Chapter 38

Yoda took a closer look. Although there were many odds and ends left unfinished, the previous contractors hadn't dared to go too far because of the contract. It was just some minor work, like water valves not being installed properly and affecting usability, or custom-made curtains not being installed on time because they needed to be repositioned. The tasks weren't particularly difficult, just messy and annoying.

After Yoda joined, everyone rallied and worked together to resolve the clients' needs one by one. Once the firm returned to normal, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, we were able to arrange the long-awaited victory celebration banquet.

Liu Si said to Shi Xing, "President Shi, Sister Youda offered to help us, you should thank her properly." She then covered her mouth and chuckled.

Yoda glanced helplessly at Liu Si. She had initially emphasized to Shi Xing that she had come because Liu Si had asked her to. After all, she and Shi Xing had an agreement to remain independent of each other.

Fortunately, Shi Xing just smiled and didn't bring up the matter again, instead changing the subject. "There are only a few of us in the firm now, so let's not call him 'President Shi' anymore."

Actually, at first there were only Shi Xing and Yu Shun, and they could just call each other by their first names. But as more and more people joined the firm, Yu Shun said that the firm needed to have a hierarchy, and it wouldn't look good for him to go out and discuss business without a title, so that's how the rule was set.

Since Shi Xing is dispensable anyway, and Yu Shun wants to address him that way and has his reasons, then we should go along with his wishes.

However, now that so many people have left and the firm has restarted, Shih-hsing feels there's no need to use these false titles. Let's keep it simple and focus everyone's energy on our work.

Everyone nodded in agreement, their minds racing with ideas.

"Should we give each other nicknames? Big companies all do that."

"Forget it, we're designers. What if customers think we're trying to run away with a bunch of aliases?"

"If you ask me, we should just call you 'teacher,' that's the new way of addressing people these days." Everyone looked at each other. Because they had been eating and chatting, everyone was so relaxed that they were sitting crookedly and slouching. It was really hard to say such a formal title.

"Or, you can just call him Master. In ancient times, people in our line of work were called Master Ink Masters." The person who said it repeated it a few times and nodded, thinking it was a good idea.

The person next to Shi Xing laughed and said, "Then the boss should just be called the manager."

Wang Mian suggested, "Actually, we can do what's traditional in this industry and add '工' (gong) after everyone's surname to make us seem more professional."

Liu Si sat to the side and complained, "I think you just want people to call you Engineer Wang, like royalty."

Wang Mian slapped his forehead: "Huh, I didn't even notice. From now on, this will be my title: Designer Wang, Designer Wang. Sounds like a high level of expertise. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to do high-end custom design someday, haha."

Liu Siping is usually quite shy, but when she faces Wang Mian, her fighting spirit rises dramatically. The two of them talk non-stop, one after the other.

Yoda heard the person beside Shi Xing ask him, "How's that workwear project we agreed on before?"

Shih Hsing: "We are still doing preliminary surveys, but the company we have commissioned will come to the firm to do the landscaping. At that time, everyone can suggest whatever plants they want."

Liu Si, with her sharp ears, asked excitedly, "Really? Then I need to plan the front hall properly. It's been a mess lately. Now that we're newlyweds, let's redecorate it for good luck."

Wang Mian thought to himself, "Wrong. They're all old faces. There are no new faces."

Liu Si was taken aback by what she said. She wanted to retort, but then she noticed everyone was looking at her and felt a little embarrassed. She angrily shoved a huge pile of lettuce into Wang Mian's bowl: "Eat your vegetables. Free designer, huh."

Wang Mian recalled how he had almost been misunderstood because of his name, and how he had only escaped unscathed thanks to Liu Si's handmade crafts. "He who has received a favor is bound to be obliging," he thought, and stopped his frivolous talk. He picked up a piece of lettuce, put it in his mouth, and made a shushing gesture. "Very well," he thought, "now I'm obligated to help him."

Everyone ate and drank, creating a lively and relaxed atmosphere.

Yoda looked at Shi Xing and asked as if casually, "Doesn't that mean we haven't received the design fee yet, and we have to pay an extra landscaping fee first?"

Shi Xing put Yoda's favorite dish into her bowl, watching her eat and move closer to him without turning her head to look at him. He found it amusing, but still explained gently, "There are fewer people in the firm now, so we have some space to improve the environment. This is my first time designing greenery for an office area, so we'll use our space to practice first."

Yoda asked in surprise, "Then why didn't they set it up themselves?"

Shi Xing reached out and wiped the condiment from Yoda's mouth with a tissue: "Everyone has their own expertise. Now that we're doing it inside an office building, the requirements for paving materials and planting design are much higher. We also need to divide it into different functional areas, which must reflect the company culture and meet fire safety requirements. That's why we commissioned a firm to design it."

Yoda nodded, her initial embarrassment gradually easing. The next moment, Shi Xing's voice drifted over: "Tell me, what happened at the company?"

