Morning, at the company.
"Wow, can liposuction really make someone so handsome?"
"Xiaolu, is it true that after your liposuction, your skin became smoother?"
"Why didn't I realize before that if Xiaolu slimmed down he'd be a handsome guy? Instead, I found a boyfriend who drives me crazy every day. If only I'd known, I'd have made Xiaolu my boyfriend."
Lu Li sat in the office chair.
Surrounded by more than a dozen people.
These were his colleagues.
For instance, the slightly chubby girl was Xiaomei.
The girl with glasses and an internet celebrity face was Xiaoqing.
And the middle-aged man in his thirties with a mole on his face was Brother Cheng, among others.
When he walked in just now, everyone thought Lu Li had walked into the wrong place.
Once they realized it was Lu Li, the whole group was shocked.
Everyone found it unbelievable and kept asking Lu Li how he got so slim over just the May Day holiday.
Lu Li couldn't exactly say he'd unlocked all his genetic locks, could he?
If he said that, his colleagues definitely wouldn't believe him.
Even if they did, if his situation made the rounds, it would attract attention from special departments, maybe even lead to him being taken away for examination.
He definitely didn't want to be studied.
Lu Li made up a story about liposuction to fool his colleagues.
Even though the story was full of holes, everyone seemed to believe it.
After all, Lu Li's voice hadn't changed. As soon as he spoke, his colleagues could instantly recognize him.
And if you looked closely, you could still see some resemblance to his original appearance; it wasn't like he had become completely unrecognizable.
Moreover, entering the company required fingerprint verification.
This practically ruled out the possibility of someone impersonating Lu Li.
The company Lu Li worked for was called "Vox."
It engaged in the development of high-tech home appliances like robotic vacuum cleaners and air purifiers.
Although it wasn't publicly listed, it held a significant market share, with revenues in the billions last year.
Due to its strong performance, it attracted the attention of global giant Liu Group, which acquired it.
Lu Li worked in the company's newly established "E-commerce Sales Department," which had a total of twenty people.
Among them were ten promoters, three customer service reps, five operations and copywriting staff.
Additionally, there were the manager and deputy manager positions, making exactly twenty people.
He was part of the copywriting team.
Specializing in promotional creativity and copywriting within the department.
The group was chatting happily.
Suddenly, two footsteps were heard approaching from the door.
Lu Li turned his head and saw it was Manager Wang and Deputy Manager Zhang. He quickly stood up.
Seeing the manager and deputy manager arrive, everyone immediately stopped talking.
Manager Wang was a man in his forties with a large belly.
Upon entering, he said, as usual, "Everyone stand still, I'll give a quick morning meeting..."
Before he could finish, the gaze of Deputy Manager Zhang, a mature woman in her late thirties, landed on Lu Li, "Young man, which department are you from, and why are you here?"
Only then did Manager Wang notice Lu Li and cast a questioning glance his way.
Lu Li was about to explain.
Unexpectedly, Xiaomei immediately said, "He's Lu Li."
"Huh?"
"Xiaolu?"
Manager Wang and Deputy Manager Zhang were stunned.
They weren't forgetful; of course they remembered what Lu Li looked like.
In their memories, Lu Li was clearly a chubby young man. How could he be so handsome?
Lu Li promptly gave an explanation, with the same story as before.
Fortunately, Manager Wang and Deputy Manager Zhang weren't the types to pry into private matters.
After hearing Lu Li's voice and taking a closer look, they were still puzzled but basically convinced, just like the colleagues.
Finally, Lu Li took the initiative to admit, "Manager, I was in the hospital having stitches removed yesterday and didn't have my phone with me, so I didn't get to request leave. I promise it won't happen again."
Upon hearing this, Manager Wang showed an odd expression.
He calmly said, "The new general manager has instructed that if you come to work, you should go to the general manager's office on the third floor. The new general manager wants to meet you."
The new general manager wants to see me?
Lu Li felt a pang of anxiety, wondering how a simple copywriter like him could catch the new general manager's attention.
If the other person wanted to meet him, it probably wasn't good news.
Could it be because he was absent without leave yesterday and got caught by the new general manager, who now wanted to fire him?
Lu Li didn't want to be fired.
After all, he only had forty-nine yuan left in his pocket, and he was relying on the free meals at work. If he had to be fired, it should at least wait until after payday.
Well, originally he had fifty-three yuan, but he spent four on two steamed buns and bus fare this morning, leaving him with only forty-nine.
But even if he were really to be fired, Lu Li didn't much care.
With his current physical abilities, even if he had to do some temporary labor, it wouldn't be hard to earn a meal.
With that in mind, Lu Li agreed, "Alright, Manager, I'll go to the general manager's office after the morning meeting?"
Manager Wang said with a blank expression, "No need, go right now."
Lu Li replied with an "Oh" and immediately walked toward the door.
As soon as he left, Brother Cheng, who was on good terms with Lu Li, immediately asked, "Manager, is the new general manager going to fire Xiaolu?"
Xiaomei and Xiaoqing also looked over with questioning eyes. Although they weren't as close to Lu Li as Brother Cheng was, as Brother Cheng was Lu Li's mentor at work, they still liked him because he was humble and willing to do hard and dirty work. Naturally, they didn't want him to be fired.
Manager Wang furrowed his brows and shook his head, saying honestly to everyone, "There's a saying: a new broom sweeps clean. The new general manager has just taken office and wants to establish authority. Xiaolu didn't request leave and was absent without permission yesterday, which the new general manager found out about. She's planning to personally fire Xiaolu as an example. So, make sure to be diligent in your work during this time and don't get caught up with the general manager."
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
On one hand, they felt sorry for Lu Li.
