The terms Evans offered were too generous to refuse.
Had it been a few days ago, Wendy Lynch would have accepted the job without a moment’s hesitation. The salary was doubled, and she had saved the life of her direct boss. As long as the company didn’t go bankrupt, she could easily coast all the way to retirement.
But now, she fell silent.
After the incident with Forrest Quinn, she soberly realized that she was still far too inadequate. Her advantage stemmed entirely from those emails from the future. She could only ever see the final result. As for the logical deduction, information gathering, and plan formulation involved in the process, she was still an absolute amateur.
She had only managed to help Verdant Company this time purely because the company’s internal response was fast enough to formulate a perfect plan within half an hour. Rashly accepting this position would mean completely binding herself to a behemoth like Verdant. Relying entirely on future emails, she would instantly revert to her original state if those emails ever stopped working.
After careful consideration, she slowly spoke, saying something that surprised even Evans.
"Mr. Evans, thank you for valuing me, but I’m sorry, I don’t plan to resign from my current job for the time being."
Evans was clearly taken aback by the rejection. After a few seconds, he asked in disbelief, "Why?"
On the other end of the phone, his voice was filled with unconcealed astonishment. He had thought Wendy might politely decline at first before going with the flow and agreeing, or that she might even take the opportunity to propose other conditions. The only thing he hadn’t expected was for her to refuse, and so decisively at that.
"Miss Lynch, pardon my bluntness, but while Titan Engine is a good company, Verdant is no worse. Moreover, the salary and benefits we can offer will definitely satisfy you."
Evans’s tone was sincere. He tried to persuade this young woman, who had made him see her in a new light, from a purely career-planning perspective.
Wendy naturally understood this. The position of public relations consultant at Verdant Group sounded much more glamorous than being an ordinary employee at Titan Engine. But she knew even better how guilty and inadequate she would feel sitting in that position.
"Mr. Evans, I’m very grateful for your appreciation," Wendy said, organizing her words to express her concerns in a way that was honest yet reserved. "To be honest, being able to spot the problem this time was largely due to luck. Or rather, it was just a flash of inspiration. My professional abilities are nowhere near as strong as you think; I’m still very green. My current job gives me a lot of opportunities to make mistakes and learn, allowing me to slowly polish myself."
She paused and continued, "If I were to parachute into Verdant as a consultant right now, I wouldn’t be worthy of the role. Not only would it ruin my career, but more importantly, it would betray your trust and expectations in me."
She spoke these words with utmost sincerity. This wasn’t some playing-hard-to-get negotiation tactic, but her truest inner thought. She was like an elementary school student holding the answer key but unable to understand the steps to solve the equation. Asking her to tutor a group of PhDs—wasn’t that a joke?
The other end of the line fell silent again.
However, this silence was completely different from the previous one. Having navigated the turbulent waters of the business world for years, Evans had seen too many people claw their way up the ladder, as well as too many people with mediocre abilities who thought too highly of themselves. Someone like Wendy, who could maintain such clear-headed self-awareness and a humble attitude in the face of a massive opportunity, was a first for him.
This was no longer simple insight. This was foresight, self-awareness, and the calm disposition necessary for someone destined to achieve great things. Instead of being disappointed, Evans’s evaluation of Wendy rose a few levels higher in his heart. It would be a terrible pity if such a talent could not be utilized by him.
"I understand." Evans’s voice sounded again, carrying a hint of a smile. "Miss Lynch, your honesty makes me even more certain that my judgment was not wrong."
He changed the subject and immediately proposed a new plan. "Since you don’t want to leave your current company for the time being, that’s fine. We’ll change our method of cooperation. Verdant Group will officially hire you as our ’Special External Consultant.’ How does that sound?"
Wendy froze, wondering what he meant by an external consultant.
"This position doesn’t have any rigid job requirements. You don’t need to come to our company to clock in, and we won’t interfere with your current job." Evans seemed to have guessed her doubts. His speaking pace wasn’t fast, but every word struck clearly at Wendy’s heart. "We are merely reserving the right to ’consult’ you. When we encounter similar public opinion issues with potential risks, you can provide us with timely feedback.
"In return, Verdant will pay you a monthly consulting fee of 800 dollars. This payment is regardless of whether you provide effective advice; it is simply compensating you for being ’on standby.’
"Of course, if you create immense value for the company again like you did today, we will similarly pay you an additional bonus equal to or even higher than this time."
Evans finally added, "Miss Lynch, you can view this as a job offer, but I’d rather call it an investment. Verdant Group is willing to invest in your growth, and we are willing to wait for the day you truly mature."
Wendy was left completely speechless. It was simply impossible for her to refuse this proposal.
There was no need to resign, no need to clock in, and it wouldn’t affect her current job. Even if she did nothing all month, she would get an extra 800 dollars out of thin air, which was already more than half of her current salary.
More importantly, she could safely and steadily stay at Titan Engine to continue developing. By utilizing the future emails to slowly learn, she could simultaneously connect with a massive conglomerate like Verdant, gaining a stable extra income and a highly valuable network connection. This wasn’t just a free lunch; it was a full-course royal banquet dropping right into her lap!
"Mr. Evans..." Wendy felt her throat go a little dry. "Are you sure...?"
"I am very sure," Evans smiled. "So, to a happy partnership?"
"To a happy partnership."
Hanging up the phone, Wendy still felt a bit light on her feet, as if she were dreaming. She opened her mobile banking app. Looking at the massive sum of 80,000 dollars in her account and remembering the monthly consulting fee of 800 dollars they had just finalized, her heart began to race uncontrollably.
So, was this what it felt like to be rich?
Unpretentious, simple, and terribly dull.
Late at night, all was quiet.
Wendy finished washing up and lay in bed, tossing and turning, too excited to sleep. She calculated how to spend this unexpected windfall.
Buying a house could finally be put on her agenda. If she was only paying the down payment, the more than 100,000 dollars she had on hand was already enough to buy a quite decent place. Or maybe she should just enroll in a few training classes related to her major to properly improve herself?
Right as her thoughts were running wild, the time ticked over to 12:00 midnight.