Something's not right.
What if we tore down everything we had by chance and started over?
Xu Luoluo didn't really think that way; she was just so tired. Her colleagues didn't know she had overheard everything, but she couldn't pretend she hadn't. She didn't know how she would hide her exhaustion and disappointment when she saw them again, or when she had a project meeting.
Her exhaustion betrayed a panic rather than anger. She couldn't confidently say that her plan was flawless, and that the problem lay solely in the overly rapid pace of the project.
Because she genuinely didn't know whose fault it was.
At this moment, she was neither confident in her planning ability nor knew, due to her lack of experience, how much of this overtime work to meet deadlines was due to the feasibility of the plan.
How embarrassing.
This was her strongest feeling at that moment. She just wanted to find a small corner to hide in, so she wouldn't have to face the constant stinging from the outside world. She didn't understand why, after just going on a business trip, everyone suddenly turned against her upon her return.
But she couldn't just quit her job and run away immediately; she wasn't some ethereal fairy who could survive on dew alone. Leaving aside the issue of breach of contract fees, her rent for next month was already a problem.
Anxiety about her abilities and anxiety about survival overwhelmed her, suffocating the air in her chest. The restlessness she had been consciously or unconsciously hiding in her heart surged violently, as if her whole body had been severely injured by this intense shock. On the way back, she walked blankly, unaware of the depth of her steps, and returned home in a daze.
Winter seemed to arrive overnight. As Xu Luoluo composed herself and headed out to work, she was suddenly struck by the chilling air. The wind no longer brushed gently against her face, but felt like a block of ice slowly slicing across her skin, leaving a cold sensation.
Surprisingly, the company was filled with a harmonious atmosphere, with people from all departments already busy at work. As she passed the development department, the lead programmer even nodded and smiled at her, as if everything she had experienced yesterday was just a nightmare caused by excessive mental stress, and that everything in reality was normal. She couldn't help but feel a little shaken. Was complaining about work just a normal part of life, and that people mentioning her were just casual remarks? Had she overreacted because of Su Ze and that text message?
That's what she thought, but the heaviness in her heart didn't disappear instantly. She flipped through her schedule; there was a planning team meeting in the morning. After thinking for a moment, she picked up her notebook and quickly wrote something down. Then she sent a private message to Chen Shanshan: "Boss, are you free after the meeting? I have some thoughts about what happened that day. I'll probably need about half an hour."
The other party seemed busy, and after Xu Luoluo anxiously twirled her pen for an hour, they finally replied: "I can't make it this morning; I have a few extra meetings today. If you're not in a rush to get home, let's have dinner together after work and chat."
Okay, let's get off work together then.
After typing that sentence, Xu Luoluo finally felt at ease and started working hard to make up for the hour she had just wasted!
She only said there were a few more meetings to attend, but after the planning meeting, Chen Shanshan hurriedly left the company with her bag slung over her shoulder. Xu Luoluo watched with some curiosity; did she have some new clients to discuss with recently? She hadn't heard Tang Yizhuo mention it.
Tang Yizhuo! She suddenly remembered that this person seemed to have vanished into thin air for so many days, without any trace of him. She hadn't seen him at the company either; could it be that he hadn't returned yet? She opened her phone to send a message to "Tangtang" and, incidentally, to find out the latest situation at the company.
"Hey, why are you standing at the door?" Liu Jia's voice came from behind. Xu Luoluo was startled and almost dropped her phone. Even though she knew the name "Tangtang," she still felt a little guilty about being "too close" to the big boss.
She quickly locked the screen, trying to appear calm, then turned around and joked with a grin, "Why are you at the door too? Looks like we're destined to meet."
Liu Jia rolled her eyes at her and pointed to the door: "Unfortunately, I'm here to pick up an interview candidate."
"They've been hiring a lot lately." For some reason, Xu Luoluo suddenly remembered the slender figure Liu Jia had sent her, and the smile on her lips faded.
Liu Jia didn't notice and started complaining along with her: "Yeah, in previous years it was the peak season in March and April, but this year is really strange. Since the second half of the year, there have been non-stop job changes. I'm really exhausted. I'm going to go pick someone up now."
Xu Luoluo remembered that she had also been among those whose positions had changed, and smiled somewhat guiltily: "You should go quickly. If you exceed the KPI, you might get double the year-end bonus."
Her unrealistic wish earned her another eye roll from Liu Jia. But despite the complaints, the moment the door opened, Liu Jia immediately switched to a polite, friendly, and professional HR smile, leading the candidate into the meeting room arranged for the interview. Xu Luoluo was astonished by the speed of her change of attitude, realizing that she still needed to cultivate her professionalism and that learning how to conduct herself properly was a long and arduous journey for becoming a mature adult in this world.
