The forum was silent for a while before the employees flooded it with comments.
“Ah! This is unfair. Why Can’t I see my name?”
“Only eighteen girls were chosen, why? Who are those girls, does anyone know them?”
“I am beginning to doubt this result. I am a hardworking employee too… Why can’t I see my name?”
“I heard that the IT Department did not access only the employees’ performance. It is said that they also considered the employees’ behavior, mannerism, and professionalism.”
“Does that mean the girls chosen are the best among us?”
“You can put it that way. Working in the CEO’s area is not an easy fit. Do you think a normal employee will be qualified?”
“This is confusing, actually. Why are there eighteen girls when there are ten departments in MystiArt Productions? Didn’t the IT Department choose two girls from each department?”
“Who knows, who cares? Argh! Can someone tell me what is going on? I know one of these girls. She isn’t even that good. How could they choose her and not me?”
“We need an explanation from the IT Department’s Manager. This is so unfair.”
“Employees of the IT Department, you must explain yourself. I heard all of you have a hand in this.”
“Come out and give us an explanation, IT Department. We can’t take this result. There must be something fishy going on.”
The uproar of more than two hundred female employees suppressed the voices of the only eighteen girls who were chosen.
They didn’t celebrate or comment on the forum, fearing that they would be bullied mercilessly.
Every department in MystiArt Productions was devastated that day. Speaking accurately, every female employee in those departments.
The most unfortunate ones were the employees from the Arts Department. They felt that they weren’t treated justly.
“Does the IT Department’s Manager have a grudge against our Manager and we don’t know?”
“Why is it that two girls were selected from each department but our department was left out?”
“Isn’t this fishy? I thought Mr. Yang was an upright man.”
“We can’t take this humiliation. Everyone knows that the Arts Department is the best. Isn’t this funny? Are they trying to fool us or what?”
“The IT Department’s employees must answer to us. No, we can’t accept this. We must issue a complaint to the higher-ups
As the employees gathered around and expressed their displeasure, Layla sat in her cubicle, looking solemn.
“Annie, what is happening?” She looked at Annie with sad eyes. “Will I not get to work in the CEO’s office? Damnit! I even dreamt about this last night. I saw myself walking beside the CEO and giving him some reports.”
Annie’s eyes were on the tablet in her hands. A small frown settled on her face as she went through the names.
“It is obvious that they chose the two most competent female employees from each department.”
To justify the selection, the IT Department had also posted the employees’ data, concealing sensitive information.
One could see those employees’ performance for many years now. They all looked good.
“Are we the employees from the Arts Department not competent to even climb onto the list?” Annie completed her words and chuckled. “This is funny.”
“It is not funny, Annie!” Layla whined. “It is so devastating! How could this happen to us? Did we offend anyone in this company?”
“Ms. Ju’an, take it easy. We don’t know why they chose no one from our department. But we can’t act rashly.”
“You’re right. We all kept complaining about the IT Department. The CEO must have approved the list before it was even posted. If he didn’t have anything against it, who do you think we should question the most?”
“We don’t dare question the CEO. However, it is so unfair. Do we have to exercise patience regarding this?”
“If it turns out the CEO doesn’t like our department, aren’t we in a hot soup?”
“We thought the CEO treated the employees fairly. The CEO especially wants to merge the Arts Department with the Innovation Department which is in our favor. What did we do to offend him suddenly?”
“Who should we even seek an explanation from? Is it the CEO or the Manager of the IT Department?”
“Not fair. Not fair. The CEO is my idol. I don’t want to believe that the CEO doesn’t like us.”
“Whether you believe it or not, Ms. Ju’an, the reality is obvious. The employees of the Arts Department have just been ignored, something that was never done in MystiArt Productions.”
“Even while Mr. Wu was still the CEO, he never looked down on the Arts Department employees. How can we keep quiet about this?”
“But we can’t issue a complaint against the CEO. What if we get into trouble?”
The employees found it hard to believe that the CEO would do such things to them. They were left in a tight spot too. They couldn’t just go against the CEO, right?”
“Actually, we can.”
A clear voice came from one of the cubicles and everyone stared at Annie in shock.
“Ms. Lin, aren’t you afraid? What do you mean by we can?”
“Ms. Lin, we know you’re brave, but it is the CEO we’re talking about.” Mia looked at her in disbelief. “We can’t speak to the CEO anyhow, right?”
“I’m not saying we should disrespect the CEO.” Annie looked at them. “But are we going to keep quiet about this? Every department has equal rights in this company. All the employees are to be treated fairly. If something like this happens and we don’t stand up for ourselves, isn’t it the end of the stardom of the Arts Department?”
“Your words make sense, Ms. Lin. Can we do that, however?”
“Ms. Lin, please we can’t.” Mia shook her head. “If you want to land in trouble, please do it yourself. If it’s a humiliation from the CEO, we can accept it wholeheartedly.”
“Fine.” Annie looked away from them and stared at her tablet.
Everyone watched in disbelief as the girl logged into the company’s forum. For once, her first interaction on the forum wasn’t a comment but an announcement.
:::To The CEO.
[The Arts Department has done its best for MystiArt Productions. Since the company was established, it never did anything to affect the company’s reputation. Mr. Lim, we want to ask. If two employees from every department can enjoy the benefits of becoming your secretary, why can’t we?]
*Annabelle Lin…*