The Day I Quit, My Girlfriend's Junior Panicked

After I resigned from my position, I took my parents on a longawaited trip around the world.

Even my girlfriend scolded me, accusing me of being petty, letting jealousy cloud my judgment, and ignoring the collective mission.

But I simply hung up, unmoved. I continued my journey across countries and continents with my parents, appreciating every peaceful moment away from that toxic environment.

In my past life, Luther had shamelessly claimed the title of an intelligent robotics genius. Each time I spent days poring over research and compiling experimental data, he would somehow publish my findings ahead of me.

After it happened several times, my colleagues began mocking me. They said I was desperate for recognition, using family ties to secure the role of R&D team leader, only to steal credit for others’ work. The pressure mounted. To silence the accusations, I pushed myself beyond exhaustion, working around the clock for a week straight. Eventually, I created a new dataset for intelligent robot development.

But when I emerged from the lab to share the results, I was told that my junior had already announced identical data—an hour earlier.

Worse still, he had started a livestream, where he made veiled accusations against me, implying that I had tried to coerce him into ghostwriting the research. The internet exploded. Outraged netizens began boycotting my family’s products, claiming that my parents’ company was fraudulent. In just days, they were forced into bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, Luther secured the R&D patent, gained fame as a pioneering genius in artificial intelligence, and was approached by major corporations eager to buy the rights to his “work.”

Our family was ruined—socially, professionally, and financially. And then, as if fate hadn’t dealt enough damage, the three of us were struck and killed by an outofcontrol truck on our way to expose him.

But I woke up again.

This time, I was back on the very day Luther first claimed credit as the genius behind intelligent robot breakthroughs.

——

“Team Leader Cole? Are you okay? You fainted just now!”

A familiar voice echoed in my ears. My vision cleared. I was seated in a chair, surrounded by concerned colleagues.

“Team Leader, what phase are you working on now?”

Before I could respond, Luther approached and proudly handed me a stack of documents. “Here’s the data I just finished. The chip algorithm allows the robot to autonomously recognize different objects.”

I froze. Flipping through the pages with trembling fingers, I recognized every line, every graph. This was my work—the data I had painstakingly developed over ten grueling days.

I had been reborn to the day when he first stole my results and claimed that he had only spent half a day on them.

My colleagues chatted casually nearby. “Team Leader Cole, you look exhausted. Did you finish compiling the research data?”

I didn’t answer. I rushed to the experimental table and turned on my computer. The screen was still displaying the detailed logs of my calculations and testing. All the data was there—recorded with timestamps.

My face turned pale, and my heart pounded like a drum.

Luther followed me and said in an almost casual tone, “Team Leader Cole, you asked me earlier to organize the data. I’ve done it now. Take a look.”

Then he leaned in closer, smirking, “I know kids from rich families like you usually aren’t very capable. But I’m the real talent in R&D. Just leave robot development to me from now on. You just make sure our team has enough funding and meals.”

At that moment, my throat tightened. A wave of dizziness hit me as stars danced before my eyes.

I remembered clearly—this was the exact day he first presented my data on his own. He had framed it as if he’d completed all the work in just a few hours, while eating and relaxing.

My colleagues believed him. They showered him with praise, calling him a rare genius and the shining hope of the robotics industry.

“He’s doing the work of five people by himself,” they said. “What do we need a team leader for, if all he does is lock us in the lab day and night?”

“He just wanted the spotlight,” someone had whispered. “Otherwise, why monopolize the credit?”

I refused to accept the outcome. Fueled by frustration and disbelief, I dismissed my colleagues and locked myself in the laboratory for another grueling week, determined to push the research and development process forward once more. Day and night blurred as I immersed myself in the data, calculations, and simulations, clinging to the hope that I could regain the team’s trust through undeniable results.

But when I finally emerged from the lab, exhausted yet hopeful, I was met with yet another crushing blow—Luther had already published the new data I had spent the past week refining. Once again, he had beaten me to the punch.

My colleagues saw this and quickly drew their own conclusions. Whispers spread like wildfire—people believed I was only hungry for fame, exploiting my position as team leader to steal the achievements of my subordinates. To them, I was a fraud cloaked in authority, using my family’s influence to take credit for others’ hard work.

