Since the day I walked out of Mo An’s office, my life has become even more difficult.
The targeting from everyone has intensified, as if they are determined to drive me out of this department.
Case in point: just last night, I was inexplicably forced to work overtime until ten o’clock.
This morning, as soon as I arrived at the office, it started again…
I watched Hao Lili in “Bane of Everyone’s Existence” walk up to my desk with a face full of cold indifference and speak in a heartless tone.
“You Quan, come with me for a moment…”
I’ve finally figured it out: Hao Lili is a female demon. The tiny bit of humanity and tenderness she has left is reserved entirely for my future wife.
To everyone else in the department, she is expressionless and ruthless.
I often wonder why the others haven’t risen in rebellion under her merciless command.
It must be because my future wife indulges her.
Of course, I’m unwilling to admit in my heart that this small woman, who doesn’t seem much older than me, is actually very capable. She handles people and situations with ease, works efficiently, and has strong execution skills.
However, based on her double standards alone, she has already made it onto You Quan’s blacklist.
Even though I really want to stand up and shout at her: “Student Hao Lili, do you even know what your boss’s last name is?”
But I certainly can’t question her like that. After all, Mo An is going to enter my family’s door sooner or later.
It wouldn’t be good for me to be so distant with his people.
Despite being ten thousand times unwilling, I stood up and followed her out.
In my heart, I was thinking about how difficult my future wife is to pursue.
Last time in the office, I was so happy when he told me to stop, thinking there was some turning point, and I looked at him with a face full of joy.
Before that smile could fully blossom, it was over.
Mo An spoke without any expression: “Take the things on the table with you.”
My future wife has no heart. For the sake of that drink, I had thrown away my dignity.
I had acted for ages to get my hands on it.
Somehow, I had even provoked someone else’s interest, yet Mo An showed no gratitude.
I had scurried back then, preparing to lobby him with a few more words.
“You can temporarily reject me as a person, but you can’t reject my kindness.”
“You can treat me as an ordinary friend…”
Before I could get words like that out, Mo An started driving the guest away.
“What I said just now was serious. Think it over.”
He went on about how his heart was strong and that he didn’t care at all about that sudden night even though to me, it was a taste of marrow that I couldn’t forget.
I took the drink from the table and drank it right in front of him.
I gave him a fierce look and walked out.
“You Quan…”
It was only then that I realized I was thinking about that day again.
I immediately snapped back to reality. This female demon is the best at tormenting people; if she catches me slipping, my day will be miserable again.
And sure enough, seeing that I had spaced out again, she barked:
“Since you have come here, please maintain a basic sense of respect toward your work and your colleagues. If you still have this mind-wandering attitude, I suggest you do not stay in our department.”
Here it comes, here it comes, see? She’ll use any little excuse to try and make me leave.
No way.
“Assistant Hao, I worked a bit late last night and didn’t rest well. My thoughts took a small detour just now, but I will adjust immediately.”
Hao Lili didn’t respond. She gave a slight nod, seemingly letting the matter go, and then led me to a small room.
When she opened the door, a waft of dust hit me, making me rub my nose gently.
Looking at the chaotic environment and the various-sized boxes scattered around, I had a bad feeling.
Without needing me to confirm it, my suspicions were validated.
“You Quan, these are the paper archives for our department from the last ten years. They contain various types of data. Sort and classify them, and then create an electronic ledger.”
I was stunned. Running errands is one thing, but are you locking me in a “little black room”?
“Just me by myself?”
Hao Lili was clearly taken aback. She probably didn’t expect me to ask that, since I had been enduring various degrees of exclusion these days without saying “no.”
But she recovered quickly and spoke coldly.
“The colleagues in the department have been very busy lately. An important project has reached a critical stage, and everyone is overwhelmed. Only you have time.”
I decided to change strategies. If I actually followed her requirements and did this, I would be even further away from Mo An.
Looking at the stuff in this room, just flipping through it once would take a long time, let alone building a ledger. I’d be crazy.
“Since everyone is so busy, I think this organizing work can be pushed back. No matter what, I can help out in the office, run errands, and do other things.”
Hearing this, Hao Lili didn’t say much. She placed the key directly into my hand and softened her tone.
But the words spoken in that gentle tone were forceful.
“You Quan, this is not my idea. It is Manager You’s (Mo An’s) idea.”
