HPDBC Chapter 5 The Workplace is a True Hell
Chapter 5 The Workplace is a True Hell
Unable to concentrate on his work, Wang Lang's fingers tapped impatiently on the table.
These past two days have been a struggle, like a monkey trying to catch the moon. The moon is right there, bright and clear, but you just can't reach it. You almost exposed your red bottom.
Wang Lang summoned the system, stared blankly at the "3300" on the panel, and the sound of tapping on the desktop gradually stopped.
Wang Lang vaguely felt that there was something he hadn't grasped, but his mind was a complete mess, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
No, we still need to figure this out: slapping Lai Ge Bao for 500, exposing him for 500, are all mild; having the big boss hand you coffee is minor, and even roasting Ma Lou is minor.
On what grounds?
Could it be that Lai Ge Bao is a rich young master from some corporation who's here to experience life, and therefore more valuable?
Then...should we...go and slap Lai Ge Bao across the face again?
Wang Lang was amused by his own thought.
Forget it, Team Leader Lai isn't an ATM; he can't keep taking money from people.
After laughing, I realized it wasn't entirely impossible...
"Hey rascal, what are we having for lunch?" Zhu Ge sent a message.
Working people always start work in the morning, so they have to figure out what to eat for lunch before they can get into work mode.
"Village base".
"Okay. I heard that Lai Ge Bao didn't come this morning. Our team leader said he took the day off."
"Maybe we should wait until the swelling goes down before coming back." Wang Lang recalled the strength and feel of yesterday's touch. "Never mind, let's slack off for now, we'll talk in detail at noon."
……
Cun Cun Ji restaurants are scattered throughout the mountain city. Their fried chicken set meals are always discounted when purchased through group buying, sometimes even cheaper than the rice bowls at small street-side shops. Wang Lang often chooses Cun Cun Ji as his first choice for lunch.
"Two coupons, yes, the mini fried chicken set meal." Zhu Ge had already ordered the coupons in advance.
"You bring me coffee in the morning and lunch at noon, are you going to be my sugar daddy?"
"Anyway, it's just a sugar daddy for 300 yuan," Zhu Ge joked.
Yesterday, Zhu Ge accidentally triggered the system's [Cooperative Battle] event, which rewarded him with 1100. Wang Lang withdrew 300 and transferred it to Zhu Ge, and the rest... can be considered as channel fees and service fees.
"Old thief," Zhu Ge suddenly changed his tone, which was tinged with sadness, "Tell me the truth, have you been diagnosed with some kind of illness? You've been transferring money to me and attacking anyone you don't like."
Wang Lang looked at Zhu Ge helplessly, and even felt a little like laughing.
"Is it only a few months left? Then let's stop eating the mini pan-fried chicken, or maybe add a fried chicken cutlet instead..."
Zhu Ge seemed convinced that Wang Lang was doomed. "Sigh, how about... we eat whatever we want?"
Wang Lang was both amused and exasperated: "Putting everything else aside, just tell me, wasn't it satisfying to slap Lai Ge Bao across the face?"
"Is it really a terminal illness? Is there no hope at all?" Zhu Ge's heart sank even further when he saw that Wang Lang seemed indifferent.
"What the hell is this terminal illness? I'm not sick!"
Wang Lang perked up and tried his best to appear healthy, but the dark circles under his eyes accumulated over the years still couldn't prove him right.
"Zhu Wa, let me ask you," Wang Lang said, changing the subject when he realized he couldn't show off his prowess in front of Zhu Ge, "would you rather slap Lai Ge Bao in the face or have the big boss personally hand you coffee?"
Zhu Ge still didn't believe it: "You're really not sick..."
"Speak quickly."
"It would definitely feel better to beat up Lai Ge Bao."
"And the coffee? That was personally handed to me by the big boss—who's worth hundreds of millions!"
Wang Lang didn't understand why hitting the Lai Ge Bao rewarded him with 500 points, while the boss only gave him 100 points for handing out coffee.
