Chapter 1 — When I Stop Being Invisible

At the age of 43, I was kicked out of the company. I signed a resignation letter in 10 seconds... then left a handover note that was enough to silence the entire company. My name is To Van. Twelve years with Hang Vien Group. Today, I lost my job. Human resources director Lam Vi pushed the contract termination agreement towards me, her fingertips shaking slightly.

“Miss To… this… is a decision from above.”

I just glanced at it once. Compensation level N+1, calculated based on the lowest basic salary. No hesitation, no questions, no arguments. Lam Vi stood still, clearly unable to react in time.

“Sister To… aren't you going to… say anything?”

I put down my pen, my voice calm. She choked up. I didn't stay another second. Grab a glass of water and return to your desk. My drawers are so clean they're cold. A thermos. A box of tea. And a doodle my daughter drew when she was a child. Three minutes, done. I opened the computer and started handing over. Administrative processes are located in the third folder in drive D. The purchasing department's supplier comparison table is in the shared drive. I designed the financial reconciliation form myself. I can conveniently summarize every month's personnel timekeeping. I monitor the marketing department's operating schedule periodically. I update the project progress of the technical department. I built the customer complaint classification system from scratch. The meeting minutes of the General Director's office... were also written by me. Eight departments. It all comes down to one person. The person receiving the handover is Tran Loi, the operations manager. He looked at the long list I sent over, his expression changing little by little. From confusion... to panic... then finally white-faced.

“Sister To… did all of this… you do it all?”

“All… the work of eight departments?”

"Not everything. Just the things they couldn't do, or didn't want to do... ended up falling into my hands."

Tran Loi turned over the documents. Twelve pages filled with text. He swallowed hard.

"Sister To... I can't handle it."

I closed the computer and slung my bag over my shoulder. In the elevator, I met Lam Vi again. She looked at me, her eyes a little guilty.

"Ms. To... actually, this decision is not up to me. The new deputy general wants to optimize personnel, your position... he said the replaceability is high."

"Chu Han. Just jumped from a competitor company last month."

I nodded, my voice as light as air.

“Has he ever looked at my workload?”

Lam Vi was silent for two seconds.

“He said… a normal administrative employee whose salary is at the same level as a manager… is unreasonable.”

I laughed. A smile without temperature.

“Then consider it unreasonable.”

The elevator door opens. I walked out of the Hang Vien building. It's raining outside. The rain in March is not heavy, but it is bone-chillingly cold. I don't carry an umbrella. Stand under the awning for a few seconds, then call a car. Twelve years. Ends in just one signature. Less than 3 hours after being fired, my phone blew up... the whole company started to panic. When he got home, To Niem had not finished school yet. I changed clothes, fried a plate of rice and eggs, and after eating, I opened my laptop. Unemployed. You have to save yourself. Female, 43 years old. Bachelor's degree. Experience: administrative specialist. I looked at the CV I had just written. To be honest, even I found... nothing outstanding. But I still edit every line, every word, as carefully as I am patching up my own life. Phone vibrates. It's Tran Error.

"Miss To, where is the purchasing department's supplier comparison table? I can't find it forever."

I replied:

“Shared drive, second level folder, file named ‘Summary Vendor Assessment 2024’.”

Ten minutes later.

“Miss To, the account reconciliation form cannot be opened, it requires a password.”

“Me: heng2019yuan.”

Twenty minutes later.

"Miss To, director Trieu of marketing said there was an event next week that wasn't scheduled, were you in charge before now?"

"On the 25th of each month, you enter the next month's calendar in advance. This month I'm off, tell her to send the information and enter it yourself."

In exactly one hour. Seventeen messages. After the seventeenth news, I only answered one question:

“Tran Loi, you have quit your job.”

The other side was silent for two seconds. Then sent a crying emoji.

"Sister To... I really can't handle it."

I don't answer anymore. At six o'clock in the evening, To Niem returned home. She's in 11th grade, has good grades, and has the same personality as me—quiet but very alert. As soon as he entered the door, it stopped.

“Mom, why did you come home so early today?”

“Mom quit her job.”

“Fired?”

I nodded. He put down his bag and sat next to me, his voice strangely calm.

“How much compensation?”

“N+1, about 150,000 yuan.”

“How long is enough to live?”

“Add savings, save money… more than half a year.”

It nodded.

"Don't rush, mom. Slowly find a job."

I reached out and patted its head. This girl... from a young age, she understood things to the point that it made adults feel at ease. His father left when he was three years old. Talk about going abroad to develop. Then... disappeared forever. Fourteen years. Mother and daughter rely on each other to survive. Nine o'clock in the evening. Ms. Liu—a former colleague—called.

"To Van, are you really being fired? The company is in complete chaos, do you know?"

“What chaos?”

"The first day Tran Loi took the job, the customer service system crashed, he didn't know how to handle it. No one updated the project progress on the technical side, two projects almost clashed. Tomorrow's board meeting and no one has prepared the documents, boss Ha is angry!"

I leaned back on the sofa and listened without being surprised.

“Does Boss Ha know that those things were done by me?”

"No. He just knew that the whole company was in trouble today. He asked Lam Vi. Lam Vi said it was because he fired me."

I was silent. Ms. Liu hesitated.

"Boss Ha asked... just an administrative employee, why does it have such a big impact?"

“What did Lam Vi say then?”

The other party breathed a light breath.

“She said…”

“She is not an administrative professional.”

“It's To Van.”

Less than a night after I left, they started calling me in a distressed voice. Early the next morning, Tran Loi called directly. No more texting, call directly.

“Miss To, I can't handle the customer service complaint classification system... what kind of login is on the admin page?”

"I've left the documents with the IT department, I'll go there and get them."

“The IT side said no.”

"I already wrote it. In the internal data warehouse, search for 'Customer Service System Operation Manual'."

On the other end of the line, there was the sound of rapid keyboard typing. A moment later.

“…Can't see.”

“Then someone must have deleted it.”

Tran Loi's voice was hoarse, as if he had been awake for several nights in a row.

"Sister To... can you come back one more time? Just once... help me rearrange everything..."

“Tran Loi, I have completed the resignation procedures.”

“I know… I just…”

He stopped for a beat.

“Sister To… I beg you.”

A man in his thirties, his voice choked over the phone. I was silent for a few seconds.

"Impossible."

I hung up. Open the recruitment app. Send three copies of your CV. One for the position of administrative manager. One for the chief of staff. One for the operating assistant. The market is not generous with this age group.