As an intern, I accidentally spilled a lunchbox because of the office "mean girl" (let's call her a "green tea"). She demanded I clean it up, telling me that someone with my lack of money and background was only fit to be a janitor. I agreed with her. Then, right in front of her, I called the boss to inform him that the rent for the office space would be increasing by 20% next month. When I first started this internship, I didn't even have time to be happy about running into an alum before she gave me a harsh lesson. On my very first day, she used her "senior intern" status to dump all her work on me. Ladies, is this even allowed? 1 In my senior year of college, I applied for an internship at a random company in my family's office building just to get the required internship certificate. I never expected to run into an office "mean girl" on my very first day. I thought my first day would be filled with welcoming colleagues and friendly managers. At the very least, a regular employee should have shown me the ropes. Instead, what awaited me was a thick stack of bidding documents. The person handing them to me was Chloe, the "it girl" of our department at college. She seemed to have started her internship here before me. At this moment, she lifted her chin, her lips curling into a condescending smile. "Mia, these bidding documents need to be done before you leave today. Make sure you finish them." I was stunned. Since when do interns have the authority to assign work to other interns? So, I went to the manager in charge of our department to ask about the feasibility of giving a brand-new intern such an urgent bidding document on her first day, and whether an intern even had the right to delegate tasks to another intern. I thought the manager would handle it reasonably. To my surprise, he barely glanced at me, looking annoyed. "If she asked you to do it, just do it. Interns need to prove themselves. Chloe is giving you an opportunity; you should be thanking her." I was completely speechless. I even started wondering if this company was actually viable. Will they even be able to pay the rent next month? But right now, I wasn't the landlord; I was an intern. I could only grit my teeth and leave the manager's office. As I walked past Chloe's desk, she was looking at me with a smug, gloating smile. I ignored her, hugged the documents, and hurried back to my desk to start working, terrified that if I was even a little slow, I wouldn't finish by the end of the day. "Why bother fighting with her? She's only been here a couple of weeks, and she's been throwing her weight around the whole time. The General Manager is her uncle. She's a nepo baby; we can't afford to mess with her," my colleague Jessica whispered, tugging at my sleeve. "We're all just here to earn a paycheck. There's no need to go up against management." I paused for a second. That's it? That's what counts as "management"? I didn't answer Jessica. I continued studying the bidding documents. Because it was my first time, there were many things I didn't understand. Fortunately, when I asked my other colleagues, they patiently explained things to me. "Wow, aren't you supposed to be top three in our major? You have the nerve to ask for help with such basic problems?" Chloe said sarcastically, filing her nails at her desk. I didn't hold back either. "Well, I should thank you for giving me this 'opportunity,' right?" Chloe clearly hesitated for a moment but quickly regained her smug expression. "Then you better work hard." I was so busy that day I didn't even have time for lunch. I barely managed to finish the bidding documents before quitting time. But when I handed them to Chloe, she casually tossed them aside and said flatly, "Just leave them there. I'll look at them tomorrow." With that, she grabbed her Louis Vuitton bag and sashayed out of the office. 2 "Just bear with it. Since she got here, she's already pushed out three other interns," Jessica sighed, standing behind me. "Did you see her outfit? That's worth several months of our salary." I watched Chloe's slender figure disappear and then looked down at my own custom-tailored, logo-less clothes. I strongly disagreed with Jessica's assessment. I expected Chloe to keep finding ways to make my life difficult in the following days. I even made up my mind that if she provoked me one more time, I would just throw my stuff down and quit. Surprisingly, she was very quiet over the next few days. Aside from occasionally making passive-aggressive comments about me being poor, she didn't do much else. One afternoon, I ordered takeout with some colleagues. I have a pretty big appetite, and one portion of rice wasn't enough. A few of the female colleagues who were dieting practically fought to give me the extra rice from their lunchboxes. I happily accepted, not wanting to waste food. "Lower-class people are really something else. Even for lunch, they have to scrounge for scraps from everyone else," Chloe sneered as she opened her expensive bento box, looking at me like I was something disgusting. "Lower-class? What, does that make you upper-class?" I put down my chopsticks and retorted with a cold smile. "At least I'm higher class than someone who has to beg for food from others. You're so young, yet you're always trying to take advantage. Are you really that desperate for a bite of rice?" Chloe's words were so harsh that the colleagues eating with us in the breakroom looked uncomfortable. Someone tried to stand up for me, but after a colleague tugged at their shirt, they stayed