Chapter 3

I poured everything I had into preparing for the competition and earning enough to live.

At last, the day of the competition arrived.

With travel money I had earned myself, I boarded a train out of town.

Standing in the venue, surrounded by talented students from across the country, I took a deep breath and told myself I couldn’t lose.

I performed better than I ever had and made a good impression on the judges.

Waiting for the results was agony.

I returned to school and went back to working, studying, and waiting for the announcement.

A month later, the results came out.

I had won first prize.

When I saw my name on the list, I could barely believe my eyes.

I crouched at the end of a hallway, buried my face in my arms, and cried without making a sound.

All the pain I had swallowed finally seemed to have somewhere to go.

It wasn’t just the honor. It was the thousand-dollar prize and an internship offer from a company in my field.

The internship paid well. More importantly, outstanding interns had a chance to receive a full-time offer!

It meant I could escape that suffocating home even sooner!

My hands practically shook as I sent a screenshot of the results to our family Snapchat group.

I admit it. Deep down, I still had a tiny hope that they might be happy for me.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. The group remained deathly silent.

Not a single response.

I don’t know how long I waited before my phone finally buzzed. Mom had sent me a private message.

My heart skipped a beat. I opened it with a flicker of anticipation.

“Good that you won. How much does the internship pay?”

“I hear big companies pay their interns well. Your sister wants a makeup set that costs over four hundred dollars. Remember to buy it for her when you get paid. We’ll call it a celebration.”

I stared at the message, my fingers turning cold.

I didn’t reply. I simply deleted the conversation.

When summer break began, I moved into the temporary housing the company provided for interns.

I threw myself into the internship.

The company offered opportunities on a scale I had never seen. Its projects and resources were nothing like what I had access to at school.

My mentor was strict but kind and willing to teach me.

I volunteered for the most tedious, exhausting work and never complained.

During my second month, our project team ran into a difficult client.

They nitpicked everything and changed their requirements over and over. Even the experienced employees did their best to steer clear.

In the end, that hot potato landed in my lap—the intern’s.

I knew it was a challenge, but it was also an opportunity.

I didn’t back down. I tackled it head-on.

For a while, I practically lived at the office. I dug through every relevant report and dataset I could find, kept a smile on my face, and patiently worked through revision after revision with the client.

After nearly a week of nonstop overtime, I finally produced a plan they couldn’t find fault with. It passed their review.

The project manager saw me in a new light and singled me out for praise during the wrap-up meeting.

At the end of the month, I received a $1,600 bonus. Combined with my internship pay, I had earned almost $4,000 that month!

When I saw those numbers in my account, I stood in front of the ATM for a long time without moving.

Excitement, old pain, and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment crashed together in my chest.

At last, the darkness was lifting.