26 Chapter 26

◎Goodbye, I don’t want to find a colleague◎

The studio was finally back on track and the team was basically formed. Early that morning, Sang Xinqi carefully checked the design drafts in her briefcase and drove to the appointment location with her first client.

This listed company, located in the east of the city, is of considerable size. Because the existing uniform design is outdated and affects the corporate image, it has specially sought a professional design team to redesign it. The navigation showed that the drive time was about half an hour, which made her secretly glad that she decided to buy a car last month.

After arriving on time, she sent a text message to the contact person, and in less than five minutes, a young assistant in uniform came out to greet her.

"Hello, Mr. Sang. I'm Xiaolin, Mr. Wang's assistant," the other person said, welcoming us. "Mr. Wang is currently meeting with a client, but it should be almost over. Please wait in the meeting area."

The reception area on the second floor is spacious and bright, with the city skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Xiaolin brought a cup of steaming Longjing tea, and the fragrance of tea filled the air.

After thanking him, Sang Xinqi took out the design draft for final confirmation.

About twenty minutes later, the door of the next office opened.

She subconsciously looked up, but her gaze froze instantly. The tall figure walking next to Mr. Wang was none other than Liao Yishen.

"It's such a small world," she sighed inwardly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the design. A month had passed since they last met at Jiang Xun's birthday party, and now that they were reunited, her heartbeat uncontrollably quickened.

She stood up calmly, the corners of her lips raised in a perfect arc, "Hello, Mr. Wang."

"Mr. Sang, I've been waiting for a long time," Mr. Wang said, smiling as he approached. He then stepped aside to introduce Mr. Liao, "This is Mr. Liao from Shenyi Company."

Sang Xinqi nodded slightly, "Hello, Mr. Liao."

Mr. Wang then introduced, "Mr. Liao, this is Ms. Sang. Ms. Sang is a famous designer. The pink dress that actress Zhou Jia wore on the red carpet last time was designed by her. She had been abroad before and only recently returned to China to develop her career."

"If it weren't for a friend's introduction, we wouldn't have been able to invite Mr. Sang."

Sang Xinqi smiled and said politely, "No, no, Mr. Wang."

Liao Yishen's gaze lingered on her face briefly, and his jawline stood out as he nodded. "I've heard a lot about you. I look forward to the opportunity for us to work together."

Sang Xinqi's eyelashes trembled slightly, "Okay, Mr. Liao."

"Okay then," Liao Yishen looked at Mr. Wang and said, "Mr. Wang, we'll discuss the details of the cooperation another day. I'll be leaving first."

His voice was low and steady, and the hem of his suit drew a neat arc when he turned around.

Only after watching the slender figure enter the elevator did Sang Xinqi look away.

Mr. Wang smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. Shall we go in and discuss in detail?"

"It's okay, this is a good opportunity for me to refine the plan," she stroked the hair by her ear and followed Mr. Wang into the office. The door closed silently behind her.

When Sang Xinqi came out of the conference room, the wall clock had already pointed to eleven o'clock. She politely declined Mr. Wang's invitation to lunch and walked towards the underground parking lot.

In the empty parking lot, her footsteps echoed on the concrete floor. When she turned the corner, she suddenly stopped. The familiar car was still parked there, with the window half-lowered, revealing Liao Yishen's well-defined profile.

Why is he still here? Is he waiting for her?

Sang Xinqi took a deep breath. They had parted ways peacefully back then. Although they hadn't seen each other for eight years, they wouldn't meet like enemies. She straightened her clothes, put on a professional smile and walked over.

"Boss Liao," she called softly, "Why haven't you left yet?"

Hearing this address, Liao Yishen was obviously startled for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed. He turned his head, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, before saying lightly, "I'll leave now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he closed the car window, started the engine, and the tires made a slight sound as they rubbed against the ground. The black car quickly disappeared around the corner of the parking lot.

