Chapter 15: Rescue

It was after 7 o'clock, and the night had completely fallen. Lin Tianran was the only one left in the silent factory.

He grabbed a chair and sat down in front of the computer screen, carefully observing the corners of the factory area through various surveillance cameras.

Everything seemed peaceful except for occasional glimpses of stray cats.

The clock on the wall ticked away, and the night grew deeper. It was soon time for his patrol.

Lin Tianran charged his flashlight and stood up, stretching his tired muscles, preparing for his first round of patrols tonight.

"Ring, ring, ring—" Suddenly, the phone in the security office rang. In the silence of the night, the ringing was piercing, and Lin Tianran almost jumped.

He picked up the phone and said, "Hello."

"It's me, Xiaotian!" came a voice full of grievances from the other end.

"Who is this?" Lin Tianran had multiple question marks floating above his head. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.

"It's me, Li Yicheng! Quick, come and save me. I'm trapped on the seventh floor. I don't know which idiot locked the iron door outside the CEO's office. I'm still working overtime. How could they lock me in? Damn it!"

Li Yicheng complained and begged for help as he peeked at Lin Tianran, who was listening to the call on his computer.

"Oh, I see. I'll come right away." Lin Tianran hadn't realized that his boss was still working overtime. He thought he was the only one on duty. "But I don't have the key."

"This iron door is a smart door. Besides using a key, you can also enter the password from the outside. Come up, and I'll tell you the password." Li Yicheng explained.

"Okay, got it!" Lin Tianran hung up the phone, grabbed his flashlight, and limped towards the office building.

Lin Tianran arrived at the base of the building and looked up. The entire office building was pitch-black, except for a room on the top floor, which was brightly lit. Presumably, it was Li Yicheng's office.

Entering the building's lobby, Lin Tianran felt a chilling atmosphere. Only the faint emergency lights on the staircase allowed him to see the way in this darkness. He wanted to find the light switch, but after fumbling around for a while, he gave up and turned on his flashlight before heading upstairs.

For a normal person, climbing seven flights of stairs was exhausting enough. But for someone who was used to a sedentary lifestyle like Lin Tianran, it was even more challenging.

Lin Tianran hurriedly ascended the stairs, nearly tripping on the third floor. He held onto the handrail, clutching his flashlight, and struggled to catch his breath as he climbed higher.

It usually took an ordinary person ten minutes to reach the seventh floor, but for Lin Tianran, it took twice as long. He finally saw the number "7" on the floor, and regardless of his sore legs, he quickly moved towards the source of light.

A metal door blocked his path. On the other side of the door was a corridor with a well-lit, luxuriously decorated office room, presumably the CEO's office.

"Is anyone there?" Lin Tianran shouted and immediately heard his own echo on the vast seventh floor.

"I'm here, Xiaotian!" Li Yicheng responded, appearing from inside with a face full of surprise.

"Mr. Li, how do I open the door?" Lin Tianran shouted through the iron door, his sweaty face filled with anxiety.

"Don't worry, do you see an electronic device on the wall over there?" Li Yicheng pointed to one side behind Lin Tianran.

Following his finger, Lin Tianran turned around and indeed saw an LCD screen on the wall, emitting a faint green light, displaying the time.

"I'll tell you the password, just press it, and the door will open," Li Yicheng signaled.

"Oh, I see." Lin Tianran nodded and walked over.

"The password is, um, 890515." Li Yicheng suddenly sounded a bit bashful.

"Oh, 890515..." Lin Tianran repeated the numbers while pressing them. Suddenly, he exclaimed as if he had choked on a fishbone, "Wait, isn't this my birthday?"

"Huh? Really? What a coincidence!" Li Yicheng whistled awkwardly.

Lin Tianran raised an eyebrow, not sure what to say when suddenly, the iron door made a "click" sound and opened.

"It's unlocked!" Li Yicheng chuckled and pushed open the iron door that had separated him from Tian Tian.

"Right." Lin Tianran was about to leave when Li Yicheng stopped him.

"Xiaotian, wait for me. I'm leaving too. Let me tidy up, and we'll go downstairs together," Li Yicheng yawned, and only then did Lin Tianran notice the tiredness under his eyes.

"Alright."

"You come inside and wait. I'll turn off the computer and organize some files," Li Yicheng said with joy, thinking that this would bring them a little closer.

Lin Tianran had never been to this office building before. He had only been to the human resources department on the first floor, and he had never set foot in other areas. Night shift patrols didn't include this building because its security system was very high-end and didn't require internal patrols.

"No need, I'll wait outside," Lin Tianran said nervously. He looked down at his dirty, worn-out shoes and then at the pure cotton carpet inside.

