Chapter 8 Chapter 8 What are you nervous about?
"Am I the only one who thinks..."
Tao Qingqing was unable to recover for a long time: "What Captain Shi said just now felt a bit like a declaration of sovereignty?"
"No--"
The others also woke up from their dreams: "It's four people!!"
Besides that, Zhao Xuan felt like his idol was about to become a boss's husband, and his entire body was in a state of disarray. "Shit! I'm really not kidding, am I?!"
"Even though he didn't say a few words just now, it felt like—"
He didn't know how to describe it, so he just acted it out based on his reading comprehension.
First he stood up straight and faced everyone, then said seriously, "Well, I have something urgent to do. Everyone, have fun and see you next time."
Afterwards, he turned around in a serious manner and said to Yue Jia affectionately, "Wife, I have to go now. Remember to think of me."
"Is this the right feeling?"
“…”
Yue Jia didn't answer, but two seconds later——
Su Tu heard a pig-slaughtering scream upstairs. Before he could react, the sound quickly turned into a desperate plea for mercy, "I was wrong! Stop hitting me, ahhhh——"
She sat back down at her desk with amusement.
As soon as I put down the blueprints I brought back from the conference room, Tang Mo came over with a look of interest: "Tell me the truth, what's going on?"
Su Tu glanced at her, lowered his head and turned on the computer: "What?"
"Playing dumb?"
Tang Mo tutted her words: "Don't tell me you don't know what they're eating?"
After not checking WeChat for a few hours, Su Tu logged in on his computer and said, "Normal," while checking his unread messages.
"It's the celebrity effect."
"Don't give me that." Tang Mo said, "It's not like you haven't worked with celebrities before. Wasn't that guy pursuing you before? How come you haven't seen this kind of celebrity effect?"
Su Tu was silent: "..."
This doesn't seem to be her problem, right?
Seeing her hesitation, Tang Mo became even more eager to try: "Hey, seriously, is there any hope this time?"
“…”
Su Tu looked up, feeling helpless. He patted the drawing beside him and said meaningfully, "Wedding room."
They are all getting married.
What kind of drama can there be?
Tang Mo disagreed: "What's so strange about that? Decorating a wedding room doesn't mean you have a marriage partner. Isn't it normal to prepare for this in advance?"
But he is not.
Su Tu thought to himself.
From the first time they met, she knew clearly that this wedding house was specially prepared for someone.
But this was ultimately a client's privacy, and he had a special identity. She wasn't entirely clear on the specifics, so it wasn't convenient for her to explain too much. She simply said, "Don't let your imagination run wild."
"Nothing."
Tang Mo didn't quite believe it.
She's not blind. The two of them looked so affectionate when they said goodbye. Even if they haven't been dating yet, it's not an exaggeration to say that they are attracted to each other, right?
But she didn't admit it, so Tang Mo could only ask indirectly: "Why? Isn't he your type?"
Su Tu smiled and said, "Of course not."
Tang Mo was stunned: "Not even this condition? Of course not??"
"So what kind do you like?!"
She has known Su Tu for three or four years. From Guanyu to starting her own business, there have been endless people pursuing her, but she has never seen her fall in love with anyone.
If she didn't have a "famous" ex-boyfriend, she would probably doubt her true orientation!
But despite her curiosity, she didn't expect to get any real answers. Unexpectedly, Su Tu paused for a moment before accurately answering, "Ordinary."
“…”
"Ordinary? Are you sure?"
Tang Mo was even more confused: "You have a face that looks like you can ride a luxury car, and you're telling me you like bicycles??!"
Su Tu was amused by her analogy, and after a while he said in defense: "Believe me, ordinary is really not a derogatory word."
The lights of thousands of homes are ordinary.
It is ordinary to have something to rely on in your heart.
A steady stream of income is also ordinary.
These phenomena mean warmth, stability, and security.
They are rare and can only be found by chance.
Tang Mo still couldn't understand: "So you never fall in love because the men you meet are too extraordinary?"
Su Tu thought for a moment and said, "That's not wrong."
She subconsciously asked: "Is your ex-boyfriend like this?"
Su Tu: “…”
The air was stagnant.
Tang Mo's expression froze, and she quickly patted her own stinky mouth to make amends: "Sorry for talking too much, just pretend I didn't ask~"
Su Tu smiled and asked her, "Why are you here today?"
It’s raining heavily.
There haven't been any cases requiring her to submit materials recently.
"oh--"
Tang Mo slapped her head again: "If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten! Are you preparing for Jinli's bid?"
“…”
Su Tu was stunned for a moment, but he didn't shy away from it: "Yeah."
