The pregnant woman grabbed Wendy Lynch’s hand, thanking her profusely for quite some time. She insisted on getting Wendy’s contact info, promising to repay her properly in the future. Unable to decline, Wendy had no choice but to share her WhatsApp. Only after law enforcement took the owner away and the crowd gradually dispersed did Wendy finally let out a sigh of relief.
She glanced at the shuttered raw seafood shop. There was no sense of vindictive pleasure in her heart, only the airy relief of a heavy burden being lifted.
A subtle sensation spread through her chest. A terrifying mass poisoning incident that would have originally affected over a hundred victims had been dismantled by her so effortlessly.
Wendy pulled out her phone and readily transferred the remaining 300 yuan to Yvonne Adler. A moment later, Yvonne initiated a voice call. Although a bit puzzled, Wendy answered it promptly.
"Sis, didn’t we agree on 200 a day? Why did you transfer me 300 all at once?
"I can’t accept a reward I haven’t earned. I only worked one day, so I’m only taking one day’s pay!
"I’ll transfer the remaining 200 right back to you!"
Before Wendy could even open her mouth, Yvonne hung up. Immediately after, a red packet for 200 yuan popped up on the screen.
Seeing the red packet, Wendy shook her head helplessly. Although it had only been a verbal promise, as far as she was concerned, a deal was a deal. She had originally agreed to hire Yvonne for two days. Even though the job had finished early, Wendy still felt she should pay for the full two days.
Besides, resolving the poisoning incident so smoothly had put her in a fantastic mood. Seeing that it was getting late and she had already taken time off from work, she had no intention of returning to the office.
Remembering the cashier’s check in her bag, Wendy hurried to the nearest bank to cash it. As the 100,000 yuan was deposited into her account, her savings successfully broke into the six digits. Staring at her balance of exactly 180,000 yuan, Wendy felt deeply moved.
Before she knew it, her savings were just a stone’s throw away from 200,000.
Back in the day, her parents used to give her 1,500 yuan a month for living expenses. While it wasn’t a lot, it was certainly enough to maintain a normal college life. However, she had frequently attended various idol concerts in those days. Although her parents couldn’t understand this hobby, they didn’t oppose it either. But that also meant getting money from them to buy tickets was virtually impossible.
Therefore, Wendy frequently took on all sorts of part-time jobs during weekends and holidays—handing out flyers, waiting tables at restaurants, and working as a sales associate or hospitality staff at various real estate properties.
One of those gigs had been working as a greeter at a new housing development in the suburbs of Ramspire. Although the property was a bit far from the city center, the price was genuinely tempting. At that time, housing prices in the city were mostly above 40,000 yuan per square meter, whereas that neighborhood averaged just over 20,000. Most importantly, there was a subway station about a ten-minute walk away, meaning the transportation and surrounding amenities were quite comprehensive.
So, while working there as a greeter, a new plan took root in her heart: saving up a 200,000 yuan down payment.
The reason she needed 200,000 was that the smallest floor plan in that neighborhood was forty-eight square meters. The selling price was just over a million yuan. According to the fifteen percent down payment requirement for first-time homebuyers, she would need 150,000 yuan upfront. Since the apartments were already fully finished, the remaining 50,000 could be used for simple decorating and buying furniture and appliances.
Originally, she had planned to take four to five years to accomplish this goal. After all, with her current salary, saving up 200,000 yuan would be no easy feat even if she pinched every penny.
Yet, this arduous task that should have taken years to complete... Thanks to the information from her future emails, she had successfully accomplished it in a matter of days!
However, having earned 180,000 yuan so easily, she found herself no longer interested in the small apartment she had once yearned for. Its cost-to-performance ratio was undeniably excellent—affordable, close to the subway, and equipped with essential amenities. But it was just too far from both the city center and her current office.
It was exactly like the steak from before. If she were tight on cash, the filet mignon would have been a great value. But when money was no longer an issue, the much pricier M8 Wagyu was the better choice.
In the foreseeable future, her income would definitely far exceed this. Rushing to buy a small, transitional apartment in the suburbs seemed like a bit of a waste. After all, given the current bleak real estate market, the investment value of most commercial housing wasn’t very high anymore.
After only a brief moment of hesitation, Wendy made her decision. There was no rush to buy a house. Keeping enough cash on hand would allow her to handle any unexpected emergencies that might arise.
Thinking about Wagyu beef made her stomach start to GRUMBLE again. Because she had been so worried about the situation at the raw seafood shop, she had only appeased her hunger with a few crackers for lunch. Knowing she had free time tonight, Wendy stopped by the supermarket on her way home and bought plenty of groceries.
In the blink of an eye, the clock struck midnight.
[Time Mailbox: You have a letter from September 20, 2025]
"How could someone cause such a massive disaster?
"How could I mess up the data in such an important document?
"Thank goodness Bowen Rhodes and Ms. Campbell both stepped in to plead for me.
"Plus, we just reached a five-million-yuan cooperation agreement with Verdant.
"Otherwise, I definitely would have been fired this time!
"But having caused such a huge mess, my year-end performance review is probably going to be an F.
"Do you blame me—your future self from a year later—for being so careless?
"I am so, so sorry!"
After reading the email, Wendy furrowed her brows deeply. As an intern, she usually handled nothing but trivial errands. How could she possibly come into contact with important documents?
No, wait. She immediately realized her mistake. She actually wasn’t an intern anymore. From the moment she received her official employee badge, she had become a full-time employee at Titan Engine. However, even as a full-time employee, her rank was still a mere S3—the absolute lowest.
Logically speaking, someone at her level shouldn’t have access to any crucial documents.
Thinking back on her workload over the past few days, she confirmed once again that she had only been handling insignificant busywork. That meant the flawed document mentioned in the email most likely hadn’t crossed her desk yet.
At this thought, Wendy instantly breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that as long as she was meticulous when processing that important document—especially the data within it—the disaster described in the email would never happen.
Although the email mentioned that Bowen Rhodes and Ms. Campbell both stepped in to plead on her behalf, she certainly wouldn’t make the mistake intentionally now that she knew about it in advance. Owing favors was one thing, but the performance rating mentioned in the email was even more crucial.
[Happy National Day!]
[Wishing all you darlings good health and smooth sailing at work!]