After putting down her phone, Wen Yang began adjusting the design according to her earlier thoughts. She was working on her bed, leaning against the headboard, completely focused. Yu Qing walked in yawning and saw this scene. After washing up in the bathroom, she climbed into bed and reached out to take off Wen Yang’s glasses, instantly removing the layer of obstruction in front of her eyes.
Wen Yang turned her head and asked, “Are you going to sleep?”
Yu Qing snorted, “Obviously. Do you even know what time it is? And you’re still not sleeping.”
She glanced at Wen Yang’s computer screen and let out a sound of surprise. “You changed the wine cabinet?”
Wen Yang nodded. “I felt that the wine cabinet shouldn’t stand out too much. Its original style is already dark-toned. If I use a glass cabinet, it will disrupt the relaxed atmosphere of the living room. Instead, designing a dark-colored cabinet would give it a more sophisticated look.”
“Not bad. It looks better than your first design,” Yu Qing said, leaning closer to Wen Yang to look at the design. “Nice. If he ever brings a girlfriend over, the atmosphere in the living room will be perfect.”
Wen Yang smiled and nodded.
Her slightly wavy hair draped over her shoulders, making her face appear even smaller.
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Gqvla alhklokdt vbl elpktd, Zw Ckdt pyke, “Gzaktbv, cwv usw dlle vs pzllr vss. Xvblaokpl, swa eyaj nkanzlp yal tskdt vs tlv osapl.”
Eld Zydt alprsdele okvb y psqv “Ybx.”
Fbl nzsple bla zyrvsr, qszele wr bla pxyzz elpj, yde rzynle kv sd vbl qzssa, zlyhkdt vbl zyrvsr sd vbl vyczl. Fbl uyodle, vssj y pkr sq oyvla, yde zyu esod clpkel Zw Ckdt.
Gp Zw Ckdt eakqvle sqq, pbl xwaxwale, “R fwpv tsv y dlo rasflnv. Mbl nzkldv oydvp y xselad Ubkdlpl-pvuzl elpktd. Rv’p xu qkapv vkxl osajkdt sd vbkp pvuzl, ps R vbkdj kv’zz cl y nbyzzldtl.”
Ekvb bla lulp nzsple, Eld Zydt pyke, “Plpktdkdt kp jkde sq xytknyz.”
“Sktbv? R qllz vbl pyxl oyu. Kwpv vbkdjkdt ycswv bso R nyd nalyvl bswplp kd ps xydu ekqqlaldv pvuzlp kp pwnb y talyv qllzkdt. Ohld vbswtb R yzoyup pyu R’x vss vkale yde oydv vs ts cynj yde aykpl tllpl, R jdso R dlhla okzz—R fwpv nyd’v zlv ts sq vbkp fsc.”
Eld Zydt pxkzle, vwadkdt shla sdvs bla pkel.
Gqvla vbl qkapv ekpnwppksd, vbkdtp oldv xwnb xsal pxssvbzu. Ebldlhla Eld Zydt dllele Ww Dkdtgbsw’p yrrashyz, pbl nyalqwzzu nbspl bla osaep. Fsxlvkxlp, pbl oswze vyjl pnalldpbsvp sa alnsae hkelsp vs plde vs bkx, yzsdt okvb lmrzydyvksdp sq obu pbl oydvle vs xyjl nlavykd nbydtlp yde vbl alypsdkdt clbkde vblx.
Fu Xingzhou almost always replied.
And he never took long—usually responding within minutes, either approving the changes or keeping things as they were. He rarely made additional requests since he had already given Wen Yang the overall requirements, and every change she proposed was based on those needs.
As their messages increased, they gradually learned more about each other’s daily routines.
Wen Yang realized that Fu Xingzhou woke up very early, usually between six and seven in the morning. He had a habit of going for a morning run and would be at his office around eight. From then on, he was the slowest at replying to messages because he was genuinely busy. But after eight or nine in the evening, his responses became quicker as he transitioned into winding down for the day.
Even then, he was usually still at the office at that time.
Wen Yang, on the other hand, had an almost reversed schedule. She would still be drafting designs at one in the morning. Sometimes, before going to bed, she’d send him a message about the changes she planned to make in the morning. By the time she woke up at around ten, he had already responded at six-something, as if he had gotten used to her late-night work habits.
