Chapter 6

New Ao Group is known externally as a land of women, a paradise for men. However, only the employees of New Ao Group know that this so-called land of women is no different from a nunnery.

The root cause of this distorted atmosphere is the big bosss of New Ao Group, Lin Huayin. Because of her extreme aversion to men, which borders on insanity, the important positions within the group, except for a few that absolutely require men, are predominantly held by women. This includes the managers and supervisors of various departments, forming a veritable army of women. Even the security department, which has the most male employees, is led by Bai Lao Da, a former female military officer who has almost forgotten her gender and can physically overpower many men.

From the high-pressure policies led by the big bosss to the almost sadistic military-style management of the security department, the employees of New Ao Group can be said to live in a state of constant hardship, regardless of gender.

Originally, the young men in the security department, with their strong and robust bodies and handsome faces, exude a wild masculinity in their uniforms. How could the women around them not be attracted? The male colleagues in the security department are even more miserable, watching a group of beautiful women pass by, suffering from loneliness and emptiness, yet powerless to help the women escape their plight. Truly, they are failing as men!

"Too evil!" Xiao Zheng punched the closet door, his face filled with righteous indignation. "This is castration-style management, inhumane and cruel!"

Tang Ming, who is two years older than Xiao Zheng, quickly rushed over and covered Xiao Zheng's mouth. "Brother, keep it down. The company is full of informants. If you get caught, you'll be in trouble."

Xiao Zheng, with a righteous air, pushed Tang Ming away and raised his right fist. "For the happiness of our female colleagues, we must overthrow the tyranny and fight to the end!"

"Overthrow who?" Tang Ming sighed. "Our big bosss is notorious for hating men in the Empire Tower. If you want to change the status quo and overthrow the tyranny, you'd have to win over the big bosss."

"Are you talking about Lin Huayin?" Xiao Zheng sneered.

"Are you looking for death?" Tang Ming's body trembled with anger, and he warned in a low voice, "Never call the big bosss by her name in the company, not even after work. She is a more ruthless and terrifying existence than our Bai Lao Da!"

Xiao Zheng thought to himself, "Ruthless and terrifying? I'll just make her lose her virtue and purity with my charm."

He handed Tang Ming a cigarette and asked curiously, "Since there are so many rules in the company and each bosss is more twisted than the last, why don't you quit? Could it be that you all have a masochistic tendency?"

"Has Lawyer Deng not told you about the benefits of New Ao?" Tang Ming smiled.

"Which ones?" Xiao Zheng's eyes lit up.

"What are you thinking?" Tang Ming said irritably. "High salaries and good benefits. Just take the security department, for example. With all the bonuses and allowances, we can earn around 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a month. Other companies would be lucky to offer half of that. Not to mention the red envelopes and shopping vouchers given during holidays. With such a tough job market, where else can you find such a good job?"

"So, even if the rules are many and the pressure is high, and even if we are treated like grandsons, we have no regrets," Tang Ming sighed, looking like a man who has seen the world.

Xiao Zheng nodded in agreement but thought to himself, "I, Zheng, didn't return to Mingzhu to be a slave. One day, I will plant the Zheng flag in every department of New Ao, flying high in the wind!"

"Alright, it's time to get back to work," Tang Ming extinguished his cigarette, patted Xiao Zheng on the shoulder, and praised him. "I didn't expect you to look like a movie star in the security uniform. If you change your hairstyle, you could be the second most handsome in the security department."

"Who's the first?" Xiao Zheng asked casually.

"It's me, of course," Tang Ming struck a cool pose and smiled wickedly.

"Go to hell!" Xiao Zheng laughed and scolded, feeling a kinship with Tang Ming and considering him a colleague worth befriending.

Leaving the changing room, Tang Ming transformed into a stern and unsmiling security guard, leading Xiao Zheng on patrol through the 78th, 79th, and 80th floors without a word. Occasionally, they would encounter young and attractive female employees, and Tang Ming would subtly use his eyes to play with their curvaceous figures, but there was no verbal interaction.

No idle chatter with female employees unrelated to work! This is the ironclad rule of the security department, and a core rule emphasized by Bai Yujiao. Any violation will result in severe punishment by Bai Lao Da.

Through Tang Ming's introduction, Xiao Zheng learned about the work process of the security department: two people per team, each team patrols three to four floors, and the floors are rotated daily. The purpose is to prevent security guards from becoming too familiar with female employees in fixed areas and developing secret relationships. Even more extreme, security guards are prohibited from using the elevator during regular patrols. The reasons are twofold: to avoid occupying the elevator and delaying urgent reports, and to prevent male security guards from being alone with female employees in the elevator, thus cutting off all channels of communication between men and women. It's extremely twisted.

