H District Apartment Building…
As it was the weekend, Annie had nothing to do but stay all day at home. While watching the TV, she would look at her tablet once in a while.
The news was still circulating in the company’s forum, and despite not being interested in any gossip, Annie couldn’t ignore the comments which were mostly about her.
“This is the first time someone has been punished directly by the HR Department.”
“One has to commit a tremendous offense before the HR Department can have a say in their fate in the company.”
“Normally, a person will be demoted by a subordinate inside the same department.”
“When you have a connection with the higher-ups, nothing is impossible. Mr. Wang… Erm…” The employee left his comment hanging. Nowadays, they were even afraid to mention Mr. Wang’s name in the company’s forum.
When it came to gossiping about the man, they could only refer to him in a way an onlooker wouldn’t understand who they were talking about.
“Eh? This is strange, though. If the demotion came directly from the HR Department, is the rumor between the Damsel and the Knights fake then?”
Some weeks back, someone had posted something about the HR Department’s Manager chasing after the girl. After what happened, the employees began doubting.
“Have you forgotten the no-romance rule? Surely, the HR Department is sane enough to keep its hands to itself. So, actually, the HR Department isn’t a fool to decline orders from the higher-ups.”
By HR Department, the Employees were referring to no one but Mr. Zhang who had a history of courting the damsel in the past.
The gossip was never ending and Annie dropped her tablet. She picked up her handphone and scrolled through her email to look at the complaint she had sent to the HR Department. It had been three days and there was still no reply.
A tiny smile crept up her lips and she shook her head. After sending another email, she dropped her phone and rested her head on the couch’s headrest, letting her eyelids close.
A few minutes later, the girl had almost dozed off when the sound of the doorbell reached her ears.
Annie stood up and walked to the door. Peeking through the small hole, she was a bit surprised to see who was at the door. However, she retained a calm expression after opening the door.
Mr. Zhang looked as if he had been running for several miles. Although he had driven here in his car, the man had been having a mental breakdown and he looked very haggard.
For the past few days, Mr. Zhang hadn’t been himself after issuing the demotion letter. Apart from feeling guilty, he was also overwhelmed with fear.
It wasn’t that he didn’t receive her email, it was just that he was too downcast and didn’t know how to reply. Despite that, Mr. Zhang’s anxiety increased after seeing her second email on his way here.
Without waiting for her to greet him first, Mr. Zhang cleared his throat and said, “Ms. Lin, hopefully, I found you in good health. If you won’t mind, can I have a word?” He avoided her eyes as he spoke.
Annie tilted her head to the side, a small frown forming on her forehead. On the girl’s face was a subtle smile, contrary to the expression Mr. Zhang was anticipating to see on her face.
Because his interest in her was obvious, Mr. Zhang thought that she would flare up on seeing him and even scold him a bit.
“Sure, Mr. Zhang, please say what brought you.” Her calm reply astounded him and Mr. Zhang only felt more guilty.
“If Ms. Lin won’t mind, I have a proposition to make. But first, I owe you an explanation. Therefore, if you could let me in-“
“Sure.”
Annie held the door wide, inviting him inside. Sensing that the man was here to talk about her demotion, she didn’t see why she should decline to listen to what he had to say.
Mr. Zhang sat on a couch and she poured him a glass of juice from the fridge. The girl treated him with such consideration that Mr. Zhang’s guilt kept expanding.
“Ms. Lin…” Mr. Zhang sighed. “I am here to let you know that I am sorry for your demotion. Ms. Lin must know that it wasn’t intentional. As you are already aware, someone is behind this.”
Annie sat on the couch opposite him. “Mr. Zhang, I don’t remember offending any of the higher-ups.”
“Everyone knows about the feud between you and Mr. Wang’s daughter. I mustn’t hide this from you. It is all Mr. Wang’s doing. However, I couldn’t deny an order from the former CEO. Ms. Lin must understand the enormity of going against that kind of person.”
The other reason why Mr. Zhang was left in a tight spot was also because of the current CEO. He had heard that the former CEO and the current one were very close. If he offended one, wouldn’t he be offending the other one as well?
Inside the elevator that day, Mr. Zhang realized that the current CEO wasn’t a nice person. And for some reason, the man seemed to dislike him. So, Mr. Zhang was only saving his skin.
Annie couldn’t read the man’s thoughts, but his expression gave away the fear inside him. “If Mr. Zhang is only here to come off clean, it won’t change what has happened. We are not close, and you’re not obliged to apologize to me. All I want is for Mr. Zhang to consider my request and give me back my position.”
Asking Mr. Zhang to give her back her position was like telling him to move a mountain. Mr. Zhang could lose his job, who knew? “Here is my proposition,” He sighed. “How about you transfer to the HR Department, Ms. Lin? I assure you you will be treated justly. I’ll also promote you to be my assistant.”
This way, Mr. Zhang could also get to be close to her. The rule about no more romance in the office could be applied to every employee, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t date in secret. Besides, Mr. Zhang was planning to retire soon so he could face his other businesses.
It wasn’t that he was trying to use her situation to his advantage. But when an opportunity came, wasn’t one supposed to grab it?
“I studied Arts Design and not Human Relations. Mr. Zhang, won’t it be ridiculous if I transfer to your department?” Annie found the man’s words funny and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Ms. Lin knows better than anyone that as long as you are an employee in a company, it doesn’t matter what you studied, you can transfer to any department of your choice. By the way, Human Relations isn’t something hard to give someone as intelligent as Ms. Lin difficulties.”
Annie watched him silently.
“This is the only way out, Ms. Lin. It is either you remain a receptionist in the Arts Department or join the HR Department and enjoy the full benefits of a significant employee.”
“Mr. Zhang, I’ll have to disappoint you. I got to where I am in the Arts Department with my blood and sweat. I never pulled strings to be successful, I won’t start doing it now.”
“Ms. Lin-“
“I implore Mr. Zhang to do what is morally correct and return my position to me. I’ll be waiting.”