Chapter 410

She’d been plotting for weeks to rope Elizabeth Wilson and Xavier Gonzalez into starting a business with her. Her idea was to create an app similar to those short video platforms. After all, she’d been given a second shot at life, and she knew that, in the years to come, short video apps would take the world by storm. The most successful one would become a tech giant overnight, raking in profits by the billions.
It was April 3rd, 2017. Almost a year remained before any such short video app would hit the market. She still had time-a real chance to move first.
This time around, she was determined to plan ahead. Not just for herself, but for the daughter she hadn’t yet brought into the world.
She knew it was, in a sense, stealing someone else’s idea, but all she could do was apologize in secret. Survival came first.
Emily Blair knew that now and for years to come, the internet would be at the forefront of innovation, overflowing with opportunity and risk. If she could really pull this off, breaking out of her social class wouldn’t just be a wild fantasy anymore.
That’s why, ever since her rebirth, her goal had been crystal clear: carve a place for herself in the tech industry.
She’d already decided that, when it came time to fill out her college preferences, she’d pick Computer Science.
When she told Maxwell Perez she didn’t want to keep coming to school, it wasn’t really because of some non-existent grandmother who needed her care. Her grandmother had passed away when she was just a child, and Elizabeth’s grandmother was looked after by Elizabeth herself. Worst case, they could always hire a nurse—no one needed Emily’s help.
No, the real reason was simple: she wanted to use this free time to start her business.
Every minute counted on the road to entrepreneurship. The later she launched her short video platform, the greater the chance someone else would beat her to it.
Emily wasn’t about to let that happen, not even if the odds were slim.
Her plan was to juggle studying and working on the startup in these few months before college entrance exams, so she could get the app out as soon as possible.
When Elizabeth brought up Xavier, Emily’s mind immediately began working overtime.
Xavier Gonzalez was the real deal otherwise, he never would have impressed Elizabeth in her previous life enough to become a core member of her startup. Most of the software and games produced by Elizabeth’s tech company back then had Xavier’s fingerprints all over them. The most crucial parts of the code? Xavier and his team had written most of those, too.
In short, Xavier was not someone to underestimate.
Emily smiled, careful not to reveal too much. “Really? All he wants is fried skewers? No other payment?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Who knows? He said he’s already working at one of the big tech firms—well, sort of. He’s a contractor, not a full employee. No real salary or benefits, and he’s just scraping by here in the city. Besides, I don’t have any money to pay him. He said himself, all he wants is fried skewers.”
Emily, stingy as she sometimes was, still had a conscience. “How about this: I want to learn computer science, too. I’ll join you. I’ll pay him tuition, at market rate. How does that sound?”
Elizabeth’s eyes lit up. “You want to learn, too? Seriously?”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “What, is that so surprising?”
Elizabeth gave an awkward laugh. “Well, you know I’m not exactly a genius. I’m worried Xavier’s going to think I’m dumb. If you’re there with me, you can yell right back at him if he calls me an idiot. Or better yet, you can help me out if I get stuck.” Emily couldn’t help but laugh.
When they finally met Xavier Gonzalez at the coffee shop, Emily’s mind was already hard at work, calculating her next move.