NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 120: Dominance Act Nine
The night gradually deepened, and the sky was painted a thick black by the dark clouds.
At this time, the city people who had been enjoying the nightlife were finally feeling tired. The neon lights on the streets also seemed to have sensed the coolness of midnight, and turned off their lights.
But, in this darkness that was meant for rest and recuperation, there were still lonely lights that remained on throughout the night.
Thump.
The man, who was lying on his desk, lightly moved his body. His elbow accidentally bumped into the energy drinks that were piled up on the edge of the desk. Suddenly, in the quiet office, the symphony of late night began to play, as if even the empty cans wanted to go clubbing.
The young man was startled awake. He opened his sore eyes with difficulty. He didn't look at the cans that had fallen on the floor, but nervously looked at the computer screen.
On the screen were the bugs that needed to be fixed. The densely packed code seemed even smaller than ants. The young man, whose eyesight was already very bad, could barely see them clearly, and quickly put on the glasses that were beside him.
"Good, it's finally done." The man who had been startled awake from his dream let out a long sigh of relief. He had been afraid that he had fallen asleep while fixing the bugs. If that had happened, this month's bonus would have been completely gone.
The time in the bottom right corner of his computer showed 3:30 AM, the darkest part of the night.
On his desk was a small cactus. He had gotten it to help reduce eye strain, but he never had the time to even look at it. Fortunately, it was a cactus after all. It wouldn't die so easily, even if it didn't have enough water. He poured the half cup of water that was left in his cup into the pot. That was enough for another half a month.
On the partition next to his cactus, two or three photos had been pinned up. One was a photo of him and his family, one was of a company dinner, and the last one was a photo of his girlfriend.
He took down the photo of him and his girlfriend. Written on it was "Glenn ♡ May." It was a photo that they had taken two months ago on Valentine's Day. However, because he had been working overtime recently, it had been two or three weeks since he had seen her. He didn't even know if she had been taking care of herself.
Thinking about the girl, an involuntary smile appeared on Glenn's weary face. The two had started dating in college. It had already been three years.
Work hard, Glenn. Once you've gotten this month's pay, you can pay off the ring. Then, you can propose to her. Glenn was a responsible person. His girlfriend had been with him for three years, and he had seen all of her efforts. He had been desperately working overtime this month to prepare for their marriage.
"Uh, why does it feel like I'm jinxing myself?" Glenn, who frequently browsed video websites, was familiar with those internet terms. He quickly spat twice to get rid of the bad luck. But after realizing what he had done, he laughed at himself.
It wasn't like he was going into battle. He was just an ordinary office worker. How could there be so many accidents?
He reached out, rubbing the toy pig that his girlfriend had given him. The pig stuck its tongue out when he rubbed it. It made him feel a little better.
He looked around the office. It was, unsurprisingly, completely empty. It was true. The others would usually only stay until one or two. If his supervisor hadn't requested that they fix the bug overnight, Glenn would have already returned to his small, rented apartment to rest.
Standing up from his chair, his bones cracked. Sitting in front of the computer for so long made him feel like he was about to break.
Holding his cup, Glenn prepared to go to the water dispenser to pour himself another cup of warm water. Walking through the quiet office, Glenn suddenly felt a sense of freedom.
His work was done, and he didn't have to worry about being watched by his colleagues. Glenn subconsciously began to move his feet, recalling the dance moves he had seen on TV when he was a child. He started dancing as a way to entertain himself.
Unfortunately, his exhausted body quickly warned him that he was no longer the energetic child from before. He sighed, and could only obediently drink the warm water from his cup.
"Next time, I'll bring some goji berries. Although it's a little embarrassing, they say it on the internet, you have to start taking care of your health while you're still young."
After doing all of this, Glenn returned to his chair.
His body was so tired.
It was almost 4 AM. He hadn't slept for more than five hours in the last two days. Going home was impossible. He would just rest in the office.
He placed his head on a pillow and prepared to continue sleeping, but because he had drunk so many energy drinks, he couldn't fall asleep. He could only boredly browse through videos, before finally falling into a light sleep.
Early next morning, the sounds of the company had awakened him. Glenn's head felt groggy. He couldn't even clearly hear what his colleagues were saying, and he could only answer half-heartedly.
Fortunately, there wasn't much work today. Glenn's programming skills were already the best among his colleagues. But it was because of this, that he always had to work more overtime than others. Every time there were complicated bugs, he had to work through the night.
After making a few cups of coffee, he forced himself to focus and complete his work for the day. By afternoon, he had already decided on his schedule.
He was going on a date with his girlfriend tonight. He would absolutely not allow himself to be asked to work overtime.
It was time to get off work, but none of his colleagues had moved. They had already gotten used to working overtime. Glenn could vaguely see his supervisor walking towards the office with a flash drive in his hand. He revealed a cold smile, quickly saved his work, locked his computer, and left.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to work overtime today." Under the surprised gazes of his colleagues, Glenn confidently walked out. He felt exceptionally handsome today. He swiped his card to clock out, and even greeted his supervisor, who was standing at the doorway, before quickly entering the elevator before he had a chance to ask anything.
It wasn't dark yet when he got off work. It felt like it had been a long time since he had seen it like this.
It was always voluntary overtime. Although it was supposed to be 6 PM when they got off work, no one dared leave before 10 PM. They were all afraid of losing their bonuses. After all, that was how it was at internet companies. The base pay was pitiful. If you wanted to earn money, you had to work overtime.
Not having the time to go home and clean himself up, Glenn went to a nearby barber shop and got a quick wash and dry. The subway was packed during rush hour. Helpless, he could only spend a few dozen yuan to take a taxi.
He hurriedly arrived at the designated cafe. Glenn's stomach was already rumbling, but since he was on a date, he naturally had to maintain some class.
Cafes were the best choice for office workers like him. A cup of Starbucks coffee was only a few dozen yuan, although Glenn couldn't tell the difference between it and a two-yuan instant coffee mix. But since it was a foreign brand, it gave him face.
From a distance, he could see his girlfriend, May, sitting alone at a table, boredly looking at her phone. Two cups of coffee were on the table. It was the flavor that he had mentioned he liked last time.
Such a considerate girlfriend made Glenn's heart feel warm. He felt a little bad for May. The two cups of coffee added up to almost 100 yuan. He should have been the one paying.
"May, sorry to keep you waiting." Glenn, whose face was full of smiles, didn't notice May's soft sigh.
"Let me tell you some good news. Our project is ending tomorrow. I won't have to work overtime anymore, and I'll have more time to be with you."
"What's wrong?" After a few seconds, Glenn noticed that May was a little down. "Are you not feeling well?"
"Glenn… let's break up."