Model to Holywood

"Resignation Letter"

That night, after sending the Li family back to their hotel, Chen Shijun returned to his apartment.

Sitting on the living room couch, he silently smoked half a pack of cigarettes, pondering for a long time. Eventually, he opened his computer and started typing out a resignation letter.

He was currently a network engineer at PayPal, the online payment company owned by eBay.

Because of his excellent performance during college, he was hired by eBay during his senior year to work on network maintenance.

Now, he had been with PayPal for two years and three months. The job was stable, the income substantial, and if he continued as is, establishing a life in the U.S. wouldn't be hard.

But after hearing Luca's idea today, his mind was blown. The idea was brilliant. More importantly, it gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, like he had thought of it before but somehow forgotten it. Yet, at the same time, he knew he had never had such an idea. This feeling was conflicted, as if he had forgotten something, but also clear, like someone had just awakened him.

In that moment, an unstoppable urge surged within him. He wanted to do this—he had to. If he didn't, he would regret it.

It was like a small boat drifting on the sea suddenly seeing a lighthouse. His life now had a purpose, and this website was something he had been searching for all along.

"If I've made my decision, I shouldn't regret it!"

Taking a deep breath, he continued typing.

Click—

The apartment door opened, and his roommate, Kan Mingming, walked in.

Kan Mingming was also from the island. He was studying music at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and often performed at bars in Chinatown. His dream was to become a professional musician.

"Resignation letter?"

Kan Mingming came over, bringing with him the strong smell of cigarettes and alcohol, along with his hoarse voice.

"Ajun, are you quitting?"

"Yeah, I'm quitting."

"Why are you quitting?"

". . ."

Chen Shijun wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to resign.

If someone had suggested this to him before, he would have shaken his head vigorously. If he had thought of quitting, he would have considered himself crazy, needing to calm down.

But after leaving McDonald's, the first thing that came to his mind was to resign, so he could quickly get the website up and running and manage it seriously.

He had no other thoughts.

"Ajun, say something! Your job is pretty good and stable. Why suddenly quit?"

"I think... I've found my purpose," Chen Shijun thought for a moment and said.

"Purpose? What purpose?"

His roommate was confused.

"I want to start a business!"

"Start a business?"

His roommate shook his head, thinking this was crazy. Leaning back on the couch with his feet on the table, beer in hand, he said, 

"Ajun, you're 25, right? You've been in the U.S. since middle school, your family's not well-off, and you struggled a lot during school. You've only just stabilized after two years of work. It hasn't been easy. Why quit now? To start a business? Do you know how hard it is to start a business?

"We're both from the island. We don't know anyone here. Starting a business isn't easy!"

"You're right," Chen Shijun took a drag of his cigarette. "I just want to take a chance while I'm still young."

"Take a chance?"

His roommate shook his head. "It's good to have that thought, but there's no need to quit. You could keep your job and start the business on the side. Even if you fail, you'll have a backup, right?"

". . ."

Chen Shijun adjusted his glasses. He had considered keeping his job and was confident he could balance both, but he thought, "Only by burning my boats and leaving no retreat can I succeed!"

"Burning your boats?"

His roommate laughed, smoking. "Ajun, I've known you for over six months, and you've always seemed pretty steady. What's gotten into you today? Weren't you out hanging with your fellow townspeople? How did you come back after a day and decide to quit? Did they say something to you?"

"No, my townsman is director Li An, you know him, right? He didn't say anything. I had advice from someone else."

"Li An? The one who directed *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*? Why didn't you tell me earlier? If I'd known, I would've tagged along! He's a big director! I wanted him to hear my music. Maybe he'd put it in his movie. Wouldn't that be cool?"

His roommate said excitedly.

"Alright, I'll take you along next time."

"Haha, thanks, Ajun. But you should really think about the resignation. It's not easy finding a job these days."

"I know!" Chen Shijun tapped the ash from his cigarette and continued writing his resignation letter.

His roommate shook his head, yawned, and staggered into the bedroom.

Ten minutes later, Chen Shijun finished the resignation letter, double-checked it, and sent it to the company's HR manager. He didn't want to leave room for second thoughts.

After completing the resignation letter, he started working on an initial business plan.

He had spent more than an hour at McDonald's earlier. At Luca's place, he had heard many innovative ideas, creative concepts, and new marketing strategies.

Those ideas were stunning—simple, yet no one had thought of them yet. They were highly inventive.

If the idea of a "short video website" had pushed him to quit, the subsequent conversation solidified his belief in partnering with Luca.

"Luca is a creative and visionary person."

That was Chen Shijun's thought at the time, and he still held to it.

Since he had decided to partner up, he needed to come up with a business plan, as well as sort out financial and logistical issues.

Thinking about the management and financial aspects of a company, he sighed, paused, and lit another cigarette.

He had always loved math and science, and after entering university, he studied computer science. He was good at technical issues, but when it came to company management and finances, he knew he wasn't as capable. Maybe he needed a few partners.

Who should he ask?

"Chad, got a minute? There's something I want to discuss with you."

Chen Shijun sent a message through MSN.

Chad Hurley was a college friend and now worked with him at PayPal. They had a good relationship. Chad had studied management and marketing in college and now worked in administration at PayPal. He would be a great partner.

"What's up?"

"I quit!"

"What?"

"I sent my resignation to Mr. Matt's inbox."

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm perfectly clear-headed!"

"Why?"

"I want to start a website, a really cool one. Want to hear my idea? We can talk over drinks."

"You're not trying to tempt me to quit with you, are you? Let me be clear, that's absolutely not happening."

"Of course not. Just come over. I've got good drinks here!"

"Alright, but I'm telling you, I'm definitely not quitting!"

(End of this chapter)