Chapter 3

Adrian's POV

Veronica pulled out her phone and opened her QR code business card.

"Scan my card. I'll send you the digital conference handbook."

Her finger swiped across the screen twice before freezing.

"You deleted me?"

I didn't understand why she was surprised.

"Back in the ambulance, you said we shouldn't contact each other anymore to avoid affecting Ethan's future."

I put away my phone, my tone flat.

"I don't need the guest pass either."

Veronica put her phone away and laughed dryly.

"Deleting me is probably for the best. Saves you from seeing our achievements on Ins and feeling bitter."

Ethan put his arm around her shoulder.

"Exactly. The circle we're in now discusses cutting-edge research. A manual laborer like him wouldn't understand even if he followed us. He'd just feel awkward."

I glanced at them.

"True. My circle is quieter. No room for things that are too noisy."

Veronica's expression changed. She understood my meaning.

She slammed the gray guest pass on the table.

"Adrian, if it weren't for the fact that you used to run data for me, you'd never get into a national-level conference like this in your lifetime. Don't be ungrateful."

Ethan patted her back and pointed at me.

"Don't bother with people like him. He'll be a temp worker with no official status his whole life. His worldview is as narrow as the bottom of a well."

Temp worker.

Those words made me stop.

I thought back to my previous life.

Ethan was a typical academic tailor.

He rose through the ranks by stitching together concepts and networking, completely clueless about data analysis.

During graduate school, Veronica asked me to help build a model so Ethan could pass his evaluation.

I pulled three all-nighters in the lab, using my core algorithms to complete the project for her.

On the final publication, Ethan was first author, Veronica was second author. My name wasn't on the list.

Veronica told me we were a team.

Ethan was good at securing projects, I was good at technical work. With resources secured, I wouldn't be shortchanged.

This "collaboration" lasted seven years.

I remained a shadow behind the scenes. Veronica used the excuse of limited official positions to never formalize my status.

Until the lab caught fire.

At the only escape route, Veronica pushed past me, pinned under the bookshelf.

She pulled up Ethan, who'd merely scraped his skin, while clutching the data drive containing my latest calculations in her other hand.

The glass door locked from the outside.

I watched her protect Ethan as they left. She never looked back once.

The smell of burning plastic seemed to fill my nostrils again.

I instinctively touched the wedding ring on my ring finger.

The cool metal brought me back. That suffocating feeling disappeared.

In this life, I owed no one.

The first thing I did after rebirth was apply to leave the research group.

Watching them panic over missing data, I switched careers to a rare book restoration center and cut all contact.

I turned to leave, but Ethan blocked my path.

"Don't rush off. Without the university platform, you can only do manual labor."

He pulled out a business card from his jacket and stuffed it into my shirt pocket.

"My new lab happens to need people. Washing beakers and test tubes. It's contract work, but at least you'd be working at a university."

The people around laughed. Someone chimed in, telling me to hurry up and thank the kindhearted Professor Hayes.

I pulled out the business card and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

"Thanks, but I already have a job. Restoration specialist."

Ethan burst into exaggerated laughter.

"Restoration specialist? You mean book repair, right? Ha ha ha ha! Who still does that these days? You mean taping things together at a street stall?"

His laughter drew more attention.

Veronica looked at me, her eyes complex.

"Do you work at a print shop binding photocopies for people? What future is there in that kind of mechanical labor?"

She sighed, as if feeling sorry for me.

"For old times' sake, I can put in a word at the library to get you a librarian position. The salary isn't high, but it's stable."

I shook my head.

"My skills are enough to support my family. Thanks for the concern."

Veronica's expression turned cold.

"Adrian, you're willfully degrading yourself. You can't teach mud to climb a wall. Don't expect me to bail you out in the future."

She turned around, linking arms with Ethan, and stopped looking at me.

I couldn't be bothered explaining to them.

I'm currently the chief restoration specialist at the National Museum. I handle antique rare books. Even Veronica's university president needs to make an appointment to see me.

If I told them this, they'd only think I was lying.