The injustice boiled in my veins. Fueled by anger and desperation, I worked overtime, barely resting, pouring every ounce of effort into developing an intelligent robot chip. This chip wasn’t just functional—it was revolutionary. It could assist the elderly with daily tasks, accompany them to medical appointments, and perform household chores with uncanny precision. It was 90% close to human capability, a breakthrough that could reshape the industry.

But just as I was preparing to unveil it, Luther held a press conference. With an expression of feigned sorrow, he claimed that he had no choice but to go public ahead of time—otherwise, he said, I would have stolen his results.

He spoke with emotional conviction, saying I had repeatedly asked for his data and hinted at taking his work. He then painted himself as a misunderstood genius who needed only half a day of inspiration to accomplish what others couldn’t in weeks.

The public was enraged. Accusations rained down like arrows, branding me an academic fraud, a disgrace to the scientific community. Netizens took it a step further, accusing my parents of sponsoring the R&D project solely to reap the rewards. Our family’s smart home tech company was immediately thrust into the spotlight—for all the wrong reasons.

Social media exploded:

“Crack down on fake companies! Clean up the scientific community!”

“Purge parasites in technology and give science a clean sky!”

Luther walked away unscathed, hailed as the rightful patent holder and the shining star of intelligent R&D. Companies lined up to partner with him, eager to manufacture intelligent robots born from my work.

In desperation, my parents scoured evidence to clear my name. But fate dealt its cruelest hand: on the way to submit the findings, they were struck by a speeding, outofcontrol truck. We were all inside.

We didn’t survive. Our bodies were crushed beyond recognition.

Yet somehow, fate gave me another chance.

I was reborn—returned to the very moment before it all began.

This time, I swore, I would uncover the truth and expose lies. Luther would not succeed again.

Back in the lab, I heard my colleagues muttering excitedly yet skeptically.

“Luther is truly a genius? He really developed this himself?”

“Our team leader worked for a whole week, and he did it in just half a day? That last section of the data is uncanny…”

My girlfriend and assistant snatched the R&D documents from my hands, glanced at them, and immediately showered Luther with praise.

“Luther, you’re incredible. I always knew you had talent for these things, but to complete such complex data in just half a day? That’s beyond impressive!”

The surrounding staff erupted in chatter. Their eyes widened in astonishment. Those who were once skeptical began to look at me with doubt and suspicion.

Their whispers stung:

“Why are we even working overtime to verify anything? Luther’s results already match what we were aiming for.”

“Let’s be honest, didn’t he already peek at the data? Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out now.”

The looks they gave me were laced with meaning, and my heart turned cold.

In my past life, they believed him without question. They began disregarding my instructions, ignoring my deadlines. Instead, they followed Luther out to parties, dinners, and latenight hangouts.

He had boasted then too—“I just need a flash of inspiration. Give me two hours, and I’ll write you a whole new dataset. Guaranteed.”

This time, I swallowed my anger. I wouldn't argue. I wouldn't fight publicly.

Instead, I was going to do things differently. This time, I’d keep my cards close, my data tighter, and my trust minimal.

As the research entered its second phase, I allowed no one into the lab except one person—my most trusted friend and assistant: Jason Miller.

The fight wasn’t over. It had only just begun.

In my previous life, after I died, there was only one person who stood up for me—Jason. He went everywhere defending me, telling others I had been wronged. While everyone else either remained silent or jumped to conclusions, he alone spoke the truth.

Now, back in this life, I watched Luther continue to play his role perfectly, wearing the mask of concern and sincerity. He turned to me, eyes full of feigned innocence.

“Team Leader Cole, what do you mean by this? Are you suggesting we stole your data?”

His voice was calm, but underneath, I could hear the veiled threat, the implication that I was the irrational one.

Immediately, the rest of the team turned to me, their expressions twisted in anger and contempt.

“Team Leader Cole, you clearly don't have the capability to match Junior Grant’s data. And now you’re slandering us? How can you accuse us of stealing for him?” someone said sharply.

I didn’t respond. I simply changed my clothes in silence and locked the laboratory doors. My face was expressionless, but inside, I was burning.

I knew without a doubt that the data had been leaked, or worse, that Luther had somehow obtained it using underhanded means. Otherwise, there was no way he could repeatedly present the exact results I had worked so hard to develop.

