The Unspoken Rules of the Workplace

In the upper lobby of Everard Vault, elegantly dressed receptionists sat behind the counter, next to sofas and coffee tables, on which were served complimentary tea and snacks.

Merchants, nobles, and other customers whose identities he couldn't recognize but who were dressed in expensive clothes lined up to conduct their business, chatting and laughing as if they were shopping in a mall.

Kexi pulled her hood down further and followed behind Selina.

Selina walked to the front desk, showed the access code on her terminal, and said a few words to the receptionist.

The receptionist glanced at the access code, then at the terminal screen, confirmed it was correct, nodded, and took a gold access card from under the counter and handed it over.

"Please use the east passage to go to the basement level and find the receptionist on duty to hand over your valuables."

Selina took the pass, nodded, and winked at Kexi.

Kexi understood, and the two followed the instructions to cross the hall and enter the east passage, at the end of which was an elevator.

A uniformed receptionist stood nearby, opened the door for them when they arrived, and pressed the button to go to the basement.

The elevator descended for about ten seconds, and when the doors opened, the air inside was noticeably more oppressive than on the upper floor.

The lower vault was also much quieter than the upper one.

The staff member on duty sat at the end of the corridor; she was a woman in her early twenties wearing small glasses, and her gaze swept over Kexi and Selina.

When he glanced at Kexi, he noticed his hood and frowned noticeably.

What are you getting?

"Bloodleaf Viburnum." Selina handed over the pass. "Two plants from the Rare Vault's inventory."

The receptionist took the card and swiped it on the terminal; item information and permission records popped up on the screen.

She checked for a few seconds, nodded, and then her gaze fell on Kexi.

Who is this?

"A merchant from Huanglong," Selina said calmly, "A distinguished guest specially granted by the Second Miss, accompanying me to collect the goods."

The receptionist adjusted his glasses, glancing at Kexi's hood pulled low over his shoulders. "Sir, could you please remove your hood? The vault has a policy of not accepting people whose faces are covered. We need to verify your identity."

Kexi's heart skipped a beat.

"I have an injury on my face, so it's not convenient," he deliberately mumbled, "I can't stand the wind."

The receptionist frowned, her gaze lingering on his face for several seconds.

Her hand slowly reached under the table and pressed something.

Kexi faintly heard a very soft buzzing sound.

"Sir, Everard Vault is the safest place in the world." The receptionist's tone had changed, becoming much firmer than before. "Our security system can stop any criminals. So you don't need to worry about being exposed or showing your face. Take off your hood so I can verify your identity."

"I told you, I have injuries on my face."

"Then you definitely need to take it off." The receptionist stood up from her chair and waved to the security guard beside her. "Let me see how serious the injury is; should I call a doctor?"

Two uniformed security guards walked in through the side door and stood on either side of Kexi behind her.

Kexi's back tensed, and her hands slowly clenched into fists inside her sleeves.

Now, if he takes action, these few security guards won't be able to stop him.

But once a fight breaks out, things will escalate completely, and then you won't be able to get your things back, or even leave the house.

"Selina." He lowered his voice.

Selina stepped forward, standing between him and the receptionist. "This is a distinguished guest personally appointed by the Second Miss. His paperwork is complete, and his authority is not in question. Isn't it inappropriate for you to treat your guest this way?"

"I acknowledge that the paperwork is complete," the receptionist said firmly, "But identity verification is a golden rule of the vault. No matter who gave the order, no one can enter the treasure vault with their face covered. What if this is some wanted criminal?"

As she said this, her gaze clearly swept over Kexi's face again.

Kexi felt sweat starting to appear on her back.

Just then, a voice came from the other end of the passage.

What happened?

A man in his forties walked out from around the corner of the corridor, dressed in a smart dark suit, his hair neatly combed, and holding a document in his hand.

The receptionist stood up straight as soon as she saw him.

"Mr. Albert, this guest refuses to remove his hood; I suspect there's something wrong with him."

