Chapter 25

Lai Jialin stared at his father with an expression of pure resistance. He simply could not believe that his father intended to abandon him in the mainland while returning home alone. How could his father do such a thing?

"Dad, I refuse. I don't want to stay in the mainland by myself. Besides, if you do this, Mom definitely won't agree. Careful, or she'll start a fight with you when you get back." Seeing that his father’s expression didn't look like he was joking, he tried his best to voice his opposition.

Hearing his youngest son’s accusatory tone, Lai Chengrong found the idea even better. At over twenty years old, the boy still acted like he hadn't grown up at all; thinking this, he became even more firm in his decision.

"Jialin, it’s settled. I’ll call your mother later to let her know. It’s only for half a month; it’ll be a good way for you to gain some experience."

Lai Jialin panicked. "Dad, are you kidding me? I don't want to be left here alone!"

Seeing his son at a loss, Lai Chengrong felt even more convinced he had made a good choice. However, since the boy was his own flesh and blood, he offered a few words of comfort. "Jialin, don't worry. I will make sure to arrange for someone to look after your safety before I leave."

"Alright, that’s decided. We’ve reached an agreement; we will use Miss Lin’s design. I’ll contact her immediately and let her know that you’ll be staying behind to assist her."

After speaking his mind, he rose and walked out of the office. Lai Jialin watched his father’s dashing departure, stomping his feet in frustration. Was it because he’d been playing video games too much lately? What is going on? Argh!

—

"Beep-beep—"
"Honk-honk—"

Lin Yilan looked at the chaotic traffic ahead, spared a second of sympathy for the traffic police officer in a white uniform standing in the middle of the road, and glanced at her watch. Good, she wouldn't be late.

Finally finding an opportunity to cross the street, she looked up at the cafe sign and pushed open the door.

Across the street, a girl waiting to cross pulled on the arm of the girl next to her. "Xiuxiu, look, is that girl from your dorm, the, uh, you know who?"

Hang Xiuling looked up in the direction her friend pointed and saw a familiar silhouette. "I remember now. Is that Comrade Lin? I saw her this morning, and she seemed to be wearing that same outfit. But there are a lot of people wearing white shirts these days, so I might be wrong."

The girl who had first pulled Hang Xiuling, seeing that she wasn't responding, started talking to herself. Hang Xiuling grabbed her arm. "Shh!"

A few seconds later, she exclaimed excitedly, "It really is her! Lin Yilan! Lin Yilan, I’ve finally caught you!"

"Hmph, you’re never around, always dodging everyone. I thought you were studying at the library, but now it looks like..." Hang Xiuling stood with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly. "I finally caught you! Finally!"

The girl beside her looked at her wildly excited friend, thinking she looked just like one of the local eccentrics from their neighborhood. Passersby nearby stepped back a few paces, and an older woman looked at Hang Xiuling with pity. *So young, what a shame her mind is already failing.*

Inside the cafe, Lin Yilan was completely unaware of the commotion outside. She took a deep breath, suppressed her inner excitement, and walked over to stand before the Lai father and son.

"Mr. Lai, Mr. Lai Jialin, it’s been a long time."

Lai Jialin stood up immediately. "Miss Lin, long time no see."

Lai Chengrong set down his coffee and gestured toward Lin Yilan with a bright smile. "Miss Lin, please, have a seat."

Lin Yilan sat down opposite them. Soon, a waiter brought over a menu. "Miss, what would you like to drink?"

Lin Yilan didn't touch the menu. "I’ll have a latte, please. Thank you."

Lai Jialin calmly took in the interactions between the two.

"Miss Lin, I took your design back the other day. After Jialin and I looked it over, we were stunned. To be so young and have such capability in the field of architecture is truly remarkable."

"Later, I faxed your work to some friends of mine in Hong Kong, and they were also very impressed. They never expected to find such a talented designer in the mainland."

"May I ask you a question, Miss Lin? Have you ever thought about developing your career in Hong Kong?"

Lai Chengrong curled his lips, crossed his legs, and looked at Lin Yilan, looking very confident. His smiling expression was like a calculating fox seeing its prey—the outcome was already set in his mind.

