Cecily continued, "My account gained 100 thousand followers in just half an hour, and several big accounts with millions of followers have already reposted my video.

"If you insist on not lowering the price and refuse to apologize to us, I'm afraid… things could spiral beyond the company's control."

Jeremy immediately jumped in to play the good cop.

"Actually, resolving this is pretty simple. We're not unreasonable people, either.

"First, the seafood thermidor has to go back to being free. That's a matter of principle. Second, the administrative department needs to issue an apology in your name to all employees.

"And third, to compensate for the emotional distress this incident has caused everyone, the company should credit 250 dollars to every employee's meal card as compensation.

"If you handle it this way, everyone can walk away with their dignity intact, and we can put this behind us."

At that moment, Susan frantically burst in again, her face deathly pale.

"Ms. Clarke! It's bad! Downstairs… Downstairs in the lobby… A huge group of employees has gathered in the lobby, and they're saying that… if you don't give them an explanation today, they're not going to get back to work!

"And they've… They've even printed out a bunch of banners…"

I took Susan's phone and clicked on the photos she'd taken.

On the polished marble floor of the company's lobby, dozens of employees were either sitting or standing, holding up bold, striking banners that read "Evil company! Give us back our hard-earned money!" and "The heartless director must go!"

My eyes landed on a figure at the front of the crowd. It was Kenan Jeller, the director of the design department.

Last year, when a major mistake occurred on one of the projects he was in charge of, I went against everyone's objections to vouch for him and even voluntarily took half the blame and penalty myself.

I personally went with him to apologize to the client and pulled three consecutive all-nighters to salvage the project.

Afterward, he came to my office holding a cup of coffee, his eyes red.

"Ms. Clarke, from now on, my life is yours… Just say the word, and I, Kenan Jeller, will follow without question!"

But at this very moment, in the photo on Susan's phone, Kenan could be seen holding a sheet of paper high above his head. On it, in bold black letters, were the words "I stand with Cecily! Punish Moira! Give us back our benefits!"

My hands started shaking, and my nails were digging so hard into my palms that they nearly broke the skin.

I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, only icy calm remained.

I looked at Cecily and Jeremy in front of me and asked flatly, "What you want… is for me to answer for this, right?"

…

As time ticked toward 2:00 pm, the company's largest conference hall was packed to capacity.

More than 400 employees company-wide—except for those required to stay on essential duty—were almost all present. This was the largest all-hands meeting in the company's history.

Cecily and Jeremy were surrounded by a crowd of supporters in the center of the front row. People kept going up to them, patting them on the shoulders and giving them thumbs-ups.

"Well done, Cecily! You're the whistleblower our company needed!"

"Jeremy, we owe this all to your behind-the-scenes strategizing!"

"You two are heroes to the rest of us working people!"

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"Just watch. That Clarke lady is definitely done for this time."

"No doubt. With how big things have gotten, the chairman will have to deal with her."

"Maybe we'll even get some compensation out of this!"

"Let's see if she can still strut around the office after this."

At 2:00 pm sharp, I stepped onto the stage, followed by a few department heads whose expressions were unreadable.

The moment I appeared, the entire hall fell silent, and hundreds of pairs of eyes locked onto me instantly.

I walked up to the microphone and got straight down to business.

"I apologize for taking your valuable afternoon work time to announce a major reform regarding our company cafeteria," I started, my voice calm and steady.

"First, regarding the recent public uproar over the cafeteria pricing… I, Moira Clarke, as Administrative Director of the company, would like to apologize to everyone."

"It was an oversight of mine. I failed to fully consult with employees, causing inconvenience and misunderstanding for everyone," I added.

Down in the audience, Cecily and Jeremy exchanged smug glances, and a few people even chuckled.

Without stopping, I signaled Susan to turn on the projector. A detailed financial report appeared on the massive screen behind me.

"This is a detailed financial report for the company's cafeteria that covers the three years since I took over and reformed it, and it has been audited by a third-party accounting firm.

"To ensure the cafeteria's operation, I've personally injected a total of 2.8 million dollars into the company's administrative account over the past three years.

"After deducting the company's standard meal subsidies, the actual annual deficit has been approximately 935 thousand dollars.

"The seafood thermidor dish that sparked this controversy costs 21 dollars and 30 cents per serving for ingredients alone, not including labor, utilities, and other operating costs. The planned selling price is 14 dollars, but in reality, I would have personally taken a net loss of 7.30 dollars per bowl sold."

On the report, every bank transaction showing my contributions and every major ingredient procurement contract was displayed clearly.

A stir began to ripple through the audience.

"Is this for real? Ms. Clarke has been subsidizing our meals by paying out of her own pocket?"

"Those records have to be edited, right? Who would be that stupid?"

But after seeing the contracts and bank transactions bearing official stamps, most people began to look uneasy.

I continued, "In light of the strong dissatisfaction with the cafeteria's market-based pricing—and to eliminate any misunderstanding that the company is profiting from the cafeteria—after urgent discussions with the board of directors, we're making the following adjustments to the cafeteria's management and operating model.

