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Wu Kezhi's stern refusal, Lin Yuming's rational persuasion, and Su Ning's patient analysis all failed to change Sun Yiqiu's mind.

On the contrary, he felt even more stifled.

In his view, although compiling reports was tedious, it was a "serious job" that all the interns were doing.

If others can do it, why can't he? This is clearly discrimination.

“There’s nothing wrong with sticking to your own opinion,” Sun Yiqiu told himself. “It’s shameful to give up halfway.”

As soon as lunch break ended, Sun Yiqiu sidled up next to Lin Yuming's workstation again.

"Manager Lin, could you send me a copy of the information for the Somersault Cloud project?" His voice was very low, even pleading. "I just want to take a look, I won't cause any trouble. I promise it won't interfere with my work, and I'll try to do some analysis on my own after get off work."

Lin Yuming was staring at the financial model on the screen without looking up: "Xiao Sun, didn't I tell you? Your foundation isn't solid right now, so it's pointless for you to look at it. Besides, this project is on a tight schedule, and Su Ning and I are already working like crazy. Don't make things worse."

"I won't cause trouble, I just want to learn." Sun Yiqiu refused to leave and just stood there. "Manager Lin, please. I just want to try, what if I can help? Even just organizing the data would be helpful."

Lin Yuming was so bothered by him that he couldn't do anything about it, and with so much to do, he just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Feeling a bit annoyed, he scratched his head and said, "Fine, fine, I'll send you the shared folder link later. But Sun Yiqiu, listen to me carefully..."

Lin Yuming turned around, his expression serious, and warned, "First, do not divulge this information. Second, do not use this information in any official documents. Third, and most importantly, absolutely do not let President Wu know! Understand?"

"Understood! Thank you, Manager Lin!" Sun Yiqiu's eyes lit up instantly, and he repeatedly assured him.

Sun Yiqiu was overjoyed to have obtained the information.

But when I opened it, I was dumbfounded. The screen was full of technical jargon, complex financial data, and business model diagrams that I couldn't understand.

He didn't even understand what "unit economic benefits" meant.

Just as I was worrying, my phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Zeng Hao from Group Two.

"Sun Yiqiu, I heard you want to give a report? Our group just finished one round. I have a compiled list of industry terms and common analysis framework templates here. Would you like to take a look?"

Sun Yiqiu was overjoyed: "That's great! Thank you, Brother Hao!"

The file arrived quickly.

The glossary is densely packed with terms, ranging from "ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue)" to "Cohort Analysis," totaling several hundred entries.

The templates are even more detailed, specifying even the font, line spacing, and color scheme for reports and charts.

Zeng Hao sent another message: "It's normal to not understand at the beginning. We also followed the template step by step, looked up information, asked people, and slowly figured it out. If you encounter a particularly difficult part and really can't figure it out, you can ask me, and I'll take a look for you."

Sun Yiqiu was touched by this kindness, but he immediately replied, "No need! Brother Hao, I'll try it myself first. I can't keep troubling you."

"Don't mention it. By the way," Zeng Hao added, "you'd better find a reference and see what other people's reports look like. Templates alone aren't enough; you need examples to know how to fill in the content. Our group has a pretty good energy industry analysis report; would you like to refer to it?"

"Yes! Thank you so much!"

New documents have arrived.

Sun Yiqiu began studying the material with great eagerness, completely ignoring Wu Kezhi's warnings, Lin Yuming's instructions, and Su Ning's advice.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: he also had to produce a decent report to prove that he was not just a useless person who could only do menial tasks.

Then, following the template and examples, he began to clumsily build his own report framework.

If you don't understand a term, look it up in the list Zeng Hao provided. If you can't find the data, search for it online. If you really can't understand a concept, just write it down in a similar way.

Sun Yiqiu was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice that it was past his shift's end time.

On the other side of the office, Suning had a complete view of everything.

However, he didn't try to dissuade him further; he simply calmly shut down the computer and packed his things.

As he passed Sun Yiqiu's workstation, he paused for a moment and saw the rough draft of a report on Sun Yiqiu's screen, which had just begun but already looked awkwardly pieced together.

Su Ning shook his head almost imperceptibly, a trace of emotion passing through his mind.

He originally thought that by intervening early and pointing out the key issues, he could help this stubborn young man avoid some detours.

But now it seems that some detours were inevitable, and some stumbles were unavoidable.

Sun Yiqiu has his own ideas and principles. This "never give up" spirit may be part of his personality and a kind of nourishment for his future growth.

The appearance of someone who has been through it all might change some details of events, but it seems impossible to easily reverse a person's established mindset and choices.

Realizing this, Su Ning felt relieved and a sense of detached peace arose within him.

He no longer agonized over whether to force Sun Yiqiu to change his behavior, just as he wouldn't try to change Wu Kezhi's stubbornness or Lin Yuming's easygoing nature.

Everyone has their own path and their own cause and effect.

I only need to observe from the sidelines, perhaps offering some guidance at crucial moments, but I will never force anyone to do anything.

