Qiao Wanqing, thinking that Gu Yanqing was going to take Kouko out to play, started packing their things.

After getting out of bed and stretching her sore waist, she put on her clothes and opened Kouko’s bag.

She asked the person lying on the bed with a slightly hoarse voice, “Are you guys going to play indoors or outdoors today?”

The items needed for indoor and outdoor activities differ, so she needed to know in advance.

The person on the bed, who wasn’t wearing a shirt and had the thin blanket covering his waist, had a noticeable bite mark on his left shoulder—left by Qiao Wanqing from last night’s playful biting after he teased her.

Gu Yanqing squinted slightly and said, “I’m taking him to the office.”

“…” Qiao Wanqing paused in her packing and then laughed, “Alright.”

Aren’t you afraid he’ll make it impossible for you to work?

Kouko, now just half a month shy of 18 months old, was bursting with energy.

Although he still spoke in stuttered, broken sentences, he walked very steadily.

Sometimes he’d run off while the adults weren’t paying attention, not responding when called, playing hide and seek and driving everyone crazy.

“Your office has lots of wires and sockets. Be sure to watch him or have someone else keep an eye on him. Don’t let him touch anything.” Everything else was fine, but anything electrical was dangerous for Kouko, who didn’t yet understand the risks.

“Don’t worry.”

Qiao Wanqing finished packing the things they needed and went to the closet to change clothes.

After a while, Kouko woke up with a yawn. The first thing the little rascal did upon opening his eyes was to look for his dad still in bed. “Daddy, go, go out to play~”

Gu Yanqing grabbed him and patted his little butt, “Little rascal, you pretended to sleep last night and still want to go out and play, huh?”

Kouko immediately looked upset, wriggled out of his dad’s arms, and sat with his back to him on the bed, signaling his displeasure.

Gu Yanqing, puzzled by how such a young child could have so many little tricks, purposely got up and went to the bathroom, ignoring him to see what he’d do.

When he came out after a short bathroom break, he saw Kouko pouting and snuggling in Qiao Wanqing’s arms, who had just come back dressed.

Kouko was whining tearfully that Daddy was a bad guy who wouldn’t take him out to play.

His words were so stuttered and unclear that it was both funny and exasperating.

Qiao Wanqing, amused, rubbed Kouko’s chubby little cheeks and said, “Daddy was just teasing you. He’ll take you out to play later.”

Kouko, reassured by his mom and then his dad, brightened up again.

After breakfast, Qiao Wanqing had to leave first since her class started at 8 AM.

Gu Yanqing had taken care of Kouko before, but never without Qiao Wanqing within reach.

Now that he was taking Kouko to work, Qiao Wanqing felt a bit uneasy and couldn’t help but remind him several times before heading to her class.

At the startup incubation center, Qiao Wanqing and her team’s Taobao store had finally launched their products after much effort.

Following their instructor’s advice, they had even bought a few fake orders to boost sales since they didn’t have any natural traffic.

“Hey! There’s a customer service inquiry from last night at around 10 PM. Why didn’t anyone respond?”

Chen Yu exclaimed as soon as she logged into the computer.

The message was from a potential customer asking about their sweet potato snacks, a specialty of Linhe County, where Qiao Wanqing was from.

The customer wanted to know if the snacks were authentic and if they could get a discount for bulk orders.

This was their first message from a real customer, so everyone quickly gathered around.

Each team member had their own strengths.

Besides learning about operational strategies together, they divided tasks like photography, graphic design, writing, customer service, and packaging.

Qiao Wanqing, being proficient in Photoshop, worked on graphics, while Chen Yu, strong in writing, handled the copy.

Customer service was managed by Hongjie, a woman in her 40s and the oldest member of their team.

“Hongjie, how could you not respond to the message?!” Chen Yu, being the youngest, was straightforward in her complaints.

“Yeah,” another team member chimed in, “Our first potential sale is lost. It’s heartbreaking!”

“Apparently, the other teams have already made sales, but we’re still at zero.”

“Hongjie, even if there weren’t many messages recently, you still need to keep an eye on it. You should use your phone to stay logged in to the chat app and set a notification sound.”

Feeling a bit guilty from the team’s complaints, Hongjie defensively said, “I took the afternoon off yesterday because my child came over. I asked Wanqing to cover for me. So, it’s her fault. Besides, she should know about Linhe’s specialties.”

“What?” Qiao Wanqing felt wronged, “You asked me to cover the afternoon, not the evening. I didn’t check after that.”

Everyone turned to look at Hongjie, waiting for her response.

Qiao Wanqing had finished her work early the previous day, having spent a week learning and doing Photoshop.

She had been exhausted, so she shut down her computer early and didn’t check the customer service messages later.

“I told you to cover the afternoon and evening,” Hongjie insisted.

Qiao Wanqing had initially stayed silent while others were blaming Hongjie, thinking that the lack of sales might not have been solely due to customer service.

