Chapter 518 Finale
When I pushed open the door, the sunlight was slanting across the long table in the conference room, casting a faint spot of light on the preliminary design drawing of the "Renovation of the Old Factory in the South City".
The representative of Party A was an old engineer with gray hair. He tapped his fingers on the area marked "original steel rolling workshop" on the drawing, and his tone was somewhat cautious.
"Teacher Han, the steel trusses in this factory are sixty years old. You want to preserve the main structure for an art exhibition hall. Can you guarantee the safety factor?"
Han Lingcui pushed the open notebook over. On the page was a detailed diagram of the node that she had drawn overnight.
The steel truss connections, circled with a dark red marker, are marked with the solution of "carbon fiber cloth reinforcement + stainless steel node sleeves".
Attached is the reference data for the reinforcement project of the old church in Florence.
"We have done three stress simulations," she said, her fingertips falling on the drawing, her voice steady but powerful.
"Preserving the industrial texture of the trusses is not only a visual necessity, but also gives the space a sense of historical weight. It's like the growth rings of an old building; if you demolish it, the soul is gone."
The old engineer stared at the blueprint for three minutes and suddenly laughed.
"I've heard about the 'symbiosis of the old and the new' of 'Chuxin Design' before, and today I finally see it in action. Just follow your ideas, I trust you."
…
It was late autumn, just one year since Han Lingcui returned to China.
Shen Hanxing's twin sons, Qi Nian and Qi Xiang, were just half a year old. They were wrapped in a soft stroller and were often pushed to the company's "inspiration area" by their nanny.
In addition to old bricks and wooden beams, there is also a small wooden cradle.
After school, Xunxun would always lie down next to her two younger brothers and read the picture books she had drawn to them.
The sunflowers in the painting are always blooming golden, and occasionally a blurry figure in a windbreaker appears with "Uncle Xuanyuan" written next to it.
Xuanyuan Pavilion’s company became a strategic investor of Chuxin Design in the winter of that year.
On the day of the signing, a simple fruit plate was placed in the conference room. Shen Hanxing and Han Lingcui each held a child, and Xunxun sat beside them flipping through the architectural magazine brought by Xuanyuan Pavilion.
Xuanyuan Ge pushed the signed agreement over, his eyes falling on the sunflower brooch on Han Lingcui's chest, his tone purely work-like.
"For the next three months, I'll focus on helping you connect with historic district projects in the Yangtze River Delta. The government departments there are very interested in 'integration of old and new'."
Han Lingcui nodded and handed him a printed project list.
"These are the three priority projects we've shortlisted. They're all tough issues in old neighborhoods. Either the property rights are complicated or residents have different opinions."
Xuanyuan Ge took the list and ran his finger over the item "Renewal of shops along Pingjiang Road".
Suddenly I remembered the old alley I had seen in "Shiguangji" five years ago, "Take your time. You designers are the ones who are least afraid of 'grinding'."
This "grinding" process took two years.
Chuxin Design won the renovation project of the old railway station.
This old building, built in 1908, was once an important railway hub, but was later left idle due to outdated facilities.
Party A required that "the clock tower and mosaic murals must be preserved while meeting the passenger flow needs of a modern high-speed railway station."
Many design companies in the industry are deterred, feeling that "historical preservation and functional requirements are sworn enemies."
Han Lingcui and his design team lived in the old train station for half a month.
During the day, she and Han Mu took tape measures to measure the size of each pillar and listened to the stories of the old railway workers.
At night, she drew sketches in the makeshift office. Xunxun, who was on spring break, came along and sat in the corner, drawing the light and shadow changes of the clock tower on a tablet.
Late one night, Xunxun pointed at the "underground passage" design on the sketch.
"Mom, can you put up pictures of old train tickets on the walls of the passage? That way, walking through it will feel like you're looking at the history of the railway."
Han Lingcui was stunned for a moment, then added a stroke to the sketch.
Later, this underground passage covered with replicas of old train tickets became a "net celebrity check-in spot" at the renovated old train station.
Passengers can look up and see the sunlight shining through the glass dome, and hear the hourly time announcements from the clock tower. In this space, the old and the new mesh together as precisely as gears.
On the day the project was launched, Chengcheng held his brothers' hands and stood in front of the mosaic mural.
"Mom, this is much better than the old photos you have on your phone."
