My Employee Wanted to Be Fired

I stumbled across a post from one of my company's employees by chance.

The company hasn't had any income for three months now. It's about to go bankrupt. Please, someone help me figure out how to get the boss to fire me!

Oh, and of course, I need every penny of that severance package!

The comment section was packed with drama-loving bystanders, all eagerly offering their advice.

"Deliberately eat smelly food in front of the boss. Blue cheese for breakfast, pickled herring for lunch!"

"You could play the idiot! Buy Coke for business partners, only order McDonald's when dining with clients. Once you screw up enough deals, the boss will definitely get rid of you!"

"Right! And if the boss can't stand you anymore and fires you, you can livestream yourself playing the victim, accusing the company of exploiting employees. Once you go viral, that's another source of income!"

I stared hard at the poster's familiar face, barely stopping myself from throwing my phone.

The employee bonus slip I'd been signing every single month without fail suddenly felt impossible to sign.

Fine then!

If they hated the company this much, they could all just go home!

There was one week left until New Year's Day.

I pulled out the work records, preparing to organize the monthly employee bonuses.

Ever since I took over the company my father founded, I'd always stuck to an employee-first principle.

Not only did I max out meal allowances and benefits, I also maxed out monthly bonuses. I even made sure all employees' family members had comprehensive health and accident insurance.

Just then, broken fragments of conversation drifted in through the crack in the door.

"Did you guys hear? Finance Manager Margaret just said our company hasn't had any income for three consecutive months!"

"Starting this month, they probably won't even be able to pay full salaries!"

The speaker's voice wasn't quiet. All the employees were startled, letting out sharp gasps of surprise.

"No way! Ever since Mr. Sullivan took over the company, he's never been late with our salaries. All the benefits have been even better than before..."

"Exactly... maybe... maybe the company's just going through temporary difficulties, so..."

A few veteran employees voiced their disagreement in small voices.

But the man who'd spoken first cut them off sharply with his piercing voice.

"You people are ridiculous! You've all been fooled by these little tactics the company uses to win hearts!"

"Why do we work so hard every day like corporate slaves? Isn't it all for that paycheck? If a company can't even pay salaries, why should we sympathize with capitalists?"

"If you ask me, we should get out before the company goes under. If we're lucky, we might even squeeze out some severance money!"

I raised an eyebrow and couldn't help standing up, walking to the one-way glass window to carefully examine the employees outside.

Perhaps because his words were too harsh, the employees who'd always been passionate about their work all wore thoughtful, worried expressions.

As for the person brazenly stirring up trouble...

It was none other than the young man my dad had just shoved into the company last month, supposedly the "son of a good friend"... Zachary Sullivan!

That afternoon, Zachary knocked on my office door with an embarrassed expression.

As soon as he entered, he plopped himself down across from me without ceremony.

"Mr. Sullivan! I'm Zachary Sullivan, a new employee who just joined last month. I'm here to ask a question on behalf of all the company's employees!"

I suppressed the urge to laugh and nodded slightly, indicating he should continue.

"It's like this! As far as I know, the company's financial situation is very bad. Even though we've always had projects in progress, starting three months ago..."

"None of our partners have delivered payments on time!"

"As the boss, don't you know the company account situation? Are you planning to delay our employees' salaries and benefits next?"

I lowered my eyelids slightly and responded at the right moment.

"Sullivan Corporation has been established for over ten years. In all that time, the company has never delayed employee salaries or benefits."

"In certain aspects, we at Sullivan Corp far exceed other companies."

"Where did you hear that we're about to delay employee salaries?"

Zachary was stumped by my response. He coughed dryly before stammering out a reply.

"I... I'm just... being cautious..."

"After all... after all, the company has so many employees. I'm just trying to find peace of mind for everyone!"

Under my half-smiling gaze, Zachary's face turned red and he turned to leave directly.

I didn't take this little episode seriously.

Because ever since my father founded Sullivan Corp, most employees had grown alongside the company.

Although the company wasn't huge, I believed no one would be foolish enough to trust a newly hired idiot over the company itself.

But that evening, a viral local post shattered my assumptions.

After dinner, I was scrolling through videos on my phone as usual.

But a clickbait post caught my attention.

"The company hasn't had any income for three months and is about to go bankrupt. Please help me figure out how to get the boss to fire me!"

"Oh, and of course, I need every penny of that severance packageand hopefully I can squeeze out even more!"

The familiar phrasing made my eyebrow twitch involuntarily.

This...

It couldn't be posted by a Sullivan Corp employee, could it...

Even though I didn't want to believe it, my finger unconsciously clicked into the post.

Perhaps because the title was explosive enough, the post had very high engagement.

The comment section had gathered thousands upon thousands of modern-day employees, all enthusiastically offering advice to the poster.

"Listen to meonly by getting actively fired by the boss can you get severance. Don't be stupid enough to resign directly!"

"Eat blue cheese right in front of your boss every day. No boss can stand that smell assault!"