After taking one last look at Sun Yiqiu, who was still engrossed in his work and completely unaware of the impending predicament, Su Ning turned and left the office.

Night had fallen, and the city lights gradually came on.

Sun Yiqiu rubbed his sore eyes and looked at the increasing number of words in the document, feeling a sense of fulfillment.

He felt he was doing something "real," something that would allow him to catch up with the other interns and prove his worth.

However, he had no idea what kind of trouble this unfounded and hasty report would bring him, or what profound lesson it would teach him.

……

After staying up for several nights in a row, Sun Yiqiu's eyes were bloodshot, but he was unusually excited.

I carefully put the printed report into a folder, with the title neatly printed on the cover: "Preliminary Analysis of the Shared Electric Bike Industry and Opportunity Outlook for the Jindouyun Project".

He took a deep breath and walked to Lin Yuming's workstation.

"Manager Lin, I... I tried to prepare an analysis report on the industry that Jinduoyun operates in. Could you... could you take a look at it for me?" Sun Yiqiu's voice was a little dry from nervousness as he handed over the folder with both hands.

Lin Yuming was engrossed in a pile of meeting minutes when he heard this and looked up in surprise.

He took the folder and casually flipped through it.

The first few pages contain a standard industry overview, market size, and competitive landscape analysis. The layout is neat, and the charts are clear. At least at first glance, it looks quite professional.

"Wow, not bad, Xiao Sun." Lin Yuming quickly browsed through it, his tone filled with surprise and encouragement. "The framework is quite well-organized, and the data charts look decent. At least the presentation is much better than I expected. It seems you've put in a lot of effort these past few days."

Sun Yiqiu felt a sense of relief, and a smile of relief appeared on his face. He quickly said, "Thank you for your recognition, Manager Lin! I... I researched a lot of information and also referred to some templates."

"Hmm, your attitude is commendable." Lin Yuming closed the report, patted the folder, and said, "Alright, I'll keep the report for now and take a closer look when I have time. You can go ahead and get busy." "Yes, Manager Lin!" Sun Yiqiu practically skipped away.

Back at his workstation, he immediately sent Zeng Hao a WeChat message, his tone full of gratitude: "Brother Hao, thank you so much! I've finished the first draft of my report, and Brother Ming said it looks pretty good! All thanks to your template and examples!"

Zeng Hao quickly replied with a smiley face: "Don't mention it, I'm glad I could help. It's not easy being an intern, let's lend a hand to each other."

Immediately after, Zeng Hao sent another message, his tone becoming more casual: "By the way, Yi Qiu, there's a small matter. I don't have many connections at Jin Chen Capital, and I hardly know any of the middle or senior management. If you can speak with any of them, could you introduce me? Of course, it's not a big deal, I just think you're a genuine person, so I'm hoping you can put in a good word for me."

As Sun Yiqiu looked at the words on the screen, the smile on his face gradually froze.

He held his phone, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, unsure how to reply.

He never expected that his act of helping would so quickly lead to such a request for favors.

He felt somewhat embarrassed and vaguely uncomfortable.

But considering that Zeng Hao had indeed helped him a lot, he still gritted his teeth and typed back, "Brother Hao, thank you for your help before. I will definitely do my best to help in any way I can."

After giving an ambiguous reply, Sun Yiqiu felt a heavy weight in his heart.

On the other side, Lin Yuming, holding Sun Yiqiu's report, walked into Wu Kezhi's desk.

"Boss, take a look at this." Lin Yuming placed the folder on Wu Kezhi's desk. "It's a preliminary analysis of the shared electric bike industry. I think the framework and basic data are organized quite well."

Wu Kezhi looked up from a pile of documents, took the report, and quickly began to read it.

His gaze swept over the neat charts and seemingly professional analytical paragraphs, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, the formatting is standard, and all the necessary sections are there." Wu Kezhi nodded, his tone flat. "The data sources are also clearly labeled. Who did it? A new intern? What's their name? Did Suning do it?"

He didn't ask if it was Sun Yiqiu, subconsciously assuming it might be some newcomer with some experience, or perhaps someone seconded from another group.

Lin Yuming paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "It wasn't Su Ning! It was done by another intern."

"Oh? Not bad! Our fourth group is short-staffed. I think this guy is good. We can give him a chance."

"Okay! Boss, I got it."

……

The atmosphere in the office was relatively peaceful in the afternoon.

Lin Yuming was preparing materials for the Jindouyun project meeting, Su Ning was replying to emails, and Sun Yiqiu was excited because the report had received initial approval. He was secretly searching online for more industry data to refine the report.

Wu Kezhi returned from outside and went straight to his desk.

As he passed Sun Yiqiu's workstation, he glanced at the open computer screen and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

On the screen, besides the webpage that Sun Yiqiu was browsing, there were several very familiar document windows open in the corners.

One was an analysis report template file sent by Zeng Hao, clearly marked with other group identifiers; another was a complete report PDF labeled "Energy Group - Reference Sample"; and the third was an even more glaring "Shared Electric Vehicle Industry Analysis Report".

