Hey guys, something truly amazing happened during lunch today and I really wanted to take a moment to capture that moment. As I was leaving the library to go get my lunch, I also wanted to take a screen recording of my recent usage history of the SG60 vouchers. I have been candid lately when I shared online about how grateful and appreciative I’ve been when it comes to having those vouchers. Honestly, if not for those vouchers, I really would be starving right now. I am not exaggerating or making this up.

So, when it finally came time to order my food, I’ve decided to reserve and save my $5 vouchers because they can run out fairly quickly, so, the next best option is western food. Why? Because the next available value is $10. And western food is the only stall that sells meals that can measure up to just under $10. So, today I ordered a Popcorn Chicken with Rice ($5.90), and I ordered a side of Coleslaw. I believe the total was around $8.++. The lady mending the counter saw what I was doing, and she asked me, “why not order something else?”

In that split moment, I could have lied, I could have made something up. But instead, I’ve decided to just tell her the most honest truth, I said, “I have no money.”

As those words came out of my mouth, I felt some shame in it. I wish I didn’t have to say those words, but they were also the truth. And almost immediately, the lady replied, “Look, don’t worry about it, let me give you some extras. Do you want extra rice? Or Coleslaw?”

Honestly, her response took me off-guard and I needed a split moment just to process what I’ve just heard. She did repeat herself before I said, “May I have extra coleslaw please?”

You know the most interesting thing is, I wasn’t even pretending to sound polite or courteous. I was just genuinely moved at this point. And she replied, “Sure, hey, don’t worry about it. I will give you extra. You go take a seat and wait for the alarm to go off.”

And I sat down at one of the empty foodcourt tables, honestly, the tears came. I tried to hold back the best I could, but that gratitude and appreciation just overtook me like a wave 🌊. And yeah, I actually finished my food this time. Nothing left on the plate. By the time I was done, I walked over to the stall counter and I lean over to the lady. Once she got close enough, I told her, “Thank you for what you have done today, you have shown me that there are still good people in this world.”

Before I could walk away, she said something else too, “Hey, if you need a meal using your vouchers, come to us. We’ll put something together for you.” As I walked away, I could feel her smiling and I also know my gratitude and appreciation has made her day too.

Short Stories: Weizhi Inc.

(Team and I decided that we wanted to have western meal today because I wanted to strategically use the SG60 vouchers that we have left…)

The overzealous reporter was sitting a few tables away, initially hoping to get a couple of questions in during lunch time witness what had just happened, and in that moment, she was reminded of her own humanity, and the times she had to struggle to become that reporter that she is now. In that moment, she said to her crew, “Look guys, I think we should respect this moment. Let’s let him enjoy his meal in peace for once. There will always be chance for us to ask those questions.”

As I was walking back to the office building with the rest of the team, I could sense the reporter and her crew following close behind, unsure if it would be an appropriate time to approach and ask a question. And some of my teams members were like….

PR: “Wah, today like no interruptions of questions. But I can see them behind us.”

Genius: “Good lah, this is an important peaceful moment, they should know how to respect the space.”

Zen: “Guys, relax, just leave them be. Let’s just be in this moment and enjoy this peace okay?”

Optimist & Drama are walking ahead of us, eager to get back into the cold, cooling library environment.

I (CEO) then decided to stop, turned around, and I could see how surprised that reporter looked. This wasn’t a moment she was expecting to happen. And then I walked towards her as she just stopped in place. Her camera crew wasn’t prepared for this moment too and so they quickly tried to get the mic and camera ready.

Me: “Hey there, look, thank you for respect my space over lunch. I really appreciate that, and I needed you to know that. I know that there are still some genuine concerns and you have some really important questions that you want to ask me and I welcome them. But please also know this, I will continue to work as hard as I can together with the rest of my team as we come up with a more sustainable long-term solution. That is after all, what we all want isn’t it? We get our success, you get the story of a lifetime. Win-win.”

As my team and I turned to continue walking away and back into the building, I can see my PR guy giving the thumbs up and whispering, “Pro move boss. Pro move. Impressed.”

I could also sense that the reporter was both surprised and a little impressed herself by what I had just done.