pertwk Chapter 10: Please don't merge!
Chapter 10: Please don't merge!
"Hello, one more bowl of rice, please."
Wang Lang always preferred to first remove the mushrooms and green peppers from the pan-fried chicken, then eat a bowl of rice with the broth. He would leave the chicken in and then get another bowl of rice; he found this more satisfying than eating the meat and vegetables together.
"Eat slowly, there's still time." Zhu Ge had already finished eating.
As Wang Lang ate, he suddenly remembered another question:
"You just mentioned—did you sign up for the group leader selection?"
"No," Zhu Ge shook his head in denial.
Wang Lang was not surprised; although the team leader was not a high-ranking official, the number of such leaders could not be increased indefinitely.
Manager Gou already has five groups under him, totaling more than 20 people. If no group leader voluntarily steps down, creating a new group would mean more expenses and a heavier performance target.
In all calculations, Sister Zhou is actually the most qualified to run for the new group leader, as she has her own resources and powerful backers.
Unfortunately, Sister Zhou's wish was to live a carefree life until retirement.
As Sister Zhou would say, this kind of dirty and tiring work, done by the team leader, is "absolutely killing me!"
"Do you want to sign up for the group leader election?" Zhu Ge asked casually.
"Me?" Wang Lang thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I haven't thought about it."
……
The mountain city is green all year round. In residential areas, parks, and the middle of the road, there are bougainvillea and large clusters of tree roses planted everywhere. In the flower beds of residential areas, there are often loquat or pomelo trees, as well as clumps of slender bamboo.
There is a circular walkway downstairs from Wang Lang's company, where a flower with a fragrance similar to gardenias is currently in full bloom, making people feel relaxed and comfortable while taking a walk to digest their food.
People strolled around in twos and threes, discussing various aspects of the company. Many gossips and secrets circulated along this path.
Among the crowd, Little Fatty stood alone, looking at the blooming flowers, which inexplicably made him angry.
I got tricked this morning by someone who usually seems quite sincere.
Little Fatty picked up a fallen flower from the ground, and with a forceful pull of his index finger and thumb, he tore the petals apart. The petals made a soft "pop" as they separated from the calyx, and Little Fatty held them in his palm.
Soon, the petals were crushed, the remaining juice oozing out, and then they were casually tossed into the bushes.
A withered flower was discarded, and Little Fatty bent down to look for a second one. Only after finding it did he intend to get up.
"Little Fatty..." Wang Lang said sullenly.
It was strange; he hadn't done anything wrong, so why did he feel so guilty? Wang Lang didn't understand either.
"What's up? Who did I think it was?"
Little Fatty frowned and looked around, his accent still hard to shake off:
"Do you not need to use a leash when walking your dog anymore? Oh—the dog can walk itself without a leash."
After being mocked, Wang Lang's tone became much firmer.
"Are you done cursing? I'm not here to explain anything to you."
"I'm just asking you: I'm planning to launch Laigebao, are you going to join?"
Humph--
Little Fatty sneered through his nose, "Are you two putting on a show? You sent a message in the group this morning and then deleted it, and now you're telling me you're going to get him? Who are you trying to fool?"
The sarcastic words were spoken in a high-pitched tone, as if the words were meant to be nailed to Wang Lang's face.
But pitch has one characteristic—the higher the pitch, the more ethereal it is.
Something's not right.
Wang Lang stared at the chubby boy, a strange feeling stirring within him:
Although Xiao Pang's home is in Zu'an, he's not stupid.
Those messages in the group chat are easy to understand with a little thought—if he really can't figure them out, it means he's not using his brain at all.
Wang Lang was getting anxious: Lai Ge Bao is now worried that things will get serious, and our anti-Lai Ge Bao alliance can't fall apart.
What is Little Fatty thinking?
【The Eye of Heaven - Seeing Through】
[Consumes 100 Heavenly Spirit Points]
[Seeing Through the Target: Yuan Run]
[Flaw Type: Stress]
[Key information: isolation, anxiety, survival pressure]
When these lines of text popped up on the system panel, Wang Lang suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
Little Fatty isn't brainless, but his mind is currently filled with Wang Lang's "betrayal," making him feel isolated and causing him to lose his judgment.
Survival pressure...
Xiao Pang has only been out of school for six months. He has to pay rent and eat. If he leaves his first job in less than six months because he can't communicate with his boss, it will be much harder to find another job.
Wang Lang suddenly understood Xiao Pang's Zu'an.
The more vehemently someone criticizes someone, the more afraid they may be inside.
Perhaps every Zuan person has a fragile heart.
Ugh--
"Wang... Lang... Brother Lang?" The word "brother" was pronounced very softly.
Seeing Wang Lang sigh, the little fat boy's deliberately arrogant demeanor suddenly faltered, and his voice dropped half a notch, "What...what are you looking at?"
Wang Lang looked away, put his hands in his pockets, and glanced down at the torn petals on the ground.
"I didn't see anything."
Wang Lang chuckled, his voice much softer than before, without any sarcasm or further questioning about whether to join or not.
"I'm going up first."
"you……"
"I'm going to find Lai Ge Bao."
Little Fatty didn't say anything, but after thinking it over, he decided to quietly follow Wang Lang.
……
Ding ding—
"Please come in."
Wang Lang pushed open the door to Lai Gebao's office and noticed a figure following behind him, a look of joy appearing on his face.
So when closing the door, I deliberately left a crack.
Lai Ge Bao looked up at Wang Lang, said nothing, and then lowered his head again.
