36 NOT VERY DIFFEREN (1/2)

The gala held on Friday evening by the committee of the tech conference was the highlight of the week. Not only did it signal the end of a stressful period for the participants, it was also the best place to make connections, both business and personal.

More importantly, the glamorous event was hosted in Demesne Hotel owned by the prestigious Zhong family. The hotel was the most lavish and exclusive spot in the city, so most people had not had the opportunity to step through its doors.

Unlike Maven Resort, Demesne was not a place that one could enter with just money or a little reputation. This hotel housed only the most elite of the world, including head of states. If they allowed normal celebrities and general upper class people, the prestige and security of the hotel would lose its standing.

However, an exception had been made for the gala. For this one night, commoners would be allowed to grace the halls of Demesne. The generosity of the Zhong family had been lauded in the city. However, many could not help speaking in private about the involvement of Zhong Feng in this decision.

Of course, the man had not been involved in asking Zhong Industries to host the event. After all, he was not a member of the committee, and his family had not consulted him. When he had gotten the news, he had shaken his head and frowned in annoyance because he knew the culprit.

Unfortunately, the slots for the gala attendance were limited. So, some people could only watch sadly as they were left behind by their colleagues. If the Demesne management allowed all related people to come to the event, they might have difficulties managing the crowd and its movement. This could compromise the safety of the very important guests in the hotel.

As luck would have it, there was no discrimination by class or wealth for the gala. Each participating company was given a specific number of tickets, five or less, to distribute to the select few. The distribution would be at their discretion. This meant that even a low class employee could come. However, when had the world ever been so simple? In almost all the businesses, the people at the top could not resist the opportunity to be in Demesne. So, they hogged all the spots.

Etude Technologies was not very different in this regard. However, the management, at least, took into account the work done during the week. It would be unfair to give a ticket to an administration manager if they did not do much in direct relation to the conference. The goal was to ensure that each of the contributors felt represented.

The ignorant Hu Lei was not concerned about these matters involving the big party. In fact, she did not know anything about the fight for the tickets. Her gala pass was already in her hands. She had received it on Wednesday from Assistant Chen so that she could prepare on time. It seemed that the man was still afraid that her presence would embarrass the big boss.

Unfortunately, the managerial staff in charge of deciding on the tickets did not know about this. They were deliberating in the office, hoping to come up with the most satisfactory solution. Their desire was to have at least a representative from each of the departments. If they did not do this, some employees would feel wronged, and their dissatisfaction could compromise company morale.

Etude had the highest number of tickets of all other companies: five. The small board of managers on the tenth floor wanted one ticket to go to the important participating divisions: marketing, international relations, research and development and legal. But this plan left a single ticket unclaimed.

The marketing manager felt that her department deserved one more ticket because they had been the foot soldiers during the fair. However, Lin Man wanted the additional ticket to go to Hu Lei. Though she was not her subordinate, she felt that the girl had contributed as much as an entire department. How could they deny her this chance?