Chapter 1: Everyone's Nervousness (I) Click 1 to listen to my revenge plan. ...
“Light up the lights—!”
The editor-in-chief's roar echoed from one end of the corridor to the other, and everyone else automatically retreated. The only sound was the thud of leather shoes hitting the floor, like a death warrant from the King of Hell.
A boy with dark circles under his eyes looked up from his computer and said blankly, "Huh?"
This is already the second week of working overtime with the lights on, working all night long, and going to bed late. But maybe it's because I'm young. Apart from the dark circles under my eyes, I still have good skin and a good appearance. I've even lost a few pounds due to the excessive pressure, making my face look pitifully small.
The editor-in-chief pushed open the door of the editorial office, still clutching today's manuscript in his hand, and roared, "Zhang Deng, get out here!"
Zhang Deng raised his hand right under his nose.
The editor took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions, and said, "You were the one who rejected He Qiu's manuscript?"
Zhang Deng said slowly, "Oh, you mentioned his manuscript. I was just about to tell you that I think it matches the tone of this issue—"
The editor-in-chief asked, “Is this your first day in this industry?”
He was so angry that he almost laughed, almost collapsed, so angry that he wanted to throw Zhang Deng down from the 29th floor and said, "Do you know who he is?"
Zhang Deng pushed his glasses up, still looking slothful: "I know."
"I know," the editor laughed brokenly, "You know, are you going to destroy me, Zhang Deng? Are you going to destroy me?"
Zhang Deng said calmly, "His manuscript this time was very poorly written."
"It's awful..." the editor-in-chief said, "Do you know who her husband is? He's our biggest advertiser!"
Zhang Deng: "They are not married yet."
Editor-in-Chief: “?”
Zhang Deng: "Homosexuals cannot get married."
The editor-in-chief held his head in his hands, his speech system completely disordered.
Zhang Deng: "Besides, he wants 10,000 words per word, which is over budget."
He thought for a moment and added, "And the quality is very poor."
The editor-in-chief said, "Are you mentally ill?"
"Without him, our workshop would have collapsed long ago," the editor-in-chief said. "You're talking to me about ideals and quality now, but when you were getting your salary and negotiating a raise with me, why didn't you talk about ideals and quality?"
The editor-in-chief left in anger. After he left, everyone dared to return to their workstations one after another. Turning on the lights seemed to have no effect. After a while, they buried their heads in their computers and went back to work.
Xiao Deng next to him said, "Hey, don't take it personally. That's just how he speaks."
"Ah," Zhang Deng finally paid attention to him after a while, "It's okay."
Normally, Xiao Deng would have ignored him, but today he was incredibly curious. The entire unit was waiting for the intelligence he could gather. Xiao Deng pressed on, leaning closer. "What are you thinking?"
Zhang Deng pushed up his glasses and said the same thing: "The manuscript is not good."
"Come on."
Xiao Deng couldn't believe it. Zhang Deng usually reviewed He Qiu's manuscripts. How could Zhang Deng not know his level of skill? Why did he just suddenly reject his manuscript this time?
He Qiu has a large online following, most of whom are extreme couples and looks fans. He Qiu stopped writing for six months due to personal matters and only then notified his fans of his return. Fans had hoped to find clues of his romance in his writing, but when the article was published, they found He Qiu missing. He Qiu replied on his own account with a veiled reply, implying that the article had been rejected for various reasons. He Qiu happened to be breaking up with her handsome, rich boyfriend, so fans naturally thought the editor was being unfair and almost attacked the editor-in-chief and his entire family.
Xiao Deng said, "This time our publishing house might really be finished."
Today, when print media is in decline, major publishing houses that were once glorious are relying on collaborations with celebrities or opening accounts to insert advertisements and sell writing courses to make money. This has angered the world's most crazy fans of Internet celebrities and is a dead end.
Xiao Deng opened the recruitment app and muttered to himself, "My social security payments...are going to stop again."
Zhang Deng ignored him and continued working on his own typesetting. He was a little too tired today and really didn't have the energy to deal with his colleagues anymore.
Today's get off work-off time broke the record. When I turned on the lights and got home, it was already 11:40.
He took out the key, opened the door, and silently turned on the light, illuminating the small room of more than 40 square meters.
