I never expected to encounter workplace bullying on my first day of work.
Do I really look that easy to bully?!
Unconsciously prodding the green scallions on the lamb chop with my chopsticks, I had already fantasized about putting this in front of Si Jiangchen and seeing his disgusted expression.
Just then, another man walked into the pantry.
Carrying a coffee cup, he craned his neck and asked me cheerfully what I was eating.
"Takeout bento. Want some?"
I pushed the unopened takeout bag in front of me towards the man.
The man looked to be in his early thirties. He was wearing a dark blue suit, and behind his light brown rimless glasses were a pair of rather sharp eyes.
"Thanks. I was so busy at noon that I didn't have time to eat."
The man wasn't polite. He broke the bamboo chopsticks and ate heartily with me while leaning against the pantry counter.
"New here?" he asked while eating.
"Yeah, in the Execution Department."
I didn't look ladylike at all while gnawing on the lamb chop.
"Oh... Du Xinghe, right?"
The man sized me up curiously from head to toe and suddenly laughed. "Little girl, how old are you? You're already out working!"
"Twenty. So what?"
I also looked at my work suit. "I'm not a child laborer."
The cheap suit I bought before had been torn to shreds by Si Jiangchen. This one was prepared for me by his assistant, Ji Chen.
It was a proper-looking dark blue short suit jacket and a knee-length skirt of the same color. I had pulled my hair up into a neat bun, looking much more mature than usual.
"Your first time working?"
The man was like a nosy old woman. He couldn't keep his mouth shut while eating and kept asking questions.
"Yeah." I didn't want to get entangled with him. I quickly stuffed the rice into my mouth, threw the lunch box into the trash can, and turned to go back to the office.
"Hey, Du Xinghe."
The man suddenly called out to stop me. "The more you show your weakness, the more others will bully you. Show some backbone and stand up to them."
"Pfft!"
How could I possibly listen to him... This guy obviously was a mid-level leader. How could he understand the humble situation of an intern like me?
The HR had clearly stated the assessment criteria. If the department head didn't sign off, even if I achieved great results during the probation period, I still wouldn't be hired.
Moreover, we only had half an hour for lunch.
Chatting with this man had already taken up most of the time. If Yang Fan and Li Xinrui found fault with me, my first day at work would be a complete failure!!
I rushed back to the office in a hurry and saw Li Xinrui sitting in front of my work computer, dragging out all the filed documents.
"Who told you to organize them like this?"
She looked up at me. "I'm not used to filing by client name. Re-sort them by amount."
My computer was the one that Sister Fang used to work on. Since she left, the password was now shared.
"Sister Fang said it's always been filed by client name."
Looking at the messy documents on the computer desktop, even my good temper finally snapped. "Even though I'm a newbie, please respect my work!!"
As soon as I said that, Li Xinrui suddenly stood up with a start. Her face turned pale. "What did you say?"
She couldn't control her voice, and her shrill voice immediately caught Yang Fan's attention from behind.
"Xiao Li, what's going on?"
Yang Fan was the department manager, so he had to maintain his dignity. He tapped his fingers on the table and frowned.
"She said Sister Fang taught her how to organize the work."
As Li Xinrui spoke, her body trembled.
"You've known Wang Fang for a long time?"
Yang Fan gave me a sidelong glance, and his face didn't look good either. "No wonder you could take over her work so quickly."
"What are you talking about! Sister Fang only handed over the work to me this morning."
I was completely confused by their attitudes.
"Thud!!"
Li Xinrui suddenly knocked over the chair and took several steps back. She shrieked, "You... you're talking nonsense! She's already dead! I think you've seen a ghost!"
"Dead?"
I suddenly had an epiphany. No wonder Sister Fang dared to wander around the office in her bathrobe. It turned out... only I could see her!!
This damned yin-yang eye!
I was so depressed that I wanted to cover my eyes.
"Xiao Li!"
Yang Fan, who was originally standing behind me, pushed me aside and grabbed Li Xinrui's arm. "What are you getting so excited about! Du Xinghe is just joking with us! How could a dead person arrange work for her?"
"Y-Yes!!"
Li Xinrui was awakened by her superior. Her face was still as pale as a sheet, but her expression suddenly turned fierce. "Du Xinghe, is it fun to play tricks on people?"
Maybe she was really scared by what I said just now. She raised her hand and tried to slap me in the face.
I had never seen a woman who would start a fight at the drop of a hat. I quickly took a half step back and grabbed her wrist.
"You... why are you hitting people?!"
Before I could say anything, Yang Fan beside me suddenly looked at me in surprise, as if I had committed some heinous crime.
"Someone, come quickly! The intern is bullying an old employee of the company!"
While trying to pull my hand away from Li Xinrui's wrist, Yang Fan shouted.
The next office was the Planning Department. Several women who had gossiped about me in the pantry came over to watch the commotion, and someone had already started recording a video.
"Ouch... it hurts so much."
Li Xinrui really understood what her leader meant. She cooperated and pretended to be weak, allowing me to hold her.
"What's going on?!"
From the HR office, the serious-looking lady walked out. As soon as everyone saw her, they immediately made way for her.
"Sister Huang, look. These newbies are so aggressive these days. They even bully the old employees!"
Someone gloated and reported.
The HR lady, Sister Huang, frowned even more deeply. When she walked into the Execution Department office, Yang Fan just managed to pull my hand away from Li Xinrui's wrist.
Li Xinrui lost her balance and fell to the ground.
"Du Xinghe, how could you bully your colleague like this?!"
Yang Fan quickly bent down to help Li Xinrui up. "Sister Huang, you see. I told you that people who get in through connections can never handle the high-intensity work here."
"She made her colleague get injured on her first day of work?"
Sister Huang noticed that Li Xinrui's knee was scraped. Her face became even more unpleasant. She turned to me and said, "I don't think Miss Du is suitable for our company!"
I was completely stunned!!
I was the one who was being bullied. How could the situation suddenly reverse like this?!!
Although I didn't really care about this job, I definitely couldn't be kicked out of the company on my first day of work...
I hadn't even started my investigation yet!!!