Prologue Giving My All for the Sake of Writing

Reliving 1993, No Pop-ups

Jiang Xiwen sat in front of his computer with the same listless expression, drowsy and barely awake. He had spent the entire afternoon drifting in and out of dreams, yet even now, fatigue gripped him mercilessly. What irked him more, however, was the persistent nausea swirling in his stomach.

He could no longer recall when exactly his body started failing him—aches and sickness plagued him without end, and even on his better days, his mind remained clouded and dull. Bleary-eyed from dawn till dusk, he found it impossible to focus on writing. This, clearly, was not the constitution befitting a man nearing thirty.

“My father’s money is my money. That’s how the world works. If you don’t like it, too bad. If you have what it takes, don’t work for me—stay away from IT!” Lin Zheng’s words echoed once more in his ears. It was precisely those words that, in a fit of anger, had prompted Jiang Xiwen to hand in his resignation. Predictably, Lin Zheng had made no effort to keep him.

Damn it, do you really think I can’t succeed at this? Jiang Xiwen shook his head violently. Lin Zheng, I’ll make sure you know I’m just as good as you—no, better! Su Lai... ah, Su Lai...

The thought of Su Lai filled him with despair. The girl he had quietly cherished for so long had become his superior—and Lin Zheng’s fiancée.

Su Lai had been his classmate in university. With her large, expressive eyes, delicate nose, and doll-like face, she was irresistibly charming. Not only was she beautiful, she was brilliant as well. Yet, despite her many talents, she was never arrogant; on the contrary, she possessed a streak of boyish candor—warm, open, and generous. Wherever she went, all eyes were drawn to her.

Jiang Xiwen, on the other hand, rarely spoke to anyone. He was the sort of person who could slip into any crowd without being noticed.

He had liked Su Lai from their very first meeting. But his shyness and lack of confidence left him breathless even when exchanging a single word with her; a confession was out of the question.

Only online did he become someone else entirely—a hacker, considered by many experts to be a prodigy with the potential to stand among the world’s elite. His formidable skills gave him the audacity to dream of winning Su Lai’s heart. But this fragile confidence was shattered by a single remark she made.

Competing in the university’s public speaking contest, Su Lai chose hackers as her topic. She stated plainly: those who find pleasure in sabotaging other people’s computers are no different from thieves.

From that moment on, Jiang Xiwen never engaged in another cyber intrusion. He was grateful for Su Lai’s candid words; because of her, he resolved to turn his dreams into reality, devoting all his talent to programming instead.

Twice, he represented the teachers’ university and won first prize in the collegiate programming competition—an honor the institution had never achieved before. This also afforded him more opportunities to interact with Su Lai, who was then the student council president. Those were the happiest days of his life.

In his third year, Su Lai went abroad, but they kept in touch. After graduation, Jiang Xiwen remained in Modu City and joined the renowned international company SSUN in the Greater China region as a senior programmer. As his skills developed, he became a core member of the company and gradually grew more outgoing. When Su Lai heard the news, she laughed with delight over the phone. All of this made Jiang Xiwen’s dreams feel more within reach.

But just before Su Lai was due to return home, Jiang Xiwen learned of her impending marriage. Her fiancé was none other than Lin Zheng, one of the company’s vice presidents.

The news was announced by the Greater China region’s president—a formidable woman approaching fifty. Su Lai was her daughter, a revelation that left Jiang Xiwen stunned and deeply troubled. He had long known that Lin Zheng’s father was a former government official turned business magnate.

A perfect match, he thought bitterly. Even at their closest, his conversations with Su Lai were no more intimate than friendly chats, yet he had never let go of his fantasies.

Jiang Xiwen had hoped Lin Zheng might be an idle scion, a man he could compete against. But reality was no drama or novel—Lin Zheng was no wastrel. After becoming vice president, he had indeed achieved impressive results. This left Jiang Xiwen with nothing but pain and a sense of helpless resignation.

One drunken slip revealed his feelings to Lin Zheng. Rather than tell Su Lai, Lin Zheng chose to confront Jiang Xiwen privately. Dissatisfied with Jiang Xiwen’s response, he lashed out with the words that drove him away.

After resigning, Jiang Xiwen spent a long time reflecting on the nature of reality. Money, he realized, was an essential component of love—without money, there could be no life, and without life, no hope for a happy family. Material security was the very foundation of marriage.

He remained in Modu City, making a living as an online writer.

Next month was Su Lai’s wedding. Staring at the blinding glow of his computer screen and the cramped font of his Word document, Jiang Xiwen grew increasingly irritable. He wanted to pull himself together, to live well, but his body refused to cooperate—fatigue, dizziness, nausea... and this freezing, miserable apartment! His vision blurred, and sleep pressed down on him, heavy and inescapable...

...

“Su Lai, are you ready yet? Hurry up, the Lin family is still waiting downstairs! It’s just the engagement—why spend half the day on makeup? A simpler look is fine,” her mother called from below.

“Coming, Mom, don’t be so anxious!” A trace of resignation flickered across Su Lai’s face, but her tone remained light. She locked away the diary she’d just been reading—a relic from years ago. Earlier, a sudden wave of unease had stirred her memories of someone, leading her to revisit those old pages.

He was a man of few words, but she liked watching him work, so focused at his computer. Because of family arrangements, she had become engaged to Lin Zheng early on. But after returning home, she did her best to delay the wedding, waiting for that man—for an entire year, she waited, hoping he would finally say he wanted to marry her. She had even dropped hints, telling him she didn’t care about family background, status, or money—those things could be won with talent and hard work.

But though he clearly liked her, he seemed not to understand at all, never saying a word.

Ah, if he didn’t dare to do anything, why should I fight my parents for his sake? Lin Zheng is so good to me—let this secret remain forever hidden. Su Lai sighed softly and let go of her lingering regret.