Yu Tang stood at the door and did not enter the office immediately.
He ran all the way here, and in order not to be exposed, he specifically asked the system to put away the projection in advance.
According to past practice, Yu Tang also knew that Sui Si would most likely be angry if he wasn't seen in the office.
But the situation in the office was still a bit weird.
Yu Tang held onto the door frame, not knowing for a moment whether he should go in and disturb them.
In Sui Si's eyes, his hesitation became Yu Tang's uncontrollable instinctive fear of the electric shock device.
"It's okay... Yu Tang."
Sui Si spoke, his voice was hoarse and his words were hoarse: "You—"
He didn't mean to turn on the stun gun. He wanted to ask Yu Tang how to turn off the damn thing, but halfway through, he realized that asking was useless.
He couldn't move at all.
The electric current was precisely controlled at the critical point that would not cause irreversible body damage. The intense pain made Sui Si's eyes turn white, his hands and feet became weak, and he had no strength at all.
The electric shock device is specially designed to punish people. Once it is turned on, there is no way to turn it off by yourself without help from others.
"Yu Tang." Sui Si tried his best to soften his tone in order not to scare him, "I don't know how to turn this off. Come here... and help me turn it off."
Yu Tang stood at the door, staring at him intently, his face slightly pale.
Sui Si was almost out of energy to speak. He looked at Yu Tang and urged him hoarsely, "Hurry—"
Sui Si's throat was full of the smell of blood. He was about to speak again, but his throat suddenly became choked.
He thought of the lounge back then.
It was not the first time that Yu Tang was punished by his agent. Sui Si remembered that it was because Yu Tang was too nervous every time he talked to his partners, and his pronunciation was unclear. He practiced many times but could not change it.
Sui Si watched the agent take Yu Tang away, thinking that it would be nothing more than a few words of scolding and then increasing the intensity of the training a few more times.
When he returned to the lounge, Yu Tang was curled up in the corner of the room. He looked like he had no strength left and was shaking all over as if he had been fished out of water.
"Teacher Sui, Teacher Sui."
Yu Tang was trembling, his eyes were even vaguely confused, but he still tried to reach out and pinch a corner of Sui Si's clothes: "Help me, I..."
Yu Tang stared at him, his face pale and transparent: "I'm in pain..."
Sui Si didn't see anything wrong with Yu Tang and thought that Yu Tang was lying and trying to be pitiful.
He never liked this kind of people. He looked at Yu Tang who was acting coldly for a while, then pulled back the corner of his clothes.
…
Sui Si closed his eyes tightly and suddenly felt very regretful.
That was the first and last time Yu Tang asked him for help.
Yu Tang never told him that he was in pain again.
Footsteps came in from the door.
Yu Tang came to his senses and without caring about anything else, he quickly walked over to support him and reached out to turn off the switch of the stun gun.
“Don’t move!” Sui Si’s heart sank, and he looked at Yu Tang holding his hand, “Be careful—”
Electric current does not discriminate against people. If you come into contact with it without taking proper insulation measures, you will inevitably be affected by the current.
Sui Si frowned. He had heard Nie Chi say how scared Yu Tang was of this. He turned around and looked at Yu Tang: "Are you okay?"
Yu Tang was chewing the anti-electric shock bubble gum that the system had urgently inserted. It was not convenient for him to speak, so he raised his eyes and showed a warm and puzzled look.
Sui Si breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart felt even heavier.
When Yu Tang turned off the stun gun, he looked at the display screen and saw that the current intensity was only level one.
Yu Tang had no reaction to such an electric current and had only one answer.
Yu Tang was used to it.
"Why did you hide it from me?"
Sui Si's voice was hoarse and his tone was heavy: "This cannot possibly comply with the provisions of the Labor Law. Why don't you apply for labor arbitration?"
Yu Tang helped him sit on the sofa, brought him a glass of water, and asked in a low voice: "What?"
Sui Si met Yu Tang's gaze, closed his eyes, didn't say anything else immediately, and drank a sip of water from his hand.
Yu Tang's education level is too low and his knowledge is incredibly narrow. During the years he has worked in the studio, he has only been exposed to a limited number of things in the entertainment industry.
Sui Si changed his words, using terms he could understand, and patiently explained: "Look through the clauses in your employment contract, there is no way they would be allowed to do this to you..."
Yu Tang hesitated and swallowed his words.
Sui Si didn't like seeing him like this, and frowned: "Just say what you want to say, what's wrong?"
Yu Tang said softly: "I don't have a work contract."
Sui Si was stunned.
"When I came to the company, you were planning to set up an independent studio, so you didn't sign a company contract for me."
Yu Tang explained: "After the studio was established, I didn't have a higher-level direct supervisor, and it was difficult for me to sign a contract for myself..."
