The manager adjusted his tie, smiling, "Sir, you might not know, Xiao Yang is just our summer intern, not even a salesperson. Her daily job is to distribute flyers for our store."
"Today is her last day; she already finished her paperwork this morning."
"Calculating her sales performance would be troublesome. Plus, she won't be here to provide after-sales service for you."
Each word seemed reasonable, but it was clearly a case of stealing credit.
Xu Bin didn't want to get involved, but seeing the girl named Xiao Yang's resigned expression, he felt a surge of anger. He looked at the manager with disdain, glanced at the business card, and sneered, "Mr. Zhu, right?"
"Yes!"
Mr. Zhu stood up straight, "I can introduce other products from our flagship store to you, sir."
Just then, Yang Siyu mustered her courage, took a deep breath, and said, "Mr. Zhu, I'm not part of your team. My internship ends today, but my sales performance still counts towards my team leader's quota."
"Both my team leader and I have sales targets. She's off today, so you're taking credit for my sales?"
Mr. Zhu scoffed, "Yang Siyu, know your place. You're just an intern, not a salesperson. You're overstepping your bounds."
"Besides, your internship ended yesterday, and you're no longer an employee of this store. You can't make sales here."
Yang Siyu bit her lip, her voice trembling, "But you asked me to stay and help out today. I didn't take any pay for this, so you can't treat me like this."
Xu Bin found this amusing. He didn't need to be part of any elite circle to see the power struggles in small companies. He liked this girl, Yang Siyu.
Last time he visited, he was dressed casually, and the other salespeople ignored him. Only Yang Siyu greeted him warmly, which he appreciated.
"Then go find your team leader. She's the one who broke the rules."
Mr. Zhu sneered, "Who told you to stay? Do you have proof?"
Several salespeople gathered around, clearly siding with Mr. Zhu.
"Yang Siyu, just let it go. You're leaving anyway, why bother?"
"Exactly, the sales won't count towards you, and it's not much money. Why argue?"
"You're just an intern, not a regular employee. You're overreacting."
"Maybe you're just trying to impress the rich guy."
Yang Siyu's eyes welled up with tears as she was surrounded and attacked from all sides. She looked hesitant, ready to back down.
Mr. Zhu smirked, "You're no longer an employee, so get out."
Turning to Xu Bin, he said, "Sorry, sir. We need to handle this internally. Please add me on WeChat and save my number. I'll provide you with the best service."
"A summer intern causing trouble is unacceptable. We need some time to handle this."
Xu Bin frowned, "Can your supervisor come back?"
"I, I don't know!"
"Call her now."
Yang Siyu fumbled with her phone, her voice shaking as she called her supervisor.
"Um, Team Leader Zhang, where are you… can you come back? I have something urgent to discuss."
After the call, Yang Siyu looked embarrassed and lowered her head.
Mr. Zhu laughed coldly, "She's just a small-time supervisor, thinking she can boss me around."
"Take off your name tag and uniform, and leave."
"When will I get my pay?"
Yang Siyu asked through gritted teeth.
"Pay? What pay?"
Mr. Zhu chuckled, "We don't hire temporary workers or interns."
"You can't treat people like this!"
Yang Siyu's eyes filled with tears, "You said you needed help with sales, and I stayed. Now you're saying I never worked here?"
"Where's the evidence? Did we sign a contract?"
Mr. Zhu sneered, "Our employee records don't include you. As for the flyer distribution, you were paid for that."
"But I worked all month for that!"
Yang Siyu's tears spilled over, "You said interns don't need contracts, so why are you going back on your word now?"
"Enough, don't make a scene."
Mr. Zhu huffed, "You don't know where you are. Keep causing trouble, and I'll have security throw you out."
"Now I get it. You're a fake, stealing an intern's hard-earned money."
Xu Bin finally spoke up, mocking him.
Mr. Zhu's expression changed, and he retorted, "Don't spread rumors. Say she worked here, show me the evidence."
"Evidence will be provided."
Xu Bin took out his phone and made a call, speaking in English, "David, you heard that? A boring dispute."
"I'll be there in five minutes. I've already parked the car."
The call ended, and Mr. Zhu asked, confused, "Who was that?"
Xu Bin didn't respond, pulling Yang Siyu aside and patting her back comfortingly, "Don't cry. Today, you'll get every penny you deserve."
Looking up, he sneered, "Power is in the present. Places like yours usually ignore formal complaints. But there's always someone who can keep you in check."
"You…"
Mr. Zhu had a bad feeling.
Just then, a muscular, bald, blue-eyed foreigner stormed in, dressed sharply but cursing, "Fuck…"
Mr. Zhu's head spun, his voice shaking, "D-David, Mr. David."