Chapter 53

"It's very important." Lu Mingji said.

Xia Xi suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at him: "You sound like you're stating the obvious."

Lu Mingji inexplicably found her amusing, and his previously heavy mood instantly dissipated.

"Are you going to say it or not?" Xia Xi pointed at the door, "If not, then get out; I still have work to finish, the Xu... client added some demands, I'm busy, I don't have time to sit here and space out with you."

Lu Mingji said something unrelated to the matter: "I've always thought you're a high-energy person; I rarely see you break down or slack off—you always seem full of vitality."

"High-energy, huh? I'm not a robot. Where did you pick up that new phrase?"

Lu Mingji laughed out loud.

Xia Xi: "If you have something to say, just say it; beating around the bush isn't your style."

Lu Mingji gave a low cough, put aside his joking thoughts, adopted a serious expression: "Yesterday, at a friend's dinner, I heard some news—there's a big project at year‑end..."

Related to the Xu Clan, it's a coveted prize for all design firms; he hopes Broad and Elegant can partner with the Xu Clan to move up a step. But in the company, besides Xia Xi, he can't think of anyone else capable of shouldering the responsibility.

Once the cooperation happens, Xia Xi will definitely be the person in charge, liaising with the Xu Clan side.

Nowadays, the Xu Clan is whatever Xu Yanfeng says.

By then, the two of them will be entangled even more, an inseparable mess.

After hearing him explain the whole story, Xia Xi fell silent for a long time.

Lu Mingji spread his hands: "Now you know why I've been hesitant to speak up. Partnering with the Xu Clan would bring Broad and Elegant many benefits for its future development, but your relationship with Xu Yanfeng is special..."

Xia Xi suddenly stood up and slowly walked to Lu Mingji's front.

Lu Mingji braced one hand on the sofa edge, shifted his butt back: "What are you doing, going to hit me? Xia Xi, calm down—I'm not trying to give you a preventive shot. If you truly don't want to get involved, I can't force you with a knife. Rest assured, given our relationship, I will absolutely respect all your decisions."

Xia Xi stopped at the sofa's edge, raised a hand; Lu Mingji instinctively narrowed his eyes. Her hand landed and patted his shoulder as she sighed, urging him to face reality: "The Xu Clan Group's big project has every design firm in Nancheng—no, make that every design firm nationwide—eyeing it. Boss Lu, what makes you think Broad and Elegant will win? The odds aren't much better than winning the lottery."

Lu Mingji's mouth twitched; he objected: "You're not being that disparaging of our own company."

Xia Xi raised her index finger and waved it: "Get it straight—I'm not belittling, I'm calling for clear self‑awareness."

Lu Mingji admitted he had been convinced by her. Whether Broad and Elegant can cooperate with the Xu Clan is still unknown, yet he finds himself worrying about how Xia Xi will get along with Xu Yanfeng at work.

It's pure needless worry.

Xia Xi happened to sharply critique his behavior: "You're just worrying needlessly."

Her words overlapped with his inner voice, and Lu Mingji laughed again.

"What if Xu Yanfeng pulls the same trick again, giving this project to Broad and Elegant just to keep entangling with you?"

Xia Xi almost without thinking blurted: "He couldn't." She further explained, "You don't know him; he wouldn't use public resources for private gain. Renovating a villa is a private project—he can act on whim—but if it's a company project, he's absolutely fairer than anyone."

Lu Mingji was momentarily speechless, a faint, barely perceptible bitter smile touching his lips.

Her tone was so certain, showing she truly understands Xu Yanfeng.

"Say what you need to and leave—I'm starting to draw." Xia Xi directly told him to go, adding, "I'm taking half a day off the day after tomorrow to go back to my hometown for some personal matters." She said it was personal, so Lu Mingji didn't press further, stood up, brushed off nonexistent dust from his sleeves, said "You're busy," and left.

