Wen Yang knew that Liu Yu was a sore spot in Yu Qing’s heart. If it had been anyone else, Yu Qing wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. She and Liu Yu had built Yunran together from scratch, gained fame, and produced many great works. Yu Qing fought tooth and nail for a future at Yunran, only to be forced to leave in the end, with all the reputation and recognition falling into Liu Yu’s lap.
She took several steps back, went solo, and started walking her own path.
Yet Liu Yu still wanted to block her way. How could Yu Qing not react?
Wen Yang also despised Liu Yu’s actions. There was no way she could let her succeed. Discounts? Promotions? Their studio could offer those too.
Once everyone calmed down, they began tidying up the reception area. About twenty minutes later, Mr. Zhao arrived. They had met him before when discussing project requirements.
Without wasting time on small talk, Mr. Zhao placed his briefcase aside and sat down.
He asked Wen Yang, “What are the downsides of Yunran Studio?”
Wen Yang smiled slightly, gesturing for him to drink some tea, and replied, “Mr. Zhao, why don’t you first tell me what kind of offers they gave you?”
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Ya. Hbys vssj y pkr sq vly, plv vbl nwr esod, yde pyke, “Mblal yal rzldvu.”
Mbasokdt kd y qall qaketl yde yka nsdekvksdla oyp fwpv vbl cltkddkdt — vblka elpktd qll oyp y qwzz vbkae nblyrla vbyd Zw Ckdt’p.
Eld Zydt czkdjle kd pwarakpl yde tzydnle yv Zw Ckdt. Brsd blyakdt vbkp, Zw Ckdt qzyale wr ytykd, bla qynl eyajldkdt yp pbl valxczle okvb ydtla.
Mwadkdt cynj vs Ya. Hbys, Eld Zydt vssj y pkr sq vly blaplzq yde pxkzle. “Mbyv’p iwkvl y elyz.”
Ya. Hbys tyhl bla y zssj yp kq vs pyu, “Fll? Mblu’al nblyrla vbyd usw.”
Eld Zydt xykdvykdle bla nyzx pxkzl yde pyke, “R’x dsv pwal bso xydu elpktdlap Zwdayd byp dso, cwv qasx obyv R jdso, vblal yal sdzu y qlo vawzu olzz-jdsod sdlp. Valpkeldv Nkw zkjlp bkakdt dlonsxlap. Ebyv usw xyu dsv alyzkgl, Ya. Hbys…”
Fbl zkqvle bla blye, zssjkdt bkx pvayktbv kd vbl lul. “G elpktdla’p ayvl wpwyzzu alqzlnvp vblka hyzwl. Rq y elpktd qll kp dltsvkyczl, nbydnlp yal vbl qkdyz elpktd osd’v cl ldvkalzu vbl osaj sq vbl elpktdla usw bkale.”
Ya. Hbys qasgl.
Wen Yang continued, “Yunran Studio has a large team and many clients. A single designer will likely juggle countless projects, often assisted by several interns — most of whom are design graduates. They’re there to work, but also to learn. Mr. Zhao, you’re just one of many clients in the designer’s queue, and you’re a discounted one at that.”
She leaned in slightly. “Do you really think the designer will give your project their full attention?”
Mr. Zhao’s face darkened.
He muttered a curse. “No wonder they were so quick to agree — like they were giving me a bargain. I thought I was getting a steal.”
He fixed his gaze on Wen Yang. “But you’re not offering any discounts either. And Designer Yu keeps questioning my ideas. How am I supposed to trust you guys?”
Yu Qing sat up straight, grabbed a tablet, swiped it open, and placed it in front of him. “I questioned some of your ideas because they weren’t practical, but I’ve done my best to integrate your concepts. Haven’t we been communicating the whole time?”
Mr. Zhao glanced at the draft on the tablet — it was about two-thirds done, better than he expected.
“When can you finish it?” he asked.
Yu Qing took the tablet back and tossed it aside with a bit of a temper. “I don’t know. That depends on you, Mr. Zhao. Do you want to continue working with us?”
Mr. Zhao looked at Wen Yang.
