All Chapters of My Resignation Letter Was Their Real Punishment: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

At 3:00 pm, I finally sauntered through the doors of the research institute. My pockets were stuffed with sheets of scrap paper covered in the formulas I'd just worked out, and my mind was still humming with streams of data. The algorithmic bottleneck that had plagued the entire project team for half a month had finally been cracked by me at home. Now, all I had to do was run the data through the institute's supercomputer once, and I could present results that would shut everyone up. As soon as I walked into the bullpen, my colleague, Samson Smith, poked his head out from his cubicle and frantically winked at me. He lowered his voice and whispered, "Valerie, you're finally here! Ms. Rothschild sought you out several times this morning, and she asked about you twice in the afternoon. Her expression was as black as coal."I shrugged nonchalantly and draped my jacket over the back of my chair. The newly appointed deputy director, Sienna Rothschild, was an old-school bureaucrat tr

Chapter 2

The moment the meeting ended, I intercepted Ms. Rothschild. "I'd like to know the criteria for this award, Ms. Rothschild."Ms. Rothschild looked as if she'd been expecting me. She wore a stern expression as she adjusted her glasses. "Let's take this to my office, Valerie."I took a deep breath, reigned in my urge to explode on the spot, and followed her to her office. Her office practically reeked of institutional bureaucracy. Ms. Rothschild sank into her executive chair and slowly began. "I know you're good at what you do, and you've made significant contributions to the institute, Valerie. But…" Her tone abruptly shifted as she tapped a thick attendance log on her desk. "Look at your own attendance record! How many times have you been late this month? How many times have you left early? "Eugene clocks in on time every single day and is never absent. He takes his job seriously, and the project team speaks very highly of him. We're a state-run institution, not a private busi

Chapter 3

That night, sleep eluded me. Ms. Rothschild's sanctimonious expression as she insisted she was "only doing it for my own good", Eugene's triumphant look after taking credit for my work, and Ms. Prescott's helpless expression as she struggled to find the right words played on a loop in my head.In the end, I climbed out of bed, went to my study, and opened the email from Nebula Technology. "Ms. Kensington, we've been following your research achievements closely. Nebula Technology is currently building an AI laboratory, and we urgently need a visionary like you to lead the way. Our doors are always open to you. All you have to do is say the word, and we'll expedite the hiring process."Back then, I had gotten too used to taking things easy and didn't want to be tied down by the rules of a major corporation. Plus, out of consideration for Mom's friendship with Ms. Prescott, I'd never replied to the email. But at this moment, it struck me that this institute had nothing left to off

Chapter 4

After I hit send, I stood up and walked to the window. The night sky outside was ablaze with stars, and for the first time in a long while, I felt completely at ease. I thought I would be able to quietly tie up my loose ends and hand in my resignation. Little did I know, Ms. Rothschild's would make her next move so soon, and with such astonishing foolishness. …Early the next morning, a glaring notice was posted on the institute's bulletin board. It read, "Effective immediately, all employees are required to strictly follow the fingerprint clock-in system. Anyone who arrives late, leaves early, or is absent without a valid reason will forfeit their entire performance bonus for the month." The real kicker was the list attached at the bottom of the notice, euphemistically titled "Employees Under Special Observation." My name was written in bold red font, prominently listed at the very top. I stood before the bulletin board, staring at that sheet of paper, and couldn't help b

Chapter 5

Since I'd already made up my mind to leave, I no longer bothered fighting back against Ms. Rothschild and Eugene. I took everything they threw at me in stride.Ms. Rothschild, however, was still not satisfied. She wanted to humiliate me even further. The institute's quarterly review meeting became a public shaming session that she had tailored specifically for me. Standing onstage in the main conference room, she launched into a long-winded speech about the importance of discipline. She sprayed spittle as she spoke. Suddenly, the projection behind her switched to a massive attendance report. My name sat at the top of the table, followed by a long string of red numbers marking how many times I had arrived late in the last quarter. The crimson figures were as glaring as blood. "Everyone here is the backbone of the institute, the best of the best." Ms. Rothschild's voice echoed throughout the conference room. Then, she pointed directly at my name on the screen. "However, there ar

