The programmer and his woman

"Xiao Wang, you have worked hard during this period and have done a lot of work for us here. I just received a call from the boss, who wants to transfer you back to the company for other projects. You should pack up and go back to the head office with Jianguo later."

Mr. Yao's words were like a bombshell, instantly stirring up a wave in my peaceful work life. I originally thought that I would continue to work hard in my current position and witness the successful completion of the project with my team members. However, this sudden transfer caught me off guard. I stood there with mixed feelings in my heart, both reluctant to leave and worried about the uncertainty of the future.

I turned to Mr. Yao, trying to get more information from him: "Are Jianguo and I the only ones going back together?" Mr. Yao had his usual calm expression on his face. He nodded slightly and glanced at Jianguo in the distance with a helpless look in his eyes: "Yes, you two go back. I don't like Jianguo's personality very much. Of course, Wang Dong, don't get me wrong. It's not my intention to transfer you back. The company does have other arrangements for you. The work here is basically coming to an end. I will arrange for Li Mo to take over with me. You can go back without worry."

Although I felt a little reluctant, I also understood that this was the company's decision and I had no choice but to accept it. So I started packing my things and prepared to return to the head office with Jianguo.

After returning to the head office, the scene in front of me made me feel a little dazed. The changes here are so great that it seems that I have been away for a long time. The familiar faces have become rare, replaced by a group of new faces, who are full of youth and enthusiasm, injecting new vitality into the company. I strolled in the corridor, and couldn't help but sigh at the passage of time and the vigorous development of the company.

Walking into the mobile project department, I was even more shocked by the scene in front of me. Several new colleagues were welcomed to the previously vacant workstations. The most conspicuous one was Zhang Lei, who called himself an "old handsome guy" sitting next to me. He was wearing casual clothes and was slightly fat. He always had a warm smile on his face, which seemed to illuminate the entire office like sunshine.

"Hello, my name is Zhang Lei, everyone is used to calling me Lei Zi, we will be partners from now on." As soon as he saw me approaching, he immediately stood up enthusiastically, with a warm smile on his face, as if we were old friends who had met after a long separation. I smiled and responded to him, and I felt a strong interest in this new partner who I was about to work with.

"Hey, Lei Zi, the company has changed a lot in the few months I was away." I looked around and said with emotion. Everything here seemed to be brand new, giving people a feeling of both familiarity and strangeness.

"Yes, I've asked around," he nodded, and continued, "Now the company is mostly full of newcomers. People like you who have been here for a few months are considered veterans." He pointed in the direction of another room, "Do you see that room? The colleagues over there are all programmers who write backend programs. They just came here a few days ago. I heard they were all teachers before."

When I heard the word "teacher", my curiosity was immediately piqued. So I asked, "Which school's teacher knows?"

"Yes, yes," he replied with a smile, "I was in their group a few days ago, and was only transferred here these two days. They are teachers at the training school."

As soon as I heard the name of the training school, I couldn't help laughing, "Haha, what a coincidence, I used to be a teacher at this training school, but I don't know them, they should not be in the same campus."

After hearing this, Lei Zi's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he looked at me puzzledly and asked, "You are also a teacher? That's great, then I will call you Teacher Wang from now on."

I waved my hands and said quickly, "Hey, you can't call me that. I'm no longer a teacher. You should just call me Wang Dong, or Dongzi."

But Lei Zi seemed to have a special liking for this title and insisted on calling me Teacher Wang. He said seriously: "Look at Sora Aoi, how famous she is, I admire her. I have learned a lot from her." When he said the last two words, he was deliberately vague, with a mischievous smile on his face, and no one knew which two words he was talking about.

I couldn't help laughing when I heard this. It seems that in his mind, I, Teacher Wang, have been equated with the famous Teacher Cang. At this time, a beautiful woman on the opposite side heard our conversation and immediately became excited, looking around, "Where is the teacher? Where is the teacher?"

