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Chapter 2

Autor: Washing Wheat
I never expected that original goodwill to become a weakness other people thought they could exploit.

Near the end of the workday, Greg drifted over to Tara’s desk. The two of them began whispering.

“How did it go? What did the boss say?”

Tara gave a cold snort. “A fossil. Completely impossible to talk to. She even lectured me.”

Greg’s eyes shifted as he lowered his voice. “Told you. She’s just cheap. Tara, I support you. Young people care about feeling valued now. You’re doing the right thing.”

Tara lifted her brows smugly. “Don’t worry, Greg. Just watch me.”

I saw Tara take out her phone and film a few shots of her desk and the view outside the window. Then she turned the camera on herself, and in an instant, her face changed into a wounded, tearful expression.

Her lips moved as if she were saying something, though I could not hear the words.

My heart sank. I had a bad feeling.

That night, after I got home, my phone pushed me a trending local video.

The title read, “Gen Z Taking on a Cheap Boss: Refuses to Give Out Holiday Gift Boxes for Memorial Day Weekend?”

The cover image was Tara’s face, full of grievance.

I tapped into the video.

The first shot was my office door, with the caption, “Gathering the courage to fight for employee benefits.”

Then came a close-up of Tara at her desk, looking like she was about to cry. The caption read, “Cruelly rejected by the boss, who said I didn’t know how to be grateful.”

My patient explanation had been chopped up and altered with a voice filter until it sounded cold, arrogant, and condescending.

At the end, Tara faced the camera and choked out, “I don’t want some gift card. I just want a holiday gift basket for Memorial Day weekend so I can feel a little appreciated by the company. Is that really so much to ask?”

The comments had already exploded.

[There are still companies this cheap? They can’t even afford a gift basket?]

[Don’t cry, girl. Expose the company name. We’ll help you take her down!]

[This kind of rotten boss deserves a little Gen Z justice!]

I laughed from sheer anger.

A $300 gift card had become “I don’t want anything” in her mouth.

Early the next morning, I had barely arrived at the office when Tara walked into my office with Greg.

Greg looked troubled, playing peacemaker the moment he opened his mouth.

“Ms. Lee, about Tara, her intentions were good. No one meant any harm. Everyone just wants the company to be better and feel more united. Since everyone’s watching now, why don’t you just meet the employees halfway?”

Tara stood beside him with her arms crossed, looking utterly confident.

She waved her phone slightly. “Ms. Lee, this isn’t just my request anymore. This is what everyone wants.”

I said coldly, “Company policy will not be changed because someone throws an unreasonable tantrum.”

Tara let out a scoff.

“A gift card is an incentive. A holiday gift is appreciation. They’re two different things. Ms. Lee, if you can’t tell the difference, the internet can explain it to you.”

Her words were full of warning.

“The video only has a few hundred thousand views right now. If you don’t do something, I can’t promise what happens next.”

She was openly threatening me.

Just then, my assistant rushed in, looking panicked.

“Ms. Lee, this is bad. Tara’s video is trending! The topic ‘Company Refuses Memorial Day Gift Baskets’ is now number one on the local chart!”

I refreshed my phone.

Sure enough, it was.

What chilled me even more was what I saw when I checked the list of people who had liked the video.

Among the latest likes was a familiar profile picture.
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  • My Employees Called Me Cheap, So I Quit   Chapter 11

    The result was even better than I had expected.After hanging up, I immediately gathered all the remaining employees.Looking at the expressions on their faces, like people who had just survived a disaster, I announced Mr. Whitman’s decision.The conference room erupted in cheers of relief.I raised my hand to quiet them, then continued.“I know these past two days have frightened many of you. I promise that something like this will never happen again.”“Starting next quarter, the company will cancel holiday gift cards as a benefit format.”The room fell silent at once. A few people looked uncertain.I smiled.“In their place, we will introduce a new quarterly bonus system. As long as you work hard and meet your performance goals, one quarter’s bonus will exceed a full year’s worth of the old gift cards combined.“From now on, this company will reward people who do real work. We will not support dead weight, and we certainly will not support ingrates.”This time, the applause was more

