As the staff from the restaurant departed, Wang Qiqi turned to face Anna, "So, what are you going to do about this?"

"Me, I..." Anna saw how easily Wang Qiqi let the restaurant staff go and felt a surge of misplaced hope that she, too, might escape unscathed. "I was truly careless this time. I shouldn't have listened to them, I shouldn't have trusted them without actually checking the prices on site..."

Wang Qiqi listened to Anna ramble for quite some time, yet she heard not a single genuine note of regret. Though it sounded like an apology, Anna was mostly deflecting blame onto the other party. It irritated Wang Qiqi, and the other colleagues standing nearby were equally displeased with Anna. It was too much; she'd been caught red-handed, yet she kept making excuses. Her audacity was truly breathtaking.

Wang Qiqi pinched the bridge of her nose and stood up. "What about the overcharged amount?" Wang Qiqi held up a photocopy of the restaurant receipt—ironclad proof. "You claim you didn't review the prices; that's a mistake, perhaps forgivable. But this isn't just a minor slip-up, is it?" Hmph, dreaming if you think you can dodge the most serious charge. This is the critical blow. Anna had spun a long, elaborate tale, aiming to touch on the overbilling issue only at the very end. She hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to press the issue so relentlessly. "I wish I had deleted that email." Anna had initially planned to copy the contents of the email before deleting it, as she wouldn't have known how to settle the bill with the restaurant otherwise. Unfortunately, Wang Qiqi had emerged too quickly, and she hadn't managed to copy everything. She then figured keeping the email as evidence wasn't harmful, nor did she think Wang Qiqi would understand the technicalities. Hearing all this, the onlookers burst into laughter, finding the situation hysterically funny, as if watching an absolute idiot.

"You thought deleting it would solve everything?" Wang Qiqi found it laughable. Working in an IT company, how could someone speak so childishly? "Don't you know servers retain records of all email correspondence?" Still clinging to a slim chance?

"Even if deleted locally, the server still has the record. I specifically accessed the server to find your email exchanges for this incident." At this point, Han Tao suddenly realized that if an email could be used for this, perhaps the previous payment reconciliation was also done via email. Hmm, I should go back and review Anna's past email logs later.

Since the company kept records, they would find everything even if she deleted her local copies. Anna finally understood, truly grasping the gravity of the situation. "I resign." Anna knew she couldn't stay now. Perhaps people might have sympathized with her last time, but this incident had blown up so large, and her reputation was ruined. She might as well quit. "I haven't caused any financial loss to the company this time." Though she had been greedy, she hadn't succeeded in the end.

Resigning? That was a swift countermeasure. "You didn't succeed this time, but don't forget about the last incident." Wang Qiqi had been prepared to accept the resignation immediately and have finance settle her final pay. But Anna's attitude infuriated her; she still wanted to put on airs. "Even though John signed it, he said he only calculated the lump sum. I checked the ledger; the detailed list attached to the invoice is missing." Anna knew this wouldn't end easily today. Since Wang Qiqi wasn't making things pleasant for her, why should she be accommodating? "That's better than you spending your time chatting at work. And constantly taking leave—what if you are a shareholder?"

"Do you even know my salary? It’s half of yours. I discussed this with John before I started here; I don't get paid for leave. I can show everyone my monthly payslip." Wang Qiqi thought, Oh, so you want to provoke me? You won't let up even on your way out, trying to pit everyone against me? Although foreign salaries were often confidential, Wang Qiqi didn't mind showing hers to everyone. "I came to work here mainly to look after Tao, so he wouldn't forget to eat while constantly working. Originally, I didn't want a salary, but John insisted it looked better since I was responsible for certain tasks. Didn't I step up during the company's recent financing round?" Wang Qiqi shamelessly touted her own achievements.

Fatty stood among the crowd, and Wang Qiqi's words left him with one thought: She's thick-skinned, but that was the best possible deflection. He noticed the subtle shift in expression of those who had been looking at Wang Qiqi askance; their expressions had softened. Anna hadn't expected her provocation to be neutralized so quickly by Wang Qiqi. "What do you want me to do now? Send me to the police station?" Despite Anna's seemingly indifferent tone, her body was trembling. She dreaded the thought of prison—it was terrifying. If she encountered good inmates, fine, but a bad crowd would make life a living hell.

