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墨書 Inktalez
Ziya and Qin Nannan listened intently as the footsteps grew closer at the door, their hearts racing with anticipation. They fixed their gaze on the entrance, drawing curious looks from Cui Er and the old lady beside them.
A series of urgent knocks echoed from the door, prompting Cui Er to rush over and open it. As she swung the door wide, a bright smile appeared on her face, followed by a cheerful voice.
"Wow! What a mysterious gathering!" A woman stepped inside, her appearance slightly less striking than Cui Er's, but her elegant demeanor suggested she had received some training. Her polite knock indicated that she had likely spent more time at the News Agency than even the security guard stationed outside.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Ziya felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. Along with her disappointment came a twinge of fear; the Cleaner had spoken so confidently, and then there was Lao Ran, who always seemed to be looking down while walking... She wasn't sure where to begin her investigation.
"Hi! This is my mentor, our secret caretaker here. Liu brought me to work here and hasn't made things easy for my mentor," Cui Er said with a serene smile.
Ziya and Qin Nannan quickly nodded at the auntie, feeling awkward and unsure of what to say. Liu, perhaps exhausted, had fallen asleep on a bench while everyone else was talking loudly. Cui Er gently nudged her, causing Liu to wake with a start. "Sister Li is here," she exclaimed, wiping away drool from the corner of her mouth with a silly grin before settling back down to continue her nap. Soon, loud snores filled the air, prompting quiet laughter from the other four.
It seemed they were all accustomed to Liu's behavior. "Who are you two?" The woman’s professional instincts kicked in as she scrutinized Ziya and Qin Nannan.
Just as Ziya was about to explain their purpose for being there, Cui Er quickly interjected. "They are Liu's relatives who came to visit her today." She winked at them conspiratorially, and they understood immediately not to speak further.
"Oh, generally outsiders aren't allowed in here; if anything happens, our Cleaner will bear full responsibility. Since you’re Liu's relatives, just be careful not to let Boss see you," the woman replied. Liu seemed to have heard Cui Er's words but kept her eyes half-closed, pretending to sleep and not revealing their identities.
Ziya found it strange that a Cleaner seemed to oversee everything; she felt that Liu resembled more of what she had encountered yesterday... The thought of yesterday’s events left her feeling bewildered. Had her abilities failed her somehow?
"Hey! Don’t underestimate Aunt Li; she's a favorite of Boss and one of the veterans here—she arrived even before our Boss did. When Boss first took over this place, there were many things that needed Aunt Li's help!" Liu suddenly chimed in, interrupting Ziya’s thoughts. After speaking, she closed her eyes again, relishing in the comfort after exhaustion. Meanwhile, Cui Er picked up a cup and headed outside, presumably to fetch some water.
"Um, Aunt Li, may I ask you some questions?" Ziya felt that this was the key person they had been looking for.
"Um! That's fine, but you can't break the rules of the News Agency. If you can do that, I can agree to some things."
"Okay!" Ziya nodded in agreement.
"Go ahead! What do you want to ask?"
"Do you know the previous Cleaner Aunt from the News Agency?"
"Uh, well... let's skip that..." Aunt Li's body involuntarily tensed at the mention, and she hurriedly stammered.
"Well, Sister Li... they just met her." Liu seemed to have woken up at that moment and suddenly spoke earnestly to Aunt Li. The implication was clear: there was no need to keep hiding it. Qin Nannan and Ziya nodded, looking at Aunt Li with eager eyes.
Aunt Li fell silent for a few seconds, signaling Cui Er, who had just entered, to close the door. Then she adjusted her walkie-talkie before looking at Ziya and the others, ready to share her story.
It turned out that Aunt Li was originally a contract typist for the News Agency. Due to her age, declining eyesight, and inability to cope, along with her contract expiring, she found it difficult to secure a Cleaner position. After repeated requests on her part, and with her own willingness, she was reassigned as a Cleaner responsible for maintaining cleanliness on an entire floor. Naturally, her salary was higher than that of other Cleaners, but this was merely an understanding between her and the News Agency; only they knew the specifics of her compensation.
As for her responsibilities as a Cleaner, they primarily involved the hallways, while offices had dedicated property management Cleaners dispatched for those tasks. These Cleaners were considered formal and more professional, handling more meticulous work. Everyone understood that cleaning offices was not like cleaning outside; it involved safeguarding against leaks of confidential documents and maintaining overall office tidiness. Moreover, there was direct interaction with white-collar workers—many reasons made Liu's level of Cleaner inadequate for such tasks.
Ziya was secretly amazed to learn that Aunt Li differed from these two Cleaners; she was indeed a veteran of the News Agency. The lobby of the News Agency could be seen as the face of the entire building. People coming and going represented various social strata and circles, each with different experiences. Therefore, a Cleaner working downstairs needed to be presentable, graceful, quick-witted, and adaptable.
"Cui Er, I have to go on duty now; you know we can't leave anyone downstairs," Aunt Li said as she prepared to leave. She then reminded Liu, "You should either take a break or patrol around; we need to keep an eye out since there's a big inspection coming up soon. The Boss is busy with exterior decorations right now; we Cleaners can't cause any trouble. If we're short-handed, I'll find a way to increase our numbers."
"Of course," Liu quickly stood up to escort Aunt Li out. Ziya felt anxious; after half an hour without any leads, she watched as Aunt Li was about to leave and grabbed her arm.
"Aunt Li, please, talk to the editor-in-chief and see if you can keep me here! And about what’s going on here..."
"You child, sigh, I can't overstep my boundaries when it comes to hiring; these matters are not under my jurisdiction. Some things aren't as simple as you imagine. Also, it's best if you don't dig too deep into what's happening here. Not only could you get yourself into trouble, but you might also drag others down with you. I really have to go now..."
"How frustrating, what is this all about?" Qin Nannan furrowed her brows, murmuring thoughtfully.
"You two stay here and rest; I'm going to check floors 4 to 8. Liu, you take a break. Once I finish with floors 4 to 8, I'll help you with your floor 13 to 1," she said, smiling at Ziya and Qin Nannan before picking up her broom and heading outside.
"Let her go; floors 13 to 16 were supposed to be Cui Er's responsibility. Sister Li just switched us around because she's new," Liu grumbled in dissatisfaction with the current situation.
Ziya and Qin Nannan exchanged glances and silently stood up to bid farewell to Liu, saying they were going to the next floor to collect some letters. Liu didn’t press them further; upon hearing they were leaving, he nodded.
"If you want to uncover the secrets here, go check out the archives on the 13th floor," Liu said in a mysterious tone. After that, he leaned back against the wall and pretended to doze off as if nothing had happened.
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