Chapter 3

After dinner, I was scrolling through videos on my phone as usual.

But a clickbait post caught my attention.

"The company hasn't had any income for three months and is about to go bankrupt. Please help me figure out how to get the boss to fire me!"

"Oh, and of course, I need every penny of that severance package—and hopefully I can squeeze out even more!"

The familiar phrasing made my eyebrow twitch involuntarily.

This...

It couldn't be posted by a Sullivan Corp employee, could it...

Even though I didn't want to believe it, my finger unconsciously clicked into the post.

Perhaps because the title was explosive enough, the post had very high engagement.

The comment section had gathered thousands upon thousands of modern-day employees, all enthusiastically offering advice to the poster.

"Listen to me—only by getting actively fired by the boss can you get severance. Don't be stupid enough to resign directly!"

"Eat blue cheese right in front of your boss every day. No boss can stand that smell assault!"

"Blue cheese is nothing! Since you want to get fired, go all in! Blue cheese for breakfast, pickled herring for lunch!"

I stared at the comment section, dumbfounded.

These employees' brains were truly not to be underestimated!

Thank goodness they weren't my company's employees. Otherwise, if they pulled stunts like this on me every day, I really might not be able to tolerate them.

The next morning, I shook my slightly foggy head and arrived at the company an hour early.

Yes!

Even though I knew deep down it was impossible, I still couldn't resist the urge to investigate.

So I came to the company early to lurk around, wanting to find the truth.

As soon as I entered the company, I locked eyes with Zachary's smiling face.

I politely said hello, then looked up and down at his workstation.

But inside, I couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

At least this guy wasn't like that poster, actually using those tactics to challenge the company's bottom line.

Just as I was mentally mocking myself for overthinking, laughter and commotion came from the break room.

"Hahaha! Hurry up and eat, it'll be work time soon!"

"Yeah! Don't let Mr. Sullivan see you, or he might dock your pay!"

"Ugh! Dock my pay? Right now I just hope the salary gets paid on time!"

My face turned iron-blue as I glanced over. Sure enough, I saw seven or eight veteran employees gathered around the large dining table in the break room, having a lively meal!

"This is the office! The company's rules clearly state that you're not allowed to..."

Before I could finish, Zachary hurried over.

"Boss! Come on! It's not even work time yet!"

"Besides, isn't the break room exactly where employees eat? Right?"

"I'm sure the company isn't that authoritarian! Not eating breakfast makes you tired all day, you know!"

Sitting in my office chair, I couldn't help clicking into that post again.

The poster had already posted a new update.

"Hahaha! Thanks for the great advice, everyone! Today I deliberately brought breakfast and let the boss see me eating at the company!"

"Who would've thought! That coward didn't dare say a word, just pretended not to see and walked away!"

"Tsk tsk tsk... Looks like this crappy company really is about to go under. Otherwise, how could they just let it slide so easily?"

The more I read, the angrier I got.

Even though the post's content didn't match my company, just thinking that I might also be seen as an idiot by my employees made me furious.

I sat there in a daze all morning.

It wasn't until my phone chimed with a text notification that I was dragged out of my internal turmoil.

"Mr. Sullivan, congratulations on successfully winning the bid. To ensure smooth cooperation, please come to XX Grand Hotel tonight for further discussion..."

My eyes reddened with excitement.

The project I'd worked on for three whole months finally had results.

With this thought, I couldn't care less about those petty schemes. I immediately replied to the text.

"Mr. Webb, you absolutely must honor us with your presence tonight. I'll arrange everything. Let's celebrate our successful cooperation in advance!"

After having my secretary arrange dinner in advance, I arrived at the hotel first.

But to my surprise, when I entered the private dining room, Zachary was already sitting at the table waiting.