第一章 突如其来的变故

"Finish the quarterly report, can't you?" The angry voice of the department head shattered the calm of the office. It was the fifth time this week that Xiao Chen had been pulled into the office for this reason. He was barely scratching the surface of the report, and every time he presented his findings to Manager Li, he was greeted with sarcastic remarks and blame. "Manager Li, I know it's tight, but could we push the deadline to next week?" Xiao Chen pleaded, his palms sweating. "Next week? Xiao Chen, you're a professional. Don't blame me when your superiors ask why your department is always lagging behind," Manager Li retorted, his eyes narrowing. Xiao Chen's heart sank. He knew Manager Li wasn't just talking; this was a setup. Ever since Xiao Chen started working at this company, he had been the butt of everyone's jokes. The tasks were always the most difficult, and the deadlines the tightest. But today, things were escalating. This was no ordinary report; it was the biggest project of the year. If Xiao Chen failed, his career here was finished.