7 Procrastination

Page (1/3)
21 minutes ago.
“The wounds just need some ointment,” the clinic doctor said, tossing the cotton swab into the medical waste bin. “I suggest you go to the hospital for an X-ray to check for internal injuries.”
An Chen lowered his head in silence, not responding to the doctor.
Having seen such situations many times, the doctor understood a bit and took a bottle of blood-activating and bruise-dissolving medicine from the cabinet, placing it on the table. “That will be 8 yuan in total.”
An Chen frantically searched his pockets, turning them inside out, but only pulled out three crumpled one-yuan bills. His phone had been crushed underfoot, and no matter how he pressed the power button, it wouldn’t turn on.
His face immediately flushed bright red.
Seeing An Chen’s embarrassment, Jiang Feifei felt a pang of sympathy. She took out her phone, scanned the payment code, and paid 5 yuan, then handed him the medicine and left the clinic with him.
“Thank you, sister,” An Chen said awkwardly as he followed behind Jiang Feifei. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely pay you back once I earn some money.”
“No... no... you don’t have to,” Jiang Feifei said quickly, still feeling uneasy thinking about that burly, fierce man from earlier. She didn’t want to get involved with him again and waved her hand in refusal.
An Chen looked a little disappointed, pressing his lips tightly and falling silent.
The two walked side by side in silence toward the Gu Corporation headquarters.
Jiang Feifei hesitated for a moment and asked, “Aren’t you going home?”
An Chen gave a bitter smile. “I don’t have a home anymore. My dad borrowed from loan sharks and couldn’t pay back. He even mortgaged the house, but it wasn’t enough. Then he ran away, leaving me alone. I have no money and can’t pay back the debt, so I just have to take the beatings.”
Jiang Feifei felt as if her heart had been twisted. She softly asked, “What about your mom?”
An Chen’s expression darkened instantly. “I’ve never seen my mother since I was a child.”
Jiang Feifei felt deeply apologetic and hurriedly said, “I’m sorry...”
“It’s okay, sister.” An Chen forced a bright smile to comfort Jiang Feifei, but the curve of his mouth pulled at his wound, sending a sharp pain through him. He crouched down, covering his face and gasping.
“Let’s sit down nearby for a while,” Jiang Feifei quickly helped him up.
They were currently in the high-tech industrial park, surrounded by empty space with no shops, only towering corporate office buildings.
Jiang Feifei helped An Chen sit on the steps of a landscaped area. The steps were scorching hot from the sun, but neither of them cared at the moment.
She looked at An Chen with concern as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
After quite some time, An Chen regained some strength and a bit of color returned to his face.
“Don’t worry, sister. I’m okay now,” An Chen said softly, cautious not to move too much. “The debt collectors were chasing me with nowhere to hide, so I saw the security guards outside Gu Garden this morning and thought I could hide there for a while. But as soon as I got in, they found me.”
Jiang Feifei listened sympathetically. “Then what will you do now?”

Page (2/3)
“I’ll hide for now. Once I find some work and save some money, I’ll buy a ticket to leave the city, as far away as possible.”
Sunlight shone on the boy’s face. Despite his injuries, he seemed full of endless vitality; no hardship could truly break him.
“But...” Jiang Feifei suddenly remembered something. “Child labor isn’t allowed in Chenxing City.”
An Chen’s eyes widened, and he laughed aloud. “Don’t worry, sister, I’m already 19.”
Jiang Feifei looked at him again, surprised. She had always thought he was only about sixteen or seventeen.
She hesitated for a moment, then opened her wallet and took out a 100-yuan bill, handing it to An Chen.
An Chen was stunned. “Sister, what are you doing?”
“Take it. You need to leave Chenxing City first, find work outside, save money, and then move even farther away,” Jiang Feifei said, nervously pushing the money into his hand. It was the first time she had been so assertive with a stranger. “You’re penniless and injured now. Everything outside will cost money. This isn’t much, but it can help in an emergency.”