This is a layout of one bedroom, one kitchen and one bathroom. A sofa and a bed can be seen directly at the door. The sofa and the bed are piled with clothes that have been taken off this week but have not been washed yet. A small gray cat jumped down from the sofa silently, circled under his feet twice, and nudged him with its head.
Zhang Deng squatted down and touched its head. The kitten was not very pretty, but a very ordinary blue cat breed. Zhang Deng bought it at the morning market for three hundred yuan, and the cat was given two newspapers and a half-square cat cage as a gift.
Zhang Deng threw his bag aside, kicked off his shoes, and slumped down on the sofa, closing his eyes for a moment. He thought he would fall asleep immediately, but he didn't. He took out his cell phone and glanced at the comment section of this episode, which was full of curses.
Zhang Deng turned over and carefully savored everyone's curses.
Now netizens really have some information. In less than a day, they have completely uncovered the organizational structure of their company and caught him as the mastermind behind the incident. Zhang Deng even saw the video of himself being scolded in the office today. Judging from the perspective, it should have been recorded by Xiao Deng.
In the eyes of fans, Zhang Deng seriously insulted He Qiu, saying that he "writes poorly", "homosexuals cannot get married", "a thousand words cost ten thousand yuan", etc. This series of sensitive remarks directly ignited the forum.
Several popular sectors are labeled "hot".
Zhang Deng clicked on a post with a relatively benign title, titled "Li Tao." As soon as he clicked in, he realized he had lost all of his immediate family. He continued reading, and someone asked, "For a writer of He Qiu's stature, is ten thousand words a lot?"
Zhang Deng thought to himself, if I could still blow this with my eyes closed, I really wouldn’t live anymore.
Someone responded: "To be honest, it's indeed a lot."
"But you can't calculate it that way," the man immediately said, "Qiuqiu's value isn't just about money. He's already financially independent. This money is probably just because he's a big shot."
Zhang Deng felt really bad this time.
He discovered that there were indeed people who knew what they were doing, and that not all of them were mentally retarded. This realization made Zhang Deng even more miserable.
People who look normal may also be mentally retarded. The world may be full of mentally retarded people. This world is just a huge world of idiots.
Someone analyzed: "Could it be that Lao Deng has a crush on He Qiu?"
Netizens found out that his name was "Zhang Deng", so the nicknames "Lao Deng", "Xiao Deng", and some numbers between A and C that he had not been called for many years, returned to his familiar form once again.
Zhang Deng even felt like coming home.
"It feels more like a crush on my brother-in-law."
Because He Qiu's boyfriend has a relatively noble status, it is not appropriate for him to show his affection on the Internet, because his fans always call him "brother-in-law".
"It's absolutely ridiculous." Someone commented on Zhang Deng.
"Brother-in-law: Thank you, an unknown person, for giving me this opportunity. I was just wondering how to pursue my wife."
Zhang Deng watched for a long time and always felt that these fans were better at writing stories than He Qiu. If they were to write novels, they might have become famous long ago.
Zhang Deng stroked the kitten with one hand and flipped through the online comments with the other. He felt that cyberbullying was nothing more than that. Just when he thought this was the worst outcome.
At nine o'clock the next morning, Zhang Deng had just gone out. Because he overslept, he submitted an application for half an hour of leave on DingTalk, and then he received a message.
"When you arrive at the company, come to my office." It was sent by the editor-in-chief.
Zhang Deng replied: "Got it."
It was read in seconds.
When they arrived at the office, everyone stopped talking as soon as they saw him come in, and returned to their workstations. Zhang Deng put down his bag, hung up his work badge, and went to the editor-in-chief's office.
When he entered, the editor-in-chief was looking at his computer. When he saw him, he immediately turned his eyes away, then turned back and said, "You're here."
"You've worked hard during this period."
"How long have you been at the company?"
Zhang Deng raised his eyes, looked at him from behind his glasses, and said slowly, "Three years."
"It's been three years already," the editor-in-chief said, feeling somewhat sorry. "It's been so hard following so many special topics."
Zhang Deng said, "It's my due. I've had three salary increases."
