Chapter 3

Holding my phone, I suddenly asked him:

“Why won’t you let me join the technical department?”

Qin Yue clearly hadn’t expected the question.

“What would you do in the technical department?”

“I studied computer science for four years. I won gold in the national software innovation competition. Xinghan Technology hired me. Why will your company only take me as an assistant?”

“Xinghan’s a big company with a complete training program. Mine is just getting started. Where would I find the time to let you settle in at your own pace?”

His answer came quickly.

“Besides, your little competitions are nothing like working on real projects. Everyone on my technical team has more experience than you. Stop making such a big deal of your grades.”

“Xu Jiarou has no product experience either.”

I said.

“But you made her a product manager.”

“Jiarou isn’t like you.”

Qin Yue blurted it out.

He seemed to realize how that sounded. He paused for two seconds before continuing:

“She has emotional intelligence. She knows how to communicate. Product work suits her. You’re too withdrawn to lead a team. I made you an assistant because that’s what your abilities qualify you for.”

So that was it.

It wasn’t that the company was new and had no time to train people.

He was simply willing to give Xu Jiarou a chance, and unwilling to give me one.

I stopped arguing.

“Think what you like. I’m not joining your company.”

“Wen Xiyue!”

Qin Yue lost all patience.

“Do you have any idea how much pressure I’m under? Who do you think I’m working until the early hours for every day? Why else would I be building this company, if not for our future?”

“It’s bad enough that you won’t help. Now you’re making trouble for me too. How can you be so selfish?”

Hearing the word “selfish,” I suddenly found it all rather absurd.

To help him build his company, I’d turned down my supervisor’s invitation to pursue further study.

To save him money, I’d been ready to leave my apartment near campus and squeeze into his rented place, a two-hour drive from the city center.

I’d given up a monthly salary of 32,000 yuan for an assistant’s job paying 6,500, with the entire team’s chores thrown in.

Yet according to him, I was the selfish one.

“Qin Yue, is there really a place for me in this future you keep talking about?”

I asked him.

He was silent for a few seconds.

“What nonsense are you imagining now?”

“If the company goes public, everyone on our technical team will have their own position and achievements. Every one of us will have a bright future.”

“What about me?”

“What will people say when they talk about me?”

“That I’m your girlfriend? Or your assistant?”

“What’s the difference?”

Qin Yue sounded utterly bewildered.

“Once we’re married, you’ll be the boss’s wife. Half the whole company will be yours. Why are you so hung up on a job title?”

“Because half the company won’t actually be mine.”

I spoke calmly.

“No shares, no technical achievements, no formal management authority. In the end, I’ll just be an assistant who can be replaced at any time.”

My future self had already given me the answer.

Twelve years from now, Qin Yue would be worth over ten billion yuan.

And I’d be ordering takeout, processing expenses, recruiting, and making reports at his company.

I’d even be scolded by two children for spending my own money.

“Enough.”

Qin Yue cut me off impatiently.

“I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

“If you don’t want to come, don’t. I’d like to see how far that thick skull of yours gets you in the workplace without me.”

“You think an offer from Xinghan means you’re something special? Big companies recruit so many graduates every year. How many actually last?”

“With your personality, they’ll freeze you out within three months. Don’t come crying to me then.”

He hung up hard.

Listening to the busy tone, I leaned back in my chair, my heart still pounding.

Strangely, after all those accusations and put-downs, I didn’t feel the slightest sadness.

Instead, I felt clearer than I ever had.

Qin Yue didn’t seem to love me.

He just needed someone obedient and free to use, who could also supply top-tier technical expertise.

An accessory he could belittle whenever he liked to prove his own superiority.

I set down my phone, opened my computer, and logged in to Xinghan Technology’s recruitment portal.

On the page, the offer reminder sent three days earlier was still counting down.

Twenty minutes left.

I moved the cursor to the confirmation button.

Clicked.

A second confirmation box appeared immediately.

[Are you sure you wish to accept Xinghan Technology’s offer of employment?]

[Once confirmed, this action cannot be reversed.]

I stared at “cannot be reversed” and suddenly smiled.

Good.

I hadn’t intended to turn back anyway.

I clicked Confirm.

A few seconds later, a green notification appeared in the center of the screen.

[Offer accepted.]

[Welcome to Xinghan Technology.]

Looking at those two lines, I slowly let out a breath.

I shut down the computer and walked over to my packed suitcase.

Inside were the clothes and everyday things I’d planned to take to Qin Yue’s rented apartment.

One by one, I took them out and put them back where they belonged.

Finally, I retrieved a notebook from an inner compartment, one I hadn’t opened in a long time.

On the cover was a sentence I’d written in my first year at university:

[Wen Xiyue, you can become the person you want to be. Be your own mountains and seas. Lean on no one else.]

The handwriting was a little immature, but firm, without a trace of hesitation.

I looked at it for a long time. Then I picked up a pen and added a line beneath it.

[Wen Xiyue, may your dreams live on.]