At the start, I tricked the school beauty, and ended up with twins?

Sword Barrier Network Technology Co., Ltd.

After Bi Jian was taken away for bribing Shengda executives and Kang Jia also disappeared quietly, the entire Sword Barrier Network had already plunged into a state of paralysis.

All employees gathered in the office hall, endlessly arguing with the two managers who were the actual controlling shareholders.

"What should we do now? Bi Jian has been arrested, Boss Kang Jia left, and the company is on the verge of closure. Where do we go from here?"

"Exactly! We haven't received last month's salary yet!"

"Manager Tang, Manager Zhou, you see how to resolve this!"

"Not to mention overtime pay and performance bonuses, you must give us that base salary of two thousand!"

When Sword Barrier Network Company was still operating fairly steadily, everyone would obediently endure Bi Jian's exploitation.

But with the current situation looking like Sword Barrier Network was about to close down, everyone only cared about whether they could still get their hands on the last bit of their own interests.

Two thousand yuan, not a lot, but also not a little—it was the monthly living expenses for most of them.

"Everyone, don't panic! Just calm down! Doesn't our company pay salaries on the fifteenth of every month? Today is only the fifth, just wait a bit more patiently!"

Manager Tang was a fat man with a big belly, gasping for breath when he spoke as if the buttons at his collar were about to burst at any moment.

As he spoke, he reached to adjust his yellow tie, his eyes sneaking a glance at Manager Zhou beside him.

Facing so many people alone, all of them young and bombarding him with questions, he really couldn't handle it.

Beside him stood the tall and thin Manager Zhou, who wore half-frame glasses and looked refined and educated; he immediately understood Fatty Tang's glance.

This was an indication to join forces and stall for time!

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After all, in just two days the company would be forced to move out of the incubator, and by then, once they took everything away, where would these employees go to demand their salaries?

Without even signing a labor contract, once the company moved out, demanding money would be a joke, wouldn't it?

The two of them were experts at reneging on their promises.

"Cough cough, you people, the company has supported you for so long, and now that it faces an operational crisis, you all just kick it when it's down, don't you?"

"If you have any conscience, shouldn't you be pulling together with me and Manager Tang right now?"

"Not to talk about contributing some money to support the company, but at least you should work peacefully, right? The profits from Simulating Billionaire haven't been settled yet; where would we get the money to settle your wages?"

"If you're so anxious to get it, go to the police station and ask General Manager Bi Jian! What's the use of making a fuss here?"

Manager Zhou coughed solemnly twice and directly started scolding the crowd.

He even fake a look of disappointment as if it wasn't him who owed the employees money, but the employees that owed him.

Fatty Tang had already played the heavy, so now it was naturally his turn to play the good cop.

With a mix of sternness and leniency, they were sure to get these young folks, inexperienced in worldly matters, to comply completely.

And as expected, as soon as Manager Zhou started speaking,

the crowd, which had just been noisy, suddenly quieted down.

Even a few honest and straightforward students blushed and hung their heads in shame after being scolded.

In their minds, the company was now in trouble, and making such a fuss really wasn't right.

Another portion of people, after being reprimanded by Manager Zhou, were still under the lingering effect of his authority and were temporarily silenced.

Hu Shuo proved himself worthy of being a product manager; usually responsible for socializing, he played the smooth operator at this moment.

"Yes, yes, Manager Zhou is absolutely right. How many times has the company relied on Manager Zhou for planning and strategizing? Now that the company is facing trouble, we should indeed work together to overcome the difficulty!"

Hu Shuo was slightly bowing, grinning while slapping Manager Zhou's flattery.

The flattery was indeed effective on Manager Zhou, as his stern face immediately softened.

Hu Shuo read the room and quickly took the opportunity to back down with a conciliatory smile:

"Manager Zhou, you see, the company is in a difficult position, but so are we!

Most of us rely on our salary to get by every month, and if this month's salary isn't delivered, in a couple of days, all of us will have nothing left after this meal."

"You wouldn't want to see us, who have worked so hard for the company for so long, go hungry, would you? Everyone is eagerly awaiting your generosity to feed us!"

Hu Shuo turned his head to glance at his classmates behind him, but most of them bowed their heads, not looking at him.

Even the few who did look at him did not grasp the finesse he was aiming for in his approach.

What he meant was for both sides to find a middle ground and give each other a way out.

Unfortunately, not one of his classmates grasped the subtleties of human relations embedded in his words.

Perhaps they even felt that Hu Shuo, by speaking so submissively, had lost the face of the educated.

"Hmm, Manager Hu makes a good point; everyone has put in a lot of effort during this period, and while the company is indeed facing difficulties, I, Zhou Dan, cannot simply ignore everyone's hunger."

"How about this, let's pay half of this month's salary in advance? What do you think, Manager Tang?"

Zhou Dan pondered for a while and indeed came up with a compromise.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered; he too feared that this group of young people might be pushed too far and cause even more trouble.

It was better to follow along with Hu Shuo's words, which not only provided a way out but also appeased everyone present.

Manager Tang was always meant to play the role of the amiable one, and although this compromise would still cost money, paying less was better than paying in full.

So, he chuckled and nodded in agreement, indicating no problem: "I think that makes sense, so let's do as you and Hu Shuo proposed, shall we?"

"Wait for Hu Shuo and me to go to the office and distribute everyone's wages."

Seeing that the two shareholders cum de facto managers had agreed, Hu Shuo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, he had managed to recover some hard-earned money and not come away empty-handed.

Hearing that they would receive money, the student employees below began to buzz with conversation.

"How come it's only half?"

"Yeah, what's the difference between a thousand yuan and working for free!"

"Could it be that Hu Shuo has actually already reached a private agreement with the two shareholders? Maybe he's already pocketed our share? Is he just putting on a show now?"

"Tsk, keep it down! What nonsense! Hu Shuo isn't like that!"

"Who knows! People's hearts are a mystery, and these Managers Tang and Zhou are playing good cop, bad cop; do they really think we can't see through it?"

"Getting half back is not bad, just keep quiet…"

"…"

The crowd buzzed with differing opinions, and even half of them occasionally cast peculiar looks towards Hu Shuo.

Hu Shuo clenched his fists secretly, feeling a surge of anger rise within him.

He had not expected that by standing up for his classmates, they would repay him with rumors and gossip!

The worst aspects of human nature were fully displayed at this moment.

No one dared to gossip about Managers Tang and Zhou, who truly controlled their wages.

But they dared to openly doubt Hu Shuo, one of their own.

"Sigh…" Seeing a few people trying to speak up for him but then being ostracized by the others, Hu Shuo's tightened fist slowly relaxed.

Once he had the money in hand, he resolved to have nothing more to do with those who had badmouthed and slandered him.

He leaned against the workbench with a look of dejection.