Chen Jingming remained silent while smoking. Leyao and I just stood there awkwardly until finally Chen extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and said to us, “There has been an unexpected turn in the internal power struggle at Zhuomei!”
Leyao was greatly surprised and asked, “What happened, Manager?”
Chen leaned back in his office chair, closed his eyes, and after a long while opened them again. Clenching his teeth, he said, “Somehow, the CEO of Zhuomei found out about Mi Zhongde’s scheme. In just three days, she decisively investigated the financial situation of Manager Li from the Business Development Department and eventually dismissed him from Zhuomei on charges of financial misconduct… This girl, she’s no ordinary one—her abilities and determination are remarkable!… Fate is not on my side!”
I naturally knew the “girl” Chen referred to was Mi Cai, and I had not anticipated that she had dismantled the conspiracy against her in merely three days.
I remained silent, but Leyao looked at me with confusion. Chen didn’t know about my relationship with Mi Cai and might have mistakenly assumed that someone from within Zhuomei had tipped her off, while Leyao knew the truth.
Eventually, Leyao didn’t confront me in front of Chen, but with a dejected tone, he asked Chen, “So Manager, what should we do now?”
Chen sighed heavily and said, “We at Baoli have missed our best opportunity yet to surpass Zhuomei. There will definitely be a tough battle ahead. We’ll proceed according to our original plan and focus on this promotional event first.”
Leyao nodded, then cautiously asked, “Manager, what’s the upper management’s stance on this matter?”
Chen shook his head and said, “I haven’t reported this matter to the higher-ups yet. The final outcome, wait for my notification. I’ll definitely strive to get you and Zhaoyang promoted… Work hard!”
“What about you, Manager?”
Chen didn’t answer Leyao’s question but simply waved his hand, indicating that we should leave first. His dejection made both Leyao and me realize that he had lost his chance to ascend to the top management of the company due to this incident.
…
After leaving Chen’s office, Leyao pulled me into the elevator, and then we stood on the rooftop of the company building.
I lit a cigarette, anticipating the volcanic eruption from Leyao.
“Zhaoyang, I really wish it had been someone from their company who leaked the information, rather than you!” Leyao restrained his emotions, not erupting with the anger I had expected; he had always been much calmer than others.
“It wasn’t someone from Zhuomei who leaked it. I was the one who told Mi Cai.”
“How could you do this? How could you betray Manager Chen and all the efforts we’ve made over the years to seize this opportunity?” Leyao’s words were cold, filled with restrained anger.
I remained silent, taking a heavy puff from my cigarette. Indeed, what I had done was unforgivable to anyone except my own conscience and principles. I had betrayed both Chen and Leyao, and destroyed my own future.
“Say something, damn it!”
Finally, Leyao, unable to contain his fury, kicked me in the abdomen. I fell to the ground in suffocating pain but didn’t look at him. After a while, I picked up the fallen cigarette, took another puff, and felt pain in my body and heart, not knowing what else to say or do.
“Zhaoyang, did you receive some benefit from Mi Cai, or are you planning to jump ship to Zhuomei for a better position?” Leyao’s expression grew colder as he spoke.
“No, I didn’t… I didn’t take anything from her…”
But Leyao didn’t want to hear my explanation. He interrupted, cursing, “Zhaoyang, you bastard… Chen shouldn’t have kept you by his side. For the sake of flattering a woman, you’ve abandoned your principles! Do you know how long Chen has been waiting for this opportunity?… I was wrong about you!”
After saying this, Leyao didn’t look at me again and walked toward the stairwell, his back seemingly filled with anger.
I finished my cigarette, lay down on the ground, looked at the blue sky, and let the wind cut across me. Amid the pain, I bitterly laughed. Leyao and I had been close for nearly ten years, yet he thought I had done this just to flatter Mi Cai. Apparently, that’s how he saw me!
In fact, I had only written a letter to Mi Cai, and she didn’t even know who had sent it. There was no exchange of interests between us, and I certainly hadn’t been trying to curry favor with her. But Leyao didn’t even give me a chance to explain. Perhaps I didn’t need to explain at all. If he truly understood me, he wouldn’t have misunderstood me.
I had always believed we were soulmates, but why couldn’t even he understand me? Was ten years not enough to earn understanding and companionship?
I felt like crying, but couldn’t. So I breathed the cold air and sobbed. In my sobs, this vast city gradually transformed into a city of sorrow. In this sorrowful city, I had lost the purity of love and the loyalty between brothers… I once again had the urge to leave, carrying all the pain and sadness with me, and finally departing alone.
…
After leaving that cold rooftop, I immediately went to Chen Jingming’s office with my resignation letter. At that moment, I didn’t even want to look for another job here. After completing the job handover, I would leave, forever abandoning this sorrowful city.
I opened the door to Chen’s office and walked in with my head down. Chen, who was reading some documents, looked puzzled and asked me, “Why are you back again?”
I placed the resignation letter I had in my hand on Chen’s desk and said apologetically, “Manager, I’m here to submit my resignation.”
Chen looked at me in surprise. After a while, he put the documents aside and asked me, “Why suddenly resign? You didn’t mention this to me earlier.”
“Manager, I’ve actually been thinking about resigning for a long time. I’ve given it serious consideration… I can’t afford a house in this city, and I don’t see any hope. Plus, my mother’s health isn’t very good. I want to go home and be by her side. I hope you can understand.” I tried to speak in a calm tone to Chen. Although this wasn’t the real reason for my resignation, it was a sincere reason.
Chen shook his head and said to me, “Zhaoyang, I’ve already made it clear to you and Leyao, I will do my best to push for your promotions with the upper management. You won’t be affected by this incident.” He paused, then added, “Although you usually seem to take things lightly, you do have talent. This can be seen from the promotional plan you proposed. Although we don’t know the execution results yet, the promotional plan is very innovative… If you’re willing to adjust your attitude and work hard at Baoli Department Store, you will definitely have a promising future.”
Chen’s words made me feel even more guilty. I knew I had wronged him. I realized that meeting him was a blessing in my three lifetimes. In the future, amidst the harshness of the workplace, I might never again have the chance to meet such a good boss. But precisely because of that, I had to leave. I couldn’t live under the burden of guilt. My departure was the best explanation for myself, for Leyao, and for Chen.
After a long silence, I firmly said to Chen again, “Manager, please understand me and support me!”
Chen looked at me for a long time before asking, “Are you really sure?”
Without any hesitation, I replied, “Yes, I’m sure, Manager.”
Chen nodded, took a pen from the pen holder, and signed my resignation letter.
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