Lin Fan saw this middle-aged man and suddenly recalled an incident from the past.
Back then, Lin Fan had just started working as a delivery driver. You see, Lin Fan used to work in a Company as a white-collar employee. He appeared quite respectable, and aside from getting criticism from his bosses, people were generally polite to him wherever he went.
One could say that before becoming a delivery driver, Lin Fan rarely faced contempt or hassle from strangers.
However, after he became a delivery driver, it was as if he was suddenly a second-class citizen, frequently receiving condescending looks from strangers, especially from security guards and gatekeepers.
As a newbie, Lin Fan didnāt know much about the rules. One day, he took an order and found his way to a large mall, intending to park and go inside.
Immediately, a security guard ran over and sternly said, "You canāt park here, move your vehicle quickly!"
The security guardās tone was very unfriendly, clearly being aggressive. Lin Fan thought, even if you canāt park here, canāt you speak politely instead of being so harsh?
At that time, Lin Fan was still young and impulsive. Annoyed by the guardās hostility, he asked, holding his temper, "So where can I park my vehicle?"
The guard replied, "Park outside!"
Lin Fan looked and saw that "outside," according to the guard, was at least dozens of meters away where several delivery bikes were parked.
Alright then, Lin Fan parked his bike there, walked dozens of meters, and reached the entrance, ready to go inside.
"Stop! You canāt enter from here!"
As soon as Lin Fan approached the entrance, another gatekeeper stopped him, and this oneās tone was equally unpleasant.
Lin Fan just got yelled at by one security guard and then faced another gatekeeperās rebuke. It was infuriating; whatās going on? Not allowed to park at the entrance is one thing, but now theyāre also barring him from entering here?
"Why canāt I enter here? Isnāt this the entrance?" Lin Fan asked in a deep voice.
The gatekeeper didnāt explain and simply said, "Delivery drivers canāt enter from here. If you want to enter, you must use the side entrance!"
Lin Fan asked, "Where is the side entrance?"
The gatekeeper impatiently pointed, "Over there! Is this your first time here? Everyone else knows to enter from there!"
Lin Fan looked and saw that the side entrance was about a hundred meters away from the main entrance, leading to the same place. In other words, whether you enter from the side or main entrance, you end up in the same spot. But if he went out the main entrance and then around to the side entrance, heād have to walk about two hundred extra meters.
This is too much trouble. Besides, entering from the main or side entrance leads to the same place. Heās already inside; does he really need to step out, walk 200 meters, and enter through the side entrance?
Is there any need for this?
Lin Fan said, "Mr. Gatekeeper, see, Iām already inside. Letās give it a pass this time; Iāll remember to enter from the side entrance next time."
The gatekeeper immediately said, "No, those are our mallās rules. Delivery drivers must enter through the side entrance, not the main entrance. You entered through the main entrance, which is not allowed. You must exit and re-enter through the side entrance."
Lin Fan chuckled angrily, "Entering through the main entrance or the side entrance leads to the same place. Why should I re-enter through the side entrance after entering through the main entrance? Whatās the difference?"
The gatekeeper said, "I donāt care. Those are the rules. You must exit and re-enter via the side entrance."
Lin Fan, being inexperienced, immediately got frustrated: "Nonsense! Entering through the main entrance or side entrance is still entering. I told you itās my first time, I wasnāt aware. This time I entered through the main entrance, Iāll use the side entrance next time. Iāve already entered, and now youāre asking me to leave and use the side entrance instead? Isnāt this just making things unnecessarily difficult?"
The gatekeeper said, "Stop talking and just leave. Donāt block others here!"
Lin Fan said, "Iāve already entered, and this space is large. How am I blocking others? Am I blocking the entrance?"
Gatekeeper: "It doesnāt matter. Entering through the main entrance is not acceptable. You must exit and re-enter via the side entrance. Thatās just how it is, thereās no arguing. Saying more doesnāt change anything; these are the rules, and you must follow them."
Lin Fan asked, "What if I donāt leave?"
The gatekeeper: "..."
The gatekeeper might not have expected to encounter such a stubborn delivery driver. Usually, any delivery person who entered the wrong entrance would apologize and obediently head to the side entrance after being scolded.
Over time, the gatekeeper looked down on delivery drivers, condescending to them since he controlled their access, and the delivery drivers could only comply, unable to fight back!
Whoād have thought that this time heād run into Lin Fan, whose defiance rendered his yelling ineffective! No matter how fierce the guardās shout, Lin Fan was even fiercer.
Now, Lin Fan was ignoring him and refused to leave and re-enter through the side entrance. What could he do? Could he physically drag Lin Fan out? He didnāt have that kind of experience.
While the gatekeeper was somewhat at a loss,
"Get out!"
Suddenly, a person walked over and aggressively shouted at Lin Fan.
This person was a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, looking like a manager.
His ferocious shout immediately drew the attention of everyone around.
Lin Fan, having worked for so long, was taken aback; it was the first time someone had yelled at him like this, pointing at his face, and his heart sank.
"Iām not leaving, so what? Is that necessary?" Lin Fan scoffed.
The middle-aged man shouted, "You lousy delivery driver, get out of here! Do you hear? Iām in charge here. Who do you think you are? When I tell you to get out, you get out!"
Lin Fanās stubbornness kicked in. "Iām standing right here. What are you going to do about it?"
The middle-aged man was infuriated: "Someone, get this guy out of here! I refuse to believe he canāt be barred from entering our mall ever again!"
Lin Fan laughed, "Oh, are you the owner of this mall?"
The middle-aged man replied, "Iām not the owner, but Iām in charge here. Itās my call. When I say you leave, you leave, or face the consequences."
Lin Fan said, "Alright, letās see how you throw me out. If you dare to remove me, Iāll call the police and let the officers decide whoās right."
The middle-aged man initially thought his fury and loud shouting would scare Lin Fan, a mere delivery guy, into submission. Who would have known heād encounter a delivery driver that wasnāt afraid of anything? Now he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
If he let it go, heād lose face!
But if he didnāt let it go, this defiant delivery driver was clearly trying to escalate the situation!
At this point, he was out of options.