Chapter 25

Xu Yanfeng was busy signing the contract, not even lifting his eyes.

Tang Yizhou said to himself: "It should have been like this long ago. What's good about that woman Xia Xi? Apart from her face being pleasant to look at, everything else about her is simply hard to describe. I've never understood how you could have been attracted to her and gotten together with her back then. There were so many girls chasing you at school, and she had the thickest skin. I suspect you gave in just because you got tired of her pestering you."

It was so noisy, as if five hundred ducks were quacking beside his ear; Xu Yanfeng frowned, swiftly signed his name on the contract, then lifted his head to look at the chattering man.

"Anything else?" Xu Yanfeng said coldly.

He was in a terrible mood, with no energy to deal with Tang Yizhou.

Tang Yizhou closed his mouth, made an "OK" gesture, and said, "I won't say more, alright?"

Xu Yanfeng closed the folder, set it aside, picked up another document, opened it, and began reading at a glance. A red scratch on his forehead was very noticeable, as if it had been made by fingernails.

Tang Yizhou couldn't hold back after less than two minutes of silence, and spoke again: "You still haven't told me how you got that wound on your face. Where did you go to carouse last night?" After saying that, he shook his head, dismissing his own thought: "You keep yourself pure, so you wouldn't go to those places. Could it be... with... Ling Yan?"

Xu Yanfeng: "Can you just shut up?"

"Is it wrong to be curious?" Tang Yizhou, who was in the know, clearly understood what was going on between Xu Yanfeng and Ling Yan. Compared with Xia Xi, he found Ling Yan very pleasing to the eye, and couldn't help speaking well of her: "Ling Yan is wonderful—she's just a bit spoiled, but in front of you she acts like an obedient little wife; you tell her to go east and she never goes west, you tell her to stand and she never sits, and she has none of the airs of a young lady from a wealthy family. To be honest, such a young lady of means has been following you for years; she's practically your girlfriend, and you ought to take another look at her."

"Are you never going to stop? If you like her that much, go after her."

"Hey, you..."

"If you have something to say, say it; if not, get lost, don't bother me." Xu Yanfeng was already irritated, and being disturbed like that made him even less inclined to give a pleasant face; he casually grabbed the pen holder on the desk and threw it.

Tang Yizhou jumped aside to dodge, barely avoiding being hit in the forehead, and cursed through gritted teeth: "Holy shit, you're serious?" He raised both hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, okay, I was wrong, I know you're busy, I won't bother you."

He said he was leaving and left, without a shred of reluctance.

After leaving the Xu Clan Group, Tang Yizhou sat in the car, thinking it over and still feeling something was off, so he asked in the WeChat group: "Does anyone know where Xu Er was carousing last night? I can't get a word out of him."

A second-generation scion in the group spoke up: "Young Master Xu? I saw him at Four Seasons Star Sea yesterday. What a guy—he was dead drunk, staggered a step when he went out, and bumped his face against the glass door; just looking at it hurts. I was busy entertaining clients at the time and didn't go over to greet him—is he alright?"

After listening to the voice message, Tang Yizhou wore that familiar frustrated expression, as if wishing he could forge iron into steel.

He had thought Xu Yanfeng had finally learned his lesson, no longer pining for Xia Xi, and that he had spent the night with a woman enjoying sensual pleasures—who would have thought the truth was actually like this?

There's no need to go ask Xu Yanfeng for confirmation; he got drunk at the club last night, and it was entirely because of Xia Xi.

Xia Xi is Xu Yanfeng's bane.

Tang Yizhou slapped the steering wheel; thinking of that woman Xia Xi made him furious—who knows what trick she pulled again to reduce Xu Yanfeng to this state?

Before, he felt he had no standing to interfere in Xu Yanfeng's private affairs, but this time he really couldn't stand it anymore; there was no need to cling to his principles—he was determined to give that woman a lesson.

Tang Yizhou looked out the car window as the evening sun spread its glow; pedestrians and vehicles filled the bustling street. He tapped the steering wheel repeatedly, and after a moment a plan formed in his mind.

Xia Xi likes to play around? Then find someone who plays even more to deal with her!