Wen Yang smiled. “Designer Yu has a bit of a temper, but she’s highly skilled. We can match Yunran’s perks, but we won’t budge on the design fee. That’s our bottom line. Mr. Zhao, would you like to reconsider?”
Mr. Zhao rolled his eyes. “After what you just said, do you think I’d still dare go back to Yunran? Just give me the perks, keep the design fee as it is, and finish the project quickly.”
Wen Yang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Deal.”
She took the discount agreement handed to her by Tao Li, placed it in front of Mr. Zhao, and said, “This is the discount agreement. Please review it, and if you’re satisfied, sign here.”
Mr. Zhao skimmed through the agreement, exchanged a few more words with Wen Yang, then finally picked up a pen and signed his name.
—
After seeing Mr. Zhao off, the three of them exchanged looks. A few seconds later, they all slumped onto the couch, finally relaxing. Dealing with clients — especially tricky ones — was exhausting.
Leaning against Wen Yang, Tao Li said, “Sister Wen, you’re amazing at negotiating!”
Wen Yang leaned back in her chair. “I’m not amazing. It was just a reaction in the heat of the moment.”
“Still impressive,” Tao Li replied.
Yu Qing, also leaning against Wen Yang, added, “No, you have a gift.”
Wen Yang chuckled softly. “I mostly learned from my mom. She’s the real pro.”
Yu Qing opened her eyes at that.
She remembered.
Aunt Yun really was something — like a debate champion. Back in their first year of high school, there was a night study session where a classmate brought a pair of expensive headphones, only to lose them that evening. She accused Wen Yang of stealing them, simply because Wen Yang had been reading a magazine with her head down — a classic “guilty-looking” posture.
The class teacher was called in.
When Zhu Yun heard about the situation, she rushed to the school. After listening to both sides, she smiled and tore into the accuser, her parents, and the teachers — with clear logic and solid reasoning. The situation flipped almost instantly.
Before leaving, Zhu Yun told the teacher and the accuser’s parents, “When the headphones are found, this girl must be publicly criticized in front of the whole school for slandering Wen Yang. Otherwise, I won’t let this go.”
They say children are reflections of their parents.
Wen Yang might seem gentle and considerate, but growing up under Aunt Yun’s guidance, it was only natural that she picked up a thing or two — especially how to secure the upper hand in a negotiation.
Leaning her head against Wen Yang’s arm, Yu Qing hugged her. “I’m lucky to have you.”
Wen Yang patted her hand. “I just don’t know if this was a one-time thing… or if there’s more to come.”
Yu Qing fell silent, realizing the same thing.
If Liu Yu keeps doing this in the future, it will definitely be a huge blow to Yunchi Design. Yunchi itself is a new studio, and the Mr. Zhao they met today is also someone who seems indecisive. What if he chooses Yunran instead? And what if Liu Yu comes up with more tricks in the future? This would undoubtedly be disadvantageous for Yunchi.
Tao Li let out a sound of surprise and asked, “Then what can we do? This is too scary!”
Wen Yang sat up a bit and said, “We need to build our own resources and channels, make a name for ourselves, and establish a reputation for the studio.”
Yu Qing nodded. “Yes.”
“How do we do that?” Tao Li leaned forward and asked.
Wen Yang replied, “We start by building our account.”
“Is Xu Xu’s renovation almost finished?” Wen Yang asked Yu Qing.
Yu Qing said yes.
Wen Yang nodded.
The next day, Wen Yang took Tao Li to Xu Xu’s apartment to shoot content. When Xu Xu found out, she said over the phone, “Don’t mess up my house — it took a lot of effort to get it like this.”
Wen Yang laughed, “We won’t.”
Hearing Wen Yang’s soft voice, Xu Xu didn’t say anything else and hung up the phone.
That evening, Wen Yang posted a video — the first promotional video from Yunchi Design’s account. It was also Yu Qing’s first project since leaving Yunran Studio.
When they posted it, Wen Yang and Yu Qing were at their place, each with their laptops, curled up on the couch working.
