10
Don’t Want to Back Down Anymore
That very afternoon, Director Chen received a reply from the Fu Corporation.
In addition to the collaboration on the smart home system, President Fu also claimed that he would invest a new sum in Yuntu within a month to further enhance the computational efficiency of YunAI.
Currently, there were no fewer than ten companies in the entire capital city dedicated to algorithm research. With this injection of funds, Yuntu was poised to take the lead.
Director Chen was beaming with joy.
He had said it all along—how could President Fu not favor Yuntu, given Qin Ruoshi’s influence?
And sure enough, not only was there collaboration, but there was also investment.
Another double blessing had arrived.
Director Chen stepped out of his office and stood before the more than thirty employees of the R&D department, briefly outlining the upcoming tasks.
“Those interested in joining the algorithm research team can sign up voluntarily. I will select suitable team members based on their contributions to the department.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Ruoshi looked up from her algorithm book and smiled.
Director Chen accurately caught that faint smile and cleared his throat. “This time, Li Junze will serve as the team leader, and Qin Ruoshi as the deputy leader.”
Everyone turned their gaze toward Qin Ruoshi.
They understood why Li Junze was appointed team leader—after all, he was Director Chen’s junior from university and had graduated at the top of his class in artificial intelligence from Capital University.
But Qin Ruoshi as the deputy leader…
It was rumored that this beautiful new colleague had a Ph.D. from an Ivy League school overseas and had been parachuted into the company with powerful backing.
However, her actual capabilities would only become clear through daily work interactions.
This research team was a perfect opportunity.
Applause gradually swelled.
Director Chen smiled as he scanned the room, but his expression stiffened abruptly when he noticed an empty workstation.
“Where is Lin Yuxi?”
The room fell silent.
Before Qin Ruoshi joined the company, Lin Yuxi had been the only female colleague in the entire department. She rarely spoke to any of them.
She was an outsider.
And she was often targeted by Director Chen.
It was rumored that Lin Yuxi had taken maternity leave and had been pregnant before marriage.
In short, she wasn’t the same kind of person as their upright selves—there was no need to get too close to her.
The room remained silent.
Finally, Qin Ruoshi spoke up: “Yuxi went out to deliver documents this morning. She must have been delayed on the way.”
Director Chen glanced at his luxury watch.
The Fu Corporation and Yuntu Technology were located in the same business district—a round trip by taxi shouldn’t take more than half an hour. It had already been three hours.
Director Chen’s face darkened as he stared at Lin Yuxi’s empty workstation.
Everyone tacitly buried their heads in their work.
…
Lin Yuxi was on the rooftop, letting the wind brush against her.
It was an overcast day, with a gentle breeze sweeping across her face, tousling her hair and drying her tear-streaked cheeks.
It wasn’t until she saw the divorce agreement that the reality of the situation truly sank in.
This seven-year marriage was really coming to an end.
If it weren’t for Fu Tingchuan’s insistence, she truly wouldn’t have wanted a divorce.
Her feelings for him were one factor, but more importantly, she didn’t want to simply vacate the position of Mrs. Fu.
Especially not for Qin Ruoshi.
When Lin Yuxi was in elementary school, her parents had a huge fight over a common reason—her father had an illegitimate daughter outside the marriage.
Her mother couldn’t accept the reality and rushed out of the house, determined to find the woman her father was keeping outside and demand an explanation.
Unexpectedly, the other woman came to them first—she was right downstairs.
She was her mother’s own younger sister.
Also Qin Ruoshi’s birth mother.
Two sisters in love with the same man—dramatic and tragic.
What made it even more tragic was that Lin Yuxi was two months younger than Qin Ruoshi.
Upon learning that her husband had been unfaithful even before she became pregnant, Lin Yuxi’s mother turned deathly pale and soon began arguing fiercely with her own younger sister.
Unexpectedly, at that very moment, a loose billboard fell from above, killing both of them instantly.
An elderly woman passing by happened to be pushed aside by Qin Ruoshi’s mother, narrowly escaping the falling billboard and surviving the accident.
In a way, Qin Ruoshi’s mother had taken the disaster meant for that elderly woman.
The incident became a neighborhood scandal.
Their father soon fell into smoking and heavy drinking, abandoning his two daughters to be raised by Lin Yuxi’s maternal grandparents.
One day on her way to school, the elderly woman happened to meet Qin Ruoshi. After learning about the girl’s plight and feeling both sympathy and gratitude, she decided to adopt her.
That elderly woman was Fu Tingchuan’s grandmother.
From then on, Qin Ruoshi moved into the Fu household, becoming one of them and growing up as Fu Tingchuan’s childhood friend.
But if that were all, Lin Yuxi wouldn’t be so reluctant to divorce.
During college, her grandfather fell critically ill, and they were short tens of thousands for his surgery.
Lin Yuxi asked every relative for help but couldn’t gather enough money. In desperation, she had no choice but to call Qin Ruoshi.
As a member of the Fu family, Qin Ruoshi had attended elite schools all her life and enjoyed the finest living conditions.
But when Qin Ruoshi answered the call, she only said six words: “I am part of the Fu family.”
Then she hung up.
Lin Yuxi could only watch helplessly as her grandfather missed the optimal window for treatment. He passed away soon after.
Her grandmother, who had loved her grandfather deeply all her life, was devastated by his sudden loss. Her hair turned almost white overnight, and she followed him in death not long after.
So it wasn’t that she wanted to cling to the position of Mrs. Fu—it was that she refused to yield.
She couldn’t bear to let Qin Ruoshi get what she wanted so easily.
Even if it meant deceiving herself.
In both dreams and reality, she repeatedly convinced herself that Fu Tingchuan would eventually return to his family.
But the outcome was cruel.
With the official divorce date approaching, since she couldn’t compete with Qin Ruoshi in matters of the heart, she resolved to strive harder in her career.
She refused to believe that Qin Ruoshi could have everything she wanted in every aspect.
…
Half an hour later, Lin Yuxi returned to her workstation. Before she could even sit down, Qin Ruoshi approached her.
“Yuxi, Director Chen just mentioned that Fu Corporation has made a new round of investment in Yuntu. A research team will be formed in the coming days to enhance the computational efficiency of YunAI.”
In the past, Lin Yuxi wouldn’t have pushed for it.
A stable job with no overtime, leaving her enough time to spend with Haohao—it seemed like a decent arrangement.
But now, she no longer wanted to back down.
It was time to be assertive.
Besides, YunAI was the core competitive advantage of Yuntu. If she could excel in this project, it would greatly benefit her chances of a promotion and raise.
Qin Ruoshi noticed her interest and kindly offered, “If you’d like to join, I can recommend you to Director Chen.”
Lin Yuxi glanced at her, suspecting that Director Chen had already granted Qin Ruoshi a high-ranking position.
“No need.”
With that, Lin Yuxi stood up and strode purposefully toward the director’s office, pushing open the glass door without hesitation.