On a stormy night, the 88th floor glowed like daylight.
Su Wan stepped into the staff elevator clutching a stack of revised blueprints. The moment the doors closed, the cabin lurched violently—lights flickered → went dark → freefall!
The sudden weightlessness sent her crashing backward into the wall as the blueprints scattered.
"Ah—"
The scream caught in her throat. No cell signal. The emergency button failed. Claustrophobia seized her heart. She slid to the floor, her breath trapped like air in a plastic bag.
The elevator halted between the 45th and 46th floors, a red emergency light illuminating her deathly pale face.
Above her, the maintenance panel suddenly began thudding.
"Who's in there?"
A low, piercing male voice cut through the steel.
Su Wan clutched at it like a lifeline: "Lu Tingchen... it's me!"
"Step back. Stay against the wall. Don't move."
The next instant, the metal panel was pried open by an external force, letting light pour in— The man rolled up his shirt sleeves, his arm muscles taut, reaching out to her.
"Take it."
Her legs buckled; she lacked the strength to lift her hand.
Lu Tingchen's eyes darkened as he leapt inside, landing without a sound. The confined space instantly filled her vision with his nearly six-foot frame. The scent of mint mingled with rain, enveloping her like a net.
"Can you stand?"
She shook her head.
The man sighed softly, scooping her up horizontally with one arm. His palm cupped the back of her head, pressing it into the hollow of his shoulder.
"Hold on tight. Don't look down."
Before they could reach the ladder, the elevator plummeted again! The steel cables screeched as they scraped, and the cabin shook violently.
Su Wan let out a shriek, burying her face in his shoulder as her fingers dug into his shirt.
Lu Tingchen gripped the ladder rail with one hand while wrapping the other around her waist, pulling her completely into his embrace. His voice was low and hoarse yet steady:
"Close your eyes. Breathe. Count with me."
In the darkness, his heartbeat was steady as a drum, each beat shattering her fear.
At "ten," the shaking ceased, the elevator car suspended mid-air.
Cold sweat drenched Su Wan's back as her voice choked out, "I thought... I was going to die."
"With me here, you won't die."
He held her close as they climbed the maintenance ladder, step by step, drawing her nearer to his scorching chest.
At the 46th-floor landing, light streamed in.
Lu Tingchen lifted her up first, then scrambled up himself.
The moment they landed, Su Wan's legs gave out, and she collapsed back into his arms.
His arms tightened around her as his jaw rested against the crown of her head. His voice was low, almost a whisper:
"It's okay now, but—next time you wander off alone, I won't let you off so easily."
Su Wan felt a sting in her nose. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she caught sight of a bloody gash on his right arm, where the ladder rail had sliced him. Blood dripped down his wrist.
"You're hurt!"
She reached out to cover it, her fingertips staining crimson.
Lu Tingchen seemed oblivious to the pain, merely raising his hand to wipe the dust from her forehead, his tone calm:
"It's just a minor injury. Don't worry."
The elevator company submitted an accident report: The main power supply was manually cut off, suspected to be an insider job.
Lu Tingchen clutched the report, his eyes icy:
"Find out who did this. I want them to pay tenfold."