Chapter 1.1

At 2 a.m., the client finally hung up the phone. Su Ying let out an exhausted sigh, sent the completed proposal to the client, and scheduled the signing for next Monday.

After working the entire night, she poured herself a cup of coffee, touched her tired face, and looked out at the city still brightly lit through the office building’s window.

Su Ying couldn’t help but think of the small village where she grew up. Back there, by 8 p.m. the entire village was already pitch black. To save electricity, most households would go to bed right after dinner.

From a young age, Su Ying wasn’t particularly bright at school. She stumbled her way through junior high school, where she met the teacher who would change her life—Teacher Ling, Ling Ling.

The surname Ling was unique in their village. According to her parents, Teacher Ling’s family had moved to the village during a famine and settled there. The family wasn’t large, and by Teacher Ling’s generation, she was the only child.

Back then, Ling’s family was one of the rare ones who supported girls in getting an education. Because of that, Ling became the first female university student from the village. At the time, no family was well-off, and the Lings were no exception. But the villagers, who watched Ling grow up, saw how diligent she was, and each chipped in two or five yuan, helping her pay for her tuition.

Teacher Ling didn’t let anyone down. She went to a big city, studied education, and after graduation, returned to the village to teach junior high.

Su Ying was in the class Teacher Ling led for all three years of junior high, which was also Teacher Ling’s first year as a teacher.

On the first day of school, Teacher Ling held a class meeting. Something she said that day stayed in Su Ying’s mind and completely changed her perspective on studying. At that time, most parents believed it was pointless for girls to study. But Teacher Ling told them something completely different:

“By studying, you gain control over your life.”

That simple sentence planted a seed in Su Ying’s mind, which sprouted instantly and grew into a towering tree.

Teacher Ling remained in the village, using her progressive thinking to influence generation after generation. And gradually, more and more children from the village went to university and left the countryside.

Thinking back on this, Su Ying finished sorting through her work and realized she hadn’t returned to her village for many years. She had been struggling endlessly in the big city. Scanning a QR code, she rented a shared electric scooter and rode home.

After a quick wash, Su Ying collapsed into bed, completely drained.

In her dreams, she once again saw the small heads of children in the village listening attentively to Teacher Ling’s lessons, and she slept even more soundly.

The Saturday morning sun carried a rare sense of freedom. Even though she had worked overtime late into the night, with no alarm ringing, Su Ying slept in until noon.

When she finally checked her phone, there were more than ten missed calls. Because it was on airplane mode overnight, she hadn’t heard any incoming calls.

Seeing the screen full of calls from her supervisor, Su Ying’s scalp went numb.

She took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and returned the call.

“Where the hell have you been? Didn’t I tell you your phone must be on 24/7?”

The shrill voice on the other end of the line was so loud that Su Ying had to cover her ear.

“Get back here immediately! The client has new revisions. If the proposal isn’t fixed, don’t even think about going home!”

After working overnight, Su Ying’s head was splitting with pain. The thought of quitting flashed in her mind again, a thought she had carried for a long time.

Her current supervisor, Zhao Yi, had gotten the job purely through connections. As a relative of the manager, she flaunted her authority, constantly exploiting the staff. Things that could have been completed without overtime were always framed as “irresponsible” if not done with overtime. She frequently withheld bonuses and commissions.

Su Ying had worked at the company for more than five years, was capable in all aspects, and had achieved excellent project results. Originally, when the previous supervisor resigned, Su Ying had been recommended for the position. But instead, the job went to Zhao Yi, the “connected” hire. Su Ying didn’t want to abandon her ongoing projects, and the company’s benefits were decent, so she stayed.

But in the past six months, Zhao Yi had been increasingly harsh. Take yesterday’s proposal as an example: the client had already approved it, but Zhao Yi decided to alter the final version on her own, increasing the budget from 2 million to 5 million, which angered the client. This led to Su Ying having to spend all night on the phone apologizing and revising the plan.

Frustration had been building in Su Ying’s heart for a long time, and now she was at a breaking point. Out of responsibility for the project, she still went to the company.

The moment she arrived, Zhao Yi, wearing high heels, stormed over and started berating her, placing all the blame for the rejected proposal on Su Ying. She didn’t mention at all who had been up all night resolving the client’s issues.

Su Ying finally snapped. People say working is like being a beast of burden, but even beasts have tempers. Once the last thread snapped, she lashed out:

“Zhao Yi, that’s enough! My proposal was already approved by the client and kept the budget within 2 million. It was you who changed it without permission and increased the budget to 5 million. That’s why the client was angry yesterday!”

“You don’t trust me to do the work, but you’re quick to shift the blame when something goes wrong.”

Although Su Ying kept her words civil, Zhao Yi, who loved saving face, exploded after being called out.

“Su Ying, do you think you’re so great? How dare you talk to me like that?”

“You’re just a low-level employee! Do your job quietly. You’ve been here five years and you’re still just a project specialist. Who do you think you are? Some big shot who can turn the tide single-handedly? If you can’t handle it, get the hell out!”

Su Ying no longer held back. For five years, she had endured a 007 or at least 996 schedule. Even though the company claimed to have weekends off, overnight work was common whenever projects went wrong. She had joined the company right after graduation, starting as an intern and working her way up to senior project specialist, independently securing several major projects. Many long-term clients had chosen to work with the company because of her.

But in just six months, she had been feeling more and more powerless. Many opportunities to shine were taken away, projects kept getting blocked, and many even failed because of Zhao Yi’s interference.

“Still working like a beast of burden?! I’m done!”

When Su Ying said this, it was full of anger, but she was also calm. Zhao Yi, however, was completely infuriated.

“Fine, quit! Who do you think you are? The company won’t miss you!”

Her weekend was completely ruined. Because of Zhao Yi’s connections, the HR department processed her resignation unusually quickly. Before the end of the workday, the paperwork was done. The company paid her N+1 compensation and told her to hand over her computer and leave.

This entire Saturday fiasco was witnessed by the few colleagues who had also been called in for overtime by Zhao Yi. No one expected the veteran employee Su Ying would resign after just two sentences. Everyone complained about Zhao Yi in their group chats.

Li Xiaomeng, the receptionist and Su Ying’s lunch buddy, immediately sent her a message after hearing the news.