The office was nearly deserted, the only sounds being the distant hum of air conditioning and the rhythmic clicking of a keyboard. The once-bustling Gu Corporation headquarters had fallen into silence as the late hours stretched on, yet Jiang Yuxi remained at her desk, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen in front of her.
Fatigue pressed heavily against her body, but she refused to give in.
This proposal wasn't just about proving her professional ability—it was about survival. If she failed, Liu Wen would have the perfect excuse to push her out. If she succeeded, she would finally prove that she wasn't just "Mrs. Gu," a woman who had gotten her job through marriage.
Across from her, Xiao Rui let out a soft sigh, rubbing her temples. "Yuxi, you need to take a break. It's past midnight, and you've been at this for hours."
Yuxi shook her head, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "I don't have the luxury of taking breaks, Rui."
Xiao Rui frowned, concern flashing in her eyes. "You haven't even eaten since lunch. If you push yourself too hard, you'll—"
"—finish this project and prove everyone wrong," Yuxi cut in firmly. "I have no choice."
Xiao Rui hesitated before sighing in defeat. "Fine. But at least let me help. I can proofread or cross-check data."
A small, grateful smile tugged at Yuxi's lips. "That would mean a lot."
For the next few hours, the two women worked tirelessly, their exhaustion evident in the dark circles forming under their eyes. The night stretched on, the office dimly lit by the desk lamps and the soft glow of their screens.
As the clock neared 2 AM, a soft knock echoed from the open doorway. Yuxi looked up, startled to see Lin Mochen, the senior manager who had previously taken notice of her.
His presence was unexpected, but not unwelcome.
"You're still here?" he asked, arching a brow as he stepped into the office.
Yuxi nodded, forcing herself to straighten up. "I don't have a choice. I have to make sure this proposal is flawless."
Lin Mochen crossed his arms, studying her with something akin to approval. "That's a good mindset. But perfection isn't about working yourself to the point of collapse—it's about knowing how to play the game."
Yuxi frowned slightly. "The game?"
Lin Mochen pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. "Office politics. The reason they set you up to fail isn't because your strategy was flawed—it's because they wanted you gone, no matter what."
Yuxi's lips pressed into a thin line. She already knew that.
"But," he continued, "if you refine your approach and focus on the financial aspects Meng Yiran pointed out, you'll make it impossible for them to dismiss you."
Yuxi's eyes widened slightly. "You think my proposal still has potential?"
Lin Mochen smirked. "I think you have potential. But you need to be sharper, faster. Stop playing by their rules."
He leaned forward, pointing at her screen. "Here—adjust your crisis timeline. Investors don't just care about solutions; they care about speed. Show them a recovery projection that reassures them their money is safe. And for the public image part, instead of waiting for the media to control the narrative, make Xintai Corporation take control first—host a press conference, get ahead of the rumors."
Yuxi listened intently, quickly making notes. His advice was precise, logical—and exactly what she needed.
For the first time that night, she felt a glimmer of hope.
Hours passed in a blur. Yuxi worked tirelessly, incorporating every suggestion, fine-tuning every detail.
By 4 AM, the final version of her proposal was complete. Exhausted but triumphant, she leaned back in her chair, exhaling a breath of relief.
"It's done," she murmured, barely able to believe it herself.
Xiao Rui, half-asleep beside her, perked up. "You finished?"
Yuxi nodded. "And it's better than before."
She saved the document twice—once on her laptop, once on a USB drive, just in case. After all the work she had put in, she wasn't taking any chances.
But just as she was about to shut down her computer, her screen flickered.
Then, without warning, everything went black.
Yuxi's breath caught.
A sinking feeling twisted in her gut as she frantically tried to restart her laptop.
The screen remained blank.
"No," she whispered, her fingers trembling as she pressed the power button again. "No, no, no—"
Xiao Rui bolted upright. "What happened?"
"My laptop—it shut down on its own," Yuxi said, panic rising in her chest. "It was fine just a second ago."
She quickly reached for the USB drive, hoping to check if her files were safe. But the moment she plugged it in, a horrifying message popped up on Xiao Rui's computer.
"Error: Corrupted File. Unable to Recover Data."
Yuxi's blood ran cold.
Her work.
Everything she had spent the entire night building—gone.
Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. This wasn't an accident. This was deliberate.
Someone had sabotaged her.
Meng Yiran.
There was no other explanation.
Yuxi clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm.
She could panic later. Right now, she had no time to waste.
Xiao Rui was just as horrified. "What do we do? You have to present in just a few hours."
Yuxi inhaled deeply, steadying herself. "We start over."
Xiao Rui gaped at her. "Are you insane? You barely have enough time to sleep, let alone redo everything from scratch!"
"I don't have a choice." Yuxi rubbed her temples, pushing back the frustration and exhaustion. "I still remember most of my plan. I'll rewrite it."
Xiao Rui looked uncertain, but after a moment, she nodded. "I'll help however I can."
And so, the all-nighter stretched even longer.
Yuxi forced her exhausted mind to recall every detail, every strategy she had formulated. It was agonizing, her fingers stiff and aching as she typed, but she refused to stop.
The minutes bled into hours, and soon, the early light of dawn began creeping through the office windows.
Her body screamed for rest. Her mind was barely functioning.
But when she finally printed the final document at 7 AM—just an hour before the meeting—she knew one thing for certain.
She was still standing.
And she was not going to lose.