All Chapters of Talent Doesn't Punch a Clock: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

It was three in the afternoon by the time I finally ambled through the research institute's front doors.My pocket held a sheet of scratch paper covered in freshly worked-out derivations, and my head was still buzzing with streams of data.The algorithm bottleneck that had stumped the entire project team for two weeks? I'd finally cracked it in one go, sitting in the study at home.Now all I had to do was run the data through the institute's supercomputer, and I'd have results that would shut everyone up.The moment I set foot in the office area, my colleague Riley Collin poked her head out of her cubicle and winked at me frantically. She whispered, "Tommy, you're finally here! Brad came looking for you several times this morning, and he's been by twice more this afternoon. His face is as dark as a thundercloud."I shrugged it off and draped my jacket over the back of my chair.The new deputy director, Brad Michielsen, was a relic transferred over from a government-run corporat

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.Brad's smug "I'm only doing this for your own good" face, the triumphant look in Tessa's eyes after she'd stolen my credit, and Dean's helpless hesitation all spun through my head on an endless loop.I gave up on sleep, sat down in my study, and opened that email from Nebula Tech.[Mr. Lowe, we've been following your research for some time. Nebula Tech is building an AI lab, and we urgently need someone of your caliber to set its direction. You're always welcome here. Just say the word, and we'll fast-track everything.]Back then, I'd gotten too comfortable with my laid-back ways and didn't want to be tied down at a big corporation. On top of that, out of regard for Dean's friendship with my father, I'd never replied.But now, it suddenly felt like there was nothing left at the institute worth holding on to.I took a deep breath and typed out my reply: [Ms. Hargrove, my apologies for only replying now. May I ask whether the opport

Since I'd made up my mind to leave, I no longer pushed back against anything Brad and Tessa threw at me. I simply took it all.But Brad still wasn't satisfied. He wanted to crush me even further.The institute's quarterly review assembly turned into a public shaming session Brad had tailor-made for me.In the large conference room, he stood on stage, spittle flying as he lectured everyone on the importance of discipline.Suddenly, the projection behind him switched, and a massive attendance spreadsheet filled the screen.My name was at the very top, followed by a long string of red numbers marking how many times I'd been late over the past quarter.That red was as glaring as blood."Everyone sitting here is the backbone of this institute, its elite," Brad said, his voice echoing through the hall as he pointed straight at my name on the screen. "But! There are always some people who think a bit of cleverness and a few technical skills give them the right to ignore discipline an

Every pair of eyes in the room swung toward Tessa at once.The smugness on her face froze instantly. Tongue-tied, she stammered, "W-well... the thing is... what Tommy reported... it wasn't... it wasn't very clear..."I stayed perfectly composed and even took a step forward, looking her straight in the eye. "Oh? Which parts weren't clear? You can point them out right now, and I'll explain them to you on the spot. But..."I shifted gears, a note of amusement creeping into my voice. "Didn't you tell Mr. Michielsen that my technical vision is narrow and limited, and that I depend on your guidance to get anything done? "Surely someone with your abilities doesn't need advice from someone like me, who's 'technically skilled but narrow-minded,' right?"Tessa's face flushed bright red. Her mouth hung open like a fish out of water, but she couldn't come up with a single question.To keep anyone from having ammunition against me, I'd written every one of those daily "reports" conscientious

On the other end of the line, there was a long silence, and in the end, only a weary sigh.I heard later that Tessa, buckling under the enormous pressure, kept making mistakes. Eventually, she was transferred out of her core position to manage files in the records room.As for Brad, his mismanagement had caused major project delays, and his superiors called him in for a talk. Rumor had it they tore him to shreds in that meeting.A year later, I was about to take the stage as the keynote speaker at the International Artificial Intelligence Conference abroad.Among the sea of attendees in the audience, I unexpectedly spotted two familiar faces: Dean and Brad.They sat in a corner of the venue. The institute had probably sent them to learn from others and look for partnership opportunities.I could only imagine the looks on their faces when they'd seen my name on the agenda.Standing under the spotlight, I spoke fluently to the world's top experts, introducing our latest Polaris II