From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After a moment of silence, I managed a stiff smile and mumbled:

"We just talked about some work-related things, nothing serious."

I couldn't bear to pour cold water on their joy when they were overjoyed.

The feeling of falling from the clouds to the bottom is unbearable.

I quickly changed the subject: "It's almost lunchtime, let's stop what we're doing and eat first. Where are the guys outside? Haven't they come back yet?"

Yang Hao replied, "Yeah, I just asked in the group chat. They still have a backlog of orders to deliver, so they won't be going back to the store for lunch. They'll just grab something to eat nearby."

I nodded: "Okay, then we'll go eat first."

After closing the shop door, our group went to our usual 15-yuan fast food restaurant.

The group sat around a table. The cousin and Yang Hao ate their rice while chatting enthusiastically about their earnings over the past few days, full of anticipation for better days ahead.

I was the only one who was distracted and found the food tasteless.

My mind is filled with the dreaded thought of the site being taken back and everyone about to lose their jobs.

My cousin is very perceptive and quickly noticed that something was wrong with me.

He gently touched my arm and asked in a low voice with concern, "What's wrong, Yezi? You look terrible, listless. Are you feeling unwell?"

I snapped out of my daze and forced a smile. "I guess I've been too tired lately and haven't quite recovered yet."

My cousin sighed softly and earnestly advised, "You're just too hardworking. You stay up until midnight every day and handle everything on your own. Now that the site is on track and the order volume has stabilized, you should relax and rest a bit. Don't ruin your health."

I nodded silently, without saying much, but my heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Rest? I don't even have the right to rest.

One betrayal, and everything is wiped out overnight.

After lunch, our group returned to the courier station.

I took a deep breath, finally made up my mind, and called out to the few people who were about to start work.

"Hey guys, hold on a minute, I have something important to tell you."

As soon as I finished speaking, they all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at me.

Their eyes were clear and sincere, full of trust and expectation.

Looking into their burning gazes, my throat tightened instantly, a thousand words stuck in my chest, like a fishbone stuck in my throat.

For a moment, I didn't know how to begin telling them this cruel news.

The air was quiet and somewhat oppressive. I stared at the expectant eyes of everyone, and hesitated to speak.

Seeing me standing there speechless for a while, my cousin spoke first: "What's wrong, Yezi? What happened?"

I came to my senses, reached out and took out the half-pack of Zhonghua cigarettes I had taken from General Manager Gao's office, took one out and put it in my mouth, then handed the rest of the cigarettes to my cousin.

"Brother, let's share it with everyone."

Luo Peng immediately recognized the quality of the cigarettes, his eyes widening in surprise. He exclaimed, "Wow! Brother Lin, you're amazing! You've gone straight for a medium-length Zhonghua cigarette! That instantly elevates the class!"

My cousin also looked embarrassed and somewhat uncomfortable.

It's obvious that everyone thinks I've made money from the website and am getting cocky.

I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and felt a bitter taste in my mouth. I explained with a wry smile:

"Don't overthink it, I didn't buy it. I just took it from General Manager Gao's office when I went to headquarters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Peng looked at him with admiration: "Wow, Brother Lin! Getting a cigarette from the headquarters director, that's some serious class!"

I gave another bitter laugh, and after my cousin handed each of them a cigarette, I said in a low voice:

"I have something to tell you all, please calm down and don't get excited. The headquarters is going to take back this courier station."

Upon hearing this, they were all stunned for a moment.

The once bustling station fell silent instantly, and the smiles on everyone's faces vanished completely.

My cousin frowned and quickly asked, "Take it back? What do you mean? Does it mean headquarters will take over operations and we're left to continue?"

Yang Hao quickly chimed in, "Yeah, Brother Lin, it's an upgrade in jurisdiction, but it won't interfere with our work, will it?"

Luo Peng, the most impatient of them all, immediately swore, his face full of resentment: "What's the point of even trying?! We finally managed to clean up this mess, and now orders are skyrocketing. Headquarters just steps in to take over—isn't that just picking up the pieces?"

I raised my hand to calm the restless crowd and said in a deep voice, "It's not a takeover of operations, it's headquarters taking over the entire site. From now on, we have no operational authority whatsoever. Headquarters will send someone to take over this afternoon."

"Depend on!"

Luo Peng instantly flew into a rage, shouting, "This is outrageous! How can there be such an unreasonable thing in the world!"

My cousin sighed heavily, his face extremely grim: "Yeah, Yezi, this is outrageous. We've been working ourselves to the bone for the past month, turning this once-promising garbage dump into a model, and they just turn around and try to reap the rewards?"

Everyone present was filled with righteous indignation, their eyes brimming with resentment and unwillingness, yet also with a deep sense of powerlessness.

I took a deep drag of my cigarette and slowly said, "There's nothing I can do. I fell into their trap from the very beginning. They schemed against me."

"So what do we do now? Did you agree to their terms?" my cousin immediately asked.

I nodded heavily, my tone filled with endless helplessness: "It's no use if I don't agree. They've already made all the preparations. Even if I resist to the end, they can still forcibly take back the station. We can't fight back at all."

Yang Hao, who was the most clear-headed, also spoke up with a bitter expression, saying, "Brother Lin is right. In the end, we're just outsourced agents, without even formal labor contracts. To put it bluntly, we're just temporary workers. Headquarters has absolute power and can take back the agency rights at any time without conditions."

"This is outright robbery! Blatant robbery!" Luo Peng roared through gritted teeth, his face flushed with anger.

"No way! We'll go to headquarters and cause a scene! We demand an explanation!"

"Don't be impulsive," his cousin quickly pulled him back. "What's the point of making a scene? It's a big company headquarters; they have all the rules and regulations. If we go there empty-handed, we'll definitely be the ones who suffer in the end. We might even get charged with causing trouble and thrown in the police station. Is it worth it?"

Luo Peng clenched his fists tightly, his face full of frustration: "Are we just going to accept this defeat and suffer this in silence?"

Yang Hao slumped his shoulders, his face full of dejection: "There's nothing we can do even if we don't admit it. The situation is what it is; we simply can't win."

My cousin looked at me, his voice filled with heartache and worry: "But Yezi, you invested hundreds of thousands of yuan in the early stages, and all of us worked hard for a month. Are we just going to let it all go down the drain?"

I gently shook my head, slightly alleviating everyone's despair: "The money wasn't wasted. I just got back to headquarters and had General Manager Gao return all my investment principal in full."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions softened slightly.

My cousin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "That's good, at least you still have some conscience."

I just sneered inwardly and didn't offer any further explanation.

Little did they know, I obtained this money by braving a honey trap.

If the other party had even a shred of conscience, they wouldn't have set up such a vicious scheme to wipe them out.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the doorway.