Chapter 517 She Won’t Return to Him
He thought these five years were enough time for those suppressed emotions to settle.
He watched her go abroad for further studies, watched her win international awards, and watched her name appear on the cover of architectural magazines. Every time he told himself, "She has moved on, and you should let it go."
But until this moment, when he saw her in a beige suit, squatting on the ground listening to Xunxun talking, with the sunlight falling on the ends of her hair, all the emotions that he had deliberately suppressed in his heart suddenly rushed out like a broken dam.
"Spiritual Essence," he began, his Adam's apple moving, "Can we talk?"
Han Lingcui stood up, took the lisianthus and handed it to the assistant next to him.
"Please put it in the vase for me."
Then she turned to Xuanyuan Pavilion, her tone gentle but firm.
"I know what you want to say. But in these five years, I've traveled a lot and seen a lot. I'm no longer the Han Lingcui of the past."
"I have to help Xunxun grow up, and I still have a lot of design projects I want to work on. Love isn't a necessity for me, and I don't want to spend time cultivating it."
Xuanyuan Ge's face turned pale. He opened his mouth and wanted to say, "I've been waiting for you for five years" and "I can accompany you."
But looking at Han Lingcui's clear but calm eyes, the words suddenly got stuck in his throat and he couldn't utter a single word.
Chen Hanxing gently pulled Xuanyuan Ge's arm and tried to smooth things over: "Okay, let's not talk about this for now. Lingcui, I have something important to talk to you about."
"The doctor said that my twin pregnancy is stable and I need to take good care of the fetus. Chuxin is my hard work, especially the design department. I want to entrust you with full management."
She took out a letter of authorization from the drawer and said, "I know you just came back and may have your own plans, but the original intention is mine. I don't feel safe handing it over to others."
Han Lingcui looked at the three words "Chen Hanxing" on the authorization letter... and thought of every little detail he had with Chen Hanxing over the years.
She took the pen and signed the authorization form.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
The next morning, Han Lingcui showed up at Chuxin Design's office on time.
Assistant Han Mu was already waiting for her at the door.
"Teacher Han, this is the design department's recent project list. There are still several contracts waiting to be signed."
Han Mu handed over a folder and said, "I've asked the designer to modify the 'Old City Wall' plan you mentioned yesterday according to your ideas. A draft will be ready this afternoon."
Han Lingcui nodded and flipped through the folder.
"Change the design department's regular meetings to twice a week, one to review project progress and one to share case studies."
"Let's look at more designs that blend the old and the new, both domestically and internationally, and stop focusing solely on the flow of traffic in commercial spaces and forgetting the needs of people."
She paused, "Also, pick up the previously shelved 'Alley Cultural and Creative' project. It has three old residential buildings, perfect for a pilot project for 'community micro-renewal,' giving newcomers some practice."
In the next few months, Han Lingcui almost treated the office as his home.
She and Han Mu worked together to reform the design department's processes.
A "project tracking system" has been established, and each design case, from the initial draft to implementation, has a dedicated person responsible for connecting the client and the construction team.
We opened the "Beginner's Lecture Hall", invited senior architects to give lectures, and allowed designers in the department to share their experiences.
He even created an "inspiration area" in the corner of the office, displaying old bricks and old wooden beams.
The "Lane Cultural and Creative" project is progressing smoothly.
Xiao Zhou, a newcomer in the design department, was in charge of the renovation of an old residential building for the first time and encountered difficulties when repairing the wooden windows.
The mortise and tenon structure of the old window is loose, and I want to reinforce it but I am afraid of damaging its original appearance.
Han Lingcui smiled and spoke slowly.
"We used Q355 steel to make hidden beams back then, and we can use the same idea now."
"Embedding thin steel sheets in the mortise and tenon joints does not affect the appearance but also provides reinforcement."
…
The design department of Chuxin Design gradually gained fame in the industry.
After the "Old City" project was launched, it became a popular check-in spot because of its unique design of "Republic of China Post Office + modern business".
The "Xiangli Cultural and Creative" project was named the "Best Community Design Case of the Year", and cultural and tourism departments of many cities have contacted us, hoping to carry out similar projects.
