Chapter 1

"Mr. Lu, if there's nothing else, I'll be off now." It seemed she had a date tonight; the intern in the department was dressed particularly beautifully today. Although there was still a lot of work to be done, she couldn't contain her anxiousness and was ready to pack up and leave.

"Mm, see you," Lu Yao responded without lifting his head.

The crisp sound of high heels gradually faded as they moved down the hallway. The office suddenly became dim, with only the flickering light of the computer screen casting a pale blue glow on Lu Yao's face. The intern had casually turned off the overhead lights as she left.

"I'm still here, why turn off the lights!" Lu Yao complained softly. Then he thought, don't young people always act like this, thinking only of the present and not the consequences? Ah, well, it doesn't matter. The work in front of him wasn't something that could be completed in a few days. It was about time to wrap things up and go home.

Although called "teacher" by the intern, Lu Yao was not actually a teacher but an ordinary employee of a company. In the entire department, he was roughly ranked second or third, but the prospects for further advancement seemed very slim. In this era, if you haven't been given titles like "CEO," "General Manager," or "Director" by the time you're over thirty, you're likely to be called "teacher" by the younger generation. This title was like a label, marking Lu Yao as "experienced" and "low-ranking." His future prospects were as dark as the hallway after the lights were turned off.

Lu Yao sighed. He was only thirty this year, an age when others might still have dreams and aspirations. But reality, like a heavy hammer, had long since shattered Lu Yao's dreams.

In the relentless tide of time, everyone changes. Every year, every month, every day, even every minute and second, brings change. In his thirty years of life, he had memories of being a young cadre in the system, full of ambition and vigor; he had also been betrayed by a small-minded person, thrown into prison, and suffered both mental and physical torment. The ups and downs had changed Lu Yao a great deal. He was tired, weary, and the sharp edges of his personality had been worn down by countless blows. He no longer had any dreams, nor the energy to indulge in wild thoughts.

Now, Lu Yao's mindset was increasingly that of a middle-aged person. The bold and daring nature of his youth had left only a faint trace, and what now filled his mind was caution and fear of losing his job. But what difference did it make whether he kept or lost this job?

Lu Yao smiled bitterly as he looked at the pile of documents on his desk. This was the result of a four-week survey conducted by him and a dozen young people, covering thirty-three branches across the country. To produce this stack of documents, six functional departments had mobilized considerable human and material resources. But what was the significance of such work? Its only purpose was to be displayed before the relevant company executives to prove that the large team had a reason to exist and to justify their continued support from the company.

This kind of work was not worth treating as a career. After experiencing so many ups and downs, he instinctively avoided risks and was content with a mediocre life in a small harbor.

Lu Yao rubbed his face hard, relaxing his facial muscles. Sigh, what was wrong with him today, always feeling uneasy. He looked out the window at the night sky, which was already lit up with the glow of street lamps. The sky was peculiar, though it was not yet six o'clock, the entire sky was as dark as ink, as if a huge vortex was slowly rotating at the top, absorbing all the light. The bright lights of the city, under this dark sky, flickered uncertainly.

I should go home early. This weather, it might rain... Lu Yao felt a dull ache in his joints, a special ability brought on by years of illness—his body was a weather forecast machine. He opened the drawer, took out various bottles of medicine, and swallowed a handful of red and green pills.

The matchmaker's introduction the day before was actually a nice girl. After getting home, he might as well give her a call?

Lu Yao shook his head... Perhaps, I want a little change. Something different, a little change.

Three minutes later.

The intern hurried back to the office, rummaging through the drawers for something. As she left again, she muttered, "He left without locking the door, and the computer is still on. What a Mr. Lu."

From that day on, no one ever saw Lu Yao again.

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