Chapter 1 — The whole company flew to France, but I alone did not have a plane ticket

Fly to France for team building without me? After the company lost 4.9 billion yuan, the president called me to come over. The company organized a team building trip in France, everyone went on their way. And I sat in the airport terminal for three hours, finally accepting the fact that I was the only one in the whole company without a plane ticket. I calmly took the car home and conveniently removed all my work software. At exactly three o'clock in the morning, the company's server system completely crashed. A serious error in the core source code paralyzed the entire system, with expected losses of up to 4.9 billion yuan. The entire technical department is in France, looking at the incident helplessly, no one can handle it. At that time, I was woken up in the middle of the night by more than a dozen consecutive calls from the company president. Three o'clock in the morning. The phone placed on the nightstand vibrated crazily like an insect that had just been electrocuted, emitting a shrill buzz. In the dark room, the words "Chairman Gu" continuously flashed on the screen, like two ghostly flames, making people uncomfortable. I swiped the screen to receive a call but didn't speak. In the next second, from the other end of the line came Chairman Co's angry growl. His voice was like a rusty electric saw blade grinding against metal, so sharp that my eardrums ached.

"Hua An Nhien! Where are you? Immediately! Right now! Connect to the server for me!"

The fatigue that had accumulated all day and the drowsiness that had just been awakened instantly disappeared by that command. I am completely awake. But his voice was still as calm as a frozen lake in the middle of winter.

“President Co, what's going on?”

The other end of the line suddenly went silent. It seemed like my nonchalant answer made him choke up and stay silent for three seconds. Immediately followed by an even more intense scream, so loud that the phone speaker almost distorted the sound.

"Is something wrong?! The server is completely down! The system is down! Are you still asking me what's wrong?!"

I can even imagine what he looks like right now. Saliva splashed, blue veins appeared on his forehead. I smiled softly. The laughter was very light, but carried an indescribable coldness.

“Then it's unfortunate news.”

That answer completely ignited his rage. Apparently he still didn't realize, or rather, never paid attention to the fact that I never went to France. He still used his familiar high and noble tone, as if he was giving orders to his subordinates.

"Stop talking nonsense! I'll give you ten minutes! If you can't handle it, get out of the company!"

“Sorry, Chairman Co.”

I interrupted him slowly, emphasizing each word to make sure he heard me clearly.

“But I'm gone.”

“Ever since the whole company left me at the airport, I've been gone.”

The other end of the line immediately fell into dead silence. Even his heavy breathing disappeared. A few seconds later, a panicked questioning voice came through the phone:

"What are you talking about? Which airport? Shouldn't you be in France?!"

I have no interest in explaining this ridiculous comedy anymore. A drama that he tacitly authorized and was personally arranged by his confidants under his command. My patience had been worn thin on the cold airport seat for the previous three hours.

"I did I have uninstalled all work software."

“From today onwards, everything about your company no longer has anything to do with me.”

Without giving him any chance to react, I tightened my fingers and directly ended the call. Then I switched my phone to silent mode. The screen, which was constantly lit up, finally went completely dark. The world... is finally quiet. I thought I would have a good night's sleep. But I was wrong. The phone, which was on silent mode, still stubbornly lit up again and again in the darkness, like a silent ghost that refused to let go. I glanced at the screen. The caller was Chu Nghi. Technical director. Also my direct superior. People always see me as a thorn in their eyes, a splinter in their flesh, but they constantly exploit my value to the end. I hesitated for a few seconds. I want to hear what the person who pushed me into the abyss will say at this moment. I picked up the phone. Still not speaking. Chu Nghi's voice, so fake that it made people nauseous, immediately rang out from the other end of the line, carrying a familiar, false warmth.

“An Nhien, what happened? Why don't you get on the plane?

“Everyone is worried about you.”

His tone was filled with just the right amount of concern and a bit of well-hidden blame. As if I was just a child who didn't understand and was angry for no reason. I said nothing. Quietly listen as he continues to act. Seeing my silence, he immediately changed his tone and began the most familiar stage of psychological manipulation.

“I know the plane ticket thing makes you unhappy.”

"Young people, it's normal to have some emotions."

“But now is the company's most important moment. You can't be so arbitrary, you can't help but think about the big picture."