30,000 Yuan Bonus

The moment Jiang Ruolin heard that Liu Shang had also been invited, her gaze visibly sharpened.

Liu Shang then casually mentioned that Zhou Liang had added him as a friend on QQ, making Jiang Ruolin frown even more deeply.

She had already heard rumors that someone intended to harm Liu Shang, so she had originally wanted to advise him not to attend such a pointless gathering.

And Zhou Liang, the one who had invited Liu Shang, was especially known within their circle for being deeply calculating and full of schemes.

The teacher they had brought in last time to persuade Liu Shang to leave the Student Union seemed to have been operating under Zhou Liang's direction.

For Liu Shang, someone like Zhou Liang—a smiling tiger who put on one face in public and another behind the scenes—would often pose an even greater threat.

But Liu Shang had already accepted the invitation, so Jiang Ruolin could not say much more. She could only take things one step at a time.

Over the next few days, Manager Zhong's surface separate-injection process technology project progressed at a blazing pace.

The customization of the tubing-string tools, the preliminary surface testing, and the first downhole test all went almost exactly as Manager Zhong had expected, nearly succeeding on the first try.

It was at least a month ahead of schedule.

The savings in manpower, materials, and funds were even more substantial.

And all of this was mainly thanks to Liu Shang.

The successful testing of this technology delighted Song Guangyuan, the boss. He immediately issued an internal company commendation in his capacity as chairman and added another 50,000 yuan to the Technology Innovation Award for the entire technical team.

The Technology Innovation Award was one of Huahai Company's defining features, and it also reflected Song Guangyuan's personal boldness.

As long as someone truly developed technology that benefited the company and proved useful, the rewards would never be small.

According to procedure, the project's initial proposal, team formation, advancement and testing, final report, and eventual bonus distribution were all coordinated by the person in charge of the project.

And given Manager Zhong's status and authority, ordinary people would never raise objections.

Yet this time, regarding this technical project, some unusually different opinions began to surface.

As always, the entire technical team's bonuses were distributed according to contribution. The more one contributed, the larger one's bonus would be.

And the rewards covered everyone. As long as someone had participated, they would receive something, no matter how small. Even the young girls in the office who helped print documents or serve tea received a share of the bonus.

But some people's objections centered on Liu Shang!

According to Manager Zhong's preliminary bonus distribution plan, Liu Shang, a freshman who had only been with the company for one week, was set to receive 30,000 yuan all by himself.

His share was second only to Manager Zhong's 40,000 yuan, ranking him second in the entire project.

Meanwhile, Old Lu, the team's technical manager, was only allocated 25,000 yuan. Others received even less, ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 yuan.

As a result, people in the company—especially those in the technical department—began gossiping in private. They were filled with hostility and dissatisfaction toward Liu Shang, Manager Zhong's obvious favorite.

Because she was on good terms with several relatively young girls in the company's HR department, word that Liu Shang was about to receive a 30,000-yuan technical bonus reached Song Jia's ears.

The instant she heard the news, Song Jia was so shocked that her jaw nearly dropped!

In her impression, Manager Zhong had always been someone who spoke plainly and kept business separate from personal matters.

He would never show favoritism simply because he valued someone, nor would he take veiled shots at someone during work because he personally disliked them.

But what was going on this time? Liu Shang had only been at the company for a week, yet he had been proposed for a bonus of nearly 30,000 yuan?

And he ranked second in the entire technical team!

This was simply unimaginable. It was far too unbelievable!

As Friday's gathering drew near, the horn signaling Tan Feng, Zhou Liang, and their little group's all-out final assault on Liu Shang was about to sound.

Yet at such a crucial time, Liu Shang was taking a massive 30,000-yuan bonus from her family's company. If Tan Feng and Zhou Liang found out, she would not be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

Oh my God, that was 30,000 yuan!

Even for Song Jia, Tan Feng, and the others, 30,000 yuan in personal spending money was a considerable sum.

No! She absolutely had to stop this from happening!

Even if she had not taken part in the carefully designed, somewhat despicable trap plans of Zhou Liang and the others, she could not possibly help the enemy and drag them down, could she?

So, on Thursday night, Song Jia turned down invitations from numerous friends and went straight home instead, waiting for her father, Song Guangyuan, to return.

Song Guangyuan was clearly in a good mood that day. He seemed even happier when he arrived home and saw his precious daughter, who should have been at school.

Despite the rather modest dinner, he even had a small drink.

After the meal, Song Jia chose the best possible moment, when Song Guangyuan was in his finest mood, and quietly asked, "Dad, I heard that Manager Zhong's technology innovation project succeeded?"

Song Guangyuan was long accustomed to how well-informed his daughter was, so he nodded with a smile.

"Yes, it did. You could say it was an enormous success."

"If this technology is promoted later on, it will be like an enormous cake. It has also given the company's development a much-needed shot in the arm!"

"I have to say, being able to bring in veteran experts like Manager Zhong and Professor Xu was truly our good fortune."

After listening to Song Guangyuan speak excitedly, Song Jia abruptly changed the subject. "Dad, I heard that in this round of bonus distribution, Liu Shang alone got 30,000 yuan. And he ranked second in the entire technical team, behind only Manager Zhong?"

"Is he really that capable?"

Sure enough, the moment he heard Liu Shang's name, Song Guangyuan's face darkened. A sore point in his heart churned along with his anger.

It seemed his earlier worries had been correct. His precious daughter had still been drawn to that Liu Shang.

This was absolutely unacceptable! It was also extremely dangerous!

So Song Guangyuan deliberately let a trace more anger show and snorted coldly.

"Hmph. How many times have I told you? Don't mention that Liu Shang again!"

"And don't focus your attention on him in the future!"

Song Jia felt utterly wronged upon hearing that. Please, Dad, I don't want to mention him either! I don't want to pay attention to him even more.

But your company insists on doing this. Are you trying to get your daughter killed?

Seeing that Song Jia did not speak, Song Guangyuan quickly reined in his emotions and changed his tone.

"Jia Jia, Dad told you last time too. Liu Shang is indeed somewhat different from children his age. He is more mature than they are, and he is somewhat stronger technically as well."

"But he is definitely not as outstanding as you think or imagine."

"This technology bonus distribution is only a preliminary draft submitted by Manager Zhong. I was not at the company today, so I did not meet with him."

"Liu Shang is only a freshman and has been at the company for such a short time. It is absolutely impossible for him to receive a 30,000-yuan technical bonus."

"If I'm not mistaken, Manager Zhong probably added an extra zero to the draft. Given Manager Zhong's usual fair way of handling matters, it is still possible for Liu Shang to receive a 3,000-yuan encouragement bonus."