Chapter 4 — Before Retirement, I Was Demoted to Work as a Laborer

I put the pen back in its original position.

"The transfer decision is only effective today."

Old Ho sighed.

"They're too much."

I looked at him.

"Don't turn off the surveillance cameras."

Old Ho was stunned. I calmly replied.

"Tonight..."

"Someone will come back."

He didn't have time to ask more yet. Then outside the glass door... A beam of headlights swept across the hall. A black car... Quietly stopped in front of the company. Tham Trieu An got out of the car. He did not go upstairs, but went straight to the reception desk. The middle-aged man walked behind holding the shift timesheet. At first, Tham Trieu An just took a quick glance. But the next second, his hand stopped. His eyes stopped on the name Tan Ngoc Tran. He looked for a long time. It took so long that Mr. Ho standing next to him began to sweat. After a while, he slowly raised his head and asked:

"What time does she come on shift today?"

Old Ho's voice was a bit tense.

"Before nine thirty."

"What areas were cleaned today?"

"From the twenty-eighth floor to the first floor, there is also an area outside the twenty-ninth floor."

Tham Trieu An put his finger on the timesheet. The surface of the paper he pressed left a mark. He spoke in a low voice:

"Notify all management."

The middle-aged man immediately took out his phone.

"Within twenty minutes, everyone must be at the company."

After speaking, Tham Trieu An looked at the employee card on my chest again. Under the hall lights, the old card reflected a pale layer of light. Head of General Administration Department. Tan Ngoc Tran. He extended his hand towards me.

"Give me your employee card."

I took off the card and placed it in his palm. Tham Trieu An tightened his grip on the card then turned and walked straight into the meeting room. Not long after, the phone rang continuously throughout the hall. The first person to call back was Trinh Hoai Nhan. Middle-aged man turns on speakerphone. The other end of the line quickly transmitted Trinh Hoai Nhan's voice:

"President Tham, is it urgent for you to call me this late?"

Tham Trieu An looked at the closed meeting room door and calmly said:

"Back to the company."

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

"Is there a problem with the project?"

Tham Trieu An took my transfer decision and slammed it down on the reception desk. The voice was cold to the bone.

"It's not the project that's the problem."

"But... humans have problems."

At exactly 11:27 a.m., all the lights in the meeting room lit up simultaneously. The first person to arrive was Trinh Hoai Nhan. His vest was buttoned a bit askew, his hair still showing the marks of just waking up. But as soon as he entered the door, he immediately regained the appearance of a Deputy General. As soon as he saw me standing next to the wall, his steps stopped for a moment. Right after that, La Thien also arrived. The makeup on her face was clearly just applied in a hurry, and the lipstick edges were still smudged a bit. The last person to arrive was Phan Minh. Holding a laptop in his hand, he almost tripped over the chair leg when entering. Tham Trieu An sat in the chair position. My employee card is placed right in front of you. Below is the transfer decision sheet. The entire meeting room was silent. No one dared to speak first. Tham Trieu An gently tapped his fingertips on the table.

"Who approves?"

Trinh Hoai Nhan glanced at La Thien. La Thien immediately responded:

"Dear Chairman Tham, this is just normal personnel mobilization."

Tham Trieu An asked coldly:

"Is it so normal that... for a department head who is only one day away from retirement to work as a janitor?"

La Thien gritted her teeth.

"The work at her old position has been handed over. The logistics department was temporarily short of people, so we sent her to support for a day."

Tham Trieu An turned to the last page of the transfer decision.

"Who gave the Administrative Center's seal of approval?"

Trinh Hoai Nhan sat up slightly.

"The seal is rotated according to the process. I only approve in principle."

I looked at him. But from beginning to end, he never looked at me once. Tham Trieu An continued to ask:

"What does 'approved in principle' mean?"

Trinh Hoai Nhan calmly replied:

"I'm not aiming at Tan Ngoc Tran. This is just the process of optimizing the organizational structure."

There was a cold sniff in the meeting room. This sentence... He said it once during the day. Repeat one more time. Maybe he thought that if he said it enough... then the lie would become the truth. Tham Trieu An pushed the transfer decision in front of me.

"Tan Ngoc Tran, please tell me."

I still stood in place.

"The transfer decision is real."

"The seal is also real."

La Thien just breathed a sigh of relief when I continued:

"I'm just sorry..."

"The process is again incomplete."

The smile on her lips immediately stiffened. I took out a transparent file bag from the cleaning cart compartment. Inside is a temporary roster for the day, a copy of the shift timesheet and an excerpt of the company's old regulations. Trinh Hoai Nhan frowned.

"When did you photocopy these?"

I calmly replied:

"When I empty the trash, I classify papers according to procedures for handling confidential documents."

La Thien immediately slammed the table.

"You arbitrarily withholding internal documents is a violation of regulations!"

I looked straight at her.

"Director La."

"Confidential documents must be put in the shredder and cannot be mixed with household trash."

I placed the regulations page on the table.

"This..."

"You were the one who signed the confirmation during last year's training session."