"At that time, my agent punished me." Yu Tang said gently, "Actually, it was to target you."
Sui Si's throat was stiff. He didn't know why Yu Tang suddenly said this. He opened his mouth and heard himself ask, "What?"
"Your contract is about to expire. You want to develop independently, but the company will definitely not agree. They can't do anything to you, so they will target the people around you... Fortunately, you were not affected that year."
Yu Tang stood up, took a dry towel, walked back quickly and put it next to Sui Si.
"It's my fault," Yu Tang said. "Over the years, I have been responsible for all the company's actions alone, and I failed to train a deputy to fill the vacancy in time."
Yu Tang returned to his desk and tidied up the mess. He lowered his eyes and looked very meek: "I will do my best to ensure a smooth transition, but when I step down, the studio will inevitably be turbulent for a period of time."
"Next, if you plan to completely leave the agency and go solo, the resistance will be even greater, and it may affect other people around you."
As soon as he talked about work, Yu Tang's tone immediately returned to the neat and steady tone that seemed to have been trained.
Sui Si looked at Yu Tang, and his chest sank a little.
Yu Tang squatted beside the sofa, flipping through the plot outline in his mind, concentrating on giving him spoilers within the limits of the rules: "In the future, when I'm gone, you have to be prepared..."
He couldn't finish his words.
Yu Tang stopped talking, looked at his wrist which was tightly grasped by Sui Si, and raised his eyes.
He was much thinner than before, and his complexion was not very good. His lips were pale, but his eyes looked darker and clearer.
Yu Tang didn't say anything, but raised his head quietly. His black and white eyes were gentle and moist, like a tamed, silent and obedient hound - Sui Si had always felt so.
He always felt that it was he who tamed Yu Tang.
"You're gone." Sui Si spoke slowly, his expression frighteningly ugly, "What does that mean?"
Yu Tang was confused by the question and looked at Sui Si without saying anything.
He didn't say anything, and Sui Si came to his senses.
There was actually a document placed in the most conspicuous position on the desk behind Yu Tang.
Sui Si was in a hurry to find someone, so he searched Yu Tang's desk thoroughly, but he seemed to be deceiving himself and did not touch the document even once.
Yu Tang has been with Sui Si for five years. Apart from a fake marriage, Sui Si has never given Yu Tang any status or any formal contract.
The only document he signed personally was the notice of Yu Tang's dismissal.
"I... fire you."
Sui Si spoke with difficulty, his tone a little stiff, and reluctantly explained: "It's not to drive you away."
Yu Tang agreed quickly this time. He nodded and said briskly, "I know. It's to prepare for a divorce."
Sui Si: “…”
Sui Si hadn't thought about divorce these days. He didn't want to talk about it and deliberately avoided the topic: "No."
Sui Si paused for a long time and finally found a suitable reason: "It's to let you rest."
"You've worked too hard these years." Sui Si didn't even notice it himself. He spoke quickly, as if he was explaining it to Yu Tang, "I want you to relax a little."
Yu Tang was a little dazed. He looked at Sui Si for a while and then lowered his eyes.
Yu Tang repeated softly: "Firing me... is it to make me feel more relaxed?"
"Yes." Sui Si said, "Yu Tang, you think too much... Some things are not that serious."
Judging from Yu Tang’s current condition, he might really collapse in this office one day.
Over the years, he had never been nice to Yu Tang, but he also didn't want Yu Tang to drag him down bit by bit, drain him completely, and kill him in this studio.
"It's not that serious." Sui Si slowed down his tone and patiently advised him, "I'm not the only one who follows the studio model. Many people in the circle do this. Every studio is running. There is no job that you have to do in person."
Sui Si sat up straight. He seemed to have found the confidence to continue speaking, and his expression gradually improved. "Don't think too much. The adjustment period may be a little bit difficult, but it will be fine after this period of time. There are dedicated people and departments responsible for everything in the studio. It will be the same without you. Come home with me to recuperate—"
Yu Tang said slowly: "It's the same without me..."
Sui Si frowned.
He said so many things, but he didn't know why Yu Tang only listened to this one. He patiently suppressed his temper and touched Yu Tang's thin shoulders: "What's wrong?"
Yu Tang was under his control, as if he had suddenly lost the strength to keep going, and he didn't move or speak.
"System, system."
Yu Tang felt that this was a perfect opportunity, and typed in the system in his mind: "I can answer at this time, since it's the same without me, why not divorce now?"
The system had no idea, either. Holding a small vest to protect against electric shock, the mechanical voice trembled: "You can give it a try..."
The system hid in Yu Tang's sea of consciousness, and bravely gave him advice: "Give it a try! The Supervisory Department has a few seconds to react, so speak faster, host!"
