"From Taiwan? What are you doing at Hengwei? Oh, I see. Taiwan's economy has been bad these past few years, so you lost your job and came to the mainland to compete for jobs? There are many people like you in the middle management of Taiwanese-funded companies like Hengwei."
"What do you mean by being laid off? You still haven't told me where you're from."
"From the mainland."
"What do you mean by 'the mainland'? Am I the ocean? How can you be like this? You have no sincerity at all."
I ignored him, rolled my eyes at him, and practically dragged him into the elevator.
Which floor?
"33rd floor."
"Press it yourself!" I said irritably.
Are all girls from mainland China this fierce?
"Fierce? I'm not sure if all girls from mainland China are this fierce, but if you try being late today, you'll know how much scarier Taiwanese girls are when they're fierce—Ms. Huang from your company's HR department is a complete Taiwanese 1966 version, a stage N menopausal pathological specimen. It's 1:32 now, you'll see."
He smiled mysteriously: "You're from Hengwei too? Then aren't you going to come with me to see the 'Dean of Students'?"
“Don’t be silly,” I could almost see myself smiling so brightly. “I’m from Zhengdong Advertising Company. Hengwei is one of our big clients. My job is to collect money, not to provide training. But don’t worry, Miss Huang always shows some leniency to handsome guys. As for your looks,” I looked him up and down seriously, then sighed, “if I had to say you’re handsome, it would take a lot of perseverance and imagination. But it doesn’t matter, we have the advantage of being young.”
I could see his face contorted with rage even through the soles of my feet.
"Is Ms. Huang really that scary?" he asked me, glancing anxiously at his watch with a pitiful look. My heart softened; finding a job here after coming all the way from Taiwan was no easy feat. I quickly reassured him, "Not really. Just remember, no matter what, just bow your head and admit your mistake. Don't argue with her. Let her lecture you for an hour or two, and it'll be over. You've crossed the strait, which has been separated for over 40 years; this little storm won't capsize you." As an elite salesperson, I could even recite the birthdays of Hengwei's boss's concubines; Ms. Huang's little bit of information in HR was a piece of cake for me.
"Could you give me your business card? I don't even know your name."
"What?" I immediately became alert.
"I want to pay for your dress."
"No need, no need, I've just run out of business cards." I thought to myself, who can guarantee you're not planning to use them to blackmail me later when you're in a bad mood?
"Ouch, my leg seems to be hurting more and more. I think I should take sick leave and go to the hospital for a check-up, maybe that will help." He bent down in a pretentious manner, causing me to stumble and almost fall again.
"Oh, I remember now, there seems to be one left." I was in a hurry to collect the money from the finance department and really didn't want to get entangled with this unknown Taiwanese man in the elevator any longer, so I quickly rummaged through my bag and handed him a business card.
Seeing him accept the business card with a smug look on his face, and then double-check the company name with obvious distrust, I wanted nothing more than to punch him and give him a good beating, and I also deeply regretted letting the cat out of the bag earlier.
The elevator finally reached the 33rd floor. I gritted my teeth, forced a smile, and pushed him out, saying, "Hurry up and go, be careful, don't break your remaining hands and feet too."
He nimbly jumped out, a mischievous grin on his face, and said, "Okay, I'll be careful. You be careful too, the ladies in the finance department aren't in a good mood today, you might not get your checks."
The elevator doors closed just before I started cursing.
But then I remembered that it was Xia Mengmeng's business card, the most clueless girl in our company, and my anger subsided considerably.
After sitting on the sidelines for two hours, enduring relentless pestering without retaliating, the 4 million yuan check finally found its way into my backpack when I left Hengwei's finance department. Just then, the long-faced finance manager actually personally escorted me to the door, saying, "You're really lucky. Taizi Dong only signed three checks today, and this one was for you. I respect your professionalism, but if possible, I don't want to see you chasing payments again."
"Okay, no problem, anyone can come, as long as you transfer the money directly to our account, we don't need anyone to come."
Part One, Chapter Two
To save a dollar on bus fare, I squeezed onto a non-air-conditioned bus for almost an hour to get back to the office. The building's central air conditioning immediately enveloped me in a cool paradise. After handing over the checks to the finance department, I could finally sit comfortably at my desk. I carefully wiped the now-cool sweat from my forehead with a tissue, trying to make sure every part of my body was comfortably seated in the chair.