After freshening up, Wen Yang grabbed her laptop and headed to the studio. As soon as she stepped in, the new design assistant, Tao Li, greeted her enthusiastically, “Good morning, Sister Wen!”
Wen Yang smiled back. “Good morning, Li Zi.”
Tao Li, grinning, returned to her desk to look at some documents. She had only been at the studio for two days and was currently assisting Yu Qing while also managing the front desk. If Wen Yang and Yu Qing weren’t around, she could hold down the fort.
Wen Yang walked to her desk, set down her laptop, and placed her phone on the table. Yu Qing, sipping an Americano while yawning, happened to see the screen and remarked, “President Fu has such a disciplined and healthy routine.”
Wen Yang powered on her laptop and said, “He’s so busy. If he were irregular like us, flipping between day and night, imagine how much he’d lose out on.”
Yu Qing laughed, “That’s true.”
“But honestly, no wonder he’s the most desirable bachelor among all the socialites in Nancheng. He makes money, he’s handsome, and he doesn’t mess around. A dream guy, really.”
Wen Yang listened to Yu Qing’s words and nodded slightly.
That was true.
Yu Qing, still drowsy, got up to make another cup of coffee and casually pushed a basket of soup dumplings toward Wen Yang. Wen Yang took one without hesitation—she hadn’t had breakfast yet. The dumplings were still warm.
As she ate, she opened up her design drafts and started modifying the parts Fu Xingzhou had just approved.
That afternoon…
The client requesting a modern Chinese-style design suddenly sent Yu Qing a large batch of reference images, asking if she could recreate them and combine elements to create a unique design. Yu Qing leaned in so close to the screen that her face was nearly pressed against it. Clicking her tongue, she pulled Wen Yang over to discuss the project. Wen Yang took a look—the client wanted a mix of seven or eight different styles, one of which didn’t even align with modern Chinese aesthetics.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Wen Yang turned her head and saw a tall, handsome figure walking in, dressed casually with a smile in his eyes. It was Lu Zhan.
Wen Yang was momentarily stunned. “Mr. Lu?”
Lu Zhan took off his sunglasses and smiled. “Wen Yang, long time no see.”
Wen Yang immediately responded, “Long time no see, Mr. Lu.”
“Your studio was easy to find. ‘Yunchi Design’—nice name,” Lu Zhan said as he walked in.
Wen Yang quickly grabbed a chair for him. “When did you arrive in Nancheng?”
Lu Zhan sighed and said helplessly, “Can you drop the ‘Mr.’? I’m only a few years older than you.”
Wen Yang chuckled.
Tao Li had been sent out to buy something for Yu Qing. Meanwhile, Yu Qing went to the tea room, poured a glass of water, and placed it in front of Lu Zhan. Wen Yang introduced him, “This is our lead designer, Yu Qing.”
Lu Zhan took the glass and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Yu Qing replied, “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Lu.”
Lu Zhan turned to Wen Yang and said, “Your friend is just as polite as you are.”
Wen Yang smiled again.
After taking a sip of water and setting the glass down, Lu Zhan said, “I came by today to check out Fu Xingzhou’s house design. I have an apartment in Hong Kong that I plan to renovate, so I wanted to see your style.”
He was curious about what kind of house a girl like Wen Yang would design. Wen Yang’s computer screen was currently displaying Fu Xingzhou’s project, but she wasn’t sure if she could show it without his permission. She picked up her phone and said to Lu Zhan, “Let me check with Mr. Fu.”
“No need,” Lu Zhan said with a smile. “He knows I came to Nancheng to look at house designs.”
Wen Yang let out a soft “Oh” and put her phone down. She opened her laptop, and the design appeared on the screen. Lu Zhan raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue. “Just as I expected—it’s that style.”
Wen Yang turned to look at him.
Lu Zhan chuckled. “His place in Hong Kong is pretty much the same style. But I can tell that your design is a lot more comfortable—you’ve used softer tones, haven’t you?”
Wen Yang nodded. “I went with a gentler shade of gray.”
Lu Zhan smiled. “Yeah, I can see that.”
