Rush hour on the Subway was forever crowded.
Shen Xian finally squeezed in at the last second, body pressed against body, foot knocking into foot, standing in the swaying Subway in such a way that it was actually safe—there was no fear of falling, nor the need to exert any effort to keep balanced.
Shen Xian, nestled among the crowd, looked utterly ordinary in her plain clothes, her hair pulled back simply, wearing a grey hat that belonged to the working class.
Indeed, she looked like a Porter, a corner of her grey work clothes peeking out from her deformed old shoulder bag.
Every person on the Subway had an expressionless face, either sitting or standing, some swiping on their phones, some like Shen Xian, resting with their eyes closed. After all, they were all immersed in their own worlds, not caring about the gender or age of the person squeezed next to them.
In a carriage carrying hundreds of people, it was so quiet that only the sound of the Subway moving forward could be heard.
Suddenly, a woman's voice exclaimed, "What are you doing, you pervert!"
Just then, the Subway arrived at a station.
"Catch him, he groped me and took photos!" the girl's helpless voice, in the midst of the dispersing crowd at the station, sounded somewhat muffled.
Shen Xian was pushed to the door by the disembarking crowd, and through the gap, she saw the girl struggling with a tall and robust man. The man pushed the girl away and made his way toward the Subway door with the flow of people.
In the crowded carriage, many looked over without getting off, and those getting off only gave it a quick glance before hurrying on. In the rush hour Subway, everyone's time was meticulously accounted for, and no one wanted to waste a minute in these tense moments!
Using his tall stature, the man shoved his way through and quickly reached the entrance of the carriage. Shen Xian grabbed him and said, "Delete the photo!"
The man looked down at the petite Shen Xian with indifference and emitted a disdainful snort, heading straight out of the carriage.
Shen Xian didn't let go of his arm as the warning sound for the carriage doors closing began to ring. The man gave Shen Xian a fierce shove, slamming her brutally against the iron frame of a nearby seat.
Ignoring the pain, Shen Xian followed him off the train, moving swiftly and fluidly. She tripped him with a flick of her foot and twisted his wrist with a turn of her arm, pinning the large man to the ground with her knee on his body, twisting his arm until he cried out in pain.
"You jerk, delete my photo now!" the violated girl managed to squeeze her way out just as the Subway doors were closing.
The commotion had attracted the attention of the Subway Security staff, and a few uniformed officers came over. The girl quickly explained the situation to them, and only then did Shen Xian pull the man up and hand him over to them.
"Call the police," Shen Xian said, straightening her slightly askew hat before turning to line up for the next Subway.
"Thank you so much!" the girl expressed her profound gratitude towards Shen Xian, who was clearly a fellow woman.
Shen Xian nodded but didn't reply, walking towards the less crowded queue.
This small episode seemed to have no effect on Shen Xian; she still wore a calm expression, and there wasn't even a hint of the happiness that should come after performing a good deed. She boarded the Subway like a warrior, tiptoeing and resting with her eyes closed amidst the crowded people.
She hoped she wouldn't be late; she had specifically switched from taking the bus, which saved money, to the Subway just to avoid being late, but this delay meant a five-minute interval between train services.
As expected, Shen Xian truly was late.
By the time she changed into her grey work clothes and hurried to the warehouse, the office director was already there, personally lecturing everyone.
"Shen Xian, you're so punctual every day; why did you happen to be late today of all days?" the manager sidled up quietly and chided in a low voice.
"I'm sorry, manager, I..."
Shen Xian hadn't finished speaking when she was spotted by the fervently lecturing office director, Li Wei.
"Who is that? What's going on, arriving now! Do you know what day it is today?"
Shen Xian bit her lip and looked at him quietly, without saying a word.
"Are you deaf or mute, I'm asking you what day it is today?" Li Wei pointed a finger at her, spitting as he asked.
"Speak up, will you!" The supervisor, fearful of becoming implicated, nudged Shen Xian and whispered sharply.
"Today is the day Vice President Shen Fei comes to inspect the warehouse in person," Shen Xian replied.
"Today is the day our vice president of Shen Fei International Logistics, accompanied by journalists, graces our warehouse in person to guide the work! It's a big day for promoting Shen Fei Logistics..." Li Wei corrected Shen Xian with emphasis and a heartfelt tone.
"So today, no one is allowed to make any mistakes, got it? There's no time, I'll settle the score with you later! Go back to your position!"
At Li Wei's command, the supervisor immediately pulled Shen Xian back to stand in the last row of the team.
The neatly arrayed staff stood there and listened to another impassioned speech from the office director before each returned to their work, including the robots transporting goods.
Shen Xian expertly tallied and sorted the goods, then stored them in their designated areas. This was not difficult for her, and it was only at times like this that she felt at ease and strong.
Before long, a significant commotion came from outside. Gu Chen, the youngest and most promising entrepreneur in Beiji of the Shen Fei Group, walked in with some of the group's senior executives and media. The man leading them dressed in olive-gray, carried himself with an imposing air, and radiated an aura of inapproachability. With one hand in his trouser pocket and sharp eyes, he scanned the warehouse—
All the workers were busy yet orderly, goods were neatly arranged on the shelves, the warehouse was clean, and high-tech robots flexibly maneuvered heavy objects along curved paths under digital guidance.
Excellent! A hint of approval showed in Gu Chen's eyes.
The director of the Publicity Department was introducing the warehouse situation to the journalists, with flashes twinkling and cameras clicking away as they captured photos of the warehouse scene.
Looking around, the majority of warehouse staff were men, with just a few middle-aged women. It was exceedingly rare to see a young figure bustling among the crowd, looking to be in her late twenties with a pale complexion and a focused expression. She appeared frail but seemed incredibly strong as she handled a whole box of goods.
Gu Chen narrowed his eyes, seemingly surprised. There was a young girl willing to work in a place like a warehouse?
Journalists randomly interviewed the warehouse workers, who were well-versed in the scripted lines they had memorized, allowing them to handle the journalists' questions with ease.
The office director fawned behind Gu Chen, detailing today's goods in- and outflow, occasionally throwing in a few words about his own efforts during this period.
While everyone was focused on their duties, a sudden noise of something heavy hitting the ground rang out, followed by a man's scream.
"Help... help, a bomb! There's... a bomb..."
In an instant, that voice shattered the peace of the entire warehouse.
Shouts, the sound of people scrambling to escape, the collisions between individuals and goods—these filled the previously orderly warehouse.
A bomb!
Those two words exploded in Shen Xian's heart. She paused for a moment, then immediately ran towards the corner from where the sound emanated.