Shen Hanxing squatted down and touched his son's head.
Chengcheng's eyes and eyebrows gradually showed the outline of Fu Jingheng. Over the years, no one took the initiative to mention Fu Jingheng to him, and he never asked.
It was just that occasionally when he was sorting out old things, he would see the divorce certificate that Shen Hanxing had hidden in the drawer, and he would silently help her put it back in its place.
It was also in this year that Chuxin Design started preparations for listing.
Shen Hanxing took the lead in connecting with securities companies and law firms, holding five or six meetings every day, and often rushed into the meeting room with documents in his arms.
Han Lingcui focused on design quality control and launched the "Original Design Standard".
Each project is required to retain more than 30% of historical elements while meeting the functional needs of modern life.
During a fundraising roadshow, an investor questioned: "It's so difficult for a design company to scale. How can you ensure that you don't lose sight of your original intention after expansion?"
Han Lingcui didn't say anything, just played a video.
In the video, in an old tailor shop on Pingjiang Road, the owner is using a newly replaced wooden display cabinet to display fabrics. The mortise and tenon structure of the display cabinet was made by Xiao Zhou and the newcomers.
In the clock tower of the old train station, a maintenance worker was checking the newly installed lighting system. The light just happened to hit the eyes of the characters in the mosaic mural, making them come alive.
"Our scale-up is not about copying blueprints," she said firmly, turning off the video.
"It's about replicating the design philosophy of 'understanding people's hearts' into every project."
In the summer, Xunxun was admitted to No. 4 Middle School with the highest score in the city.
On the day he received the admission letter, he ran to the "inspiration area" designed by Chuxin with his schoolbag on his back and placed the letter next to the sunflower pot.
Then he sent a message to Han Lingcui: "Mom, can I come here to do my homework after school? Looking at Lao Zhuan gives me inspiration for writing."
Han Lingcui was meeting the client in another place when he saw the news while standing at the site of an old neighborhood renovation project at the foot of the Xi'an city wall.
She smiled at her phone and replied, "I've saved a window seat for you."
Also in the autumn of that year, Xuanyuan Pavilion participated in the Pre-IPO round of financing for Chuxin Design.
After the signing ceremony, he sent Han Lingcui back to the company with soothing piano music playing in the car.
As they approached the office building, Xuanyuan Ge suddenly said, "I saw the report on Xunxun's design competition. She won the national gold medal. That's impressive."
Han Lingcui nodded and took out a small sunflower keychain from her bag.
It was made by Xunxun using 3D printing. It is brass in color and looks very similar to her brooch.
"Xunxun asked me to give it to you," she said. "Thank you for your support of the company over the years."
Xuanyuan Ge took the keychain, rubbed the patterns on it with his fingertips, and said nothing.
He knew that this keychain was a clear-cut token of gratitude.
Over the years, he has watched Han Lingcui transform from a "designer who just returned to China" to an "industry benchmark."
Watching Xunxun grow from a timid child into a confident teenager, the feelings in my heart have long since changed from surging love to calm protection.
Chuxin Design was successfully listed on the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) with the stock code "301234" and an opening price of 28.8 yuan. It rose 40% on the first day and became the "first design stock" in the capital market.
On the day of the bell ringing, Han Lingcui and Shen Hanxing stood together on the bell platform of the exchange.
Shen Hanxing's hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and Han Lingcui wore a beige suit, with the sunflower brooch on his chest glowing warmly under the light.
Below the stage, Xunxun held up his camera to take pictures, capturing the moment of the bell ringing.
After going public, Chuxin Design's business scope expanded rapidly, from domestic historical block renewal and old factory renovation to overseas cultural heritage protection projects.
On the other end of the video, Shen Hanxing was accompanying Cheng Cheng to prepare for the exam. She pointed at the project drawings on the computer screen.
"When you come back, we have to celebrate. The company's market value has exceeded 10 billion. Also, Xunxun has been admitted to Tsinghua University's Department of Architecture. I just received the notice."
Han Lingcui was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed out loud.
…
As soon as Xunxun’s graduation ceremony ended, Shen Hanxing received a strange phone call.
The person on the other end of the phone was a police officer from the police station, and his tone was heavy.
"Are you Ms. Shen Hanxing? Mr. Fu Jingheng is seriously ill and is in the hospital. He said he wants to see you and the child for the last time."