"Decision one—effective immediately, I will cease all personal financial subsidies to the cafeteria."

The hall erupted in murmurs. But before they could fully process it, my voice rang out again, "Decision two—effective immediately, the employment contracts of award-winning chef Marty Pollard and his entire team are terminated. They will leave today."

Someone in the audience let out an audible yelp.

"Decision three—to ensure employees' basic dining needs are met, the cafeteria will be fully outsourced to QuickBite, a pre-made meal provider."

QuickBite was a well-known low-end catering supplier infamous in the industry for its low prices and equally terrible taste.

Incredulous gasps and exclamations spread through the crowd.

"Decision four—all employee benefits exceeding national legal requirements—including but not limited to daily free fruit, afternoon tea, overtime late-night snacks, and snack corners—are canceled effective immediately."

As soon as I finished speaking, the new cafeteria menu and pricing rolled onto the screen.

"Set A (1 protein, 2 vegetables): 18 dollars.

"Set B (2 proteins, 1 vegetable): 21 dollars.

"Premium Business Set (includes soup and fruit): 30 dollars.

"Pasta/Noodles: starting at 12 dollars.

"Beverages: 4 to 8 dollars."

More than 400 employees froze in shock, and the entire hall fell silent. Everyone was dumbfounded.

"You!" Cecily shrieked, the first to react.

She shot to her feet, her face purple with rage as she pointed at me and screamed, "Moira! This is a personal vendetta! You're using your position to get back at us!

"We only asked you to lower the prices! Who told you to turn the cafeteria into this?"

I looked at her coolly, my gaze not showing even a ripple of emotion.

"Ms. Plinkton, in your video, you repeatedly called me 'heartless' and 'desperate for money' and said I 'milked you dry.'

"Well, now I'm giving you exactly what you want—I'm not making one extra dime. And not only am I not making any extra money, but I'm not subsidizing the company anymore either.

"The cafeteria will be outsourced, operating on a fully market-driven model, with prices set by a third-party company. It'll be fair and square for everyone.

"As for the free benefits, those were above-standard perks funded out of my own pocket. Since you clearly don't approve of that, I naturally need to correct that mistake."

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked evenly.

Left completely speechless at my words, Cecily glanced around in a panic. This time, however, what greeted her were pairs of eyes burning with fury.

After a brief, suffocating silence, the hall exploded.

"Cecily Plinkton! Are you happy now? What are we supposed to eat now?"

"This is all because of your stupid video! You ruined our good times!"

"The afternoon tea was my daily source of happiness, and now it's gone!"

"And you, Jeremy Stinson! You were the one who kept fanning the flames in the group chat! Are you happy now?"

In an instant, all the blame shifted to Cecily and Jeremy.

I waited until the shouting died down slightly before adding my final point.

"According to the Finance Department's calculations, after implementing all the reforms mentioned above, the Administrative Department can save the company approximately 2.25 million dollars in operating costs per year.

"So, I'd like to thank you all for your oversight. You've helped us promptly put an end to our previous, erroneous practice of 'pleasing the employees at any cost' and allowed the company to return to the fundamentals of business."

Just as the hall descended into complete chaos, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen. It was the project director from Stellar Group.

I answered the call and switched it to speakerphone.

A steady, composed voice immediately filled the conference hall.

"Ms. Clarke, sorry to disturb you. I just saw the internal announcement regarding your company-wide meeting.

"Given the decisiveness, efficiency, and business logic thinking your company demonstrated while handling this PR crisis, our board has conducted an emergency reassessment.

"We believe that a company capable of correcting mistakes so resolutely, controlling costs, and refusing to be swayed by public opinion will be a trustworthy long-term partner."

The entire hall fell silent. Everyone held their breath and pricked up their ears.

"So, what you're saying is…" I asked calmly.

A hint of a smile entered his voice. "We've decided not only to proceed with the existing partnership, but we also hope to start a deeper strategic partnership with your company.

"The two newly established subsidiaries under our group will have a marketing budget of roughly 25 million dollars for next year. We'd like your company to handle it in full."

The whole hall erupted.

"A 25-million-dollar contract?"

"Oh, my God! Our company is going to hit it big!"

"Doesn't that mean our year-end bonuses are going to double?"

"That's amazing! I knew Ms. Clarke was amazing!"

"I told you—stick with Ms. Clarke, and you'll never go hungry!"

Panic and fury were instantly washed away by an overwhelming wave of ecstasy. Many people started looking at me with eyes full of admiration.

And Cecily and Jeremy—the two who had been hailed as heroes just moments ago—were now seen as the people who had almost destroyed everyone's livelihood.

Cecily's face was ashen. Her body swayed, and she was barely able to stand.

Jeremy's forehead was slick with sweat. He didn't dare meet anyone's eyes, his head hanging low.

I ended the call and surveyed the room. Picking up the microphone, I delivered one final announcement.

"The new cafeteria standards and benefits policy will come into effect tomorrow.

"Additionally, due to the serious negative impact and potential risks this incident has caused the company, the board of directors has decided to cancel this year's year-end bonuses.

"Meeting adjourned."