The Lazier, The Luckier
I barely took any days off this month.
Every day, I'm out the door before dawn to meet clients.
I still have to sort through contracts and documents after getting home at night.
The client's demands keep changing constantly.
I revised the proposals over and over, staying up for countless nights.
Sometimes the client calls last-minute meetings, and I rush over without even having time to eat.
My colleagues say I'm pushing myself too hard and tell me to take it easy.
But I know this multi-million deal is super important to me.
It's not just about a hefty bonus, but also a promotion.
Finally, some good news came today.
The client signed the contractI landed the multi-million deal.
Holding the contract, my hands were shaking.
It felt like all the hard work was finally paying off right at this moment.
I couldn't contain my excitement and wanted to share it with my boyfriend, Cameron Roger, right away.
I bought his favorite grilled skewers and beer, then hurried home.
I was already planning to surprise him big time later.
I slipped the key into the lock and gently turned it.
The door opened; the living room lights were off, and strange noises were coming from the bedroom.
My heart sank, and a bad feeling started creeping in.
I stepped lightly and slowly walked toward the bedroom.
The bedroom door was slightly open, and I could see inside.
Cameron Roger and the company's finance officer, Genevieve Guthrie, were embracing closely.
My mind instantly went completely blank.
The skewers and beer in my hands dropped to the floor, making a sharp clinking sound.
They heard the noise, abruptly broke apart, and turned to look at me.
There wasn't a trace of guilt on Cameron's face, only a hint of impatience.
Genevieve anxiously straightened her clothes, avoiding my gaze.
I pointed at them, my voice shaking with anger and shock.
"What are you... what are you two doing?"
Cameron frowned, walked over to me, and spoke casually.
"Moira, don't make such a big deal out of this."
"What do you mean by 'big deal'?" I almost shouted, "We're a couple, and you're here with her..."
"So what if we're a couple?" Cameron cut me off, "You're always working and never have time for me."
"Isn't all this work for our future together?" Tearing up, I said, "I just closed a multi-million deal today. I wanted to share the good news with you, and yet you..."
When it came to the multi-million deal, there wasn't a trace of joy in Cameron Roger's eyesonly pure disdain.
"It's just a deal. What's there to be so proud of?"
"A deal?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Do you have any idea how much I've struggled for this deal?"
"Still just luck." Cameron sneered, "Without the company's platform, do you really think you could have landed this deal? Don't act like you're all that."
His words pierced my heart like sharp knives.
All my hard work meant absolutely nothing in his eyes.
Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar person in front of me, my heart shattered.
The huge blow left me weak, and my vision started to fade.
I wanted to say something else, but no sound came out.
Then, everything went black, and I lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.
It felt like I had been dreaming for a long time.
The dream was filled with intimate scenes of Cameron Roger and Genevieve Guthrie, along with his words dismissing my efforts.
I wanted to run away, but no matter what, I couldn't escape.
Just as I was about to suffocate, a mechanical voice rang in my mind.
"Detected the Host's intense negative emotions, meeting the activation conditions; the Lying Flat System is now officially activated."
I froze, thinking I must still be dreaming.
"Who? Who's speaking?"
"Hello, I'm the Lying Flat System." The mechanical voice spoke again, "The purpose of this system is: 'The harder you try, the more it hurts; the more you lie flat, the luckier you get.'"
"Lying Flat System? Lying Flat?" I asked, confused, "What does that mean?"
"Simply put, the host worked too hard before but faced betrayal and setbacks. That's the 'the harder you try, the more it hurts' feeling." The system explained.
"From now on, you don't need to work so hard. Just learn to lie flat and slack off, and luck will come your way, bringing a different life."
I carefully reflected on what I'd been through lately.
Yeah, I worked so hard, fighting for both of our futures, but what did I get?
Nothing but my boyfriend's betrayal and rejection.
Maybe the system is right.
Hard work doesn't always pay off. Maybe I should just try lying flat.
"So, what should I do?" I asked.
"First, you need to cut off the people and things that drain your energy." The system said, "For example, stop working so hard to support Cameron Roger. He's not worth your effort."
The system's words snapped me awake.
Before, Cameron Roger always came up with excuses not to work, and I was the one covering all the household expenses.
I thought if I just worked harder, he'd eventually change.
Now that I look back, I realize how foolish I was.
