Deputy Director Wang had been complaining about water flowing into the tank, but now he was relieved that the water was flowing fast enough, almost up to his neck. In the dim light of the gatekeeper's flashlight, he noticed that the water was colored—a yellowish-brown, almost filthy color.
"Let's go down, forget about it!" Xiao Lin was really anxious and grabbed the gatekeeper's arm.
"No, if this floods, the whole building will be ruined. There are so many unfinished garments downstairs." This security guard was a good comrade who was dedicated to his duty. He refused to leave and kept checking each vat one by one. He was almost at this last vat.
Deputy Director Wang steeled himself, pinched his nose, and ducked down. Now he was actually grateful that the water was colored; otherwise, a flashlight would have caught him.
Wearing shorts and a vest, he was with a woman in an abandoned workshop late at night. Needless to say, everyone knew what was going on. Besides, they were exchanging glances during the day, and everyone knew perfectly well what was going on.
He absolutely cannot be discovered; this is not only to protect his official position, but also to save his life.
He could tolerate being disciplined at work, but he couldn't stand being abused at home by his wife, who would beat him to a pulp, if not kill him. Last time, a young woman in the office just left a lipstick mark on his collar, and he was limping for a week, almost breaking his bones.
Time seemed to crawl by; he was nearly suffocating when the gatekeeper finally noticed his tank of liquid.
"Found it!" the gatekeeper exclaimed in surprise.
"What did you find?" Xiaolin asked in a panic, understanding that "finding" meant something different from what she thought of the gatekeeper.
"The valve on the inlet pipe of this tank must be broken, but luckily it was discovered in time. Go down and call Da Li Zi, and have him turn off the main valve," the gatekeeper instructed.
"I'll watch the water, you go and call!" Xiaolin protested.
"Just go when I tell you to. I need to keep an eye on the water here. Find a lid to cover it first." The gatekeeper said, turning around and lifting the lid of the large vat standing next to him, then pressing it heavily onto the vat.
Deputy Director Wang quickly stuck his head out to catch his breath; this was going to be the death of him.
The water is still flowing, and there's still some distance to the rim of the tank. If it flows any further, it will fill up. He's getting even more anxious. This woman is so inefficient; why is it taking her so long to turn off the sluice gate?
Deputy Director Wang was already too frail to do much; he just stared at the water in front of him, watching it slowly rise upwards, swallowing his chin, his mouth, and even his nose…
He had no choice but to tilt his head back and stick his nostrils out as far as possible.
Just then, the water level stopped moving.
Deputy Director Wang was so moved he almost cried; Xiao Lin was a good comrade after all.
"How did it go?" Xiao Lin rushed up. "It's fine, let's go downstairs, we'll deal with it tomorrow at work." The security guard finally let Deputy Director Wang go.
"Let's go," Xiaolin urged, "Hey, what are you doing?"
As soon as Xiaolin finished speaking, there was a click as the door was locked.
"What's wrong? It's good to lock the door. What if someone breaks in? Isn't that where the leaders live? These bastards are capable of anything, like peeing in the vat or something, hahaha." The gatekeeper joked as he and Xiao Lin went downstairs.
Deputy Director Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had just realized that this posture was quite uncomfortable. His little neck was tilted back, and his little toes were raised... Was this going to cure his cervical spondylosis that he had suffered from for many years?
He should save himself first.
When the gatekeeper put the lid on the tank, he really just tossed it aside carelessly, leaving a gap. Deputy Director Wang carefully stretched out both hands and pushed the lid hard…
He was slippery in the dye mud under his feet, which made him fall flat on his face. If he hadn't been quick enough to grab the edge of the vat with both hands, he would have drowned in it.
Even so, I still choked on a large mouthful.
His eyes were burning so badly he couldn't open them, and he was feeling terrible; he dared not act rashly any further.
Now he was hoping Xiaolin would come back to save him, but he waited and waited, and he couldn't hear any footsteps coming upstairs. What was going on? Did that girl dare to abandon him and run away? No way.
Or is this young woman having an affair with the gatekeeper? Deputy Director Wang imagined a whole erotic scene and felt a pang of jealousy. He was practically soaking in dye; this young woman was no human being.
He was lost in thought, trying to pass the time, but the position was too tiring and he really couldn't bear it.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he had given up hope; Xiaolin would never come back.
When she took the key from the doorman after he locked the door, she made up her mind never to come back.
In all his decades of life, Deputy Director Wang had never felt such despair. Even being beaten by that tigress last time was worse than this.
It was at this moment that he had a sudden realization, and he cried for help. If he hadn't called for help in time, he might have drowned in the dye vat. Now that he was calling for help, his comrades would hear his voice; they were allies, and at least they could cover for him.
It's better than the garment factory workers finding him when they come to inspect the water pipes tomorrow.
Deputy Director Wang didn't care about anything else; he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Help!"
Huh? What's that buzzing sound coming from?
Can this be leaked?
He panicked even more and shouted even louder, but the effect was about the same.
His comrades were all drunk and unconscious; his cries for help were no match for their snoring.
Sometimes, human willpower truly seems limitless. For a long time afterward, people considered Deputy Director Wang's story a miracle. No one believed that he could hold out in that position in the vat until dawn.
When he heard footsteps in the corridor, tears of joy streamed down his face, and he hurriedly shouted with all his might.
What is this muffled, thin sound?
Is he mute?
The corridor quieted down as those people walked away.
A single, cloudy tear rolled down Deputy Director Wang's cheek; he was utterly desperate.
It must be said that the garment factory has strict management. Even before the day shift starts, if the security guard reports a potential safety hazard, the day shift workers rush to deal with it.
When the cylinder cover was lifted, the maintenance worker let out a piercing scream. Deputy Director Wang's appearance was terrifying, like a head floating in dye.
They stared in horror into the vat, watching the person writhe, leaning their body against the edge of the vat, head down, before suddenly springing out, splashing the surrounding ground with a mess of feces-colored liquid.
Qin Xiaoyu and the inspection team arrived at roughly the same time.
"Call an ambulance! What are you doing?" Qin Xiaoyu said angrily.
The inspection team was dumbfounded. Little Liu, being bold, had leaned closer and asked, "Is it Deputy Director Wang?"
"How is this possible?" Qin Xiaoyu couldn't believe it, but someone poured a bucket of water on it. Although the dye was oily, the paint faded a bit, and her face was still visible. Deputy Director Wang's face was swollen like a pig's head, making him almost unrecognizable. Fortunately, the black mole on his chin was still there.
Deputy Director Wang was sent to the Second Light Industry Bureau Hospital, and what followed was a bombshell scandal.
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