Chapter 25 Thirty-Sixth Floor

"I'll go back to the TV station first and come over to stay later."
The Manager stopped her, "Just stay here. Is a fractured face not a big deal? Many viewers recognize your face, Maggie."
The more he said, the more it hurt her, and the more she felt something was amiss.
Her brow bone was now red and swollen, her beautiful eyes still clear and lively, but it couldn't be said that her appearance was good now.
Perhaps she would have to wait until after the stitches were removed before she could appear on screen.
Maggie negotiated, "I need to pack my things if I'm going to be hospitalized. There's nothing here."
He compromised and drove her back to the TV station.
Before entering the office, there were several people fighting in the corridor. Maggie recognized them. They were her colleagues from the show, and Ellie was among them.
"You guys think that your tongues don't move swiftly enough during normal days, so you want to practice your fists!" The Manager was angry, "This is a television station. Preserve some dignity for yourselves."
The director was not convinced and pointed at Ellie, "We checked the surveillance footage. She placed the thing. Maggie was bleeding so much, and she had a nonchalant face."
"How could I be nonchalant? Aren't all the strange things from your team? I moved it in with good intentions. How would I have known it would explode?"
Ellie was tall, with larger bone structure than most girls, and relatively stronger physical fitness.
In the shoving, she was like a ball of dough, with her clothes and hair being turned messy.
She fixed her collar, coughed lightly, and tried to hide her awkward guilt, "I really didn't mean it. I'll pay for Maggie's medical expenses and loss of income."
The surveillance footage was very clear. Ellie was drunk again and brought back the package that didn't belong to the television station.
The whole incident was absurd yet coincidental.
Considering that it was an unintentional mistake, the Manager advised Maggie to overlook it. With a cold expression on her face, she made an appointment with a dermatology specialist in the afternoon.
After a few days of resting, the stitches were removed and the swelling subsided, although it hadn't fully healed yet, there was still a thin and long red scar at the tail of her eyebrow.
Maggie returned to the TV station where "Shining Bright" was being recorded. Fiona, the host who replaced her, was on air. She had a baby face and was full of enthusiasm, with a sweet voice.
Having just transitioned from a journalist to a host, she was not as proficient as Maggie, often making mistakes and causing laughter, but she had a good rapport with the audience, portraying an image of innocence.
As a new face, she maintained the popularity of the show.
In this industry, young fresh blood was ever-changing. Maggie went straight to the top floor, placing a self-recommendation letter on the Manager's desk, recommending herself to join the news center.
She had prepared her journalist scripts from when she was out in the field.
Districts, there were two articles written by the collection wind, which had been published in the Radiant City newspaper with remarkable results.
Behind Ellie was real gold and silver capital. She didn't have complete confidence and carried a heavy burden in her heart.
After leaving ABC, the sky was covered with fine rain threads, lingering like a lover's kiss.
Nick held up a black umbrella and approached quickly, "Mrs. Green."
Maggie startled and covered her chest, "Why are you walking so quietly..."
He pointed somewhere, and the Audi A6 was parked inconspicuously at the corner of the street, "The Mayor has been waiting for you."
Harold has been accompanying the president to inspect Alexandria, DC for the past few days. With orders to give, the head of the municipal government is not idle. He leaned back in the back seat, closed his eyes, and his tiredness showed on his face.
There was silence in the car. Maggie didn't want to interrupt, so she stayed silent, and her peripheral vision wandered around in the car, falling on the few blue veins protruding from the back of his hand.
Her fingertip lightly brushed over them, a few bruises spread like coins, "Did you get acupuncture?"
Harold showed half of his side face, sinking into the neon lights outside the window, "Hmm, I'm not used to the climate here."
"You're not in Washington D.C, you went somewhere else?"
His voice sounded nasal, "Alexandria, DC."
"For tourism or official business? Alexandria, DC has several top-level scenic spots where ethnic minorities have settled."
"Inspection."
Her gaze glanced over his straight nose. She stretched her neck to look at the street scenery along the way, which became increasingly unfamiliar, "Where are we going?"
The man twisted his eyebrow slightly and glanced at her. Her watery eyes seemed passionate and affectionate no matter what she looked at. He muttered, "To cut your tongue."
Maggie was stunned, licked her lips, and shrank back in her seat, afraid to say a word.
The Audi parked in an outdoor parking lot. Looking up, there was a tall wing-shaped building. Nick opened the back door, and Maggie followed and got off, heading straight to the thirty-sixth floor.
The exterior of this building was no different from a hotel, and the interior decoration was also similar, with American-style embossed corridors and thick red carpets. Maggie walked lightly on it, making no sound.
Her heart beat like a drum, as if she could sense what was going to happen next, Harold's intentions, his emotions and desires, were a bit too explicit.
The waiter used a card to unlock the metal door lock, bowing respectfully, "Mr. Edwards, please enjoy."
He paused at the doorway, his arms lightly and solidly holding her shoulders, "You go in first."
Maggie's legs weakened, a blush spread over her ears. After stepping in, she froze for a moment. Instead of a white bed, what came into view was a dimly lit dining room with a cold fragrance.
On the square table, there were eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes, a total of sixteen dishes, delicately arranged and with small portions.
Harold took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Then it's perfect." He untucked his shirt, relaxing a lot, "Sit down and give it a try."
Next to each dish was a name tag. Now, the gimmick was introduced, a state banquet called "Clear Water Cooked Cabbage," emphasizing simplicity.
The names on the table are plain and straightforward. Maggie hesitated with her chopsticks, and Harold's smile reached his eyes. "Are you disgusted?" he asked.
"No, I'm not," she replied.
She picked up a white and ordinary ball from the clear water with her chopstick tips. Inside this unremarkable ball, the secrets of the universe were hidden. It was the most delicious part of the million-dollar-grade yellow-berried fish, finely hammered into a fish ball.
This restaurant did not even have a name, it was simply called Thirty-Sixth Floor. It was incredibly low-key.