"Alright, I'll listen to you." I made up my mind.
When I woke up, I realized I was lying in a hospital bed.
Cameron Roger was sitting in the chair next to me, fiddling with his phone.
When he saw I was awake, he casually asked, "You're awake? The doctor said it's nothing serious; you should be discharged soon."
There was no hint of concern in his tone, like my being hospitalized had nothing to do with him.
I looked at him, feeling all my love for him had vanished, replaced only by disappointment.
"Cameron, let's break up." I said calmly.
Cameron was stunned, put down his phone, and looked at me. "What did you say? Just because of yesterday? I told you, don't make a big deal out of it."
"It's not about yesterday. It's because I finally see who you really are." I said firmly, "From now on, I'm done supporting you. You're responsible for your own life."
Cameron's expression changed, and he said angrily, "Moira, stop messing around. Can you really make it on your own without me?"
"Without you, I'd be better off." I didn't want to argue with him anymore. "After I'm discharged, I'll move out. You can have this place to yourself."
After being discharged, I returned to the home that once held so many memories.
I packed up my things, feeling not the slightest bit attached.
Cameron Roger was still trying to convince me not to break up, not to move out.
But I was determined. No matter what he said, I didn't waver.
After leaving home, I had nowhere to go. Thinking the company had dorms, I planned to move in there first.
After packing, I took a cab to the company.
The dorm manager told me the dorms are full now; there are no empty rooms.
I sighed helplessly, not knowing where to go.
At that moment, I remembered what the system said: "The more you lie flat, the luckier you get."
Maybe I don't have to go out of my way to find a placeI could just crash in the company lobby for one night?
I checked out the company lobby; there weren't many people around at nightjust the security guards on patrol.
I found a corner, spread out the quilt I brought, and planned to sleep on the floor.
Just as I finished setting it up, a few coworkers working late walked by.
They saw me lying flat in the lobby and all looked surprised.
"Moira, why are you sleeping on the floor here?" A colleague asked.
"The dorm is full, nowhere else to go. Just crashing here for the night." I said calmly.
The colleagues started whispering.
"Didn't she just land a multi-million deal? How come she still has no place to stay?"
"I heard she broke up with her boyfriend, something about relationship issues."
"No wonder."
"But she's pushing herself way too hard, sleeping on the lobby floor how is she even going to work tomorrow?"
I heard their gossip but didn't really care.
If it were me before, I'd definitely feel awkward and try to find another place.
But right now, I just want to lie flat and stop stressing over all this stuff.
I lay down on the floor, closed my eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of footsteps from the company staff.
Everyone saw me sleeping on the floor in the lobby and couldn't help but take a few extra looks; the whispers grew louder.
I slowly got up from the floor, straightened my blanket, and ignored their stares.
Just as I was about to head to the restroom to freshen up, I saw Cameron Roger storming angrily into the company lobby.
The moment he saw me, he hurried over, grabbed my arm, and yelled, "Moira, what do you mean by this?"
"Moving out is one thing, but not even answering my calls? Are you trying to break up with me?"
His voice was loud, grabbing everyone's attention around us.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, staring at us with curious eyes.
I shook off his hand and said coldly, "I've made it clearwe're over. Don't come bothering me again."
"Break up? I don't agree!" Cameron Roger said angrily. "Is it because you landed that big deal that you think you're all that now? Starting to look down on me?"
"I'm not looking down on you, I just realized we're not right for each other." I don't want to argue with him here anymore.
"You need to leave the company first. This is a workplace, not a place for you to cause a scene."
"I'm not leaving! If you don't come back with me, I won't go!" Cameron Roger threw a tantrum, shouting loudly in the lobby.
"Everyone, come look! Moira is so ungratefulshe's already getting somewhere and wants to ditch me!"
Colleagues nearby whispered and pointed at us.
I felt a bit helpless, but mostly calm.
With my old self, I would've definitely felt ashamed and furious over all this gossip.
But now, with the system in place, I know that as long as I just lie flat, things will eventually turn around.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was a client calling to say they were coming today to sign a supplementary agreement and asked me to have everything ready at the company.
I glanced at Cameron Roger, who was still making a scene in the lobby, frowned, ignored him, and headed straight to the office.
Seeing that I wasn't paying attention to him, Cameron followed me and kept accusing me the entire way.
