New Department

Before long, Chen Xu had no time to think about anything else. He realized he had run into trouble.

In reality, only one night had passed, but he had spent a full half year in the dream. After such a long gap, suddenly being asked to resume work he had left half-finished on some day six months ago would probably leave anyone dumbfounded.

Now, sitting in front of the computer, he had no idea where to begin.

"Right, the Briefcase."

He opened the Briefcase and rummaged through its contents. He found some documents, picked them up, and read through them carefully. At last, he had some idea of what to do.

Then, he stuffed everything back into the Briefcase. Picking up the mouse, he opened a document. He vaguely remembered that he had a habit of storing all his work materials there.

He spent the entire morning painfully familiarizing himself with the materials and slowly getting back into work mode. He did not dare ask anyone else either; that would have been far too suspicious.

He finally endured until the lunch break. Old Tang invited him to eat with him.

They went to the restaurant they often visited, two streets away from the company.

The moment Chen Xu entered the restaurant, it felt familiar. The food here tasted good and was reasonably priced. They had often come here for lunch before.

Neither he nor Old Tang liked ordering takeout, mainly because they did not want to stay in the company all day. Mealtime was a chance to come out and get some fresh air.

"Did something happen?"

After they sat down, Old Tang suddenly asked, "You've been acting a little strange these past two days."

Chen Xu knew that his unusual behavior that morning could not be hidden from a colleague he worked with every day. "It's nothing. I've just been feeling a little irritated."

As he spoke, he suddenly thought of changing jobs. He could ask Old Tang for some advice.

"Actually, I want to change jobs."

"Why so suddenly?" Old Tang was quite surprised.

Chen Xu said helplessly, "You know my situation at the company. I've been here for almost two years, and I'm still neither here nor there. I don't think I can keep muddling along like this. I might as well change jobs. Maybe I'll find better prospects."

Old Tang looked at him. Thinking of his situation at the company, he could not bring himself to persuade him otherwise. "Have you thought it through?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have a target?"

"Not yet. I'll send out some résumés first. I don't have any other requirements. As long as the pay is higher than what I make now, that'll do."

As they spoke, the food arrived, and they chatted while eating.

Old Tang had been working for much longer, after all, and gave him quite a few useful suggestions.

After lunch, they returned to the company and did not mention the matter again. It was not suitable for other colleagues to know about resigning.

Just as they returned to the company, they happened to run into the courier who had come to pick up a package. Chen Xu quickly handed the Apple X to him. His high school deskmate lived in the neighboring city and should receive the phone tomorrow.

Once he got the money from selling the phone, it would greatly ease his financial pressure.

After the courier left, Chen Xu picked up his cup, intending to make himself some tea to wake up.

Several female colleagues were gathered around the water dispenser gossiping. Chen Xu suddenly heard them mention Luo Xiyun and learned that she had actually gone on a business trip.

He was several levels below Luo Xiyun, so naturally he did not know her whereabouts. Hearing that she was away on business gave him a sense of relief. At least he would not run into her over the next few days.

After getting some water, he returned to his seat, leaned back in his chair, and scribbled on a sheet of paper as he pondered.

He was recalling the events in the dream, trying to see whether there were any other opportunities to make money.

Even when the break was nearly over, he had not remembered anything useful. He casually tore off the sheet covered in scribbles, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it toward the wastebasket in the corner.

The paper ball flew accurately into the wastebasket.

He dusted off his hands, turned his chair around, took a sip of tea, pulled himself together, and continued battling the materials on his computer.

After that, Chen Xu returned to his usual uneventful life. The only surprise was that, after receiving the phone, his high school deskmate transferred him nine thousand yuan.

The few résumés he had sent out had not received any response yet.

A week later.

As usual, he arrived at the company on time. After a week of readjusting, he had finally returned to the work state he had been in half a year ago.

After arriving at the company, he noticed that his colleagues were acting unusually, huddled together and discussing something.

He turned to Old Tang and asked, "What's going on? Did something major happen at the company?"

"I just got here too." Old Tang shook his head, indicating that he did not know either.

"You haven't heard yet?" At that moment, Cai Hao, the colleague next to Chen Xu, leaned over and said worriedly, "There's news that the company is planning to establish a Marketing Department. When that happens, they might disband our Advertising Department. Old Wang has already gone to ask around, but we don't know what the situation is yet."

Old Tang looked shocked. "Why so suddenly? There wasn't even a hint of it yesterday."

Chen Xu also realized what this news meant. Their company was not in the business of making products, and the newly established Marketing Department would clearly overlap somewhat with the Advertising Department's role.

When the time came, the New Department would definitely be stripped of a great deal of authority. Worse still, it might be eliminated outright. Neither outcome would be good news for members of the Advertising Department like them.

Of course, it had no real impact on him, since he was already preparing to resign.

Come to think of it, the company he worked for was no small business. It owned nearly ten large chain supermarkets, all located in commercial centers.

Counting the employees at those large supermarkets, the company had more than two thousand employees. It was unquestionably a large enterprise.

As the headquarters' Advertising Department, it nominally oversaw promotions for all the stores.

In reality, however, each store had a great deal of independence. Whenever they held promotional events, they did as they pleased, at most filing a report to notify headquarters. The Advertising Department could not get involved at all.

The reason was simple. Every store manager was a local power in their own right. Nominally, they were on equal footing with the head of the Marketing Department, but in reality, they were more capable, earned more, and had stronger connections. They did not give the Advertising Department the time of day.

Chen Xu had worked here for nearly two years and had basically done nothing but compile summary materials. During busy seasons, he was even transferred to the stores to run errands. It was miserable.

This was also one reason he planned to resign. In such a traditional industry, without connections, the path upward was far too narrow.

As for why the company had chosen this moment to establish a Marketing Department, he did not understand either. In any case, it had nothing to do with him.

Throughout the morning, the entire Advertising Department was somewhat unsettled, and no one had the mind to work.

At last, their supervisor, Old Wang, returned with news. He guaranteed that the Advertising Department would not be disbanded and that no personnel would be laid off. The newly established Marketing Department would be responsible for online sales, and its functions did not overlap with those of the Advertising Department.

That finally calmed the employees below.

"Chen Xu, come to my Office for a moment." After announcing the news, Old Wang stopped Chen Xu.

No way, right? Chen Xu felt somewhat depressed. Every time Old Wang called him into the Office, it was never anything good. Could it be because my recent performance has been too poor, and he wants to give me a warning?