Send you to the police? Of course, Wang Qiqi wanted to. "I have no intention of making the company's dirty laundry public. Return the money you embezzled." Wang Qiqi had initially planned to let the previous matter slide, but since someone wanted to save face by pushing her into the spotlight, Wang Qiqi certainly intended to return the favor. Anna was surprised Wang Qiqi would let her off so easily. "Just this much?"

Wang Qiqi wiggled a finger and smiled sweetly (though in Anna's eyes, it resembled a grin from the depths of hell). "Write down your reason for resigning." This document needed to be preserved carefully; if John suddenly lost his mind someday, she could use it.

Writing down the reason for resignation instantly terrified Anna. How was this any better than going to the police? Wang Qiqi's words didn't just shock Anna; some of the onlookers frowned as well.

"I need to archive this properly. What if you apply to work here again in the future? I can't keep an eye on you personally. I'm establishing an internal blacklist—anyone who harms the company's interests upon leaving, no matter how successful they become later, will never be rehired." Wang Qiqi knew this sounded somewhat tyrannical, but she saw no other way. "This letter is just for archiving purposes; it won't be sent to the police." Anna was reluctant to write it, but form trumped willpower. Although Wang Qiqi didn't know the exact amount Anna stole last time, Anna did—it was substantial, and worse, she had already spent it, leaving her unable to repay it. "I'll write it, but you cannot pursue repayment for the money I embezzled this time."

"I understand that. However, your salary this time will be docked to cover the previous overpayment; we'll see how much remains." Wang Qiqi readily agreed, adding another condition. "Of course, if there's any leftover money after that, I'll give it to you immediately."

"Keep my salary. I need money to live on." Anna panicked at the thought of losing her paycheck. She had rent and food to cover. Moreover, even if Wang Qiqi didn't call the police, Anna knew finding work here would be difficult. It would be better to seek employment elsewhere, perhaps New York, where opportunities were plentiful, and she might even meet some talented individuals.

A spendthrift, Wang Qiqi understood that foreigners often lacked saving habits. As for herself, the thought of having no money caused immense stress. Even now, Qiqi habitually set aside small amounts for fixed deposits, untouchable savings, precisely because she hated the feeling of having zero liquid assets. "No money? Don't you have credit cards? How much do you think you'd lose if I sued you over this?" Anna knew any hope of getting her salary today was gone. "Fine, no salary then." Seeing everyone watching her drama unfold, Anna realized staying longer would only make her a greater laughingstock. She hastily snatched a piece of paper, scribbled out her resignation letter, threw it at Wang Qiqi, grabbed her backpack, and bolted toward the front door.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Anna to be so completely lacking in grace, throwing the resignation letter at her. Just as she hurried to pick it up, she felt a sudden impact. Wang Qiqi realized with alarm that she now understood why Anna had deliberately tossed the letter at her—it was a distraction for the physical charge coming next.

As Anna tried to shove past Wang Qiqi, Wang Qiqi lost her footing slightly, leaning into Anna. Despite Anna's forward momentum, Wang Qiqi deftly nudged her knee with her own leg, causing Anna to tumble. Wang Qiqi thought thankfully, Thank goodness I kept up with my yoga lately.

The situation had completely flipped. Anna, who intended to humiliate Wang Qiqi, ended up pinned beneath her instead. "Aah!" Anna was shocked that her plan to create a huge public scene had backfired. Worse, she had been pushed down by Wang Qiqi.

Han Tao looked at his empty hands, then at Wang Qiqi sprawled over Anna. Those further back might not have noticed the fine details, but Han Tao had seen Wang Qiqi's leg subtly move. However, he felt no pity for Anna; if Anna hadn't intended harm, this outcome wouldn't have occurred. "Qiqi, Qiqi, are you alright?" Han Tao quickly helped Wang Qiqi up. As for Anna, Sorry, but not sorry. "Anna, what is wrong with you? If you can't walk properly, don't walk! Why did you deliberately push someone? Qiqi, are you okay? Let's go to the hospital just in case you were hit hard."

"Yeah, to the hospital!" Fatty’s face tightened in disapproval. "Anna, you are not leaving! You’re coming to the hospital with us, or we call the police instead." Fatty immediately blocked Anna, who was trying to sneak away. It was absurd; after causing such a scene, if Qiqi suffered any physical injury, who would be responsible if Anna simply vanished?