chapter 3
Back at my apartment, I took a hot shower.
Then ordered a deluxe spicy hotpot.
Extra spicy strips.
My phone was full of missed calls.
Dozens.
Messages flooded the department chat.
Nina was leading the charge.
“She just got criticized a little and blew up like this? With the highest commission in the company, and still this sensitive? Unreal.”
Others chimed in.
Those close to Shawn backed her up.
The rest stayed silent.
I stared at the screen.
Then smirked.
That’s the workplace.
I didn’t reply.
Instead, I made a call.
“Mr. Zhang.”
He was my client.
A tough one.
But honest.
I had won him over with skill—not favors.
“I heard you resigned?” he asked directly.
“Yes. Just finalized it today.”
“What about the project? Who’s handling it now?”
“Everything is documented. The transition is arranged. It won’t affect progress.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he said, his voice sharp. “I worked with you. Not your company.”
I smiled faintly.
“I understand. But—”
“I have a subsidiary with a major project bidding at the end of the month.”
My heart skipped.
“It’s bigger. More complex. No shortcuts. No favoritism.”
He paused.
“If you can build a team, create a proposal that convinces me—and all judges—and win… we can talk long-term cooperation.”
Win—
Everything.
Lose—
Nothing left.
I stared at my food.
Suddenly, it tasted bland.
That pack of spicy strips…
Had just triggered the biggest gamble of my career.