layoffs
When Lin Ting entered the company, she keenly sensed the subtle atmosphere.
The team leader saw Lin Ting and greeted him, "Good morning."
Lin Ting asked in a low voice, "What happened? Is it... a layoff notice?"
The team leader looked at him with apparent sympathy, and after a moment nodded slightly.
The layoff notice finally came before the Lunar New Year, and Lin Ting was on the list. She completed the resignation process that same day.
Lin Ting felt very lucky. After all, the layoffs were handled cleanly and efficiently, the company didn't make a fuss, and the compensation was in line with the standards. He had already anticipated this, so it wasn't difficult for him to accept.
Lin Ting tidied up her personal belongings at her workstation. Actually, there weren't many; they were just scattered around, and she didn't know which way to put them.
A kind colleague at the next table handed Lin Ting a simple storage box.
Lin Ting accepted it, smiling as she said, "Thank you."
My colleague waved his hand and said, "You're welcome. I wish you find a good job."
The implication is that their current company is terrible, so leaving is no big deal and there's no need to regret it.
Lin Ting nodded and thanked her colleague for his kindness.
Although Lin Ting tried her best to keep the noise of packing as low as possible, the colleague who lent her the storage box still glanced at her every now and then. Lin Ting asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there something you need to talk to me about?"
The colleague then realized that Lin Ting had seen everything he was doing by glancing sideways, and said with an embarrassed smile, "It's nothing, I'm just a little envious of you."
As Lin Ting left with the storage box, she realized what he meant and thought, "He left an empty storage box at his workstation, probably hoping to get laid off."
As he was leaving, he ran into a younger colleague. Although the two were not even acquaintances, Lin Ting recognized the man.
This colleague is the one the team leader mentioned last time—someone the company wanted to retain based on good performance.
Lin Ting had no prejudice against this colleague; they simply passed each other by.
He stepped into the elevator and watched the displayed floor number decrease little by little. The elevator was nearly empty at this time, rarely stopping on intermediate floors, and quickly descended to the first floor.
Lin Ting's company only occupies three floors of this office building; the other floors house many other companies. In his memory, everyone who walked out of this building looked exhausted, with a layer of dust on their face, as if work had devoured a part of their vitality. No one would think this was abnormal; this was life, even a life worth envying.
Before today, Lin Ting had no idea she would be laid off so suddenly, so she hadn't driven to the company. Since she was carrying a storage box, Lin Ting decided to walk back slowly.
Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry, so he just treated it as a walk.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Ting stepped out of the empty elevator and out of the office building. It was a bright and sunny day; the winter sun shone goldenly on the city, making the dust on the roadside bushes glimmer.
This street is mostly lined with tall office buildings, but after you walk down this street, the architectural style changes noticeably, and it becomes mostly residential buildings.
At 2 PM, there weren't many people on the streets. If Lin Ting had left at her usual time after work, she would have seen some people leaving work and a few mobile food stalls.
The sun shone on his down jacket, his face, his neck, and his hands, making him feel very warm. Although a cold breeze occasionally slipped into the gaps between his clothes and his skin, Lin Ting didn't care at all.
As he walked, everything along the way was familiar to him, but because he had slowed down, he could see it more clearly.
It turned out that the trees along the roadside had also been wrapped in insulating material, and the plants in the middle of the green belt seemed to have been changed. The breakfast shop he usually passed by was across the street, and it was still open at this time, with the owner lazily dozing off.
Lin Ting began to sing softly on the empty path. He had heard many songs, and fragments of music filled every crevice of his life, but he rarely sang, not only rarely in front of others, but also rarely when he was alone.
As someone who "points fingers" at singers, Lin Ting is very knowledgeable about vocal techniques and has a very strong ability to identify them, but ultimately he is only at the level of listening and appreciating. When it comes to actual singing, he is much more clumsy.
Lin Ting doesn't sing off-key; her simple singing is actually quite pleasant to listen to.
After arriving home, Lin Ting messaged Zhao Qinfeng, asking when he would be free for a voice call.
Lin Ting preferred to tell Zhao Qinfeng directly about her resignation rather than convey it through a text message.
Zhao Qinfeng hadn't replied yet, presumably he was busy. Lin Ting wasn't in a hurry; she first put her phone on the table to charge, then took the broom from the bathroom.
Lin Ting tidied up the house, went out to buy some groceries, and carefully cooked a meal for herself.
He usually cooks as quickly as possible, using two pots at the same time, and can whip up a meat dish and a vegetable dish in fifteen minutes, which is nutritionally balanced but a bit perfunctory.
But today, with plenty of time, Lin Ting can leisurely select vegetables, carefully process and marinate the meat, and spend a lot of effort preparing a meal.
When efficiency is paramount, this is called wasting time; but for Lin Ting at this moment, it is the joy of life.
Even with such a slow cooking pace, by the time Lin Ting finished eating, it was only just past six o'clock, still earlier than his earliest time to leave work.
Lin Ting stood by the window for a long time, watching the afterglow slowly fade and night completely fall, before slowly returning to her computer desk and sitting down to open the video she had half-edited.
