August 3rd, Friday.
The preliminary preparations for the Best Employee selection had been completed. Department heads gathered together, and employees were ready to vote on the TPDb website’s app. The managers chatted about recent departmental happenings, laughing and talking.
Only Bao Xu remained hunched at his workstation, his expression blank, his face written with despair. He had already sensed his tragic fate. He couldn’t blame others—he could only blame himself for his risky maneuver that had backfired!
Previously, Bao Xu had thought that if he appeared idle in the department, others would think he had nothing to do, so the person who won second place in the Best Employee selection would assign him as a travel companion. Therefore, if he appeared busy, others wouldn’t have the heart to ask him to accompany them on trips, right?
So Bao Xu had volunteered to help at the street food market, creating the illusion that “I’m busy.” But unexpectedly, he overdid it! The street food market became too popular—not only did it get television coverage, but even the newly announced subway line was connected to both the street food market and the Frightening Hotel.
For Bao Xu, this contribution made it difficult to win first place in the Best Employee selection, but for second place, it was more than enough. After all, Bao Xu naturally had an amplification aura when it came to winning second place as Best Employee.
Earlier, when Mr. Pei had invited him to dine at the Nameless Restaurant and showed him the commendation letter, and when Mr. Li mentioned the news reports, Bao Xu already felt he was doomed. Today was just the official burial.
Bao Xu had considered saying he was sick and not coming in today. But then he thought that being arranged to go traveling directly from home seemed even more tragic. Better to come and witness his fate in person!
In a place he couldn’t see, Hu Xianbin and Min Jingchao exchanged glances, silently communicating “everything is going according to plan”!
Soon, the voting officially began!
Bar graphs appeared on the large screen, changing continuously as people took out their phones, found the Best Employee selection channel, and cast their precious votes. The bar graphs changed rapidly, with several names standing out as their vote counts increased.
Among these names, some grew very steadily, like Hu Xianbin and Min Jingchao, who consistently maintained positions at the top. But there were also some special cases, like Bao Xu. The bar graph with Bao Xu’s name would often fall behind, then suddenly surge with votes to chase the top few positions, finally stabilizing in second place.
Seeing these changes in the bar graph, everyone suppressed their laughter, trying hard not to laugh out loud. Look, Brother Bao going traveling—this was the voice of the masses!
Meanwhile, Bao Xu nearly suffered cardiac arrest. Clearly, as Bao Xu got increasingly tanned, no one at Tenda was innocent!
Finally, the growth of the bar graphs slowed down. Hu Xianbin, Bao Xu, and Min Jingchao remained in the top three positions, with small differences between them. Although the vote counts were still changing slowly, their rankings had basically stabilized.
Pei Qian sighed inwardly. Ah! Bao Xu, I really can’t blame myself for this. It seems whether I sent that commendation letter or not would have made no difference—it’s the team that wants you to travel, and I can’t save you.
Bao Xu slumped in his chair, expressionless, seemingly having completely accepted his fate. It was over; there would be no miracle.
But just as the voting was about to end, Bao Xu’s eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. A miracle really did happen!
On the big screen, the bar graph underwent an unexpected change—Bao Xu, ranked second, suddenly gained several dozen votes, surpassing Hu Xianbin to reach first place!
Because the vote difference between the three had been very small to begin with, these several dozen votes, though not many, had a game-changing effect.
Voting closed!
Looking at the final rankings on the big screen, everyone fell silent.
What… what just happened? Bao Xu wasn’t in second place anymore? Had something gone wrong?
Previously when Best Employee results were announced, everyone would applaud enthusiastically, but this time many forgot. Only after Hu Xianbin and Min Jingchao took the lead in applauding did others follow suit.
Pei Qian was also stunned, then showed a slightly disappointed expression. Bao Xu wouldn’t be going traveling? This Best Employee selection was completely soulless!
But rules were rules—the votes had been cast by Tenda employees, and the results couldn’t be changed.
Pei Qian brought the trophy to Bao Xu: “Congratulations! Think about how you’ll use the Dream Fund.”
Only then did Bao Xu wake from his daze, accepting the trophy from Mr. Pei with ecstatic joy. He wasn’t happy about winning Best Employee or the Dream Fund—in fact, he had no interest in these things at all. He was happy because he wouldn’t have to travel!
Although there was still a risk of being asked to accompany someone else, but… now that he’d won first place as Best Employee, who would ask him to be a travel companion? Would that be appropriate?
As long as people had a shred of humanity, they wouldn’t do such a thing, right?
So Bao Xu felt he was safe for at least half a year and could comfortably stay home playing games.
“Mr. Pei, I haven’t thought about how to use the Dream Fund yet. Could I think about it and get back to you later?” Bao Xu asked.
He had never imagined he would receive the Dream Fund, so naturally he hadn’t thought about which field he would start a business in with this money.
Pei Qian nodded: “Of course.”
Then Pei Qian looked at Hu Xianbin: “You’ve worked hard lately. Take a break and go have some fun. Leave ‘Eternal Cycle’ to your subordinates—it’s a good opportunity to train new talent.”
“As usual, you can designate one colleague to accompany you. Have you decided who to choose?”
Hu Xianbin was still immersed in the joy of not being eliminated first. As for who specifically to choose as a travel companion? That wasn’t important at all.
His first thought was to choose Min Jingchao, but Min Jingchao was still responsible for GOG’s daily operations and had a lot of work. Plus, with Hu Xianbin going traveling, many of the game department’s affairs would need Min Jingchao’s attention.
