Chapter 288: She said she didn't want to use you

Li Tai pulled her gaze back from where it had drifted, settling it on Yu Xiaoxiao's face; several seconds passed without her speaking.

Yu Xiaoxiao was dealing with a wealthy lady like this for the first time; even though the other said nothing, she naturally had an overbearing aura, making Yu Xiaoxiao inevitably nervous, her heart beating especially fast.

The elevator doors opened just then; Li Tai saw that this person had hailed her but said nothing, and immediately lost any desire to pry further—her time was precious, no need to waste it on an unimportant person—so she stepped into the elevator.

Yu Xiaoxiao's heart tightened, and she hurriedly followed inside.

Fortunately, the elevator was empty, making conversation easy.

"Madam Li, did you come today to see Xia Gong about the design drawings?" Yu Xiaoxiao said with a smile, her voice extremely gentle.

Li Tai didn't understand this person's motive and couldn't be bothered to speak.

After being ignored several times, Yu Xiaoxiao felt a bit embarrassed and gave a dry smile: "Don't misunderstand, I'm also an employee of Broad and Elegant; everyone at our company knows you asked Xia Gong to help design your private manor. But——" She adopted a hesitant expression, instantly piquing the person's curiosity, "There's something you, as an outsider to the industry, might not know."

Li Tai eyed her suspiciously and finally spoke: "What is it?"

The elevator happened to reach the first floor.

The lobby was bustling with people coming and going, not a suitable setting for talk; Yu Xiaoxiao felt a bit ill at ease, considered it, and tentatively suggested: "There's a coffee shop nearby; if you're not busy, let me buy you a cup of coffee and we can talk slowly."

Worried Li Tai might refuse, Yu Xiaoxiao shifted her eyes and used a sentence to grasp the other's psychology: "I guarantee it's something that will benefit your manor's renovation."

Li Tai's car was parked in the open lot outside the office building; seeing her come out, the driver hurriedly got out and opened the rear door in advance. Li Tai gestured, the driver understood, and returned to the car to keep waiting.

Li Tai and Yu Xiaoxiao went to a nearby coffee shop.

On a weekday, the shop had few customers; through the glass door one could see a handful of people scattered about. Yu Xiaoxiao eagerly stepped forward, opened the door for Li Tai, found a seat, bent over and asked: "What would you like to drink?"

Li Tai sat down, leaned lazily against the chair back, took off her sunglasses and set them on the table, without lifting her eyelids, said lightly: "Mocha."

"All right, please wait a moment." Yu Xiaoxiao went to the counter to place the order.

After the barista finished the two coffees, Yu Xiaoxiao carried them over herself, smiled at Li Tai, and said: "Your mocha."

Li Tai hooked her index finger around the coffee cup's handle, lifted it, took a casual sip, lowered her eyelids to glance at her delicate diamond-studded women's watch, appearing impatient: "If you have something to say, hurry up—I have other arrangements later."

Without even having sipped the coffee, Yu Xiaoxiao leaned forward, lowering her voice: "I guess Xia Gong didn't show you the design drawings today and asked you to wait patiently, right?"

Li Tai set the coffee down, then lifted her eyelids to look at the young woman across from her, without saying yes or no.

By observing Li Tai's reaction, Yu Xiaoxiao judged that she had been correct.

Even if Xia Xi were a fairy, it would be impossible for her to produce a satisfactory design plan in such a short time.

Yu Xiaoxiao's tone grew much more sincere: "You don't know, but Xia Gong is currently mainly in charge of a major project for the Xu Clan Group. Without three or five months, this project won't be finished. She finds it hard to spare time for your side; although your project isn't small either, compared to the Xu Clan it still seems trivial. She will surely find all kinds of excuses to delay, and in the end will reluctantly submit a draft that probably won't meet expectations."

Li Tai frowned, murmuring to herself: "The Xu Clan?"

"Yes, the richest person in Nancheng." Seeing an opening, Yu Xiaoxiao felt somewhat excited inside and pressed on more earnestly: "You wouldn't want your manor to be treated perfunctorily, would you?"

Li Tai rested her elbow on the chair arm, propped her chin, looking thoughtful. She hadn't approached those big companies; after doing days of research online, she picked Broad and Elegant—a small firm with good reputation but a late start—precisely because she wanted them to take her as a client seriously.

The company and designer she had painstakingly chosen—who would have thought they'd cause such trouble?

