The speed of the response left Yang Yi genuinely bewildered.
"Time is tight, tasks are many. You'll see when you get here," Maolin's reply was as terse as ever. "Tomorrow morning at nine. I'll send the address shortly."
"Is it for real this time? What are the odds?"
"Internal recommendation. Ten out of ten."
Good grief. It seemed Maolin's year-plus of undercover work behind enemy lines hadn't been in vain.
During lunch, Yang Yi was calculating how to ask his boss for time off. In over a year at the company, he hadn't taken a single day of sick leave. If there were an award for perfect attendance, it would undoubtedly belong to him.
As he stepped out of the restaurant, he happened to spot his boss, Mr. Ding, walking back toward the office.
"Director Ding," Yang Yi called out, catching up to him.
"Oh? You just finished eating too?" Mr. Ding paused from a small group of colleagues, looking at Yang Yi with slight surprise.
"Just finished at that firecake shop."
"Ah, right. I actually wanted to find you. There's a project I want you to join."
You've got to be kidding me. Not sooner, not later, but right at this exact moment. Any other time, this would have been great news for Yang Yi, but today, his heart was already at Beitong.
If he agreed to join the team now only to resign a few days later, wouldn't that look terrible?
After a moment's thought, Yang Yi decided to scrap the excuse for leave. It was better to be direct.
"Director Ding, actually... I'd like to request tomorrow off. A friend recommended me to a new company."
Yang Yi was a straight shooter. Although he appreciated Mr. Ding's oversight over the past year, they had no other personal connection. His departure wouldn't exactly cripple the team.
"Oh, I see. So you've already made up your mind?" Mr. Ding's response was natural, as if everything was within his expectations.
"Yes. It's pretty much a done deal over there. If all goes well, I should be able to start tomorrow," Yang Yi said, intentionally letting a hint of boastfulness slip into his tone.
"Hahaha, well then! No need to ask for leave. Just go through the resignation process this afternoon; it saves you a trip back."
"That works. I'll head to HR after the departmental meeting." Yang Yi hadn't expected the process here to be so fast. Was it that in a company, only staying is a long haul, while joining and leaving happen in the blink of an eye?
Leaving after the meeting would count as a full day's work. More importantly, he wanted to show off that report he had spent so much time perfecting.
"Fine. Come find me later to sign off." By now, the crowd had moved ahead, leaving only Mr. Ding and Yang Yi walking toward the office. This distance of less than fifty meters was the longest and most awkward walk Yang Yi had experienced since joining the firm.
At the afternoon meeting, everyone took their seats in the conference room.
Tianchen Advertising was a major firm with hundreds of employees. Mr. Ding was a director of a business unit, but for this meeting, everyone was reporting to Mr. Ding's direct superior: the company's Chief Marketing Officer, Austin.
Yang Yi didn't know Austin's Chinese name; he only knew the position was very high up.
When it came to the competitor dynamics segment, each person went up, projected their materials, and began their presentation. Austin sat below, occasionally looking up, but mostly keeping his head down, staring at the floor.
It was Yang Yi's turn. In the past, his greatest fear was verbal expression. If it were writing, he could clack away at a keyboard for hours without stopping. But with speaking, his brain would have too many ideas; they'd all rush to his lips at once, and he wouldn't know which to say first. The result was speaking too fast, then stuttering, standing there with a red face and a swollen neck.
But this time, Yang Yi was relaxed. He even cracked jokes about his colleagues from the stage, telling a few of them to stop whispering and pay attention. He was a completely different person from his usual self.
He covered the ten-thousand-word material in just a few minutes—logical, clear, and focused.
"A real talent," Austin remarked to Mr. Ding in praise.
Mr. Ding reached up to rub the back of his head. "A pity, then. He's resigning today to seek greener pastures." The others began to whisper.
"So this is a final 'resignation report'?" Mr. Ding joked to Yang Yi on stage, and the others laughed along.
"Meeting adjourned. You stay behind; let's chat," Austin said, turning to Yang Yi.
Yang Yi froze. It was the first time he'd been praised by such a high-ranking leader in a meeting, and Director Ding had actually announced his resignation in front of everyone.
Aren't resignations supposed to be handled quietly?
As Mr. Ding left, he turned back to Austin and added: "I'll leave him to you. Give him some good guidance for me."
In the conference room, it was one-on-one.
"You have great potential and a natural gift for this industry. Can you tell me why you're leaving?"
"I didn't really want to leave, but I've always wanted to go to Beitong. A friend managed to find a spot for me there, so I have to go. That was my dream when I graduated." Yang Yi was much more relaxed now, seemingly back to that version of himself from the interview who boldly claimed he'd do anything if the pay was right.
"Beitong just has a bigger platform and a bigger name. Many of their top clients and teams aren't as professional as ours," Austin said, flipping through a stack of industry journals on the table. He found a page and showed it to Yang Yi.
"Look, this is an article I published. In this industry, it's considered a high-standard piece of work right now."
"I know there are talented people everywhere, but I just want to go try. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
"Hahaha, how old are you? You should know that opportunities are always reserved for capable people. If you go to Beitong now, I won't stop you. But if you could settle in here at Tianchen for a few years, and then still felt you needed to go to Beitong, the opportunity would still be there. Going then might even be better."
Seeing Yang Yi fall into deep thought, Austin added: "So, do you feel you're ready now?"
"I think I'm ready."
"Good." Austin stood up decisively and walked toward the door.
"Could you sign this for me? And can I keep this book?" Chatting with someone of such high rank who had tried so hard to keep him made Yang Yi feel a bit bashful.
"Keep it up, kid." Austin turned back, picked up a marker, and signed his English name on the page with his article.
Austin's question—"Are you ready?"—echoed in his ears.
Whatever. Youth is capital.