Tang Yizhou curled the corner of his mouth into an evil smile, humming a tune as he drove off.

Just wait and see—if she doesn't come crying for mercy, then I'm not a Tang.

That venomous-hearted woman doesn't deserve sympathy.

*After her interview, on the third day morning, Huang Shiyu went to the company to report for duty, completed the onboarding procedures, and it was already past ten o'clock. She knocked eagerly on Xia Xi's office door. "Come in."

After receiving permission, Huang Shiyu excitedly pushed the door open and walked in: "Senior! No, I should now call you Xia Gong. From today on, I am your assistant; assign me any work, I'm not afraid of hardship or fatigue."

Xia Xi saw her and was a little surprised, glancing at the calendar on the desk.

September 16, Friday.

According to the notice from the HR department, her assistant was supposed to start next Monday; why did she come early?

"Why not wait until after the weekend?" Xia Xi pushed aside the keyboard, stood up, and got her a bottle of pure water.

Huang Shiyu smiled, showing dimples on her cheeks—one deeper, one shallower: "I came early to get familiar with the work, so I won't be flustered. What can I do for you now?"

Xia Xi shrugged: "I'm pretty free right now, with no projects on hand; as my assistant, you also…"

Before she could finish speaking, someone knocked on the office door; Huang Shiyu set down the mineral water and went to open it.

The person outside was Jiang Tian, who unexpectedly bumped into a stranger in Xia Xi's office, froze for a moment, and said: "Um, I'm looking for Xia Gong."

"Hello, I'm Xia Gong's assistant, I'm Huang Shiyu. Xia Gong is inside, please come in." Huang Shiyu had already entered the role of assistant, taking charge of big and small matters; she stepped aside to let Jiang Tian in.

Jiang Tian held a document and got straight to the point: "Xia Gong, there's a project—do you want to take it? Manager Li wants to open a teahouse, found our company, and I recommended you to him. I originally wanted to ask you for your portfolio to show him your design style, but the other party said they'd already decided on you. Perhaps it's because our company designed that library in Yuanzhou, and he also wants an antique-style renovation. Of course, the contract hasn't been signed yet, so I need to ask for your opinion."

"A teahouse? Sure, no problem." Xia Xi took a sip of water, "Besides wanting an antique style, any other requirements?"

Jiang Tian smiled, handed her the folder: "I've communicated with his assistant and compiled some of Manager Li's personal ideas; take a look first. But the specific requirements might need you to discuss them directly with Manager Li himself."

Xia Xi flipped open the folder and gave it a quick glance; the requests weren't particularly demanding, well within what she could accept.

She had seen plenty of difficult clients; this level was nothing.

One shouldn't speak too confidently, for later in the negotiation the other side might come up with many new ideas; she had encountered such situations before.

Before signing the contract, this and that—everything is up to the designer; after signing and paying the deposit, they start nitpicking, wanting both American retro and Mediterranean styles. After explaining that the two styles are hard to blend, the other party will respond with "I'm the one who paid, you just need to provide good service."

Nothing is known until the very last moment.

"Manager Li is in the jade business, generous with his money; if we can close this deal, it'll be good for you and the company." Jiang Tian let Xia Xi in on a bit of what he knew.

Xia Xi hummed: "When does Manager Li have time? I'll go see him."

"I was just about to tell you this. Today is Friday, around six in the afternoon, Manager Li has about an hour of free time at Penglai Fandian; you can go talk to him." Jiang Tian took out a business card from his pocket, placed it on the desk, and said, "This is the contact information for Manager Li's assistant; call him when you get there."

So soon? He's free today? Xia Xi felt something was off.

Of course, as a designer, accommodating the client's schedule is quite normal, especially for those busy clients; opportunities to meet in person and chat a bit are rare.

To avoid asymmetrical information leading to a final design that doesn't match the client's ideal, communication should be as thorough as possible.

Since the other party is free today, let's do it today.

Xia Xi put away the business card: "I understand."

The second update is still at 8:30—after this, it'll probably be like this: first update at 8:00, second update at 8:30 oh (end of chapter)