However, now that Hongjie was trying to shift the blame onto her, she felt the need to defend herself.

“Hongjie, you messaged me on WeChat,” she pointed out, implying that there were records of their conversation and Hongjie shouldn’t try to deny it.

Knowing she was at fault but unwilling to back down, Hongjie retorted, “But Linhe sweet potato snacks are a specialty of Linhe County. Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to respond?”

Qiao Wanqing was about to reply when Chen Yu, who was close to her, stood up angrily.

“Hongjie, the customer asked if the snacks were authentic and if there were any discounts. What does that have to do with Wanqing’s familiarity with Linhe’s specialties? Even if it did, didn’t you read the product information? Couldn’t you ask in the workgroup? You didn’t do your job and now you’re trying to blame someone else. Who would want to help you or work with you in the future?”

Chen Yu’s voice was loud enough for the entire startup center to hear, and everyone turned to look at them.

A team member quickly tried to defuse the situation, saying, “It’s just one customer message. There will be more. Let’s calm down and respond to the message now. Maybe we can still salvage it.”

“It’s not about the message; it’s about the attitude,” Chen Yu said, refusing to back down. “Hongjie, I know there are incentives for your county to have participants, so maybe you don’t need to learn much and just go through the motions. But we are here to learn. If you can’t take your responsibilities seriously, then maybe you should leave our group.”

Many counties, wanting to respond to the city’s initiatives and showcase a few “model” participants, often encouraged people to sign up with rewards.

This was an open secret.

However, Chen Yu’s direct mention of it in front of everyone was startling.

The atmosphere grew tense as everyone awaited Hongjie’s reaction.

Indeed, such incentive programs are commonly accepted and not considered a gray area.

Many people might have the attitude of just going through the motions to receive the reward, and it’s likely that several individuals present shared this mindset, resulting in a moment of uncomfortable silence.

Qiao Wanqing hadn’t expected Chen Yu to speak so bluntly, addressing the issue head-on.

She wasn’t the type to let herself be easily bullied, and while she appreciated Chen Yu standing up for her, the direct confrontation had escalated the situation into a bigger conflict than it needed to be.

Hongjie, feeling provoked, responded with a scoff, “Don’t act like you’re so righteous. I’m here for the reward, just like Qiao Wanqing is. Linhe County offers even more substantial rewards. If anyone should leave our group, it’s you, thinking you’re so high and mighty.”

Chen Yu, shaking with anger, was about to retort when Qiao Wanqing gently held her back.

Qiao Wanqing said, “Hongjie, I signed up as an individual, not through the county. I wasn’t aware of any rewards. You can check the list of participants posted in our county if you don’t believe me. I joined later and am not on that list.”

Hongjie muttered, “I’m not going to waste my time checking your county’s list.”

Just then, the project coordinators, having heard the commotion, arrived and called them into the office to resolve the issue.

They also instructed everyone else to get back to work and stop spectating.

Qiao Wanqing felt a bit embarrassed, like a student being summoned to the principal’s office for a dispute.

However, she realized that this conflict was inevitable and better addressed sooner rather than later.

Chen Yu’s enthusiasm for the project clashed sharply with Hongjie’s lackadaisical attitude, and tensions had been building for a while.

When roles were initially assigned, Hongjie had quickly taken on the role of customer service, thinking it would be the easiest task.

Despite being told that customer service was crucial, she didn’t listen.

Meanwhile, others like Qiao Wanqing and Chen Yu had been working hard on tasks like writing and graphic design, often burning the midnight oil.

Even though packaging and shipping hadn’t started yet, Hongjie had already made it clear that she wouldn’t be involved in physically demanding tasks.

In the office, the coordinators asked them to explain what had happened.

Qiao Wanqing calmly recounted the sequence of events, emphasizing the importance of team collaboration and the need for everyone to take their roles seriously.

Chen Yu backed her up, highlighting the negative impact of Hongjie’s attitude on team morale and productivity.

Hongjie, now on the defensive, tried to justify her actions, but it was evident that her attitude had been a problem.

After listening to both sides, the coordinators decided to reassign roles to ensure a more balanced workload and clear responsibilities.

They reminded everyone of the importance of the project and the need for teamwork to achieve their goals.

Back in the workspace, Qiao Wanqing and Chen Yu resumed their tasks, hoping the changes would lead to better cooperation.

Despite the morning’s tension, they were determined to push forward and make their project a success.

Now that there’s a problem, someone starts shifting blame.

The organizer’s leader is a director from their company, quite young, a bit chubby but not greasy, you could say somewhat handsome; everyone calls him Manager Zheng.

Manager Zheng politely invited them to sit down and asked his assistant to bring each of them a glass of water.

After understanding the reason, he pondered for a moment and said, “It takes two to tango. All three of you are at fault in this matter, it’s just a matter of degree, right?”

Chen Yu, feeling aggrieved, said, “I admit my fault, but Sister Wanqing is the victim here. What’s her fault? Don’t try to smooth things over, okay!”