Chapter 105: Employee Appreciation

Chapter 105: Employee Welfare

"Office romance..." Liu Hai stammered, "Is it what I'm imagining?"

"Why not?"

"Ha." Kontra looked utterly disgusted. "After seeing the consequences, you still ask why not? If both parties were rational, smart enough to distinguish between personal and professional matters, then fine. But frankly, most people, when blinded by anger, completely disregard their surroundings, caring only about venting their rage and grievances... It's a disaster."

"That idiot, after throwing a test tube, saw me walk into the office, and his first reaction was to ask if it was unfair that his girlfriend didn't take him to the colleague gathering!"

A vein throbbed on Kontra's forehead. "If he had even a shred of sense at that moment, he would have realized his job was about to be in jeopardy!"

Liu Hai sensed his fury, blinked, and dared not speak, quietly scooting away.

After venting a long stream of complaints, Kontra concluded: "So, I absolutely detest fools who bring personal emotions into work! The important thing isn't office romance; it's the failure to separate personal and professional life!"

Liu Hai breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh! So as long as you keep them separate and work well, it's fine, right?"

"Of course..." Kontra paused, looking at Liu Hai suspiciously. "Wait, what do you mean by asking that?"

Liu Hai blinked innocently: "I'm just asking preventatively."

After all, he hadn't successfully proposed yet, so technically, it shouldn't count as an office romance.

Though he had long been prepared.

"Hey, Jian Yu, about the previous promotional event... Ah." Feng Yan took off his seagull mascot suit and ran squarely into them at the office door. "What a coincidence."

He asked Liu Hai, "Did you ask him too?"

Liu Hai froze, then remembered his original purpose for seeking Kontra, and slapped his hand in annoyance: "Ah, I forgot!"

"Your memory..." Kontra shook his head amusedly, playing along, "So, what did you need?"

Before Liu Hai could speak, Feng Yan draped an arm over Liu Hai's shoulder and said, "He said he's not a mermaid; he's a seal spirit."

"Oh, I see." Kontra showed a gratified expression, nodding slightly. "You finally decided to tell the truth. Congratulations."

"Though I understand you must have had your reasons for not telling the truth, I still believe that lies are ultimately unsustainable. No matter the story, the day will come when the truth is revealed."

He nodded in satisfaction. "It seems Jiang Xun hasn't neglected your moral education. You've finally understood the value of honesty."

"Lost in his own world again." Feng Yan shrugged, asking Liu Hai, "Doesn't seem to scare him. Keep trying."

"By the way, what are you two doing here?"

"Oh." Liu Hai snapped back to attention. "I came to find Kontra, and Kontra was looking for Jian Yu to deal with that... office romance."

"Huh?" Feng Yan perked up. "What happened?"

"Apparently, someone in their lab was dating, had a fight, and smashed experimental equipment in anger." Liu Hai briefly summarized, "Kontra is very angry."

Feng Yan showed a hard-to-describe expression: "Wow, that certainly warrants anger."

Liu Hai whispered, "Um, Kontra said his lab doesn't allow office romances..."

"Oh—" Before Liu Hai could finish, Feng Yan already knew what he wanted to say.

He patted Feng Yan's shoulder: "That's just a rule in Kontra's lab, because he's not good at handling such things. Even if someone messes up due to personal feelings, if they shed a couple of tears, he'll start wondering if he's overreacting."

"But Jiang Xun and I, neither of our labs has this rule."

"Because in our eyes, keeping personal emotions out of work is a fundamental principle. Whether it's an office romance or an outside-office romance, if someone makes a mistake, we won't go easy on them."

Liu Hai instinctively looked at Kontra, who trembled slightly: "Nonsense! This time—this time I absolutely won't go easy!"

"See?" Feng Yan smirked. "He even said 'this time,' which proves that at least last time, he did go easy."

"Oh—" Liu Hai suddenly understood and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought..."

"Just relax." Feng Yan patted Liu Hai's shoulder. "At least for now, the only obstacle to your proposal you need to consider is Jiang Xun himself. No need to worry about office romance obstacles."

"However..."

He laughed gleefully, "If you ask me, Jiang Xun alone is difficult enough. Kontra can certainly attest to that."

"Hmm?" Kontra looked up. "He's not that bad. He's just a bit arrogant, doesn't bother with people, and dislikes all useless social interactions. To some extent, I can empathize with his choices. While it's annoying when he doesn't answer messages or calls, he's gotten better recently; at least he sets up auto-replies now."

He paused, "So, what is Liu Hai planning to do with Jiang Xun?"

Liu Hai blinked, surprised: "Huh? You didn't know? I'm going to propose to Jiang Xun!"

"Ha?!" This time it was Kontra's turn to be shocked. "That wasn't just a prank; it's serious? I thought the last farce was over? You can't be serious, can you? Wait, do you even understand what marriage is?"

