Chapter164 Internal Referral Invitation
The next day, at the company office.
Miranda was focused on the data in the project spreadsheet.
Her phone suddenly buzzed on the desk, the screen flashing with "Castillo's" name.
Miranda pressed the answer button, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder while her eyes remained on the report. "Hello? It's unusual for you to call at this time."
"I have something important to tell you."
On the other end, Castillo's voice carried a hint of excitement. "Open your email right now. I just sent you something."
Miranda put down her pen and stretched her stiff neck, then clicked open her email. "What's so mysterious?"
"Just look."
She clicked the mouse, and a new email popped up.
The attachment's title was in bold: "Global New Energy Technology Innovation Competition Internal Referral Quota and Competition Details."
Miranda's fingers on the mouse paused slightly, her eyes instantly focusing.
"This is...?"
"You see it, right?" Castillo laughed proudly on the other end. "This competition is very prestigious, the industry's top 'Future Energy Cup.' Only companies with internal referral qualifications can participate. The project you're working on matches this competition's theme perfectly."
Miranda's heart skipped a beat.
This was the Oscars of the new energy field. Winning an award would not only bring massive research and development funding, but more importantly, the company's reputation would skyrocket overnight. For a startup like theirs, this was undoubtedly the best springboard.
But...
"This requires an internal referral. I'm afraid I won't be able to participate." Miranda's voice carried a hint of regret.
These competitions rarely released public information until after they ended, so small and medium companies usually missed the deadline by the time they found out.
Castillo clicked her tongue. "I wouldn't have sent it to you if I hadn't already taken care of it. I've had the invitation letter couriered to you. It should arrive soon."
Knock knock!
The office door was knocked.
Lisa pushed the door open, holding a black express envelope, looking rushed. "Miranda, the front desk just signed for this urgent delivery. They said you must open it personally."
Miranda and Castillo fell silent for a moment, as if making eye contact through the phone.
"It arrived?" Castillo asked.
"It arrived."
Miranda hung up and took the envelope from Lisa.
Her fingertips broke the wax seal, and a gold-embossed black invitation card slid into her palm.
The texture was substantial, the edges sharp.
It read: "We cordially invite Ms. Miranda and your team to participate in this year's Future Energy Cup competition."
At the bottom was the organizer's personal signature and a bright red official seal.
Miranda picked up her phone again, her voice softening. "Castillo, thank you."
Those words were light, yet carried so much weight.
"Why be formal with me?" Castillo said casually on the other end. "I only found out about this competition by chance when I saw it in my brother's study. When your company goes public later, you better remember to take me around the world."
Miranda couldn't help but laugh softly, her fatigue easing considerably. "Alright, definitely. I'll buy you tickets wherever you want to go."
After hanging up, Miranda's smile faded as she quickly returned to work mode.
She opened the invitation and her eyes fell on the deadline.
"Three days?"
Lisa, standing nearby, was startled by her words. "Miranda, what three days?"
"There are only three days left until the competition registration deadline and preliminary review." Miranda handed the invitation to Lisa, speaking rapidly. "This competition uses an internal referral system with no public registration available online, so we haven't prepared anything."
Lisa took it and looked, her expression turning serious. "Three days to organize all our project data from start to finish and create a demonstration model that meets competition standards... That's an enormous workload."
"We have to do it anyway."
When an opportunity comes, there's no reason not to seize it.
Miranda stood up, her eyes shining with determination. "This is our only chance to overtake the competition. Lisa, notify everyone on the project team. Meeting room in thirty minutes."
"Yes!" Infected by her energy, Lisa immediately turned and hurried out.
Thirty minutes later, in the meeting room.
The projector's beam illuminated the whiteboard, covering it with dense data and charts like a spider's web.
The atmosphere among the project team was tense.
"I don't need to explain what this competition means for our company."
Miranda leaned on the conference table with both hands, her gaze sweeping across everyone present. "If we can win a ranking, we'll establish a solid foothold in the industry. I know time is tight, just three days. We'll probably all need to work overtime."
The room fell silent, but everyone's eyes burned with fire.
"For this competition, besides Lisa and myself, we need three more people." Miranda looked at Lisa on her left. "Pick two technical experts and bring someone responsible for data analysis."
"No problem." Lisa pushed up her glasses.
"I'll have to trouble everyone during this period. Triple salary." Miranda was straightforward. "If the project makes it to the finals, everyone gets double bonuses."
The meeting lasted over an hour.
After finalizing all details and clarifying the division of labor, the entire office area seemed to go into fast-forward mode.
For the next three days, the office building's lights barely went out.
Takeout boxes piled up like mountains, the coffee machine ran almost non-stop.
Miranda practically moved into the office, napping on the sofa when exhausted, then immediately returning to monitor the data models when she woke. She didn't even have time to return to Prescott Manor.
Finally, on the afternoon before the competition.
"Done!"
A project team member with huge dark circles under their eyes pressed the enter key and jumped up from their chair excitedly. "Data verification passed! Demonstration model rendering complete! Upload successful!"
A green checkmark appeared on the screen: "Registration successful, materials submitted."
"Phew..."
Miranda looked at that green icon and relaxed considerably, leaning back in her chair.
The prolonged intense mental work made her temples throb, but the weight on her heart had finally lifted.
She turned her chair around, looking at the employees sprawled across the office area, and showed a genuine smile.
"Everyone worked hard."
Miranda clapped her hands, her voice hoarse but penetrating. "Everyone gets tomorrow off. Go home and get a good sleep. Finance will calculate the overtime pay at triple rate and deposit it in your accounts immediately."
"Finally, I can go home and sleep! I'm going to sleep for days!"
Cheers erupted instantly.
Miranda packed up and drove back to the Lancaster estate.
It was closer to the competition venue, and she needed to rest well. Nearly all the participants tomorrow would be major corporations, and she had to face them at her best.