The Chairman of ML couldn't figure it out. He woke up, and his company was gone... oh no, not that the company was gone. The company was still running fine; *he* was gone.
As the company's financial reports grew increasingly bleak, the old strategy of heavily promoting trending artists, making quick money by "harvesting leeks," and then swapping in a new one to promote, was actually failing to win over fans. Coupled with the fact that competing companies all had one or two super-popular artists, while ML seemed to have no one left except a few faded stars, they had spent a lot of money buying trends and manufacturing scandals to try and make their former stars popular again.
But the fans seemed to have caught on to this tactic and weren't taking the bait. Never mind a comeback; this was making the already struggling ML's situation worse. Now, they could only pin their hopes on this previously overlooked little idol, hoping she could earn a large sum of money.
The board of directors was miserable, and many shareholders were already quite dissatisfied.
And then.
This morning, the ML company's board of directors held their regular meeting. When the Chairman arrived half an hour late as usual, he found that the shareholders were looking at him strangely. Before the meeting even started, a man in black burst into the conference room. Then, inexplicably, he was lifted, chair and all, by the shareholders and a group of bodyguards and thrown out of the company.
Only later did he find out... a mysterious, massive overseas company had directly acquired ML. Theoretically, a cross-border acquisition should have been very difficult, but... all the shareholders seemed to have united and kicked him out.
Sora, on the other hand, didn't know what had happened. She only knew that her current agent had been inexplicably fired, apparently for poor management, and the Chairman had also been jointly kicked out by the board of directors.
Huh?
As Sora walked into the company, many of the old employees were discussing what had happened that morning. To be honest, this bombshell news came too suddenly. Everything was fine last night, nothing seemed to have happened, but this morning, shortly after coming to work, they found out, oh ho, the Chairman was gone.
However, for them, the ordinary employees, it had no impact. If the Chairman was gone, a new one would take his place. The company would continue to operate. Besides, the previous Chairman's operational strategy was terrible, employing a "drain the pond to catch the fish" method, only thinking about short-term profits without considering the long run. It was bound to have drawbacks.
"Tsk tsk... you didn't see the end."
An employee ran in from outside, saying happily.
"I just went to the head office to handle some materials. As soon as I entered, I saw that fat-headed Chairman being carried out, chair and all, and thrown outside. It was hilarious! I even took a video!"
She opened her phone, and a group of people rushed over to watch. When they saw the former Chairman's fat-headed and embarrassed, yet helpless, appearance after being thrown out, everyone burst out laughing.
Artists held a high status in the company. After all, they helped make money, much higher than ordinary employees. Some large companies would even give shares of their company to their pillar artists.
However, some of the new employees were reserved, but the old employees who were familiar with Sora grabbed her hand.
"Sora-chan! Sora-chan! Was that old woman fired?"
Sora nodded, only half-understanding.
"It seems so. When I just came in, she was still acting fierce. Then she got a call, seemed to be from the Chairman, saying she was fired too. When she asked why, she found out the Chairman seemed to have been fired as well."
"Hahaha!!!"
Receiving confirmation.
Many employees gloated as if they had just sent off a plague.
"Damn it! That old woman is finally gone. When Sister Zhang was here, she rarely checked attendance, and we didn't have to work overtime unless it was particularly busy. After this old woman came, we have to be at work at 8:30 every day. One minute late costs two hundred! My daily salary is only three hundred! And we have to work overtime every day with no overtime pay. Even if there's no work, we're not allowed to leave early after hours! A typical idiot!!"
"Yeah~ Last time I had a toothache and wanted to take leave to see a dentist, this old woman agreed to my leave on one hand, and marked me as absent without leave on the other! One absence costs a thousand! My daily salary is only 400..."
"I heard that old woman was the mistress of that fat-headed ex-Chairman."
"What goes around really does come around! I wonder what the new Chairman will be like. I wonder if they'll bring Sister Zhang back. I really miss Sister Zhang. Sister Zhang's voice is so nice, and she's so easy to talk to. Once, my family had an emergency and needed money, I asked Sister Zhang for an advance, but only later did I find out Sister Zhang had lent me her own money."
After all this commotion, no one was in the mood to work anymore. They all gathered around to curse the former agent and how ridiculous she was.
Sora was in a daze. She didn't know what had happened.
*Could it really be related to my wish?*
Although Sora had made a wish to Lucas yesterday, she hadn't really taken it seriously. However... as soon as she got to the company... not only was the agent gone, even the Chairman was gone.
Ah, this...
*No, I have to go back.*
Since the agent was gone, no one was checking attendance.
Sora had just arrived at the company but immediately turned around to leave, planning to go home and ask if Bailey was responsible.
Sora's home wasn't far from the company, only about a ten-minute run.
Pushing open the door.
"Bailey!! I need to ask you something!"
Sora immediately shouted, but then suddenly realized that the three girls from Penguin Logistics were sitting on her living room sofa watching TV.
Sora quickly covered her mouth.
"Yo! Sora!! Off work?"
Croissant raised her hand and said with a smile.
Texas glanced at her watch: "Eh? Isn't today Saturday? I thought you didn't have to work."
Exusiai's face was full of gossip.
"So! Who is Bailey?"
