Work Prophet
Chapter 296 - 54: Independent Office

Chapter 296: Chapter 54: Independent Office

"Is my office renovation complete?"

Before leaving work, Li Yu was stopped by Xu Mengyuan, who handed him a set of keys.

After being promoted to P4, Li Yu unlocked a new privilege and received an independent office. However, when he had previously inquired with Xu Mengyuan, the response was that it was still under renovation and needed to air out the formaldehyde.

Typically, airing out a newly renovated office to make it usable might take two to three months.

But it is rare to encounter bosses who genuinely care about their employees’ health. Usually, the airing out might only last a week or two before the offices are put to use. Sometimes, the day after renovations are completed, work might commence, or work might even start while renovations are ongoing.

After all, renting office space costs money, and every day delayed is a day’s rent wasted.

So Li Yu wasn’t too surprised to receive the keys so soon. Besides, he didn’t necessarily need the office right away. He could leave it unused for a while. Receiving the keys earlier would allow him to ventilate the space sooner and buy a few pots of money plant.

"Only some necessary modifications were made," Xu Mengyuan said, "but it’s still quite far from being usable. You will have to handle the soft furnishings yourself since the company doesn’t know which style you prefer. The finance department has already approved a budget of 1.2 million for the renovation. Make sure to keep track and not go overboard."

"1.2 million?" Li Yu paused as he took the keys, upon hearing the amount.

Although the Third Era was always generous, paying high salaries and not skimping on providing office facilities—like the ergonomic chair from Herman Miller that HR Miss sat on—spending 1.2 million on an office renovation still seemed too extravagant.

"Yes, 1.2 million," Xu Mengyuan nodded to confirm, "and should you get promoted further, the company will allocate additional funds for renovations."

"All right, then, which room is my office?"

Regardless, Li Yu decided to first visit his new office before making any plans. He had noticed during his commutes, but he had not seen any ongoing renovations in the hallway.

However, Xu Mengyuan then said, "Your office is not here."

"Not here as in not on this floor?"

"No, it means not in this building. More precisely, not even in this area. I’ve selected your new office at the 729 Digital Cultural Industrial Park. It’s only 1.4 kilometers from your residence, so you won’t have to take the subway every day."

Xu Mengyuan paused, then added, "You could even try running to work; it’d be good exercise. Also, make sure to install a shower and a changing room in the office."

"?"

"Are you saying that from now on, I need to work from a different place? But if I need to move to another dimension, wouldn’t I still need the machine under room eight?" Li Yu frowned.

"That is exactly why I had to make alterations to your new office," Xu Mengyuan said. "One part of the area will be connected to room eight."

Li Yu gathered his thoughts, "This means I can go directly from my new office to room eight?"

"Hmm, you can think of it that way...but more precisely, you will arrive at a mirror image of room eight. It has some functionalities of room eight, but strictly speaking, it isn’t the actual room eight. It might sound a bit complex," Xu Mengyuan touched his ear, "You’ve played online games, right?"

"Hmm."

"It’s like an instance in an online game, you see. Every time you enter, it generates a copy that belongs to you, so you don’t have to worry about being disturbed by others, just like now. From now on, you can freely use your version of room eight."

"Is this why, since joining the company, I haven’t encountered any business department colleagues?" Li Yu realized something, "The ones before me who were promoted to P4 also had their independent offices and left this building, didn’t they?"

"Your perception is sharp, that’s exactly the case. Also, let me tell you some good news: the independent office is not just for making your work commute more convenient and providing a private space; its real purpose is to allow you to start setting up your own project team."

"Project team?"

"Yes, you’ve been promoted, so the company can’t possibly expect you to keep working alone. Besides, after reaching P4, you must be managing quite a number of followers, and your workload has increased.

"With how hard your days at work are, it would hardly be humane to go home and worry about work alone, so go ahead and recruit someone, share some of that burden. Remember you asked me if the company was still hiring?"

"You told me to wait."

"Right, wait until you’re promoted to P4 and have an independent office to automatically receive a hiring quota," Xu Mengyuan said. "However, as per the policy, before you reached P4, I couldn’t tell you about the subsequent benefits of higher positions."

"You must still have many questions, but it’s time to leave. don’t worry, I’ve written down the things you need to be aware of for the project team on a note, left in your new office. You can go and read it, and call me if you have any questions."

HR Miss finally gave Li Yu her mobile number, then added, "But remember, contact during work hours only."

Li Yu noted the number and nodded.

Instead of going home, he headed straight for the 729 Digital Cultural Industrial Park.

He had passed it a few times on his way to work before but had never entered, knowing only that it was built about six years ago and many companies had since moved in.

There were game companies, as well as animation, publishing houses, and live media companies, among others.

This time, as Li Yu was entering, he also encountered a group of girls dressed like a girl group, chattering as they walked past him.

In recent years, the idol economy had been booming, and many companies wanted a piece of the action.

So there were quite a few girl groups and boy bands, though only a handful were successful. Most were obscure, relegated to live streaming or performing at malls or company annual parties.

Some of the more unfortunate members only had a few hundred to a few thousand followers—less than some individual internet celebrities who created their videos. Luckily, they still had a basic salary to depend on, sustaining themselves through thick and thin.

But if they continuously failed to achieve results, they would likely end up disbanded in the end.

Li Yu passed by them and continued walking forward. Since the park had only been built recently, the environment was quite nice, lush and green. He walked to Area D and went around the half-circle to find room 142, as mentioned by Xu Mengyuan.

Area D was mainly comprised of independent two-story buildings, and 142 was no exception. It occupied a smaller area, but it was nonetheless close to 300 square meters. With two floors, the 1.2 million for renovations didn’t seem too outrageous after all.

But would the Third Era really call such a building an independent office?