The Disgraced Househusband Is a Tech Tycoon Chapter 1

When my wife finally hit a million dollar salary, she stood on the stage of an industry summit and projected my life onto the screen as her ultimate badge of shame.

She displayed photos of me wearing a stained apron over a frying pan and kneeling on the bathroom floor scrubbing the toilet. Above them were glaring, bold words:

"A Negative Asset Incapable of Growth!"

"A Stumbling Block to Progress!"

"An Obstacle That Must Be Eliminated on the Road to Success!"

In an instant, I became the laughingstock of the entire conference hall.

But what she didn't know was that I was once an algorithm prodigy in the tech world. I simply chose to hide my brilliance and return to the kitchen, all for her sake.

Now, I am done playing the devoted husband. I don't want this family anymore!

* * *

Victoria was delivering her "My Decade" keynote at the pinnacle of the industry forum. The presentation reached the "Gratitude" slide.

Remembering how she told me last night that she would specially thank me today, I secretly wondered if she would show a sweet photo of us together.

Instead, the first photo appeared.

It was a picture of me wearing an apron, frying fish. Grease splatters stained the fabric, making me look utterly pathetic and unkempt.

A wave of snickers rippled from the back rows.

Immediately, the second photo popped up.

It was a shot of my back as I knelt on one knee, scrubbing the toilet bowl. The angle was viciously chosen, making me look incredibly subservient, like a servant worshipping a porcelain throne.

Laughter erupted across the entire hall.

And I was sitting right there in the audience, attending as the invited "family representative".

The camera panned over my instantly ashen face. I could clearly hear the whispers of the executives sitting next to me.

"Is that Victoria's deadbeat husband?"

"No wonder she's so successful. She dumped the baggage and traveled light."

"You have to feel for her, dragging a leech like that around while climbing to the top."

Their voices were loud, deliberately floating into my ears.

I froze in my seat, feeling every gaze in the room burning into my face like a spotlight.

On stage, Victoria was radiant and full of arrogant confidence, her voice rising and falling with perfect cadence.

"During our upward climb in the corporate world, we must learn the art of subtraction. We must immediately identify and purge the burdens that drag down our momentum..."

She spent ten agonizing minutes deconstructing my cooking, cleaning, and childcare into corporate case studies.

Sunk costs. Opportunity costs. Negative return on assets.

Every single corporate buzzword felt like a jagged knife plunging repeatedly into my heart.

When her speech ended, the applause was thunderous. Victoria smiled and bowed on stage. Bathed in the spotlight, she practically glowed.

Meanwhile, I hunched my shoulders and walked out of the venue, step by agonizing step.

Back home, I sat on the living room sofa. I didn't turn on the lights. I just stared blindly at the dark silhouettes of our furniture.

From our wedding day to now, five full years had passed.

Victoria said she wanted to sprint toward her career goals. I said okay, I will manage the home.

She said she hated doing chores. I said okay, I will do them.

She said having a baby would derail her professional timeline. I said okay, I will raise Sophie myself.

I thought this was mutual support. I thought this was a partnership. I thought this was what a family was supposed to look like.

It wasn't until today that I finally understood. In her eyes, I was nothing but dead weight. A "negative asset" dragging her down.

The sound of the front door unlocking broke the silence. Victoria stumbled inside.

She smelled of expensive wine, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes still sparkled with the adrenaline of her success.

Flicking on the lights, she frowned the moment she saw me.

"Nolan, why are you just sitting there staring into space? Don't you know I need a glass of honey water to sober up?"

I didn't move an inch. I just stared at her.

"Victoria, what exactly am I to you?"

She pushed past me with an impatient sigh. "Nolan, what is wrong with you now?"

"That presentation today. Those photos. Those words." I demanded, emphasizing every single syllable. "In your heart, I am nothing but a burden to you, aren't I?"

Victoria turned and leaned against the hallway wall, crossing her arms.

I knew that posture intimately. It was the exact stance she took at the negotiation table when dealing with a difficult opponent.

"Nolan, today is the biggest day of my career. I am not going to argue with you. Those were just case studies for theatrical effect."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Case studies? You used pictures of your husband scrubbing a toilet for theatrical effect?"

"Then what did you expect me to do?!" Victoria raised her voice, her tone sharp. "Put up a sweet selfie of us? And tell a room full of titans that I succeeded because I have a nice stay-at-home husband? Who would buy that garbage?"

She walked closer, the smell of alcohol hitting my face. "Nolan, today is the absolute highlight of my professional life. Can you please not ruin my mood?"

I looked at her, suddenly feeling like I was staring at a total stranger.

This woman, who had shared my bed for five years... I realized I never truly knew her.

"So, to you, I am just a negative asset that needs to be purged from your road to success. Is that right?"

Victoria fell silent for a few seconds.

"So what if you are? What does it matter? Nolan, grow up, will you?"

She turned on her heel and walked toward the master bedroom. "I am exhausted. I have a major meeting with investors tomorrow."

The bedroom door clicked shut.

I stood up and walked into my dusty study.

At the very bottom of the bookshelf sat a cardboard box covered in years of dust.

I pulled it out and opened it. Inside were relics of a past life. College programming competition gold medals, yellowed team photos, and an old, bulky black smartphone.

Plugging in the charging cable, the screen flickered to life. A text message from five years ago popped up on the display.

"Nolan, are you seriously not going to consider coming with us? Name your price. Anything."

Sender: Felix. The current billionaire founder of the tech empire, Abyss Innovations.