So, this time, I decided to shut the lab down completely—no access, no exceptions. I wanted to see if he could still "coincidentally" come up with the same results without anyone feeding him information.

For five straight days, Jason and I worked in isolation, pouring every ounce of energy into the project. With zero interference, we pushed ahead in the R&D phase. Finally, we succeeded. We developed a concept model of the intelligent robot, capable of distinguishing voices, identifying hosts from guests, and processing unfamiliar speech with adaptive response. It was a real breakthrough.

When I opened the lab door, exhausted but relieved, I was ready to show everyone what we had achieved. But instead of admiration, I was met with mockery and smirks.

My chest tightened. A sense of unease crept over me.

Then came Luther’s smug voice. “Team Leader Cole, I just released the data from this development stage. Don’t you think it’s a bit late to present it now? In science, it’s not just about hard work—it’s about efficiency.”

I froze. Shock flooded through me. I looked around and saw a few colleagues who had once supported me now avoiding my gaze. Some looked at me with pity. Others didn’t bother hiding their scorn.

How? The lab had been sealed. The data had been generated solely through the experiments Jason and I had performed. There had been no chance of any leak. Yet somehow, Luther had still released the same numbers—down to the decimal point.

I was completely dumbfounded.

Then, as if delivering the final blow, Luther chuckled and waved to the group. “You’ve all worked hard. Let’s celebrate tonight at The Mill Bar—no one goes home until they’re drunk!”

“Junior Brother, it’s not us who worked hard—it’s all you! We should be the ones thanking you!” someone said eagerly.

“You’re too humble. We’re a team, right? My success is everyone’s success,” he replied, throwing me a condescending glance.

Then he added with a smirk, “Team Leader, you called me yesterday asking for the data, and I sent it over out of courtesy. I know you want to contribute, but talent is a gift. No matter how jealous you are, you can’t fake it or take it.”

His words struck like daggers. My mind was spinning. Then I heard her voice—my girlfriend, Claire Bennett.

“Ethan Cole, as the team leader, how could you use your authority to pressure others for results?” she snapped. “I told you Luther has real talent, but you ignored him.”

She looked at me as if I were nothing more than an embarrassment. “You’re making such a big scene just to take credit for someone else’s work?”

I opened my mouth to speak, to defend myself, but she cut me off coldly.

“Enough. I’ve seen what you’re capable of—or rather, what you’re not. If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have recommended Junior Brother for the project.”

Then, as if delivering a final verdict, she said, “From now on, let Junior Brother Luther take full charge of the R&D. You can assist where needed.”

Cheers erupted around them. Everyone gathered around Luther, showering him with praise and laughter.

I stood there, alone, drowning in silence.

Grabbing my hair in frustration, I felt as if my thoughts were collapsing in on themselves. I couldn’t figure out how he got the data—unless he had used some underhanded, possibly even technological means to steal it.

From that moment forward, everything changed.

No one respected me anymore. The staff no longer spoke politely. Even Mr. John, our project head, began to treat me coldly. If it weren’t for my father’s reputation and connections, I was certain he would have already removed me from the position of team leader.

But this time, I would not let it end the same way. I had been given a second life—for a reason.

And I wasn’t going to waste it.

“Luther’s reputation as an intelligent tech genius has spread across the industry. Tons of bigname CEOs are fighting to poach him.”

“Talented people shine no matter where they go—unlike certain individuals who just use family ties to get ahead.”

Their words stung like needles. I buried myself at work, thinking about intelligent robot development day and night. But no matter how hard I tried, my progress was always overshadowed by the spotlight cast on Luther. All my efforts ended up being ridiculed, dismissed as desperate attempts to keep up.

It didn’t stop with the R&D team. Luther’s "genius" status soon captured society’s attention. The media hailed him as the future of tech. Schools invited him to speak. Corporations sought his endorsement. Meanwhile, my family’s enemies seized the moment to stir up public opinion.

“You claim your son’s an expert in robotics? What a joke. He just leeches off others’ research.”

“Some people will do anything to make money. It's disgusting. The ones who truly work hard get nothing, while crooks walk away with all the credit.”

With public sentiment turning vicious, Luther strolled through his new fame like a seasoned celebrity, shaking hands with CEOs and giving speeches at universities as if he’d built this empire from scratch.

But after sleeping for a full day and night, an idea struck me like lightning.

