At that moment, Fang Rong's actions seemed slowed down, his face enlarged, and Tao Xinrou's heart raced even faster.
Her subconscious insisted: This is the suspension bridge effect. Just the suspension bridge effect.
But her irrational mind told her: Ahhh, the president likes her! She also likes him!...
"Okay now, give me your hand, and I'll pull you up."
Tao Xinrou unconsciously extended her hand. At that instant, the future image of Fang Rong flashed again—
Cold light, a nearly indifferent meeting room. Fang Rong, wearing a tailored dark designer suit, sat at the head.
He sat upright, chin slightly raised, his profile sharp and cold under the sterile light.
He looked down at a tablet in his hand, occasionally swiping, his brow furrowed with an intimidating aloofness.
Tao Xinrou shifted her perspective and saw that sitting beside him were senior executives!
At that moment, all the executives leaned forward slightly, respectful, completely submissive.
The vision flickered and vanished. When Tao Xinrou came to, she saw Fang Rong looking at her with concern.
The stark contrast between reality and the premonition, like ice and fire, struck Tao Xinrou's heart hard.
Tao Xinrou was completely dazed. She stared at Fang Rong, unable to tell who the person standing before her really was.
Until—
"I saw you hit your knee earlier. Check if it's serious. Should we go down and have it looked at?" Fang Rong's voice came.
She looked down. Her knee was indeed scraped.
Wait, was the president showing concern for her?
Oh no, why was her heart racing again?
Please, stop beating.
To act tough, Tao Xinrou forced a smile and bent her knee, replying, "No, no, look, my leg moves. I'm fine."
But the sudden movement strained a muscle she might have twisted when she fell.
"Ow—"
She had made things worse.
Tao Xinrou wished she could go back one second and strangle her tough-act self.
She bent over, holding her knee, in so much pain she wanted to cry.
Fang Rong had been right.
Before he could bend down to check, the colleagues who had finished the walkway rushed over, all talking at once, asking if Tao Xinrou was okay. The base manager also came to apologize profusely.
But Fang Rong's brows furrowed even tighter. He looked up, his face stern, and said to the base manager: "What are you people doing? How could a facility have such a major problem without maintenance being suspended?"
The base manager was intimidated by his stare and stammered: "Th-this, sir, our base has regular professional inspections. Today was just an accident, a complete accident..."
"Accident? On a high-altitude safety device, with such obvious wear and tear causing a break, and you call it an accident? If not for the safety net below, have you considered the consequences?"
"Th-this... I'm really sorry. We will definitely compensate."
Wei Hao also stepped forward, but before he could speak, Fang Rong raised his hand to stop him and continued: "I want your high-altitude facility's daily inspection and maintenance records, right now!"
"Huh?" The base manager was clearly stunned. They exchanged glances, and several colleagues looked at each other in bewilderment.
Tao Xinrou felt as if she had witnessed some kind of mode switch.
At this moment, his usual gentle and modest demeanor receded like a tide, revealing the cold, aloof President Ying!
"According to the National Safety Standards for High-Altitude Operations, a safety hazard and accident of this level cannot be explained away with just an apology and calling it an accident. We need to immediately review the recent inspection reports, maintenance records, and operator qualification certificates for all related facilities. If there are procedural omissions or the records cannot be provided, then all high-risk projects here must be suspended immediately for a full rectification."
Fang Rong laid out his points clearly, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Tao Xinrou internally pressed the pause button.
Wait a minute. With this momentum, was the president about to expose himself?
Obviously, the surrounding colleagues were also stunned, shocked by Fang Rong's sudden intensity and authority.
The base manager's face turned pale. He probably hadn't expected this seemingly gentle young man to have such a serious side.
He hesitated, trying to speak: "Sir, please don't get excited. We will do everything you say. Let me suggest: today's fees are all waived, and we'll cover all medical expenses for this lady."
Just when Tao Xinrou thought Fang Rong might call the group's legal department next, magic happened again!
After hearing the manager's promise, Fang Rong's cold aura seemed to flicker like a bad signal. He then noticed the colleagues staring at him in unison.
Instinctively, his gaze darted away, then quickly landed back on Tao Xinrou. His tone instantly switched from the previous icy authority to the familiar one, and he even unconsciously touched the back of his neck: "Okay then, hurry it up. Um, Supervisor Wei, Tao Xinrou probably can't join the next activities. I'll take her to find a place to sit and rest for a bit?"
"Ah, oh, sure, go ahead," Wei Hao said stiffly.
Tao Xinrou watched this 360-degree transformation of Fang Rong, feeling like she hadn't just experienced a high-altitude scare but had ridden a roller coaster of the president's duplicity and exposed true face!
Only then did the stagnant air around begin to flow again.
But Tao Xinrou's heart was pounding.
The president's true nature was really hard to guess. Should she trust him or be wary of him?
This question, in an even more disturbing way, stood before Tao Xinrou.
Author's note:
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Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, but since there's no update tomorrow, I'll say it in advance as usual: Happy New Year!
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