[Daily] Orchid Cultivation (5) The Faint Scent After Exiting: The Last Flower

I thought resigning would be an elegant farewell, but reality delivered the heaviest blow. After submitting my resignation, my supervisor, playing the villain, escalated the issue over my direct manager's head, leading to a meeting with the General Manager. When I questioned the unreasonable overtime and lack of pay, they shifted all blame onto me—accusing me of employee negligence, failure to report, deliberately clocking in late, and even pinning the charge of 'losses due to inadequate service.' The pressure of being slandered felt like a heavy hammer blow. That night, back home, my body finally collapsed. Intense dizziness struck, and changing positions or drinking water offered no relief. The moment I lay down, the world spun violently, my stomach churned, and I found myself miserably hunched by the bedside, vomiting intensely. It was my body's extreme way of screaming 'stop,' warning me not to yield to malice any longer. The next day, I took sick leave. Perhaps seeing the resolve behind this severe illness, my supervisor's attitude completely changed. Upon entering the office, procedures moved swiftly, I was paid for overtime, and the handover was completed smoothly. After finishing the resignation process and returning home, I walked to the balcony. Most of the flower stalks on the Phalaenopsis orchid were already dry, yet at the tip of a branch, the last flower stubbornly stood tall. It no longer possessed the ostentation from the sales office or the bustle before the altar; it simply bloomed, serene and pure. I remembered my uncle's words: 'The hustle and bustle of the world is temporary; what's truly yours comes after you exit.' The worldly slander no longer mattered. Taking care of my own health was the real foundation. My fingertips brushed against a thick, new leaf, and after the world stopped spinning, it regained its calm. The flowers had faded, the burden was lifted, and the orchid and I had both completely embraced a new beginning.