Everyone in the department could hear Melody Thompson’s inner thoughts, a woman with a deceptively sweet facade. During our department’s company-funded team-building trip, I requested to stay at the base camp due to severe altitude sickness. Melody looked utterly torn. [Should I tell everyone that Chloe’s altitude sickness is totally fake, and because of her lie, we’re all going to be punished and forced to hike up the mountain?] Mr. Davidson, our department manager, heard her thoughts. He immediately canceled the mountain shuttle and ordered all employees to hike up. After that, the entire department froze me out. Months later, I had finalized a perfect project proposal and was applying for company seed money. Again, Melody’s thoughts piped up. [Chloe’s project is a guaranteed money pit. This loss will be in the millions, and every single one of us will be held accountable for her screw-up.] Hearing this, everyone raised objections. To get the project off the ground, I reached out to clients for investment. During one client meeting, I accidentally fell off a cliff. In a critical moment, I used my work phone to call for help in the company group chat on WhatsApp. I sent a photo of the cliff, but Melody’s inner thoughts just scoffed. [Chloe totally wrecked millions of dollars worth of client equipment and now she’s just trying to trick someone into coming over to be a scapegoat for her.] No one came to rescue me from the cliff. I clung on for two days and two nights, but I didn’t make it. I died without ever understanding why everyone was so cold. Until I was reborn, back to that very team-building day. This time, I finally heard Melody Thompson’s inner thoughts too.
On the crisp, fresh mountain air, I clutched my chest, leaning against a stone marker. My colleagues in front of me were excitedly taking photos and videos for their social media, brimming with energy. Only I felt a scorching churn in my abdomen, my head spinning, and my breath coming in ragged gasps. In my previous life, during this annual department team-building event, I had arrived at this mountain feeling relaxed and eager. But as soon as we reached halfway up, I developed severe altitude sickness. Looking at the all-too-familiar faces before me, I never would have imagined they would eventually lead to my death. Half a minute ago, I had asked Mr. Davidson, the department manager, if I could stop going up the mountain with the main group. That’s when I heard Melody Thompson’s thoughts. [Altitude sickness? Total act! Chloe just wants to be lazy, that’s her excuse. Once Mr. Davidson exposes her, we’ll all be dragged into hiking up the mountain, and our legs will be shaking for three days afterwards.] I lifted my head, looking at Melody not far away. Her lips were sealed, but her eyes were fixed on me. [Chloe works out for over two hours every day. She’s as strong as an ox, no way she’d get altitude sickness halfway up. None of the rest of us are having any issues.] [Oh no, Manager Davidson is looking this way. Is he about to discover Chloe’s little charade?] Mr. Davidson was indeed walking towards me, step by step. I wanted to speak, but it felt like all the strength had been drained from me. He glanced at my pale face, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Chloe, you’re such a good actress, why don’t you go join Hollywood?” “Manager, I’m not acting. I really feel nauseous and want to throw up from the altitude.” “Addicted to acting, are we?” Mr. Davidson rolled his eyes at me. “Thirty-two people in this department, and you’re the only one with ‘altitude sickness’? Who are you kidding! Get up, and don’t push my last bit of patience!” Before I could even move, Melody Thompson’s thoughts chimed in again. [Chloe would never listen to Manager Davidson. He’s the person she despises the most; she even goes over his head to complain about him to higher-ups. Once Manager Davidson gets fired, she’ll be promoted.] Hearing this, Mr. Davidson clenched his fists. “I think you all just have too little work at the company, that’s why you’re cooking up these little schemes. Everyone, hike up that mountain now! No one gets to take the shuttle, including you, Chloe!” “Anyone who dares defy my order will receive a termination notice from HR tomorrow.” Mr. Davidson’s attitude was resolute, and my colleagues’ complaints rained down on me, one after another. “What kind of person is she! She puts on an act, and why do we have to suffer the punishment with her?” “Exactly! Did Chloe ever think of us when she took her commissions? If we don’t share in the good times, why should we share in the bad ones?” I stayed silent, neither refuting them nor lingering there to rest. Enduring the discomfort, I forced myself to move, joining the crowd to go up. Behind me, Mr. Davidson was still grumbling. “Not altitude sickness, huh? Keep faking it. When we get back, I’m gonna deal with you properly. Let’s see if you dare to put on an act again.” But as soon as he finished speaking, his mouth snapped shut. Even the constantly complaining colleagues gasped. “Chloe, why are you coughing up blood?!” Mr. Davidson stepped forward and kicked me where I lay on the ground. “Stop faking.” I lifted my gaze to meet his for a moment, then instantly blacked out.