What else could I say?
After nearly a month in this department, I fully understood Mo An’s absolute authority here.
I don’t know if my old man, You Qian, had a hand in this, but the reality was that once he spoke, no one contradicted him.
Especially this female demon Hao Lili; when it came to carrying out Mo An’s instructions, she followed them to the letter, leaving no room for negotiation.
However, “where there is a policy above, there is a counter-measure below.” Don’t think this will stump me.
I gripped the key to the little black room and wiped the impatience from my face.
“Assistant Hao, take care. I will definitely complete the task.”
My reaction made Hao Lili pause again. I clearly felt her expression grow a few degrees colder.
Even if she didn’t show it on the surface.
“Then work hard.” With that, she turned and left.
In this round, no one gained the upper hand.
Of course, that’s ignoring the room full of “file lords” that needed my attention.
Watching Hao Lili’s retreating back, I resisted the urge to throw the keys.
This woman goes without saying she is definitely a roadblock on my path to pursuing my wife.
Don’t think I don’t know; you like him too.
Even if you aren’t a love rival, you’re a stumbling block.
After all, in the entire department, no one except him calls me directly by my full name.
I sighed inwardly and then pulled out my phone.
I went online and found a few people to help me handle this.
If I relied on myself, I wouldn’t be out of this little black room for months.
I did weigh the decision. If they came during the day, the target would be too big.
So, I coordinated with my online buddies to act under the cover of night. We would start working at nine in the evening.
Fortunately, this office was quite a distance from the main Sales Department area, so it wasn’t easy to be discovered.
The only other issue was access control.
It looked like I’d need Guo Feng to do me a favor.
At least that guy is still polite to me.
Every time I ask for something, he agrees.
I gave him a call, saying I needed a few people to help me with some work at night and asked him to notify the security guards at the gate in advance.
He promised immediately that he would handle the matter perfectly for me.
Hanging up with Guo Feng, I finally felt the kind of treatment a normal “Crown Prince” should have.
These past few days under Mo An, I’d been living a life worse than an intern’s.
I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be able to settle things with a single phone call.
It’s not that I’m someone who uses power to oppress others.
However, I didn’t expect that after only one night of implementing this plan, I would be summoned by the female demon Hao Lili again the next day.
At the time, I was clutching my phone, researching recipes and preparing to cook something delicious for Mo An.
When I received her call, I tucked my phone away and jogged over to her office.
In my mind, I was wondering why this female demon wanted me. I didn’t realize at all that my “flawless” plan had been discovered.
So, when I was about to sit down in her office and she coldly told me to “wait,” I realized post-facto that I had been far too careless.
When she turned the computer screen toward me and looked at me coldly, I cursed in my heart.
“Damn, I was careless.”
If I didn’t know for a fact that she was interested in Mo An, I would have had the illusion that she was interested in me otherwise, why would her actions make it seem like her eyes were fixed on me twenty-four hours a day?
“I… I… I…”
Hao Lili interrupted the explanation I was about to give.
“Don’t explain. The surveillance shows that you sat there playing on your phone all day yesterday, and then at night, you just supervised people you called in from who-knows-where. Don’t you know that many of these archives are confidential?”
Only then did I realize I had been set up by Hao Lili.
She surely knew I wouldn’t do the work obediently, so she intentionally assigned it to me.
This woman is too sinister. No, I had to say something.
“The workload is too big. Wasn’t I just trying to finish the task as quickly as possible?”
Hao Lili remained unmoved, looking at me as if I were a fool: “Stop making excuses. You have no intention of working properly, and you don’t even have basic security awareness. Don’t you know that your irresponsible attitude could lead to the leak of a lot of confidential information?”
How the hell was I supposed to know? No one ever told me the materials in that little black room were so important.
Even as a newcomer to the workplace, I knew that leaking secrets was a taboo.
But that wasn’t my intention.
I spoke urgently, as if trying to salvage something: “I really didn’t know. You can’t forbid a workplace novice like me from making a small mistake, can you?”
As if she had expected me to say that, Hao Lili replied heartlessly: “Previously, I just thought you were a bit casual and lazy. I didn’t expect you to lack even the most basic professional ethics. I have already reported this matter to Manager Mo. His decision is to have you go directly to the relevant department to explain yourself. Then, report to HR.”
What did that mean? Forced resignation?