Lei Zi patted my shoulder, pointed at me and said to the beautiful girl, "Here she is. This is Teacher Wang from our group."

When the beauty heard this, she immediately turned around, smiled sweetly at me, bowed, and said, "Hello, Teacher Wang, please take care of me in the future." Her voice was like the sound of nature, which made people feel good. I nodded, smiled, and said, "Everyone take care of each other."

The boy next to her seemed to be infected by the joyful atmosphere. He stood up unwilling to be lonely, bowed like the girl and said, "Hello, Teacher Wang. Please take care of me in the future. I hope to learn more knowledge from you."

I was infected by the playfulness and enthusiasm of these two colleagues and couldn't help laughing. After further understanding, I learned that the original art colleague had left the company, and the two new colleagues, a man and a woman sitting opposite me, were both artists. The boy was tall and handsome, exuding a confident and tenacious temperament, which made people want to look at him more. The girl was sweet and lovely, with a pair of bright eyes flashing with love and concentration for work.

Lei Zi seemed to be particularly uncomfortable because he had no one around him these days. After I came back, he kept telling me something. He leaned over and whispered to me, "By the way, Mr. Wang, I want to ask you, do you know where Jianguo, who was on a business trip with you, went?"

I was stunned when I heard that. Indeed, I hadn’t seen Jianguo all day, so I said, “I don’t know. I came back with him, but I didn’t see him come to the company today.”

Lei Zi seemed dissatisfied with my answer. He frowned and continued, "I heard that Mr. Yao was a little dissatisfied with Jianguo. After reporting to the boss, he may not have made him a regular employee and directly fired him. Did he perform particularly badly there?"

I recalled what happened during my business trip, and indeed I left a bad impression on the project director many times. However, when we parted, Mr. Yao just said that the workload there was not heavy and that he just didn't like Jianguo very much, and he didn't mean to fire him. I looked at Lei Zi in surprise. I didn't expect he knew so much.

I shook my head and said, "I don't know about that. Jianguo and I didn't have any problems when we were on the business trip. Besides, how could we know about this kind of personnel decision in advance?"

Lei Zi seemed a little disappointed with my answer. He glanced at me and said mysteriously, "Teacher Wang, don't underestimate me because I am usually careless. I am well-informed. There are some things you may not know, but I know them very well."

I looked at Lei Zi curiously, my heart full of doubts. I wondered how he got the inside information from the company. He saw my doubts, and to show his ability in this area, he said to me mysteriously: "Teacher Wang, you may not know that you may get a salary increase next month, and you may become the manager of the mobile department." This news was like a blessing from heaven to me, but I wanted to know how he got this inside information.

I looked at Lei Zi carefully, trying to find some clues from his face. He smiled so brightly, with a sly light in his eyes, as if everything was under his control. I couldn't help but sigh that this colleague was really a character that should not be underestimated.

I couldn't help but start thinking about how to build a good relationship with this well-informed colleague. Perhaps, maintaining a friendly relationship with him would allow me to be more comfortable in the company, and even get his help at some critical moments.

Just as I was immersed in my own thoughts, Lei Zi spoke again, with a somewhat proud and teasing tone, "How about it, Teacher Wang, you don't know these things yet, right? Are you surprised? Are you surprised? Have you thought about how to thank me?"

I came back to my senses, looked at his face with a sly smile, and couldn't help but laugh. Although I still had doubts about his source, I chose to believe him at this moment. So, I said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "If this is true, I really want to thank you for telling me in advance."

Lei Zi seemed very satisfied with my answer. He waved his hand and said, "Teacher Wang, you don't have to thank me specially. I'm getting married next year. Just remember to come and attend. The most important thing is to remember to bring money for the gift."

I smiled and nodded, but I couldn't help but sigh at the wit and humor of this colleague. I knew he was joking, but I still decided that if there was a chance, I would definitely go to his wedding and give my blessings and money.

In the following time, Lei Zi became my best guide. He kept introducing me to the latest happenings in the company, gossips about colleagues, and details of some projects.