Han Mu looked at the department's performance report and said to Han Lingcui with a smile, "Teacher Han, our design department is now very popular."
There was just one thing that gave Han Mu a headache...
Xuanyuan Ge comes to Chuxin Design almost every day.
Sometimes at three o'clock in the afternoon, he would come with two cups of coffee, one for Han Lingcui and one on Han Mu's desk.
Then he sat in the corner of the conference room, watching Han Lingcui and the designers discuss the plan, without saying a word or disturbing them.
Sometimes when he was getting off work, he would park his car downstairs of the office building and say, "I'll take you and Xunxun home on the way home." If Han Lingcui refused, he would not insist but just say, "Be careful on the road."
There was even one time when the design department worked overtime until late at night. He came over with a bag of hot dumplings, put them on the coffee table, and just said, "I saw your lights were still on, so I bought some food," and then turned and left.
Han Lingcui was not unaware of Xuanyuan Pavilion's insistence.
Once, Han Mu told her privately.
"Teacher Han, everyone in the company can see what President Xuanyuan is thinking."
Han Lingcui was drawing a blueprint. He paused with his pen and then continued drawing.
"He has his choice, and I have my path. Leave him alone and just do our job."
That night, when Han Lingcui finished working overtime and walked out of the office building, he saw Xuanyuan Ge's car still parked downstairs.
He was sitting in the driver's seat, with no headlights on, only the light from his phone screen reflected on his face.
Han Lingcui walked over and knocked on the car window.
Xuanyuan Ge lowered the car window and looked at her with a tired look in his eyes: "Haven't you left yet?"
"The same to you."
Han Lingcui stood outside the car and said, "Stop wasting time on me. You deserve someone better and you should have your own life."
Xuanyuan Ge was silent for a few seconds, his voice a little hoarse.
"I know you're looking forward to it. But I... can't help it. When you went abroad, I waited for news from you every day."
"Now that you're back, I just want to see more of you, even if it's just like now, watching you walk into the office building and watching you come out."
He smiled bitterly and said, "I thought time would erase these feelings, but it turns out it just buried them deeper."
Han Lingcui looked at him, feeling a little sad, but still shook his head.
"I'm sorry. The most important thing in my life right now is Xunxun, Chuxin's design department, and those unfinished drawings. I don't want to disrupt my current rhythm because of love, and I don't want to delay you."
She paused, "We're still friends, isn't that good?"
Xuanyuan Ge didn't say anything, just started the car.
As the car window slowly rose, he watched Han Lingcui's figure gradually become smaller until it disappeared into the night.
He sat in the car, his fingers gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
He knew that Han Lingcui was no longer the girl who needed protection.
She had her own armor and direction, and he could only stand outside her direction and watch her go further and further away.
…
When I got home, Xunxun was already asleep.
Han Lingcui gently pushed open his door, looked at the child's sleeping face, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
She walked to the desk and picked up the picture Xunxun had drawn today. It was a picture of the office designed by Chuxin. There was her and Han Mu in it, as well as a blurry figure with "Uncle Xuanyuan" written next to it.
Han Lingcui put the drawing paper back on the table, turned around and walked out of the room.
On the coffee table in the living room were the fruits that Shen Hanxing had sent in the afternoon.
Shen Hanxing's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and her movements are slower. Yesterday, she told her, "When the baby is born, you have to be the godmother."
She picked up an apple, wiped it, took a bite, and the sweet taste spread in her mouth.
The street lights outside the window were on, just like the street lights in the old neighborhood five years ago, and the warm yellow light fell on the ground.
She felt that her mentality became extremely peaceful.
The next morning, as soon as Han Lingcui arrived at the office, he saw Han Mu running towards him with a pile of documents.
"Teacher Han, the client for the 'South City Old Factory Renovation Project' has arrived and wants to discuss the plan with you!"
Han Lingcui nodded, straightened his collar, picked up the drawings on the table, and walked towards the meeting room.
When she pushed open the door, the sunlight fell on her, and the brass sunflower brooch on her chest glowed warmly in the light.
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