Tang Mo then pulled a chair, sat down and began to talk: "I went to Guanyu to deliver samples at noon, and I just happened to hear them talking about this."
"I heard that at a dinner party a few days ago, I saw you looking for Mr. Wu everywhere. I don't know how you managed to get a bidding spot."
"But from what I've heard, although this is nominally a bidding process, the positions have essentially been decided internally. They're just giving away a few spots as a symbolic formality."
"So no matter how much time and effort you put into it, or how beautifully you craft your plan, in the end you'll just be a runner-up. I don't know why you're so desperate to join in on this fun..."
In fact, the original words are even more unpleasant.
First, people said that she was greedy and even wanted to snatch clients from her former company, not to mention such a small studio, which was not even worthy of such a bidding project. So it is conceivable what means she used to get the entry ticket.
Then, the conversation continued, bringing up the old gossip about how she'd been dumped by her ex all those years before and still refused to give up. Wasn't she determined to remain a virgin and wait for him? Why wasn't she waiting anymore? Did she realize the challenges of entrepreneurship after being slapped by reality and finally decided to take shortcuts?
Finally, she sneered and said that her efforts would be in vain, and that she would delay other projects in order to bid. In the end, she would not be able to get the bid, and her studio would probably be in trouble. Even if her ex-boyfriend really came back and heard about "these things", he would never want such stuff again.
They said she was just relying on her good looks to mess around, and she might end up killing herself someday. Wouldn't she have to come back for another interview then?
What's this interview about? To be your assistant?
I don't dare to take this assistant, so your team should keep it for themselves...
In short, she has long since left the world, but rumors about her are still everywhere.
Tang Mo actually didn't know what was true and what was false. Her initial impression of her was even very ordinary. To sum it up, she was cold, aloof, and the target of public criticism.
But she is just a small material supplier and makes a living by relying on designers to introduce products to customers.
I hang out in major design companies every day, either sending samples or gifts, and earnestly hoping that designers can recommend their products more, so it is impossible for me to do anything bad to others.
However, counterfeiting is rampant these days. Often, as soon as their products are updated, manufacturers will be able to imitate them at low prices. Although the quality is quite different, the price is lower.
And those designers she usually tries to please, are generous when accepting gifts, and are polite when asking her to send samples, but turn around and directly use imitations. They ask her to send samples only so that they can see the effect first.
If you ask further, it's a cost issue. The client's budget is insufficient, so they have to replace her.
On the contrary, Su Tu had never accepted her kindness because of his reputation, but he contacted her several times and wanted to sign orders with her directly.
Tang Mo originally thought that she would be as difficult to deal with as rumored, and was prepared for being given a hard time. However, after several collaborations, she only talked about the matter at hand, and didn't say much except discussing the product itself.
Even though he refused her gift, he still introduced clients to her.
In Su Tu's eyes, effective results are more important than low prices.
As for the cost, she said, "Generally speaking, the client will set a budget before commissioning a design. If I knew from the outset that I couldn't afford your product, there would be no need for you to make a special trip."
For her, it was all about the project itself.
Tang Mo felt respected, which was rare.
So after learning that she was going to quit her job to start her own business, Tang Mo immediately sent her a full set of sample albums and always liked to come here whenever she had time.
It seems that she is more lively than before, but I still know very little about her.
It is no exaggeration to say that after more than a year of opening the studio, she has become friends with the guys downstairs, but she can only be considered an "acquaintance" with Su Tu.
The only difference is that the credibility of the rumor is almost zero in her eyes, and her first reaction when she heard it was just to speak up for Su Tu.
"I don't know if this news is true, but Zhuo Xuefeng has been very close to Mr. Wu recently. I ran into them when I was treating a client to dinner a few days ago. It seems quite real."
She actually thought that Su Tu's chances of winning the bid were slim, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing: "Actually, it's quite good for you to take on private housing orders now. Why do you have to serve those clients?"
"You know this kind of real estate project. It looks glamorous, but it's actually full of problems and takes a long time. Most importantly, the repayment is extremely slow! Just saying they're still going through the process can delay it for a year or two, and it's still unclear whether you can get your money back in the end."
“So I feel…”
Tang Mo said cautiously: "If you still have a case on hand, why don't you not go?"
She was actually worried that Su Tu would be bullied.
Because several companies were present together during the bidding, it meant that she would definitely run into people from Guanyu, and who knows how they would try to taunt her in public then.
Su Tu understood what she meant: "I understand."
"Thank you for telling me this."
Tang Mo saw her attitude and asked, "Are you still going?"
Su Tu frowned and said calmly, "Let's try it."