"It's a real slap in the face, it really hurts." Zhu Ge paused, "The big boss's job was just a side thing, he didn't lose out."
Almost imperceptibly, a glint flashed in Wang Lang's eyes:
Does causing others to suffer losses mean that the more losses one makes, the greater the reward?
Slapping someone in the face will cause swelling, and exposing Lai Ge Bao will deprive him of the opportunity to curry favor with the big boss. These are real costs, so the reward is 500.
Whether it was the boss handing out coffee or arguing with Ma Lou, they didn't suffer any real loss, so the reward is 100.
So I sold the picture frames at a loss, and the system didn't give me any reward.
Is this the logic of the system?
No wonder people say that suffering a loss is a blessing: when you let others suffer a loss, you will be blessed.
"If I'm not mistaken, then I can make a killing off the system." Wang Lang finally understood the system's judgment criteria.
"Hey old rascal, what are you laughing at?"
Zhu Ge still suspected that Wang Lang was ill. If physical illness was ruled out, then it could only be a mental illness.
Otherwise, how can we explain Wang Lang's current smile? It's like he's cracked his roommate's computer password for the first time and checked their browsing history.
"Old rascal, you still need to be careful. Mental health is also very important," Zhu Ge said earnestly.
Wang Lang, lost in his dream of getting rich, said, "What is there to be careful about?"
"You... putting everything else aside, you humiliated Lai Ge Bao yesterday, and now you're meddling in Si Ma Lou's affairs—you've offended both team leaders in our department. They're both petty."
Wang Lang laughed, seemingly pleased with himself: "If they want revenge, then this is their chance to make money."
……
After lunch, the two returned to their workstations for a short rest.
At 1:30 p.m., the lights reluctantly came on one by one.
Ding--
Wang Lang received a work message:
"Come to my office."
Sender: Lai Bao, Group Leader of Group 4.
Laigebao's office is not much bigger than that of ordinary employees, but its advantage is that it is a private space.
The desk faced the door, and on it sat a nearly new laptop. Next to the laptop was a small mirror, about the size of a palm, with a silver metal frame, which seemed out of place with the other office supplies on the desk; its purpose was unclear.
As soon as Wang Lang entered, he found a chair and sat down, taking up the entire chair with his big bottom.
Lai Ge Bao didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing to flip through documents, look at the screen, and reply to messages, ignoring Wang Lang as if he were invisible.
Wang Lang wasn't in a hurry. He leaned back in his chair and looked around the small office. His gaze swept around the room before finally settling on the small mirror on the desk.
Tsk—
Wang Lang deliberately smacked his lips, the sound not loud, but loud enough for the other side to hear.
Lai Gebao paused for a moment while flipping through the documents, then continued working.
Wang Lang's gaze shifted from the mirror to Lai Ge Bao's face, lingering for a few seconds on the few red marks that hadn't completely faded.
"One, two, three, four, five." The counting voice was very soft.
The five marks might be hinting at the 500 Heavenly Spirit Points awarded by the system.
Lai Gebao finally looked up from the screen and said, "I'm quite busy with many projects lately. Could you deliver this document for me?"
His tone was so calm, as if nothing had happened yesterday.
Lai Ge Bao pushed the document toward Wang Lang, then quietly turned the small mirror on the table upside down.
"Okay." Wang Lang took the document, smiled at Lai Ge Bao, and turned to leave.
After finishing his first delivery, Wang Lang still had a smile on his face—running errands is just a way to exercise.
The second trip...
The third trip...
Lai Ge Bao always had the same deadpan expression—he didn't even lift his eyelids, and slowly pushed the next document over.
Wang Lang's shirt was soaked through on the back, and his forehead was covered with a layer of white sweat.
Is this how you play it?
Then don't blame me for slacking off. I'll deliver the goods, but I'll just walk slower, rest more, and deliver fewer items if I can.
