Chapter 116 You're telling me you voluntarily worked overtime?

Chapter 116 You're telling me you voluntarily worked overtime?

"Fantastic! Oh my god! We have a huge order!" Linda, the finance manager, jumped up excitedly, clenching her fists and raising them above her head as if she'd won the lottery. "Finally, we can eat meat! I've been eating vegetarian lunches for two days straight, I'd almost forgotten what meat tastes like!"

"Great! No more slacking off!" Ada from the marketing department excitedly waved her notebook, her face beaming with an irrepressible smile. "Now we finally have something serious to do! No more secretly browsing job websites!"

"Wow! My performance review for next month looks promising!" Mengmeng from the planning department cupped her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling like stars. "My parents won't have to ask me how my work is going anymore. I can proudly tell them I participated in a big project!"

Cheers erupted in the office like waves; this was the first truly large order they had received in a while. Although they had taken on some small jobs sporadically over the past few days, they were all insignificant tasks with meager pay, hardly enough to allow them to work their ass off.

This time, Su Yingxue has secured a truly major client—a renowned science and technology company located in this prime real estate building! If this project is successfully completed, the subsequent chain reaction will be unimaginable, and even more high-quality orders will surely come in like snowflakes.

"We'll work overtime! Let's get a new plan out today!" Xiao Zhao, the design team leader, slammed his hand on the table, his eyes radiating professionalism and determination. "This is a golden opportunity to showcase our abilities; we must deliver the highest level of service!"

“One isn’t enough! I’ll produce at least three versions!” A copywriting team member adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with intelligence. “Different styles, different target audiences—there’s bound to be one that resonates with the client!”

"You guys are so pushy? Fine, I'll produce five versions of the plan!" Mengmeng from the planning department retorted defiantly, hands on her hips, shouting with high spirits, "I want the client to see our sincerity and creativity, to know how wise their decision to choose us was!"

The group immediately sprang into action like wound-up machines. The sounds of keyboards clicking, mice clicking, and papers turning mingled together, creating a vibrant symphony of work. Watching everyone bustling about so enthusiastically, Su Yingxue smiled with satisfaction.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work," Su Yingxue said gently but firmly, her gaze sweeping over each busy figure. "I know you've all been working incredibly hard on this project. How about this: since you'll be working overtime tonight, I'll make you all a late-night snack. Make sure you're all well-fed so you'll have the energy to keep going!"

"Let's make this clear first! We'll head home by 8 PM at the latest. It's too late; many of my colleagues won't be able to get a taxi."

Su Yingxue rubbed her slightly sore eyes and said with a smile, "Also, I'll reimburse your transportation expenses for working overtime today! Let's work hard together, and let's take care of ourselves too!"

"Long live the boss!" everyone cheered in unison, the sound so loud it seemed to shake the ceiling. Immediately afterwards, the office was filled with the rhythmic clatter of keyboards.

Everyone was energized, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into their work and starting a new round of frantic overtime. The office was filled with the aroma of coffee and the passion of striving, as if even the air itself had become warm and full of hope.

Ada was staring intently at the computer screen, her fingers flying across the keyboard, her bangs damp with sweat and clinging to her temples.

He was discussing project details with a client upstairs, carefully considering the words in the chat box, even scrutinizing the punctuation three times—this deal was crucial to the company's performance in the second half of the year, and even more so to whether he could keep his hard-earned job.

Suddenly, the phone on his desk buzzed loudly, its sound particularly jarring in the quiet office. Ada caught a glimpse of the screen lighting up; the caller ID showed the name "My Darling Wife" flashing repeatedly. He instinctively grabbed the phone, swiped to answer, and whispered, "Hello? Qianqian?"

"Ada! Why aren't you home yet after get off work?" Luo Qianqian's sweet voice, tinged with impatience, came from the other end of the phone. In the background, the noise of music and crowds from the mall could be faintly heard.

"Overtime!" Ada's Adam's apple bobbed, and his fingers unconsciously gripped his shirt collar. He glanced around—Xiao Zhao at the next workstation was wearing headphones and yelling at the computer screen, Mengmeng from the planning department slammed her coffee cup down with a "bang," and everyone in the office was typing furiously at their computer screens like they were on steroids. It was a busy scene.

"What are you kidding me?" Luo Qianqian's tone suddenly rose. "What's so busy about your company? You told me last week that you were going to quit, saying that this lousy company would go bankrupt sooner or later!" Her voice pierced through the phone speaker, and several colleagues around her subconsciously glanced at Ada.

“We’re really working overtime!” Ada’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and his speech unconsciously quickened. “We…we recently took on a big project, and the client is pushing us hard, so everyone is voluntarily working overtime to catch up on the schedule!” He said earnestly, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the project manager, Wang Datou, carrying a stack of documents past his workstation. He immediately straightened his back and began typing diligently.

"Voluntary overtime?" Luo Qianqian sneered, her laughter laced with obvious sarcasm. "Ada, do you think I'm stupid? When I picked you up last time, all your colleagues at the company were like zombies. Who would voluntarily work overtime? Are you being manipulated by your boss? Or... are you having an affair?"

Her voice suddenly turned shrill, trembling with tears, "I'm telling you, I warned you, don't think I don't know your ex-girlfriend likes to text you all the time!"

"No! Absolutely not!" Ada waved his hands frantically, like a child who had done something wrong. He glanced around instinctively, afraid someone might be eavesdropping, and lowered his voice even further: "Qianqian, I swear, there's really no one else! It's just... it's just that the boss said this project is crucial to the company's survival; if we don't finish it, everyone will starve. Several of the senior employees in our department voluntarily stayed to work overtime, and I... I felt too embarrassed to leave..."

"Hmph, nobody would believe that!" Luo Qianqian snorted, but her tone softened slightly. "What time are you coming back? I've been waiting for you for an hour. I've already ordered the takeout hot pot, and the meat will get tough if you don't come soon!"

Ada glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of his computer screen—19:47—and suddenly felt a pang in his stomach. He remembered that Luo Qianqian had sweetly asked him to go to that popular hot pot restaurant before he left home that morning, and he had promised to celebrate their three-month anniversary with her... But the project proposal wasn't finished yet, and Manager Wang had just specifically instructed that "it must be finalized tonight."