Lin Ting's phone screen lit up briefly. He picked it up and saw a message from Zhao Qinfeng saying that the evening should end around 7 or 8 pm, and he should contact him then.
After replying, Lin Ting turned off her phone screen.
Since the last variety show ended, Lin Ting has received several invitations to variety shows or events, but most of them are in other cities, requiring him to travel back and forth. Since Lin Ting simply doesn't have the energy to travel to other cities to participate in the recordings, he has given up on them.
Although Lin Ting did not participate in the recording, she did some promotion and made related music review videos, which were uploaded to the platform. The cooperation was generally pleasant.
Lin Ting has been writing lyrics all along. Because he had already built up a good reputation, he was able to receive a steady stream of lyric writing offers.
The income from these two side jobs, combined with the revenue from operating his own account, is essentially equivalent to a full-time job. Lin Ting has been saving money since he started working, and has some savings, so he's not in a hurry to find a job.
However, he now needs to consider whether to continue sending out resumes in the internet industry or to completely shift his focus to the music industry.
Regardless of her choice, Lin Ting continued to work methodically.
Just as Lin Ting finished editing the video, Zhao Qinfeng's voice call request popped up.
"Good evening!" Lin Ting answered the call with a smile.
"Good evening, good evening! I'm in my room now. You sound very happy. Did something good happen that you want to share with me?" Zhao Qinfeng said a long string of words.
"I got laid off, I lost my job." Lin Ting's smile widened as he spoke. Although he was telling the truth, he clearly intended to tease the other person.
This short sentence made Zhao Qinfeng's heart skip a beat.
"Are you alright?" Zhao Qinfeng asked with some concern. "Did I hear you wrong? Did you say you were laid off?"
Zhao Qinfeng didn't know whether to suspect that Lin Ting had lost her mind, or to suspect that there was something wrong with his hearing or comprehension.
Under Zhao Qinfeng's earnest concern, Lin Ting tried very hard to suppress her laughter and didn't laugh out loud. However, Zhao Qinfeng had keen hearing and was very sensitive to changes in breathing. Even though the sound was somewhat distorted during transmission, he still clearly heard Lin Ting's suppressed laughter.
Lin Ting finally stopped teasing him and explained it to him in detail.
Zhao Qinfeng was stunned for a moment before saying, "So... you've essentially received six months of paid leave!"
"Yes, so don't be nervous," Lin Ting said lazily, her tone already carrying a sense of leisure, as if she were on vacation.
"Then can we go on a trip together?" Zhao Qinfeng asked excitedly.
Lin Ting said "Oh," and after Zhao Qinfeng's reminder, he quickly remembered that the two of them had both been free after the Chinese New Year. At that time, their schedules only overlapped for a few days, but now that he didn't need to go to work, his time was suddenly free.
“Yes, then let’s go out for a trip after the New Year.” Lin Ting efficiently opened his computer, created a new document, and prepared to discuss travel arrangements with Zhao Qinfeng.
The two talked on the phone for more than an hour, discussing most of the travel-related matters before moving on to other topics.
Zhao Qinfeng softened his voice and complained to Lin Ting, "Every year at the end of the year, there are all sorts of activities piling up, it's so busy, so busy, so busy... I haven't seen you in so long!"
Lin Ting sighed and comforted her, "Hang in there a little longer, it'll be over soon. Think about the New Year, think about your trip!"
Zhao Qinfeng said, "Actually, singing is quite good, but traveling is really tiring. I've been flying more often than usual lately."
Lin Ting had witnessed Zhao Qinfeng's usual schedule before; he was already traveling quite frequently for work, and now he was traveling even more and working overtime even busier, so he couldn't help but worry.
"Your line of work must be really tough... Is it true that all industries tend to be very busy at the end of the year? I used to be too. Usually, I'm busy for a while and then relatively free for a while. The end of the year is definitely busy. Maybe it's because the year is coming to a close and we need to wrap things up. So in addition to our daily work, we also need to do some summarizing."
“That makes sense, it’s time to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new… Are you planning to update more chapters around the Lunar New Year this year?” Zhao Qinfeng suddenly asked Lin Ting about his update schedule.
Lin Ting gave a soft hiss, "You reminded me. I can indeed update a little more so I can gather more material first."
Zhao Qinfeng asked this question because he knew that Lin Ting usually stopped updating at the end of the year, and at most updated two things: this or that.
The reason why Lin Ting doesn't update her blog is very simple: she's too busy with work, and during her short few days off she has to go home for the Chinese New Year, so she can't relax.
However, Lin Ting doesn't have to go to work or go home for the Chinese New Year this time, so she suddenly has plenty of time.
"Do you have a habit of watching the Spring Festival Gala?" Zhao Qinfeng suddenly asked.
“I’ll watch it with my family when I get home… What’s wrong? Are you asking me to watch your show?” Lin Ting’s voice trailed off with a hint of a smile and a touch of teasing.
Zhao Qinfeng was a little embarrassed and said, "Is my intention so obvious? Although I can't guarantee it, if my name is on the program list, I hope you can see my program."
"I hope you can be on the Spring Festival Gala! I will definitely watch it," Lin Ting said solemnly.
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