When the workday ended, almost everyone in the company had left.
Luo Shu stood by the window, looking down at the sight of Qin Heng waiting with a bouquet of flowers, and couldn't help but find it ridiculous.
Qin Heng was the city's deputy secretary, a nominal position his father had bought for him through connections. It was a title with no real power.
His father, the CEO of City A's largest car dealership, strongly disapproved of his son's relationship with Luo Shu. Instead, he much preferred Liao Xian's family background.
Liao Xian's parents were also important government officials. If the two families were united by marriage, some government projects might be directly linked to the Qin family's transportation business.
Therefore, Liao Xian was determined to win. Since Qin Heng was still officially dating Luo Shu, the two of them could only see each other in secret.
Luo Shu stood at the elevator door, listening to Qin Heng's call through her earphones.
While looking at a comic on her tablet, she put on a look of disgust and, in a cloyingly sweet voice, feigned compliance.
[Okay, darling, you go on ahead. I'll be there in a bit. I'll be on time, don't worry.]
She didn't notice that the elevator doors had already opened. Shen Yan was holding them open with his hand, preventing them from closing.
Her falsely sweet expression actually made Yu Zhan, who was inside the elevator, crack a barely perceptible smile.
Shen Yan didn't dare to laugh and turned his face away.
[Yeah, you know, my boss is a total vampire…]
Before she could say more, she happened to look up and met Yu Zhan's dark, imposing face, as well as Shen Yan's "you're-so-dead" glare.
She was so scared she hung up the phone.
"Mr. Yu…"
"Mm."
For some reason, she thought she saw the corner of Yu Zhan's mouth curl into a slight smile.
"Get in!" Shen Yan shot her a meaningful look.
Luo Shu forced a smile, stepped inside, and stood at the side of the elevator.
An awkward atmosphere immediately consumed the three of them.
If you want to know how much trouble a single sentence can cause, this was probably it—
"Is Ms. Luo going on a date?" Yu Zhan asked.
"Not at all. I'm just planning on sending a friend to the crematorium," Luo Shu blurted out.
"Need any help?" He wasn't surprised by her answer.
"Not at the moment," she squeezed out a smile.
Shen Yan understood the hidden meaning in her words.
Because Qin Heng and Luo Shu's situation was no secret among the three of them.
Ding—
Floor 18, the publicity department's floor. Seven or eight people suddenly poured in.
Shen Yan and Luo Shu quickly backed up.
"Good evening, Mr. Yu!" everyone greeted him, not seeming awkward at all.
Yu Zhan just nodded slightly.
The people from the publicity department were very outgoing, always laughing and joking. They could even strike up a conversation in the elevator, chattering away nonstop.
"There's no room here, move over a bit."
Someone said something, and the elevator started to get crowded.
Just then, Luo Shu felt a hand tighten around her waist. A searing heat passed through her thin shirt as her body was pulled next to Yu Zhan. Her foundation-covered cheek brushed against his black suit, leaving a faint white mark.
But he quickly let go.
In an instant, her face felt as hot as an alchemist's furnace that had been fired for forty-nine days.
They reached the first floor, and the people from publicity swarmed out. She could occasionally hear them gossiping.
"Did you see? The hickey on Mr. Yu's neck!"
"I heard that Mr. Yu had breakfast with someone this morning. I don't know who, but look at the love bite on his neck, it must have been a woman!"
…
Sigh, the publicity department really lived up to its name!
At that moment, she wanted to follow them out, but seeing Qin Heng still waiting at the entrance, she quickly shrank back to the side.
Yu Zhan glanced at her, his face unreadable.
"Are you getting out?" Shen Yan asked with a smile.
Luo Shu was certain he knew something.
If she went out, she'd have to face the scumbag. If she didn't, should she leave with them?
She had arrived in the boss's car today. She couldn't possibly leave in it as well, could she?
"I left something upstairs. You guys go ahead. I'll go back up in a minute," Luo Shu said, making up a random excuse.
It felt so long. Even this one-floor ride felt endless, like someone was holding a knife to her neck, ready to send her to the heavens at any moment.
Basement level one. They finally walked out.
She wanted to leave but couldn't. Might as well go back to her desk and draw.
——
Up on the 28th floor.
Luo Shu let out a sigh of relief. She returned to the window and looked out at the city lights.
She sat back down at her desk, put on some music, and started to sketch.
After some time, Qin Heng called again. She didn't answer and just turned off her phone. She made a cup of coffee in the breakroom and continued to draw.
Just watch me mess with you, Mr. Time Management Master!
10:30 PM.
Luo Shu pursed her lips, looked at her sketches, and felt quite satisfied!
She closed her laptop, stretched, picked up her bag, and walked towards the elevator.
"Huh?" The lights for both elevators were off?
She checked her phone and saw a message in the group chat: the elevators were under maintenance and would only be operational again at 8 AM tomorrow?!
Did that mean she had to walk down 28 flights of stairs?!
She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the elevator.
[This empress is trapped, is there anyone coming to the rescue…] she posted it on her Moments with the picture.
Then, she dejectedly walked to the gloomy fire escape next to it.
She sighed, mustered up her courage, and started heading downstairs.
She had only gone down two flights when her phone rang. She screamed in fright, not even seeing who was calling before the phone slipped from her hand and fell into the stairwell between floors.
The sound of the ringtone echoed in the stairwell, then stopped abruptly. In an instant, darkness enveloped her, leaving only the faint sound of her own breathing.
She fumbled around and found her phone. The screen was black; it was probably broken.
Oh my god! You can't be this unlucky!
She pressed the power button, trying to salvage this sudden disaster, hoping it would turn back on.
But the phone remained dark. Instead, the motion-sensor light on the floor above her lit up.
Then, the crisp sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed.
Tap, tap, tap…
The sound of leather shoes, and a faint breath.
"Who? Who's there?" She shrank back against the wall, her forehead beaded with sweat.
Just as she spoke, a tall figure stood at the top of the stairwell.
He was backlit, his perfect silhouette hidden in the shadows. The faint sensor light illuminated him, making it impossible to see his expression.
"It's me. The vampire boss."
She could tell it was his voice.
"Mr. Yu, what are you doing here too?" Luo Shu, scared out of her wits, asked shakily.
"Vampires usually operate at night, don't they?"
She could almost hear a seductive smile in Yu Zhan's voice as he said it.
"..."
This man in front of her certainly held a grudge.
But her pounding heart finally settled. At least it wasn't some other unsavory character.
Then again, it wasn't like he was a good person either.
"Come up," he ordered.
"I'm going home."
She suddenly felt that the man before her was more terrifying than any other situation she could be in.
Yu Zhan let out a barely audible sigh through his nose.
"The first floor is locked. You can't get out."
He paused. "The elevators are usually under maintenance for one to two hours. If you don't mind, come up for a cup of coffee."
Could she say she minded very much?
But it seemed there was no other choice.
He didn't wait for her response and turned to walk back up.
Luo Shu looked down at the pitch-black abyss of the stairwell below and chose to follow him up.
The 30th floor. Even the fire escape had a security door.