At 1:20 PM, the Kelly Corporation was deep in its lunch break slumber, the entire floor drowsy and quiet.
A loud flush echoed from the restroom. Ban Xia stood before the mirror, touched up her makeup, smoothed her hair, and pushed the door open with spirited confidence.
It was no wonder she carried herself with such vigor. Though barely a year and a half out of college, she had already climbed to the position of deputy manager in the marketing department. Her portrait hung prominently in the company hall, labeled "Gold Medal Salesperson"—it was hard for her face not to glow with pride.
"Excuse me, may I ask... when does the company resume work?" A deep baritone voice suddenly spoke up as she reached the glass entrance, stopping Ban Xia in her tracks.
Ban Xia immediately curved her lips into a smile, revealing six pearly teeth and slightly narrowing her eyes. "Lunch break ends at 1:30. You're ten minutes early."
The man grunted, adjusted his glasses, and seemed to hesitate about whether to step inside.
"But my break is already over. If you don't mind, you can wait in my office for a while." Ban Xia's smile at that moment was like a spring breeze, instantly dispelling the visitor's embarrassment.
In the deputy manager's office of the marketing department, after a few pleasantries and half a cup of tea, Ban Xia had already uncovered most of the man's background.
His surname was Ruan, the newly appointed office director of Institute 602, so Ban Xia considerately addressed him as Director Ruan.
"Director Ruan, are you here to order women's products?" After some small talk, Ban Xia rested her chin on her hand, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her harmless sweetness made Director Ruan's face flush bright red.
"Yes... that... how did you know, Miss Ban?"
"Women's Day is just a few days away." Ban Xia chuckled lightly, then furrowed her brows. "But your institute really... this kind of thing should be handled by the women's committee representative. How could they trouble Director Ruan with it?"
Director Ruan coughed, pouted with a hint of grievance, and quickly nodded emphatically.
"You have no idea, our women's committee representative is just... taking advantage of her pregnancy to treat me like a servant..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened in shock, bewildered by how he had ended up confiding his troubles to a young woman he had just met.
The harmless, sweet Ban Xia possessed this very ability—to effortlessly pry open the hearts of all male creatures.
"I'm actually heading to the toiletries department. I have an appointment with your Manager Xu. My fault for coming early." After an awkward pause, Director Ruan licked his lips and changed the subject.
Ban Xia's brows furrowed again as she sighed. "Detergent and shampoo again? Same old routine."
Director Ruan adjusted his glasses, about to ask what she meant by "same old routine," when Ban Xia suddenly opened a drawer, pulled out a thin plastic bag, and gently tore it open to reveal a spotlessly white sanitary pad.
"Actually, Director Ruan, you might consider this—our company's new product. Dry, breathable, and leak-proof. This is what truly caters to women's needs." Ban Xia spoke softly, her fingertips brushing over the dry mesh surface.
Director Ruan's face immediately turned the color of liver.
"I can demonstrate for you." Ban Xia's voice remained gentle as she glanced around. Spotting a half-empty bottle of Ban Xia cough syrup she had been drinking from on her desk, she carefully unscrewed the cap and poured the entire contents over the mesh surface.
Director Ruan's face began to turn purple.
Ban Xia's eyelids lifted slightly, suddenly carrying a hint of allure, her voice turning coy. "Director Ruan, you can feel it—the mesh is still dry, not sticky or damp at all."Director Ruan's heart was pounding wildly. After hesitating for a moment, he still extended his finger and gently stroked the mesh surface.
Because it was such a private item, and it had been drenched with syrup bearing the same name as the girl before him, he had a strange sensation—as if his finger wasn't touching dry mesh but the smooth skin of Ban Xia herself.
His fingertip tingled as if electrified, sending shivers through Director Ruan's heart. Just at that perfect moment, Ban Xia lowered her head and sighed: "If Director Ruan finds this difficult, you don't have to consider it. After all, I'm just a young girl sent to work at the Health Department, promoting this... my performance has been absolutely terrible."
"I'll take them!" Director Ruan blurted out: "Our unit has 416 female workers in total. Give each of them... five packages!"
Ban Xia smiled, her round eyes glistening with grateful tears as she quickly turned away: "I have another type here—a new product, 33cm overnight version. You might consider getting five packages of these for them too."
The new product wasn't nearby but in the corner of the office, a full box still unopened.
Ban Xia then stepped forward, bent down to pick up the box, and prepared to open it at the coffee table.
Just then, a buzzing started in her ears—damn tinnitus, acting up again!
Master Qi's words suddenly echoed clearly in her ears: "Ban Xia, you must not cling to wealth and utilitarianism." You need to purify your heart and do good. Otherwise, when the goodness in your fate runs out, there will be a great change and calamity!"
"Goodness? How ridiculous, since when did my fate contain any goodness?" Ban Xia snorted coldly, shifting the box as she took another step.
The clock pointed to 1:30, and melodious music began playing throughout the company, urging employees to get up.
The tinnitus grew worse now, the music crashing like thunder, making Ban Xia's head buzz violently.
"When goodness runs out, great change and calamity will come!" These words suddenly exploded in Ban Xia's mind like a grenade detonating inside her, blasting white light before her eyes until she momentarily lost consciousness.
One minute later, the music stopped.
Director Ruan's mouth formed a perfect O.
Ban Xia had disappeared.
In broad daylight, without any incident—no thunder, no power outage—Ban Xia had simply vanished into thin air, still holding her box of 33cm extra-long overnight pads.
※※※※
Dark, pitch-dark, utterly pitch-dark.
These were the three adjectives that now surfaced in Ban Xia's mind.
Without a single glimmer of light or any warmth, Ban Xia felt as if she were standing in a black ice cellar, the dampness from the floor creeping up her calves like vines.
"Swish... swish... swish..."
Something brushed past behind her—lightly, but the wind felt viscous.
Ban Xia remained still, firmly clutching her box of 33cm overnight pads.
Something approached her, right behind her, bringing a chilling, sticky breeze that felt like a small snake slithering into her collar.
"Drip, drip, drip."
After a while, a rhythmic sound began behind her, like a faucet not fully closed, dripping water drop by drop.
The water spread forward, and Ban Xia felt her feet becoming soaked.
Just then, light appeared around her. Before her eyes, what seemed like a full, luminous moon suddenly emerged, slowly illuminating the darkness.
Ban Xia took a step forward and finally saw clearly that the "moon" was actually a curved blade, now drawn from its sheath, emitting a gentle, radiant glow.She didn't get a clear look at the blade's owner, only seeing him sitting cross-legged, the hand gripping the knife slender and elegant, his posture somewhat weary.
"Why are my pants always damp, why... damp... never drying!!!"
The person who had been behind Ban Xia suddenly spoke, his voice piercing, like someone dragging fingernails across a blackboard.
Ban Xia turned around and, by the soft light, saw everything behind her clearly.
"Damp... damp..." the man kept repeating, his voice rising and falling as he complained about his pants never drying.
But he had no pants at all!
How could a man with no legs possibly have pants?
To be precise, he had no lower body at all—from the waist down, he had been severed cleanly by a single cut, leaving only his upper half floating in midair.
In a momentary lull as a breeze passed, the man fell silent.
Blood began to drip from his waist, drip... drip... drip... one drop after another.
"Why! Why is it always damp!" After a moment, the man shrieked again, seemingly frantic, his body hovering in the air as he suddenly lunged straight toward Ban Xia.
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