Chapter 013 I'm afraid I'll fall in love with you again, alright?

  *

  Back at her desk, Su Xian felt she had been tricked again.

  "How did the negotiation go? Looks like he won." Zhao Nanfeng didn't miss any opportunity to mock her.

  "Yes, that's right. No choice, I blame myself for being too deeply involved." Su Xian didn't want to make it easy for him either.

  "Tch." Zhao Nanfeng turned and left.

  Su Xian became melancholic again. Buying breakfast for 60 years—my goodness! However, she probably wouldn't live that long. Or, if inflation caused steamed buns to cost 30 yuan each later, the time would be shortened to 15 years.

  But on second thought, it was just buying breakfast, which was on the way. She had never really cared about her colleagues' misunderstandings; her reaction just now was purely emotional.

  Okay, just need to stop thinking, the annoyance will disappear.

  **

  About a week later, one afternoon, Liang Wenya rushed out of her office like she was possessed, yelling excitedly, "Comrades, look at the trending topic! Dacheng Construction's building collapsed!"

  This news was like thunder after a long drought. Everyone instantly dropped their work and gathered in twos and threes to check the hot search.

  Dacheng Construction was a corporate group. In the past, its other subsidiaries had been involved in a few construction accidents, but none were too serious. This time, however, it was a major accident: the entire five-story building under construction collapsed due to excessive material stacking on the top floor. Fortunately, the building had been shut down for half a month because the investor went bankrupt, and only one security guard was watching outside, so there were no casualties.

  Such irresponsible companies should have gone bankrupt long ago!

  As expected, the next day, Department Head Sato from Yasuda Group sent good news: the board of directors had decided to sign the construction contract with Anliang Construction!

  !!!

  Man proposes, God disposes, indeed!

  Liang Wenya took a bottle of whiskey from the filing cabinet and poured a small glass for everyone who wanted one.

  Lao Zhang joked, "General Manager Liang, a thousand-yuan bottle of wine might not be enough to celebrate this time. Shouldn't we be drinking something much more expensive?"

  "Once the client pays, we'll drink a ten-thousand-yuan bottle! From today on, work yourselves to death with overtime!"

  *

  The 400,000 yuan that had flown out of her pocket had flown back in. Su Xian found everyone agreeable, and when Zhao Nanfeng said to her, "Come on, let me buy you a drink," she casually agreed.

  Zhao Nanfeng paused, and she paused too, then immediately asked, "Just you and me?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Then I'm not going."

  "What, are you afraid I'll fall in love with you again?"

  "I'm afraid I'll fall in love with you again, alright?"

  This wasn't an exaggeration. Zhao Nanfeng was the person who first dazzled her. Back then, she had just graduated and won Liang Wenya's appreciation with her generous personality and courage to brag. But once she truly started working, she realized that what she learned in school was utterly useless. She was like a child pretending to be an adult, walking cautiously every step of the way. Then Zhao Nanfeng arrived. Although he had only graduated two years before her, he knew everything. At first, it was just pure admiration, but after a while, she realized that there really was someone in the world who was so brilliantly talented!

  Falling in love with him was as easy as breathing.

  The breakup was truly devastating.

  Even now, she still remembers the excellent parts of him, but how to put it... a person always appears as a whole package, and the parts that make one nauseous always stand out particularly.

  She did not want any more entanglement with him outside of work.

  *

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Approaching the National Day Golden Week holiday, the design proposal was finally finalized. There might be minor design changes later, but no major adjustments would be made. Zhao Nanfeng decided to return to Japan. His design firm also needed him, and he would come back periodically once the project here commenced.

  On the day he left, Liang Wenya drove Su Xian to the airport to see him off.

  Sitting side-by-side in the back seat, Zhao Nanfeng took out a copy of Natural Architecture from his bag. "Signed by the master himself. Perhaps you'd like it."

  Su Xian opened the front page. It read: 若い建築家の皆様へ、自分のランドマークを急いで建てるのではなく、まず建物が木のように静かに大地に根を下ろし、風と光を吸い込むように学びなさい。隈研我(To young architects: Do not rush to build your own landmark; first, learn to let the building quietly root itself in the earth like a tree, breathing the wind and light. Kengo Kumo).

  "Thank you very much."

  "General Manager Liang, when are you bringing your staff to Japan for a team-building trip? I'll be your guide."

  "Don't joke. When the second contract payment comes through, we really can consider it. Su Xian, where do you want to go?"

  She had visited Tokyo and Kansai on previous trips, so she didn't hesitate: "To Hokkaido. We'll stay in that ground-floor hotel facing the snowy forest!"

  "Are you talking about the one the singer Zhang Fei stayed in? We can't afford that!" That hotel costs over 10,000 yuan a night.

  "Not that one, another one. I'll find it for you to see." Su Xian started looking on her phone.

  "Look at it back at the office."

  "Okay."

  As Zhao Nanfeng pulled his suitcase and walked into customs, he looked back as he turned the corner. Su Xian was pulling Liang Wenya's arm, showing her something on her phone. Hmph, still so impatient.

  **

  Li Chengshi's first goal after graduation was to save 10,000 yuan to take his mother on a trip during the National Day Golden Week. He had saved the money, but his vacation had been squeezed down to just two days. He could only let his mother go with her best friends.

  "Make sure to go out with Xiao Huang (Huang Pinghe) often when you have time." She thought Li Chengshi and Huang Pinghe were dating smoothly. In reality, they were just using each other as cover against their parents.

  "Mm, I will. When neither of us has to work overtime, I'll ask her out for dinner, shopping, or a movie."

  After seeing Li Xiao off in a taxi, he turned and headed for the subway station.

  The subway was much emptier during the holiday, which inexplicably made him feel a little good about working overtime.

  *

  He arrived at the industry park a little past nine. There was a large convenience store at the entrance. Since the working hours were flexible on overtime days, Li Chengshi hadn't asked Su Xian to bring him breakfast. He walked into the convenience store and happened to see her picking out sandwiches. He immediately approached her and said with a grin, "Good morning, Team Leader. Buy me one too."

  "Morning. Which one do you want?" Su Xian wished he would buy more things so the 100,000 yuan would be spent faster.

  "Hmm, I want this one, and also..." He browsed the shelves.

  "By the way, the park canteen is closed for the holiday. You'd better buy lunch too."

  "Not now. You can bring me out to buy lunch at noon. If I buy it now, it won't be fresh by lunchtime."

  Su Xian rolled her eyes at him.

  After selecting the items, Li Chengshi put them in her shopping basket. Just then, a voice called his name from behind—it was Huang Pinghe.

  "Are you working overtime today too?" She walked over, holding a few snacks, and asked, "Who is this?"

  "Oh, this is my Team Leader." Li Chengshi looked slightly embarrassed.

  *