Chapter 1 I was doom-scrolling during work hours when I stumbled upon a viral post. The title was clickbait gold: [Gen Z Intern Exposes the 'Best' Company for Being a Lie] The description sounded suspiciously familiar. I frowned. Just that morning, I had called a meeting to ask if anyone had suggestions about our benefits package. Our new intern, Harper Lin, stood up and said, "I think our benefits are still lacking. If we really want to be an 'employee-first' company, you should provide free meals and housing, and a daily chauffeur service for our commutes." I already provided a housing and transportation stipend that totaled over $800 a month. That was more than enough to cover rent and a subway pass in this city. So, I rejected her request but offered a compromise: employees could choose between company-provided housing or keeping the stipend. I asked them to discuss it amongst themselves and give me a unified decision. I didn't expect the post to go up that very night. [Update: The boss got triggered and is cancelling the housing stipend. Avoid 'Firefly Inc.' like the plague, guys.] Seeing the name "Firefly," I knew for sure. The poster was Harper Lin. I named the company Firefly. The comments were already flooding in. [Whoa! Firefly? That's the company everyone wants to join! I heard they have a four-day work week!] Harper replied: [You're so naive. Four-day work week just means you work until midnight every day to make up for it.] [No way! Firefly is famous for great perks. My company gives me $50 for travel, I heard Firefly gives like $500.] Harper argued: [But think about it, what if you live far away? $500 seems like a lot, but it can't buy back your wasted time!] The commenter was swayed instantly. Another comment popped up: [I heard a rumor that the owner of Firefly is some rich heiress just playing business owner for fun.] I don't know where they heard that, but they weren't wrong. My family is rich. Stupid rich. I could lay in bed and do nothing for ten lifetimes and still not run out of money. I started this company out of sheer boredom. Honestly, I never planned on becoming a corporate giant. I just wanted to create a humane workplace. So, I made the benefits insane. Work two days, rest one day. Then work two days, rest two days. Basically a four-day work week. Housing and travel stipends totaling over $800. If anyone had trouble with rent, they could get an advance on the stipend. Whenever I craved bubble tea or fancy pastries, the whole office got some too. Bonuses for holidays and birthdays were a given. I enjoyed giving gifts more than the actual work. So, even if my employees did absolutely nothing, I could afford to keep them. But because the benefits were so good, the staff felt guilty. To repay me, they worked harder. Three years in, not only was I not losing money, I was actually turning a profit. Even my family was surprised. That's why I kept it going. But the internet didn't see it that way. The comments under the "heiress" rumor turned nasty. [So she's a rich girl? No wonder she can't manage a company. Probably just LARPing as a CEO.] [The only reason this place hasn't gone under is probably daddy's money.] [Weird how no employees ever brag about this place online. Is the 'good benefits' thing even real?] [The commenter above nailed it. Working for a place like this is scary. Piss off the princess and you'll probably never work in this town again.] I smirked, speechless. Has it ever occurred to them that my employees don't brag because they don't want the competition? My turnover rate is practically zero. In three years, I can count the number of people who quit on one hand. I didn't comment. I just forwarded the post to the company group chat. Let's see how Harper reacts. Chapter 2 After I sent the link, the group chat was dead silent for thirty minutes. The first reply came from Harper herself. [Yeah, I posted it. So what? I was just raising a reasonable discussion!] Raising a discussion is fine. Spreading lies is not. I didn't bother arguing. I just sent one message: [Meeting tomorrow at 9 AM. We're settling this once and for all.] I thought I was clear yesterday. I wasn't against company housing. I just wanted them to discuss it and give me a unified answer. Who knew they'd have so many opinions? And I noticed something subtle—even though the other employees didn't speak up in the chat, the silence spoke volumes. They were wavering. I knew them well. They loved the company culture, and they liked me. Before this, they would have responded to anything I posted immediately. It seemed Harper hadn't just been complaining online; she'd been sowing discord in the office too. And it worked. The next morning, when I walked into the conference room, everyone was already there. The atmosphere was heavy. I walked to the front, leaned on the table, and before I could speak, a voice rang out. "So, boss, have you figured out how to solve this?" It was Harper, looking at me with pure arrogance. I couldn't tell if she was just young and reckless, or deliberately trying to sabotage the company. I ignored her and turned to the rest of the staff. "What do you all think?" Silence stretched for a few seconds before one of the senior employees spoke up. "Boss, actually, I think company housing would be more convenient. Harper is young, but she has a point." "We hadn't thought about it before, but since she brought it up, I support it." I nodded. I remembered when I hired her. She was a career woman who had taken a break for family reasons and struggled to re-enter the workforce. I gave her a chance. For three years, she had been diligent and grateful. This was the first time she had ever raised an issue. Then another employee chimed in. "Yeah! My landlord kicked me out last month and I had to scramble to find a place. If the company provided housing, that wouldn't happen." Once the dam broke, everyone started talking. "I agree. We wouldn't have to worry about rent and could focus on work!" As they spoke, I could feel Harper's smugness radiating off her. When everyone had their say, two quiet girls in the corner stood up. "Boss, we don't have an opinion. We're happy with whatever the company decides." They joined last year. Introverted, struggled to find jobs. They weren't good at expressing themselves, but their messages to me were always full of gratitude. Hearing them now, the disappointment in my heart eased a little. But before I could respond, Harper cut in. "Are