From Dropout to Housemaid-The Upper Crust's Favorite - Chapter 4 - Manager Liu's Contribution to the Severance Pay

Jiang Xianyu’s words seemed to ease the tension in the room. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Jiang Yuan awkwardly sat back down, realizing there was nothing more he could say.

Carrying her belongings, Jiang Xianyu made her way toward the HR department. She walked at a steady pace, not in a hurry, which gave Manager Liu enough time to catch up with her once he came to his senses.

The HR department was on the second floor, and the two of them found themselves standing by the elevator. Seeing that no one else was around, Manager Liu softened his tone.

“Manager Jiang, you’re still young, and it’s normal to act on impulse sometimes. I’ll admit, I was a bit hasty earlier, but my intentions were for the good of the company. I value your abilities, and I know you’re the best person to handle the Qingyuan case. That’s why I wanted you to take charge.”

“Of course, if you successfully close the deal, the credit will be all yours. No one can take that away from you.”

“There’s no need to escalate things to the point of resigning over such a trivial matter. Think about your family. In our industry, it’s rare for someone to rise to a VP position in just three years like you have. Your future is bright. Why let a moment of frustration derail it?”

Jiang Xianyu listened but didn’t respond to his reasoning. Instead, she calmly asked, “Manager Liu, did Feng Ming’s gift suit your taste?”

Manager Liu’s face turned pale. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, lowering his voice. “What are you implying?”

Jiang Xianyu shook off his grip, her expression cold. “Since you’re the one who told me to leave, I’m simply following your orders. This way, everyone wins, wouldn’t you agree?”

“But if you don’t let me leave as I wish, I can’t promise that news of you accepting gifts won’t end up on the desks of the higher-ups.”

“You know, my resignation requires approval from the top. I’ll have to meet with the senior leadership.”

As she finished speaking, her gaze drifted meaningfully toward Manager Liu’s pocket, where his phone was tucked away.

Manager Liu’s eyes darted nervously, and he said nothing more.

The elevator arrived. Jiang Xianyu stepped inside, placing her box on the floor. Just before the doors closed, she pulled out her phone and waved it in front of Manager Liu.

“Manager Liu, recording conversations is something I’m quite skilled at. I trust you wouldn’t resort to malicious editing, would you? I’m already planning to leave this industry, but you still have a bright future ahead in investment banking, don’t you?”

Jiang Xianyu thought to herself, “What do I have to lose? I’m already on my way out. Let’s see if he dares to risk his hard-earned position and start over in a new field.”

The truth was, Manager Liu didn’t even have the authority to fire her. Given her current position, any termination would require approval from the MD.

When Jiang Xianyu reached the HR department, she was informed that one of the senior leaders wanted to see her. The leader in question was Manager Hua, the MD of Huayuan Venture Capital.

She left her belongings at the HR department for the time being. They were just personal office items, nothing of great importance.

Taking a deep breath, she stood outside Manager Hua’s office and knocked before entering.

Manager Hua greeted her with a warm smile. “Xiao Jiang, you’re here. Please, have a seat.”

He gestured for his assistant to prepare two cups of coffee, clearly intending to have a serious conversation.

Sitting across from her on the sofa, Manager Hua began with a string of compliments. “Xiao Jiang, ever since you joined our company, I’ve had high hopes for you. You’re diligent, hardworking, and resilient. Among your cohort, your performance has been the best, and you’ve risen through the ranks faster than anyone else.”

Jiang Xianyu didn’t respond directly. She simply said, “Thank you for your recognition, Manager Hua.”

The fact that he had summoned her the moment she arrived at HR meant he clearly had his informants. But where was this concern when Liu Tianquan was bullying her? Now that she was serious about resigning, he decided to step in with some belated words of wisdom. She couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.

His words sounded nice, but for the past eight years, she had been stuck at the VP position without any further promotion. Wasn’t his indifference and tacit approval part of the reason? She didn’t expect him to actively support her, but with her performance, she could have easily reached the ED position within eleven years. Yet, while her peers-some with less capability-had climbed higher, she remained stagnant as a VP.

The brilliance of her early career only made the stagnation of her later years all the more ironic.

Manager Hua didn’t seem to mind her lack of enthusiasm. He continued, “At your age, this is the prime time to work hard. Why throw away such a promising future over a few words from Liu Tianquan?”

“How about this? I’ll call Old Liu in later and give him a proper scolding. What he did was out of line.”

Jiang Xianyu replied, “Thank you for standing up for me, Manager Hua, but there’s no need. I’ve already made up my mind.”

A “proper scolding” was nothing more than a polite gesture. The rift between her and Liu Tianquan was irreparable. If she stayed, she’d still be working under him, and it would be all too easy for him to make her life miserable. She had no intention of enduring such a high-strung existence any longer.

She couldn’t leave before, but now she had come to a realization-living well was what truly mattered.

Manager Hua studied her for a moment before letting out a sigh. “You’re really set on this?”

“Yes, Manager Hua.”

Disappointment flickered across his face as he shook his head. “If that’s the case, I won’t say more. But if you ever change your mind, we’ll always welcome you back.”

He then called for his assistant. “Inform HR to calculate Manager Jiang’s salary and severance package, including her performance bonus. Add an extra month’s compensation as a personal gesture from me. Make sure everything is processed promptly-no delays.”

After giving these instructions, he turned back to Jiang Xianyu. “Even though you’re leaving, don’t distance yourself from the company. Make sure to hand over your projects properly and say goodbye to your colleagues.”

Jiang Xianyu understood the subtext of his words. She smiled and said, “Thank you for the reminder, Manager Hua. I’ve already placed all the files for my projects in the office while packing up. My colleagues know how to reach me if they have any questions. But just to be thorough, I’ll go over everything with the team again to ensure there are no issues.”

Manager Hua chuckled. “Good. I trust you. Don’t worry-no one will take credit for the work your team has done.”

“Thank you, Manager Hua. I’ll take my leave now.”

Once Jiang Xianyu left the office, Manager Hua’s expression darkened.

“That little girl… Let’s see how long she lasts out there. I’ll be waiting for the day she comes crawling back.”

Did she really think the outside world was easy? Without the capital circle, someone her age and experience wouldn’t find it easy to earn the kind of salary she had now.

People often don’t appreciate what they have until they’ve lost it. Only after facing hardship would she realize how good she had it here.

With that thought, Manager Hua turned to his assistant. “Go get Liu Tianquan! That man needs to be taught a lesson for the mess he’s caused.”

If he weren’t so confident that Jiang Xianyu would eventually return, he’d make sure Liu Tianquan paid dearly for this.

Jiang Xianyu, however, paid no mind to the back-and-forth between Manager Hua and Liu Tianquan. For the first time in a long while, she felt completely at ease.

With Manager Hua’s backing, no one would dare make things difficult for her resignation. Still, she couldn’t leave just yet. Manager Hua had essentially bought her cooperation with an extra month’s salary to ensure a smooth handover of her responsibilities. Today, she would make sure everything was properly handed off so that no ongoing projects would be disrupted by her departure.

When her colleagues saw her return, they assumed she had changed her mind about leaving.

Jiang Xianyu clapped her hands to get their attention. “Everyone, wrap up what you’re doing. Meet me in the conference room in five minutes. I’ll go over the projects I’m handing off before I leave.”

With that, she grabbed the remaining items from her office and headed to the conference room ahead of them.