Thinking this, she completely forgot to message Tang Yizhuo. But this forgetfulness later made her feel sad every time she thought about it.
Dinner was a simple affair, at a ramen restaurant near the company, a spot chosen by Xu Luoluo. Chen Shanshan clearly didn't eat this kind of food often; when ordering, she stared at the entire wall of menus, torn between ramen, fried noodles, rice bowls, and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). After a while, she turned to Xu Luoluo with a smile: "I'll order with you."
Without hesitation, Xu Luoluo ordered two bowls of beef noodles, along with two plates of golden-brown fried rice crusts. As a foodie, she was very proud to share her perfect combination. The steaming, chewy noodles and the incredibly flavorful braised beef jerky were already delicious enough, but dipping the crispy rice crusts into the rich broth infused with the aroma of beef, enjoying the rich soup and the crunchy texture, was simply a feast for the senses.
"It's really good." Chen Shanshan dipped a piece of rice crust in the rice crust following her method and was very impressed. She then commented with great approval, "I'll order this next time I work overtime."
That's why she's a leader, isn't it? Her highest praise for food is probably "Not bad, it can be added to my overtime takeout list." This dedication to her job is something Xu Luoluo can only dream of. She laughed and earnestly recommended, "Then we can order a Coke to reach the minimum order amount, double the happiness."
"Isn't it beer?" Chen Shanshan smiled mischievously, clearly still remembering the "funny story" of how this "alcoholic" woman brought a bunch of beer back to her room from a business trip.
"It's not impossible. As long as drinking too much doesn't affect work." Xu Luoluo joked, then smoothly transitioned to the main topic, "Speaking of which, we were talking about this on the bullet train last time..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Shanshan interrupted him: "I was just about to tell you that I probably don't have any new projects to work on in the short term. Have you talked to President Tang about it?"
Xu Luoluo was still in shock at the lack of new projects and didn't answer. The company seemed very busy lately, and Chen Shanshan appeared to have gone out to meet with clients today. Besides, Chen Shanshan's last suggestion was only last week; how could things have changed so drastically in just a few days? She glanced at Chen Shanshan with some hesitation, wondering what she had done to offend her.
Moreover, how did this get involved with Tang Yizhuo again?
"The situation is a bit complicated, and it's not easy for me to explain it to you from my position." Chen Shanshan could tell from her expression that she was unaware of the current situation. She opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. Everyone was an adult, and Xu Luoluo knew that there must be a reason why she couldn't speak. However, Chen Shanshan's troubled look made her suddenly lose control of the situation. Her heart, which had just felt a little more at ease because of her determination to hone herself, was suddenly hanging in mid-air again.
Unable to contact Tang Yizhuo.
Xu Luoluo lost her appetite and, after saying goodbye to Chen Shanshan, called Tang Yizhuo. However, after a long "beep" sound, she heard the mechanical female voice: "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."
Xu Luoluo was very anxious, but she didn't call again. After all, there was no reason to disturb someone's private life during her off-get off work hours. She would deal with it when she went to work tomorrow.
But Tang Yizhuo still didn't come. His work software showed he was online, so he was obviously still alive. But he didn't return the call or send a message. Xu Luoluo hesitated for a long time in front of his chat box, but finally didn't press the send button. Her relationship with Tang Yizhuo had already become somewhat delicate during her business trip, and she suddenly felt a strange sense of pride, not wanting to feel like she was being snubbed.
A new notification popped up in her work email, interrupting her internal struggle. When she opened it, she found it was an announcement about the launch of a mobile game, with four servers set up for trial operation on two different mobile operating systems.
Xu Luoluo, the planner, did not show any joy or excitement on her face.
It shouldn't be now; the release has been brought forward. She opened the app store and searched for the game, only to find that it had just been released and the notification had been sent out immediately. Even the beta testing version, which is common for most games, wasn't released beforehand; the official version was released directly. She clicked on the game demo. Usually, this is a core selling point to attract users to download the game, and publishers always spare no effort in exaggerating the game's highlights, often leading players to feel that there's a huge gap between the demo and the actual game, like a "seller's show" versus a "buyer's show," and to call the publisher a heartless company. But T Company did the opposite this time. The demo was pitifully simple, as if an unprofessional player had just casually walked through the game, recorded a screen, and brazenly put it on the game's homepage.
This isn't right.
According to the plan they discussed in their meeting, the mobile game should have been released in two weeks. With such a rushed launch, it's no wonder the development department is working overtime and complaining.
They hadn't heard anything about any changes to the schedule before they went on their business trip, and the mobile game was released as soon as they returned. Moreover, the release was so rushed and careless, which is completely unlike the usual style of T Company, which focuses on high-quality games.
Clearly, something happened during the week they were away, and Su Ze was in charge of managing the entire project during that week.
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