This is an old trick I've used countless times, and I never get tired of it.
Wang Lang wasn't in a hurry. He sat down opposite Lai Gebao and waited for Lai Gebao to finish flipping through the last page of the document before speaking:
"Team Leader Lai, you asked me to help coordinate team affairs this morning. I'd like to confirm with you the extent to which I can coordinate."
Lai Gebao closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and wore an ambiguous smile: "There's no rush, we can work things out slowly."
After saying that, Lai Ge Bao picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water. The rim of the cup covered half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible, as he observed Wang Lang's reaction.
"This can't be delayed," Wang Lang leaned forward, placing his hands on the table.
Hmph! Delaying tactics—
Since Lai Gebao was determined to put the dispute aside and wait until the spring evaluation was finalized, Wang Lang had to say something to provoke him.
Wang Lang said earnestly, "Team Leader Lai, everyone in the group chat knew this morning that I was going to assist you in coordinating affairs. So... if any problems arise, who will be held responsible?"
"Wang Lang," Lai Gebao stood up, walked around from behind the desk, and came over, lowering his voice, "The spring performance review is coming soon, and I hope everyone in the group can get through it smoothly. You need to help me keep things stable."
"How do we stabilize the situation?"
"Sister Zhou, you don't need to worry about that. The main thing is Little Fatty..."
"Who?" Wang Lang raised his voice.
"Little Fatty! You have to keep a close eye on him, given his bad temper. Making him organize the files is to teach him a lesson."
"That sounds nice," Wang Lang thought to himself, rolling his eyes. "Even if you send someone to clean toilets, you can call it a hardship to toughen them up."
"And then what happens after you polish it?"
Wang Lang guided him to ask further questions.
Hmph—Lai Ge Bao's smile vanished completely.
"What, are you going to stand up for Fatty?"
"That's not what you said, Little Fatty, if you have a problem, talk to me first."
Lai Ge Bao stared at Wang Lang for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.
"Wang Lang, I've been giving you chances all along, but you've disappointed me greatly."
Lai Gebao paused, picked up his cup, and took another sip of water, as if giving Wang Lang time to process what he had just said:
"Someone like Xiao Pang—just graduated, no connections, no resources, and a terrible temper. You're standing up for him? Let me tell you, if he leaves today, ten fresh graduates will be lining up to get in tomorrow."
"Huh?" Wang Lang exaggeratedly said, "Team Leader Lai, you don't want Little Fatty anymore?"
"If the files are well-organized, everything is fine. If not, hmph—get out of here."
After saying that, Lai Ge Bao turned around, his back to Wang Lang, indicating that he wanted to see the guest out.
Little Fatty stood behind the crack in the door, his hands hanging at his sides, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.
Lai Ge Bao's words leaked out from the crack in the door, falling into his ears like burning cigarette butts on his skin.
Little Fatty's Adam's apple bobbed; what he swallowed wasn't saliva, but the urge to kick the door open and crash inside.
He suddenly remembered the post he made on WeChat Moments on the day he graduated—the picture was of his degree certificate and new employee badge, and the caption was just two words: "It's all set."
Oh--
Stable my foot!
……
As Wang Lang came out of the team leader's office, he saw the chubby boy with red cheeks.
Wang Lang closed the door behind him, finally sealing the gap.
"Did you hear everything?" Wang Lang asked.
Little Fatty nodded.
"Brother Lang, I don't want to do this anymore."
"That……"
Before Wang Lang could speak, he was interrupted by Little Fatty:
"But...but...how can I tell my mom?" Little Fatty's throat tightened as he spoke, "I...never mind."
He lowered his head, wiped his face hard, took a deep breath, and when he raised his head again, his voice was stiff:
"Never mind, I'm quitting!"
"I'll resign right now, finish the paperwork tomorrow, and have a relaxing weekend the day after. I'm done with that bastard Lai Ge Bao." Clearly, Little Fatty had recovered.
Young people's emotions come and go quickly.
After making up his mind, Little Fatty remembered his previous terrible attitude:
"Brother Lang, I..." Little Fatty steadied his breathing, "I...I'm sorry."
"It's alright, it was all Lai Ge Bao's scheme." Wang Lang patted his shoulder, then leaned close to the chubby boy's ear: "You have no idea, Lai Ge Bao is more panicked than we are right now..."
Wang Lang roughly guessed what Lai Ge Bao was thinking and told Xiao Pang about it, along with the news that the group leader would also be evaluated.
Finally, Wang Lang patted the chubby boy on the shoulder and gave him some "well-intentioned" advice:
"I'm telling you, just quietly put your resignation letter on Lai Ge Bao's desk."
"Never publicly insult Lai Ge Bao in the group chat. There are people from groups one, two, and three, as well as Manager Gou in the group. If you insult him, what will happen to Lai Ge Bao's reputation?"
"And whatever you do, don't bring this up in a department meeting. Think about it, if you expose all the dirty tricks he uses to exploit team members and threaten people with performance in front of everyone—then things will get out of control."
"The most important thing is not to copy your resignation letter to the entire department—or even the entire company."
Speaking of this, Wang Lang was "heartbroken": "If you had clearly listed all the reasons for leaving in your resignation letter, such as 'organizing the files' being a mere formality' and 'I'm fired if I don't finish,' what if it gets leaked out—"
"Which recent graduate would dare to submit their resume to our company in the future?"
"Anyway, Little Fatty—"
Wang Lang spoke sincerely:
"Please don't let them merge."