E-Ladies: Navigating the Wired World
Chapter 173: Episode 173: Mishap at the Annual Summary Meeting 3

Chapter 173: Episode 173: Mishap at the Annual Summary Meeting 3

No one knows what got into Zhang Yongzhong’s head, but instead of delivering his lines slowly, he sang them to the tune of Carmen right away.

But, you have to admit, the singing actually had a good response. Unexpectedly, the guy had some serious pipes, though not a single note was on key.

The audience below burst into hearty laughter, and his former employees started chanting, "Old Cicada is the bomb! Long live the new queen of drag!"

Hearing the catcalls from the crowd, he got even more energized, adding his own impromptu mix of singing and dancing, completely forgetting to invite the seven dwarfs on stage.

It was only when he forgot the rest of the script that he remembered to call Li Jin and the others on stage to perform with him.

Despite the performance being full of mishaps, with people losing their hats or accidentally stepping on Zhang Yongzhong’s dress, and him even dropping his wig on the floor, it was still a riot.

Still, it was hilarious, and the people in the audience were wiping away tears of laughter. It felt as if no later act, however more exaggerated or entertaining, could ever top Snow White and the seven dwarfs for amusement.

After the performance, everyone returned to their seats in the audience.

"How was it? Not bad, right?" Zhang Yongzhong boasted about his performance as soon as he came over.

"Great, spectacular. Everyone was laughing till they cried," Zhou Xueyin said, laughing uncontrollably herself.

"The raffle’s up next. Let’s see who’s got the luck!" Zhang Yongzhong took off his wig and threw it aside, then carelessly stripped off his costume and tossed it onto the seat.

The golden curls that were smooth as silk before now resembled a clump of straw. Ji Xiaoxi would probably dump this sorry mess straight into the trash.

Luckily, Yao Shanshan hadn’t put much effort into making the costume; it was just a simple stitching together of satin to make something that roughly resembled an outfit. Otherwise, she would be upset to see it now resembling a rag.

The subsequent raffle was a bust for everyone, but it was only the smallest prizes after all, so no one really cared and everyone laughed it off.

"Yinyin, why didn’t you take part in the company’s performance just now?" During the intermission, Wei Jingzhu found Zhou Xueyin and sat beside her.

"I didn’t want to be in it. I can’t even get the final payments sorted out, let alone participate in a performance. Give me a break..." Zhou Xueyin shook her head weakly, "What about you? Didn’t you put together an act with your team or something?"

"We did. We organized an anime song medley—me, Donna, old Zhao, Guozi, the few of us. But we got cut... Hehehe, maybe none of us are really good at singing," Wei Jingzhu said with an embarrassed smile.

"It’s the participation that counts... Let me tell you, they held up nearly a month of work for that act. Overworking every day, and while the comedic effect wasn’t too bad..."

Zhou Xueyin sounded regretful for not participating, but her expression was complicated, as if despite the collective activity, she felt left out and somewhat disappointed for not being a part of it.

"Hey, as long as the effect was good. Next year, you lead them in participating," Wei Jingzhu consoled her.

"We’ll see, haha..." If Zhang Yongzhong was still the vice general manager next year, Zhou Xueyin might consider running away.

Afterwards, the two of them sat and continued to watch the show, swapping criticisms about the various acts.

The second round of the lottery draw had Wei Jingzhu winning 1000 yuan. Similarly, Kang Siyin and Yao Shanshan also won this 1000 yuan.

The event continued, and the amounts in the prize draw kept increasing.

Jixiang, true to her auspicious name, was the lucky winner of the first prize—a laptop computer. And the grand prize, an iPhone 3G, was won by the newcomer Yang Xiyuan, proving that new employees really do have great luck.

Of course, the event’s results, while 51Buy’s Snow White hadn’t won the first prize, did manage to secure the most unexpected award, and the team also got a bonus of 1500 yuan.

Zhang Yongzhong said he would take care of this money and use it for the company’s small summary meeting, and the others, too indifferent to object, agreed.

After the company’s summary meeting, Zhang Yongzhong organized a small internal summary meeting, which he held in the large private room of a KTV.

This arrangement was no different from the places where Zhou Xueyin and the others had held their meetings every year. Those who wanted to sing could sing, those who wanted to enjoy the buffet could eat to their heart’s content, and everyone could have a good time.

But today, with Zhang Yongzhong there, there was something off about the atmosphere, as if people couldn’t quite relax.

"I say, don’t be so tense, this time we came here, and I just used that 1500 yuan. Just have a blast and no need to be so formal! Come on, let’s drink!" Zhang Yongzhong popped open a stack of beers and handed one to each person.

"No no, it’s not that we’re too formal, it’s just that I’m worried that if we let loose, you won’t be able to handle it..." Zhou Xueyin was well aware of how she became when drunk and knew their capacity for drinking, so she was essentially giving him a heads up.

However, Zhang Yongzhong didn’t seem to care and sat down next to Jixiang with a beer bottle in hand, "Jixiang, you’ve worked hard this year, keep it up next year! Expand more clients, and go out with me to meet golden clients too!"

While he said this, his hands were restless, patting her shoulder, and then trying to pull her into his embrace.

"You don’t need to worry about that, Boss Chan, I’ll follow Zhou Xueyin’s instructions closely!" Jixiang promptly stood up and sat between Zhou Xueyin and Kang Siyin.

Seeing Jixiang unwilling to engage with him, Zhang Yongzhong, aware of his blunder, didn’t pursue her but instead settled for inviting Zhang Jingwan to compete in drinking.

Just drinking would have been fine, but his hands remained restless, patting the girl’s shoulders and then moving to her thighs.

It was unclear whether Zhang Jingwan was truly lackadaisical or just accustomed to it, but she seemed indifferent to Zhang Yongzhong’s advances, until Zhao Caiyun couldn’t stand it anymore and directly pulled Zhang Jingwan away to sing.

Zhang Yongzhong realized he had made a fool of himself, understanding that the ladies of 51Buy were solidly united, not giving him any opportunity to isolate anyone, so he secluded himself in a corner.

Toward the end, Zhang Yongzhong paused the music and took the microphone, appearing to be somewhat drunk, "I know, you all are united, and you don’t like having male staff in the company, but what can I do? The company appointed me as the deputy general manager, so I had to come! If I didn’t, I would be going back home to farm! So, can you treat me a bit nicer, please?"

When he saw no one responding, he continued, "Be nicer to me, and I can manage to give out two more gifts as prizes! Didn’t the group give away an Apple 3G phone in the lottery? We will too! They gave away one, we’ll give away two!"

Upon hearing Zhang Yongzhong say this, everyone perked up, "Brother Yong is mighty! Boss Chan rocks!" A room full of girls, without caring for their image, cheered rowdily.

In the end, Zhang Yongzhong chose the winners of the big prizes with the most primitive method—"bride bouquet toss"—and the winners were Zhang Jingwan and Sun Miao.