Volume One, Chapter 11: Trouble Has Arisen

“Bang…”

Another gunshot rang out, and everyone gathered near the door was startled, quickly retreating back into the dormitory and closing the door behind them.

The dormitory was a simple wooden structure without windows; the only way to see outside was through the door.

Though everyone was eager to find out what was happening outside, they understood that the director was not someone to be trifled with. It wouldn’t be worth risking a gunshot just to satisfy their curiosity. So, not even a crack of the door was opened for a secret peek.

“What’s going on? Why won’t they let us see?” murmured Shanzi.

Max snorted. “What else could it be? That guy in the water cell must have died. They’re probably getting ready to remove the body.”

I instinctively thought of the man in the water cell. I remembered he was in terrible shape; it seemed he hadn’t held on and had indeed passed away.

“Shh, listen!” Shanzi suddenly whispered, and the entire dorm fell silent.

“Clang, clang…”

From the sounds coming through, it was clear the director and his men were opening the water cell.

After a while, the noise outside ceased. Shanzi cautiously cracked the door open just enough to peek through. The dungeon was indeed open, with water stains on the floor, but the director and the others had already disappeared.

“Damn it, no money earned and yet someone’s lost their life. Talk about bad luck,” Shanzi sighed.

Max grinned, playing League of Legends as he spoke, “Who can you blame for recklessly stirring trouble without permission?”

“There are some things the higher-ups tolerate, and some things they absolutely won’t.”

“As long as you do your job obediently, nothing will happen. But if you’re always scheming to squeeze money from clients, a miserable death is guaranteed!”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Max’s words, each silently reminding themselves to be cautious.

As for the man who died in the water cell, since no one knew him well, they only briefly discussed it before moving on.

After playing on my phone for a while, sleepiness crept in. Just as I was about to turn in, Long messaged me, asking where I was.

I had been meaning to ask him about reimbursing travel expenses, so I told him I was in the dorm.

A few minutes later, Long asked me to come to his room; he had something to discuss.

Long and a few other managers each had their own rooms, complete with comfortable Simmons mattresses.

After I sat down, Long washed his face and asked, “Did you see everything that happened earlier?”

I shook my head. “The director drove us back to the dorm with his gun, so I didn’t see much, but I did hear the water cell being opened. Did that guy really die?”

He replied coldly, “We had planned to release him tomorrow and send him to the hospital for treatment, but he was too weak and couldn’t hold on.”

“Dead is dead. It’s not like he was under me, so I couldn’t care less.”

Since it wasn’t my concern, I decided to get straight to the point. “I heard that if you leave the company before working six months, you have to pay back travel and other expenses. Is that true?”

“Yes, you have to pay those costs,” Long nodded and explained, “The airfare, smuggling fees, accommodation, and food here—all cost money. The company advances those expenses, or rather, I do. But I don’t have the money upfront, so the group covers it first. The debt is on me, and it’s deducted from my monthly performance."

“Each of you pays two thousand yuan a month for meals, regardless of whether you eat in the cafeteria or not.”

“Also, the dorm rent is four thousand yuan a month per room.”

“So, don’t be fooled by how idle I look—I wake up every day already in debt.”

“If there’s no performance some day, I’m the one losing money. The pressure is suffocating.”

“This year isn’t as easy as last year. I haven’t recovered my costs yet and still owe the group over three hundred thousand yuan.”

“As long as that debt isn’t cleared, I won’t get any share of the profits.”

I didn’t fully understand all that Long was saying, but I never lost sight of why I came to him. I asked directly, “Long, be honest with me—if I want to leave now, how much do I owe?”

Long, still washing his face, was visibly taken aback by my question. He put down the towel and stared at me with a serious expression. “You want to go back?”

At this point, since we’d known each other since childhood, there was no point in hiding anything. I decided to be upfront: “After talking with you today, I was planning to stay two months, work hard, and pay off my debts.”

“But logging in tonight to chat with those people gave me a terrible feeling. It’s just text now, but it’s already unbearable. How could I handle voice chats later?”

“I think I should just go back. Maybe this just isn’t the right path for me.”

When I first learned about the project, I thought it was just chatting on the phone to lure people into a trap, but Max said it wasn’t that simple.

With more qualified clients, to avoid suspicion, you have to make voice calls every night, like courting a woman, saying flirtatious and sweet things. That’s the hardest part for me.

By nature, I can barely say those words even to my girlfriend over the phone, let alone to another man.

Long sat opposite me, offered me a cigarette, then spoke earnestly. “Dongzi, you’re too impatient, you know?”

“I told you, you’re new and don’t understand anything yet. Don’t rush. Stay a while and get settled.”

I shook my head firmly. “We grew up together—you know my temper. I’m decisive. If something needs doing, I do it immediately. I can’t stand waiting even a second longer.”

Long smiled helplessly. “I know all that. That’s why I asked you over so late.”

“We’re family here. When something good comes up, you’re the first person I think of.”

“Dongzi, let me be clear: as an employee, unless you’re really lucky and motivated, there’s no future here.”

“You heard the meeting earlier. Soon, we’ll set up team leaders and supervisors. My plan is to make you a supervisor—the second-in-command of the company.”

“When that time comes, you do what’s needed, and when there’s nothing, you do whatever you want. Wouldn’t it be great to just sit back and collect everyone’s performance points every month?”

“The group boss is my big brother. Before the meeting, I told him about you—how much you know about computers and how you could help solve some IT problems. I asked him to allocate more points to you.”

“He agreed. Other teams’ supervisors take a 5% cut, but here, it can be 8%.”

“All of that 8% goes to you. I won’t take a dime.”

“We’re about to add more people. Earning a million in monthly performance won’t be hard. That means you won’t have to struggle chatting all day like others—you could easily make over 80,000 yuan a month. So why the rush to leave?”

I hadn’t expected Long to have such a plan.

His proposal gradually calmed my wavering heart.

Thinking about the supervisor position, I hesitated and asked, “What if I don’t do well?”

Long rolled his eyes, frustrated with me. “Dongzi, I’m the boss here. It’s up to me to decide if you’re doing well. If you don’t do well, do you think I’ll scold you?”

“Don’t overthink it. This isn’t the mainland—there aren’t as many rules or restrictions. Get familiar with the process soon. Once you understand the basics, you’ll take on the supervisor role. I’ll support you wherever you fall short.”

Back in the dorm, Max was still playing games. As soon as I lay down, he asked, “Long called you?”

I nodded.

“What did he want?”

I made something up. “Family stuff.”

He acknowledged with a hum and went back to his game.

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I quietly said to him, “About what you mentioned earlier, don’t count on me for now—he won’t let me leave!”

“Alright!” Max didn’t say more.

The next evening during dinner break, I was sitting on a chair reading a novel when Shanzi suddenly approached me, lowering his voice.

“Max is in trouble.”