you two stupid? We're fighting for our rights here! Unbelievable!" I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her. She was a fresh grad. A week ago in her interview, she seemed so polite. Now the mask was off. I smirked and said calmly: "Since you've all reached a consensus, starting next month, we will switch to company-provided housing and a shuttle service. The housing and travel stipend will be cancelled." I gave them exactly what they asked for. But hearing this, their faces fell. Chapter 3 "If there's nothing else, meeting adjourned." I waited two seconds. Silence. I turned to leave. "Boss, what do you mean? Are you threatening us by cancelling the stipend?" Harper's voice stopped me at the door. I looked back, genuinely confused. "Where did you get that idea?" "If you're not threatening us, why cancel the stipend?" she demanded. I blinked. "Didn't you ask for company housing?" "Just because we get housing, you're taking away the money? Aren't you a rich heiress? Why are you being so cheap!" Hearing the accusation in her tone, I almost laughed. If I didn't understand what was happening now, I'd be an idiot. I glanced around the room. Everyone else had the same look of agreement on their faces. So, that was it. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They wanted the $800 cash stipend and free housing and transport. Where in the world does a job like that exist? If they didn't respect me, I had no reason to spoil them. I grew up never wanting for anything. My parents never let me suffer. Now I'm the boss, and I have to look at my employees' sour faces because I'm not giving them free money on top of free rent? I threw the contract in my hand onto the table. "You want free housing, free rides, and the cash? Are you naive, or do you think I'm stupid?" "You've worked at other places. Tell me, which company has better benefits than mine? And now you're letting an intern play you like fiddles? It's laughable." Seeing my anger, the guilt finally showed on their faces. I had been too nice. They thought I had no temper. No one dared to speak, except Harper. She was clearly not afraid of consequences. "It's just $800! Is this necessary? You don't need the money anyway!" "Or is your 'rich heiress' identity fake?" I didn't understand where her malice came from. But I wasn't going to investigate. Whether she was just young and dumb, or jealous, she didn't matter to me. I didn't need her approval, and I certainly didn't need to explain myself. I looked her dead in the eye. "Since none of you are genuinely trying to improve benefits, this discussion is over. Everything stays as it is. And I'm not accepting any more requests." Then I turned my gaze specifically to Harper. "Instead of wasting time stirring up trouble, maybe focus on passing your probation. If you don't pass, none of these benefits will matter to you." I don't fire people lightly, but she was now on my blacklist. She seemed to catch my drift, her face turning ugly. I sneered internally and addressed the rest of the room. "If you're unhappy with the benefits here, feel free to resign and find a better place. I won't stop you." "But if you want to keep stirring up drama in my company, don't blame me for being unpolite." No one dared to stop me as I left. By the end of the day, no one had resigned. I went home, thinking it was over. But that night, I checked the post again. Harper had updated. [LMAO what rich heiress? She's just a mistress being kept by a sugar daddy! No wonder she's so stingy, guess daddy isn't paying enough!] Chapter 4 I zoomed in on the attached photo. It was my dad picking me up from work today. Only my back was visible, but my dad's face was clear. It was obviously a sneak shot. The comments section exploded with attacks. [That guy is old enough to be her dad! Morals are dead. Mistresses are opening companies now? Anyone know who the wife is?] [I know him! That's the CEO of Sun Group! I'm going to tag their official account!] [Disgusting. If I were the wife, I'd destroy her.] There were a few voices of reason. [Don't spread rumors. What if that actually IS her dad? Didn't people say she was a rich heiress?] Harper immediately attacked the sensible commenter. [Why are you defending her? Are you a mistress too?] [I'm not making this up. I searched online. Sun Group's CEO is named Lin. Our boss is named Shen!] I laughed out loud. She did her homework, but she missed a spot. Yes, the CEO of Sun Group is named Lin. That's my dad. But the Chairman of the Board is named Shen. That's my mom. My dad took my mom's last name when they married. He works for her. I didn't bother explaining in the thread. I forwarded the post to my lawyer. [Send a cease and desist letter to everyone slandering me in this thread. Including Harper Lin.] I hate trouble. I prefer simple, brutal solutions. But before my lawyer could even send the letters, they tried to strike first. The next morning, my inbox was flooded with resignation letters. All of them had the exact same reason copy-pasted. They were organized. They thought this would scare me? Cute. I chuckled and checked the group chat. People were tagging me. [Boss, please approve my resignation. Thanks.] [Mine too.] I took a screenshot of my inbox and sent it to the group. [Harper convinced all of you to quit, but she hasn't sent her own letter yet.] The chat went dead silent. A moment later, Harper typed: [My internet was just lagging!] A second later, her resignation letter hit my inbox. I nodded in satisfaction. If they wanted to play as a team, they could leave as a team. I didn't approve the requests immediately. Instead, I called the two girls who hadn't joined the mutiny into my office. For an hour, no one knew what we discussed. When they left my office, I heard the others pounce on them. "Zhang Ling, what did she say? Did she ask you to convince us to stay?" Before Zhang Ling could answer, Harper chimed in. "Obviously! She thinks the company can run with just two employees?" Zhang Ling just said one thing. "You guys are going to regret this." Laughter erupted outside. I opened the door and walked out. The laughter died instantly. I scanned the room. "Everyone to the conference room." Seeing their smug faces, I couldn't help but smile. "I didn't approve your resignations yet because we need to settle your final pay." "So, once your salary is calculated, I'll approve your resignation. Let's begin."
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