Chen Hanxing held his cell phone, standing under the sycamore tree at the school gate, watching Xunxun and Chengcheng walking over together.
She was silent for a few seconds and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Send me the address."
Cheng Cheng noticed something was wrong with her and came over to ask, "Mom, what's wrong?"
Shen Hanxing squatted down, looked into her son's eyes, and said calmly: "It's your father. He is dying and wants to see us. If you don't want to go, Mom won't force you."
Chengcheng clenched the strap of his schoolbag, was silent for half a minute, and shook his head.
"I'll go. I want to see him."
The hospital ward was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
Fu Jingheng was lying on the hospital bed, his hair had turned completely white and he was so thin that he was just a bag of bones.
Seeing Shen Hanxing and Cheng Cheng walk in, he made a "ho ho" sound in his throat and struggled to sit up, but was held down by the nurse.
"Han Xing..."
His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, "Chengcheng... I'm sorry..."
Shen Hanxing stood two meters away from the bed and did not move.
"I'm not here to hear you say sorry."
Shen Hanxing's voice was very soft, but as cold as ice, "When you cheated on me back then, it wasn't a momentary confusion, it was the selfishness in your bones."
"You're hesitant, not because you can't bear to leave me, but because you can't bear to leave your own peace and stability. Chengcheng and I have lived a good life these years, and it doesn't matter whether you are with us or not."
Tears rolled out of Fu Jingheng's eyes and he looked at Chengcheng.
"Chengcheng... Dad was wrong... Can you please forgive me..."
Chengcheng stood beside Shen Hanxing, looking at the man on the hospital bed, without any emotion in his eyes.
"I don't forgive you."
Cheng Cheng's voice was soft but firm, "The suffering my mother has endured over the years cannot be offset by a simple 'I'm sorry'."
Fu Jingheng's tears flowed more violently, and the voice in his throat became weaker and weaker.
The nurse came over and said to Shen Hanxing, "Family, please accept my condolences. He is dying."
Chen Hanxing took Chengcheng's hand and turned to walk towards the door. When she reached the door, she stopped and did not look back. Her voice was calm as if she was talking about something that had nothing to do with her.
"Fu Jingheng, don't be reborn as a human in your next life. You don't know how to be a human."
The sunlight was glaring as I walked out of the hospital gate.
Cheng Cheng suddenly hugged Shen Hanxing’s arm and whispered, “Mom, I’m fine.”
Shen Hanxing touched his son's head, his eyes a little red, but he smiled and spoke.
"Come on, let's go get some ice cream to celebrate your graduation."
That night, warm yellow lights lit up on the rooftop terrace designed by Chuxin.
Chen Hanxing brought Chengcheng and the twins, Han Lingcui brought Xunxun, and there were also core team members such as Han Mu and Xiao Zhou.
Xuanyuan Ge also came, holding a bottle of red wine.
On the terrace were the small cakes made by Shen Hanxing, the milk tea bought by Xunxun, and the braised food brought by Han Mu.
This has been their habit over the years. Every time the company takes a step forward, they gather here. There are no polite toasts, just a lively family-like atmosphere.
Shen Hanxing leaned back in the rattan chair, watching the children making noise, then glanced at Han Lingcui beside him.
"Our original design is now number one in the country. Next, should we strive for an international impact?"
Han Lingcui nodded, took a sip of red wine, and his eyes fell on the night scene in the distance.
Xuanyuan Ge stood in the corner of the terrace, watching all this with a gentle smile on his lips.
He held the sunflower keychain in his hand, stroking the patterns on it with his fingertips.
He thought that some feelings did not need to be possessive, and just seeing the other person living a good life was enough.
Han Mu came over with a tablet computer.
"Teacher Han, President Shen, I just received news that we've won a renovation project next to an old opera house abroad. The client said they believe in our 'symbiosis of the old and the new' concept!"
Shen Hanxing and Han Lingcui looked at each other and smiled.
"Come on, cheers!" Chen Hanxing raised his glass and said loudly, "I wish our Chuxin Design will get better and better! I wish the children a bright future!"
Everyone raised their glasses, and the sound of glasses clinking echoed crisply on the terrace.
The night breeze brings the warmth of summer, blowing across everyone's face, and also blowing across the years filled with hard work and warmth.
End of article
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
