Employee Handbook
Xie Dang, as the president, lacked the demeanor of a domineering CEO and acted unpredictably, which infuriated the system, causing it to remain silent for several days.
Just when Lin Jingshang thought it was about to enter another long CD, the administration department sent a new email that successfully caught his attention. The email subject was "[Pilot Program for Further Enhancing Employees' Sense of Belonging and Happiness Index]".
The content was grand and dignified, but several of the detailed rules made Lin Jingshang sense the scent of the world's will.
"To promote friendly communication among colleagues, starting today, each department will randomly select two employees each week for a lunch together, with the expenses covered by the department's budget."
"To optimize the office environment, we will add mood walls to the tea rooms on each floor to encourage employees to anonymously share interesting stories or troubles and spread positive energy."
The most brilliant move was: "We implemented a heartwarming little surprise system, where the administration department randomly distributes small gifts to employees, such as candy, potted plants, and stress-relieving toys, to enhance their work satisfaction."
Lin Jingshang looked at the email, his lips twitching.
Has the system changed its strategy? Has it shifted from forcibly pushing plotlines to infiltrating the rules of reality?
He immediately sent a screenshot of the email to Xie Dang.
[Lin Jingshang]: Look, doesn't this look like their style? They've started infiltrating corporate culture.
【BUG Partner】: 87.5% probability, more covert methods, in line with its instruction to replenish sweetness.
Sure enough, the next day, the list of people randomly invited to lunch was released, and Lin Jingshang was paired with a guy from the neighboring technical department. That guy was taciturn and only discussed code throughout the meal.
Lunch felt like a technical seminar, and had absolutely nothing to do with sweetness.
The mood wall in the break room was quickly covered with all sorts of anonymous posts, some complaining about the cafeteria, some asking to team up for games, and some drawing simple little figures.
As Lin Jingshang passed by, he spotted a post with sharp writing and precise wording: [Suggestions on Improving Coffee Bean Procurement Standards]
Lin Jingshang: "..."
This style looks too familiar.
As for the heartwarming little surprise, the girls in the administration department immediately sent it to Lin Jingshang. The gift was a fluffy yellow sunflower plush toy with a wide, smiling mouth.
"Mr. Lin, I hope this little sunflower will bring you a good mood!" The administrative assistant smiled sweetly.
Lin Jingshang held the silly-looking sunflower, feeling a little lost. His workspace was always simple, and this thing looked out of place no matter where it was placed.
Just as he was contemplating whether to shove the sunflower into the back of the drawer, Xie Dang happened to come out of the office. His gaze swept over the sunflower in his arms, and without stopping, he casually uttered a remark.
"Place it on the windowsill; it can perform limited photosynthesis."
Lin Jingshang: "..."
What the hell is photosynthesis?!
However, he still placed the sunflower on the windowsill near his workstation, close to the corridor. Its yellow color was indeed a bit eye-catching in the office area.
During his lunch break, he went to the small terrace as usual.
Xie Dang arrived a little late today, carrying not only coffee but also a small, stress-relieving rubber pumpkin.
"What a surprise." Xie Dang placed the rubber pumpkin on the chair next to Lin Jingshang. "It's said to be effective in relieving stress."
Lin Jingshang picked up the pumpkin with its peculiar texture and looked at Xie Dang: "Was this also sent by the Administration Department?"
Why didn't he receive it?
Xie Dang sat down and took a sip of coffee: "Hmm, random."
Looking at his serious face, Lin Jingshang suddenly understood.
The system must be up to something again, giving Xie Dang one of these little gadgets as well, and Xie Dang immediately gave it to himself.
He squeezed the rubber pumpkin in his hand; it was elastic and did indeed relieve some stress. He couldn't help but laugh and played with the pumpkin in his hand.
"Thank you, it's quite...unique."
Sunlight streamed onto the terrace, illuminating two quiet figures: one sipping coffee, the other sculpting a silly-looking rubber pumpkin. The sunflowers on the windowsill, bathed in sunlight, grinned like amused spectators.
The pink bubble that the system tried to create with "humanized measures" seems to have been swayed in some strange direction by these two.
Lin Jingshang held the small pumpkin in his hand, glanced at the quiet profile of the man beside him, and felt that this feeling of being forced to be happy and sharing happiness was better than being splashed with coffee.
The company's anniversary is approaching, and unlike previous years, this year's celebration will be particularly lively.
In addition to the regular dinner, the notification issued by the administration department also included a lucky draw, with the grand prize being a five-day luxury island trip for two.
Lin Jingshang looked at the promotional image in the email, his little antennae standing up alertly. He took a screenshot and sent it to Xie Dang.
[Lin Jingshang]: I bet five cents that there's something fishy about the lottery.
【BUG Partner】: The probability is close to 100%. Analysis shows that the grand prize setting is highly compatible with the forced joint travel plot module.