Chapter 6

I shook my head. "That won't be necessary, Ms. Prescott. I've already written my self-criticism."Ms. Rothschild and Ms. Prescott were both caught off guard.Ms. Rothschild frowned. "You've already written it? When did you write it?" she asked, puzzled.I didn't answer her. Instead, I turned around and slowly pulled a manila envelope from the briefcase I carried. I walked up to Ms. Prescott and handed her the envelope with both hands. My tone was apathetic, almost relieved. "Thank you for taking care of me all these years, Ms. Prescott."Her heart sank. Her fingers trembled slightly as she accepted the envelope. Her eyes landed on the cover, where the words "Letter of Resignation" were printed. The entire room plunged into silence. All eyes were glued to that thin envelope, as if it weren't a letter but a live grenade with its pin pulled. The triumphant look on Ms. Rothschild's face froze. Eugene's smile died on his lips, whereas Ms. Prescott gripped the envelope so tightly t

Chapter 7

As soon as my words fell, all eyes in the room swiveled to Eugene. His smirk vanished instantly. He parted his lips and stammered, "W-Well… Ms. Kensington's reports… weren't very clear…" I remained perfectly calm. If anything, I stepped forward and looked him straight in the eye. "Oh? Which parts do you not understand? Feel free to point them out right now, and I'll explain them to you face-to-face. However…" My tone shifted, laced with a hint of amusement. "Weren't you the one who told Ms. Rothschild that I was narrow-minded and that I needed your guidance to get anything done? With your level of expertise, I'm sure you don't need any further pointers from someone as 'skilled but narrow-minded' as me, right?" Eugene's face flushed crimson. His mouth hung open like a fish out of water, yet he was at a loss for words.I'd diligently written up my daily "reports" right up until my resignation, just so no one could accuse me of shirking my responsibilities. Eugene, however, had

Chapter 8

Life at Nebula Technology was completely different from what I had imagined. In fact, it was better than I could have imagined. I had my own private office with a sweeping view of the city skyline, an elite team of three PhDs and five master's graduates, and a practically unlimited R&D budget. Mr. Smith told me, "Ms. Kensington, all you have to do here is make the most of your talent. Leave everything else to the company." I cast aside the outdated and conservative approaches I'd been used to at the research institute and boldly proposed a brand-new in-memory computing architecture. My team was filled with young talents overflowing with passion and innovation. We cooped ourselves up in the lab for countless days and nights. That drive to push the boundaries of technology rekindled a fire in me that I hadn't felt in years. Merely three months later, our first prototype chip, "Dubhe", successfully made it through tape-out. The test results sent shockwaves through the entire t

Chapter 9

A long silence hung on the other end of the line. In the end, all that came through was a weary sigh. Later, I learned that Eugene buckled under the immense pressure. He kept making mistakes and was ultimately removed from his position and reassigned to the archives, where he was put in charge of managing records. Ms. Rothschild didn't fare much better. Her management failures delayed a major project, and she was summoned to meet with higher management. Word had it that they thoroughly chewed her out during the meeting. …A year later, as a keynote speaker at the International AI Conference held abroad, I was about to take the stage. Scanning the sea of faces in the audience, I spotted two familiar faces—Ms. Prescott and Ms. Rothschild. They were sitting in a corner of the venue. Their organization probably sent them to learn from the conference and explore potential collaboration opportunities. I could only imagine the looks on their faces when they saw my name on the agend

Chapter 10

When the ceremony ended, I ran into Ms. Prescott and Ms. Rothschild again in the reception area. Ms. Prescott was nearing retirement, and most of her hair had already turned white. Ms. Rothschild, on the other hand, wore a drab, old-fashioned gray cadre-style suit. Her hair had gone gray and was thinning, making her look completely out of place among the well-dressed crowd. I took the initiative and walked over to shake Ms. Prescott's hand. "It's been a while, Ms. Prescott. How have you been?" Ms. Prescott grasped my hand tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes as she gushed out, "I've been good! I… I'm so happy for you, Valerie. Back then, I failed to protect you…" I shook my head and said earnestly, "That's all in the past, Ms. Prescott. I know you were in a difficult position back then. I don't blame you." Ms. Rothschild stood a few feet away, watching us with a complicated expression. She couldn't bring herself to apologize, but she also couldn't let go of her resentment.

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