Monday, December 31 Monday Weather: Low Pressure Though Out the City. (continue)
As the result for this year, Mia from Marketing Department has won the Outstanding Newcomer award and Jin Kang has been voted the Outstanding Department Manager. In addition to these very serious awards, unexpectedly there is also the most funny, the most poisonous tongue, the most *mēn sāo employee award and a series of jokes rather than awards. Jin Kang won the most Facial Paralysis Leader award, in the award-wining speech he actually make a tongue out, grip ear and cross-eyes comic face. To irritate, one by one from Legal Department shouted: “If I had known earlier, I would have offered boss an award le.’ For the most Unfortunate Employee award, the flowers fall to one of the Finance Department newcomer’s hand.
*闷骚/mēn sāo: (coll.) outwardly cold or retiring but deep and pa.s.sionate inside.
I was stupefied: ‘How come there is such award? Why offer to her ah. If there is, it ought to be me ah!’ Yes ah, the first year of entry, who can be more unlucky than me ne.
Luo Luo said: ‘This baby made the same basic mistake like you, in the middle of checking the wages she calculated extra amount to certain Senior Management. Fear of being discover and get fired, she used her poor salary to subsidies to the Senior Management. The extra money from his salary simply can’t attract his attention, plus the wage card was not control by himself. Therefore by the time incident has exposed, this poor baby has been eating 3 months steamed corn bread in the bas.e.m.e.nt and plaining to sell blood.’
‘……’ I was speechless, doesn’t know what to say, in this world unexpectedly do have such a magical creatures!
‘Look at you, doesn’t even earn money but have food, have drink, have house to live and a car to sit. Furthermore new dress to wear and you have President as your dependable. So, who is more unlucky ne?’
I was speechless for a long time: ‘What do you mean President as my dependable?!’
Luo Luo gave me a facial expression of ‘already know the answer why ask the question’ that look.
When I was trying to argue, it has been interrupted by Elle.
Elle looked at me with a smile and said: ‘Hi, Xiao Bei, tonight you look very beautiful.’
‘No, Elle you’re prettier,’ I sincerely said.
Tonight Elle wore a long white drag skirt, only her tall and slim figure has the ability to showcase this kind of graceful style. She didn’t even look like attending a c.o.c.ktail reception, more like a beautiful bride getting married.
Elle did not speak, after a while Elle gently ask: ‘Tonight, Who do you think will be awarded as AC Star?’
AC Star is the most brilliant of all the awards, and the most important one. Every year, Senior Executive will conduct a full a.s.sessment of all the best employees, from there they will vote the most optimum performance to receive the award. The winner will receive a certain amount of cash, an opportunity to pursue study, as well as receive a precious crystal trophy with the winner’s name engraved on it. The most important is, this award means recognition of the authority of the winner, in the future, no matter is a promotion or job-hopping this will added merit into the CV. It can be said, AC Star lead to a glorious future path.
‘I don’t know. Whoever obtain it will be good ah.’ I tell the truth.
Elle glance at me and did not speak anymore.
At this moment, the light suddenly turn dim and the surrounding suddenly become silence. Yifan received an envelope from Lao Wu’s hand, on the stage, standing in the spotlight, he look like announcing an Oscar and purposely act mysteriously and said: ‘The AC Star goes to…..’ he opens the envelope, deliberately prolong the tone: ‘….. Alice, a.s.sistant to the President.
Applause everywhere, Alice stepped forward and took the trophy from Yifan’s hand with a faint smile. Her award-wining speech is nothing special, just thanked all the peoples who helped her. She went down the stage, her black dress just like her, concise, tough and frank.
I clapped hard from below, I feel so happy for Alice. After all I have been working with Alice for some time.
‘Are you really happy she won the award?’ Elle asked, with a hint of coldness in her voice.
I don’t understand her meaning, think for a while and finally said: ‘Yes ah, after all Alice work from the bottom and achieve such accomplishment is not easy.’
‘In AC, who is easy ne?’ Elle said. She looked tranquil and calm, her voice become alienated, ‘Xiao Bei, sometimes I really envy your simplicity.’ After she finished speaking, she drained the gla.s.s of wine in one gulp and turned around to leave.
I froze at the current place and then look at her arrogance back view and softly sigh. Yes de, I’m pure, but simplicity doesn’t mean that I can’t see the darkness, even within the most darkness I can seek a sheer of brightness.
The air is infuse with the sweet fragrant of the wine, but in my heart there is something begin to rot. Next, I started to wander around doing nothing, with familiar people I talk, unfamiliar people I answer, see high level shareholders all over the place socialising and at the same time remind myself not to drink too much. In the end what you fear will come upon you, Peter was holding a gla.s.s of wine and came toward me: ‘Xiao Bei, let’s drink.’
I was busy declining: ‘I can’t…. how about I use water to subst.i.tute wine to cheer with you.’
‘How can ne, article #1 of law of beauty is: super-ma.s.sive volume. You say ah, both of us join the company together and also in the same department, can’t we have a drink for our friendship mah? Let’s do it this way, I have 3 and you have 1 ba. I wish you getting more and more pretty and your career getting more and more glorious.’ Once he finished saying, he pick up 3 gla.s.ses of wine from the table and bottoms up.
Seem it was like this le, I can’t refuse, can only pick up the wine and drain in one gulp. In my heart I can only console myself: one gla.s.s is nothing, is going to be fine.
Peter saw I drink le, chat for a while and he left.
In a moment, the Unfortunate Employee who won the award found me and said: ‘*we are two people stranded together from the far corners of the realm, share the bitterness and hardship. Come, let’s drink, I have 3 and you have 1. Hope the coming year, our extreme sorrow turns to joy and full of fortune.’ Thus I have no choice but to drink a gla.s.s. When half of the company peoples are looking for me ‘I have 3 and you have 1’, I begin to wonder, when is this Western wine party become Chinese-like, seems like without getting drink you can’t go home ah. Finally, even Jin Kang is holding a gla.s.s to cheers with me ‘I have 3 and you have 1’. Later I have come to my senses. Sure enough, alcohol makes people sluggish, a lot of alcohol makes people brainless!
*同是天涯沦落人/Tóng shì tiānyá lúnluò rén: Literally – We are two people stranded together from the far corners of the realm. Proverb: Those who have the same misfortune sympathize with each other.
I drag to be alive, Luo Luo who bounced over also want me to drink with her. My enunciation is getting a bit vague: ‘Li Luo, are you my friend, if you are my friend tell me what is going on!’
Luo Luo extended her fingers and flash in front of my eyes: ‘How many?’
With great effort I opened my eyes to stay focussed, reached out to grasp her hand: ‘Stop it, quickly say it.’
‘Hey, anyhow you also almost le, no different if you accept one more drink. Let me tell you the true ba, actually it was nothing, President told us when you get high you are quite fun to play with, so that is the reason why we all wanted to see the fun.’
I feel grief, Yifan ah, Yifan, do I look like the monkey in the zoo?’ You have enough experience le, yet you still want to organize a group tour around! I angrily push away Luo Luo and quickly run toward the washroom. Suddenly my body has excess of water, even if I don’t throw up, it still need to circulate.