Chapter 1

"Congratulations to Jason Mahone, winner of the Annual Technology Innovation Award!"

Thunderous applause erupted in the conference room. I stood in the corner again, the code documents in my hands trembling, nearly crushed by my grip.

That achievement cost me a year of sleepless nights. It was the honor that the Vice President of the company, Peter Mahone, had personally promised me.

Jason—Peter's nephew, who couldn't even write Hello World—was smiling brightly as he went up to accept the award.

The applause still echoed through the room as I clenched my fists.

"Peter, the core algorithms of this project were all written by me. Jason can't even understand the code!" I said in a low voice, forcing myself to stay calm.

My supervisor, Oliver Ackerman, patted my shoulder, his smile filled with condescension and pity.

"Rex, who do you think you are? Just an outsourced worker. In this company, being an outsourced worker means you are at the very bottom of the food chain. And you're telling me you want to apply for patents and technical awards?"

My chest rose and fell violently.

"I worked on this project for a full year. I didn't even go home when my father passed away to see him off!"

My voice broke off abruptly. The look in my father's eyes before he passed flashed through my mind.

Oliver's smile stiffened for a moment, then returned to its official, polished form. "The company adjusted its policy at the last minute. Besides, Jason is Peter's nephew. He needs this award for his performance evaluation and promotion."

I couldn't help letting out a cold laugh. "He needs it? He can't even fix the most basic bugs. Every time, I'm the one cleaning up after him!"

Oliver's expression turned icy. "Rex, you don't understand how things work. In this company, connections matter far more than ability. No matter how good your skills are, without a background, you'll always just be outsourced labor."

My heart sank to the bottom.

"So what you're saying is, all my hard-earned results are just going to be given away for free?"

Oliver pushed up his glasses, speaking in the tone of a school disciplinarian.

"Not only that. Starting tomorrow, you'll spend two hours every day licking Jason's boots—ah, I mean, guiding him through the project code. After all, he's your superior now."

I could hardly believe my ears. "You want me to teach him everything, then let him take my credit?"

Oliver's gaze sharpened. "And one more thing. On the patent application, you'll put Jason's name first. You can barely qualify as the second author. That's already a favor to you."

I sprang to my feet, my voice shaking with rage. "Other than being Peter's nephew, what does Jason have? He doesn't even know how to write a simple loop!"

Oliver looked at me coldly. "Because his last name is Mahone. Because he's a full-time employee, not an outsourced worker who can be replaced at any time. You'd better face reality, Rex."

The conference room door opened, and Jason walked in, a victor's smile on his face.

"Oliver, Uncle Peter is looking for you." He shot me a glance, his eyes full of contempt.

Oliver immediately put on a smile. Before leaving, he said, "Rex, tomorrow at nine, go to Jason's office and explain the code to him. Two hours a day, every day. All right?"

He said "all right," but his tone was nothing but an order.

I stood alone in the now-empty conference room, overwhelmed by a humiliation I had never felt before.