Albert is the head of Everard Bank, and Kexi has dealt with him quite a bit, but they aren't very close.

If he sees this, his identity will be exposed.

This is bad.

Albert walked closer, his gaze lingering on Kexi for a moment.

His eyes were shrewd. He glanced at Kexi, then at Selina, and finally at the access card in the receptionist's hand.

"Are there any problems with the paperwork?"

"The paperwork is fine, but the identity—"

"Let him take it off." Albert interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The rules of Everard Vault cannot be broken. Every guest here has the right to privacy, but must also abide by the rules. Sir, please remove your hood. This is a vault regulation, not a personal matter."

Kexi cursed inwardly; there was no way to avoid this hurdle.

Just as he was hesitating whether to strike first,

The two security guards behind him had already pulled off his hood when he wasn't looking.

Kexi's face was instantly exposed to everyone.

The passageway was silent for a second.

Albert was the first to be stunned.

The receptionist's eyes widened.

She stared at Kexi's face for several seconds, then suddenly took a step back, pointing at him. "Isn't this the Order criminal the Religious Association is after!"

Kexi's wanted posters have been all over Ragunna in the past two days, and almost everyone knows about them.

The receptionist recognized him immediately.

This guy really is a criminal. If I remember correctly, his identity is Master Montelli.

Wait... Master Montelli?

snort.

So what? Imperator will not protect such heinous criminals.

Now that things had come to this, Kexi could only wave helplessly at her and give a smile, "Hi."

"Security! Security!" the receptionist's voice rose eight octaves. "Arrest him! This man is a wanted criminal; the warrant says a reward of Monnaie for his capture!"

Selina sensed something was wrong; he had already moved to protect Kexi.

The two security guards had just taken a step forward when Albert raised his hand to stop them.

"Etc."

Seeing this, the receptionist assumed he didn't know and quickly reminded him.

"Mr. Albert, he's a wanted criminal! That Kexi Xi Montelli assassinated the magistrate of this Jinzhou! A vicious and ruthless man."

She thought that if she told him, Albert would immediately order his arrest.

"What Kexi? What are you talking about?"

Albert looked completely bewildered.

"Isn't this Chonghua, a merchant from Huanglong?"

The receptionist was completely dumbfounded upon hearing this.

Albert completely ignored her, tucked the documents under his arm, and smiled as if he were meeting an old friend. "Chonghua, is that right? You should have said so earlier. Come, come, this way please."

Kexi was taken aback. What did this old guy mean?

The receptionist panicked. "Mr. Albert! He's a wanted criminal! How could you—"

"What wanted criminal?" Albert waved his hand, then looked at the two security guards beside him. "Do you know him?"

The two security guards exchanged a glance.

One of them glanced at Kexi's face, then at Albert's expression, and shook his head decisively. "Don't know him."

The other one shook his head. "Never seen it before."

The receptionist's face turned red with anger: "You were just now—"

"Alright, alright," Albert clapped his hands. "Since it was a misunderstanding, let's all go home. Oh, by the way, you," he turned to the receptionist, "Are off work."

The receptionist paused for a moment, then said, "It's not my closing time yet."

"I mean, you're fired."

The receptionist stared, completely frozen in place.

Albert ignored her and turned to Kexi and Selina, gesturing for them to proceed. "Chonghua, this way. What do you need? I'll show you."

Kexi pulled her hood up again and followed behind Albert.

As he passed the receptionist, he glanced at her, gave her a sly smile—a smile that was as smug as could be.

The receptionist was furious, but Albert had already spoken, so she could only stand there and watch them walk further and further away.

The two security guards had already retreated to the side door, pretending that nothing had happened.

She simply gave the receptionist a pitiful look.

If you don't even know these unspoken rules of the workplace, you deserve to be unemployed.

Thanks to "Rat Is Hard to Bear" for the role, and to "A Sleeve of Gentle Breeze Conceals a Sharp Edge" for the love letter. This is the right way to urge for more updates QAQ, I'll stay up all night tonight and add another chapter.