Chapter 285

Xia Xi walked up to the woman, smiling and extending her hand: "Hello, I'm Xia Xi. Manager Tan said you liked my design style; I'm truly honored. May I ask how to address you?"

Just as Huang Shiyu described, this lady was dripping in jewels, wearing an off-white Chanel-style suit with a thin overcoat, her light chestnut curls half-pinned on one side with a strand left hanging in front, pearls or jade adorning her ears, neck, and wrists. Her skin was fair, her makeup heavy but not overdone, making her actual age hard to tell.

Approaching her, a warm fragrance wafted over.

Just call me Li Tai.

Li Tai sized up Xia Xi, lightly shaking her hand before letting go.

Xia Xi felt her gaze was a bit odd and asked, "Do you know me?"

"Oh, no." Li Tai lowered her eyes, took a sip of coffee, and said offhand, "I'm just surprised—I didn't expect the designer to be so young and pretty when I looked at your portfolio."

Xia Xi sat down and politely smiled: "You flatter me."

Li Tai studied her a while longer, not mentioning the manor, but asked a personal question: "Designer Xia, are you married?"

"Huh?" Xia Xi was somewhat caught off guard.

Li Tai: "Sorry for being forward, I was just asking casually."

Xia Xi thought the question wasn't a big deal and answered truthfully: "Not yet."

"Is that so." Li Tai drew out the word, set her coffee cup on the table, propped her chin, and idly flipped through the few portfolios on the table with her other hand.

Xia Xi couldn't fathom the wealthy lady's thoughts, so she asked according to her own mind: "I don't know if your private manor is purely for your own residence or if it has other uses."

Li Tai wasn't very interested, answering slowly: "My husband is an artist; he's made many domestic and foreign friends in the same circle, and they gather every so often. Also, his paintings need a space for exhibition."

Xia Xi understood: it's a combination of residence and art exhibition, also needing to meet the standard for entertaining guests.

It's not just simple home decoration; it's somewhat complex.

The phone on the table chimed; Xia Xi glanced at it, saw it wasn't important, and temporarily ignored it.

On the other hand, Li Tai lifted her eyelids slightly, caught sight of Xia Xi's lock-screen wallpaper—a selfie of her hugging two children. Li Tai didn't think it rude to look at someone's phone, pointed at the screen, and asked: "Are these two kids your younger siblings?"

Xia Xi: "?"

All you ask are irrelevant questions.

"The customer is god." Xia Xi murmured that to herself, then smiled and said: "No, I'm the mother of two children."

Li Tai raised her eyebrows, barely concealing surprise: "You're so young and already have two such big kids? I really can't tell. Uh, wait—you just said you weren't married, didn't you?"

Xia Xi couldn't conveniently explain the reason, just gave a faint smile.

Li Tai also realized her questions were overly private, possibly touching a sore spot, so she didn't pursue further: "Sorry, I asked too much. Let's talk about the manor's renovation."

Xia Xi secretly exhaled, finally getting to the point.

Li Tai's interest was noticeably higher than before, and she listed her requirements one by one.

Xia Xi listened, silently noting them down.

Li Tai pondered, emphasizing: "I prefer a wood tone, after all it's a long-term residence, personal taste matters, but my husband—he loves marble, wants everything marble, which I really dislike."

Xia Xi nodded.

Li Tai furrowed her brows and sighed: "I can't go against him, nor do I want to compromise; is there a way to blend the two styles so that both our tastes are satisfied without looking jarring?"

Xia Xi didn't try to sweet‑talk her, speaking plainly: "You're asking me now, I don't have a good design idea yet; I can only promise that if I ultimately take this project, I'll do my best to meet your requirements."

Li Tai was taken aback, then broke into a smile: "I just like Designer Xia's sincerity. I've decided—I'll hire you."

Xia Xi had originally hesitated, worried she couldn't spare the energy for another semi‑construction project, but seeing the client's such trust in her, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Li Tai kept her word, signing the contract on the spot.