quiet. "It's a blessing to be able to eat food shared by others. Some people couldn't get it even if they wanted to. Would anyone even offer it to you?" I picked up a piece of radish, popped it into my mouth, and ate it with relish. I even hummed in satisfaction, praising how good the shared food tasted. "You're acting like a beggar, and you're proud of it," Chloe sneered, her nose practically wrinkling in disgust. She threw down that harsh remark, picked up her food, and left. Because of Chloe's blatant bullying, my colleagues started distancing themselves from me. Fewer and fewer people were willing to eat with me. Even Jessica, after Chloe dropped a vague hint—"Hanging out with someone as poor as Mia might ruin your career prospects"—stopped talking to me. But none of this bothered me much. I just wanted my internship certificate. I only needed to stick it out for a month to get it and leave this toxic environment, so I could endure it. I just didn't expect her to go so far as to sabotage the company just to mess with me. When the results of the bidding came out, the General Manager called me and my department manager into his office. The General Manager looked to be in his forties. He wore a suit but lacked the sharp look of a professional; instead, he had the classic paunch of a stereotypical boss. Standing next to him was Chloe. As soon as we walked in, we saw Chloe quickly straightening up from a bent position. The sound of us opening the door seemed to have flustered her. My eyes flickered. I wasn't entirely sure what I saw, but had the General Manager just moved his hand away from Chloe's waist? Weren't they supposed to be uncle and niece? Did I imagine it? "Why are the numbers in this bidding document wrong?" Before I could think further, the General Manager threw a bound document at my feet. I frowned and picked it up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing because I had personally double-checked every single number in that document. It was impossible for there to be an error. But strangely, when I flipped through it, the numbers were wrong. "Mr. Davis, Mia is new. It's inevitable she'd be a little careless. Please don't be too hard on her. If she loses this job, she probably won't even be able to afford food." Chloe smiled playfully, patting Mr. Davis on the shoulder. Her soft fingers lightly brushed against his suit collar in a way that felt strangely intimate. I kept frowning and didn't reply, trying to recall everything I did after finishing the document. "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you know how big of a mess you've made?" Mr. Davis slammed his hand on the desk and yelled, pointing right at my nose. "Our company was guaranteed to win this project! Because of the errors in your document, we lost the bid to a competitor. Do you have any idea how much money you just cost us?" "Mr. Davis, this isn't my document," I said calmly, placing the binder back on his desk. "Not yours? Then whose is it? Don't try to shift the blame." Mr. Davis narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them. I let out a cold laugh. "I prepared the document, but the numbers in the one I made were correct. As for why this version has the wrong numbers, you'll have to ask Chloe." "Mia, what are you talking about? The whole company knows you made this document. How can you have the nerve to blame me? And after I just pleaded for you!" Chloe glared at me, raising her voice. "Pleaded for me? I don't need it. This isn't even the version I gave you. You changed the numbers." "You... you must be joking. Why on earth would I change the numbers?" "That's a question for you. Why did you change my numbers?" Perhaps seeing that I wasn't intimidated, Chloe became increasingly agitated. "You're accusing me of changing the numbers. What proof do you have? You printed this document yourself and handed it to me." I scoffed. "It's true I printed it and gave it to you, but the next day, didn't you ask me for the digital copy?" "You did send me the digital copy, but I checked it today, and the numbers match the printed version. So, you made the mistake." Chloe put on a hurt, victimized expression. "Mia, I always thought you were a good person. I never expected you to falsely accuse me just to avoid responsibility." Hearing this, I actually laughed. I looked at Mr. Davis again. "So, she's claiming I got the numbers wrong, is that right?" "Mia, a mistake is a mistake. Don't try to blame your colleagues. Do you know the company could sue you for the losses you've caused?" Mr. Davis lowered his voice, adding a threatening tone. "Mr. Davis, you don't need to scare me. Let's set aside whether we lost the bid solely because of this document. Just the fact that you entrusted a crucial bidding document to an intern on her first day—do you think a judge would even entertain a lawsuit against me?" "Furthermore, she insists both the digital and printed versions I gave her had the wrong numbers. So, Chloe, did you actually read the email? When I sent you the document, I CC'd the department manager and the CEO." Mr. Davis seemed to have forgotten about this detail. He hurriedly opened his email and, sure enough, found the email I had sent ten days ago. "Who gave you permission to CC the CEO?" Mr. Davis seemed furious, his eyes bulging with anger. I smiled, a bright, cheerful smile. "Is there a rule against CC'ing the CEO? Mr. Davis, you might want to spend some time figuring out how you're going to explain to the CEO why the wrong version of the document was submitted." 