"That's roughly how things stand. You and Xiaoxiao should give me a preliminary plan today. Once I approve it, you can contact the client on the other end. After everything is finalized, you can start the preparations."
"Make sure to nail down the details. Otherwise, if we have to rework it, you'll have to put in overtime, no matter how much you dislike it."
"Don't worry about that, Sister Tong. Overtime is impossible for me," Qiu Xi said with a smile, shaking her head.
She had to work hard to avoid overtime!
With so little practice time, if she had to work overtime... it was out of the question!
Overtime was something she would never do in this lifetime!
Fueled by this strong conviction, Qiu Xi was currently quite excited.
"It's good to have that mindset. I'll be waiting for your no-overtime performance then."
Seeing Qiu Xi like this, Tong Mei was quite pleased.
She never advocated for overtime and always assigned tasks within the capabilities of the company's hiring standards.
Of course, people's abilities do improve, and potential exists, so tasks didn't always hover around the standard. It wasn't impossible for a few to be slightly beyond the norm.
"Are there any other questions now?"
She had said everything she needed to say, both relevant and irrelevant, and was now waiting for the two to get started on their tasks.
To Tong Mei's surprise, Qiu Xi nodded. "There's one more."
"Hmm? What is it?" Tong Mei asked, puzzled.
"It's about Xiaoxiao. Her tasks for today probably aren't finished yet. Regarding this new task, do you need to inform her about it?"
She didn't want to waste time explaining things that weren't her concern, so she figured it was best to let their leader, Sister Tong, handle it. This would resolve any potential communication issues at the source.
"..." Tong Mei rolled her eyes helplessly. "Alright, I'll talk to her about it in a moment. Just call her in when you go out."
Ignoring the hint of amusement in Tong Mei's eyes, Qiu Xi nodded quickly. "Got it~"
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Xi walked out without waiting for Tong Mei to say anything further.
"Sister Tong, I'll bring her to you right away~"
"..."
Helpless, Tong Mei could only cast a resigned glance at the departing figure...
...
After leaving, Qiu Xi didn't immediately return to her own desk. Instead, she walked towards Xiaoxiao's workstation with a file bag.
"Qiu Xi?"
Before Qiu Xi could say anything, Xiaoxiao spoke up first.
Qiu Xi nodded, looking at Xiaoxiao. "Mhm... Sister Tong wants to see you in her office."
"Did Sister Tong say what it was about?" Xiaoxiao hesitated slightly.
Qiu Xi first nodded, then shook her head.
"You go first. You'll find out when you get there."
"...Okay."
Nodding blankly, Xiaoxiao looked at Qiu Xi a couple more times before standing up.
After taking just two steps, she remembered she hadn't brought her notebook and shuffled back.
If she brought her notebook, she could jot things down if she got scolded later...
A truly humble employee!
Watching Xiaoxiao hurry away, Qiu Xi smiled and returned to her own workstation.
Just two seconds after sitting down, Guo Qi, who was nearby, leaned over. "Xiao Xi, Sister Tong kept you for so long, and now she's calling Xiaoxiao. What's it about?"
As Guo Qi spoke, she sounded a little worried.
"It's not some trivial matter, it's all about the task," Qiu Xi said casually after a moment's thought.
It was indeed about the task, but she was so busy right now. Explaining it all would exhaust her.
"Is that so..." Seeing Qiu Xi busy, Guo Qi didn't press further, only saying "Excuse me" before returning to her own seat.
With no one disturbing her, Qiu Xi typed much faster.
Meanwhile, in the office-
"Sister Tong, you're not joking with me, are you?"
Xiaoxiao had just finished processing the information in her mind.
Did Sister Tong mean... for her to cooperate with Qiu Xi on a temporarily assigned task?
"This is serious work. Why would I joke with you?"
Sister Tong looked at Xiaoxiao in front of her, already sounding tired.
She understood the situation, but time was of the essence. Otherwise, she wouldn't have called Xiaoxiao over.
Xiaoxiao, "..."
She should be calling herself "Cry-cry" right now...
Everyone in the office knew that as the end of the year approached, their workload doubled, and they also had to deal with occasional ad-hoc tasks.
These weren't the main issues. The crucial part was... that after adding this temporary task, they still had to complete their regular KPI targets... that was the real point!
If it was about overtime, then so be it. After all, this temporary task came with extra bonuses.
But!
Everyone still disliked taking on this task!
Compared to these last-minute, ad-hoc assignments from higher-ups, they would rather share other tasks from Sister Tong!
Based on their experience from previous years, none of these temporary tasks were easy.
At first, some were willing to take them on. But after two or three times, with different people each time, everyone realized that although the bonuses were good, these jobs were truly exhausting!
As Xiaoxiao wore a dejected expression, Tong Mei continued, "This matter is settled. After you go out, find a time to communicate with Qiu Xi."
"Remember, she's in charge of this task, and you are her assistant."
Xiaoxiao nodded listlessly, "I understand..."
She hoped Qiu Xi would be effective... If there were any bonuses in the end, she would give her a larger share!
She just hoped... they wouldn't incur any losses...
"Alright, if there are no more issues, you can leave now."
"Remember to finish today's tasks promptly."
"...Okay."
She knew it...
What was bound to come had come...
When Xiaoxiao came out, she looked as if her spirit had been drained, truly startling those who saw her.
How could this person change so much after just one visit to the office?
As soon as Xiaoxiao sat down, messages started pinging in the group chat.
Xiaoxiao's appearance had made everyone very curious.
"Temporary Task..."
Four words, six dots, conveying so much.
The messages that had been pinging incessantly suddenly went silent.
After a long while, a few sparse words of comfort trickled out.
"Condolences?"
"Rest in peace?"
...
In any case, they didn't sound like good wishes.
Xiaoxiao, "..."
Why did they look so much like schadenfreude to her?