Chapter 927 -734: Back in Control (Part 2)

He paused: “I don’t want it to escalate to labor arbitration either. After all, letting it get out will harm the company’s reputation and affect my future job prospects. But if we really can’t agree, I can only go by the book—in the end, the client materials and project details I have are all stored properly. If it comes down to scrutinizing them, no one will benefit.”

Short Back Hair had some objections, but Shi Chuxin silently applauded; this was a familiar pace for her.

Although the other party was talking about striving for a solution, their face was expressionless, clearly without any anger left inside.

This was another familiar scene for Shi Chuxin.

Just one more push, and the other party would completely give in.

Shi Chuxin sighed and said, “Xiao Duan, I need to state once again—this is the company’s standard protocol, not targeting you personally. If you feel it’s unreasonable, you can go for labor arbitration, but that would have significant consequences for both of us going forward.”

She believed that with Short Back Hair’s current mindset, he would understand the underlying message in her words.

“The company also has its difficulties. As an old employee, we are already offering you our sincerest intentions from your perspective. We hope you can understand the company’s position.”

After this round of tug-of-war, it should be just about right.

Short Back Hair was silent for a moment, and Shi Chuxin quietly waited for his silence. She knew that at this stage, the opponent wasn’t trying to find a way to refute her sitting across the conference table, but persuading himself as an employee instead.

As expected, after a while, she heard Short Back Hair squeeze out, “…Fine.”

Shi Chuxin clapped her hands hard and immediately half rose to extend her right hand: “Then it seems we’ve reached an agreement.”

Short Back Hair looked at Shi Chuxin’s outstretched hand, didn’t immediately reach out, but Shi Chuxin continued to hold her hand out in midair.

A breath later, he also half rose: “Agreement reached.”

Feeling the soft, gentle force in her palm, Shi Chuxin spoke quickly: “The company appreciates your contributions.”

“Afterward, I’ll have my assistant deliver the ‘Agreement to Terminate the Labor Contract by Consultation’ to your workstation. Please carefully check the terms, with a focus on the compensation amount, calculation base, buffer period, and work handover requirements. If you have any questions, feel free to discuss them with me anytime.”

At this point, Shi Chuxin was meticulous to perfection.

Short Back Hair nodded slightly: “I will carefully review the agreement and ensure proper work handover.”

Succinct and to the point.

As a salesperson, one is expected to be articulate. But considering the current situation and what had just happened, Shi Chuxin completely understood Short Back Hair’s current demeanor.

“The company once again thanks you for your contributions thus far,” Shi Chuxin repeated.

Clichés are free, saying more doesn’t hurt.

“Alright, you may go back first, prepare for the transition, and the assistant will deliver the agreement as soon as possible. The buffer period starts from tomorrow, and the formal separation procedures will be handled seven days later,” she reminded once more.

This meticulousness also costs nothing.

In this moment,

Watching Short Back Hair’s departing figure, Shi Chuxin tidied her hair and returned to her workstation with a spring in her step.

She pulled up a template for the termination of labor contract agreement from her computer and made slight modifications based on the conditions she’d just mentioned, then called over her little assistant:

“Print this out and take it to the sales department.”

The little assistant glanced over and couldn’t help but exclaim: “Sis, I’ve heard this name before… He’s quite something in the sales department, his performance is excellent!”

Shi Chuxin nodded modestly: “But he came early, and the commission he took is high. Terminating him leaves behind resources that will better benefit the company.”

“Actually, even if those resources don’t stay, it doesn’t matter. Once the company—” Reaching this point, Shi Chuxin lowered her voice, “—in the future, won’t lack for the resources this one individual holds.”

The little assistant felt something was a bit off, but seeing as how Shi Chuxin, who came from a foreign enterprise, said so, she simply cheered.

The hardest department had found its first breakthrough; from here on, it would only get progressively smoother!

And as for Short Back Hair, the one they talked about, he watched as the elevator doors opened in front of him.