Yoda looked around nervously, his hands fidgeting. "What? What's wrong?"

Shi Xing smiled and said, "You just said we should keep our distance. If it weren't for company matters, you wouldn't have changed your mind so quickly, and you certainly wouldn't have had time to help."

"Okay, I knew I couldn't hide it." Yoda surrendered and honestly confessed: "The data was wrong for no reason last time, and I was complained about again this time, so they made me stop working."

Although Yoda had to accept the decision for the time being to prevent the situation from escalating, she couldn't help but complain: "I have already appealed to higher authorities. The last incident was intentional, but there has been no result. And this time it's too coincidental. The designer I was with happened to be out of town, and the contract that the customer we arranged to sign had loopholes everywhere. My suggestions were all turned into malicious additions."

He took a sip of water to catch his breath. Yoda continued, "Actually, I still think there's something wrong with the company's processes. To maximize efficiency, different people handle contract signing and design, and since they have different ideas, the final result has to be compromised."

Looking at the harmonious atmosphere among everyone at the firm, Yoda sighed, "If only companies were like firms, designers could communicate with clients from the very beginning, which would avoid a lot of subsequent problems."

Shi Xing then told her, "Design companies have standardized management practices and their own considerations. I know people in the company; do you want me to put in a good word for you?"

Yoda turned to look at the composed Shi Xing and made an exaggerated expression: "Wow. Are you going to pull strings and use your connections to get me in?"

Shi Xing: "It's okay if it happens once in a while, but this time, it must have been at the behest of the company's higher-ups to suppress your complaint. They even specifically set up this scheme against your personality. When someone uses their privilege to pressure you, don't you want to fight back?"

Seeing that Shi Xing seemed serious, Yoda withdrew his teasing thoughts: "Forget it. It's not like this is the only place in the world where you'll encounter privilege. Every time you feel oppressed, you think about using privilege to fight back, but in the end, you just end up associating with those people."

Yoda finished eating and stopped what he was doing. "Don't worry about me. Justice will prevail. I'll just wait for the notification. Even if there's no result, so what? Are you going to freeze me out, no, put me in a cold storage, over something like this? This is a harmonious society now, don't worry."

She kept piling food into Shi Xing's bowl, saying, "You've been working too hard lately, you've lost weight. Your cheeks are sunken, eat more to nourish yourself."

As Yoda expected, she soon received a notice to return to work.

"So, that's it?" Yoda was somewhat indignant. Having been framed repeatedly without any evidence, Yoda had been feeling incredibly aggrieved. Now, all she'd been told was that she could return to work, with no further conclusions.

Designer Wang, seemingly unfazed, took a sip of tea, which was still a bit too hot for his mouth. He put down his cup and urged Yoda, "What else do you want? To rush up and start a fight?"

Yoda said helplessly, "Teacher, you must be joking."

Compared to the beginning, these events have actually made their relationship even closer. Yoda's current address to Designer Wang is genuine. Anyone with eyes to see knows that someone in the company dislikes Yoda and is secretly orchestrating these things.

Designer Wang, whom Yoda always saw as strict and unapproachable, actually believed in her without a doubt. Even though she was implicated because of Yoda, she had no complaints and kept comforting Yoda.

Yoda knew that the other side had also played a significant role in enabling his rapid return.

Because the two of them knew each other's character, Designer Wang quietly told Yoda, "Didn't you notice the changes in the positions? They noticed our appeal a long time ago, but they lacked evidence. This is the best outcome we can hope for now."

Yoda scoffed, "So no one's going to care about my losses. And that salesperson who signed the contract that day, they might have deliberately given me a contract with loopholes, and I didn't even expose them to the customer."

Designer Wang: "Alright, they've already signed the contract, so whatever you say is just your side of the story. You want to change the company's procedures? Besides, we don't need to pay compensation for the custom cabinet last time, and you won't be shortchanged on your share of the profits during this period."

Yoda wanted to say a few more words about how unreasonable the company's current model was, but Designer Wang, afraid she would say more, quickly kicked her out: "Have you looked at the new project carefully? Go check the site, don't disturb my drawing."

Yoda shook his head: "Okay, I'll go."

Work resumed its usual rhythm. Yoda was just about to rest when there was a gentle knock on the door.

Yoda struggled to get up and open the door. "Mom? What's wrong?"

The younger brothers went to bed early, and their father hadn't come home yet. Yoda's mother went into Yoda's room, hesitated for a few moments, and then asked, "Did you and Shixing have a fight? I haven't seen him lately."

Yoda hadn't expected her mother to be so observant. She didn't want to talk about her and Shixing's agreement to separate and increase their independence. Although they both spoke very solemnly about it, she felt a little ashamed if someone outside of them knew.

Aside from the two of them, everyone else would probably find them ridiculous. "It's nothing, he's just been a bit busy lately."

Yoda's mother could tell from Yoda's expression that he was hiding something, and frowned with worry, saying, "You two didn't break up, did you?"