“I’m sorry, Winston, but we can’t make Ruyi a full timer,” my publisher, Fergus said.
“Then what are you going to do? Have her intern here forever? She’s approaching the six month mark!”
“We can’t. We don’t have the money or the manpower and sales needs the numbers from the website to sell ads.”
“Who do you think has been making the numbers increase? Guan Yin?” I asked.
Fergus narrowed his eyes at me to show he didn’t appreciate that.
“It’s just me. And her. We share the work,” I said. He looked at me as though he could not believe what he was hearing.
“There are only two writers in the office,” I stared at him flatly. “You hire freelancers to supplement the articles, but why not hire her? She’s proven herself.”
“We just don’t have enough money. Sales—”
“Ruyi and I can walk and we’re not afraid to do it,” I said. I stood up and left the room.
“Winston, this industry is very small. Imagine what we can say if you do this.”
“So be it.” I walked out of the office and Ruyi looked up. I saw that she wanted to talk to me, but I shook my head. She knew that I wasn’t ready to talk and went back to work.
I did what everyone in the office.
Go outside the building to smoke.
I’d just lit my first cigarette and put it to my lips when Bodhisattva Guan Yin appeared. Well, she strolled over all dressed in white. The alleyway was grimy and she shone amidst the muck.
“Zhu Wuneng,” she began, “we believe that it is your time. You are now an arhat, should you choose to accept it.”
I scoffed.
“I would have accepted after the journey, but now, no. There’s so much I still want to do.”
“But you have helped many people. You understand what it means to be selfless. And that is why—”
“I’m really sorry. I’m not in the mood for this ‘becoming a god’ thing. You came at the wrong time,” I said.
“Then what is it that you want? You truly want?” she asked.
“Ruyi’s happiness. I know she’d be happy with a full time job and benefits.”
“And you’d look after her?”
“Duh. I’m like her older brother.”
“So it will be granted. Bear in mind that there will be a sacrifice. But know this, Wuneng. From now on, you are welcome in the hall of Buddhas.”
“Um… thanks?” I wanted to say, but Guan Yin had disappeared.
*
There was even worse news the next day because Fergus had called me into the office, along with the rest of the department heads. There was a solemn atmosphere in the meeting room and everyone was stony-faced.
“My dear colleagues,” Fergus started off, “I’m afraid we can no longer print the magazine.” Martin, the head of sales, inhaled sharply.
“We didn’t make enough money to print next month’s issue. It just… isn’t sustainable. No one is reading our print magazine and we’re not making money off of it anymore.”
This was true.
“What’s going to happen now?” Martin asked.
“We have to focus everything we have online,” Fergus declared. “Winston, I want to see a million hits next month so we can sell more ads. And then, when that happens, we’re hire Ruyi.”
I glared at him and clenched my teeth but I couldn’t say anything in front of so many people. All I could do was nod. Shortly after, the meeting ended, and I had to tell Ruyi what had happened. I approached her desk, tapped her on the shoulder, and relayed everything.
“What?!”
“Shhh!”
“The whole company knows, at this point. What’s the point of keeping quiet?”
“I dunno. I did my best, Ruyi. I tried to get you hired. I know how much this means to you.”
“Challenge accepted,” she said. “A million hits or die, right? Even if he doesn’t give me what I want, I can put it on my resume.”
I wanted to say that I would help, but she shook her head. It was a battle she wanted to fight alone.
Illustration by Shelley Low