious signs, like asking for money or bank information, be sure to report it! Be cautious in online relationships!”
Rong Yi: “…Okay, thank you, officer, for going through all this trouble.”
Officer Zhang stood up with a sigh, looking at Rong Yi sprawled on the door panel in various directions, a faint smile appearing on his serious face, “Don’t we all have chaos in our lives every day? It’s a good day when nothing goes wrong!”
Rong Yi: … Your other two colleagues have turned their backs and been laughing for a long time. It must be quite hard for you to hold it in for so long, just go ahead and laugh if you want.
At eight fifteen, colleagues started coming to work one after another.
When Fan Xingze was looking for someone, he asked all the colleagues who had contact with Rong Yi. Everyone knew about “Rong Yi went missing for a night” and was very concerned about what happened next.
Now with the interference of the Head of the Administrative Department, familiar colleagues gathered in groups to either visit or console in the women’s restroom.
Rong Yi lay on the restroom door panel, watching batches of colleagues come and go, making the women’s restroom as lively as a market.
“Click.”
Another familiar colleague took a photo with her. Rong Yi felt despairingly, why didn’t Fan Xingze kick her unconscious.
Hoping, hoping, the sound of the ambulance siren approached closer from a distance and eventually stopped downstairs.
At half-past eight in the morning, everyone coming to work at wbd saw the prominent ambulance at the entrance, and colleagues of all sizes were asking, who had an accident?
So, when Rong Yi was carried onto the ambulance, the whole company knew the incident of “the CFO worked too hard and ended up sleeping overnight on the company restroom toilet, and was kicked by the rescuing CTO, necessitating an ambulance.”
Rong Yi despairingly put down her phone, no longer looking at the sympathetic, amazed, and laughter-filled colleagues.
Fan Xingze followed the ambulance, worried that the vehicle’s fast movement might shake her waist too much, and stayed by her side protecting her. Seeing her sigh, he asked anxiously, “Are you feeling uncomfortable? Is it painful?”
Rong Yi: “… I think— I think I want to resign overnight. I can’t stay in this company anymore.”
“Hush. Are you trying to thank me?”
Fan Xingze extended his finger to cover her mouth, his eyes filled with tenderness and pity:
“No need to thank me. Just take care, that’s the biggest gratitude to me.”
Rong Yi: …
“… Thank you…”
“Fan Xingze, thank you to your ancestors for eight generations!”