"Blue cheese is nothing! Since you want to get fired, go all in! Blue cheese for breakfast, pickled herring for lunch!"

I stared at the comment section, dumbfounded.

These employees' brains were truly not to be underestimated!

Thank goodness they weren't my company's employees. Otherwise, if they pulled stunts like this on me every day, I really might not be able to tolerate them.

The next morning, I shook my slightly foggy head and arrived at the company an hour early.

Yes!

Even though I knew deep down it was impossible, I still couldn't resist the urge to investigate.

So I came to the company early to lurk around, wanting to find the truth.

As soon as I entered the company, I locked eyes with Zachary's smiling face.

I politely said hello, then looked up and down at his workstation.

But inside, I couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

At least this guy wasn't like that poster, actually using those tactics to challenge the company's bottom line.

Just as I was mentally mocking myself for overthinking, laughter and commotion came from the break room.

"Hahaha! Hurry up and eat, it'll be work time soon!"

"Yeah! Don't let Mr. Sullivan see you, or he might dock your pay!"

"Ugh! Dock my pay? Right now I just hope the salary gets paid on time!"

My face turned iron-blue as I glanced over. Sure enough, I saw seven or eight veteran employees gathered around the large dining table in the break room, having a lively meal!

"This is the office! The company's rules clearly state that you're not allowed to..."

Before I could finish, Zachary hurried over.

"Boss! Come on! It's not even work time yet!"

"Besides, isn't the break room exactly where employees eat? Right?"

"I'm sure the company isn't that authoritarian! Not eating breakfast makes you tired all day, you know!"

Sitting in my office chair, I couldn't help clicking into that post again.

The poster had already posted a new update.

"Hahaha! Thanks for the great advice, everyone! Today I deliberately brought breakfast and let the boss see me eating at the company!"

"Who would've thought! That coward didn't dare say a word, just pretended not to see and walked away!"

"Tsk tsk tsk... Looks like this crappy company really is about to go under. Otherwise, how could they just let it slide so easily?"

The more I read, the angrier I got.

Even though the post's content didn't match my company, just thinking that I might also be seen as an idiot by my employees made me furious.

I sat there in a daze all morning.

It wasn't until my phone chimed with a text notification that I was dragged out of my internal turmoil.

"Mr. Sullivan, congratulations on successfully winning the bid. To ensure smooth cooperation, please come to XX Grand Hotel tonight for further discussion..."

My eyes reddened with excitement.

The project I'd worked on for three whole months finally had results.

With this thought, I couldn't care less about those petty schemes. I immediately replied to the text.

"Mr. Webb, you absolutely must honor us with your presence tonight. I'll arrange everything. Let's celebrate our successful cooperation in advance!"

After having my secretary arrange dinner in advance, I arrived at the hotel first.

But to my surprise, when I entered the private dining room, Zachary was already sitting at the table waiting.

Seeing me enter, Zachary's attitude was extremely humble.

"Mr. Sullivan, Secretary asked me to bring colleagues from the PR department to make arrangements. We'll definitely provide excellent hospitality tonight!"

I nodded slightly. Seeing several female colleagues from the PR department nearby, the unease in my heart settled down.

But when the servers brought out a table full of dishes, I was dumbstruck.

Zachary stood up with a big smile.

"Mr. Webb! Mr. Sullivan! You're always out dining for business, eating rich foods every timewhat's the point?"

"Today, our PR department's Lily specially ordered stomach-friendly dishes for you!"

"Look at thismini burgers, fries and chicken wings, and pizza! Every single dish is a viral internet favorite!"

"Chloe even specially went to get bubble tea! Everything is good for your health! You absolutely must eat more!"

Zachary acted as if he couldn't read the room at all. Completely ignoring the dark expressions on everyone's faces, he enthusiastically kept piling food onto the business partner's plate.

I frantically gave signals under the table until my hand cramped.

But the employees who were usually so perceptive all acted blind, desperately echoing Zachary's words.

Not until this very moment.

If I still couldn't see that they were doing this deliberately, then I really would be brain-damaged.

The business partners ate this meal with stiff expressions, then all left in fury.

The first thing I did when I returned to the company was personally write up termination notices and withhold all severance pay.

I knew Zachary wouldn't let this go easily, but I didn't expect him to move so quickly.

That very afternoon, that familiar Instagram account posted Zachary's video.

He cried pitifully, accusing the company on camera.

"I don't know what I did wrong, but during my time at work, I always gave my all. I finally helped the company secure a project, but all I got in return was a termination notice!"

"And! The company didn't even give half an explanation about the termination compensation!"

The live comment section exploded.

"Holy crap! Real-life employee exploitation? It's happening!"

"Which company is this? Dude, hurry up and expose them so we can be careful when job hunting!"

"Go to labor arbitration right away! Don't let these people take advantage of you!"

I almost couldn't stop myself from laughing in anger.

Just ten minutes ago, I'd received a text from the business partner saying the project was under review.