He looked as if he'd seen a ghost, repeating incredulously, "You're seriously going to... propose to Jiang Xun? Wait, you—you... Jiang Xun..."

"Haha." Feng Yan laughed gleefully. "The seal spirit didn't scare him, but this did. Same effect, right?"

"Not the same!" Liu Hai pouted a little indignantly. "This just proves that no one ever believed I was a mermaid in the first place! And I acted so seriously!"

"Seriously?" Feng Yan, not in his seagull mascot suit, relaxed his standards for Liu Hai. "We acted seriously too. It took a lot of effort to play along with you."

Liu Hai pondered for a moment: "Is... is that so?"

"So, if I acted seriously, and you acted seriously, then... we're even?"

"So, we can just continue as before?"

"I think so." Feng Yan raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, are you planning to announce it to the world?"

"Yes." Liu Hai nodded honestly. "I was going to say something."

Feng Yan was curious: "How?"

Liu Hai thought for a moment: "Just tell the truth—'Excuse me everyone, actually I'm not a mermaid, I'm a seal spirit.'"

"Wow, you really simplify everything." Feng Yan sighed. "I suggest you talk to Jian Yu before you post that."

*Cough.* Jian Yu, who had been standing by the door for who knows how long, unsure whether to join their conversation, gave a light cough. "I already heard."

"Regarding the topic of whether to tell the world you're a mermaid... if possible, I hope you can talk to the boss."

Jian Yu smiled at Liu Hai, "He's very interested in this topic."

"Ah!" Liu Hai responded with great interest, "Right! I can see if he'll be surprised! Is he in the company?"

"He happens to be here." Jian Yu smiled, pointing the way, "He's in the top-floor office."

Watching Liu Hai excitedly walk away, Feng Yan glanced at Jian Yu: "I thought you'd advise him not to announce it."

"Hmm?" Jian Yu turned back, smiling.

"Isn't that 'Mermaid Star' event still in full swing?" Feng Yan shrugged. "We even had him film promotional videos and say slogans like 'keep pushing through.' If he suddenly says he's not a mermaid, wouldn't that imply even the initiator himself can't keep it up?"

"Oh dear, I hadn't considered that aspect." Jian Yu mused, resting her chin on her hand. "No wonder you're the most popular 'Dr. Seagull' with your own live stream channel; you're very sensitive to news trends."

"Don't play dumb." Feng Yan raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you didn't think of it."

"Heh heh." Jian Yu chuckled softly. "Yes, I did think of it. But honestly, it doesn't really matter, does it? It's all promotion; it just depends on whether we can guide the event and the hot topic in the direction we need."

"As for me, I've come to terms with it now. Whatever happens, just do your best."

She stretched. "Oh, by the way, what did you need me for?"

"Ah, a promotional program." Feng Yan snapped back to business.

Kontra was still deep in thought.

Jian Yu greeted him with a smile: "Dr. Kontra? Is something wrong?"

Kontra slowly came back to himself. He said, "So, how exactly do you tell if something like this is a joke or not?"

Feng Yan and Jian Yu exchanged glances and shrugged together regretfully.

...

Meanwhile, Liu Hai found the boss in the top-floor office.

He was holding a cup of tea, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out.

"Boss!" Liu Hai greeted him excitedly, "I came to find you!"

"Oh." The boss turned back with a smile. "Hello, Liu Hai."

"It seems you've been doing quite well lately."

"Mmm—" Liu Hai thought seriously for a moment. "That's true. Recently, I've been able to turn human, got an ID card, and even have a new goal!"

The boss asked with interest: "What's the new goal? Ah, don't tell me it's successfully proposing to Jiang Xun?"

"Mhm, mhm." Liu Hai nodded earnestly.

"Haha, that guy, he really has the nerve to keep rejecting you." The boss's eyes twinkled with amusement, and suddenly an idea struck him. "How about this, I'll give you some advice, okay?"

"Hmm?" Liu Hai leaned in with great interest.

After hearing the boss's plan, Liu Hai's expression was strange: "Will that work? You're not treating Jiang Xun like an idiot, are you? He's not as easy to fool as I am."

The boss: "...You shouldn't automatically assume you're an idiot either."

"Eh?" Liu Hai realized.

"Trust me." The boss showed a cunning smile. "It'll work."

Not because the plan was clever, but based on his understanding of Jiang Xun, he figured... that guy was probably about to give in.

Though lasting this many days under the Seal King's onslaught was already quite admirable.

The boss smiled brightly: "Actually, I called you here just to chat about your impressions of starting work, as a way to show concern for a new employee."

"You can also tell me any suggestions you have. Come on, speak freely."

"Eh? Really?" Liu Hai was a little surprised. "Then I'll say it!"

He cleared his throat and said, "Can I get a raise?"

The boss's smile stiffened: "Hmm?"

Author's Note:

Boss: Don't hold back.

Liu Hai: Don't worry, I won't!