At an office desk, a young man sat drenched in sweat, working with such intense focus that he failed to notice his computer screen had been obscured by sunlight passing through the glass window.
Tilting his head closer to the screen, the young man continued to analyze the quarterly report, not even bothering to increase the screen's brightness.
"What the hell are you doing, Su Lin?"
A familiar voice shattered Su Lin's concentration.
However, instead of reacting with anger, he turned to greet the person before him.
There stood a man with a large, round belly, dressed in a black suit, staring intently at him.
"Boss," Su Lin said, his voice almost choking.
His boss, Manager Wang, always flaunted his expensive black Louis Vuitton Manhattan Richellieu shoes, thumping his foot in a way that drew everyone's attention.
Instinctively, Su Lin glanced down at his boss's feet.
The pair of exquisite black alligator-skin leather shoes left Su Lin stunned.
'He's wearing them? Then how could I have failed to notice his presence?'
Before he could think further about why his boss had not acted as usual, the latter pointed a finger at the spreadsheet on the screen.
"At what price did you sell yourself?"
"What?" Su Lin straightened, confused by what his boss meant.
"To pass our secrets to them, how much did the other party offer you, you traitor?" Manager Wang roared.
Everyone else in the office perked their ears. Though they kept their heads down and pretended to work diligently, they could not help sneaking glances at Su Lin from their cubicles.
After all, leaking information was a serious matter. If it were proven true, especially when it involved company secrets, a person's career could be completely ruined.
Noticing everyone's intent gazes, Su Lin quickly explained.
"No, Boss. It's not what you think. I was analyzing the data so I could prepare a presentation in advance. I didn't have any intention to harm the company."
Bang!
Manager Wang slapped his palm on the desk, dismissing him outright.
"When did I ever ask you to prepare a presentation? And you say you mean no harm, yet you applied for a job at Skyrise Fincorp, knowing that they are the biggest rival of our company. Do you think I'm a fool? Get lost. You're fired."
"Fired?" Su Lin's pupils widened.
**This fatty always demanded last-minute presentations, didn't he? But about my job application, only Zhou Wei knew about that.**
Doubt rose in Su Lin's heart as he shifted his gaze to the side of his desk.
Sure enough, as always, Zhou Wei sat there leisurely, as if watching a drama unfold, wearing an expression of fake innocence.
**So it was this bastard who sold me out. Damn it.**
Su Lin clenched his fist but did not confront Zhou Wei immediately.
Right now, his job was on the line. He could wait to deal with him later.
As Su Lin began to persuade Manager Wang, the latter ignored him and waved at the two guards who had already arrived after the commotion.
"Dump this rat out of our building. And his stuff too."
The two guards grabbed Su Lin by the shoulders and dragged him out.
It would have been one thing if this were a misunderstanding, but he was not even given a chance to defend himself. There was no proper investigation at all. This was clearly personal, a vent for pent-up anger, and Su Lin knew exactly why.
He lost his calm and bellowed, "Everyone, this pig has had his eye on my position for months. He wants to give it to his kept mistress. That's why he accused me of such baseless charges."
However, the other employees were not shocked by Su Lin's sudden outburst. Most of them were aware of Manager Wang's shady affairs. Even so, no one stood up for Su Lin.
After all, who would be willing to ruin their peaceful life over something like this?
Thud!
In the parking lot, the two guards threw Su Lin onto the ground, tossing his belongings after him even more roughly.
Su Lin glared at them like a wounded lion, furious yet too powerless to strike back.
Even if he went to the police, the case would likely never be properly filed. The Imperium Global was too large, too influential. At best, it would be noted and quietly dismissed for lack of evidence on both sides.
Manager Wang might simply use bribes to wash the company's name clean, and in the end, Su Lin would become nothing more than a laughingstock.
Silently, Su Lin gathered his belongings. There was scarcely anything of value, but he still picked up a few items before leaving.
The guards watched him closely. If Su Lin tried anything funny, even a little, they would make sure he did not leave in one piece.
**Just wait. One day, I'll make you pay a hundredfold for this humiliation.**
Beep!
As the fire of vengeance blazed inside Su Lin, his phone buzzed with a notification, dousing it with cold water.
[Your a/c XXXX 8899 has been debited by RMB 15,000.00 towards Credit Card Payment. Available balance: RMB 1,042.00.]
**Damn this auto-debit facility. I don't even remember why I enabled it.**
Su Lin cursed inwardly, hammering his head with his fist.
The reason he was so desperate to change companies was this never-ending debt loop.
After his parents died in an accident, they left behind a huge loan that fell squarely on his shoulders.
Every asset he inherited was sold to repay the creditors. Even the insurance money was taken, leaving him with nothing but a small portion of his parents' savings.
He could have survived on that insurance money, but those blood-sucking relatives did not allow it. They held a significant share of the loan themselves. How could they ever allow a young man to walk away with such a sum?
Over time, his savings were replaced by credit loans, and he was reduced to an earn-to-pay slave.
Beep!
"Hmm..."
Just then, his phone buzzed again. This time, it was not a bank notification but an email from Skyrise Fincorp.
According to the policy stated on their website, any business or career-related correspondence took a minimum of seven days.
More than two weeks had passed, and now the response had finally come.
Su Lin's heart raced, not from excitement, but with the looming fear of more bad news. Lately, everything seemed to have turned against him, as if his luck had completely evaporated.
Although he did not believe in destiny, after witnessing the dramatic rise and fall of so many people, he could not deny that there was some truth to it.
After steadying himself for a moment, Su Lin tapped the screen.
[Dear Mr. Su Lin,
We regret to inform you that your application has been rejected... We wish you the best in your future endeavours.]
**What the fuck...**
First, he was fired. Then, his meagre savings were nearly emptied. Now, even his last hope of getting his life back on track was gone. All of this had happened within just a few hours.
He thought of his rent, unpaid for a month, and couldn't help but shudder.
"If this goes on, it won't be long before I'm begging on the streets. Is heaven really so indignant toward me?"
[Ding!]