Thursday
General Office
With Director Zane back in the office to oversee things, the atmosphere was completely different from the lax vibe of the previous two days.
Paul, who hadn't lifted a finger before, was exceptionally diligent today.
Not only did he volunteer to do all of Tammy's grunt work, but he also dusted Director Zane's office and went in every ten minutes or so to refill the leader's tea, acting incredibly attentive.
Jane didn't dare apply makeup at her desk anymore. Like Jack, she buried her head in paperwork, pretending to be swamped.
Only Old Quinn remained unchanged, reading his newspaper with his reading glasses perched on his nose, completely unbothered by the boss's presence.
"Johny." Opposite him, the towering figure of Samson scratched his head sheepishly. "What was the read only password for this Word document again?"
Johny Lee walked over to look at Samson's screen.
He reached out to tap the numbers on the keypad. "I think it's 5776."
But typing it yielded an error beep.The password was wrong.
Tammy, working at a nearby desk, turned her head and smiled.
"Excel is 5776 and Word is 3328. You two have to memorize these passwords.
You'll need them to encrypt every document you create. Hehe, although we don't really handle any top-secret files here, those are the office rules."
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
"You two haven't seen the Confidentiality Section yet; they're much stricter than us. Their computers aren't even allowed to connect to the internet."
After a few days of working together, Johny's relationship with Samson and Tammy had gradually become warmer.
First, the three of them were recent graduates and roughly the same age, so they had more in common than with the thirty-somethings like Jane, Jack, and Paul. Second, they were all honest workers without devious schemes, content to do their jobs steadily.
Suddenly, with a creak, the door to Director Zane's private office opened.
Paul's spine snapped straight.
He hurriedly grabbed a ballpoint pen and scribbled aimlessly in his notebook, frowning as if solving a complex problem.
Jane, who was closest to the boss's door, immediately closed a fashion shopping tab on her browser.
Tammy quickly minimized her instant messenger chat.
From Johny's angle, he even saw Jack minimize a forum thread about freshwater fish.
Even Old Quinn symbolically flicked his newspaper closed and walked to the water cooler to refill his cup.
Scribble, scribble, scribble....
Whir, whir....
The sound of writing and printers suddenly filled the room with a bustling atmosphere.
Director Zane nodded with satisfaction.
He strolled down the aisle with his uneven gait, inspecting the troops...checking what this person was writing and what that person was printing.
Finally, he slowly returned to his own office and gently closed the door.
In the next second, the tension evaporated.
Those reading newspapers went back to newspapers; those shopping went back to shopping.
Before long, two unfamiliar faces entered the main office.
A young man waited by the door while a man in his thirties walked in, holding a stack of files wrapped in thick kraft paper bags.
He exchanged a quick look with Jane, then knocked on Director Zane's door and went in.
A few minutes later, he came out empty-handed and left with the young man.
About five minutes later.
Ring, ring, ring.
The phone next to the main printer rang.
Tammy picked it up.
"Hello, General Office... oh, Director Zane... okay... okay."
She hung up and turned to Johny. "Johny, Director Zane wants you.There are documents to be sent to the Confidentiality Section. He said to grab Jack to go with you so you can learn the route and the protocol."
According to the rules, any confidential documents with seals and classifications had to be delivered by at least two people. One person wasn't allowed to handle them alone.
"Jack, you're not busy, right?" Tammy asked.
Jack sighed, putting down his tea. "Alright, I'll take him."
"I'll go get the documents first."
Johny walked quickly toward Director Zane's office
This was the first direct task the leader had assigned him, and he was determined to complete it perfectly.
Knock, knock, knock.....
"...Come in."
Director Zane's tone was every inch the leader.
Sigh, being a boss is great, Johny thought. Director Zane could have just shouted for Johny when he opened the door earlier, but that would have lacked patience.
It would be beneath him.
So, even though his office was only five meters away, he made a phone call to summon his subordinate.
Only then was the hierarchy properly established!
Johny entered the small office.
Director Zane was sitting in front of his computer, writing something.
"Have a seat. Wait a moment."
"Yes, Director."
Johny respectfully sat on the small guest sofa opposite the desk.
Although the leather was old and peeling in places, it was plush...twice as comfortable as his stiff office chair outside.
He was tired from working all morning, so he leaned back, letting the soft cushions support his spine.
His tense muscles relaxed instantly.
So comfortable.
Zane glanced at him over his reading glasses, then continued writing without a word.
Johny's eyesight was sharp.
With a quick sweep of the Director's screen, he noticed a minimized stock trading window at the bottom of the desktop.
Eh, Director Zane plays the stock market too?
After another minute, Zane stopped writing, but he still didn't hand over the documents. He just sat there, clicking his mouse.
Johny was puzzled.
If you aren't ready, why call me in so early?
He remembered hearing that if a leader ignores you after summoning you, it might mean they have an issue with you.
Johny racked his brain but couldn't think of any mistakes.
The "Deputy " naming incident had been fixed with his "BACK" power, and he hadn't made any blunders today.
What is it?
While he was thinking, Jack knocked and entered the office.
"Director Zane, I'm here to escort Johny with the documents."
Zane nodded without looking up. "Sit down and wait."
Jack hummed an acknowledgement and moved toward the sofa.
But when he saw Johny's relaxed, leaning posture, Jack froze.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
This newcomer really doesn't know the rules, Jack thought.
Jack then bent down and sat on the very edge of the sofa...using only half a buttock. He kept his back ramrod straight, his hands on his knees, looking tense and respectful.
Johny was instantly dumbfounded.
Holy crap.... Didn't Tammy say Jack had a powerful backer in the Bureau? Why was he sitting like a terrified schoolboy?
Johny wasn't stupid; in the next second, he understood completely.
Rules! It was the unwritten rules again!
You might not genuinely be afraid of the leader, but you must perform the attitude of respect.
If you lounge comfortably while the leader works, you are signaling that you are his equal or worse, that you don't respect his authority.
Damn!
I messed up again!
BACK!!
...
Scribble, scribble, scribble.....
The sound of a pen scratching paper filled the room.
Deputy Director Zane was writing something.
Time returned to the moment before Jack entered the room!
Johny quickly checked his posture.
He was leaning back comfortably, sinking into the plush leather.
Without a word, he hurried to correct himself before Zane looked up.
He shot forward, straightening his spine until it was rigid. He shifted to the very edge of the cushion, sitting on half a buttock just as Jack would have done.
He placed his hands flat on his knees, looking straight ahead with an expression of attentive, nervous respect.
Two seconds later, Zane looked up.
Seeing Johny's stiff, respectful posture looking like an elementary student called to the principal's office, Director Zane nodded faintly.
A look of satisfaction crossed his face.
He handed Johny the documents and chuckled.
"Alright, take them to the Confidentiality Section. Haha, young man, you don't need to be so restrained in the future."
Johny gave a forced laugh. "Thank you, Director."
Not restrained? You're just talking nonsense! If I weren't restrained, would you be happy?
Walking out with the documents, Johny broke into a cold sweat.
That was close!
Officialdom truly is a minefield.
One wrong step, even sitting in the wrong position could blow up in your face!
Authors Note:-
Well those officials are bastards.
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