"Although we can't interact privately, working in such a diverse environment every day is still beneficial for our mental and physical health," Xiao Zheng thought, feeling that the first 25 years of his life were wasted. In one afternoon of patrol, he saw more women than in the previous 25 years combined.

Tang Ming smiled bitterly. "In a few days, you'll realize how unbearable it is to only be able to look but not touch. To be honest, I wish these women were all ugly. At least it would balance out psychologically."

"Hard work pays off, and even iron can be ground into a needle. I believe that with effort, all the women will be ours!" Xiao Zheng said with determination.

Since it was his first day, as the team leader, Tang Ming was particularly lenient and didn't assign Xiao Zheng to night duty. After eating dinner at the security department's special dining area, he let Xiao Zheng leave.

Perhaps because he had officially started working, Xiao Zheng felt unusually excited and didn't wander around until the early hours of the morning as he usually did. He went to the supermarket to buy some necessities and headed straight home.

However, the house he rented was in a remote area, about an hour and a half drive from the Empire Tower, and he had to change buses twice. He didn't finish his last bus ride until around 8 PM, which was quite a struggle.

The night air in Mingzhu was relatively fresh. Xiao Zheng, holding a plastic bag, lit a cigarette and walked home slowly, his peripheral vision subtly scanning the dark shadows in the corners.

"Still following me?"

Xiao Zheng was angry but helpless.

Since he left the Empire Tower after work, three private investigators had been tracking him in stages. Even his bathroom breaks were recorded in detail, making Xiao Zheng suspect that these guys would spy on him through the window while he slept. It was frustrating.

Xiao Zheng wasn't incapable of shaking off these somewhat professional private investigators, but he knew they were likely sent by Lin Huayin to monitor him. Shaking them off would certainly make Lin Huayin unhappy and anxious. So, he let them follow him. However, Lin Huayin was clearly overstepping. Not only did she follow him on the road, but she even monitored him at home. Was there no personal space left?

If it weren't for the bloodstains on the bedsheet he found when he woke up one day, making him feel a bit guilty, he wouldn't have signed the ridiculous marriage contract and allowed himself to be tracked, feeling so uncomfortable. In the past, he would have probably just gone up and disabled one of them as a warning. How could he be so frustrated?

Shaking off those annoying thoughts, Xiao Zheng walked home quickly.

"Hey? Why is my luggage bag thrown on the side of the road?"

Xiao Zheng was shocked, rushed over, and picked up the heavy, old luggage bag, shouting angrily at the window of the landlord's house, "Hey, Aunt Zhang! Why did you throw out my luggage? We agreed that I would pay the rent next month when I get my salary! How can you lock me out at night? Do you have any contract spirit? Do you want me to report you to the neighborhood committee?"

Bang.

The window on the second floor, where Aunt Zhang was curling her hair, was suddenly pushed open, and she scolded with a fierce expression, "Go ahead and report me! Do you have the nerve to talk about contract spirit? I kindly took you in, and you not only don't know how to repay kindness, but you also sneak into my kitchen to steal food. Today, you even cooked the abalone soup that my daughter gave me! Do you have any shame?"

"I can explain all of this!" Xiao Zheng was flustered and defended himself loudly. "I went to the kitchen because I was hungry, and every time I ate something, I left money on the table. How can you defame my integrity like this?"

"Left money?" It was better not to mention it. As soon as Aunt Zhang heard this, she completely lost it. "Last time you stole the premium bird's nest I prepared for my daughter, you left 3.5 yuan! You drank the bottle of Maotai my husband prepared as a gift and left 5.8 yuan! Is this what you call leaving money!?"

Xiao Zheng argued, "Aunt Zhang, if you want to calculate it this way, we need to have a serious talk! Last month, when your toilet was clogged, didn't I fix it for you? When your husband got drunk and was beaten up, didn't I go to his rescue? Even the tenants who owed you rent, didn't I collect the money for you? I worked hard for you without complaint. What's wrong with drinking a bottle of Maotai? I deserve it!"

"Get lost! Get as far away as you can!" Aunt Zhang pushed a potted plant off the window, threatening. "If you don't leave, don't blame me for calling the police!"

Xiao Zheng jumped back in panic and shouted, "I see you for who you are today. You are the modern Huang Shiren! We will meet again, and we'll see who wins!"

In the darkness, the private investigator closely monitoring Xiao Zheng's every move reported everything to his employer, Lin Huayin, expecting a reward.

In the brightly lit mansion, the icy woman, buried in urgent documents, received the news and felt a sense of vindictive pleasure, muttering coldly, "Serves him right!"