Chapter 30: Meet at the men’s restroom
“You crazy lunatic!” Ansel blurted it out mercilessly, scolding Erica. “How dare you curse me? Who gave you that right? Are you a witch or something? A troublemaker?”
“I didn’t curse you,” Erica argued back, “and I don’t have any ill intentions towards you either.”
“If you say I’m going to die, isn’t that a curse?” Ansel asked angrily. “If you have good intentions, you should wish me good things instead of those nonsense things.”
“What I’m saying is true. I am warning you.”
“Shut up!” Ansel shouted, cutting off Erica’s rambling. “I don’t want to hear any vile words coming out of your wicked mouth. Get lost and stay out of my sight.”
Ansel turned to Nika and requested, “Nika, start the car. We shouldn’t talk to a crazy person like her. What a waste of time.”
“But…” Nika said hesitantly.
“Hurry up.” Seeing Nika hesitate, Ansel angrily shouted, “Before I lose control and resort to physically assaulting this malicious-mouthed woman.”
Under the boss’s intense and threatening atmosphere, Nika swiftly obeyed the order. He rolled up the car window, ignoring Erica’s attempts to plead with Ansel to listen.
“Please, just listen to me. I won’t risk my life chasing your car just for fun.” Erica’s voice sounded choked as it reached the ears of Ansel and Nika. Not wanting to hear Erica’s voice anymore, Ansel continued to urge:
“What are you waiting for? Start the engine. I’m going crazy.”
Nika said nothing and hurriedly obeyed. The car sped away, leaving Erica standing there, helplessly watching.
“Listen to me.” Erica used all her strength to scream, but it was unlikely that the people in the car would hear.
“Will it be okay if she keeps chasing after us?” Nika glanced back to see Erica still standing there, relentlessly watching the car.
“Just ignore her. Crazy people can do whatever they want,” Ansel replied irritably. “We have no responsibility to care. If you are kind, call the mental hospital to come pick her up.”
“You’re so mean, Ansel,” Nika commented.
“Never mind me; it’s none of your business,” Ansel said carelessly.
“Do you believe what she said, Ansel?” Nika asked curiously.
“Are you crazy? I’m not easily fooled. Only fools would believe the words of a mentally unstable person. She definitely has bad intentions,” Ansel replied without hesitation, using harsh words to describe Erica.
“Maybe that’s her way of flirting; who knows?” Nika commented playfully, unable to resist offering her observation. “I find it quite creative and interesting.”
“You’re going crazy too. Please don’t infect me with your madness,” Ansel warned, and Nika burst into laughter.
To be honest, when Nika heard Erica’s words earlier, she wanted to burst out laughing. But faced with Ansel’s somewhat stern attitude, Nika had to contain herself.
“Silence and drive,” Ansel complained.
“Yes, I know, boss,” Nika replied, stopping her laughter and focusing on driving.
The atmosphere in the car suddenly fell silent. Both men remained deep in thought, each pondering their own concerns. And one common thread between them was recalling Erica’s words. Despite their disbelief in Erica, her words echoed in their minds. Nika, too, was slightly affected. The silence persisted until they arrived back at the company.
Returning to Erica, she wasted no time in heading back to the hotel. Erica was well aware that she would have to face the manager’s wrath, but she had no regrets about her decision to chase after Ansel. Now, Erica only hoped that Ansel would take her words to heart and go to the hospital for a check-up.
…
In the remaining hours of that day, as well as in the following days, Ansel remained dedicated to his work at the company, continuing to handle unfinished tasks. In the process, Ansel mercilessly forgot Erica’s warning. Nika, too, was busy with various projects and no longer remembered what had happened.
Today, Erica happened to visit the AB company to help out a familiar person. The job of that person is to clean and maintain the hygiene of the AB company. Since that day, Erica has never thought about meeting Ansel again. However, it seems fate has brought them together again. This time, their circumstances and meeting place were quite unique.
At that moment, while Erica was diligently cleaning the restroom area designated for gentlemen, Ansel suddenly walked in. While Ansel was trying to relieve his discomfort, Erica abruptly stepped out of the nearby restroom. Erica was quite shocked when she caught sight of a man urinating. It could be said that it was her first time witnessing such a scene. Unable to control herself, Erica exclaimed:
“Oh my goodness! I’m sorry; I didn’t know someone was using this restroom. Please let me finish cleaning it,” Erica muttered with a sense of awkwardness and embarrassment.
Erica was quite surprised to see someone appear there. It was clear that she had placed a warning sign at the entrance, indicating that the restroom was not yet usable. How on earth did Ansel still brazenly step in? Could it be that he didn’t pay attention to the details around him?
Ansel’s mind was lost in thoughts, appearing absent-minded, when the voice of a woman abruptly startled him. What’s happening? How come there’s a woman’s voice in the men’s restroom? In an instant, Ansel thought he had entered the wrong place. But clearly in front of Ansel was a male urinal. Fortunately, Ansel had just finished peeing. Otherwise, the sudden shutdown will be uncomfortable, even painful. Ansel quickly pulled up his zipper in frustration and turned around to see who it was.
“What the hell is going on? What are you doing here?” Ansel asked angrily when he saw Erica standing there, looking away. It’s unclear whether Ansel noticed Erica’s slightly flushed face. This incident made her feel embarrassed. What about Ansel? How does he feel about the situation? Erica is curious but afraid to find out.
“This is the men’s section,” Ansel said loudly; “the women’s section is next door.”
“I know that,” Erica replied, still lacking the courage to turn and look at Ansel.
“So what are you doing here?” Ansel furrowed his brow in suspicion and made a conjecture: “Are you interested in peeking at men going to the toilet? Are you a pervert?”
Ansel’s words were straightforward, lacking any tact or discretion. It was surprising to Erica that, in Ansel’s eyes at that moment, she was seen in such a way.
Feeling offended by Ansel’s remarks, Erica was unhappy and somewhat hurt. Therefore, she decided that she needed to clear her name and defend herself.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.
“I’m not a pervert. I’m not someone with bad intentions.” Erica turned, raising her voice in affirmation as she confronted Ansel, looking him straight in the eye: “I’m cleaning the restrooms.”
“What?” Erica’s explanation was beyond Ansel’s expectations.
“I had put up a sign saying ‘Restroom being cleaned, not available for use’ at the entrance.” You didn’t see it or something?” Erica asked, expressing her dissatisfaction and criticizing Ansel’s lack of observation. She even wondered if Ansel intentionally ignored the warning sign.
“You shouldn’t hastily accuse me without reason,” Erica criticized Ansel straightforwardly. “That’s really bad. It’s like you’re insulting my dignity.”
After Erica finished speaking, there was a brief pause. Ansel seemed to be contemplating something. According to Ansel, Erica’s words made sense. Indeed, Ansel had overlooked the warning sign. The reason was that Ansel was in a hurry and wanted a quick resolution.
Their eyes suddenly met. While Erica immediately recognized Ansel, the opposite was true for Ansel, who wasn’t good at remembering other people’s faces. If they weren’t close acquaintances, he appeared indifferent.