"Ugh, you smell of sweat. Please, Li Hao, a young lady should pay more attention to her manners. Since you received such a large check, you should have taken a taxi for your own safety. The company will reimburse you anyway." The secretary, A.M., sitting next to her, said with her meticulously groomed eyebrows furrowed.
"Nonsense, if I get reimbursed once, my monthly thrift bonus of 100 yuan will be gone, enough to buy two months' worth of lunch."
"Do you really have to be so frugal? Your basic salary plus commission is almost seven thousand a month. Are you saving so much money to pay for your wedding? Hehehe..."
"Whether I buy my bed or not is a small matter. I'm just afraid that if you keep laughing like that, the wrinkles on your face will be so deep that even an iron won't be able to smooth them out, hahaha." I left the chair with a simple and honest smile, not even bothering to glance at A-May's frighteningly large mothballs.
On my way to the break room, I bumped into Huang Tou'er.
"Perfect timing, Li Hao, come with me to head office. The HR department wants to see you."
I immediately had a hunch. With the recent economic downturn, the Hong Kong headquarters had been planning to reduce staff for some time. Could they have already started this so soon?
"You only asked me to go?"
"Indeed, I don't know what it means. The head office has a new general manager, who is the eldest son of the chairman of the Hong Kong head office. New personnel, new style, sigh, I don't know how the world will be thrown into chaos."
I spent about thirty seconds calculating how much money I had on hand, plus two months' compensation, and after deducting this month's rent, utilities, and three meals a day, could support me for the longest time to find a second job. So I calmed down immediately and followed Huang Tou'er, who looked even more melancholy than me, into the elevator.
This is the second time I've met Joyes, the beautiful HR manager. The first time I met her, although she still had a cold expression, I thought it was the professional demeanor unique to HR managers of large companies, so I wasn't too bothered. But this time, as soon as I sat down, she only glanced at me, and I immediately felt an unprecedented chill. The composure I had when I sat down began to waver involuntarily.
"Ms. Li has been working for our company for almost a year now, hasn't she?" She stopped looking at me and focused intently on a stack of papers on her desk—who knows what they were—as if I were nothing more than a greasy stain on a pile of A4 paper, perhaps just a slightly larger drop.
"Half a month to a year," I said, trying to relieve the increasing pressure in the room.
"Hmm," she mumbled noncommittally and then fell silent. I glanced at the blond-haired guy sitting to the side; he was playing with his phone, completely bored, and didn't even look at me. Clearly, he was just as helpless with this Hong Kong beauty.
"Ring..." The intercom on Joyes's desk suddenly rang. I took the opportunity to take a deep breath of fresh air, and at the same time, I started to get angry. If you want to fire me, just fire me! What's going on?! Even employees have dignity! As soon as Joyes finished her call, I stood up. I was just about to stand up and shout a few slogans before leaving when she stood up after me. She still didn't look at me and said as she walked out, "Let's go, the general manager is free."
Seriously? They need to see the general manager to fire a lowly employee like me? I've been with the company for almost a year and haven't even met the so-called general manager once, let alone know the name of this newly appointed one. Wait a minute, are they trying to save on two months' severance pay? I started to get suspicious. No way! Forget seeing the general manager, even if it were the prime minister, they wouldn't let me keep my salary! The thought of someone trying to steal my hard-earned money instantly boosted my morale, and I stopped being so apprehensive. I knew that today, I had to rely on myself.
The moment I pushed open the door to the general manager's office, I noticed that Huang Tou'er's usual nonchalance and Joyes's signature indifference had vanished without a trace, replaced by a submissive smile and politeness. The two transformed individuals looked so pleasant and agreeable, making me marvel that even servility can have its moments of brilliance.
I followed behind Huang Tou'er and Joyes, peering through the gap between them. Sunlight streamed in through the row of floor-to-ceiling windows, and when it met my eyes, all I could vaguely make out when I looked at the person sitting at the large desk opposite me was his broad shoulders. I suddenly felt a strange sense of liking for this person. My intuition told me that he probably wasn't the type to try and steal my two months' salary.
"Ah, you've come. Please have a seat." Good heavens, his voice is so pleasant to hear!