Luther, let’s see how far your ‘genius’ really goes.

The next morning, I announced that our R&D project was officially entering the third stage. I rejected any external assistance once again and brought only Jason into the sealed laboratory.

For the first three days, Ji and I conducted our work normally—calculating formulas, running simulations, and performing demonstrations. Everything was tightly controlled and secured. Then, on the fourth day, I deliberately halted the real research. Instead, I wrote a completely fake dataset, one that followed the same logic but contained fabricated conclusions. Meanwhile, I memorized the real results and stored nothing on our systems.

When I finally opened the lab door with the decoy data in hand, Luther and several others were already waiting in the hallway, smiling as if they knew what was coming.

My colleagues quickly snatched the documents from my grasp and rushed to compare them with what Luther had apparently just produced. I crossed my arms, watching calmly. This time, I thought, he wouldn’t be able to explain away the discrepancies.

But then, their faces began to twist. Instead of looking suspiciously at Luther, they turned their eyes toward me with confusion and quiet disappointment.

That’s when Luther stepped forward with his trademark arrogance and glanced at my false report. He gave a theatrical sigh, then smirked.

“Team Leader Cole… are you kidding me with this data set?” he said mockingly. “I just finished writing the exact same thing a minute ago. But clearly, you didn’t have access to it—so you decided to make up nonsense just to keep up.”

He emphasized every word with deliberate cruelty.

“I didn’t expect you to fall this far. You can’t even produce a single useful result.”

I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. My mind reeled.

Those numbers—they matched the ones I had only thought through in my head. I never documented them. How could he possibly know?

I clenched my fists. Rage boiled over.

Grabbing him by the collar, I shouted, “Luther! What kind of trick are you playing? How do you know the data I only calculated in my head?”

Smack!

A sharp slap landed on my cheek.

It was Claire—my girlfriend.

Her eyes blazed with disgust. “Ethan, haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough? Why can’t you just admit you’re incompetent?”

“Stealing others’ work—don’t you feel even a shred of shame?”

I stared at her in disbelief. We had once shared dreams, discussed artificial intelligence late into the night, and talked about transforming the future together. She knew my methods. She knew I’d never stoop to plagiarism.

But still, she chose to stand beside Luther.

Her betrayal was absolute.

I looked around at the hostile faces, the judging eyes, the teammates whispering with contempt.

I felt ice crawl through my veins.

Everything was unraveling. Chaos swirled around me. The truth felt more distant than ever. I couldn’t see a way forward.

My chest ached. My mind clouded. But then—a sliver of clarity.

If I were going to survive this, I’d have to take a risk.

To live, I must die first.

I inhaled deeply, forcing the fury down, forcing my thoughts to sharpen.

It was time to outplay them all.

“Since I’m so unbearable to all of you, I’ll resign now and withdraw from the R&D team.”

My voice was calm, but my heart was already shattered. My family owns assets worth tens of millions—why should I waste my time competing with a group of shortsighted fools?

Ideals are important, yes. But my parents' lives are far more precious. I wanted to see how far Luther, the socalled genius, could take the project without me.

As soon as news of my resignation broke, my colleagues began to sneer.

“Now he’s running away after getting exposed. What happened to your pride, Team Leader Cole?”

“Must be nice to be rich—stealing others' work and leaving when things get tough.”

“Let’s recommend Junior Grant as the new team leader. He’s efficient, and we won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

“He’s been holding us back this whole time. If it weren’t for him, Luther would’ve completed the R&D already!”

They had made up their minds. To them, I was a fraud who clung to his position through wealth and deceit. No one considered the possibility that I was telling the truth. They humiliated me without remorse and couldn’t wait for me to disappear.

Even Claire, my girlfriend—someone who once dreamed with me of a shared future—didn’t defend me. Instead, she fanned the flames.

“Ethan, I’ve told you countless times to focus on real work and stop depending on others,” she said coldly. “But you just won’t listen.”

“Since you refuse to change and still have the nerve to act shameless, let’s break up. I, Claire, don’t need a fake boyfriend.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. Looking into her indifferent eyes, I realized the woman I once cherished was long gone.

“Alright. I agree,” I said without hesitation.

She looked stunned. After all, I had always loved her deeply. I had even argued with my parents on her behalf. I never understood why my parents disliked her. They used to say her eyes were too calculating, her features too sharp—not the kind of woman fit to be a wife.