He pointed to the office in the back room and said, "See? There's a new manager named Cai there. He's the project manager for this life insurance project. I heard that Mr. Cai has a wide network of contacts and a lot of resources. Our boss paid a lot to hire him."

I looked in the direction he pointed and saw a middle-aged man with a bald head sitting in the office busy. He was wearing a dark suit and his shirt was buttoned neatly, giving people a sense of stability and reliability. His eyes were sharp and deep, as if he could see through everything. I thought to myself: With such an experienced project manager leading this project, it should be able to proceed smoothly.

At this moment, I saw Manager Cai seemed to have finished his work. He looked up and saw me, and was stunned for a moment, as if he had thought of something. Then he slowly stood up and walked towards me. I realized that he must be looking for me.

"You are Wang Dong, right?" He walked up to me and asked with a smile.

I nodded and replied, "Yes, Manager Cai. I'm Wang Dong. My boss told me that I'll be involved in the life insurance project after I come back. I think it's you who'll be leading it, right?"

Manager Cai nodded and responded, "Yes, nice to meet you. My name is Cai Yingchun, and I am the person in charge of this life insurance project. I heard that you performed well in the previous project, so the company decided to transfer you back to participate in this project. I believe your ability and experience will be of great help to our project."

I replied modestly: "Thank you for the compliment, Manager Cai. I heard that you have extensive work experience in this field, and I will learn a lot from you in the future."

Manager Cai waved his hand and said, "Oh, you're too polite. We are a team and should learn from each other and help each other. However, there is one thing I want to tell you in advance. We are going on a business trip to H City in a few days and may need to stay there for a while. I don't know if the boss has mentioned this to you?"

I replied in surprise: "Ah? Another business trip? I just got back not long ago." I felt a little helpless, but I also understood that this was a job requirement. So I asked: "How long will this business trip last?"

"The specific time is still uncertain. It depends on the progress of our work in H City. However, you can rest assured that we will try our best to arrange it so that everyone can have enough time to rest and relax." Manager Cai replied.

I nodded to show my understanding. Although I felt a little reluctant and worried, I also understood that this was the company's trust and expectation of me.

Manager Cai's office door slowly closed, leaving a quiet place. Zhang Lei has always been a sharp and curious person. He is like a hound, always able to sniff out all kinds of gossip in the office. At this moment, his feet gently supported the ground, and the swivel chair slid silently to my side under his push. He leaned down and lowered his voice, as if afraid of alarming other colleagues in the office, and asked: "Brother, what did Lao Cai say to you just now? I seem to have heard the words business trip, what's going on?"

I turned my head slightly and looked at Zhang Lei's curious face, and I couldn't help but smile in my heart. This guy really likes to inquire about all kinds of news. However, he didn't seem to have mastered the news this time. It seems that he didn't know everything as I thought. I decided to satisfy his curiosity and said, "Hey, Manager Cai just told me that for the insurance project we are following up, the company decided to organize us to go on a business trip to H City in the next few days to conduct on-site research in order to better understand the needs of customers."

"H City?" Lei Zi's eyes widened. It was obvious that this news was a bit sudden for him. "So, we are leaving A City?"

"Yes, I guess I'll have to stay there for a while." I nodded and added.

"Then... who will be going on this business trip?" Lei Zi seemed a little nervous, and even his voice was trembling.

I shrugged and replied helplessly: "I don't know about this. I have to wait for the arrangement from above."

"I hope... I hope it's not me." Lei Zi muttered softly as if praying.

I looked at him curiously and asked, "Why? You don't want to go on a business trip?"

Lei Zi sighed and replied, "Of course I don't want to. My family is here, and my parents are old and need someone to take care of them. Besides, my partner and I have just been together for a short time. Do you think I would be willing to go on a business trip?"

I listened to him and nodded to show my understanding. Indeed, for a local like Lei Zi, who is used to being with his parents, going on a business trip is indeed a big challenge.