If both managers went out to play together, what would happen if something went wrong with the game department’s work?
So Hu Xianbin couldn’t immediately decide who to bring along.
Nearby, Huang Sibo coughed lightly: “No suitable candidates? What about Brother Bao?”
Hu Xianbin was stunned: “Huh? But Brother Bao just won first place as Best Employee.”
Huang Sibo retorted: “Is there a rule saying the first-place Best Employee can’t go traveling?”
“Besides, with Brother Bao’s great contributions, wouldn’t it be normal and reasonable for him to take a relaxing trip after receiving the Dream Fund?”
Everyone was stunned. Could it work like that?
But thinking about it, it made a lot of sense!
The travel companion could be anyone—there were no restrictions in the rules. That being the case, why couldn’t it be Brother Bao?
Bao Xu stood clutching his trophy, looking at Huang Sibo in disbelief, wishing the trophy in his hands were a knife.
Shameless bastard! Even after all this, they still wanted to make him travel? Revenge—this was definitely revenge!
Bao Xu still remembered that when Huang Sibo had won second place as Best Employee, he had specifically named Bao Xu as his travel companion. To make an example of him, Bao Xu had taken Huang Sibo to the East African Rift Valley and the Sahara Desert.
Obviously, Huang Sibo held grudges, so now he wanted revenge!
Bao Xu was speechless. Logically, Huang Sibo had made huge contributions to both the game and film versions of “Mission and Choice,” so he should have been the one more deserving of travel. But the final voting result favored Bao Xu himself.
What did this mean? It meant the entire Tenda was targeting him!
Bao Xu looked toward the others, hoping to get some help from them. However, everyone had already begun to echo Huang Sibo’s suggestion.
“Yeah, Huang’s got a point. There’s no rule saying the first-place Best Employee can’t be a travel companion.”
“Brother Bao is a travel expert, so traveling would be very reasonable for him.”
“If Traveler Bao Xu doesn’t travel, can he still be called a traveler?”
“Don’t hesitate, choose Brother Bao!”
Many people were fanning the flames, urging Hu Xianbin to quickly choose Bao Xu.
Although Hu Xianbin was still hesitating, seeing such public opinion, he was obviously wavering, occasionally glancing over at Bao Xu.
Bao Xu was completely speechless.
Goodness, in the whole of Tenda, was there not a single person who could stand up and say something fair for him? How sorrowful for a veteran employee!
Since you’re all so heartless… don’t blame me for being disloyal!
Before Hu Xianbin could specify who would accompany him, Bao Xu suddenly spoke up.
“Mr. Pei, I’ve decided how to use the Dream Fund. Please approve it.”
Pei Qian: “Oh? Let’s hear it.”
Bao Xu said through gritted teeth: “I think travel is indeed a good thing. It both broadens horizons and strengthens the body.”
“Although Tenda has more travel activities compared to other companies, it’s still far from enough.”
“Many people who should travel haven’t had the opportunity.”
“So, I’ve decided to use this money to establish a travel department, specifically to send Tenda employees to the world’s most special and challenging places!”
“In the future, Tenda’s travel activities should be institutionalized and normalized, allowing more and more colleagues to experience the joy of traveling to places like the East African Rift Valley, Sahara Desert, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Siberia!”
The crowd, who had been waiting to enjoy the show, instantly turned to stone.
What? It’s over! This is definitely revenge!
They had thought Bao Xu’s trip was a certainty, but they never expected Bao Xu to pull off an ultimate self-destruction move, bringing everyone down with him!
In the future, if Bao Xu didn’t like someone, he could arrange a trip for them—who could withstand that?
Huang Sibo’s face looked particularly bad.
This is terrible! Judging from the way Bao Xu looked at him, once this department was established, he would probably be among the first to go!
As for whether it would be to the East African Rift Valley or Siberia, that was hard to say—it might depend on Bao Xu’s mood—but it definitely wouldn’t be a pleasant destination!
Pei Qian was also surprised.
Wow! Bao Xu was impressive!
In such an extreme situation, he had thought of a way to turn the tables, successfully counterattacking everyone!
The only pity was that he had also sacrificed himself.
But for Bao Xu, whether he established this travel department or not, he probably couldn’t escape the fate of traveling in the future. Given that, he might as well take the initiative to become the head of the travel department—that way he could still keep everyone else in line.
Impressive!
Pei Qian immediately nodded: “Approved! Your proposal is excellent and aligns well with the Tenda spirit.”
“Travel matters should indeed be institutionalized and normalized, allowing more employees to see the vastness of the Sahara Desert and the majesty of the Egyptian pyramids.”
“Approved!”
“All right, the Best Employee selection is successfully concluded. Everyone, please return to work!”
Pei Qian, who loved watching drama unfold, felt very satisfied.
But others felt differently. Previously after the Best Employee selection ended, everyone would leave chatting and laughing, satisfied, with only Bao Xu sulking in a corner. But this time, the situation had completely reversed!
People wore blank expressions, finding it hard to accept such an outcome.
Meanwhile, Bao Xu, holding the trophy awarded by Mr. Pei, walked out proudly like an imperial inspector clutching an imperial sword.
As he passed by Huang Sibo, Bao Xu didn’t forget to flash a smug smile, his eyes filled with the pride and mockery of a victor.
Just you wait—you tried to set me up? Wait and see how I’ll arrange things for you! Get ready to eat sand in the Sahara Desert!