When I opened my eyes again, a doctor in front of me was explaining my condition to Mr. Miller, the company’s Vice President. “Her altitude sickness was already severe, and she was clearly unwell. Why wait until she developed wet cough symptoms from high-altitude pulmonary edema before bringing her to the hospital? We almost ran out of time, you know?” Seeing me awake, the other people in the hospital room swarmed around me. Mr. Miller, holding Mr. Davidson back, pulled him towards me. “Chloe, I’m truly sorry about this. I never expected something like this to happen during a company team-building event.” “What are you waiting for, apologize to Chloe now!” Mr. Davidson’s eyes darted around, hesitant to speak. I decided to cut to the chase. “Manager Davidson always has his own strong opinions. I suppose he still thinks I’m acting, just like when I asked for help with my altitude sickness, right?” My words flustered Mr. Davidson a bit, but he still gave me an imploring look. “It’s all a misunderstanding, Chloe. Our department is like a family, and you’re my most valued employee. How could I ever think that?” “I’ll get a medical certificate from the hospital. This incident counts as a work-related injury. As for who should take responsibility—” I looked at Mr. Miller, who immediately provided the answer. “Davidson, you’re fired!” “No, Mr. Miller, please! I’m a senior employee at the company. Even if I haven’t scored huge wins, I’ve put in years of hard work.” Despite Mr. Davidson’s repeated pleas and attempts to soften him, the outcome didn’t change. Fuming with nowhere to vent his anger, he looked left and right, his eyes landing on Melody, who was staring at the floor. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Melody’s arm. “Why did you say Chloe’s altitude sickness was fake? You were the one stirring things up; otherwise, I never would have punished everyone with a hike. You b*tch, you made me lose my job!” With that, Mr. Davidson raised his hand and slapped Melody across the face. “Yes, I heard Melody say it too! She said Chloe was just faking being sick to be lazy. Could it be that Melody made all that up because she was jealous of Chloe?” “Her performance has always been worse than Chloe’s. She held a grudge and manipulated others to hurt her. You’re terrifying, Melody!” As the colleagues’ inciting voices grew louder, Mr. Davidson’s rage doubled. He grabbed Melody and was about to throw her out the window. It was Mr. Miller who saw this and shouted to stop him. After that day, my colleagues didn’t gang up and freeze me out like in my past life. Instead, they actively took on my workload. Their attitude towards Melody, however, grew colder by the day, making her personally experience what it felt like to be isolated and helpless. Not long after I was discharged from the hospital, the day came when my project proposal was complete. In my past life, when I took my design proposal to my superior to apply for project funds, Melody’s inner thoughts claimed my plan was full of flaws and would saddle every colleague with debt because of me. Both colleagues and management believed her, refusing to approve my funding. If I hadn’t been desperate to raise the money from my own sales performance, I wouldn’t have gone to that steel mill client on the cliff in my previous life, and that cliff accident wouldn’t have happened. I reined in my thoughts, displaying the project content on the large screen in the conference room. I had barely outlined the project framework when Melody impatiently projected her thoughts. [Does Chloe really think she’s the only one in the company who understands the industry?] [The internet is clearly the mainstream now, but she insists on going off the beaten path to do some overseas business. If it weren’t for her ‘brilliant idea,’ it wouldn’t cause everyone to work for years, not only failing to save money but ending up in debt because of her.] Initially, everyone in the conference room had been full of praise for my project. But after hearing those thoughts, their faces completely changed.
[I really want to tell everyone the truth. It’s one thing for me to take the fall for Chloe, but our colleagues are innocent!] [Those colleagues who rely on their salaries to buy food and pay bills might not even be able to afford meals later, let alone get married or raise children.] Mr. Jenkins, the approving manager, frowned, slamming my project document shut with force. “Chloe, you’ve only been with the company for a few years, and you already want to manage a project independently? You’re far too ambitious. You’re asking for twenty million dollars in funding. Who do you think you are?” “Mr. Jenkins, this project indeed requires this much seed money, and its prospects are excellent.” As I spoke, I pressed the remote, adjusting the PPT slides. Aligning with the visuals on the screen, I continued to analyze my project. “This is data I spent six months collecting. The construction materials industry in a certain overseas country is indeed a blank slate. Now is the best time for our company to enter that market. I can guarantee that we’ll recover our investment in less than six months.” I had specially prepared a comprehensive table, listing all possible scenarios for the project’s progression. Mr. Jenkins clearly hadn’t expected this. Looking at my PPT content, his expression wavered slightly. And the other colleagues with voting rights shifted from dissatisfaction to shock. “Chloe’s project actually looks really good. I’ve been with the company for ten years, and I’ve never seen such a complete project proposal.” I was quite satisfied with this scene. It meant all the extra work I’d done since my rebirth wasn’t in vain. Just as everyone’s doubts were beginning to shift towards Melody, she put on a wronged expression. [Chloe really is an incredibly manipulative woman. To trick us into approving this seed money, she even fabricated all this fake data.] [This data is all confidential company information. How could a mere employee like Chloe possibly get her hands on it? This is such an obvious red flag, has no one else noticed?] As these two thoughts echoed, everyone’s gaze immediately focused on the data table in the PPT. Someone quickly pulled out their phone to search, then pointed at me. “Chloe, I looked up these companies online. All their data is protected by specialists, which means the data you’ve presented is all fabricated! You clearly have no confidence in doing this project well, so how dare you ask for twenty million dollars? Have you even considered what happens if it fails?” With one person starting, others quickly chimed in. “Chloe, you should just go back to the sales department and contact clients, alright? Stop making empty boasts here.” “Or are you not genuinely interested in doing the project, but your real goal is to scam the company for money?” “No wonder I found a plane ticket for an overseas trip in your drawer before! So you were planning to flee with the company’s money after scamming us!” The voices grew louder and more chaotic, with some even advocating to call the police and have me arrested. This scene made my heart clench in frustration, especially when I saw Melody’s triumphant smile. It just made me feel like everyone else was an idiot. They weren’t looking at the real world; they were all being led astray by Melody’s inner thoughts. Just as I was about to speak, a man in a sharp suit with a stern face suddenly appeared outside the conference room. Seeing him, the colleagues and managers in the room widened their eyes, unconsciously straightening their collars and dresses. “Isn’t that the CEO of Sterling Group? Why is he at our company?” “He must be here to partner with us! Whoever lands this deal will definitely be this year’s top salesperson!” I had just taken a step forward when Mr. Jenkins reached out and pushed me aside. “Get out of the way! Is Mr. Sterling someone a small-fry like you can approach?” I said nothing, merely watching as the “important figure,” Mr. Sterling, walked towards me. “Why can’t my sister approach me?” My brother’s words left everyone speechless, their mouths hanging open. They looked back and forth, watching my brother walk over to me. I linked my arm through his. “Alex, what brings you here today?”
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