A burst of white mist instantly surged out, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

  Even though she was wearing thick work clothes, she couldn’t help but shiver.

  Inside the container, white boxes were stacked neatly and orderly.

  Printed on them were the words "Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics," exactly matching the invoice on Xiao Ya’s desk.

  "This is it..."

  she murmured to herself, reaching out to lift the topmost box.

  The box was heavier than she expected.

  She stumbled, almost crashing into the stack of boxes behind her.

  Just then, footsteps came from outside.

  Someone was coming!

  Mia was terrified out of her wits. Without thinking twice, she hugged the box and hid in the narrow gap deep inside the container.

  She curled up, covering her mouth, not even daring to breathe loudly.

  The thick fabric of her work clothes had absorbed the chill permeating the container, clinging to her back and feeling freezing cold.

  The footsteps grew closer and closer, stopping right outside the container door.

  "Damn, which idiot left the door unlocked?"

  The voice carried a tone of complaint.

  Mia felt the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t recall who it was at the moment.

  Immediately after, the container door was yanked open.

  White light shot in, piercing through the swirling white mist, illuminating a corner of the interior.

  Hiding behind the boxes, Mia’s heart almost stopped.

  Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, and she didn’t dare to breathe heavily.

  The man scanned the inside, found nothing unusual, mumbled another "Damn idiot," and casually pulled the door shut.

  The temperature here was between 2°C and -8°C.

  In a short time, it would feel piercingly cold. Mia had thick clothes for protection, so she wouldn’t suffer severe frostbite.

  But hardship was inevitable.

  Yet, what worried her most at the moment wasn’t the cold.

  It was how she was going to get out?

  Manager Chen had revealed specific information on the phone. Mia wasn’t foolish;

  she suspected Manager Chen might be stealing from the company, leaking information for an outsider to rob the shipment.

  Now that the door was closed, what could she do?

  She couldn’t get out!

  Should she call for help?

  But if she did… what if the man outside didn’t let her go?

  What if he reported her?

  What was a clerical worker from the sales department doing inside a valuable antibiotic cold chain truck?

  There was no legitimate reason at all!

  And besides, she was carrying a backpack.

  If discovered, not only would she lose her job, but could it implicate her Mike as well?

  Right now, rumors were swirling both inside and outside the department about her and Michael’s relationship.

  ......

  Fifteen minutes earlier, the West Sales District office was already empty.

  Only Michael remained at his workstation, a lit cigarette held between his fingers, his gaze fixed intently on the direction of the door.

  Mia’s soft, pleading words, "Helping Xiao Ya with overtime," were like a thorn, stuck in his heart and impossible to pull out.

  The foul language from the rumors echoed repeatedly in his ears.

  He didn’t believe it, yet he couldn’t help but obsess over it—he knew all too well what kind of person he was, with no family background or connections, just scraping by on a meager salary.

  Why would Mia keep clinging to him?

  Unless Mia was actually a very… loose woman…

  As if possessed, he grabbed his jacket.

  Instead of going home, he headed toward the Finance Department.

  He genuinely hoped Mia was really in the Finance Department.

  The lights in the Finance Department were on.

  Looking through the glass door, only Xiao Ya was there, buried in organizing invoices.

  Tall stacks of ledgers covered her desk, with no one else in sight to lend a hand.

  Michael’s heart sank heavily.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  He pushed the door open and walked in.

  The sound of his footsteps startled Xiao Ya.

  "Michael? What brings you here?"

  Xiao Ya was taken aback, putting down the pen in her hand.

  "Where’s Mia?" Michael’s voice was a bit tight. "She said she came to help you with overtime inventory."

  "Mia?" Xiao Ya was even more confused.

  She shook her head, "She came by in the afternoon, we chatted for a bit, and then she left. She never mentioned coming to help. This inventory is a routine departmental task; it’s always been my job alone."

  Those words felt like a bucket of ice water poured directly over Michael’s head.

  His mind buzzed. The rumors he had tried to ignore, the barely concealed joy on Mia’s face today, her eagerness to send him home—everything instantly connected into a line.

  The public bus…

  Those insulting words pierced his temples like needles.

  So she wasn’t here to work overtime at all. She was sneaking behind his back, messing around with another man.

  A mix of rage and humiliation burned painfully in his chest.

  He clenched his fists, fingernails digging deep into his palms.

  He didn’t even hear Xiao Ya calling his name from the side.

  He turned and walked out, his steps heavy as if filled with lead.

  He didn’t want to go home, didn’t want to face that empty, shabby rental room in the slums, and certainly didn’t want to wait for Mia to return, possibly carrying the scent of someone else.

  He just wanted to find a place to vent this suffocating anger.

  Just as he was wandering dazedly in the hallway, a rough voice called out to him.

  "Michael!"

  It was Gunnar.

  Michael stopped and looked up.

  Gunnar was wearing a black work uniform, holding a walkie-talkie.

  He strode over, patted Michael on the shoulder, and said, "Just the person I was looking for!"

  Gunnar was notoriously tough in the company, more capable than anyone in the Security Department, who had sought his help more than once.

  Even the head of Security often joked with Gunnar, saying he should just join Security, and they’d pay him as much as they could.

  In reality, Security Department people didn’t let Gunnar work for free; they did pay him.

  Gunnar happily accepted. After all, it was after work hours, just extra income.

  "There’s a cold chain shipment tonight, short on hands," Gunnar grinned, pointing toward the end of the hallway. "The cab is big, fits three. Besides the driver, it’s just me, feels a bit risky. Come with me, make it three people, safer that way. There are two guns in the truck too, don’t worry, just for show."

  He had to give Gunnar face. Besides, Michael’s heart was already filled with despair.

  Going home would be torture, his mind filled with images of Mia being pinned down by another man.

  Gritting his teeth, he figured he didn’t want to go back anyway.

  Returning home later would be the perfect time to confront Mia openly and clear everything up.

  "Alright," he answered hoarsely.

  Gunnar patted his shoulder again. "Good man! Let’s go, head to the shipping area first. The truck’s all ready."

  The two walked to the shipping center.

  The cold chain truck, LD-071, was parked at the very back.

  The headlights were on, especially conspicuous in the vast warehouse.

  "You get in the cab and wait first. I’ll go check the back door, just in case," Gunnar said.

  Michael didn’t respond.

  He pulled open the cab door, got in, completely ignoring the driver.

  He leaned back in the seat, staring ahead, his mind a tangled mess.

  Meanwhile, Gunnar walked around to the back of the cold chain truck. His eyes immediately narrowed.

  Gunnar was almost amused with anger:

  "Damn, which idiot left the door unlocked?"

  Immediately after, he pulled the door open to check if there were any loaders inside. There was no one.

  Still unable to resist, he muttered another, "Damn idiot," and casually closed the door.