Tang Mo was a little anxious: "Why? I don't remember you being so ambitious before."
While others want to do more projects and get more commissions, she doesn't fight for them and even hopes for as few as possible.
On the surface, it means that if you take on fewer projects, you can do them better and enjoy design rather than being driven by business.
Actually, I'm just lazy. I don't like to worry about finishing pictures, and I have other hobbies to do. Most importantly, I have to get home early from get off work to see my grandma.
But since she had her studio, she suddenly became very popular.
Except for projects with qualification restrictions, he takes on all kinds of cases, even if they are destined to be useless from the beginning. Staying up all night has become a daily routine, and he looks visibly depressed and haggard.
Tang Mo originally thought it was a matter of survival, but now she suddenly realized: "Are you - short of money?!"
Su Tu tapped on the keyboard and quickly replied to the message: "Yeah."
Tang Mo was already calculating her savings: "What do you want the money for?"
The next second she said, "Buy a house."
“…”
A client suddenly had some free time and asked Su Tu if she was available to come to his house to proofread the proposal. After she replied, she logged out of WeChat, synced the relevant files to her laptop, got up and packed up to go out.
Of course I’m short of money.
Very scarce.
I have to make money quickly so I can buy her home back as soon as possible.
Even though it should have been completely changed.
Tang Mo stood up and asked, "Aren't you from City A? Don't you have a house?"
“…”
Su Tu paused for a moment, then quickly curled the corners of his lips and jokingly replied, "There are many people at home, it's not my turn."
Then he picked up his computer bag and said with a faint smile, "Take your time and sit down. I'm going to go out for a while."
-
The client company is on the other side of the old city, which is a bustling area with a constant flow of people. However, the traffic is not smooth and parking spaces are very scarce.
Su Tu originally wanted to take a taxi, but after seeing the queue of more than a hundred people, he had no choice but to drive there.
Her car was big, and it was difficult for her to move forward in the heavy rain. After driving around several old streets, she finally found a parking space in a privately planned area. When she looked around, she found that she was still 1.6 kilometers away from her destination.
As the agreed time was approaching, she hurriedly picked up her computer bag, got out of the car with an umbrella, and stepped into the bumpy, flooded road. Even though she was careful along the way, her shoes were still soaked when she arrived.
Fortunately, I was wearing a knee-length skirt today, so I didn’t have to worry about the embarrassment of getting my trouser legs wet.
The elevator was damp and dim, and it creaked and swayed as it took her to the top floor. When she was led into the office by the front desk, the client had just unpacked the box and was preparing dinner.
Seeing her come in, he smiled mischievously: "You don't mind, do you?"
This situation is common because clients have official business to attend to during working hours, so personal matters such as home design can only be handled after get off work.
Su Tu's daily routine is to draw during working hours and review drawings during meal times or on weekends.
She shook her head slightly, and after getting the signal, she sat down, opened her laptop, faced sideways to the person, played the PPT, and patiently and thoroughly introduced the plan.
Her proposals usually only have two drafts.
One draft meets the customer's needs, and the other draft incorporates your own understanding. After determining the direction, if there are any details to adjust, you can just make partial changes.
It’s not that we are unwilling to spend more time, but the optimal solutions for most room types are actually obvious. If we do too much, it will not only make it difficult to choose, but also interfere with the real needs of customers.
It is better for the designer to make choices among all possibilities during the design process, directly present the most feasible option, and then let the customer make the final decision.
This is not only efficient and time-saving, but also makes it easier to address pain points and build trust.
The reason why clients look for designers is, firstly, because they like her designs, and secondly, they naturally hope to save themselves some trouble. After all, everyone's time is precious, and no one wants to spend money and time to sit down and listen to a bunch of nonsense.
She listened to Su Tu's introduction while eating, and was indeed convinced by her concise plan. She immediately decided on Plan 2, but still needed to make some changes in the details.
After reaching a consensus on the layout, the client was still unsatisfied and pulled her aside to discuss the presentation effect.
Su Tu also readily followed suit and brought out the effect examples of similar house types that had been prepared long ago. Combined with the customer's preferences, the final tone was decided on Wabi-Sabi vintage style.
The conversation ended.
It was late at night and the rain was still falling when we left.
The water level on the road was rising. Su Tu had soaked her feet in her shoes for three hours. She no longer cared about stepping into a puddle. But when she hurried back, a strong wind blew the rain sideways, and the bean-sized water droplets splashed towards her face, which still made her shudder suddenly.
She was in poor health, had been staying up too late recently, and had a low immunity. She felt something was wrong at the time, so she drove straight home, washed up early, and went back to her room to sleep.