3 When I left the General Manager's office, I wore a victorious smile, completely ignoring the venomous glares from the people behind me. In reality, regardless of whether that email existed or not, they had no legal grounds to pin the blame on a brand-new intern. However, the email's existence changed the dynamic entirely. Of course, I also knew I had severely offended those three. I really didn't understand where Chloe's malice toward me came from. I had heard she pushed out other interns, but her actions toward me seemed far more targeted than simple hazing. If someone more timid had faced this today, they probably would have panicked completely. I didn't have time to dwell on it and threw myself into my next tasks. With this incident as a warning, I knew I had to be much more careful. After lunch, Mrs. Jenkins, the cleaning lady, placed a container of fruit on my desk. "Eat up. You've been working so hard these past two days, you've lost weight." Before I could even thank her, Chloe's shrill voice came from behind me. "What is that smell? Did you dig that out of the trash?" I frowned and turned around. She had resumed her arrogant posture, dramatically pinching her nose. "Have you never seen grapes before? Does your family have to dig through the trash to find them?" I picked up a grape from the container and popped it into my mouth. It was sweet and crisp—my favorite, Shine Muscat grapes. "Who hasn't seen grapes? It's just funny that someone who begs for lunch scraps is suddenly acting high and mighty. You have to rely on a cleaning lady for handouts. Stuff from a cleaning lady obviously belongs in the trash." Chloe waved her hand in disgust. "Chloe, watch your mouth. Stop associating the cleaning staff with the trash," I said, my anger finally boiling over. I slammed the container down on the desk, the loud noise catching the attention of everyone in the office. "Am I wrong? Cleaners pick up trash. What's the problem? Of course, someone like you is only fit to associate with cleaners." As she spoke, she fanned the air around her and squeezed past us, swaying her hips. Could I hit her? Just as I couldn't resist the urge to step forward and pull her hair, Mrs. Jenkins grabbed my hand and shook her head. Knowing she didn't want me to cause trouble, I sighed, picked up the grapes, and decided to ignore that woman. "Come over to your great-aunt's house for dinner after work today. Your cousin is back; I'll have him pick you up," Mrs. Jenkins whispered, patting my head. That's right. The company's cleaning lady was my great-aunt. She was used to working hard when she was younger and couldn't stand being idle. So, she found a cleaning job in our family's office building. Not for the paycheck, but just to have something to do. Actually, the office building next door also belonged to our family, but because people there recognized her, she didn't work there and applied to this company instead. I chose this company specifically because she worked here. I nodded to show I understood. That afternoon, Chloe was either demanding we open the windows for ventilation or fanning herself, complaining that the office smelled like a dumpster. I just pretended I couldn't hear her and ignored her. But I didn't expect that the colleagues who were usually oppressed by her—and too afraid to fight back—would turn their frustration toward me. Some started slamming their mice impatiently. Others echoed Chloe: "Yeah, aren't you afraid of getting sick eating grapes from the trash?" "Exactly. That kind of stuff should be thrown away." Chloe smiled smugly. "Someone like her could never bear to throw anything away." Normally, their relationship with my great-aunt wasn't bad, but faced with Chloe's targeted attacks, they became bitter and mean. I gritted my teeth and put the grapes in my drawer. When it was time to leave, my colleagues didn't even want to share an elevator with me. Having the whole elevator to myself, I didn't care at all. I just felt the air in the elevator was much fresher than in the office. Downstairs, I immediately spotted Liam's Jaguar. He seemed to see me too and stepped out of the car. Just as I was about to walk over, I heard rushed footsteps behind me, followed by a hard bump against my shoulder. Chloe dashed past me, the impact not slowing her down at all. Her target was Liam. I raised an eyebrow and slowed my pace. "Liam! When did you get back?!" She smiled brightly, tilting her head up to look at him with a picture-perfect expression of serene adoration. The sight of the handsome guy and the pretty girl was actually quite pleasant. "Just got back." Liam frowned slightly, offering a curt three-word reply. "Oh! It's been so long. Do you want to grab dinner tonight?" She seemed completely oblivious to the rejection radiating from Liam, her smile remaining sweet as she took a step closer. "No, I'm here to pick up Mia." His gaze bypassed Chloe and landed on me, carrying a hint of reproach. I chuckled inwardly. So Chloe had a crush on him. Ignoring Chloe's resentful glare, I opened the passenger door and got in. Liam gave a distant "Excuse me," got in the car, and drove us away. "You guys know each other?" I asked, amused, looking at my cousin who was driving with a wooden expression. He seemed to search his memory before replying, "She confessed to me before I went abroad." My cousin is only two months older than me. He was the campus heartthrob at our university. Half a year ago, for some reason, he decided to do a study abroad program, and now he was back. We had