Something Familiar

A young lady smashed a file on her table. She was furious when facing her employees. After reviewing the proposal of one of her employees, she wants to release her anger.

She faced them with a murdering eye. "I don't pay you to give me trash. The design is awful," she told them. "I gave you two weeks to create a new design for next month's new fashion line release and now you want me to accept this trash?"

Her employees can't look at her eyes. She can't help but sigh. "Revise it and we'll have a meeting again after two days," she said. "Improvement is what I want. Create something new not just copy our old designs. Y'all need to be innovative," she added. "You are all a designer not just a person who can draw something. Be a professional and think about the future effects ahead." After saying those words, she went out of the meeting room and entered her office.

She grabbed her pencil and a piece of paper and started to sketch while reading some contracts and reports. Her assistant, Gu Ding Yun, walked with a cup of tea. "President Su, Project A has been built and soon the company will have to decorate it."

Su Xiao Qin looked up and smiled. "Tell the director in charge of this project that I want to speak with him."

Gu Ding Yun put down the tea and walked outside the office. He looked for Director Xiang. When Director Xiang heard that the president wanted to speak with him because of the project, he was very happy. He hurriedly walked over to the president's office.

Su Xiao Qin was drinking her afternoon tea when Director Xiang arrived. She asked him to sit down and asked her assistant to bring some coffee for him.

Director Xiang was so happy that he asked Su Xiao Qin, "President Su, what do you want to tell me?"

Su Xiao Qing smiled. "I'm very impressed with your team's speed to accomplish Project A," she said.

Director Xiang smiled. "It's nothing, President Su. It was included in our work but I'm very grateful for your compliment."

Su Xiao Qin puts down her tea and gives Director Xiang a file. "So, squandering some of the money for the construction of Project A is also included in your team's work? Or it's only your doings?"

When Director Xiang heard this, he immediately kneels. "President Su, I'm asking for your forgiveness." he pleaded. "It's not my idea. The leader of Team A told me to spend the rest of the unspent money."

She smirked at him. "Tell me, what did you do to the money?"

"We… we... we gamble it," he confessed. "We thought we could earn double with that money and give back the money we used."

"So, where is the money?" she asked him while drinking her tea.

"President Su, about the money, we lose it and we even have a debt of thirty thousand yuan," he said. "But I promise President Su that we'll give back the money we owe."

Su Xiao Qin chuckled. "The money you owe in the company is five million plus you also have a debt of thirty thousand. How can you pay me as soon as possible?"

"President Su, my annual pay is one million and two hundred yuan and also it doesn't include our month and year-end bonus," he said. "Gao Li Yang and I will divide the debt so we can pay all our debts in just two years."

"Divide the debt?" she asked. "The leader of Team A doesn't go to work these two days. Are you sure he didn't ditch you for the debts?"

"He doesn't go to work for two days?"

"Why? You can't believe it?" Su Xiao Qin told him. "So, you have no choice but to handle all the responsibility. After all, you are his boss so why can't you handle your own department's problem? Why would you listen to a person whose rank is lower than yours? Are you a fool?"

"No, it can't be," he said. He looked at Su Xiao Qin with pleading eyes. "President Su, please give me some more time to pay all my debts. I promise I'll pay it up. No more, no less."

Su Xiao Qin smiled. "Sure, I gave you three days."

"President Su, please extend it for a month. I don't know where I can get a large sum of money in just three days."

Su Xiao Qin called Gu Ding Yun. He entered as soon as possible while holding a file. "Here it is, President Su."

"Assistant Gu, you know what to do," she told him.

"Yes, President Su."

Su Xiao Qin gives the file and a pen to Director Xiang. "Sign this and I won't report you to the police. It will also pay up all your debts from our company."

Director Xiang's eyes sparkled. He opened the file and signed the contract immediately. After he signed it, Su Xiao Qin got the contract back. "Director Xiang, you can go now. I hope you can have a nice day."

Director Xiang bowed and hurriedly went out of the president's office. To be honest, he didn't read the contract carefully. Then suddenly, he saw Gu Ding Yun carrying a box. Does Gu Ding Yun was fired from his work? "Assistant Gu, where are you going with a box? Are you fired?"

Gu Ding Yun smiled. "Why would I, Director Xiang?" he asked him. "Inside this box are all of your belongings." he gave him the box. "Also, I got your bag from your office and I can say it was very expensive so, I held it very carefully. You don't have to worry."

His belongings? Director Xiang was furious. He was tricked. "Am I fired?"

"You don't have to worry, Director Xiang." Gu Ding Yun said. "Not just you but all of the members included in constructing Project A are fired."

"What?" he said. "What about the company's compensation to us?"

"Director Xiang, you signed the contract and all of you breached the contract. So, why would the company pay you compensation? After all, it's all of your department's fault."

"You… you… Gu…-" Before he can finish his sentence Gu Ding Yun called the security to take him out. Director Xiang doesn't have a choice but to accept the fact that he's already fired from his work but it doesn't mean that his career will end here.

Time to get off work. Gu Ding Yun knocked at her office to remind her that it was time to off work. She told him that he should go because she still needed something to do.

Inside her office, she read some documents and checked the outflow and inflow of assets these past few months. Her neck ached a little bit because of reading the documents for a long time. She stood up and got a coffee for herself. Taking a sip, she opened a vault near the bookshelves that were hiding beside the stack of books behind her.

She takes something from inside. It's a picture of a boy in a small wooden frame. It's been seven years still she can't forget about the past. There's a hidden reason for her cold domineering looks. Putting the picture frame inside the vault, she started to work again until she fell asleep.

In her dreams, she was calling for someone outside a tall gate but no one came out. The rain was already pouring heavily but it was like no one could hear her cries. "Su Zhi!" she said in her sleep.

After that, she woke up from a bad dream, and then she saw Gu Ding Yun calling her. He looked at her while giving her a glass of water. "President Su, did you just have a nightmare?"

She shook her head. It's not a nightmare but a painful past. "It's nothing. Maybe I'm just stressed lately," she said. "What time is it?"

Gu Ding Yun looked at his watch. "It's twenty minutes after eight in the morning."

She stood up and entered the resting room for her. She showered, blow-dried it, then changed her clothes into a new one and put on some light makeup. After fixing herself, she walked out of the room and started a new day ahead.

She followed her schedule for the day and attended at least a dozen of meetings. She ate a simple meal for lunch and continued to work hard to finish the remaining tasks.

Then her phone vibrated and saw the date today. It was her best friend's birthday and he invited her to a small party at his house. Only close friends and his family are invited so it's just a small gathering.

After finishing her work, she headed to a store to find a gift for him. Her friend, Xu Zhou, was a company director from a technology company called QX, so she's planning to give him a new tie.

Giving a tie doesn't mean you like to tie that person to you forever like some of the beliefs, she just wants to give him a new one because he is stingy. He doesn't like to spend money a lot so you can guess that he will only treat them to a simple meal with homemade barbeque and his handmade cake.

He already has a wife and she's also stingy like him but they both live in a huge house. Because they are stingy, they don't even hire a maid or even a housekeeper. He also spoiled his wife, so he does the household chores more frequently than she does, and of course, her wife is also the director of the PR Department in the Su group so she is quite well-off. And they had already been married for three years, living in fortune.

So she didn't expect much when he celebrated a special occasion. Su Xiao Qin drove towards his house and a heavy rain suddenly poured. When the streetlight turned red she saw something familiar that she wished that she shouldn't see.