Whispers rose and fell.

I recognized everyone. Some were colleagues who always greeted me with smiles and others were subordinates who used to treat me with utmost respect.

A louder voice joined in, carrying a leading tone. "I heard, Lucius couldn't handle the core perception and decision-making module at all and it was Mark who finally cracked it after getting efforts several sleepless nights."

"Is it true?"

"Of course it's true! Even though Mark is still interning, he's a top graduate from a prestigious foreign university and has work experience at a major company. His PPTs are absolutely stunning!"

"Otherwise, why do you think Ms. Andrew gave him one million two hundred thousand dollars bonus? It's his well-deserved reward! He truly earned it!"

"Lucius is just all talk and no action. The work is all done by his subordinates. Mark is the most hardworking one."

"That's right, I've heard that too. Lucius barely touched the code in the later stages, it was all Mark carrying the load."

"He acts like a senior, but doesn't do any real work. He deserves to be removed."

My heart sank little by little—not with anger, but with a chilling numbness.

Mark sat in the front row, slightly lowering his head. I couldn't see his expression -- perhaps he was shy, perhaps he was enjoying himself.

Just as the murmurs subsided and everyone thought the meeting was about to end, Joana picked up another document.

A faint smile played on her lips as her gaze once again landed precisely on the corner where I was. "Furthermore, I'd like to announce another personnel change."

"Lucius, the former Director of the Technical Department, is hereby transferred to the Logistics Department from now on, responsible for the cleaning of the toilets on the first to seventh floors."

"I hope everyone will cooperate with his work in the future."

A brief silence followed.

Immediately, the entire conference room erupted in uncontrollable laughter.

Some people were slapping their thighs, some were doubled over with laughter and some were pointing in my direction, laughing so hard they could hardly breathe.

Even the usually dignified high-ranking officials were now covering their mouths, their shoulders shaking.

Every face was filled with undisguised mockery, schadenfreude and a sense of glee at the humiliation of the down-and-out.

"Cleaning toilets? Hahaha! He really went to clean toilets!"

"My God, from technical director to cleaner, what a drop in status ...."

"Let him clock out on time! Let him act all high and mighty! Now we're satisfied!"

"You'd better be careful when you go to the restroom from now on, lest you bump into Mr. technical director Schroeder ... oh no, I mean, Mr. cleaner Schroeder, while he's working, that would be so embarrassing!"

I sat there, completely still, at the center of this whirlwind of laughter.

Joana stood on the stage, watching the result with satisfaction. She gently raised her hand to suppress her laughter, but the smugness in her eyes was unmistakable.

The meeting soon ended.

Everyone began to leave noisily. As they passed by me, they either unconsciously quickened their pace or cast more direct glances, then exchanged knowing looks with the other.

I waited until almost everyone had left before slowly standing up.

Back in the private office that was no longer mine, I began packing my belongings.

The cardboard box wasn't big, yet nine years of memories scattered inside, only filled about halfway.

My fingertips brushed against an old coffee cup, a souvenir personally given to the core team by Joana when the company received its first investment. Engraved with the word "Merit," it now felt only a cold irony to the touch.

***

Nine years ago, the newly established company huddled in a small corner of the industrial park.

With fewer than ten people, including the boss, every month's payday was a struggle and and the company's cash reserves frequently teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.

Back then, no such thing as a fixed getting off time —staying up all night was the norm.

To conquer the first crucial project, I slept on a cot for two whole months and I lived on coffee like water and instant noodles.

Ultimately, we came up with a disruptive solution before our competitors.

It was thanks to that project that the company truly earned its first pot of gold, survived and then grew bigger.

Niall Andrew, Joana's father, would often pat me on the shoulder and say to everyone, "Lucius is a hero to our company! Without him, we wouldn’t have achieved what we have today!"

His eyes held admiration, gratitude and a strong sense of reliance.

Although it was tough and tiring back then, my heart was warm and I felt that all the hard work was meaningful. This company was like a child we nurtured together.

"Lucius ...." At that moment, a cautious voice interrupted my reminiscence.

Mark stood at the door, his face showing worry and a hint of indignation. He didn't come in immediately, as if waiting for my permission.

"Come in."

I continued packing up, without looking up.

He tiptoed in, glanced around the somewhat empty office and sighed. "I really didn't expect ... Ms. Andrew would make such a decision."

"It's ridiculous to send you to the Logistics Department to clean the toilet!"

I gave no response, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing me giving no response, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Lucius, you're the one in charge of the project, that's an undeniable fact!"

"Even if you didn't achieve great success, you still put in a lot of hard work!"

