Chapter 3 — When I Stop Being Invisible

"To Van, I'm Chu Han. I heard that you're saying outside that the company can't operate without you? Let me remind you, you've already signed a non-compete agreement."

I looked at that message for a long time. Non-compete agreement. I took out that year's contract and turned to the non-competition clause. The limitation period is one year, the scope is the same industry, the same position, the compensation for violation is equal to the total salary of the last twelve months. But right behind that clause there is a small line: The company must pay non-competition compensation to employees within 30 days from the date of termination. If payment is not made by the due date, the agreement will automatically lapse. In Hang Vien, I provided legal assistance for twelve years. The number of contracts I have seen is more than the number of meals Chu Han has ever eaten. I texted him back.

"Hello boss Chu. First, I have never spread any rumors to the outside world. Second, the condition for the non-compete agreement to be effective is that your company must pay compensation on time. Third, my position is an administrative specialist, please check whether the scope of application of the non-compete agreement includes administrative positions or not."

After sending, I blocked his number. To Niem walked out of the room.

“Mom, is someone bullying you?”

"Do not have."

“So why did you type with such a scary face just now?”

I turned my head to look at the baby.

“Is your homework done yet?”

“It's done.”

“Then go to bed early.”

She returned to her room and closed the door. Two seconds later, he opened the door again.

“When mom types, it looks so cool.”

The door closed. I looked at that door and laughed softly. On the third day, I went to Hang Vien Group for a trip. Not to go back to work. It's that the financial department said my compensation for quitting my job needed me to go to the company and sign a confirmation form before it could be transferred. I arrived at ten o'clock in the morning. As soon as the receptionist girl saw me, her expression became very strange.

“Sister To, you're here.”

“Yes, sign your name and I'll leave right away.”

I sat at the front desk waiting for Lam Vi to come down. The elevator door opens. The person who came out was not Lam Vi. It's Chu Han. Over forty years old, wears a straight suit, and has carefully combed hair. Last month, I just jumped ship from a rival company and heard that my annual salary is over a million yuan. When he saw me, he stopped.

“What are you doing here?”

“Sign the resignation compensation certificate.”

He walked over and stood in front of me.

“I took a look at the things you were in charge of before.”

"To be honest, I don't deny that you've done a lot. But those things shouldn't be done by an administrative specialist, you know?"

"You've been working for twelve years, and no one has fixed this matter. It's a failure of management. But I'm here to sort out those messes. Your dismissal is not aimed at you personally."

I looked at him.

“Boss Chu, I understand.”

“It's good that you understand.”

He nodded, intending to turn and leave. I called him back.

“What?”

“Have you made the arrangements yet?”

He stopped walking.

"Have you divided the work of those eight departments? Have the departments received it smoothly? Has the matter of two projects with overlapping schedules been resolved? Has this month's financial report been produced yet? Documents for next week's board of directors meeting have been prepared. Are you done yet?”

I asked each question one by one. Very calm voice. It doesn't sound like a question, just like asking about something normal. His expression changed.

“That's the work of the departments, you don't need to worry about it.”

“That's good.”

Lam Vi stepped out of the elevator, holding a document clip in her hand.

“Miss To, please sign here for me.”

I walked over, took the document and signed it. After signing, I prepared to leave. While passing by the hallway, I heard Ms. Trieu, the marketing manager, calling in the office. Her voice is very loud.

“I don't care how you coordinate, but the press conference location for next Wednesday hasn't been finalized yet, do you know? Previously, when To Van was still here, she had finished taking care of it a month ago. What now? Does your administrative department no longer have anyone to manage this matter?”

I didn't stop, kept moving forward. At the elevator door, I met Ms. Luu. She pulled me back.

“To Van, you absolutely should not agree to go back.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday, boss Ha privately told Lam Vi that he wanted to invite you back, but Chu Han did not agree. Chu Han said that if boss Ha insists on taking you back, he will resign."

“So what?”

“So boss Ha is hesitant. Between a deputy general director with an annual salary of a million yuan and an administrative specialist with a salary of 140,000, he is considering it."

I pressed the elevator button.

“Sister Liu, rest assured. I won't go back.”

Before the elevator door closed, I saw at the end of the hallway, Chu Han was standing there looking at me. His eyes did not look like he was looking at an administrative specialist who had just been fired. It's like looking at a nuisance. When I got home, I made a decision. I called Tham Dich.

“Boss Tham, I have already considered your plan.”

"I agree. But there is one point in the clause that needs to be revised.”

“You say it.”

“Profit sharing does not start from the two million mark, but from the one million mark. I have confidence in my solution. The warm-up phase won't last too long.”

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

“Agreement.”

“Besides, I already have my first customer.”

“Hang Vien Group.”

This time, Tham Dich was silent much longer.

“Miss To, you're not kidding, are you? You just left.”

“Because I just left there, I am the one who understands best where their problems lie. Furthermore, they are currently in dire need of an outside consulting unit to step in and clean up the mess. But with this customer, I won't come out directly. It's okay for you to stand up, I'll do the rear plan."

“… Miss To, you are really cruel.”

“It's not cruel. Just being professional.”

Hang up, I open the computer and start writing the plan. Diagnosis and Restructuring Plan for Hang Vien Group's Operating System. To write this, someone else would probably need three months of research. And I only need three days. Because that system was originally built by me. The next afternoon, while I was writing the plan, the doorbell rang. I opened the door. Standing outside the door was a man in his fifties, with gray hair, carrying a bag of fruit in his hand. General Director of Hang Vien Group, Ha Kien Quoc.

“To Van, I'm bothering you.”

“Do you know why I came here?”

I invited him inside to sit down and poured me a cup tea.

“Boss Ha, you came to invite me back.”

"That's right."

“I won't go back.”

He picked up the cup of tea but didn't drink it.

"To Van, before coming here I knew you would say that. But I still want to talk to you directly. You've been at the company for twelve years, I didn't expect you to do so much work."

“Boss Ha, you really don't know.”

“This is my fault.”

“It's a management issue.”

He smiled bitterly.

"Last week after you left, the company had nineteen problems, including seven problems that I had absolutely no idea about before and someone was always handling them. Today the technical department told me that there is a project management system you created using Excel, although rudimentary, it is extremely easy to use. Now no one maintains it anymore, the entire project coordination is a mess."

"Boss Ha, you should not look to me to solve these problems. You should recruit people. Or find an outside team."

“I came here just to ask you — can you recommend any units to me?”

I looked at him.