Whie They Played in the Snow

The saddest part was that I had developed that medicine for her.

The drug was finally complete, the company was about to go public, and Jessica had somehow become this person.

I frowned and sent a message.

“It is not for me. The lab cannot lose power. There is too much equipment running.”

Jessica called me at once.

“You are always using research as an excuse. Either you are burning through company funds or demanding special treatment.

“No way. I need to set some rules for you today. You are not getting that generator, and everyone can deal with the heat.”

The weather was already unbearable, and my patience was running thin.

“I will not use the AC, okay?” I snapped. “However, the generator has to be turned on. The lab cannot lose power. The medicine…”

Jessica hung up before I could finish.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then stopped wasting time and rushed to get the generator.

Ever since Jessica put her male assistant, Elliot Jones, in charge of finances, our lab budget had been blocked at every turn. Even the storage room had become a complete disaster.

I had argued for days just to stop Elliot from hauling away the backup generator.

I grabbed the machine and pushed it toward the lab.

The medicine required extremely strict storage conditions. If the temperature stayed too high for more than ten minutes, the drug would deactivate. Months of work would be destroyed.

Five minutes remained.

By the time I reached the lab entrance with the generator, Jessica and Elliot were already standing there like guards blocking the door.

A bad feeling twisted in my stomach.

I forced myself to stay calm and spoke as politely as I could. “Let me restore the power first. After that, I will stay outside the lab, okay?”

My plaid shirt was soaked through. Sweat dripped into my eyes and burned.

Jessica hesitated, and Elliot jumped in with fake concern.

“It is understandable that you want to cool off in this heat,” he said. “However, we already announced in the company group chat that nobody is allowed to use the air conditioning. If you do this now, where does that leave Jessica’s authority?”

Less than four minutes remained.

My chest tightened as Jessica’s expression hardened.

“You just have to make yourself special, huh? You want to undermine how we manage employees?” she snapped. “There are only a few hours left before work ends. Can you not tough it out for one day?”

Time was running out.

I tried to explain again that this was not about me wanting air conditioning. The lab needed electricity.

Jessica had already convinced herself that I was using the lab as an excuse to enjoy the AC. No matter what I said, she refused to let me in.

Two minutes remained.

Time slipped away while I argued with them. Soon, the final minute was gone.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in despair. I dropped the generator at the door and walked into the lab.

Inside, the core researchers stared at me in silence. Every one of us understood what that situation meant.

Jessica thought I had finally given in, and she looked smug. “See? Would it not have been easier if you had listened from the start? You always have to fight me.

“If you behave this obediently, then after the product is delivered, I will let Elliot unlock the doors so you can enjoy the air conditioning for a while.”

Delivered.

Jessica still had no idea the medicine had already become useless. There would be no delivery.

I stood up and laughed coldly.

“Then stop wasting electricity,” I said. “Save the money and buy some cold medicine instead. You would not want your precious assistant catching a chill in a sixty-degree air-conditioned room.

“I quit.”

Jessica froze.

“You are resigning over something this small? Just because of the air conditioning?”