He maintained the same expression he had during his conversation with Shi Chuxin, motionless, as if those facial expressions had been welded into place.

Quickly returning to his workstation, ignoring the curious glances from colleagues around him, Short Back Hair sat down straightaway and opened his computer.

His fingers were flying across the keyboard, characters jumping rapidly in front of him.

It seemed the speed at which the text flowed out was incredibly fast, as if he had prepared a draft long ago, just waiting for today’s opportunity to spill it out.

Novelnice•com

Suddenly, Short Back Hair’s actions came to an abrupt halt, feeling that someone was approaching him.

The flickering contents on the screen were quickly changed to the work email interface.

“Brother Duan.”

A voice suddenly sounded in front of him: “Were you just called over by HR?”

Though this sentence was posed as a question, the one asking it likely already knew the answer.

They were just here to probe and verify the answer in their heart.

Short Back Hair remained unfazed: “Yes, I’m leaving.”

“Ah?” the person said, “No way… Brother Duan, you’re leaving? Then how many of us will be left in the department? Of all people, it shouldn’t be you leaving!”

Though the tone was incredulous, there might genuinely be a bit of true sentiment mixed in, but in the current conversation, the hint of injustice was actually much less than one might expect.

This is also a form of professional etiquette. After raising a probative question and getting the desired answer, one must naturally provide a response appropriate to the situation at hand.

It also served to offer Short Back Hair a step down, giving him a reason to complain or vent his emotions.

But Short Back Hair simply replied calmly: “Perhaps the company has its considerations. Sometimes, it’s those who perform well that have to leave. As for you, with fewer resources, it’s actually easier to restart with the company.”

For a moment, it wasn’t clear if this was a compliment or an insult.

But it was true that the downside was swallowed by Short Back Hair, and the other party in the conversation wasn’t subjected to the “optimization” process.

So they stammered into silence.

“So, Brother Duan, after you leave, about the handover…”

This might be the actual purpose behind this “visit.”

Short Back Hair sighed lightly in his heart; this was the reality of the workplace.

But the sales department in the past wasn’t like this at all. After all, there was a director who guided newcomers hand-in-hand on projects, moreover distributed unused client resources under their charge.

But the director has changed, and with it, the department’s atmosphere followed suit.

Or perhaps—now the atmosphere is normal?

Short Back Hair took a deep breath, looked up: “I am indeed leaving, and I’m sure to hand over my current work to someone else.”

The person in front of him beamed. Being among those who’d come to “express concern” at this time naturally meant they had a good relationship with Short Back Hair, even one of the “best” few.

“But whether the sales department will have anyone else leaving is still uncertain, and I’m unsure to whom I should hand over. If I assign tasks today, only for that person to leave tomorrow, wouldn’t that be awkward?”

Short Back Hair watched as the face before him suddenly went pale.

“So I thought I’d better check with Brother Chen, see what he suggests.”

The individual nodded repeatedly: “Then Brother Duan… when you go find Brother Chen, could you also inquire…”

Short Back Hair didn’t hear the rest of the words clearly.

Once that person left, and calm returned around him, he glanced around.

Sure enough, many people were still eyeing his direction, evidently stirred by their conversation. But with one sweeping glance, those gazes quickly dispersed, as if tainted by his end result the moment their eyes met his.

With this, the attention surrounding Short Back Hair’s workstation actually lessened than usual. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He then switched back to the previous interface, editing more content.

Subsequently, he unlocked a drawer under his desk with a key and took out a USB drive.

The object was small, resting in his palm, occupying only a tenth of the space.

Yet Short Back Hair’s fingers closed and opened, opened and closed.

As if trying to gauge something elusive.

His breathing gradually became rapid, nostrils flaring, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.

Until the faces of Chen Lizhou and Shi Chuxin simultaneously popped into his mind.

Short Back Hair’s gaze became entirely resolute.