Zhao Xiaofeng worked at an internet company where he was the backbone of the technical department, and working overtime was a routine for him.
Of course, overtime wasn’t the main reason. He just felt that making a special trip to Xiangyang City just to attend his grandfather’s birthday banquet was too low in terms of cost-effectiveness.
Not to mention the waste of time, the travel costs would also be several hundred, definitely not worth it.
“Manshu’s ex-husband will be here soon!”
“You should have heard about his situation by now!”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Remember, you two used to get along well. Use this time during the grandfather’s birthday banquet to reconnect, and you might just be able to switch jobs to his company.”
Kang Huimin voiced her thoughts, albeit in a low voice as she was on the balcony and didn’t want to be overheard by anyone in the living room.
Especially by her sister, Kang Huifen, whose little schemes she didn’t want to expose.
“Will Hao be going?”
Zhao Xiaofeng, who had been unconcerned at first, suddenly sat up straight. He was 33 years old this year, older than Li Manshu, so Yang Hao was his brother-in-law. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire
However, the two were about the same age. During family gatherings at New Year, they got along well, and privately they each talked about their own topics. Since Yang Hao was two years older than Zhao Xiaofeng, he always called him “Brother Hao.”
“He will be here soon.”
“He is now a billionaire worth hundreds of billions. Just a little help from him, and our family wouldn’t be in this situation anymore.”
Kang Huimin lowered her voice again and said.
“Okay, I got it.”
Zhao Xiaofeng put down the water cup he was holding and started calculating in his mind.
“Don’t just know it!”
“No matter how much money you make from overtime, you must come back!!”
Kang Huimin was somewhat anxious for her son. If it weren’t for Yang Hao coming, she wouldn’t want her son to make the trek since it’s far from Hucheng and costly in terms of time and money.
But the situation now was completely different. No matter the cost, it was necessary to come back. This was an opportunity to change their fate.
“Okay, I’ll go ask for leave right now.”
Zhao Xiaofeng was already 33 years old this year, and the rough edges of his personality had long been smoothed out.
If it had been just a few years after his graduation, he would have dismissed such an opportunity with disdain, silently criticizing his mother Kang Huimin for being too mercenary.
But now his mindset had completely changed; in this society, ability was just one aspect. Background and connections were what really determined how far you could go.
Of course, that excluded the top geniuses in various fields.
But how many top geniuses were there, anyway? In the real world, 99% are ordinary people with average abilities, and 99.99% of the positions are replaceable.
Don’t think that any profession or position is highly prestigious. In reality, it’s all the same. If you were really pushed into such a position, you might not perform worse than the person originally there.
That’s why there’s a saying online: The world is a giant make-believe troupe!
Zhao Xiaofeng was past the phase of thinking too highly of himself and had even begun to accept his fate.
So, he definitely understood the importance of the message his mother was conveying.
In fact, over the past few days, he had been keeping up with the news about Yang Hao online, and he had opened the Weixin chat with Yang Hao several times, intending to send a greeting.
But since it had been a long time since they last contacted, he didn’t know what to say and was afraid of being seen as a sycophant now that the other party had succeeded.
But this birthday of the grandfather was indeed a great opportunity.
He could use it as a chance to reconnect with Yang Hao.
After ending the call with his mother, Kang Huimin, Zhao Xiaofeng took another sip of water from his water cup and started thinking about asking for leave since Yang Hao would be arriving soon. He planned to leave immediately, as it would take only about two and a half hours to travel from Hucheng to Xiangyang City by high-speed train.
“Xiaofeng, I was just looking for you!”
As Zhao Xiaofeng was considering how to ask for leave, a man with black-framed glasses entered the break room. His name was Wu Qiong, and he was Zhao Xiaofeng’s immediate boss.
“Brother Qiong, what’s up?”
Zhao Xiaofeng bowed slightly, subconsciously asking.
“Work overtime tonight, the server vulnerability needs to be fixed as soon as possible.”
