Chapter 20
For the next few days, Xia Wan forced herself to focus on the project almost entirely through sheer willpower. She forced herself to pour all her energy into studying the "Record of Internal Structural Engineers of the Republic of China Bank," attempting to fill every inch of her mind with obscure craftsman's notes and complex structural diagrams. The results were limited. Occasionally, those yellowed pages and tiny, tiny calligraphy would transform into the corners of his dark gray clothes or his calm gaze.
Lin Wei keenly noticed her abnormality.
"Wanwan, what's wrong with you these past two days? You seem so absent-minded?" During lunch, Lin Wei bit her chopsticks and stared at her suspiciously. "Your dark circles are almost down to your chin! Did you stay up late reading materials again? Or... did something happen?"
"It's okay, just a little stuck on the vault wall plan." Xia Wan lowered her head, nibbling at the rice on her plate, and prevaricated. She couldn't say "you too" to Lin Wei; it was too personal, too shocking. She needed time to process it.
"Really?" Lin Wei clearly didn't believe it. She moved closer and lowered her voice, "There haven't been any more 'chance encounters' with Jiang Yu... have you?"
Xia Wan's hand holding the chopsticks paused for a moment, then acted nonchalantly, "No. I'm so busy with the project, how could I have time to meet by chance?"
Lin Wei was skeptical. "Oh my, why do I feel like you two are even more clingy after breaking up than when you were dating? Are there any other handsome and thoughtful old classmates like this? Can you introduce me to one?"
"Yes, hasn't Wang Qiang been waiting for you?" Xia Wan joked with her.
Lin Wei pushed her and said, "Sister, please stop cursing me!"
However, Lin Wei's words were not "groundless", and Xia Wan also felt that their "chance encounters" were really too frequent, but she did not dare to think too much about it. She did not dare to think too deeply about that person's every frown and smile, every word and action.
Xia Wan was indeed trying to avoid "chance encounters." She deliberately adjusted her schedules for going to the construction site and the library, and when she attended meetings, she let Xiao Zhao go first, avoiding unnecessary appearances. She needed space to sort out her turbulent emotions and reassess the shaky boundary between her and Jiang Yu as "classmates."
However, fate did not seem to intend to give her much breathing room.
On Wednesday afternoon, the project team held a meeting to further discuss the reinforcement plan. Halfway through, they reached an impasse over how to address the core challenge of the vault wall's settlement—how to effectively reinforce key joints weakened by earlier workmanship flaws and groundwater erosion, without destroying the original historic appearance. Several mainstream reinforcement options were rejected, one after another, due to excessive costs, construction risks, or serious damage to the historic appearance.
The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn, shrouded in smoke, and the table was covered with blueprints. Xia Wan's palms sweated slightly as she looked over the preliminary concept she had compiled based on the "Technician's Record." Her proposal was bold. It borrowed the "glutinous rice mortar" reinforcement concept mentioned in the report, but refined it with modern materials science. She attempted to use a new, antique-style composite material for localized penetration reinforcement. The risk lay in the unprecedented large-scale application of this material on such a significant historical load-bearing structure, and the supporting data was incomplete.
She was hesitating whether to bring it up for discussion when there was a knock on the meeting room door.
The Party A representative stood up and opened the door. Then a voice with a hint of surprise and respect rang out: "Mr. Jiang? What are you doing here? Please come in!"
Xia Wan's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously clenched the pen in her hand.
Jiang Yu walked in. Still dressed in a dark gray suit, meticulously executed, he exuded his usual calm and imposing aura. Behind him was his assistant, Li Mo. His gaze swept across the slightly messy conference room, finally landing on the head of Party A, who sat in the main seat. He nodded slightly, "Mr. Wang, excuse me. I heard you're working on a reinforcement plan for the vault walls. I happened to be nearby, so I came over to see if I could be of assistance." His reasoning was reasonable, and his manner impeccable.