Exusiai immediately spotted the blind spot. Croissant and Texas, who hadn't noticed at first, now also narrowed their eyes, looking at Sora.
"Boyfriend??"
Croissant covered her mouth.
"So our Sora already has a boyfriend behind our backs? Listening to the name, it doesn't sound like he's from Lungmen. Sora, is your boyfriend a foreigner?"
Texas nodded.
Exusiai, however, stuck out her tongue: "That's great, I want a boyfriend too. Sweet, sweet love is the best. If one day, a guy gives me a sniper rifle with a two-kilometer range as a gift, I'll definitely accept his confession immediately. But alas, there's no one."
Sora's face instantly turned red, and she waved her hands frantically.
"You misunderstood, I don't have a boyfriend. Bailey is the name of my teddy bear."
She wasn't surprised that Exusiai and the other two were at her place. After all, the three of them had a key to her apartment and often came over to hang out or even sleep over when they had nothing to do.
Sora's heart was in a total panic. She had left in such a hurry that she forgot to tell Bailey that her other three colleagues had keys and might come over at any time. She hadn't expected it to be so soon.
Sora finished changing her shoes and walked in, inconspicuously glancing towards the bed. However, Lucas, who was supposed to be on the bed, had vanished.
Finally!
Sora found Bailey in Exusiai's hands.
Right now, Bailey was clamped between Exusiai's legs, being constantly squeezed and rubbed.
Ugh!!
Sora's eyes widened, and she quickly snatched Bailey from between Exusiai's legs.
"Bailey... is this bear's name."
Sora quickly explained.
As for Lucas, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In the half hour Sora was gone, he had been sat on by Exusiai, and then clamped between her legs. Exusiai's black stockings rubbed constantly against his body. That texture...
Mm...
Exusiai naturally didn't believe it.
"Ah, this. Naming a teddy bear is understandable. After all, I named the pillow in my house the 'Laterano QRT85 Automatic Firearm.'"
"But... why would you ask a teddy bear a question right when you walked in?"
"I heard it loud and clear."
Exusiai imitated Sora's appearance when she entered, speaking.
*Bailey! I need to ask you something?*
This Bailey sounds like a person who can talk, right?
Er...
Sora was at a loss for words.
Exusiai continued: "Wait!! Sora, your boyfriend isn't hiding in your house, is he? Otherwise, you wouldn't have said that. Hiss... there's someone in your house, and he's been hiding this whole time we've been here? That's so creepy."
However.
Exusiai searched for a long time, even digging through the trash can, but couldn't find a trace of anyone.
"Huh, where'd he go?"
Seeing Sora's embarrassed expression, Texas tapped Exusiai on the head, telling her to stop. After all, Sora was in her early twenties. These days, many girls start dating in their teens and get married at twenty. Plus, Sora was an idol, so there were definitely many high-quality men around her. It was perfectly normal to have a boyfriend.
"Anyway, where did you just go? Doesn't your company have Saturdays and Sundays off?"
Sora sighed: "That was before. Now the head office has noticed me. They replaced Sister Zhang with a new agent. This agent is incredibly strict and harsh, making me work on Saturdays and Sundays too, with only one day off a month."
"Hiss!!"
Croissant couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air: "That harsh? If my boss were like that, I'd slap them right then and there. Isn't that getting in the way of me making money? Hindering me from making money is an irreconcilable feud!!"
Exusiai agreed with Croissant: "I agree!"
"Let me finish. Just now, when I went to the company, I found out... the head office's Chairman seems to have been ousted, and... my agent was fired too."
"That's great news!"
Hearing it was such good news, everyone instantly relaxed.
Sora seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic of Bailey's name and looked somewhat distracted.
Seeing this, Texas didn't plan to stay much longer. Everyone has their secrets, after all.
"Oh right, Sora, we have a new commission. Are you in? We came today to ask about that."
"Commission? What commission?"
"A commission from a mafia family in Siracusa. They want us to transport a batch of goods from Iberia to Siracusa. It'll take a while. We're planning to set off in three days. We wanted to let you know in advance, if you're free, you can come with us~"
"Okay! I'll check with my company first."
Seeing Sora nod, Texas and the other two got up. After walking out of the room, Exusiai even pressed her ear to the door, trying to eavesdrop. Texas immediately tapped her on the head again.
"Ow! Tex, I really suspect Sora has a boyfriend!! Her eyes just now!! They were darting around!!"
"Whatever. Sora's not a kid anymore. She has the freedom to date."
"I'm afraid she'll be tricked by some scumbag!!"
"..."
Texas was speechless. She grabbed Exusiai and dragged her away.
Seeing her companions leave.
Sora finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Bailey, Bailey~"
"Here."
Lucas, who had been pretending to be a doll for a while, moved.
"That must have been hard for you, Bailey. I didn't know Exusiai and the others would come over."
"It's fine."
Was it tiring?
Definitely not.
How could being rubbed by black stockings be tiring?
You've got to be kidding.
"Um! Something happened at my company this morning... was that you, Bailey?"
Sora asked nervously.
Lucas wasn't surprised at all.
"That efficient? Yes, it was me."
"Mmm!! Thank you!!!"
Sora happily pulled the doll into a hug against her chest, and Lucas's doll face was once again squeezed out of shape.
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