always been close, and he looked out for me in college. But to avoid disrupting my peaceful college life, we never publicly disclosed our relationship. It was obvious he didn't have a good impression of Chloe. His lips were pressed into a tight line, and a slight crease formed between his brows. I pursed my lips and didn't ask any more questions about Chloe, instead asking him about his time abroad. The next day at work, the way my colleagues looked at me was a bit strange. Jessica even covertly tugged at my shirt and asked, "Was the guy who picked you up yesterday your boyfriend?" I shook my head. "That's my..." "Don't be ridiculous. How could Liam like her? Is Mia even in his league?" Chloe spoke up before me, her tone full of disdain but her eyes screaming jealousy. I was speechless. It's true he wasn't my boyfriend, but it definitely wasn't because I wasn't "in his league." "Oh, really? If I'm not in his league, who is? You?" I finally couldn't hold back my anger and let out a sarcastic laugh. To my surprise, the woman rolled her eyes at me. "I'm certainly a better match than you. Do you know what Liam's family does? Do you know that one of his outfits costs more than your entire four years of college tuition? Do you think a family like his would ever accept someone with your background? I'm different. My uncle is the General Manager here. Any random purse I own costs more than everything you're wearing combined, multiplied by ten. Who do you think is a better match for him?" Looking at her, decked out like a walking billboard for designer logos, I just found her ridiculous. "Right, you're a perfect match. It's just a shame you can't even get a ride in his car." "You... who knows what dirty tricks you used to get into Liam's car. Girls should have some self-respect. Aren't you afraid of being dumped and humiliated after scheming your way into a man's car?" Chloe gritted her teeth, her voice carrying across the room. The entire office heard her little speech. As a result, the looks my colleagues gave me were tinged with contempt. I took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in my heart and the urge to shove her head into the trash can. Finally, I let out a cold laugh, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear: "Do you know why the monk Fo Yin saw Buddha when he looked at Su Dongpo, but Su Dongpo saw a pile of dung when he looked at Fo Yin?" Chloe froze, not understanding the reference at all. However, a few other colleagues almost burst out laughing. I ignored her and went back to work. About ten minutes later, I heard someone yelling from the direction of the restroom: "Mia, you are dead meat!" Looks like... she finally figured it out. 4 That evening as we were getting off work, Chloe suddenly stood up and announced she was treating everyone to dinner. Everyone had to go; refusing meant disrespecting her. A few female colleagues with children had to pick them up after work. Being suddenly told they had to go to dinner put them in a difficult position, their faces showing their stress. I didn't want to go anyway, so I spoke up before they could. "I'm not going. I have plans." "Mia, you're already anti-social enough at work. I'm giving you a chance to bond with everyone, and you're refusing? Are you just unwilling to hang out with us? What, you're poor but still a snob?" I honestly didn't know how she concluded I was poor, or why she kept emphasizing it. I figured any girl with an average income, if told she was poor often enough, would probably start believing it herself. "I'm not going because I have plans. What does that have to do with being a snob?" I frowned, already very annoyed. "Are you the only one with plans? Look at Sarah and the others, they have kids at home. Did they make excuses?" Chloe's self-righteous attitude was truly obnoxious. "Yeah, Mia, you're being too aloof. If those of us with kids can make it, why can't you?" Sarah chimed in, trying to persuade me. I had only spoken up because I saw they were uncomfortable refusing. Since they were now acting like they genuinely wanted to go, I didn't have any strong objections. The place Chloe took us to was an upscale restaurant near the office, the kind that costs hundreds of dollars per person. For regular employees at our company, it was definitely a place they'd be reluctant to spend their own money on. Let alone the fact that we were seated directly in a private dining room. Everyone bent over backward praising Chloe, saying how it truly showed she was wealthy to eat at a place like this. "She's not just regular wealthy. Do you guys know this restaurant? Normal people can't even get a private room; you have to be a VIP. And to become a VIP here, you have to load at least ten thousand dollars onto a membership card upfront." Sarah's eyes sparkled as she looked around, reading aloud the information she had just Googled about the restaurant. Instantly, the admiration for Chloe in the room skyrocketed. Chloe's smile was exceptionally radiant. "It's just a VIP card, it's not that big of a deal." As if she truly didn't care about the ten thousand dollars. I sat in the corner, not saying a word, just hoping we'd finish eating soon so I could go home and rest. The waiter came in to take our order. Chloe casually ordered a few dishes, then passed the menu to the person next to her, telling everyone to order whatever they liked. They looked at the menu and, seeing the prices, were hesitant to order anything. Finally, a few of the male colleagues stepped up and ordered two dishes. Chloe