Seeing Li Tai off, Tan Zhi Cheng felt refreshed and gave Xia Xi a thumbs‑up.

But Xia Xi couldn't really smile; thinking about having to get even busier gave her a headache.

Although she's under thirty, she can feel her energy isn't what it was in her early twenties; the most direct sign is that after pulling an all‑night, waking up the next day leaves her feeling like a wreck.

Yu Xiaoxiao delivered the printed drawings to Gao Ge's office.

"Anything else?" Gao Ge, whose project was wrapping up, had been idle these two days; seeing the assistant standing there unmoving, she raised an eyebrow and asked again.

Yu Xiaoxiao let out a long sigh, her voice tinged with a hint of jealousy: "No wonder Xia Xi doesn't blink at carrying a bag worth hundreds of thousands—just the Xu Clan's Jingyu Yuan project, whose design fee was sky‑high, made her famous in the industry. This project hasn't even reached one‑third completion, yet she's taken on another, to renovate a private manor over a thousand square meters. I just heard them discussing it in the pantry."

The more she spoke, the harder Yu Xiaoxiao could hide her envy, and she couldn't help but snark: "The Jingyu Yuan project was supposed to be handled by a team, but she ended up taking it all on herself."

Gao Ge shook her head, gave a light laugh, and realized this girl was feeling unbalanced inside.

She reasoned: "You also said, 'Originally a team was responsible.' The fact is, the winning design scheme in the competition was Xia Xi's alone. Her design style is unique, her concept profound—others find it hard to join in, so only she can complete it. Her workload is huge, she doesn't complain of hardship or fatigue, yet you begrudge her doing too much."

She used to be biased against Xia Xi, thinking she had no real ability and just got parachuted in via connections, which was unfair to others who worked hard. She even specially searched Xia Xi's works online, found nothing noteworthy, and thus became more convinced that Xia Xi was just a pretty vase.

After the competition, she finally saw Xia Xi's true ability—standing out among so many big and small design firms by herself alone was enough to prove she is excellent.

Toward Xia Xi, she is genuinely convinced.

Once, while eating together, she asked Xia Xi about her works; Xia Xi said she often changes her signature, so it's normal not to find her online.

Gao Ge didn't quite understand her approach; as a designer, one wants fame in the industry, yet she keeps changing her name—how can she accumulate reputation?

Xia Xi just smiled back then, without elaborating much.

Gao Ge reminded Yu Xiaoxiao: "Don't forget, Xia Xi is one of the company's partners, though outwardly the manager is Lu Zong." This is no longer a secret in the company; everyone knows.

"I'm not doing this because I'm resentful toward you, Engineer Gao?" Yu Xiaoxiao's face flushed a bit, speaking with a hint of grudge: "Isn't Xia Xi's having the Jingyu Yuan project enough? The private manor's interior design could be given to someone else—for example… you."

Gao Ge: "Perhaps the client specifically requested her design."

"She could say she has no time and then recommend another designer." Yu Xiaoxiao curled the corner of her mouth, "At bottom, she's just too competitive. The Jingyu Yuan project is so important—how could she divide her attention?"

Gao Ge sternly corrected her: "You can't think that way."

"I know, I'm just…" Yu Xiaoxiao didn't know how to describe her mood, paused, her expression awkward, "a little resentful."

"All right, if there's nothing else, go get back to work." Gao Ge waved her hand.

Yu Xiaoxiao left the office and happened to run into Huang Shiyu humming a tune on the way to the washroom. Xia Xi was full of vigor, and even her assistant Huang Shiyu got a swagger, even though she had joined the company much later than Xia Xi.

Yu Xiaoxiao exhaled irritably, eyes downcast, still thinking about Li Tai's private manor project.

Having signed the contract, if Xia Xi can't produce a draft anytime soon, that shows there are still variables.