Chapter 112
Chapter 112
The next day, after finishing their duty, Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou went to the cafeteria.
After eating, under Ling Fang’s supervision, they took out a whiteboard two people wide and began writing a self-criticism.
Ling Fang had said it need not be very long this time. What mattered was that the characters were large enough and the strokes clear enough for everyone to know they were reflecting on their wrongdoing and admitting their fault.
Because in a moment, Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou would have to hold up the board and stand outside the cafeteria for two hours.
Two hours. Two whole hours.
Holding up their self-criticism for two hours while the cafeteria was at its busiest.
Ling Fang intended to batter them both mentally and physically, making them reflect properly and cool their urge to compete and fight.
Xie Qingling began:
“I hereby offer my self-criticism to the Director…”
After writing only one line, Xie Qingling erased it and replaced it with:
“I hereby offer Director Ling Fang my profound self-criticism for the mistakes I have committed.”
Seeing this, Shen Huaizhou changed his opening to match.
Ling Fang’s brow tightened, and he gave a loud, cold snort. He saw through their little schemes and tricks, but neither exposed nor stopped them.
Insisting on naming Ling Fang was simply an attempt to drag him into their embarrassment. A petty revenge in such a childish matter. Even now, they refused to behave.
Ling Fang did not care.
If it made them reflect properly, why shouldn’t he join them, whatever it cost him?
He supervised them as they wrote a brief self-criticism that still explained the whole incident. Only after reading it word by word did Ling Fang nod. “All right. Go stand there for your punishment. Two hours. I hope tonight teaches you to remember and not make the same mistake again.”
“Understood, Director.”
Resigned to her fate, Xie Qingling held up the board and stood at the cafeteria entrance.
Department members passing on their way to eat would give them an extra glance, then laugh knowingly at their expense.
After all, everyone employed here had some skills, even those in the seemingly most harmless and gentle departments, Logistics and Administration.
Gathering a group of people with exceptional martial skills and powerful abilities was itself likely to cause friction and fights.
Otherwise, why would headquarters’ work rules forbid fighting? Naturally, that rule had been written after lessons were learned.
Who would have thought anyone would knowingly break it, test the law themselves, and then be caught and made to reflect?
All one could say was…
Served them right. Hahahahaha.
For now, Xie Qingling was quite comfortable under those appraising gazes.
First, these people had never seen her and did not know her. The embarrassment did not attach to her identity – she had not even written her name in the self-criticism.
Second, Shen Huaizhou stood beside her. His tall figure and excessively beautiful, cool face drew most of the attention away from her.
Shen Huaizhou’s cold face was expressionless. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Both stood properly, holding the board with both hands in a regulation military stance. Neither the wind nor passing people could make them move.
Because Ling Fang was still standing beside them.
Ling Fang was supervising them, effectively joining them in their punishment.
…So wasn’t Ling Fang actually the most embarrassed?
While her thoughts wandered, a group approached from ahead.
At its head was a man dressed entirely in black, wearing a suit and leather shoes. He had gold-rimmed glasses, and a golden pen was clipped into his suit’s breast pocket.
Two ranks of people followed him, arranged neatly and moving in perfect step, with the elegance of an honor guard.
Xie Qingling noticed that the uniforms of those two ranks were also entirely black, looking much like hers and Shen Huaizhou’s.
From what she had learned about headquarters over these days, Xie Qingling knew the uniforms of its four departments had subtle differences.
The Operations Department had gold trim; the Medical Department, grass-green trim; the elusive Technology R&D Department, silver trim.
As for people dressed entirely in black, apart from those from regional cities, they belonged to the Administration Department or Logistics Department.
So…
There were so many of them that they did not look like regional members. Were they from Administration or Logistics?
As Xie Qingling studied the man, he studied her too. His long, narrow, foxlike eyes narrowed, then he walked straight toward her.
“…”
Was he going to lead his team over to stare at her?
Surely there was no need for that.
Weren’t headquarters members supposed to have seen everything? Why join the crowd over such a minor spectacle?
More absurdly, as soon as this group appeared, the people who had been watching Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou scattered like startled birds and beasts. As though they had seen a terrifying monster, they opened a path for the group.
That made the group’s identity seem even more mysterious.
The man with gold-rimmed glasses stopped before Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou, studied them carefully for a few moments, then pressed his lips together. In a deep, stern voice, either to himself or to Ling Fang, he said, “More foolish rookies fighting? It seems the rules I’ve drawn up still aren’t detailed or intimidating enough.”
“I’m already punishing them,” Ling Fang said.
The man nodded, then added, “Public humiliation… That’s a good method. I’ll consider writing it into the rules, so everyone can learn from it.”
Xie Qingling: “…”
Shen Huaizhou: “…”
What a freak.
Having briefly delivered his opinion, the man led his two ranks of people into the cafeteria in a grand procession to eat.
The people in front of them automatically opened a path too, stepping aside at the sight of them. It worked even better than monsters and ghosts.