Sang Xinqi stood there, looking at the afterimage left by the car's taillights, and shrugged helplessly. Time had passed, and she really could no longer understand the man who was once her closest to her.

It was already noon when we returned to the studio. Assistant Xiao Zhang looked up from the pile of design drafts and asked, "Boss, how did the discussion go?"

"It's going very smoothly." Sang Xinqi placed her bag on the desk, tapping her fingertips lightly. "I'll contact the factory this afternoon. This batch of clothing needs to be completed within a week."

"I understand!" Xiao Zhang responded enthusiastically.

After closing the office door, Sang Xinqi leaned back in her chair, unconsciously supporting her chin and looking out the window. The sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting mottled shadows on the floor, just like her chaotic thoughts at the moment.

-

In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the glass window onto Sang Xinqi's desk. Her mobile phone screen lit up. It was a call from Chang Yisi.

Even during the years when she was abroad, she always kept in touch with her closest deskmate in high school, and would occasionally fly across the ocean to visit her and reminisce about the past.

"I'm not busy," Sang Xinqi closed the design draft, put the scattered colored pencils into the pen holder, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

Chang Yisi's energetic voice came from the other end of the phone, "Why don't you come to the mall near my house? I'll treat you to dinner!"

"OK," Sang Xinqi agreed with a smile.

Half an hour later, when Sang Xinqi parked her car in the underground garage of the shopping mall, she saw Chang Yisi leaning against a pillar playing with his mobile phone from a distance.

The warm yellow light outlines her neat short hair, and the suit jacket makes her look particularly capable.

"How long have we been here?" Sang Xinqi closed the car door and swung her leather handbag gently around her waist.

Chang Yisi looked up, his eyes instantly lighting up, "Just arrived too."

She walked quickly forward and took Sang Xinqi's arm familiarly, and the two of them walked towards the elevator with their shoulders touching, just like they did in their school days.

"I'm really fed up with my current job," Chang Yisi suddenly sighed, her high heels stomping heavily on the marble floor. "My boss treats me like an animal. The bonus from the five million dollar project I negotiated last year wasn't even enough to buy half a bag."

She grew increasingly agitated, her fingers swishing in the air. "Yesterday, they actually dumped the Finance Department's mess on me! I really wanted to jump off the 18th floor, holding the printer!"

Sang Xinqi was amused by her expression and gently squeezed her friend's wrist. "If it doesn't work, try another one?"

"All crows are black," Chang Yisi curled her lips, and suddenly her eyes turned, "Unless..." She deliberately stretched out her tone and tilted her head to look at Sang Xinqi, "Are you still short of people in your studio? I think business negotiations are a good fit for me."

"We're in need of a PR director," Sang Xinqi blinked. "Want to come?"

Chang Yisi suddenly stopped and took a half step back in fear, "Will you make me work overtime every day?"

"Don't worry, I won't," Sang Xinqi said, "I won't exploit anyone but you."

After saying that, they both laughed out loud.

After strolling around the mall for a while, the two went up to the top floor. The hot pot restaurant on the top floor was filled with tempting spicy aroma, so they walked in.

They chose a seat by the window, and the city lights outside the window were pouring down like a galaxy of stars.

In the boiling red oil pot, tripe was flying up and down, and Chang Yisi was dancing to demonstrate the boss's expression when scolding people.

This made Sang Xinqi laugh non-stop.

"By the way, can I introduce you to someone?" Chang Yisi suddenly changed the subject, staring at Sang Xinqi with sparkling eyes, as if she was not the one who had just gritted her teeth and scolded the boss.

Sang Xinqi was stunned and almost choked on the shrimp paste in her mouth. "You change the subject so quickly. Weren't you just accusing the cruelty of capitalism?"

Chang Yisi chuckled and leaned closer, holding his cheek. "I just suddenly remembered this! My cousin keeps nagging me to introduce a date to her son. I'm almost getting calluses on my ears."

She paused, then lowered her voice mysteriously, "Besides, my cousin also studies fashion design."