Mr. Wang, the client, immediately and warmly welcomed him to the empty seat next to the main seat: "We've been looking forward to having Mr. Jiang come to give us guidance! We're stuck at this critical juncture!" As he said that, he signaled the project leader to give a brief report on the current predicament and the plans that had been discussed.
Jiang Yu listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the conference table, his eyes calm and sharp. When he heard the reasons why several plans were rejected, he frowned almost imperceptibly.
After the report was over, President Wang looked at Jiang Yu and said, "President Jiang, you are very experienced. Do you have any suggestions?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Yu. Xia Wan also looked at him, her heart beating uncontrollably. She didn't know what he would say, and she didn't know if his appearance at this moment was really just a "coincidence."
Jiang Yu didn't answer immediately. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on the detailed diagram of the vault wall structure spread out in the center of the table. His slender fingers pointed at several key areas circled in red, indicating the most severe subsidence and cracking.
"Here's the key." His voice was deep and clear. "Traditional 'boot-and-hat' style of external steel reinforcement or extensive grouting would severely damage the appearance and wouldn't be suitable for a space with such an unusually complex internal structure. Conventional chemical anchors or carbon fiber reinforcements also place very high demands on the base material. I'm afraid the current state of your walls won't be able to withstand it."
He pointed out the pain point accurately, and the meeting room fell silent.
"Have you ever considered," Jiang Yu raised his head, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping in Xia Wan's direction, but not lingering on her face, as if simply scanning the entire room, "using some lost or improved traditional craftsmanship ideas? For example, borrowing from some special materials used in the restoration of ancient buildings, which have micro-expansion and good adhesion, to perform local infiltration and reinforcement? This can effectively fill gaps and strengthen the base, while minimizing the impact on the original appearance."
His words, like a bolt of lightning, split the heavy atmosphere in the conference room! This was exactly the core idea of Xia Wan's initial concept!
Xia Wan suddenly looked up at Jiang Yu. He was also looking at her, and their eyes met briefly in the air filled with the smell of smoke and anxiety.
His eyes remained calm, without any hint or attempt at self-criticism, only a pure inquiry into professional thinking. It was as if he had simply thought of this direction and brought it up.
But Xia Wan knew it wasn't a coincidence. He had read the "Technician's Record" and had accurately grasped the essence of her research direction. Even when she herself was hesitant and lacked sufficient data to support it, he effortlessly brought this idea to the attention of the decision-makers, clearing her biggest obstacle—the potential skepticism and resistance to proposing a "non-mainstream" solution.
"This idea... is very inspiring!" The old engineer from the design institute pushed up his glasses, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "I remember there was similar research in the early years on the application of bionic materials in the reinforcement of ancient buildings..."
"Yes! We have thought about it before, but we have been troubled by the lack of mature materials and construction cases to support it..." The representative of the construction party also became excited.
The discussion in the conference room shifted instantly, igniting a heated debate around this "new idea." Xia Wan was called upon to elaborate on her initial concept and the progress of her material research. She took a deep breath, suppressed the pounding in her heart, stood up, and walked over to the projector.
This time, she didn't hesitate. With clear thinking and well-founded arguments, she combined ancient texts with modern materials science analysis to present a bold proposal, still reminiscent of a "unique" document, in a coherent and well-organized manner. Her voice was clear and confident, her eyes focused and bright, as if she were radiating the unique brilliance of her professional field.
Jiang Yu sat in the back, listening quietly. He didn't interrupt, his gaze fixed on Xia Wan, who was speaking freely. The light from the desk lamp outlined her thin but straight back. She pointed at the structural node diagram on the screen, her fingertips carrying a steady strength. She was no longer the girl shivering in the cold wind, sleeping in the car with a tired face, nor was she the woman with a distant and resolute gaze at the alley entrance in Jincheng. She was Xia Gong, a professional with unique insights and unwavering convictions in her field.
His fingers on the armrest curled up unconsciously, and her confident and focused figure at the moment was reflected in his deep eyes, just like a deep pool reflecting the stars.