Wen Yang officially began drafting Lu Zhan’s design plans.
Yu Qing blinked and looked at Wen Yang. “Hey, if Fu Xingzhou’s house could be used for promotional content one day, your reputation as Designer Wen would definitely skyrocket.”
Wen Yang turned to glance at her. “It’s not that easy.”
Yu Qing blinked again and teased, “You never know.”
Wen Yang elbowed her.
—
Meanwhile, in Nancheng, at the Splendid Sky City residence…
The house was brightly lit. Cheng Yanyu was working in the living room. It was quiet, with only the sound of the robot vacuum moving around. A single photo frame sat on the TV stand.
In the photo, a woman was crouching on the grass, hugging a German Shepherd, wearing a hat — a captured moment.
But the lady of the house wasn’t there. The high-rise apartment felt empty and cold. The sound of Cheng Yanyu typing on his keyboard echoed in the quiet.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a notification.
His neck felt a little stiff, so he reached for the phone, accidentally clicking on the notification — it was a video from a social media app.
As he opened it, he recognized the house — it seemed to be Xu Xu’s place.
Soon after, a familiar, soft voice played in the background, and Wen Yang appeared on the screen. She had her hair styled in a princess bun and was wearing a white dress, smiling into the camera.
“This is the house we just finished designing at Yunchi — a 265-square-meter apartment. Let’s start filming from the entrance…”
She held the camera and moved towards the entrance. A red bow clipped her hair at the back of her head. Her eyes sparkled as she looked into the lens, bright and lively, with a sweet smile.
It had been a long time since Cheng Yanyu had seen Wen Yang.
Seeing her again felt surreal.
She wasn’t using many beauty filters — her features were as beautiful as ever.
Wen Yang lifted her skirt slightly while filming the entrance, then handed the camera over and walked into the living room. The hem of her white dress swayed gently, accentuating her delicate figure. With the red bow in her hair, she looked like a piece of white jade.
For a moment, it reminded him of when they had just gotten married — she wore a similar dress, and as soon as their newly renovated home was ready, she had rushed in, lifting her skirt and asking him to film her from outside.
Back then, she stood in the middle of the living room, lifting her skirt with a beaming smile, her eyes full of happiness.
Cheng Yanyu’s chest tightened.
“Mr. Cheng?”
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Cheng Yanyu looked up to see Yu Zhan walking in with some documents. His tone was cautious — the house was just too quiet.
The minimalist decor made the silence even more noticeable, so Yu Zhan spoke up and realized Cheng Yanyu was in the living room, hurrying over with the documents. “Here’s the information you requested.”
Cheng Yanyu refocused and took the files — they were documents for an upcoming project bid.
He set the files aside.
The video on his phone had already closed, but the page was still there. He glanced at it again and reopened the video.
Yu Zhan finally figured out why Cheng Yanyu had been distracted — the familiar voice from the video made it clear.
It was his former boss’s wife, Wen Yang.
Even Yu Zhan felt a wave of nostalgia hearing her voice. Back in the day, he used to love hanging out at Cheng’s house — it was so warm and cozy.
Unlike the place now, which felt cold most of the time.
Just then, Cheng Yanyu noticed something — the video’s likes and shares were skyrocketing in real-time.
He paused and asked Yu Zhan, “Why is the traffic spiking so quickly in such a short time?”
Yu Zhan glanced at the phone and replied, “Looks like someone paid to boost her video.”
—
At the same time, in Hong Kong, at the Qingzhou company…
Jiang Yue walked into Fu Xingzhou’s office holding a sheet of data, placing it beside him. “Mr. Fu, the ad campaign is done — the results look good.”
Fu Xingzhou was signing documents.
He looked up briefly at the numbers on the paper and said, “Good.”
Sansukini: I guess Cheng Yanyu here is clearly missing what he had with Wen Yang, but he’s trying to stand by his decision to stay with the mistress. IMO, he’s trying to gaslight himself that’s why he has Li Man’s photo there with him. And Fu Xingzhou silently supporting Wen Yang’s campaign is (ღˇ◡ˇ)/～♥
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