On the other hand, they felt a sense of shared misfortune.
They were afraid they might accidentally cross paths with the new general manager and then have to pack up and leave.
Especially Brother Cheng, who couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Lu Li was incredibly unlucky. If he were absent for a day or half a day before, he'd only lose pay. But now, during the time of the company changing leadership, he got caught as an example by the new general manager.
...
Third floor.
Although Lu Li didn't hear the conversation among his colleagues, he could roughly guess what was going on and knew there was a high chance he'd be fired.
He wandered around the corridor looking.
Soon, he saw the office labeled "General Manager's Room."
Knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
A capable young female voice came from inside, "Come in."
Lu Li pushed the door open and walked in, seeing a young woman in a women's suit with her head down working, and a female assistant next to her pointing at the documents on the table.
Because the young woman had her head down and many documents were piled up in front of her, her appearance was unclear.
Lu Li stood about a meter from the desk, "General Manager."
The new general manager still kept her head down, saying, "Wait a moment while I finish a document."
Lu Li responded, "Take your time."
After about five minutes, the new general manager finally finished her work, raised her head, and casually handed the document to the female assistant beside her, instructing, "Take this to the administration department, let Manager Zhao have a look."
The female assistant responded quickly, "Okay, President Liu."
With that said, the female assistant hurriedly left the room without even looking at Lu Li.
However, in just this short moment, Lu Li became somewhat puzzled and uncertain.
Because he had met the new general manager before.
It was the beauty he had mistakenly thought was a cashier at the arcade yesterday!
President Liu clearly noticed Lu Li too, but whether she didn't remember yesterday's incident or didn't show it, she just pointed to the leather chair in front of the desk, "Sit."
Lu Li thanked her and sat down.
President Liu was about to say something else.
Suddenly she noticed the folder by her left hand was open.
Estimating it to be company secrets, she casually picked up a piece of plain paper to cover it.
President Liu looked at Lu Li and asked, "Which department are you in, and what's your name?"
Lu Li answered truthfully, "I'm Lu Li, a copywriter in the e-commerce sales department."
"Wait a moment." President Liu flipped through a folder to her right, pulled out a file, and looked at it, "You joined the company one..."
The words were left unsaid.
She looked up with a puzzled expression and questioned, "Are you really Lu Li?"
Lu Li guessed that she must have noticed the entry photo didn't match his looks, hence the question.
He quickly repeated the explanation he gave earlier in the office.
President Liu didn't seem too interested in gossip and just responded with a simple "Mmm," "According to the company's regulations, being absent for three days is considered a serious violation and typically results in dismissal. Of course, this applies to regular employees. You are currently in the probation period. As per company policy, being absent without a valid reason for a day can result in dismissal without any economic compensation."
Hearing this, Lu Li couldn't help but sigh internally.
Originally, because of financial difficulties, he had thought about staying in the company for a few more days just for the meals.
Never mind, if they want to fire me, let them fire me. Worst case, I'll find temporary work after leaving here to get by for a few days.
Unexpectedly, President Liu's tone changed, "Well, I'm not an unreasonable person. You said you went to the hospital yesterday to get stitches removed and didn't bring your phone, which I can believe—though I did see you at the arcade. However, as I'm new to this company, if I don't act according to the rules today, the people below might not be convinced. Nonetheless, if I fire you outright, it might seem I'm not considerate. So, after thinking it over, I've decided to give you another chance."
Huh?
Seems there might be a way out after all.
As long as I can get through these tough days, that'll be fine.
Lu Li knew he had unlocked his genetic potential. He would certainly achieve something in the future.
The premise being, he must keep himself from starving in these few days.
Although he indeed could find temporary work outside, enduring the elements would never be as comfortable as sitting in an office. Not getting fired would be the best outcome.
Lu Li nodded and said, "Thank you, President Liu."
"Hey, don't thank me yet." President Liu leaned back in her chair, twirling a pen in her hand, "You need to pass my test. If you can prove that you can truly handle this job, then I won't dismiss you."
Even though he had only been at the company for just over a month, Lu Li understood the basics of copywriting work.
Not afraid of being tested, Lu Li confidently responded, "Okay, President Liu, please test me."
President Liu, with a calm expression, asked a surprising question, "How do you envision the future development of your department?"
Lu Li: "..."
Damn!
This is a question for management!
What does the department's development have to do with me, a copywriter?
Lu Li figured it out; this President Liu, while ostensibly giving him a chance, was actually planning to fire him!
He could roughly guess why she was doing this.
Giving him a chance.
The company's staff would think President Liu was humane.
But she was determined to fire him, mainly to establish authority.
This woman is really something.
No wonder she's the company's new manager.
How would Lu Li know about the future development plans for the e-commerce sales department?
He immediately fell silent.
President Liu didn't press him, just looked over with a calm expression.
She didn't seem to have an ounce of sympathy for Lu Li, the sacrificial lamb being used as a warning for others.
After about two minutes of silence, President Liu seemed to lose patience.
She sat up straight and started to say, "Alright, since you can't answer, go to the HR department, and then you can leave the company."
Sigh!
Still going to be fired.
Lu Li was about to get up and leave.
Suddenly, his eyes accidentally glanced at the folder President Liu had just covered with a white paper.
On the top of the paper under the white paper were the words "E-commerce Sales Department Development Plan."
Hmm, E-commerce Sales Department Development Plan?
Lu Li's eyes flickered. He realized that today he might just ruin President Liu's plan to establish authority!
He could leave, but he absolutely will not be used as a tool for someone else to establish authority!
This President Liu wants to make an example out of me?
Sorry, but I'm not that "chicken"!