"Ms. Andrew's actions ... are a bit like crossing the line." He spoke with genuine sincerity, as if he were truly indignant on my behalf.

Looking at his young yet worldly-wise face, I recalled how he looked when he first joined the company.

Three months ago, Mark joined in the company as an intern, with a PhD from overseas and experience at a major company. He greeted and smiled brightly to everyone he met, his humility bordering on obsequiousness.

He, then, volunteered to join the then-most crucial and demanding intelligent robot project team. He spoke earnestly, only asking for a learning opportunity.

Joana agreed without hesitation, without even consulting me.

Once in the project, he extremely "cleverly" took on all the miscellaneous tasks that didn't involve core code.

His most outstanding skills were making PowerPoint presentations and organizing data documents.

It was not that he came from a large company, his PowerPoint presentations were indeed beautiful, with cool animations, exquisite layouts and a strong visual impact.

He did "work overtime," often sitting at his desk late into the night, typing furiously on his keyboard, processing seemingly complex data documents, or repeatedly refining reports.

That was how his reputation for dedication spread.

"Lucius, don't be too discouraged." The intern's voice rang out again.

"The Logistics Department may not sound prestigious, but at least it's a position."

"If you need any help over there in the future, you can tell me and I will definitely take it seriously."

I stopped packing up and finally looked up at him with a calm gaze. "Are you done?"

He paused, seemingly surprised by my reaction and looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Leave now," I said calmly, "Mr. Rousseau, I need to continue packing up. Don't delay my reporting to the Logistics Department."

His lips twitched slightly, his carefully disguised mask almost crumbling, a flash of offended anger crossing his eyes. But he quickly forced a helpless yet tolerant smile. "I know you're in a bad mood, Lucius, then I'll go now, take care."

He turned around and left, with a straight back and light steps, carrying the pride of his new appointment.

I watched his back without any ripples in my heart.

Angry? Perhaps.

But now it had been replaced by something calmer.

Joana said, the company would keep running even without me.

I picked up the old coffee cup engraved with the word "merit," my fingers gripping it slightly, then, I released it.

The cup fell into the corner trash can, shattering with a crisp sound.

They might have forgotten that I built the company from scratch, single-handedly creating one hundred fourty-two million dollars core project.

Some things were ingrained in our bones, not something a transfer order, a few laughs, or a clown stealing our achievements could erase.

Cleaning the toilet? Okay.

Then let's start from the bottom and see how many corrupt officials were lurking beneath this ship they thought could sail smoothly without me. And how many storms could it withstand?

The next morning, I changed into the blue work clothes from the Logistics Department, picked up my cleaning tools and appeared in the first-floor restroom on time.

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled the air, replacing the usual aroma of coffee in the office.

The first person to come in was Diego Sanders from the Technical Department, who used to be one of my engineers.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw me wiping the sink with a cloth and then a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, our technical director? Started your new job so early?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "technical director," unzipping his trousers with a sneer. "You sure know how to bend and stretch."

I didn't look up, continuing what I was doing.

During the morning rush hour, many people came and left the toilet one after another.

"He deserves it." A low voice came from outside the stall -- it was Billy Johanson, the guy from the Marketing Department who always wore flashy shirts.

"I've been disliking his aloof appearance for a long time. Does he really think the company can't do without him?" he said.

"He's really thick-skin." Another voice chimed in. "If it were me, I would have thrown my things and left on the spot yesterday! Staying here to clean toilets? Haaa!"

"Leave? Does he dare?"

"Besides relying on his seniority at the company, what other real skills does he have? Who wants him outside? Finding a job isn't easy these days."

"I think so, he's just a show-off."

An older employee who was on good terms with Mark deliberately raised his voice. "Mr. Schroeder ... oh I mean, Lucius -- only got his seniority because he has good relationship with Mr. Andrew."

"Actually, he couldn't get involved in the core technical problems in the later stages at all. Mark solved them all by staying up the whole night."

The person next to him immediately chimed in. "Exactly! When Mr. Andrew was around, he was willing to support him out of old friendship."

"Now that his daughter, Ms. Andrew, is in charge, she values real talent and dedication. Someone like him, who are just pretending, have naturally been exposed."

"Yeah, Ms. Andrew is truly amazing," said another voice with admiration, "She has a sharp eye and acts decisively, far more so than her father."

"If it weren't for her, our company would still be occupied by these incompetent people."

I pushed the cleaning cart to the urinal and began scrubbing.

Someone deliberately shook his hand, splashing urine onto the freshly cleaned floor and my trousers, then said insincerely, "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice."

A mocking low laugh echoed around.

I didn't pause, nor did I look at that person. I picked up the hose, washed away the stains and mopped the floor again.