  • My Employees Called Me Cheap, So I Quit   Chapter 10

    During the one-hour exam, the conference room was so quiet that the only sounds were pen tips scraping across paper and increasingly heavy breathing.The papers were collected and graded.Legal and HR cross-reviewed the answers. They also pulled out the “high interaction” list from yesterday’s investigation and compared it closely.The moment of judgment came quickly.At two that afternoon, I walked into the main conference room again.Everyone sat rigidly upright, like prisoners waiting for a verdict.I wasted no words. I opened the file and read out the assessment results.“For this professional conduct and company standards assessment, 122 employees were expected. 122 were present. 103 employees passed.“19 employees failed.”I paused.Several people below were already unable to sit still, their bodies beginning to tremble.I picked up the list.“Now, I will announce the names of those who failed.“Marketing Department, Warren Wells.“Engineering Department, Linda Foster.”I read na

  • My Employees Called Me Cheap, So I Quit   Chapter 9

    Inside the company, the employees who had been deeply involved in the whole farce were instantly thrown into panic.The internal forum and the break room were full of tense, hushed conversations.“What do we do? How are we supposed to pass this?”“What even are company standards? Who can memorize all that?”“We’re done. They’re serious this time.”They began frantically searching online for materials about workplace ethics and professional conduct, printing them out and memorizing them overnight.Some had even started quietly contacting recruiters, preparing to jump ship.As for Tara, who had been fired by me, she had no intention of letting it go.After security escorted her out of the company, she went straight downstairs and started a livestream outside the building. Facing the camera, she sobbed and accused me, a “heartless capitalist,” of brutally suppressing her and extorting her for an outrageous amount of money.Unfortunately for her, this time, the performance failed.There we

  • My Employees Called Me Cheap, So I Quit   Chapter 8

    Watching the farce unfold, I felt sick.I spoke coldly, delivering Tara’s final judgment.“Tara Collins, due to your serious violation of company policy and the employee handbook, your malicious fabrication of facts, and the significant reputational and financial damage you have caused the company, you are hereby formally terminated.”“HR will discuss the follow-up process with you.”Then I dropped the real bomb.“In addition, Legal will immediately file a lawsuit. Based on the direct and indirect commercial losses your personal actions have caused our company, the initial claim amount is temporarily set at $700,000.”“$700,000?”Tara’s eyes widened instantly. All her arrogance vanished. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed into the chair, her face ashen.She started babbling incoherently.“No, it wasn’t me. I didn’t do it alone!” she cried in collapse. “Greg was involved too! Everyone liked the video too! Why are you only suing me?”Greg trembled in terror.I gave him one last look as

  • My Employees Called Me Cheap, So I Quit   Chapter 7

    In less than an hour, everyone had given Tara up.Each person tried desperately to distance themselves, painting themselves as an innocent victim who had been misled.The most eager one was Greg.After he was called into Legal’s office, he came close to dropping to his knees.He voluntarily handed over every chat record between him and Tara. Then he embellished the story, describing how ambitious Tara had been, how she had used an honest man like him, and how she had planned every step of the campaign to smear the company and force me to compromise.He spoke through tears, recasting himself as a long-suffering hero who had stayed close to the enemy only to protect the company.After listening to him, the head of Legal simply told him to leave, expressionless.At one thirty that afternoon, a complete evidence report was placed on my desk.It included everything.Tara’s original video ID, the route through which she had contacted marketing accounts to spread it, and the way Greg had stir

  • My Employees Called Me Cheap, So I Quit   Chapter 6

    “No, no, no. I’m not. I didn’t. I was fooled by her too!”I struck while the iron was hot and announced my decision.“Effective immediately, Legal and HR will conduct a joint investigation into the person who started this malicious rumor campaign and the main employees who helped spread it. I need a list of names.”That sentence detonated the powder keg inside the room.Every gaze turned toward Tara.Moments ago, she had been the hero leading everyone in a fight for their rights.Now, she was the liability about to destroy everyone’s livelihood.I saw several people quietly take out their phones and frantically start deleting likes and reposts.But it was useless.Platform data could not be erased.I watched them turn on each other, then delivered the final blow.“You can choose to identify the person who started this, protect the company, and save most of your jobs.“Or all of you can go down together with someone who wanted to become internet famous.“And even if you think we can sur

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