He continued examining the design, which was about 80% complete, and sighed. “Honestly, sometimes I wonder if that guy is even capable of love. Even his houses are always designed in this cold, detached style—completely devoid of any warmth or personality.”
Wen Yang was taken aback. “I think this style is actually quite nice—minimalist and comfortable.”
Yu Qing, standing nearby, immediately caught onto the gossip.
What did he mean by ‘incapable of love’?
Smiling mischievously, she leaned in and asked, “Mr. Lu, what do you mean by that?”
Lu Zhan was still focused on the design, thinking about how he wanted something different for his own place. He was leaning towards a more luxurious, cozy aesthetic with bolder colors. Yu Qing’s question snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to her, and she blinked expectantly, full of curiosity. “Mr. Lu, if I remember correctly, Mr. Fu was married before, right? Can I be a little nosy?”
Lu Zhan realized he had let something slip. Raising an eyebrow, he smirked. “Yeah, he was. What do you want to gossip about?”
Yu Qing cleared her throat.
“Everyone says that CEO Li from Mengbai Jewelry married into the Fu family and successfully climbed the social ladder. People were really envious. Even though they’re divorced now, at least she had that experience. But based on what you just said, does that mean they didn’t marry for love?”
Lu Zhan listened and chuckled. “In wealthy families, how many marriages are truly about love?”
“They just take what they need from each other.”
Yu Qing’s curiosity flared even more.
But she knew better than to push for further details.
Wen Yang, on the other hand, thought back to Fu Xingzhou’s divorce. He had been so calm—not a trace of anger, not a hint of hysteria. It was as if he was handling a business transaction.
“That’s why I said he doesn’t know how to love,” Lu Zhan remarked. He turned back to the computer screen to look at the design again. “Wen Yang, you’d better not bring up this topic with him.”
Wen Yang snapped back to reality and also looked at the screen. “Mr. Lu, don’t worry. I’m not that close with Mr. Fu.”
Lu Zhan smiled and nodded.
He was genuinely there to hire a designer. On the spot, he handed the floor plan to Wen Yang. His apartment had previously been designed, but since he wanted to change the style, the existing design had to be demolished first. Right now, they were preparing to start construction and tear everything down. Only after that could Wen Yang take measurements and begin the new design. Meanwhile, Yu Qing drafted the contract, and Lu Zhan browsed through her past works.
Pointing at one particular style, he showed it to Wen Yang with a smile. “Design this for me.”
Wen Yang took notes in her notebook and nodded. “Alright.”
The contract was signed, and the deposit was paid.
Just then, Tao Li returned, carrying multiple bags, which she placed in the tea room.
Wen Yang still owed Lu Zhan a meal from her last trip to Hong Kong, so she took this opportunity to make it up to him. She invited him to one of the best tea houses in Nancheng for a meal.
As Lu Zhan sat down, he sent a WeChat message to Fu Xingzhou:
Lu Zhan: Wen Yang treated me to a meal first. You’re not in Nancheng, so you’re missing out.
Fu Xingzhou didn’t reply—he was in a meeting.
—
Lu Zhan’s visit to Nancheng wasn’t just about the design; he had business to attend to as well.
After finishing the meal and seeing Lu Zhan off, Wen Yang and Yu Qing returned to the studio to grab their laptops. Then, they strolled home arm in arm. Yu Qing glanced at Wen Yang with a smile and said, “One trip to Hong Kong, and you secured a second big client. Impressive, Wen Yang!”
Wen Yang chuckled. “It’s all thanks to Mr. Lu’s face.”
Yu Qing smirked. “More like thanks to Fu Xingzhou’s sake. That’s exactly why Xu Xu wanted to introduce us to him in the first place—designing for him means plenty of clients will come knocking.”
Wen Yang nodded. That was true.
Yu Qing playfully stepped on the tiled pavement as they walked.
Back home, they each went to take a shower. Since both had brought their laptops back, they naturally had to continue working. Fu Xingzhou’s project was in its final stages.
Wen Yang dried her hair, sat on her bed, placed her small desk in front of her, put on her large-framed glasses, and got to work.
Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)
You can also check out my other translations Here
Second Life Translations' Comment Policy
1. Be kind and respectful. Comments with curses will be put under moderation.
2. No links to other websites or asking for links.
3. No spoilers!