“I can’t keep living like this.” The man drank and muttered in a mixture of anger and misery.
“Try to think positively. Some women are just like that. Get a divorce.”
“Divorce? Wouldn’t that just give her exactly what she wants? I work myself to the bone outside, and what does she do? Brings another man into our home while my two-year-old daughter is there. Fucking bitch. I’m going to kill her. I swear I’m going to kill her.”
“Drink less. Stop saying nonsense like that. What if somebody hears you?”
“I’m not afraid!” The man with messy hair and an unkempt beard slumped over the table. His body shifted as though he was about to vomit, and he staggered up and rushed into the restroom. The man drinking with him sighed. His phone suddenly rang. He answered, spoke for less than a minute, then called toward the restroom, “Something urgent came up. I have to leave for a little while. Wait for me here.” There was no reply from inside. He hesitated for two seconds, then left anyway.
When the drunk man came out of the restroom, he sat directly across from Manager Cui, grabbed a cup without asking, and poured himself some of Manager Cui’s alcohol. Manager Cui frowned and hoped the owner would come drive him away, but the owner merely sat by the entrance playing with his phone and ignored everything happening inside. Manager Cui was about to speak when the man glanced around, then mysteriously pulled a small bottle from his pocket. His eyes were cloudy and bloodshot. “Do you know what this is? I only tell people I trust, so you can’t tell anyone.” It took Manager Cui only a few seconds to realize the drunk had mistaken him for his friend, probably because their clothes were similar in color. Manager Cui said nothing. The man’s expression and the contents of the bottle had caught his interest, so he waited for him to continue.
“Thallium salts. Ever heard of them? It doesn’t take much for this stuff to kill someone. Even if it doesn’t, ending up in the hospital won’t be pleasant. I looked it up. Thallium poisoning can be mistaken for other illnesses. They might not even realize somebody deliberately poisoned her.” He hiccupped and took another drink. “I’m not going to suffer while that bitch lives comfortably. Just a little bit could end the pain and give me what I want. She deserves it. People commit crimes every day, so why should I be an idiot who follows every rule and lives honestly just so other people can walk all over me? Don’t you agree?” A chilling look appeared in the man’s eyes as he stared hard at Manager Cui, as though demanding approval. When Manager Cui gave no response, the man lost interest and drank several more cups. Eventually he collapsed over the table muttering drunkenly, and before long, snores could be heard.
Manager Cui looked around. Whether because of the rain or because the small tavern simply had poor business, the place was empty except for the two of them. Manager Cui stood, took out some money, and tossed it onto the table. His eyes never left the small bottle. It seemed to radiate temptation. Manager Cui reached out, hesitated for two seconds, slipped the bottle into his pocket, and left without looking back.
The rain did not stop until the next day. Mai Ding happened to run into President Wang in the elevator. President Wang kept rubbing his nose and then sneezed. Mai Ding hurriedly pulled a tissue from his bag and offered it to him. “President Wang, do you have a cold?” President Wang did not take it and ignored Mai Ding’s kindness. Was he still angry after all this time because Wang Xi Yuan had given Mai Ding something? Surely not. As Mai Ding’s direct superior, President Wang could not possibly be that petty.
“The weather suddenly turned colder. It’s easy to catch a cold like this. One of my coworkers has cold medicine. Should I get some ready for you?” Mai Ding was acting entirely out of kindness and had absolutely no intention of flattering his superior, he assured his conscience. President Wang gave a cold snort. “You think a little cold medicine is enough to make me let you set your sights on our Yuan Yuan? Give up.” As Mai Ding’s direct superior, President Wang really was that petty.
The elevator reached the seventh floor. Mai Ding stepped out and suddenly felt that he might remain a lowly employee for the rest of his life. When exactly had his relationships with people become this terrible?
“Mai Ding, you’re spacing out again. You want Cui Blowjob to come in and yell at you?” Fan Shao Jun’s reminder snapped Mai Ding back to attention. He hurriedly glanced toward the elevator. When he did not see Manager Cui, he relaxed. Then he looked enviously at Liu Wei, who was eating noodles. “I was in such a hurry to get to work that I didn’t even eat breakfast. If I’d known, I would’ve bought something on the way too.” Liu Wei handed over the disposable bowl that contained nothing but scraps. “Don’t say I never take care of you. Here.”
“I don’t need your care, thanks.” Mai Ding sat down irritably. Feng Fei Meng and Guo Ping walked in holding steamed buns. Since Mai Ding did not have anything to eat himself, he put on a righteous expression. “Eating in the office is completely inappropriate. This is a workplace, not a restaurant.”
“It’s not your company. What the hell does it have to do with you?”
“Exactly. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
His coworkers immediately fought back. Mai Ding really was meddling. Why provoke everyone first thing in the morning? Cao Cheng Yi had entered Public Relations at some point. Someone from Marketing coming to Public Relations this early could not mean anything good. Even after Cao Cheng Yi became Marketing Manager, relations between the two departments had shown no sign of improving.
“What’s going on? Public Relations sure seems relaxed. You even have time to eat. Where’s the proposal? You still haven’t finished it?” Mai Ding thought Cao Cheng Yi was finally starting to sound like a supervisor.
“We want to finish it as soon as possible too, but Manager Cui…”
“What’s wrong with that old man? Are his hemorrhoids acting up? Does he expect every department in the company to wait for him?” The moment the words left his mouth, both Public Relations managers appeared behind him at the same time. Mai Ding broke into a nervous sweat. An Zi Yan had actually come up in the elevator with Manager Cui. Hadn’t An Zi Yan punched Manager Cui not long ago? What kind of atmosphere had that elevator ride contained?
Manager Cui merely glanced at Cao Cheng Yi, his expression composed. “I don’t work as carelessly as the Manager An you know. Since this is the company’s top priority, it has to be handled rigorously. Marketing doesn’t need to come upstairs specifically to rush us.” There was an obvious barb hidden in his words.
“That’s not how it works, Manager Cui. This doesn’t concern just you or Public Relations. It affects the whole company. And you don’t need to make snide insinuations. I’ll admit it, at the company I get along better with Manager An than I do with you. So what? There probably aren’t many people here who want anything to do with you. I’m just like the majority. There’s no rule against that, is there?” Cao Cheng Yi fired back. Manager Cui raised his eyebrows. “Who do you think you are? You think becoming Marketing Manager gives you the right to speak to me like that?”
The air in Public Relations was thick with gunpowder. Everyone was ready to enjoy the show, while Mai Ding worried that something else might happen. And what was An Zi Yan doing? Mai Ding searched for him and discovered that he had already gone back into his office and started playing games. Absolutely hopeless!