“Then, come in early tomorrow and strive to fix the vulnerability by noon!”
Wu Qiong walked to the coffee machine, casually speaking as he fetched a coffee.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaofeng’s brow furrowed, as he had been about to request leave.
Instead, he received orders to work overtime.
“Brother Qiong, something went wrong at home, I was just about to ask for leave!”
Zhao Xiaofeng quickly said.
“What happened?”
Wu Qiong turned his head to look at Zhao Xiaofeng and then said with a stern face, “Xiaofeng, you are at a critical period in your career ascension. I hope you can focus all your energy on your work. If it’s not something serious, it’s better not to take leave.”
“Moreover, you know the situation in the team. If you take leave, the vulnerability definitely cannot be fixed before tomorrow noon. I have already made a commitment to Mr. Chen on this, and by asking for leave now, you’re just pushing me into the fire!”
Wu Qiong’s attitude was very clear, he simply did not want to grant leave.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaofeng subconsciously clenched his fists. He had been working with Wu Qiong for more than a day or two and understood him well. The reasons he gave seemed rational, but they were actually nonsense.
Especially the commitment he made before Mr. Chen; it was a tactic he often used. He’d boast in front of the leadership, then force his subordinates to work overtime. In the end, the leaders would think he was extremely capable, and he’d receive all the credit.
As for workers like Zhao Xiaofeng, they could only get a little overtime pay.
Even worse, Wu Qiong, in order to please his superiors, would often under-report overtime hours, focusing on how to appease them.
People like him existed in many companies, endlessly flattering their superiors while relentlessly oppressing their subordinates!
And when it came to oppressing subordinates, Wu Qiong had his own theories. Newcomers from the post-2000 generation couldn’t be pushed too hard because they weren’t reliable; if he applied any pressure, they would simply quit.
But the best to oppress were those like Zhao Xiaofeng, who were older and lacked the courage to quit.
They faced greater everyday life pressures and, due to their age, wouldn’t dare resign easily.
Thus, there was a saying in the workplace: it’s easy to scold middle-aged people with elderly parents and young children; they absolutely won’t resist.
Because they couldn’t afford the consequences of losing their job!
That’s why there was the phrase “Life is harder than a dog’s in middle age.”
In Zhao Xiaofeng’s team of fifteen people, there were four experienced and skilled older employees like him, and they had become Wu Qiong’s main force in oppression.
This overtime task was something Wu Qiong actually expected these four to spearhead.
And now Zhao Xiaofeng was requesting leave, which Wu Qiong naturally could not agree to.
“Brother Qiong, tomorrow is my grandpa’s 80th birthday, and as his grandson, I need to go see the old man, especially since it’s his only 80th birthday.”
After a moment’s consideration, Zhao Xiaofeng chose to speak the truth.
“That’s it?”
After hearing Zhao Xiaofeng’s reason, Wu Qiong immediately showed a look of disdain. He took a sip of the just fetched Americano and said, “Just send a red envelope for the old man’s birthday, there’s no need to make a special trip, especially when there’s work to be done!”
“You also know the situation in the team. If you go, the task definitely won’t be completed by tomorrow noon!”
“Xiaofeng, you know I’ve always valued you. If I can advance further, I will definitely recommend you to Mr. Chen for my position!”
“But the premise is, you need to show the right attitude, right? Overtime is also an opportunity for progress, you need to grasp it.”
Wu Qiong spoke to Zhao Xiaofeng in an unhurried tone, painting the pie bigger.
And this skill of painting pies was practically a required course for leaders.
However, Wu Qiong had painted too many pies for Zhao Xiaofeng and not a single one had materialized, so Zhao Xiaofeng was immune to such promises.
“Brother Qiong, I was raised by my grandparents, and my grandpa is not in good health, so no matter what I have to be there for his 80th birthday celebration!”
“Besides, I have never once said no to overtime before; this time, Brother Qiong, perhaps it’s best to give the opportunity for progress to someone else in the team!”