Editor-in-Chief: “…”
"You deserve it." The editor didn't know whether he was being honest or just not good at speaking, but he had gotten used to it over the years. Zhang Deng worked really hard and had good vision. He could even juggle multiple roles when he was busy and never messed up anything. Although he would definitely ask for compensatory leave and overtime pay afterwards, and a salary increase once a year, it was what he deserved for someone with strong abilities.
The editor then realized that he really liked hanging lanterns.
It’s indeed a pity.
The editor-in-chief still couldn't figure it out: "Why did you reject He Qiu's manuscript?"
Zhang Deng still said the same thing: "The level is too low."
Zhang Deng asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
The editor hesitated for a moment and said, "My boss contacted me last night."
"The advertiser," the editor-in-chief said, "says they want to fire you."
Zhang Deng still didn't react much. After a while, he picked up his phone and said, "I forgot to record it."
Editor-in-Chief: “…”
The editor-in-chief asked warily, "Why are you recording?"
"Labor arbitration," Zhang Deng asked, "is it about discussing compensation?"
The editor-in-chief resumed his usual demeanor and immediately said, "But since this is your fault and has caused the company to suffer huge losses, I suggest you resign."
Zhang Deng: "But I didn't do anything wrong."
Editor-in-Chief: “?”
Zhang Deng: "I don't want to resign."
The editor-in-chief said, "Think it over carefully. This is good for both of us. Resigning won't affect your background check at the next company."
Zhang Deng still said the same thing: "But I didn't do anything wrong."
The editor-in-chief said, "You...you made a huge mistake in your work."
"I didn't think so." Zhang Deng said casually, "I just started recording."
The editor-in-chief opened his mouth, his face flushed, and said, "If you want to do this, don't blame me..."
"He turned his back on me," Zhang Deng added considerately, "Okay."
Zhang Deng said politely, "Go on."
Editor-in-Chief: “Light up the lights!”
Zhang Deng said softly, "There's a difference between me voluntarily resigning and being fired. I don't get the N+1 bonus for voluntarily resigning. If the company fired me because they were under pressure, they should compensate me."
The editor felt as if he didn't recognize him anymore. Is this still the Zhang Deng who is always available and can do whatever he is told?
Zhang Deng said politely, "If there's nothing else, I'll go back first. I still have a lot of work to do."
When he left, he gently closed the door of his office.
After turning on the lights and returning home, the atmosphere in the office was strange. He buried his head in his workstation as usual, typing away all morning.
At noon, Xiao Deng asked him to have lunch together.
Zhang Deng finished a paragraph, stretched his stiff shoulders and neck, and said, "What do you want to eat?"
"Let's check the cafeteria downstairs." Xiao Deng said naturally, without any sign of guilt or abnormality.
Zhang Deng turned off the computer, picked up his phone and went into the elevator with him. When entering the elevator, Zhang Deng's phone swiped a page. When he saw the title, he was stunned, but the signal was interrupted and the pictures inside could not be loaded.
With a "ding dong" sound, the elevator arrived at the station.
The loading symbol spun around, and finally the picture loaded. The title was He Qiufa's: "I want to buy osmanthus flowers and carry them with me to drink, but it doesn't feel like the journey of a young boy."
The picture is a screenshot of a chat, and the ID of the person on the other end is a "light bulb" emoticon.
Lightbulb: "You are really mean."
Lightbulb: "Without me, you are nothing."
Light Bulb: "Give me money, or I'll make you pay."
He Qiu replied: "Don't be like this..."
Lightbulb: "I'm warning you one last time, or I'll destroy everything you have."
"No reply, right?"
"Just wait."
"You'll regret this."
Seeing him not moving for a long time, Xiao Deng leaned over and was stunned by the screenshot. Then he looked at Zhang Deng. Zhang Deng put his phone in his pocket and said, "Let's go eat some wooden barrel rice."
There is a Hunan restaurant in the cafeteria downstairs. Zhang Deng likes their wooden barrel rice and stir-fried beef very much. While he was eating, his phone kept ringing, but he didn't even look at it. He swiped it to hang up and continued to watch videos.
Xiao Deng asked tentatively, "Have you really known He Qiu for a long time?"
Zhang Deng pretended not to hear and continued to eat. Xiao Deng said dissatisfiedly, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Why did the editor-in-chief want to see you today?"