Sang Xinqi laughed and waved her hands, "Goodbye, goodbye, I don't want to find someone to go with me."

"Don't be so quick to refuse!" Chang Yisi insisted, "She's a gorgeous, top student, and now she's opened her own design company. If you two get together, wouldn't that be a powerful combination? Then the entire fashion industry will belong to you two."

Sang Xinqi: “…”

"Even if it doesn't work out, it's still good to be friends!" Chang Yisi continued to persuade, his fingers tapping out a cheerful rhythm on the table. "You are all in the same industry, and we can still cooperate on projects in the future. It's a sure win! And most importantly, you can even have a free meal."

Sang Xinqi helplessly stirred the dipping sauce in the bowl, trying to change the subject, "I don't need that meal."

"Oh, let's meet!" Chang Yisi dragged out his tone, like a naughty cat, "You're single now anyway, and meeting up won't cost you anything. What if you really fall in love with each other?"

After being pestered to no end, Sang Xinqi finally gave in and said, "Okay, okay."

Chang Yisi immediately slammed the table in triumph, "Then we'll get off work tomorrow! Are you free?"

Sang Xinqi sighed and nodded resignedly, "Yeah, it's okay."

"Perfect!" Chang Yisi smiled and made a victory gesture, taking the last piece of beef from the pot. "Wait for my news tomorrow, I promise to arrange everything for you clearly!"

-

As soon as Sang Xinqi pushed open the glass door in the morning, she saw her assistant Xiao Zhang slumped at his workstation like a frost-bitten eggplant.

Seeing her come in, Xiao Zhang immediately jumped up, holding a stack of documents in his hand.

"Boss..." Xiao Zhang's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "something's wrong."

Sang Xinqi paused and turned her head to look at him, "What's wrong?"

"The factory we contacted yesterday..." Xiao Zhang handed her the contract and said depressedly, "They called us this morning and said they couldn't take our order anymore."

Sang Xinqi took the document and gently stroked the breach of contract clause with her fingertips. "What's the reason?"

"They said a big client cut in line and was willing to pay double the expedited fee," Xiao Zhang said, his cheeks flushing with anger. "We were the ones who signed the letter of intent first, and they actually...actually said they were willing to pay liquidated damages and just let us go!"

The air in the office suddenly became thick. Sang Xinqi closed her eyes, her eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyes. When she opened them again, her expression was calm. "I understand. I'll find a way."

"But Mr. Wang's delivery date..." Xiao Zhang rubbed his fingers anxiously.

"Don't worry," Sang Xinqi patted her shoulder, neither too hard nor too soft, "Go get a list of alternative factories."

Xiao Zhang said, "Okay."

Sang Xinqi returned to the office and leaned back in her chair. She stared at the fire sprinkler on the ceiling, her temples throbbing.

The studio's first order encountered such a mishap. Sang Xinqi felt like a ball of cotton was blocking her heart, and she felt very uncomfortable.

Xiao Zhang quickly knocked on the door and came in with the sorted information about the alternative factories. He placed a neat stack of documents on her desk and said, "Boss, this factory is not bad. It's second only to the one we chose before."

Sang Xinqi nodded, took the document, and carefully read it. When she dialed the phone, her voice had returned to its usual calmness. "Hello, Director Li, I'm Sang Xinqi... Yes, regarding this construction period, we need to ensure that everything is perfect..."

After chatting for a while and making sure that there would be no unexpected changes or breach of contract, Sang Xinqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems I need to find a long-term and stable factory to cooperate with," she whispered to herself, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table unconsciously. The studio has just started and cannot withstand such changes.

-

As night fell, when Sang Xinqi pushed open the carved wooden door of the restaurant, a faint scent of sandalwood greeted her.

Lanterns hung low in the hall, casting a warm, yellow glow on the blue brick walls, shrouding the space in a hazy, classical charm. On the stage, a girl in white played the guzheng, her fingertips gliding as the melody of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" poured down like water.