eventually placed the menu in my hands. "Mia, don't say I didn't treat you right. Order whatever you want. After all, this might be the only time in your life you'll ever eat at a place like this." I took the menu but didn't open it. I just looked up at the waiter and said, "I'll have the hot and sour shredded potatoes. Hold the vinegar." Everyone in the room froze, their eyes even carrying a hint of mockery. Chloe burst out laughing. "Mia, do you think this is some cheap takeout joint? We don't have something as low-class as hot and sour shredded potatoes on this menu." I shrugged. "If that's the case, never mind. I'm good." She sneered and flipped open the drink menu. "What do you want to drink?" Everyone knew the drinks here were expensive, so they declined, saying whatever she ordered was fine. Chloe raised an eyebrow triumphantly and shot another malicious look my way. "Mia, since you couldn't find anything to eat earlier, why don't you pick the drinks?" "I'll just take a Budweiser," I said without batting an eye, not even reaching for the drink menu she held out. This time, my colleagues finally couldn't hold back their laughter. The one laughing the loudest was, naturally, Chloe. She clutched her stomach, practically bent over. "Mia, you've never been to a high-end restaurant, so you probably don't know. Places like this don't sell Budweiser. Forget it, you wouldn't know what to order anyway. I'll do it." I didn't care at all. "Is that so? Well, thank you for showing me the world." The waiter glanced at me but said nothing. After taking Chloe's drink order, he left the room. The food came out quickly here, and soon the waiters were filling the table with delicacies. My colleagues kept marveling at how different the food at high-end restaurants was, snapping photos non-stop. Even the male colleagues couldn't resist pulling out their phones. I was the only one not doing anything. Until a waiter walked in holding a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes and a bottle of Budweiser, respectfully placing them right in front of me. Everyone was stunned. The room fell completely silent. I could even hear someone gasp. "This... we didn't order this," Chloe said in a panic. She hadn't seen these items on the food or drink menus! "This is complimentary from the house for this lady," the waiter replied, looking up with a professional smile. Without waiting for Chloe's reaction, he turned and left the room. I sighed inwardly. It seemed I had been recognized. This restaurant belonged to my uncle, and my family often had gatherings here. I thought keeping a low profile would keep me unrecognized, but the waiter had a sharp eye. Because of these two items, an eerie silence settled over the room, the atmosphere incredibly awkward. I was the only one casually eating my hot and sour shredded potatoes. "Mia, you... what's your relationship with this restaurant?" Sarah cleared her throat, asking on behalf of everyone. I swallowed my food and took a slow sip of the ice-cold Budweiser. It was refreshing. "I don't have any relationship with this restaurant." I just have a relationship with the owner. Then, I smiled brightly at Chloe. "I really thought they didn't have shredded potatoes and Budweiser here, but it turns out they do!" Chloe's face visibly darkened, and eventually, she could only force an awkward laugh and invite everyone to eat. I smiled and didn't continue the topic, instead quietly eating my food. At the table, everyone was still very enthusiastic toward Chloe, but their attitude toward me had noticeably softened. This made Chloe's expression increasingly sour; she barely made it to the end of the dinner. Leaving the restaurant, Chloe maintained a polite smile, but her initial smugness was gone. Some colleagues called designated drivers, others hailed Ubers. I looked around, spotted a public bike, and prepared to ride it back, since I lived close by. As I pushed the bike in front of everyone to say goodbye. I clearly saw Chloe's eyes light up. "Mia, you... you're riding a public bike home?" She purposefully raised her voice, acting like she had just witnessed something scandalous. "Can you really not even afford an Uber?" I nodded. "I live close by; there's no need for an Uber." "Close by? Mia, if you're going to lie, shouldn't you at least do some research first? This isn't the slums. How could you possibly afford to live around here?" At this, my colleagues all looked at me, their eyes clearly agreeing with Chloe. "Actually, there are some residential areas nearby. Maybe Mia really does live close," Jessica chimed in, probably feeling awkward for me and speaking up in my defense for once. "Ha, the residential areas nearby? Jessica, you're as poor as Mia, so you probably don't know, but do you have any idea how expensive the housing is around here? It's not a place someone who rides a public bike can afford." Chloe sneered dismissively and casually unlocked her BMW. "Does anyone need a ride?" Immediately, a few of the younger girls behind her raised their hands. "That would be great, thank you, Chloe. You're the best." As the BMW drove away, I clearly saw the contemptuous look Chloe shot me through the window. I was speechless that one sentence from me could elicit such disgust from her. "Mia, are you... are you really going to ride that bike home? It'll take forever, won't it?" Jessica looked at me with concern. "Why don't we split an Uber?" "No thanks, I really don't live far. I don't need a ride."
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