During a meeting, I whispered to my colleague if she had a tampon because I felt my period had started. To my surprise, my colleague, Vivian Myers, erupted in anger. “Is menstruation something to be ashamed of? Why are you whispering about it? Here you are!” She slapped the tampon on the table, drawing the attention of everyone in the meeting room. Over twenty people turned to look at us. I noticed the boss’ cold face and tugged at her sleeve, trying to calm her down. Seeing that she had drawn attention, Vivian became more impassioned. “Menstruation has never been anything to be ashamed of. Thanks to it, new life can be born, and human civilization can continue. We should resist period shaming and instead take pride in menstruation.” She looked around with her chin slightly raised. “I’m on my period, with a healthy flow and bright color, and I never get cramps.” I didn’t want to influence others in the meeting, yet in her view, I was ashamed of my period. With a smile, I said, “Alright, let’s give a round of applause for Vivian, who ranks last in the company’s performance evaluations but claims greatness because she’s on her period!”
A smattering of applause rang out in the meeting room, but many people had looks of mockery. Since Linda, the last manager of the logistics department, resigned, this department had ranked at the bottom in the company’s performance evaluations, and the satisfaction from other departments had been declining. Vivian, the acting manager of the logistics department, had been unable to be confirmed in her position partly due to this. She glared at me. “So what, Aurora White? Someone has to be there. You guys think I’m an easy target as I’m a woman. Anyway, no matter how well I do in logistics, I can’t fully exert my capabilities.” I looked around. The proportion of women in middle management was nearly equal to that of men. I retorted, “Are you implying someone is deliberately targeting you? Vivian, when Linda was here, the evaluations were always near the top.” Vivian rolled her eyes at me. “I didn’t say that. You are doing business, impacting the company’s future. I can’t compare with you.” Seeing the meeting veer further off course, the boss, Adrian Hill, intervened. He cleared his throat. “Vivian, my cup is empty. Could you please refill it for me?” He pushed the coffee cup toward her and turned back to continue the meeting. However, Vivian just sat there, making no move. Adrian’s face became even colder. “Vivian, I asked you to refill my cup. Didn’t you hear?” Vivian showed no fear, instead giving a cold snort. “I heard you, but I refuse.” Everyone in the meeting room looked at her, forgetting about the proposals and reports. Vivian pushed the cup away and said calmly, “My job is logistics support, not being your secretary. Making coffee isn’t part of my duties. With so many people here, why single me out to do it? Can’t men do it? It’s unfair.” Adrian seemed speechless by Vivian’s impassioned speech. I noticed the cup was still more than half full. The request was merely to give Vivian a moment to cool down. To ease the awkward situation, I stood up. “Well, I’ll do it.” Unexpectedly, Vivian grabbed my arm. “Sit down. I’m fighting for women’s rights. Don’t feign being a reasonable one.”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but doubt myself. I thought, “Am I just trying to smooth things over, or had I become insensitive?” But looking at Adrian’s gray hair and Ryan’s dark circles under his eyes, I felt it was necessary to speak up. I said, “Vivian, you can fight for our rights, but you shouldn’t have indiscriminately accused every man here. When you messed up the event and offended the clients, Mr. Hill apologized to them on your behalf. But he never blamed you. “Look at them. Ryan stayed up until dawn yesterday working on this report. Bruce has a high fever, yet he is still working. John returned to work just two months after a car accident, and he still needed crutches to walk. But you only see your so-called unfair treatment but ignore their efforts.” I sneered. “Maybe you should reflect on how to improve satisfaction instead of pointing fingers.” Ignoring her fierce glare, I picked up the cup from the table and strode out of the meeting room. Behind me, Vivian scoffed. “Save it, Aurora. You have no right to criticize me.” Then, she muttered disdainfully, “Ugh, you stained the chair. I still have to clean it. Damn.” I suddenly felt uneasy. I wore white pants today. When I checked in the restroom, there was already a stain. Annoyed, I thought, “If I hadn’t argued with Vivian, I might have had time to avoid this. What could I do now? I have to meet a client for dinner tonight.” Just then, my colleague, Bella Cox, came out of a stall. Seeing her, I felt very awkward. We used to be close colleagues and friends, but since I became deputy manager, she had been distant. I instinctively covered my backside with both hands, trying to avoid another embarrassing scene. But Bella said calmly, “Wait, I’ll get you another pants.” Soon, she brought me a new pair of pants and a paper bag, solving my embarrassment. Holding the bag tightly, I called out as Bella turned to leave, “Don’t you hate me? Why are you helping me?” Without turning around, she replied, “Does this conflict? The pants cost 200 dollars. Remember to transfer the money.” Embarrassed, I scratched my nose. “Oh, okay.” Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Seeing Adrian’s message, I realized I had been out for too long. When I returned, the meeting was nearly over. Everyone showed a mix of expressions, and Adrian looked at me awkwardly. “Aurora, Vivian just proposed transferring to the marketing department for some experience. What do you think?” I hesitated, and Vivian shot me a challenging look. “The position of head of the marketing department has been vacant since Lily resigned. Mr. Hill said we need a fair competition, so let’s do it.” Seeing my silence, Ivy Green, the HR supervisor, said, “Your ranks are equivalent. Vivian is the acting supervisor, and you’re the deputy manager. It makes sense.” No one stood up to support me. Adrian and Ivy were being evasive, and the rest remained silent. Refusing would seem like I was afraid. I smiled. “If Mr. Hill agrees, I have no objections.” Vivian transferred to the marketing department, becoming my equal as deputy manager. After the meeting, Ivy patted me on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Her personality is like a double-edged sword. If she really stands up for women and tackles the business dinner culture, it could be beneficial to us.” I nodded, not bothering to argue. The following days in the marketing department were going to get much more interesting.