“Director, who is he?” Xie Qingling asked quietly. “What an imposing entrance.”
“It’s not that he’s imposing,” Ling Fang said. “Everyone is simply afraid of him.”
“Why?”
“He’s the Director of the Administration Department. Yang Baduan. A man who likes to enforce discipline and rules strictly. Headquarters’ one hundred and eighty rules were written by him personally.”
After a pause, Ling Fang also gave him high praise. “Of course, Director Yang is outstanding at his job. He assists the Director in keeping headquarters impeccably organized and is Director Fu Zihua’s capable right-hand man.”
Xie Qingling marveled.
Wasn’t that an even more devilish version of Ling Fang?
In comparison, their colleagues in Future City were so lovable, so innocent, so harmless.
What sort of demons and monsters were all these people at headquarters?
They stood for a while longer. As Xie Qingling gradually grew less embarrassed, she even turned her attention to Ling Fang. “Director, you should leave. We promise we’ll stand here for the full two hours. We absolutely, definitely won’t run off early.”
Ling Fang thought it over. They would not dare, he reckoned, so he accepted Xie Qingling’s suggestion.
But before leaving, Ling Fang still placed a clay figurine of a bound ghost at their feet to supervise them.
The figurine served a similar function to a camera. If either of them ran off midway, it would trigger a warning.
Only after doing this did Ling Fang leave.
After he left, Shen Huaizhou suddenly said, “I wouldn’t have guessed you cared so much about the Director.”
Xie Qingling smiled. “The self-criticism has the Director’s name, not ours. If he keeps supervising us, sooner or later the people who see us will realize Ling Fang is the Director, and the Director is Ling Fang. After today, whenever they see Ling Fang, they’ll remember today. When they remember today, they’ll remember the two people beside him reflecting on their wrongdoing at the cafeteria. They didn’t know us before, but once they remember Ling Fang’s name and face, they’ll remember us too.”
“But if the Director isn’t here, at most they’ll remember something like this happened. They’ll soon forget who we were.”
Shen Huaizhou was silent for a while. “You have a point.”
Then he continued standing there, his face utterly fearless.
After all, Xie Qingling was right. The people at headquarters did not know them. After today, who would recognize whom? Everyone was busy and had no time to pay attention to such trivial matters.
About ten minutes later, two people stopped before Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou.
Two women.
One was a cool beauty with a classical air; the other, a mature, commanding woman with long, loose waves.
One was Yang Ruoyu. Xie Qingling did not know the other.
The mature woman carefully read the self-criticism in Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou’s hands, then asked, “Ling Fang. I know Ling Fang, the Director of Future City’s Operations Department. I’ve met him when he came to headquarters for meetings, and we’ve talked a few times. And who are you? What mistake did you make?”
Neither Xie Qingling nor Shen Huaizhou was particularly sociable. Naturally, they would not eagerly introduce themselves to her.
Both remained silent.
At that moment, Yang Ruoyu, standing beside the mature woman, glanced at Xie Qingling and said, “Director, you’re better off not knowing.”
“Hm? Why?” The mature woman turned to her and asked.
“Because…” Yang Ruoyu looked at Xie Qingling, mixed emotions in her eyes. “Her name is Xie Qingling. She’s the one you mention every day. Haven’t you been hoping to poach her from Director Ling?”
“She’s quite special, isn’t she?”
Xie Qingling: “…”
The mature woman: “…”
“Ahahaha, little Xie, I didn’t see a thing…” Hope City’s Director, Jiang Moli, laughed awkwardly, grabbed Yang Ruoyu, and hurried away.
After they were far away, Shen Huaizhou suddenly said, “It seems there are people at headquarters who know us after all.”
Over these days, Shen Huaizhou had also been on duty outside. But he was truly unapproachable, with an overpowering presence. His strikingly cool, beautiful face made headquarters’ Patrol Unit members reluctant to get close to him, while people from other cities kept a respectful distance too. So Shen Huaizhou had made no friends.
Even now, quite a few people thought he was a woman.
Shen Huaizhou had therefore naturally assumed that few people at headquarters had a strong impression of them. Hardly anyone could even call out their names without hesitation.
Who would have thought the appearance of those two women would overturn that assumption? Plenty of people might not know his name, but Xie Qingling was clearly better at making friends than he was.
“Hold this for me.” Shen Huaizhou passed his whiteboard to Xie Qingling.
Xie Qingling did not understand, but took it and held it for him.
With his hands free, Shen Huaizhou deftly untied the skirt around his waist and folded it neatly to one side.
Then he took out a hair tie and tied up his long hair.
Seen from the front now, the cool, icy beauty had vanished. The even colder, more merciless male Shen Huaizhou appeared.
Shen Huaizhou took back his whiteboard and continued standing quietly.
Realizing what he meant to do, Xie Qingling’s expression darkened.
“…Shen Huaizhou,” Xie Qingling said through gritted teeth. “You have no friends now.”
Shen Huaizhou: “…”