Zhang Deng glanced at him and burped.
Xiao Deng was almost dying of anxiety: "What are you going to do? Now your information has been exposed, and someone is going to call your company to report you. You are doomed, do you know that?"
It was very strange, Zhang Deng thought, why did he say all these caring words, but he didn't feel that Xiao Deng cared about him.
"I'm full." Zhang Deng said, "Take your time eating."
After saying that, without paying any attention to Xiao Deng calling him, Zhang Deng took a piece of paper and walked towards the door.
He didn't go upstairs, but planned to walk around and find a place to take a nap. As soon as he pushed the door open and walked out of the building, he felt something was wrong. He subconsciously turned his head and saw a figure flash by. Then the person seemed to think there was nothing to be afraid of, and revealed himself. It was a little girl dressed very fashionably, even a little delicate and beautiful.
Zhang Deng watched her take out her cell phone from her pocket, point it at him, and take a picture without even turning off the flash. Then she never put the phone down, as if she was recording him. Zhang Deng put his hands in his pockets and looked at her frankly. The girl slowly raised her middle finger at him.
Zhang Deng put his neck into the collar of his clothes and left.
Zhang Deng thought, "Everyone seems to have gone crazy."
Things were rapidly developing beyond repair. In just one day, all of Zhang Deng's accounts on various platforms had collapsed. Even the idiotic novels he'd written in high school to alleviate his literary cravings were flooded with negative reviews. He was experiencing a completely one-sided online bullying.
No one assigned him any more work, and all his tasks were handed over to other people. Zhang Deng sat at his desk until six o'clock in the afternoon. Watching other people in the office writing furiously, he packed up his things and prepared to punch out.
The editor-in-chief poked his head out and said, "Come here for a moment."
Zhang Deng turned on the recording again.
The editor-in-chief watched his actions and said, "I'll give you N+1, on the condition that you don't post anything online."
"You cannot publish any remarks that defame the company and He Qiu," the editor-in-chief said.
Zhang Deng scratched his head and said, "Okay."
The editor breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he'd been overly suspicious. This was clearly the same Zhang Deng, money-hungry, devoid of self-respect. Give him the money, and he'd do anything.
The editor-in-chief waved his hand, as if to dispel some bad luck, and said, "Go back and wait."
Zhang Deng said, "I can only wait until eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
Editor-in-Chief: “Why are you in such a hurry?”
"Otherwise, I will post He Qiu's article online without changing a word." Zhang Deng ignored him and spoke to himself.
Editor-in-Chief: “…”
"I understand," he said. "I'll try to get it for you. Go clean up your workstation."
Zhang Deng's workstation was completely empty. For three years, he had only a small cactus plant with a small wooden stick that read, "Love me so much." Although the plant looked half-dead, it had survived three scorching summers and harsh winters.
When Zhang Deng left, he only took away the USB flash drive and the cactus. The rest were all literary waste piled up on the workstation, and whoever wanted to clean it up could do so.
However, Zhang Deng guessed that it should be Xiao Deng - he had been coveting Zhang Deng's work position for a long time.
He hadn't been home so early in a long time, and even the cat was a little uncomfortable, meowing at him non-stop. Zhang Deng solemnly introduced the cactus to the kitten, saying, "This is called Xiao Ai."
Then he said to Xiao Ai, "Its name is Xiaomi."
Some really stupid naming techniques.
Xiao Mi sniffed Xiao Ai and walked away without interest.
Zhang Deng placed Xiao Ai on a bookshelf that was usually hard for Xiao Mi to reach. Then, he unexpectedly found a book on the shelf called "Cat". Inside was a piece of paper with a line of poetry written in beautiful handwriting: "This kind of love is like the sky is high and the clouds are light, I alone am setting the prairie on fire."
Zhang Deng submitted his poetry collection to a publication when he was in junior high school and it was accepted. The publishing house gave him a copy.
Zhang Deng played with the note for a while, took out the book, put it on the small coffee table, took out two pills from somewhere, and drank them with the mineral water that he had been prescribed for several days.
The author has something to say:
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The full text is on file. I guess the reply to comments may not be timely. If you have any questions, you can contact me on vb. I didn't say that the reply there will be timely.
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