Annual Meeting Prize

The lights at the annual meeting flickered, a little too dazzling, mirroring Wang Wei's current mood. She clutched the thin piece of paper in her hand, which displayed her newly "won" grand prize – an extra ten days of paid annual leave. Below the stage, her colleagues were clapping, their eyes filled with envy and bewilderment. After all, who would consider valuable annual leave a prize?

"Wang Wei, congratulations!" Old Li from HR approached her, patting her shoulder with a beaming smile. "The company's really thinking outside the box this year, using annual leave as a prize. You're the first one!"

Wang Wei forced a smile; she also thought the company's move was quite bizarre. Last year, the company's performance was poor, and year-end bonuses were cut. This year, they'd simply brought out annual leave as a substitute. She had been counting on getting some money to go home for the New Year, but now that was all gone. However, on second thought, ten extra days off wasn't bad either. She could get some proper rest. She carefully tucked the paper noting her ten days of leave into her bag like it was treasure.

Over the next few days, everyone in the company was talking about the annual meeting’s "annual leave prize." Some said the company was stingy; others called it an innovative form of motivation. Opinions varied widely. Wang Wei didn't pay too much attention to it; she was starting to plan how to use those extra ten days. She wanted to travel, see the mountains and the sea, and really relax.

She submitted her leave application. The department head looked at the application, his brow furrowing. "Wang Wei, you're taking a lot of time off. Ten days of annual leave, plus what you already have, that's almost twenty days, isn't it?"

"Yes," Wang Wei said with a smile, "It's my annual meeting prize."

The department head shook his head, saying, "This year is special. There’s a lot of business at the end of the year. If you take that much time off all at once, what about your work?"

Wang Wei was taken aback. She had thought the company was encouraging people to take time off, but now it seemed it wasn't so. She tried to explain that she could arrange her work beforehand, but the department head simply waved his hand, telling her to wait for further notice.

Not long after, Old Li from HR came to find Wang Wei again. This time, his smile was gone, replaced with a cold, business-like demeanor.

"Wang Wei, the company has decided to terminate your labor contract," Old Li placed a termination letter in front of Wang Wei.

Wang Wei was completely dumbfounded. Trembling, she picked up the letter, which stated that the reason for termination was: "Serious violation of company regulations, unauthorized conversion of annual leave into actual leave, disrupting the normal order of company operations."

"I… I was awarded the annual leave as a prize, wasn't I? I haven't violated any regulations!" Wang Wei tried to explain, but Old Li just stared coldly at her.

"Company policy states that annual leave must be applied for one month in advance. Although you received the annual leave as a reward, you did not follow the proper procedure," Old Li explained matter-of-factly. "The company has the right to take action based on the regulations."

A chill ran from Wang Wei’s feet to the top of her head. She suddenly realized that this wasn't an "annual leave prize" at all but a carefully crafted trap. The company didn’t want to give year-end bonuses but was afraid of causing dissatisfaction if they canceled them directly. So, they used the "annual leave prize" to lull employees, and then when people actually wanted to take the leave, they could use violations of company regulations as a reason for dismissal.

She picked up the thin piece of paper. The words "ten days of annual leave" now seemed incredibly ironic. She looked at Old Li and suddenly calmed down. She laughed, a little bitterly, and also with a sense of liberation.

"Old Li, I understand," Wang Wei put the termination letter into her bag and turned to leave the office.

She didn’t go to labor arbitration, nor did she make a fuss. She knew that in this absurd workplace, she was just an insignificant pawn.

A week later, Wang Wei appeared in a café. She ordered a hot latte and sat by the window. She opened her phone and started browsing travel guides.

"Excuse me, I'd like to pay the bill," Wang Wei said to the waiter.

The waiter came over and smiled, saying, "Hello, your bill has already been waived."

"Waived?" Wang Wei asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the owner said that with this paper, all your expenses are covered." The waiter pointed to the piece of paper showing from Wang Wei’s bag - the very same annual meeting prize that read “ten days of annual leave.”

It turned out that the owner of the café was a former colleague of hers, who had also received the "annual leave prize" at the annual meeting, but had quit his job earlier and opened a small shop.

"This annual leave is actually quite useful," Wang Wei shook her head with a smile, saying quietly. She picked up her coffee, took a sip, and felt a sense of warmth. Her story was just beginning.