The meeting ultimately decided that Xia Wan would lead the effort, collaborating with the Materials Research Institute to quickly refine the formulation and performance testing of the new composite material and refine the reinforcement plan accordingly. After the meeting, the crowd escorted Party A and several experts out, leaving Xia Wan and her assistant, Xiao Zhao, alone in the conference room, packing up their materials.
"Engineer Xia! You're amazing!" Xiao Zhao excitedly sorted through the blueprints. "That idea that Mr. Jiang just proposed was a godsend! It instantly opened up the situation!"
Xia Wan paused as she packed her things, not responding. She raised her head, her gaze subconsciously grazing towards the spot where Jiang Yu had just sat. It was empty. Only the faint scent of fir lingered in the air, evidence of his presence.
“God’s assist”…?
Xia Wan's heart was stirred once again. He had accurately "seen" her predicament, and also "seen" the value of her proposal. Then, in a subtle way that best suited his status and abilities, he paved the way for her. He didn't take credit, didn't deliberately get close, and didn't even offer a single word of support as she presented her proposal.
This silent support, based on professional respect, weighed heavily on her heart more than any deliberate help. It both maintained the boundaries of "classmate" and gave her a real push. This sense of propriety made it impossible for her to resist, and she could no longer interpret his behavior as simply "compensation" or "responsibility."
She walked out of the conference room, carrying the documents. The window at the end of the corridor let in the cool winter afternoon sunlight. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
It was a message from an unfamiliar number, containing only one line of concise English and a link:
"Materials Science Review, Vol. 58, Issue 3. Pg 120-135."
(Materials Science Reviews, Vol. 58, No. 3, pp. 120-135)
Xia Wan's heart skipped a beat. She immediately clicked on the link, which led to a prestigious international materials science database. It contained the table of contents for the latest issue of Materials Science Review. She quickly scrolled through the screen, her gaze fixed on page 120.
The title of the article is: "Novel Bio-inspired posite Materials for the Seamless Reinforcement of Historical Masonry Structures".
The abstract of the article almost perfectly confirms the theoretical basis of the material design in her proposal and provides more cutting-edge experimental data and potential application directions!
Xia Wan stood in the empty corridor, the afternoon sun streaming through the window, casting long shadows at her feet. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she looked at the concise message and the priceless link on her phone.
No signature.
But she knew who it was.
He not only "saw" her predicament and her plan, but even at the critical moment when she needed theoretical support, he precisely handed her the most powerful weapon. Still silently, still separated by the distance of "classmates", yet he cast a heavy light where she needed it most.
Xia Wan looked up at the gray-blue sky outside the window. The cold wind was still biting, stirring the bare branches. But within her chest, an unprecedented warmth and strength surged. The tightly closed door of her heart, pried open by this continuous, precise, and restrained "seeing," opened a wider and wider gap.
She pulled out her phone and opened the long-dormant dialog box labeled "Jiang Yu." Her fingertips hovered over the screen, hesitating for a few seconds before she solemnly typed two words: "Send."
"receive."
No thanks, no follow-up questions. Just confirmation of the message's arrival. Like a tacit agreement between fellow professionals.
Almost immediately, the top of the dialog box displayed "The other party is typing..." A few seconds later, a new message popped up:
"You're welcome. I'm looking forward to your proposal."
It was still concise to the extreme. No expression, no small talk. It seemed like just the most ordinary exchange between project partners.
Xia Wan looked at the words, her lips curling up in a barely perceptible arc. She put away her phone, clutched the documents in her arms, and strode forward into the chill wind at the end of the corridor.
Looking forward to the plan.
Yes, she was looking forward to it too. She looked forward to using this new plan, a fusion of ancient wisdom, modern technology, and his silent support, to conquer that stubborn underground vault and embrace... a future that seemed to be being redefined. The path ahead seemed to have become clearer and more resolute, thanks to the value of being "seen."
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