Chapter 3

Ms Sun went quiet.

Then she sent a thumbs-up.

[Ms Sun: Ah, to be young.]

Much later, Ye Huan returned from the direction of the general manager’s office.

She sat down and shot me a venomous look.

Soon, the team leader posted in the group.

[Team Leader: @Qiao Yiyi, watch what you say and do. Don’t let your emotions affect your work. Remember, you’re not a permanent employee yet.]

[Team Leader: You’re upset. Move into the small meeting room and work alone until you’ve calmed down.]

So Ye Huan had gone running to the boss.

Now the games began.

Fine. A room to myself would be quieter.

I started packing.

Xiao Wang came over to investigate.

“Moving, Little Qiao? Need a hand?”

I smiled without answering.

Ye Huan snorted beside him.

“Trying to be funny, were you? So funny you’ve joked yourself into solitary confinement.”

I stopped and turned to her with a smile.

“I still have so much to learn from you, Huanhuan. I’ll have to keep studying.”

She lifted her chin, pleased.

I blinked, then raised my voice so the whole office could hear.

“Oh, speaking of which, were you telling jokes in Mr Zhang’s office just now? I passed by and heard you both having such a good time.

“I thought I heard him say… ‘Harder’?”

“Were your jokes not quite reaching him? Was that why he wanted you to try harder?”

Her face darkened.

She slammed her mouse onto the floor.

It cracked apart, fragments scattering.

“Qiao Yiyi, you—”

I continued packing calmly.

“Don’t be angry, Huanhuan. You went to complain, and I was banished immediately afterward. My imagination ran away with me, that’s all.

“If you don’t like it, just call it a joke.”

She raised her hand to hit me.

I caught her right wrist.

Her jeweled nails glittered. A slap from that hand would hurt.

“Huanhuan! I said I was joking. Why are you angry? Can’t you take a joke?

“Don’t run to the general manager again. If he really fires me over this, won’t that look like confirmation?”

I tilted my head.

My voice was light and cold.

“What would his wife think if she heard?”

Everybody knew Mr Zhang was terrified of his wife.

Remembering the slap that had left me paralyzed, I was certain that if she learned the truth this time, Ye Huan would have nowhere to hide.

In my previous life, Ye Huan had used her jokes as a smokescreen.

She had directed the fire at me and escaped untouched.

After I was disabled, the boss’s wife was arrested for intentional injury. Her assets passed to Mr Zhang.

He married Ye Huan.

From then on, she did as she pleased at the office.

Not this time.

Everyone had stopped working to listen.

My detailed, confident account left them plenty to imagine.

Whispers spread.

“Wait. Ye Huan and Mr Zhang really…?”

“I told you I saw him drinking from her cup! You said I must have been mistaken.”

“I just saw her coming from his office too. Adjusting her skirt…”

“I thought the team leader favored her because they were involved. He was only a cover?”

“Really? She’s always calling Xiao Wang her son and making him call her Dad. I thought those two had something going on.”

The discussion gathered speed.

At its center, Ye Huan went pale and shook her head.

“No! There’s nothing between Mr Zhang and me! I’m just one of the guys. It isn’t what Qiao Yiyi says!”

Nobody believed her.

They exchanged knowing smiles and returned to work.

Xiao Wang chuckled and gave her backside a squeeze.

“Come on. Little Qiao’s only joking. Don’t take it seriously.”

That struck a nerve.

She slapped his hand away.

“What joke? Keep your hands to yourself! Show your dad some respect!”

I smiled coldly and finished moving into my little room.

Clean. Quiet.

All mine.

The team leader sent a private message.

[Team Leader: You were so well-behaved when you started. How did you get this prickly?]

[Team Leader: Your relationships with coworkers are your responsibility. Don’t let them delay the work.]

[Team Leader: I can shield you for a while. Not forever.]

I understood his difficulty.

Three months had been enough to show me what this advertising team was like.

One mother often taking leave for her small child.

Two middle-aged men forever slipping into the corridor for a smoke.

And one self-appointed comedian whose only skill was pointless banter.

I was the workhorse carrying the load.

Without me, who would keep their performance figures afloat?

[Me: Are you really going to leave this dead rat in the pot forever?]

The next morning, the team leader called a meeting to assign work.

Normally, we developed each project together.

This time, he proposed splitting us into two groups.

Each would produce its own proposal. The better one would win an internal pitch.

The result would count toward our year-end bonuses.

Xiao Wang objected.

“There are only five of us. What’s the point of dividing the team? Isn’t that a waste of time? We’re more efficient together.”

The team leader shook his head.

“Management criticized our previous proposals. Splitting up will show what each of you can actually do.

“When everyone works together, it’s easy for someone to sit back and take the credit.

“This way, we’ll see who’s working.”