Yu Tang nodded in his mind, clenched his fists, and took a deep breath.
He crumpled the system into a ball and stuffed it behind him, watching the fluctuating ooc value. While the system wasn't paying attention, he temporarily changed the target of punishment from the Supervisory Department to himself.
Sui Si noticed his strangeness and looked down: "Yu Tang?"
"It's the same without me." Yu Tang raised his head, speaking quickly, as if he had prepared a speech in advance. A hint of yearning appeared on his usually calm face. "I understand. Please let me go—"
Yu Tang suddenly fell silent.
Sui Si's heart tightened and he firmly grasped his shoulders: "Yu Tang?!"
Yu Tang half-knelt in front of the sofa.
He tried several more times, opening his mouth in vain, but still no sound came out of his throat.
Sui Si hugged him with both hands and half-hugged him on the sofa.
"It's okay." Sui Si said hoarsely, "It's okay... Just take it easy, it's okay."
Yu Tang lay on the sofa and looked up at him.
"Speak, Yu Tang, like me."
Sui Si stared at him, spoke slowly, and stroked Yu Tang's shoulders again and again: "Speak."
Of course Yu Tang knew that it was okay.
He took the risk of going OOC once, thinking that even if he failed, he could just get a quick electric shock, but who knew that the punishment this time would be a 300-minute mute package.
The Supervisory Department has always been strict and consistent. They said it was 300 minutes, but he couldn't say a word about the 299th minute.
Not to mention speaking words, he couldn't even make the most basic sounds.
Sui Si half-embraced Yu Tang, his expression looking extremely ugly.
He tightly grasped Yu Tang's arm, his hands almost shaking, and reached for his cell phone and pressed it several times before finally dialing Nie Chi's number.
Two seconds later, the other end was picked up: "Mr. Sui?"
"You showed me Yu Tang's diagnosis earlier, saying that he might be at risk of developing aphasia because of long-term electrical stimulation of the cerebral cortex, coupled with mental stimulation."
Sui Si didn't have time for small talk: "He can't speak now. Is there a doctor? Tell them to go to my place. I'll take him home now—"
Nie Chi was silent for a moment, then asked, "Knowing this, did you still stimulate him enough to cause aphasia?"
Sui Si paused for a moment, opened his mouth but did not answer.
He... didn't know Yu Tang was so fragile.
This was not the first time he had said these words to Yu Tang, and he didn't know why Yu Tang's reaction was so intense this time.
"I see. I'll bring the doctor over right away."
Nie Chi did not ask any more questions: "Let's not talk about this matter for now. There is something more important."
"What could be more important than this?!" Sui Si could hardly suppress his anger. He hated Nie Chi's indifferent tone of official business. He said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about other things. Bring people over here!"
"It's really none of my business."
Nie Chi said: "This is W&P's first invitation to a cross-border collaboration. It's their first attempt to select a brand ambassador, and you are the most promising candidate."
Sui Si didn't speak immediately.
Of course he knew about this. It was also the most important trump card he could play in order to accumulate enough capital to break away from the Sui family.
W&P is not an ordinary luxury brand. It has inseparable political ties with the Alliance Star Headquarters. Once this cooperation is achieved, it will have the strength and capital to communicate directly with the Sui family.
"This matter..." Sui Si asked hoarsely, "What does it have to do with Yu Tang's aphasia?"
"It's just a contract."
Sui Si was a little annoyed: "It's not convenient for him to talk now, but who can talk to him? You go, find someone in the studio..."
"W&P has extremely high requirements for the professionalism of the partner team. Their chairman has a very strange temper and only talks to people he likes. Before this, it was always Yu who was in charge of connecting with them."
Nie Chi was businesslike: "We were supposed to discuss the contract three days ago. I tried to contact them, but they turned me down."
"This contract was given to you because it took Special Assistant Yu half a year to win it among hundreds of bids."
Nie Chi said: "The other party explicitly requested Special Assistant Yu to come forward, and after learning that Special Assistant Yu was ill, the meeting was postponed to today."
Sui Si held the phone tightly in his hand, and his head buzzed as if he had been hit hard on the head.
He never knew this.
He has always believed that this circle is nothing more than the survival of the fittest, and as long as you are strong enough, those resources will naturally come to you.
From his debut to now, he has had a smooth journey and has gotten whatever he wanted without any effort.
…survival of the fittest.
Sui Si raised his head and his eyes fell on Yu Tang.
"There are still three hours left. You need to find a new spokesperson who has sufficient professionalism and extensive knowledge of luxury goods, has multiple brand collaboration experiences, and is someone they like."
Nie Chi: "If you can't find them, I'm afraid you'll have to go talk to them in person."