"Come in, it's so dark outside," Li Yicheng walked to his computer desk and, seeing Lin Tianran still standing outside, waved to him.

Being offered such a warm invitation, Lin Tianran felt that he couldn't keep declining. He stomped his feet to shake off some of the mud on his shoe's edges, and then he walked inside.

This was his first time on the office floor, let alone his first time entering the CEO's office on the seventh floor."

Just a moment ago, in the dimly lit room, Lin Tianran was too preoccupied with opening the door for Li Yicheng to notice his surroundings. But now that he had calmed down, he realized that the CEO's office was astonishingly luxurious.

As someone who had never seen much of the world, Lin Tianran could only describe it in his own words as if he had entered an emperor's palace.

The office was incredibly spacious, about a hundred square meters. Every corner of the floor was covered with high-end pure cotton carpets, making no sound no matter whether you walked on it with men's leather shoes or women's high heels. The walls on both sides were adorned with dazzling certificates and banners, all showcasing the achievements of the Huamao Group during its heyday. Various ceramic vases of different shapes were placed on the sides of the room, presumably some kind of Feng Shui arrangement that Li Chongmao had set up in the past. In the center was a large desk, and on it sat a pair of golden pixie, their mouths biting onto coins, looking incredibly lifelike. A handsome man was seated at the desk, sorting through documents he had brought back in his briefcase. Above him hung a magnificent masterpiece calligraphy, with the characters depicting a dragon soaring and a phoenix dancing, exuding breathtaking beauty.

"Tian Dao..." Lin Tianran carefully read the black characters on the side and quietly pronounced them. However, he was illiterate, and unfortunately, he could only recognize the first two characters.

"Tian Dao Chou Qin," to his surprise, Li Yicheng continued, looking at him with a puzzled expression. He then looked at the master's handwriting on the painting above, "It means that heaven will reward diligent people."

"Oh..." Lin Tianran suddenly understood. He had dropped out of school at a young age and was largely illiterate. His lack of education was a significant part of his feelings of inferiority. Li Yicheng wasn't mocking him now but carefully explaining, and he felt grateful. It was the first time someone had taught him like this since he left school, and he had missed the feeling of learning.

"So, does it mean that as long as you put in effort, you will definitely be rewarded?" Lin Tianran asked again, his eyes filled with anticipation of Li Yicheng's answer. Over the years, he had nothing but continuous hard work. He couldn't dare to dream much; all he wanted was to survive, live a peaceful life, and not worry about food and shelter. But despite his struggles, the money he had saved was far from enough for his retirement. Although he was only 30 years old, he felt anxious about his old age. He couldn't think of any other way besides working even harder. He couldn't resort to theft or robbery, after all.

"It's not necessarily that simple," Li Yicheng pondered. "Effort doesn't always guarantee rewards. Successful people rely on 70% sweat and 30% luck, but not everyone can be successful. However, without effort, you will never reap rewards. Getting something for nothing only exists in daydreams. When has heaven ever dropped a pie?"

Lin Tianran carefully pondered his words and was deeply touched. He had just been thinking about motivating himself to work hard and not to indulge in wild thoughts but to focus on improving his current life. Suddenly, he remembered that he was about to lose his job, and his expression dimmed.

He knew that the man in front of him was the boss of this company. If he just made a simple request, maybe with a word from him, he could keep his job. However, Lin Tianran couldn't bring himself to say it. How could he dare to have such thoughts? He was just a security guard, what kind of relationship did he have with Li Yicheng? Even if Li Yicheng claimed they were friends, it was just a show of respect. If he tried to take advantage of this, he would be making a fool of himself. He had a sense of self-awareness about that.

"Alright, let's go." Li Yicheng stuffed his briefcase full and zipped it up.

"Okay." Lin Tianran snapped out of his thoughts and followed Li Yicheng's steps.

As they approached the exit and saw the tightly closed iron door, both of them were dumbfounded.

Li Yicheng: "..."

Lin Tianran: "..."

This was a disaster; they were locked in.

Lin Tianran scratched his head, wishing he had just waited outside.

"It looks like we'll have to spend the night here," Li Yicheng shook his head helplessly, but he couldn't hide his hidden joy.

"Should we call someone to come and unlock the door? Maybe Lao Quan or Lao Wang..." Lin Tianran suggested hesitantly. He remembered that Lao Quan had gone to a wedding banquet tonight, and Lao Wang didn't have a cell phone.

"Forget it, it's too late to bother others," Li Yicheng waved his hand and added, "Besides, it's not bad here. We have a bedroom if we get tired, a kitchen if we get hungry, and a computer for entertainment. We'll be fine for one night. Others will unlock the door when they come to work tomorrow."

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