Wu Kezhi's face darkened visibly. It turned out that the intern Lin Yuming was talking about was actually Sun Yiqiu.

Instead of reacting immediately, he reached out, grabbed Sun Yiqiu's mouse, opened the files, and quickly scrolled through them.

Sun Yiqiu was startled and hurriedly stood up: "Mr. Wu... Mr. Wu?"

The others in the office were also drawn to the sudden silence and the oppressive atmosphere emanating from Wu Kezhi.

Wu Kezhi ignored Sun Yiqiu, his gaze fixed on the familiar paragraph structures, chart styles, and even the way certain terms were expressed on the screen.

The atmosphere in Group Four quickly turned cold, and everyone noticed Wu Kezhi's anger.

Then, Wu Kezhi suddenly turned around, looking at Sun Yiqiu with a fierce expression, "What is this?"

"Did you 'create' this report by looking at these templates and other people's reports?"

Sun Yiqiu's face turned deathly pale instantly. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, and could only nod frantically.

"So, how much of that seemingly 'probable' data, analysis, and conclusions were actually understood, researched, and derived by yourself? How much was simply copied and pasted?" Wu Kezhi's voice gradually rose, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet office.

Seeing this, Lin Yuming tried to smooth things over: "Boss, Xiao Sun just wants to learn, it's understandable at the beginning..."

“Study?” Wu Kezhi interrupted him sharply. “Lin Yuming, didn’t I tell you that he wasn’t allowed to participate in this project? Didn’t I say that what he needs most right now is to build a solid foundation?”

"I……"

"Now, send this garbage to the shredder and shred it."

“No… Mr. Wu!” Sun Yiqiu instinctively wanted to refuse. “You… you just said it was well done… why are you saying it’s worthless now and want to smash it?”

“When I said it ‘looks’ alright, I meant its appearance! Its format!” Wu Kezhi turned around to face the entire office area. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s hollow at the core and lacks independent thinking! Sun Yiqiu, tell me, how did you arrive at the conclusions of the policy risk analysis on page three of the report? What are the core variables of the market size prediction model on page five? What is the basis for them?”

Sun Yiqiu was speechless when asked those questions. He had indeed pieced together those parts by referring to template sentences and combining them with scattered opinions found online, but he had not really understood the underlying logic.

"You can't answer that, can you?" Wu Kezhi pressed on, "Because you're basically just copying and making things up! You think putting a nice shell on it and stuffing in some cobbled-together stuff makes it a qualified analysis report?"

He walked up to Sun Yiqiu, his gaze piercing: "Do you know the difference between you and others? Gao Sicong and Lan Qianyi have solid professional foundations. When they look at templates, they are learning the framework and standards. They have the ability to fill in the gaps with their own digested and understood knowledge! What about you? You can't even explain the most basic 'unit economic benefit' in the industry. You don't even understand how to calculate 'customer acquisition cost' and 'customer lifetime value'! You're like someone who can't read yet, trying to copy the characters in someone else's article. You think you're writing, but you don't even know what you're drawing!"

These words were extremely sharp, mercilessly tearing away the glamorous facade of Sun Yiqiu's report and exposing its pale and powerless essence.

Sun Yiqiu trembled all over from the scolding, tears welling up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"You feel wronged? You feel like I'm targeting you? Let me tell you, I'm angry not because you did a bad job, but because your starting point for doing this was wrong! Did you really write this report to understand the industry, to provide even the slightest bit of valuable reference for the project?"

"No, you're not. The entire report you wrote was just to prove yourself, to prove that you, Sun Yiqiu, aren't useless, to prove that you can produce 'decent' work like everyone else! You treated it as a stepping stone, an award to show off to others! You placed your pitiful personal pride and desire to prove yourself above the rigor and professionalism of your work! That's what disappoints me the most!"

"The workplace is not a place for you to practice vanity and self-satisfaction! Investing is not child's play! A report based on plagiarism and conjecture, no matter how impressive it looks, may mislead judgment and cause real losses! You can put together a report today to prove yourself, but tomorrow can you hide project risks to save face?"

Wu Kezhi's questioning was like hail, leaving Sun Yiqiu completely devastated.

The office was completely silent, save for Lin Yuming's helpless sigh.

Sun Yiqiu bit his lower lip hard, his nails digging deep into his palm.

Wu Kezhi's words were like a blunt knife, cutting through his self-deception born of eagerness for quick success, revealing his restless, vain, and shallow self.

“Delete all the unnecessary data from your computer. Then, go back to your seat.” Wu Kezhi’s voice returned to calm. “Continue memorizing your dictionary and learning the basics. Only come back to ask for help when you truly understand what ‘unit economic benefits’ are.”

After saying that, he stopped looking at Sun Yiqiu and turned to walk to his desk.

Sun Yiqiu was left alone, facing a room full of complicated gazes. For the first time, he clearly felt the weight of the cruelty of the workplace and the real price that must be paid for growth.

...(End of chapter)