An Chen tried to push the money back. “I can’t take your money...”
“It’s okay. This 100 yuan means nothing to me, but if it helps you avoid a few days of beatings, it’s worth it,” Jiang Feifei said with a shy smile.
Before An Chen could refuse again, a phone alarm interrupted.
“Beep beep...” Jiang Feifei took out her phone; it was the alarm she had set.
“I have to get back to work now,” Jiang Feifei stood up. Looking at the tearful An Chen, she opened her mouth but didn’t know how to comfort him, so she reached out and gently patted his shoulder. “Leave early. If that man finds you again, it won’t be good.”
An Chen wiped his tears and nodded firmly. “Thank you, sister.”
It was getting late, and Jiang Feifei was worried about being late for work, so she quickly left without saying more.
After she had gone some distance, An Chen took out a palm-sized display screen, showing a clear red dot quickly moving toward the Gu Corporation.
He flicked the 100-yuan bill with his finger and smiled wryly, “She’s so innocent, I almost feel bad for deceiving her.”
“No worries,” a voice yawned in his earpiece. “Just think of it as protection money. GSC handles the harassing men for her. A hundred yuan is a steal.”
GSC’s assignments typically start at a million dollars; this hundred yuan was practically charity.
13:25.
The red dot flashed at the gate of Gu Corporation.
An Chen opened his communicator. “Boss, Jiang Feifei has arrived at the Gu Corporation gate and is entering.”
The distance from the Gu Corporation gate to the main building was still considerable.
Jiang Feifei jogged all the way to the lobby of Gu Corporation’s main building, passing a woman wearing a mask and dressed exactly like her.
Page (3/3)
She didn’t notice and ran toward the turnstile.
“Beep, please pass.”
Jiang Feifei glanced at the time on the turnstile—13:28.
She leaned on the railing, catching her breath. Fortunately, she wasn’t late.
Passing by the restroom, she caught a glimpse of her disheveled reflection in the mirror. She quickly stopped, washed off the sweat, and straightened her clothes. Seeing no blood stains from the boy, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning around, she suddenly noticed a grass seed stuck to her back. She pinched it off and tossed it into the trash bin, feeling lighter as she returned to work.
Just as she stepped into the office, Jiang Feifei felt something strange. Her colleagues were gathered, whispering among themselves, but no one was rushing to assign her work as usual.
She tiptoed quietly to her desk.
Just as she sat down, she overheard the gathered colleagues speaking in hushed tones: “I never thought Deputy Manager Liang was that kind of person.”
“Deputy Manager Liang?” Jiang Feifei’s ears perked up.
“Didn’t you notice? He often makes inappropriate advances toward female employees.”
“I never saw it, but the turnover rate among his female subordinates was quite high. I used to wonder why, but now I get it.” One colleague suddenly understood.
“They just couldn’t stand his harassment. This time the matter blew up big. He’s probably done for.”
“Of course. With such a scandal, the company will never protect him for the sake of its reputation.”
Jiang Feifei felt a surge of energy — Liang Feng was in trouble?
She hurriedly took out her phone and opened the company’s internal chat group. Although no one talked openly about it, those who usually clashed with Liang Feng vaguely mentioned a trending topic.
Jiang Feifei opened the media platform. The hashtag #GuCorporationSeniorManagementSexualHarassmentOfFemaleEmployees# was trending high, followed by a glaring “Breaking” label.
She clicked on the hashtag. The first post included a video, with the thumbnail showing Liang Feng’s loathsome face.
She closed her phone, uninterested in watching the disgusting footage. After seeing so much in the past month, she was already considering quitting.
She never expected Liang Feng’s scandal to break today.
Is this her lucky day?
Sitting at her desk, Jiang Feifei smiled quietly. Today was truly the happiest day since she joined Gu Corporation. Indeed, doing a good deed each day brings good fortune. Good people will be rewarded.