Seeing Lai Chengrong’s smile, Lin Yilan guessed what he was thinking. He likely assumed she would want to go to Hong Kong and would therefore be willing to do his bidding. However, she was going to disappoint him.

"I don't have any plans to work on projects in Hong Kong in the short term, though I will certainly visit in the future." Lin Yilan didn't care whether they liked that answer or not. She knew that even if she went to Hong Kong later, she certainly wouldn't be seeking them out. She was well aware that this project would likely be their only collaboration.

Lai Chengrong was taken aback and uncrossed his legs. "Why don't you want to develop in Hong Kong? With your current ability, there would be great room for growth there. I could even introduce you to an architectural firm; their designers are quite impressed by your level of skill."

At this moment, his desire to show off was gone, and he was genuinely trying to persuade her. As he had said, after confirming the design with Jialin, he had indeed found a way to contact friends in the Hong Kong construction industry and had them review the plans to ensure there were no issues. While he had told Lin Yilan he trusted her, he had still worried that if she were a fraud, the building might have structural problems. He couldn't forgive himself if something went wrong.

When his friends learned the design was by a college freshman in the mainland, they were filled with admiration. That was why he considered playing the benefactor—if Lin Yilan were willing, he could find a way to get her to Hong Kong after she dropped out. As for what would happen to her if she couldn't make it there, that was outside his control. After all, one must bear the consequences of one's own choices, right?

Of course, all of this was predicated on the successful construction of his parents' house.

Lin Yilan didn't know what Lai Chengrong was thinking, but she was clear that in this era, going to Hong Kong wasn't easy or simple. Furthermore, if she really went, how could she prove her worth without a degree? Most importantly, she didn't want to leave her family.

"Mr. Lai, thank you for the invitation. My current focus is on my studies and my work." She didn't want to dwell on it, so she changed the subject. "Mr. Lai, besides the matter of Hong Kong, was there anything else you wanted to discuss today?"

Lai Chengrong glanced at his son. "Jialin and I have discussed it, and we have decided to use your design. Do you have any thoughts on the construction side of things?"

As his father spoke, Lai Jialin pulled a notebook from his bag. Lin Yilan raised an eyebrow at this. She shifted slightly in her seat. "Regarding construction, I actually suggest you find people near your parents' home to help. It’s not very appropriate or cost-effective to bring workers from Beijing."

"Besides, as you both should know, there are no professional private construction teams in Beijing yet. The skill level of Beijing workers is probably about the same as that of the villagers where your parents live."

She watched the expressions of the two men as she spoke, and when she noticed Lai Jialin frantically taking notes, a guess formed in her mind.

"Of course, if you prefer to hire workers from Beijing, you could look for intermediaries; people who handle labor brokerage might know something..."

Even though she wanted to maximize her pay for supervising the construction, Lin Yilan never skimped on the information she shared with the Lai family. This was why Lai Chengrong was willing to keep working with her, and why he was willing to leave his own useless son in Beijing to be in charge of his grandfather’s house.

Seeing Lai Jialin’s pen stop moving, Lai Chengrong spoke up. "Miss Lin, you must have guessed our intention today. I would like to invite you to serve as the on-site supervising architect for my parents' house."

"The person in charge of this project is Jialin. I hope you can provide him with plenty of assistance."

"Miss Lin, don't mind that Jialin is older than you; when it comes to social dealings and professional ability, he is fundamentally no match for you."

Hearing this, Lin Yilan just smiled without comment. Lai Jialin took the opportunity to raise his cup in a toast. "Miss Lin, I'll be counting on you."

Lin Yilan had to play along and clinked her cup against his. "Not at all. We shall learn from each other and progress together."

Lai Chengrong was clearly satisfied with this, and he produced a drafted contract and placed it in front of Lin Yilan. "This is the contract for our cooperation on building my parents' house. Please take a look and see if there are any issues."

Lin Yilan picked up the contract and began to read it carefully. Being able to design the project and also land the supervisory role was purely due to the current lack of management for construction projects. Otherwise, in her past life, a college freshman designing a building and starting construction without a structural engineer’s approval, while also acting as the on-site supervisor, would have likely landed her in prison.

The terms of the contract were simple. Lin Yilan quickly skipped over the preceding clauses and looked at the section on compensation.