The shrill ring of a phone jolted Zhang Wei awake. He fumbled for his cellphone on the bedside table, squinting at the caller ID before taking a deep breath and shaking his head to clear the fog in his mind. The call was from Xu Ming, the store manager of his real estate agency.

Xu Ming, thirty-three years old, was a short, wiry man with sallow skin and a sleek, jet-black crew cut that gave him a perpetually alert look. Though far from handsome, he was exceptionally sharp in both business and interpersonal skills. Though Zhang Wei had only worked under him for a short time, he had already learned a great deal from him.

"Hey, Brother Xu," Zhang Wei cleared his throat, pressed the answer button, and held the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, it's me," came Xu Ming's deep, slightly southern-accented baritone. "Jianfa just told me you're awake, so I wanted to check in—how are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks for asking, Brother Xu. Sorry for the trouble," Zhang Wei replied with a forced smile.

"Nonsense. We're colleagues—we should look out for each other," Xu Ming said, his tone feigning annoyance, as if genuinely displeased by Zhang Wei's gratitude. "Stop overthinking it. Get some rest. Don't rush back to work. I'll ask headquarters for a two-day leave extension. Recover fully before coming back."

"No need, Brother Xu," Zhang Wei said earnestly. "I'm much better. Staying home with nothing to do is just making me restless. I'd rather get back to work."

"Alright then, just take it easy. Don't overexert yourself," Xu Ming said.

"Got it," Zhang Wei replied.

"Alright, I won't keep you. Rest well," Xu Ming said before hanging up, leaving Zhang Wei with a dial tone.

As he set the phone down, Zhang Wei felt a warm glow in his chest. Though Xu Ming's call was likely just a polite gesture—perhaps even a calculated move to win favor—it still made him feel valued. Working under such considerate colleagues and superiors made the job far more bearable.

Half an hour later, Zhang Wei settled his clinic bill, his wallet now noticeably thinner. With a wry smile, he sighed. Though he could have used more rest, the pressure to survive left him no choice but to return to work immediately.

By now, it was past noon. Under the scorching sun, Zhang Wei made his way familiarly to the Zhongtong branch office. As he stepped inside, he saw the staff engrossed in their computers, taking notes. Just as he was about to greet them, a woman's voice rang out.

"Well, well, if it isn't our 'hero' Zhang? Didn’t you suffer a concussion? Shouldn’t you be resting at home instead of showing up for work? Anyone would think Manager Xu is abusing you!"

The voice was shrill and mocking, instantly drawing everyone's attention. The speaker was Wang Min, a senior agent in her twenties, mature and alluring, with snow-white skin and an air of confidence.

Though her words seemed like a joke, Zhang Wei sensed there was more beneath them. As their eyes met, his pupils dilated, and once again, golden text appeared before him:

"You nosy bastard. I wish you were dead—less trouble for everyone else."

Zhang Wei froze. Again? Is my injury still affecting me, or can I really read minds?

Wang Min and Zhang Wei had always maintained a superficially cordial relationship, with no overt conflicts. But Zhang Wei remembered an incident where he had accidentally seen something he shouldn’t have—something that must have earned her enmity. She had never directly confronted him, instead resorting to petty schemes behind his back. Now, seeing her true thoughts made it all too clear.

Though he didn’t know the full story, the repeated appearance of these golden texts defied any explanation as mere hallucinations. The fact that they accurately reflected the speakers' innermost thoughts made Zhang Wei suspect he had stumbled upon some kind of "mind-reading" ability. To test his theory, he resolved to try again when the opportunity arose.

"What are you doing here? I thought you’d be resting at home," Wang Jianfa asked, noticing Zhang Wei’s return just moments after he had left.

"No big deal, I’m fine," Zhang Wei replied, then leaned in and whispered, "Did you log into my Fangyou account?"

"Yeah, I already did," Wang Jianfa said nonchalantly. Logging in colleagues’ accounts was a common courtesy.

Fangyou was the real estate agency’s standard software system, enabling company-wide networking. Every morning, the first task upon arrival was logging into Fangyou, which automatically recorded attendance—a crucial metric for headquarters to track agents’ punctuality. Failure to log in by 9 a.m. was considered tardiness or absenteeism. Beyond attendance, Fangyou also managed property listings and client data, facilitating resource sharing across the company.

That morning, Zhang Wei had rushed straight to Tian Tian Real Estate to confront them, only to be knocked unconscious by Wang Zhen. Logging into Fangyou had been the last thing on his mind.

After booting up his computer, Zhang Wei walked to the back row, where the assistant usually worked. Since it was Saturday, the assistant wasn’t there, leaving the fingerprint scanner—a device resembling an old-fashioned desktop phone—unattended. Zhang Wei pressed his index finger onto the glass panel. The green screen displayed his employee ID, followed by a voice prompt: "Thank you."

The "thank you" confirmed a successful login. If the fingerprint was unrecognized, the machine would instead say, "Please try again," requiring repeated attempts until the system accepted the scan.

Just as Zhang Wei sat down, a female colleague asked, "Zhang Wei, how’s your head? Feeling better?"

"Thanks for asking, Sister Li. I’m fine," Zhang Wei waved his arm, smiling.

Li Lin, a petite woman in her mid-twenties with short hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a professional blazer, looked genuinely relieved.

"That’s good. You had us all worried when you were in the clinic," she said, her voice tinged with lingering concern.

Her kindness warmed Zhang Wei’s heart.

Though he hadn’t been at Zhongtong long, both Manager Xu Ming and colleagues like Li Lin and Wang Jianfa had treated him well. He felt a strong attachment to the company and was determined to close at least one deal this month—anything to avoid being fired.