Wang Lang found a conference room with its blinds tightly closed and waited outside the door. The conference room door was not closed tightly, leaving a crack.
A wisp of cold air wafted out from the crack, clinging to Wang Lang's body and absorbing the heat from his soaked shirt.
Afternoons in the workplace are often scorching, making it difficult to find a quiet spot to slack off.
The conference room, packed with people, was actually a good place to hide behind the lights, with the blinds drawn to isolate the inside from the outside.
Wang Lang had just come out of Lai Gebao's office when he saw that some of the blinds in the conference room were open, some were closed, and some were half-closed.
The figures were faintly visible behind the leaves, becoming fragments cut and strangled by dozens of regularly arranged, dust-covered knives.
Some blinds were drawn tightly, leaving only a crack, as if someone had deliberately left an opening to lure people in and let them peek inside at the scene being shredded into pieces.
In these spaces, the more active you are, the more thoroughly you are strangled and shattered.
Therefore, the more powerful the boss, the more they will stand with their arms crossed, motionless and silent, only speaking up to send you on your way when the guillotine is about to fall.
[Injustices detected in the surrounding environment are far exceeding the acceptable limits]
[Activate the Celestial Sense?]
"start up."
[Consumes 20 Heavenly Spirit Points]
[Injustices being investigated within the area]
If the system hadn't mentioned this skill, Wang Lang would have almost forgotten about it, as he was only focused on using the Tiangang Bank to exchange for the remaining balance in his bank card.
Workplace bullying detected – verbal abuse
[Hidden oppression detected – Social media manipulation]
[Moral blackmail detected – corporate culture]
[Workplace bullying detected – shifting blame and shirking responsibility]
[Power oppression detected - threat of demotion]
Labor exploitation detected – unpaid overtime
[Detection of Power Oppression – Hidden Violence]
[Formalism detected – Workplace performance]
[Hidden exploitation detected – selfless dedication]
Workplace bullying detected – discrimination during pregnancy
Formalism detected – Ineffective meeting
Workplace bullying detected – isolation and exclusion
[Power oppression detected – information monopoly]
[Hidden exploitation detected – overtime culture]
……
[Click to view details]
grass
grass
grass
Wang Lang felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the rows of brightly lit, modern conference rooms behind him.
This is hell on earth!
What the hell is this Black and White Impermanence?
None of them can compare to Team Leaders Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li.
What the hell are those Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons?!
Can he outmaneuver Managers Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang?
They say hell is empty, so does that mean the devil is in the workplace?
Damn, the workplace is a real hell!!!
Wang Lang steadied himself, scrolled down the panel, but didn't reach the end.
I flipped through it again, but I still hadn't reached the end.
……
Heh—hehe—
Wang Lang suddenly wanted to laugh; this company really was—quite excellent.
They recruited all those damn dragons and phoenix chicks (actor's voice).
Is leadership a low-barrier position? Everyone can get a piece of the pie (voiceover).
If he could, Wang Lang really wanted to push open the door of every meeting room, stand in front of those blustering bastards, raise his hand, spread his fingers, and slap them across the face.
If he were the protagonist in a novel, Wang Lang would not only want to slap himself, but also want everyone in the conference room who suffers from workplace injustice to slap the leader hard across the face.
Ugh--
This nameless anger came quickly and went quickly.
After mentally blasting all those incompetent bastards, Wang Lang seemed to calm down, and the sweat soaking his body dried.
It's a pity I'm not the protagonist of some novel—
I'm just an ordinary person chosen by the system, what can I do?
Let's send the documents next.
Wang Lang glanced at the next recipient and couldn't help but curse Lai Gebao under his breath again:
"damn it--"
Recipient: Zhou Li, member of Group 4.
Sister Zhou's workstation was next to hers, and Lai Ge Bao's office was diagonally opposite hers, less than ten steps away.
Is this Lai Ge Bao's revenge?
It's true that its name means "toad"—it doesn't bite, but it disgusts people.