Vivian’s desk is right across from mine. While I was busy scheduling meetings with clients, she was touching up her makeup in a mirror. As I worked on revising my presentation slides, she was laughing out loud while watching a variety show. Seeing her like this, I understood why the logistics department had been consistently underperforming over the past few quarters. When I tried to rest for a while due to menstrual cramps, Vivian finally opened a document. “Aurora, add me to the marketing department group chat. How did you calculate the quote for the client? Isn’t it a bit low? Did you hear me?” Exhausted and in pain, I pointed to the stack of files on her desk. “The information is in the documents I gave you. Just look it up yourself.” She immediately flipped out. “What do you mean? You hide everything from me. Are you treating me as a competitor? You promised fair competition in front of Adrian.” Glancing at myself in the mirror on my desk, I found my lips had lost their color from the pain. Sweat broke out on my forehead, and my voice trembled uncontrollably. “Just wait a moment, okay? I’m in a lot of pain now.” Vivian rolled her eyes at me and muttered something under her breath. I couldn’t make out what she was saying as I rummaged through my drawer for medicine. Thankfully, I found a painkiller. I struggled to keep my hands steady as I tried to take the pill. But before I could take my glass, Vivian suddenly snatched the pill from my hand and sneered. “It’s just menstrual cramps. Do you really need to take medicine?” She held the pill, laughing contemptuously. “I hate delicate women like you. Can’t you even bear a little pain? You want to rest and take medicine. Humph, why not just ask for a leave and go home?” With that, she tossed the last remaining pill into the trash can. I hurried over to the trash can to retrieve it, but inside was an old instant noodle container. The pill dissolved instantly in the residual soup. Vivian continued her tirade, “It’s because of people like you that women struggle in the workplace.” I was in so much pain that I couldn’t retort. Glaring at her, I collapsed on my desk. Vivian took out her phone and started snapping pictures of me, muttering, “You can rest. I’ll send these photos to Ivy and let her post them in the main chat group to curb this kind of behavior.”
The argument here drew the attention of everyone in the office, but no one dared to offend the newly appointed leader. Only Bella approached my desk with a serious expression. “Aurora, you never had painful periods before. Why is it so severe this time?” Vivian burst into laughter. “Look, even your friend is questioning you. You are still acting, huh?” I was upset, thinking, “Is Bella here to laugh at me? But she helped me just now.” I stared at Bella, wanting to know her answer. “Do you really think that?” Bella didn’t speak. Instead, she swiped the phone out of Vivian’s hand. The phone fell, and Bella caught it smoothly. Vivian erupted in anger, shouting, “Bella!” Bella sneered. “You said I doubted her. Huh, why are you so sure she’s acting? If she’s not acting, what then? Apologize to everyone? With your twisted logic, you’ll only defame our department in the group chat. Will you pay for the damages?” With that, she tapped on the screen and deleted the photos. Vivian wasn’t about to back down. The two stared at each other, neither willing to yield, looking like they were about to come to blows. I struggled to stand up to intervene, but suddenly, I collapsed straight onto the floor. Vivian gloated over my embarrassment. “Since you’re sick, I’ll take your dinner appointment tonight.” I fainted. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. It was dark and quiet outside. My colleagues must have brought me here and left. The loneliness of making a living alone in a big city hit me hard. Vivian sent me a photo of the private room I had reserved. The client opposite her was the one I had been working with for a long time. “Damn it!” I muttered. “That’s because you’re not strong enough.” Just then, a cold voice echoed in the ward. Simultaneously, the sudden bright light made it hard for me to open my eyes. Adjusting my vision, I saw it was Bella. I hesitated. “Bella? Have you been here all along?” Bella snorted. “No, I passed by the hospital after work. I was worried you might be in pain and no one would know, so I came to check on you.” I felt warm. Why hadn’t I realized how sharp-tongued Bella was? I winked at her. “You’ve been so sweet. Could you accompany me to do something? I’ll treat you to dinner.” She saw right through my intentions and immediately agreed. “You want to get the deal back, right? Let’s go. I’ve been annoyed with Vivian for a while. Just be careful not to drink too much. I don’t want to be an accomplice.” I playfully punched her. “Wish me well for once, okay?” Vivian said she wanted to compete fairly with me, but behind my back, she was trying to steal my clients while I was sick. She even used the dishes I had ordered in advance. However, I noticed there were only a few bottles of non-alcoholic beverages on the table.
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