Chapter 3

I pulled out my phone. The screen showed "Unknown Caller". After hesitating for two seconds, I answered.

"Hello?"

A voice that I couldn't be more familiar with came from the other end of the line. It was my own voice.

"Don't jump, Jack Sterling."

Although I had a faint suspicion, I still asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, you probably won't believe it, but I'm actually you from ten years in the future—"

"Hold on a second," I interrupted him. "Do you know where I am?"

"Yeah, I know. You're on the rooftop of the Four Seasons Hotel right now. If I hadn't called you, you would have jumped and smashed yourself to pieces."

"For what reason am I jumping off a building?"

"Because Wendy cheated on you."

"Hmm, okay, I believe you."

There was a pause on the other end, then the person asked, surprised, "Aren't you going to ask anything else?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "If you're really my future self, you should know the situation I'm in. I've lost everything. What could you gain by deceiving me?"

My future self chuckled. "Actually, you don't have to be so pessimistic. Things are about to take a turn for the better. The future you, which is me, is doing very well... Bro, get off that parapet wall first. If you slip, both of us are goners."

Infected by the lightheartedness in his tone, I obediently stepped down from the wall and plopped onto the floor. Curiosity momentarily took over. I stammered, "Future me... are things really... going well for you?"

"Yeah, you're gonna make it, bro!" My future self's words invigorated me. "Do you remember the real reason you ended up in this predicament?"

The real reason? Wendy and I used to be an enviable, inspiring couple. We started dating in our sophomore year. We came from the same hometown to a big city to study, and we found kinship in each other's familiar accent.

When I graduated with my bachelor's, I chose to work, while Wendy pursued postgraduate studies. But that wasn't the real reason our relationship went sour.

After working, I started earning some money. Not only did I use it to support Wendy's further education, I also helped her alleviate her family's financial burdens. Wendy was very grateful, and we'd agreed to get married as soon as she graduated.

The real reason our relationship went sour was that I lost my job two years later, when Wendy was in her second year of grad school.

"The reason Wendy cheated wasn't because she saw no hope in you," my future self said. "It's because, ever since your company went bust and you became unemployed, you lost all enthusiasm for life."

"You know that wasn't my fault," I mumbled, "At least, not entirely."

My future self sighed. "A man's greatest fear is choosing the wrong profession."

My undergraduate major was a niche, traditional field related to engineering. The barrier to entry for this line of work at the junior level wasn't high. Even vocational school graduates without a university degree could quickly pick it up.

Many of my coursemates chose to pursue postgraduate studies after graduation precisely because the bachelor's degree wasn't competitive enough.

The trend for further studies was simply combining the traditional professional field with the latest developments in computer technology, such as AI or deep learning. With a master's degree like that and a few SCI papers under your belt, even if you didn't switch careers, finding a stable job wouldn't be a problem.

I actually had the grades for guaranteed admission to postgraduate studies. However, even if tuition was waived, my family would still need to pay for three years of living expenses. Wendy's family was even poorer than mine. If I went for postgraduate studies, she would have to go back to our hometown to find work. Therefore, for both our futures, I chose to work instead.