Chapter 1

The call ended.

The office fell silent.

I lowered my head and looked at the layoff notice printed in black and white on my desk.

Under the reason for termination, it clearly said: Inadequate ability, negative attitude.

Negative attitude?

I thought back over the past three years.

More than a thousand days and nights.

All for Mr. Blake’s promise that once I finished the core project, he would promote me to director of technology.

I had treated the company like my home.

I had even sat outside the intensive care unit, typing code on my laptop, on the day my mother underwent surgery to remove a tumor.

When I was hungry, I ate dry instant noodles.

When I was tired, I slept on a musty cot.

Last winter, I was hospitalized after suffering a stomach hemorrhage, and the doctor ordered me to stay in bed and rest.

Then Mr. Blake called and said the project had reached a critical stage and the team couldn’t manage without me.

I steeled myself, pulled out my IV, and rushed back to my workstation overnight.

I had traded all my health and time for this flimsy piece of paper.

I had traded it for the smiling words, “You don’t need to come in tomorrow.”

In their eyes, the lives of ordinary employees were worth less than weeds.

We were nothing but disposable batteries.

The face of capitalism was truly disgusting.

Mr. Blake finally realized what was happening.

He slammed his hand on the desk, jolting the coffee cup onto the floor.

Coffee and shards of broken glass scattered everywhere.

“You’re trying to scare me?” Mr. Blake shouted, his face turning livid as he pointed at my nose.

“Go ahead and sue me! Do it now!”

“I’d like to see which department dares interfere with Blackwood Group’s affairs!”

The office door was suddenly shoved open.

Megan Hart, the human resources director, hurried in on high heels.

She was carrying a thick folder.

“What’s all the yelling about, Richard? Everyone in the work area outside can hear you.” Megan frowned and swept me with a disgusted look.

Richard snorted. “This idiot’s lost his mind. He actually called the labor department.”

“Director Hart, follow the procedure immediately. I want him gone today.”

Megan walked over to me and slapped the folder onto the desk.

She pulled out a sheet of paper and pointed to the signature at the bottom.

“Ethan Carter, look carefully. This is the Employee Voluntary Waiver of Rest Time you signed when you joined the company.”

“It clearly says you agreed to work overtime voluntarily. Don’t even dream of getting a single cent in overtime pay.”

“Sign the resignation form right now. The company may even show a little kindness and give you an extra half-month of base pay for travel expenses.”

I didn’t move.

I picked up the waiver and looked it over.

Then I tore it in half with both hands.

“Labor law clearly states that any agreement violating mandatory legal provisions is invalid from the beginning.”

I looked coldly at Megan. “You work in HR. Do you not even understand something this basic?”

Megan’s expression changed.

Her voice rose. “Don’t try to show off your legal knowledge to me! The company supported you for three years. You ate our food and drank our water, and now you’re turning around and biting us?”

“If you refuse to sign, your employment certificate will say you committed a serious disciplinary violation!”

“You’ll be blacklisted in the background-check system. No major company in this city will ever hire you!”

At that moment, a young man entered through the door.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored designer suit and holding a Starbucks coffee.

He was Richard’s nephew, Kevin Blake.

He had been parachuted into the technology department just last month and had immediately become my direct supervisor.

Kevin walked straight to my workstation.

He pulled out the chair, sat down arrogantly, and propped his polished leather shoes on my desk.

“You’re still not done packing?” Kevin took a leisurely sip of coffee.

“What about the core source code for the Cloud Intelligence System? Hurry up and give me the administrator password.”

“I need to take it to Sterling Group’s bidding meeting first thing tomorrow morning.”