As expected, the atmosphere at the anniversary banquet was lively. On stage, the lucky draw was in full swing. Third, second, and first prizes were drawn one after another, eliciting cheers from the audience.
Finally, we arrived at the most exciting part: the grand prize.
The administrative manager personally went on stage, reached into the transparent raffle box, and put a mysterious smile on his face, enlivening the atmosphere.
"Next up is our grand prize: a luxury island getaway for two! Let's see who the two lucky winners will be!"
He deliberately drew out his words, rummaged around in the box for a while, and then pulled out two envelopes.
"The first lucky winner is—" he opened the envelope, his voice booming.
"Lin Jingshang from the Marketing Department!"
The spotlight shone on Lin Jingshang, and applause and cheers erupted instantly. Lin Jingshang squinted under the bright light, his heart completely unmoved, and he even felt like yawning.
really.
"So, the second lucky winner will be—" The administrative supervisor pulled out another envelope, opened it with exaggerated movements, and raised his voice eight octaves in an instant.
"This is our beloved General Manager Xie, Xie Dang!"
The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in applause, whistles, and laughter ten times louder than before. All eyes darted back and forth between the executive director on stage, Lin Jingshang under the spotlight, and the president at the head table, with expressions of anticipation for a good show.
This random lottery is so random it couldn't be more random.
The spotlight also discreetly focused on Xie Dang.
Xie Dang put down his wine glass, stood up slowly under everyone's gaze, straightened his suit jacket, and walked calmly toward the center of the stage.
He walked onto the stage, took the envelope from the smiling administrative supervisor, and didn't even glance at it.
Then he walked over to the standing microphone.
The audience fell silent instantly, everyone pricking up their ears, eager to hear what kind of inspiring acceptance speech the CEO would give, or whether he would make an official announcement right there on the spot.
Xie Dang's gaze calmly swept across the audience, finally settling on Lin Jingshang for two seconds. He then spoke into the microphone, his voice carrying clearly throughout the banquet hall through the speakers.
"Thank you for the company's arrangement. However, given the recent tight project schedule and the heavy responsibilities of the management team, I am unable to leave my post."
The audience below the stage: "???"
The administrative manager's smile was about to fade, wondering what his boss was up to this time.
Xie Dang changed the subject, his tone becoming calm: "According to Chapter 3, Article 5 of the Employee Handbook, prizes can be exchanged for cash of equivalent value, or transferred through the administration department, depending on the actual circumstances."
He looked at the administrative supervisor who was already petrified beside him: "Supervisor Wang, please follow the procedure and exchange my and Lin Jingshang's special prize rights for shopping cards of equivalent value, and include them in the department's team building expenses."
The administrative manager was stunned for a moment before finally reacting: "...Ah? Oh...okay, okay, Mr. Xie!"
Xie Dang nodded slightly, handed the hot envelope back to the administrative supervisor, then turned and walked steadily off the stage back to his seat. The whole process was smooth and effortless, with no superfluous expression on his face.
After a few seconds of silence, various ambiguous murmurs erupted from the audience. Some were disappointed, some found it amusing, and some admired the CEO's professional handling of the situation.
The spotlight followed Xie Dang's movements foolishly for a while before reluctantly turning it off.
Lin Jingshang, watching Xie Dang's series of actions from below the stage, almost couldn't help but applaud.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
They turned the system-arranged romantic trip into departmental team-building funds, defeating magic with rules and regulations!
He lowered his head, suppressing a laugh, took out his phone, and sent Xie Dang a message: "Mr. Xie, you seem to know the 'Employee Handbook' quite well."
[BUG Partner]: Basic management skills.
A little while later, Xie Dang sent another message: "[Shopping card, which brand do you prefer?]"
Lin Jingshang looked at the message, then at the bewildered administrative supervisor on the stage holding the envelope, and finally couldn't help but chuckle softly under the cover of the tablecloth.
It seems that the system's attempt to drive the plot through so-called randomness is still too naive in front of its partner, who values logic and rules.
The romantic island is gone, but the shopping cards of equivalent value seem pretty good.
---
Another night of working overtime.
This time, it wasn't Manager Zhang making empty promises. Lin Jingshang's own project had reached a critical point, and he needed to rush out an important presentation. The office lights were on, and all his other colleagues had already left, leaving him alone.
He was completely focused until a sharp pain shot through his neck, at which point he looked up from the screen and stretched his neck.
It was already pitch black outside the window, with the city's neon lights flashing in the distance.
He picked up his phone, instinctively reaching for the chat window, but hesitated.
He seems to have been bothering Xie Dang a lot lately.
He put down his phone and decided to go downstairs to the convenience store to buy a rice ball to tide him over.
I had just stood up when my phone screen lit up first.
[BUG Partner]: Progress?
Lin Jingshang paused for a moment, then replied: [Almost done, just a little finishing touches left.]
[BUG Partner]: Yes, the access card access has been temporarily extended to 12 o'clock.
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