But I dismissed them, thinking they were being snobbish. She came from an orphanage, and I assumed they just didn’t want someone with no background. To prove them wrong, I brought her into this research project, hoping to show them that she was capable, driven, and the right woman to stand by my side.

Now, I realized they had seen something I hadn’t.

Soon after, Mr. John, the project organizer and my relative, arrived and spoke with a sigh.

“Nephew, since things have turned out this way, maybe it’s better to step back and rest for a while. You can go home and refocus.”

I chuckled inwardly. He had once begged me to join this project, but now he questioned my ability and asked me to leave without a second thought.

Just as I was about to walk out, Luther grabbed my arm.

“Team Leader Cole! The project is at a critical stage—how can you walk away now?”

“I know you blame me for not listening to you, but we’re all working toward the same goal. Even if you lack technical strength, you can still help push the project forward.”

“You can stay on as my assistant. It’s still a valuable role, and it’ll benefit us both.”

I shook him off, disgusted. “Luther, heaven is watching. I truly hope your success doesn’t come with a price.”

With that, I walked away without looking back.

As I stepped out of the building, my phone rang. It was my father.

“Ethan, what’s going on? Mr. Warren just called, saying you resigned... and that you were accused of plagiarizing your teammates?”

I softened my tone and reassured him, “It’s just a misunderstanding, Dad. I’ll explain everything when I get home.”

When I arrived at our villa, my parents were already at the door, waiting anxiously. Their worried eyes met mine, and the memory of their tragic death in my previous life returned—crushed beneath wheels, their bodies beyond recognition.

My heart cracked. I couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears streamed down my face.

My mother pulled me into her arms gently.

“Enough, son,” she said with a pained smile. “We have money. You don’t need to fight them anymore. Let them figure it out themselves.”

Dad looked at me with a serious expression and said firmly,

“Talk to me, son. Anyone who dares to bully you shouldn’t think they’ll get away with it. At worst, we pull out the investment, and everyone goes their separate ways.”

With those words, I felt calmness settle over me. I wasn’t alone. My parents were with me—fully, unconditionally.

Once inside the living room, I laid out all the data I had compiled and began explaining everything that had happened recently. From repeated plagiarism to humiliation, to the feeling of being betrayed by those I trusted most.

When Dad heard the name "Boran" mentioned—the name of the R&D sponsor—his face darkened instantly.

“That scumbag dares to cry thief while stealing from you? Absolutely shameless,” he growled.

I sighed. “Dad, I’m certain no one ever saw the data. I developed everything myself. Yet somehow, Luther always manages to release the exact same information before I do.”

“He doesn’t even conduct research,” I continued bitterly. “He claims it’s all divine inspiration, that the results just come to him naturally, like some kind of genius.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed. His expression turned sharp and cold.

“If he’s really the one behind this, then we’ll get to the bottom of it. I don’t believe there's any way he’s pulling this off without help.”

Without wasting time, he called a wellknown national private investigation agency and hired them to investigate the incident thoroughly. If there were any digital breach, surveillance loophole, or human betrayal, they would uncover it.

My mother, who had been silent for a while, spoke with concern etched in every word.

“This situation clearly involves your girlfriend. That girl... she’s always been too clever for her own good. She’s never really been on your side,” she said, eyes full of disappointment.

“She probably realized she had no real chance of marrying into our family, so she teamed up with that worthless junior of hers to drag you down.”

She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your father and I will get justice for you. You should just rest for now.”

The moment she said it, everything clicked. Claire—she was the only one who had close access to my data in the lab. If anyone could quietly pass on my work to Luther, it had to be her. And now I know why.

This wasn’t just about recognition. It was about real stakes.

This R&D project was supported by the government. If successful, there would be a milliondollar prize, exclusive patent rights, and followup production contracts worth tens of millions. That kind of profit could sustain a business for decades.

That’s why I got involved in the first place.

Our family might be wealthy, but in Jiangcheng, we were only considered upper middle class. If I succeeded in leading this project, our company would rank among the top ten tech firms in the city.

As I watched my parents carefully discuss strategies and try their best to comfort me, a surge of warmth filled my chest. In this life, I swore I would protect them no matter what—and make sure they lived peacefully and healthily to a hundred.