There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone before Tian Jing's voice came through again, "Song, you've been with our company for five months now, right?"

"Five months and seven days. I joined Jinxiu Commerce on November 17th last year," Tang Song recalled with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

November 7th, the beginning of winter. That day, he had dumplings with his old flame in the capital. She then left for Deep City, and he spent ten days job hunting, finding an apartment, and joining the company, eventually settling down in Yan City.

Any company that pays salaries on time and fully contributes to social insurance and housing funds deserves respect. He never had any negative feelings towards Jinxiu Commerce and was very grateful for the sense of security it provided during that time.

"You... remember it so clearly." Tian Jing sounded slightly surprised and timid, "Over these five months, my impression of you has always been good. You're diligent, responsible, and have outstanding work abilities. You're a very, very excellent young man."

Tang Song was taken aback. This sounded a bit like a confession—as if Tian Jing, the company's goddess, a standard white, rich, and beautiful woman, couldn't possibly have feelings for a nobody like him in the company.

He bit his lip and said, "Thank you for the recognition, Supervisor Tian."

"No need to be so formal, just call me Little Jing. I've seen your attendance records; you've never been late or left early, and often work overtime until very late. I've heard from Sister Mingli that you're a full-stack engineer, proficient in frontend, backend, and shell scripting. You previously worked in a big internet company in the capital. I really admire tech experts like you..."

Tian Jing spoke slowly, occasionally stumbling over her words, but her voice was sweet and cute. She kept praising his strengths, which was very pleasant to hear.

Tang Song leaned back in the massage chair, smiling quietly as he listened.

"Your quick success in losing weight is truly admirable. You'll have to share your tips with me sometime."

"Then let's add each other on WeChat later and share experiences."

"Um... sure." Sensing Tang Song's good mood, Tian Jing continued, "By the way, there's something work-related I need to discuss with you."

"Oh? What's that?" Tang Song sat up a bit, sensing the conversation was shifting to a serious topic, and he had a hunch about what it might be.

But this payroll supervisor was quite interesting, showering him with praise first. What a tactic!

"It's about your salary. I wonder if Director Chen has discussed this with you..."

Tang Song interrupted, "Yes! A month ago, after the SCM project I worked on successfully went live, Director Chen promised me a 10% raise. I've been waiting for HR to notify me. Finally, it's happening! Thank you, Little Jing!"

Tian Jing seemed to freeze momentarily, stammering "um, um" for a while before she could speak again.

"Little Jing, are you okay?"

After taking a few deep breaths, Tian Jing forced herself to say, "The raise is indeed happening, but it's a 10% decrease. This has nothing to do with your performance. You're excellent, but the company has its considerations. I'm sorry."

After a moment of silence, Tang Song said, "Okay, I understand."

"Then, if you're okay with it, I'll come to you tomorrow to sign the salary adjustment contract."

"No, I won't accept it. Let's go straight to the layoff process. I'll submit it in the OA system myself."

"What?" Tian Jing was stunned. "Okay, since you've been here less than six months, we can only compensate you with 1.5 months' salary. You can set your departure date at the end of the month, and the remaining days will be for the handover. Attendance will be counted as full, and you can attend interviews as needed."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me! It's my duty. Um..." Tian Jing hesitated.

Since she mentioned the 10% cut, Tang Song's voice had been calm, almost emotionless. This unusual reaction made Tian Jing strongly believe he was heartbroken. The most update n0vels are published on noⅴelfire.net

She knew a bit about Tang Song's background: an ordinary young man from a small town with average family conditions but with a good reputation and a hardworking nature at the company. She didn't understand why Director Chen wanted to give him a hard time, but it was her job, and she couldn't avoid it.

Overwhelmed with guilt, Tian Jing bit her lip and, remembering her friends' advice, continued, "After you finish your departure procedures, I'll treat you to a meal. I admire you and hope you won't be discouraged and find a new job soon. Good luck!"

Hearing her offer, Tang Song instantly perked up, excitedly saying, "Sure, thank you, Little Jing. I admire you a lot, too."

He was planning to resign anyway. Now, he could get 1.5 months' salary compensation and have a meal with the goddess colleague.

Hearing Tang Song's cheerful tone, Tian Jing finally felt relieved. Sweetly, she said, "Alright then, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Bye~"

"Bye."

Hanging up, Tang Song immediately opened the company group chat, found Tian Jing's profile, and sent a friend request on WeChat.

She was a rich girl with a Saint Body, fair skin, sweet looks, and a cute personality.

Like his other male colleagues, he truly admired Little Jing.

"Dingdong——" The friend request was accepted.

"Pop!" Tang Song snapped his fingers, stood up from the massage chair, and looked out at the rows of cars outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

With a BMW 330i in hand and his startup on track, he was in a state of confident exuberance.

…

After accepting Tang Song's friend request and notifying the technical director and HR director, Tian Jing let out a long sigh of relief.

Although her father had forced her into the payroll supervisor role, she was determined to be a competent leader.

She entered the "Beautiful World of 2D" WeChat group.

Typing quickly, Tian Jing wrote, "@Qingqing, you’re amazing! I did as you taught, and he accepted the layoff with a smile, haha."

Her message immediately drew the attention of many group members.

[Sisi: "Not surprising, our big sister in the group, @Qingqing, if I can't find a job after graduation, I'll come to work for you."]

[Cream: "I also want Qingqing to take care of me."]

[Bai Zhigu: Yuno in backlight.jpg]

…

[Qingqing: "Ugh, (sighs), the enthusiasm of my juniors is overwhelming. @Little Jing, keep it up, (gazing at the stars). You'll become a great CHO one day."]

[Little Jing: "Little Jing is striving to get stronger!"]

After chatting in the group for a while, Tian Jing felt greatly encouraged and learned much.

She had joined this group in college, and many people had come and gone over the years. They mainly discussed 2D topics, anime, cosplay, and games.

Everyone in the group played a role, and the truth behind these identities was unclear. For example, Yunyu was a seasoned game planner who joined the group to understand young people's thoughts for better inspiration. Little Jing currently played the role of a newcomer HR.

As for Qingqing, she was a partner in a law firm, young and accomplished, managing many intern and assistant lawyers. She also had a lover who was a CEO of a domestic corporation.

Qingqing often shared stories about her and her lover in the group, which were full of twists and turns and made everyone believe her. Even if she wasn’t a top lawyer, she must be at least a business elite.