Chapter 7

“Come on, let’s toast!”

He raised his glass.

“To winning your case!”

I clinked my glass against his.

“Thanks for backing me up all this time.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Old Li laughed.

“What you did finally gave all of us workers a chance to vent.”

“It’s all over the internet now.”

“Lots of people say they want to follow your example and use the law to protect their rights.”

I took a sip of my drink.

“Honestly, I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“I’d been swallowing my anger for three years. I just wanted what was fair.”

“And you got it. That makes it worth it.”

Old Li asked, “So, what are you going to do next?”

“Find a new job.”

I said, “This industry is small. Manager Zhao will probably try to block me.”

“But it’s fine. I have technical skills. I can work anywhere.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Old Li patted my shoulder.

“Gold shines wherever you put it.”

“Those rotten bosses will get what’s coming to them sooner or later.”

After we finished our drinks, I walked home.

The night breeze drifted past. It felt good.

I took out my phone and saw a news story:

“Company hit with labor arbitration claims from multiple employees for withholding overtime pay.”

The comments below were lively.

“Support! That’s exactly what they should do!”

“The Labor Law isn’t just for display!”

“Workers are finally standing up!”

I smiled, turned off my phone, and kept walking.

The road ahead was still long.

But I wasn’t afraid anymore.

—

【Chapter 9】

A month later, Manager Zhao made the first payment under our agreement.

Thirty-eight thousand yuan had landed in my account.

I stared at the bank notification, my feelings all tangled up.

That money should have been mine from the start.

Yet it had taken so long and so much effort to get it back.

That same day, Wang messaged me.

“Fang Zheng, I got my money too!”

“Fifty thousand yuan, every cent!”

“This feels amazing!”

I replied, “Congratulations.”

“By the way, are you still working at that company?”

“I left a while ago,” Wang said.

“I found a new job last week.”

“My salary’s two thousand higher than before.”

“I don’t want to spend another day at that lousy company.”

I smiled.

“Do good work.”

“What about you?” Wang asked.

“Have you found a new job yet?”

“I’m still looking,” I said.

“No rush. I’ll take my time choosing.”

“Okay. Let’s grab a meal sometime when you’re free.”

“Sure.”

A few days later, Zhang Wei suddenly called me.

“Fang Zheng.”

He sounded embarrassed.

“I want to apologize.”

I was a little surprised.

“Apologize?”

“I said some awful things before,” Zhang Wei said.

“And I bad-mouthed you behind your back.”

“Looking back, I was a real jerk.”

“You were right.”

“If you hadn’t done what you did, I’d still be stupidly working myself to the bone for that company.”

I was quiet for a moment.

“It’s in the past. Forget it.”

“Thanks,” Zhang Wei said.

“By the way, I got my compensation too.”

“More than forty thousand.”

“I’m going to use it to study some new technology.”

“I’ll never be a pushover again.”

I smiled.

“Good luck.”

After hanging up, I sat by the window and watched the traffic outside.

Suddenly, I felt that the fight had been worth it.

Not just for me,

but for every worker who’d been exploited.

It proved one thing:

The Labor Law

isn’t a piece of scrap paper.

As long as you dare to stand up,

justice

will come.

That evening, I got an email.

It was an interview invitation from a major tech company.

The position: Senior Engineer.

The salary was five thousand higher than before.

I read the email and thought for a moment.

Then I replied:

“Thank you for the invitation. I’d be happy to interview.”

After sending it, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.

At last, after three years, I’d turned the page.

A new road was waiting for me.

This time, I’d understand my own worth better.

And I’d know how to protect my rights.

I wouldn’t be blindly accommodating anymore.

But I wouldn’t turn bitter, either.

I’d simply be a sensible person—

a worker who knew the rules and held firm to his boundaries.

Moonlight streamed through the window and fell across the bed.

I slept peacefully.

For the first time in three years.

—

【Epilogue】

Three months later, I was doing well at my new company.

My technical skills were solid, and I took my work seriously.

But I also held firm to my principles.

If overtime was necessary, I worked it.

But I made sure every cent of overtime pay was accounted for.

When I needed to turn down extra work, I did.

I no longer gritted my teeth and accepted it just to save face.

My coworkers said I was a little “rigid.”

But they also said I was reliable.

One day, Chen, a new intern, came to me.

“Zheng, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“The boss asked me to work overtime this weekend,” Chen said, looking uncomfortable.

“But he didn’t say whether I’d be paid.”

“What should I do?”

I looked at him and remembered the person I’d been three years ago.

“It’s simple,” I said.

“First, ask whether the work falls under your responsibilities.”

“If it does, then it’s worth doing.”