This guy screwed up my multi-million dollar contract, and now he's transformed into an exploited employee. Is that appropriate?

The next morning, as soon as I walked into my office, several veteran employees knocked on the door with troubled expressions.

The project department head opened with a devastating blow.

"Mr. Sullivan! I know the company's in trouble lately, but it can't be so bad that you have to withhold severance pay from a few employees, right?"

"Don't you know the company's been trending online now? We're famous!"

Business department manager Marcus nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! This morning alone I've received seven or eight project cancellation notices!"

"If this continues, our company... might really go bankrupt..."

I waved my hand, signaling them to leave, then clicked into the Instagram app again.

Zachary was still playing the victim on camera, looking pitiful.

"I'm not doing this for money, but for every single hardworking employee at Sullivan Corp!"

"I just joined and already received this kind of unfair treatmentwhat about those veteran employees who grew with the company?"

As soon as he said this, the livestream exploded with virtual gifts.

And these gift-sending IDs were all familiar to me.

It seemed...

Zachary had completely won over the company employees' hearts.

Thinking about how I'd done my utmost to consider the employees, always seeking benefits for them everywhere.

Now, just for these immediate gains, they so easily betrayed me. It felt so not worth it!

Perhaps I was too easygoing, which made them forget their place!

As for Zachary... the truth would come out very soon!

In the following days, Sullivan Corp was essentially at a standstill.

Because of the online storm, all ongoing and negotiating projects at the company were completely halted.

Even many regulatory departments, due to complaints from internet users, came for inspections every few days.

My secretary looked like she wanted to say something but held back. "Mr. Sullivan! Does it really have to come to this?"

"But the company was slandered!"

My face showed no expression as I nodded calmly.

"Deep-rooted diseases must be broken through. This company has been rotten from the very core..."

Just as I was busy applying for bankruptcy liquidation of Sullivan Corp, I suddenly received an invitation to a TV program.

"Mr. Sullivan! Your company is quite famous online now. Mr. Zachary Sullivan going on the mediation show is also to give everyone a space to resolve the issue."

"Don't you want to seize this opportunity?"

I pondered for a long while, holding the document just mailed over by the private investigator, my heart a jumble of emotions.

Yes.

I'd always been careful in business, never failing.

Yet now I'd stumbled over my own family. How could that not be foolish?

The next morning at 7 AM, I arrived at the TV station on time.

Due to Sullivan Corp's recent online popularity, this mediation show attracted an especially large audience.

Zachary sat on stage with his head held high.

And in the front rows of the audience seats were clearly a group of Sullivan Corp employees.

They waved glow sticks, constantly cheering and supporting Zachary.

The host said with a smile, holding up the microphone.

"We're honored to have Sullivan Corp's CEO, Scott Sullivan, here in person. Regarding the recent viral incident online, he also has something to say!"

Zachary looked pitiful and spoke at the right moment.

"I've never had any malice toward the company. I just want an apology."

"I can forgo the withheld severance pay, but I don't want to be dismissed so unceremoniously..."

On the large live broadcast screen below the stage, the comment feed was filled with "Apologize!" "Make Scott apologize!" "Capitalists should apologize! Making all that money without any conscience!"

I took the microphone handed over by the director, walked confidently onto the stage, and looked straight into the center camera.

"I'm sorry!"

The stage and audience erupted in chaos.

Zachary turned his face, unable to hide the curve of his lips.

And those Sullivan Corp employees below the stage all cheered.

I even faintly heard them saying:

"Haha! I knew Zachary was awesome! The method he suggested really workedhe actually apologized!"

"Exactly! As long as he's willing to apologize, that's good. Now truth is on our side. When we go back, we'll demand compensation!"

"As long as Scott doesn't want the company to go bankrupt, to keep us veteran employees, he'll definitely have to pay big!"

"Right, although jobs are hard to find now, with Sullivan Corp's reputation, it'll be even harder to recruit employees! Scott will have no choice but to pay up!"

My face remained expressionless as I held up the microphone and continued.

"I'm not apologizing because of so-called severance pay, but because I failed to judge people correctly!"

"I had no self-awareness, treating employees like family without reservation, which only fed their ambitions!"

"However, I acknowledge my mistake!"

"Sullivan Corp completed bankruptcy liquidation before today. As for subsequent employee matters, a liaison will contact you to handle them."

My words were like thunderbolts, making the entire studio completely silent.

I ignored their incredulous looks and continued announcing.

"Also! Regarding former Sullivan Corp employees Zachary Sullivan, Chelsea Martinez, Margaret..., who deliberately damaged the company's image, stole confidential documents, and profited through abuse of position"

"I've already reported this to the police!"

As my words fell, I returned the microphone to the host and turned to leave.

Just as Zachary snapped back to reality and lunged at me with red eyes to stop me

A group of uniformed police officers rushed up from below the stage and pressed Zachary to the ground.

"Zachary Sullivan, right? You're suspected of involvement in a case of leaking trade secrets. Please cooperate with our investigation!"