Once in the office, I began preparing the materials for the supplementary agreement.
Cameron sat right beside me, muttering under his breath, calling me heartless and saying I was betraying him.
I ignored him and focused on preparing the materials.
Soon, the client arrived.
I led the client into the meeting room, ready to sign the contract.
Just as I pulled out the supplementary agreement, Cameron Roger suddenly stormed in.
He pointed at me and shouted to the client, "Don't sign with her! She's got serious character issuesungrateful, and she dumps her boyfriend without a second thought!"
The client froze, looking at me in confusion.
I took a deep breath and calmly said to the client, "Sir, sorry, this is a personal matter and won't affect our cooperation."
"Personal matter? I say she's just a liar!" Cameron wouldn't back down and tried to snatch the supplementary agreement from my hand.
I dodged his hand and took a step back.
Cameron Roger didn't get it and got even angrier, lunging forward again.
But he didn't watch his step, tripped over the Meeting Room chair, and fell hard to the ground with a dull thud.
He clutched his leg, gritting his teeth in pain, his face contorted.
The client was startled by the sudden scene, stood up, and looked at Cameron Roger, then at me.
I wasn't expecting that either and froze for a moment.
At that moment, the System's voice rang in my mind: "Please note: while in Lying Flat mode, problems will automatically resolve themselves. No need to worry."
Feeling a bit more at ease, I said to the client, "Sir, I'm truly sorry for the awkward moment. Let's continue with the contract signing. I'll take care of his issue."
The client hesitated briefly, then nodded.
Just as I was about to hand the supplementary agreement to the client, the meeting room door opened again.
Genevieve walked in, saw Cameron on the floor, gasped, and quickly rushed over to help him up.
"Cameron, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Genevieve asked with concern, her eyes full of worry.
Seeing Genevieve, Cameron said with a hint of grievance, "I'm fine. It's just that Moira really pissed me offshe wouldn't let me tell the client the truth and even shoved me."
Genevieve looked at me, her eyes full of hostility: "Moira, you've gone way too far! Cameron has been nothing but good to you, and you treat him like this, yet you still want to trick the client into signing the contract!"
"I didn't lie to the client, nor did I push Cameronhe just accidentally fell." I explained calmly.
"You're still making excuses!" Genevieve said, stepping between me and the client to block him.
"Sir, don't believe a word she says. She'd do anything to close the deal. There's something wrong with this Supplementary Agreementyou can't sign it!"
The client's expression darkened as he looked at Genevieve Guthrie: "Who are you? Do you have any business speaking here?"
"I'm Genevieve Guthrie from the Company's finance department. I'm only looking out for youI don't want you to get scammed." Genevieve said, standing her ground confidently.
I looked at Genevieve and felt a bit amused inside.
She did me wrong, and now she actually wants to stop me from signing the contract.
Just then, the client's assistant walked in.
He saw Genevieve blocking the client from signing and his face darkened.
"Who are you? Move aside! Our boss's time is preciouswe don't have time to waste here!" the assistant snapped.
"I won't move! There's something wrong with this agreement, and you'll regret signing it!" Genevieve refused to budge.
The assistant frowned, stopped wasting words on her, reached out, and dragged Genevieve aside.
Genevieve lost her footing, stumbled a few steps, and nearly fell.
"How can you lay hands on me?" Genevieve shouted angrily.
"So what if I did? If you dare to block our contract signing again, I won't hold back!" the assistant snapped back.
The client glanced at Genevieve and said to me, "Ms. Yip, let's continue. Don't let irrelevant people distract us."
I nodded and handed the supplementary agreement to the client.
The client quickly skimmed through it and signed their name.
After the contract signing, the client and the assistant left the meeting room.
Only Cameron Roger, Genevieve Guthrie, and I remained in the meeting room.
Cameron was still clutching his leg, looking pale.
Genevieve glared at me, her eyes full of fury.
I looked at both of them and suddenly felt there was nothing left to be angry about.
If they're so into being together, then finelet them be.
From now on, I won't get involved in their business, nor let it affect my mood.
"Don't bother me anymore from now on." I said to them calmly, "Do whatever you want, it's none of my business."
After saying that, I grabbed the signed Supplementary Agreement and turned to leave the Meeting Room.
Cameron Roger and Genevieve Guthrie were left standing there, unsure of what to say.
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