Sang Xinqi followed the table number sent by Chang Yisi and walked in. Her eyes fell on the private seat by the window. A tall figure was facing her, and his slender fingers tapped the table from time to time, the rhythm of which was subtly in sync with the sound of the piano on the stage.

"Hello, I am..." She just sat down opposite him, but her voice stopped abruptly.

In the warm light, the man's raised face was angular, and the peach blossom eyes behind the lenses contained a faint smile. A sense of familiarity ran through her heart like an electric current, but she could not remember where she had seen it.

"Sang Xinqi?" The other man recognized her first, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then a smile of understanding spread across his face. "Xu Jianian, do you remember?" He leaned forward slightly, his sleeve brushing against the teacup, bringing with it a wisp of the Longjing teacup's fragrance. "We met eight years ago at the designer competition."

The floodgates of memory suddenly opened, and Sang Xinqi suddenly remembered the design competition eight years ago, where he won first place. "It's you!" She couldn't help but smile. "You've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you."

Xu Jianian pushed his glasses up in a worried manner, "Am I ugly?"

"How could that be?" Sang Xinqi accepted the hot towel handed to her by the waiter. In the misty air, she saw that the youthfulness between his eyebrows had faded, and a calmer charm had been added. "He has become more..." She chose her words carefully, "more mature and steady."

The piano music changed its tune at that moment. Xu Jianian chuckled softly, his Adam's apple drawing a beautiful arc under the light. "You are more dazzling than before."

Sang Xinqi smiled sheepishly, "Thank you for the compliment."

"I never thought Yisi is your cousin," Sang Xinqi gently stirred the scented tea in the cup, the hot steam blurred the corners of her slightly raised mouth.

Xu Jianian's bony fingers paused on the menu, a smile in his eyes behind his glasses. "I never expected we would meet again in this way. We only knew each other briefly back then, and even though we added each other's contact information, we didn't really keep in touch."

"Yes," Sang Xinqi looked at the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, and her memory seemed to go back to eight years ago.

"Are you from Qingcheng?" Xu Jianian pushed the hot tableware in front of her.

"Yeah, I was born and raised here," Sang Xinqi took the cutlery. "Your accent doesn't sound like it."

"I went to university in the capital," Xu Jianian explained. "I had originally planned to stay there to develop my career, but then..." His voice softened a bit, "My father wasn't in good health, and my mother couldn't bear to leave Qingcheng."

Sang Xinqi noticed that when he mentioned his family, his fingertips unconsciously stroked the rim of his teacup. She thoughtfully replied, "It's great to be able to be with my family."

Xu Jianian's expression relaxed, and he handed her the menu. "Would you like to try their signature dish? I heard you like spicy food, and this boiled fish is well-received."

Sang Xinqi raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Yisi even told you this?"

"Besides not telling me your name," Xu Jianian said with a sly glint in his eyes, "I also know that you particularly like eating things like snail noodles and stinky tofu."

He shook his phone. "That girl sent me ten points of attention."

The two smiled at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed.

After ordering, Xu Jianian naturally took out his phone and found Sang Xinqi's chat page. "Now I have a legitimate reason to chat with you."

Sang Xinqi smiled, but saw the note "Second place Sang Xinqi". She raised an eyebrow, "Second place?"

Xu Jianian smiled and said, "To remember you better."

Sang Xinqi, "Then I really thank you."

"I'll change it now," Xu Jianian lowered his head to make changes. After removing the second three characters, he looked up and asked, "I heard your studio is just starting out? I've built up some connections in Qingcheng over the past few years. Feel free to let me know if I need any help."

"I'll make a note of that," Sang Xinqi raised her teacup, "Don't think I'm bothering you when the time comes."

Xu Jianian raised his teacup, the corners of his mouth curled up, "Of course not."

The glasses clinked gently, making a crisp sound.

The guzheng on the stage was playing the brilliant passage of "Spring River Moon Night". The sound of the strings was like pearls falling on a jade plate, adding a bit of poetry to this unexpected reunion.