Li Tai was by nature impatient; after pondering, she lost her initial fondness for Xia Xi.

Noticing the young woman's gaze seemed to hold expectation, Li Tai narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling something off: "You're an employee of Broad and Elegant; why are you telling me all this? Don't tell me it's just because you're warm-hearted."

She wasn't that naive.

Yu Xiaoxiao rubbed the two hands she had hidden under the table, lacking confidence, and said: "Our company as a whole is still excellent; I believe you, Madam Li, chose Broad and Elegant only after some comparison."

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"To be frank, besides Xia Xi, our company's other lead designers can also achieve the effect you want."

Snatching orders like this is ultimately not honorable; it's not appropriate to say it outright, so Yu Xiaoxiao expressed it tactfully.

Li Tai stared at her for a few seconds, then shook her head and chuckled: "You want me to hand this order over to you to do?"

"No, no, no." Yu Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hands: "I'm not a designer; I'm just a little assistant."

Meeting Li Tai's scrutinizing and judgmental gaze, Yu Xiaoxiao's cheeks flushed, feeling as if sitting on pins and needles, with an urge to flee; she even regretted taking this step a little. She swallowed, then spoke slowly: "For a project like yours, at least a lead designer should be in charge—I'm far from qualified. I hope you will give it careful thought before deciding."

Apart from Xia Xi, few designers in the company are qualified to take on this project; Gao Ge's credentials give the highest chance of success.

If Gao Ge lands this order, her treatment as an assistant will naturally rise with the tide, so she won't be overshadowed by Huang Shiyu, who's only been at the company a short while.

Li Tai pondered for a moment, her heart slightly swaying: "But I've already signed the contract."

Upon hearing that, Yu Xiaoxiao instantly leapt with joy; Li Tai's willingness to ask like this must mean she had been persuaded by her.

"Signing the contract doesn't matter," Yu Xiaoxiao said. "It's just swapping designers; the manager won't object."

Xia Xi hadn't even eaten lunch, staying in the office to chase after drawings.

Huang Shiyu packed her a simple meal, urging her to find time to eat it.

Xia Xi said "sure" verbally, but once she got busy it never ended, and that meal remained untouched. From morning to afternoon, Xia Xi only drank two cups of black coffee to stay alert, until her stomach felt uncomfortable, at which point she stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She grabbed her phone to check the time, noticing that half an hour earlier Xu Yanfeng had sent her a message: "Tonight there's a social engagement I can't get out of; if you don't have time to pick up the kids, I'll have Zhangyi do it."

Since moving into Xu Yanfeng's home, he has returned home on time every day, often early; this is the first time I've heard he has a social engagement. He doesn't mention it, and Xia Xi almost forgets he is the head of a conglomerate.

Xia Xi: "Got it, I'll go pick them up."

Just as she was about to put her phone down, Xu Yanfeng replied: "Is there nothing you need to tell me?"

Xia Xi: "?"

Xu Yanfeng gave her an example: "For instance, drink less alcohol, come home earlier, things like that."

Xia Xi didn't think, just copied it directly: "Drink less alcohol, come home earlier."

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

Xia Xi added: "Your drinking tolerance really does call for cutting back."

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

After replying, Xia Xi smiled silently, stopped looking at her phone, saved the computer drawings, packed important materials into her bag, and planned to go home to continue working.

She pushed back her chair, and suddenly someone knocked twice on the office door.

Xia Xi blinked, sat back down, and said "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Tan Zhi Cheng walked in, wearing a troubled expression; he stopped in front of the desk, looked at Xia Xi across the table, and stammered: "Xia Gong, there's something I need to tell you—"

Xia Xi sensed it wasn't a good thing, but her face remained calm, even giving a faint smile: "What are you talking about? My mental fortitude is fine."

Tan Zhi Cheng wanted to laugh at her words but couldn't, his expression extremely awkward.

"I just got a call from Mrs. Li Tai; she said she doesn't want to use you and wants to switch designers." Tan Zhi Cheng said, "I don't know why she suddenly changed her mind either. I tried to persuade her for a long time, wore my lips raw to no avail, she stuck to her decision. She also said, if it really doesn't work out, we can switch companies."

The duck at his lips is about to fly away, and Tan Zhi Cheng is of course anxious.

Xia Xi asked, "Who does Li Tai want to replace?"

Tan Zhi Cheng hesitated, then forced himself to tell her: "Senior Engineer." Even if he doesn't say it now, Xia Xi will find out later.