Gao Ge and her assistant Yu Xiaoxiao had just arrived at the company when they bumped into Lu Mingji coming out of Xia Xi's office; both of their expressions were somewhat subtle.

Gao Ge had been busy with her own project lately; this morning she brought her assistant to inspect the results, marking a temporary conclusion.

Yu Xiaoxiao leaned in and whispered to her: "I heard that Xia Gong recently landed a big job—a villa renovation over six hundred square meters—secured for her by Manager Jiang; she's really lucky. If it weren't for you, Engineer Gao, being swamped and unable to free up, she probably wouldn't have gotten it."

Gao Ge still didn't know about this, walking and turning her head to ask: "Who did you hear it from?"

"Sun Xiaoyun—she saw it herself, just two days before the National Day holiday. Sun Xiaoyun was in charge of serving the client coffee, then later gossiped with us that the client was generous, so Xia Gong probably made a good chunk of money from this job." Yu Xiaoxiao's words carried a hint of envy.

Design fees are calculated per square meter; she doesn't know what rate Xia Xi commands at her level, while other lead designers at the company charge between two hundred and five hundred per square meter, with individuals able to take 50% to 70% of that. For a villa over six hundred square meters, the design fee alone runs into six figures; skim a bit extra elsewhere, and you could pay cash for a decent car.

Judging by Xia Xi's usual attire and accessories, her quote is certainly not low—possibly over five hundred per square meter.

Gao Ge pushed open the office door, her heels clicking; after closing it, she didn't hide her contempt: "I noticed it last time in the tea room—our Manager Jiang treats Xia Gong differently; to win her heart, of course he rushed to send her a big contract."

Yu Xiaoxiao snorted in agreement, then exclaimed indignantly: "It's totally unfair! Even if President Lu favors her, that's one thing, but Manager Jiang also fawns over her, letting her hog all the good things while the rest of us struggle to get by."

Gao Ge gave a cold smile: "Who made her young and beautiful? There's nothing to be done—that face is an advantage."

Yu Xiaoxiao: "Now I know why, as fellow workers, she can afford a bag costing over a hundred thousand. Alas, same people, different fate."

"All right, stop blaming heaven and earth—you should also go smooth things over with Jiang Tian; maybe later he'll have good projects and think of you more." Gao Ge comforted her.

Yu Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, disdainful: "I don't want that—I get annoyed just seeing him."

*October 10th is Xia Yue's birthday—too bad her family can't help her celebrate.

In the morning, Xia Xi went to work as usual; in the afternoon she left, driving to the high‑speed rail station. She brought little with her—a large tote bag that could hold a laptop, convenient for working on the train.

About two hours later, Xia Xi got off at Qianlin East Station and joined other passengers queuing in the taxi lane.

Today is Monday, a busy workday, so there weren't many passengers; she reached the front quickly. She opened the car door, sat in the back seat, and placed the tote bag on her lap.

The driver skillfully flipped the "for hire" sign, tilted his head slightly, and asked the passenger where to go.

Xia Xi gave an address: "68 Jianlin Road, Changfeng District."

The driver blinked—he was a true‑born Qianlin local, had lived there over forty years and driven a taxi for nearly twenty, so he knew Qianlin inside out, but he'd never been to the place this passenger mentioned. He found it odd, entered the destination into his phone navigation, and the coordinates showed it was a prison.

He thought the passenger had made a mistake, so he asked again: "Where did you say you wanted to go?"

Used to such reactions from drivers, Xia Xi remained calm and composed: "That's right—it's the prison."

The driver, embarrassed, shrank his neck, turned his face forward, stopped asking, pressed the accelerator, and the car lurched forward, kicking up dust. Through the swirling grit, Xia Xi gazed at the familiar city.

Today is the eldest sister's birthday; she ought to come see her.

If Xuanxuan weren't hospitalized, Mother would stay to look after her, and they would have come together.

Eldest sister's here! (End of chapter)