I woke up the next day and unfortunately I was still infected.
My head felt dizzy and my nasal voice was heavy. I was paralyzed for a long time before I got up in a daze. I touched my forehead and fortunately I didn't have a fever.
I poured myself a cup of hot water, huddled in front of my workbench, and refreshed myself by recalling the backlog of work.
All projects that have exceeded the contract have a set deadline, and if the plan is not submitted within the deadline, compensation will be paid.
She can't afford to pay.
So I can't get sick.
Open several projects at the same time and switch between them according to the urgency of time and whether you have any ideas.
I was so busy that my body and brain were clamoring for a strike, and then I suddenly remembered that the last time I ate was probably the two desserts on Friday afternoon.
I ordered a takeout, but I don't know if it was the food or my appetite, but it tasted like wax. I swallowed some of it, and suddenly my brows drooped, I pushed the food aside, and slumped over the table with all my strength.
As I drifted off to sleep, I smelled a rich and fresh fragrance, and someone patted my back.
Before I could open my eyes, the old lady's powerful voice rang out: "Why don't you get up quickly? Do you know what time it is--"
"He kept nagging for fish soup, heated it up seven or eight times but didn't come back. Then he finally came back in the middle of the night, and when he did, he didn't even bother to go back to sleep! Do you have no bed or are you trying to scare me to death?"
"If you don't get up, I'll pour out the soup right now. Don't tell me again that no one cares about your cold. You deserve it..."
She was pulled up from the sofa by her ears, whining and trying to act coquettishly by saying that she wanted to sleep a little longer.
She looked up, but found nothing in front of her except endless darkness.
She blinked blankly at the air.
When I looked at the densely packed lines on the drawing in front of me, I suddenly felt a little distracted, and suddenly I didn't understand what I was busy with.
After sitting there for a while, I was finally driven by my lazy nature. I stood up with the help of the table, walked softly to the sofa, and pulled the blanket over to cover the pretentiousness in my heart.
Just as I closed my eyes, my phone suddenly rang again.
【Sister Su Su】
Something big happened!!!
【Will you be free tomorrow? 】
[No! When are you free next time?]
【We are booming with orders!!!】
[We have hundreds of friend requests on our official WeChat account, all asking when we can go and measure the house! Many are from out-of-town clients, asking if we can design the house remotely.]
[I have so many messages that I can’t reply to them all. Please send me your schedule as soon as possible.]
Su Tu slowly opened his eyes and sat up, hugging the blanket: [What's going on?]
Tao Qingqing: [Ah?]
【Have you not checked Weibo yet? 】
I edited it during the day and posted a photo of everyone and Team Shi on the official blog.
After posting it, I went out to play. I thought it might go viral, but I didn't expect it to go viral like this! When I came back and checked the backstage, I was almost scared to death!!!
“…”
Su Tu's mind tensed up, and he remembered something. His heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly switched to Weibo.
Although she denied it righteously when everyone was making a fuss that day, her first reaction to the "incident" at this moment was actually: there is something wrong with those two photos!
Can’t send!
It was like a secret love affair being discovered and suddenly exposed when one was least prepared.
The guilt came suddenly and inexplicably.
The phone almost slipped out.
With trembling hands, she found the post, clicked on it to enlarge the image, and flipped through the nine-square grid one by one. When she breathed a sigh of relief, she realized that she had already broken into a sweat...
Tao Qingqing waited a long time for no news, and immediately thought of something: [Sister Su Su?]
[Did you urgently check Weibo? ]
[Thought I also posted the two pictures of you and Captain Shi? ]
Su Tu: [……]
Tao Qingqing: [Hehe~]
"I really want to post these, but those two pictures of yours are obviously problematic! If I post them, it'll be more than just the orders that get blown up! And didn't you also say not to post your pictures on social media? I still have some sense of propriety."
【but……】
"That day I just asked Captain Shi if it was convenient to send out the photos. I wasn't referring to just the two of you. So, Sister Susu, why are you so nervous?"
“…”
Su Tu rubbed his face embarrassedly and said dryly: [I'm not nervous]
【No?】
Tao Qingqing thought of something: [What if I had already sent those two photos to Captain Shi separately? You wouldn't be nervous, right?]
Su Tu suddenly stared again: [Alone?]
Tao Qingqing: [Yes, the others have all been posted on Weibo, and I guess he doesn’t want to read it]
[[Raise eyebrow][Raise eyebrow]]
So guess what...
【After I sent it, what did he reply? 】
Thinking of his shocking words every day: "..."
Su Tu pursed his lips and held his breath unconsciously, not knowing whether it was out of anticipation or curiosity: [What?]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
