Chapter 39: Going against Zhu Jin, and winning.

The person in charge, holding the phone, trembled with fright.

He thought Shen Shuangmiao was just bragging.

It turns out he really is a disciple of Master Reso!

The person in charge quickly looked at Zhu Jin.

The group followed and looked over.

Zhu Jin remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anything amiss.

The person in charge wiped his sweat and could only try to smooth things over: "We...we just felt that your apprentice's qualifications needed to be evaluated after the assessment..."

"What do you mean by 'qualifications need to be assessed'? My student, whom I personally trained and taught for four years, and who was a key member of the Yunhong project's design team, isn't qualified to take on your stadium design project?!"

On the video call screen, Professor Letso, with his gray hair, was roaring with great force.

Even through a screen, the vibrations were so loud they hurt my eardrums.

He slammed his hand on the table, and the virtual image seemed to shake.

The person in charge was covered in cold sweat, and his back involuntarily bent over.

"Mr. Lei, please calm down, please don't be angry, that's not what we meant..."

"That's not what you meant! I think that's exactly what you meant!" Letso didn't give him a chance to explain, turning his fire to the other side. "Where's Xiao Zhao? Let your chief of staff, Zhao Qiming, speak to me!"

"I'd like to ask, have the rules of the industry changed? Am I no longer qualified to vouch for my apprentice?"

The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Shen Shuangmiao stood quietly to the side, her back straight, her gaze calm as she watched the scene unfold before her.

She didn't expect the teacher to get so angry.

She was desperate and, clinging to her last hope, contacted her teacher who was living abroad in retirement.

Her design proposal was questioned, while her biggest competitor, Zhou Wu, received strong support from the Zhu Group.

Before she could even ask, Letso only asked one question: "Who is the person in charge? Get me on video when we get there!"

And then, it became what it is now.

Zhu Jin sat at the other end of the long table.

At this moment, his handsome face was expressionless, and beneath the indifference, a faint hint of surprise could be detected upon closer inspection.

Zhu Jin's gaze swept across the screen and landed on Shen Shuangmiao's calm profile. His eyes were deep and unreadable.

Zhou Wu sat next to Zhu Jin, her nails almost digging into her palms.

She glanced at Zhu Jin subtly, only to find that his attention was not on her at all.

Soon, Zhao Qiming, the person in charge of the stadium, rushed over and appeared on the video, his face full of a fearful smile.

"Old Lei! Oh dear, what wind has disturbed you! Look at you, you were resting and I've disturbed you, what a sin!"

Lei Su snorted coldly, showing no politeness whatsoever: "Zhao Qiming, don't give me that nonsense! Have you even seen Shen Shuangmiao's design proposal?"

"I...I've already seen it." Mr. Zhao wiped his sweat.

"How's your skill level?"

"Excellent! Very creative and highly practical..."

"Then why the delay? I heard you're more interested in another... W Studio?"

Letso pressed on, his displeasure evident. "What, do you think I'm too old and my apprentices are no longer useful? Or do you think that the funds brought in by certain people are more important than the rationality of a stadium design?"

These words were practically an insult directed at Zhu Jin.

Shen Shuangmiao glanced at Zhu Jin without showing any emotion.

Just then, Zhu Jin also looked over.

Their eyes met, and Zhu Jin's eyes held a hint of mockery.

Shen Shuangmiao knew that he had misunderstood and thought she had complained.

Actually, that's not true.

She simply told the teacher that their competitor had the backing of the Zhu Group.

It doesn't matter, as long as she can get the cooperation contract that belongs to her, she doesn't care how Zhu Jin misunderstands.

Mr. Zhao was already drenched in sweat.

On one side is Resso, an industry giant and the original designer of the stadium's main hall.

On the other side is Zhu Jin, the heir of the wealthy and powerful Zhu Group, whom no one dares to offend.

He struggled to weigh the pros and cons, but in the end, his long-term reputation prevailed.

Resor's status in the architectural world cannot be measured by money.

If he dares to defy Old Master Lei today, he can forget about working in this circle in the future.

"Mr. Lei, you flatter me! You flatter me!"

Mr. Zhao quickly stated, "We have always highly approved of Ms. Shen's design proposal! There were some misunderstandings about the proposal before, but now we understand completely!"

He turned to Shen Shuangmiao, his tone becoming extremely solemn and polite.

"Ms. Shen, I apologize for the inconvenience you and your team have suffered. On behalf of the project team, I hereby officially announce that this design project will be led by you and your studio! I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration!"

The decision was final.

Zhou Wu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he looked sharply at Zhu Jin.

Zhu Jin's jawline tightened for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.

He didn't even glance at Zhou Wu; his gaze remained fixed on Shen Shuangmiao.

On the screen, Letor's expression softened somewhat, but it still retained its sternness.

“That’s more like it. Shuangmiao, you continue talking to them. If you have any questions, just tell the teacher directly.”

"Thank you, teacher," Shen Shuangmiao finally spoke, her voice filled with gratitude.

The video was cut off, and an eerie silence fell over the conference room.

Shen Shuangmiao slowly stood up, her gaze meeting Zhu Jin's for the first time.

There was no retreat or dejection as before, nor any provocation from the victor; only a settled calm and detachment.

"Mr. Zhao, my team will get in touch with you on the follow-up details as soon as possible."

She spoke to President Zhao first, then looked at Zhu Jin and Zhou Wu, her tone polite and professional, "President Zhu, Miss Zhou, you flatter me."

Zhu Jin looked at her, a very subtle ripple flashing across his eyes.

The swan-like beauty before me was both strange and familiar.

She seemed to still be the same meek and submissive Shen Shuangmiao, someone who could easily forgive and forget what she had done, yet something about her had changed.

Shen Shuangmiao now possessed a sharp, resilient, and calm demeanor that he hadn't seen in the past two years.

More importantly, she actually managed to get Letso involved.

She actually managed to tear open a gap in his seemingly insurmountable situation and snatch the project away from him in this way, without saying a word.

Shen Shuangmiao and the project team quickly finalized the cooperation, confirming that the order belonged entirely to her studio, before she and Fu Xuan turned and left the meeting room.

Zhu Jin stared at her disappearing figure, his eyes growing increasingly deep and unfathomable.

Zhou Wu couldn't help but whisper, "Ah Jin, look at her..."

Zhu Jin suddenly stood up, his tone devoid of emotion: "Let's go."

Zhou Wu bit her lip, not expecting him to react this way.

A strange glint flashed in her eyes, and she quickly followed, carrying her bag.

Zhu Jin walked out first, unusually not waiting for Zhou Wu, but his mind kept replaying everything that had just happened.

Meanwhile, Shen Shuangmiao didn't notice Zhu Jin coming out; she was excitedly high-fiving Fu Xuan in celebration.