Chapter 42
Yoda made several calls, but the homeowner who was supposed to come today to finalize the plan didn't show up. Finally, she got through: "Hello. Could we finalize the plan we discussed earlier today, if possible?"
The other party was silent for a moment, as if talking to someone next to them, and after a few seconds said to Youda, "Ah, I'm sorry, we've already found another designer. Mainly, I don't really like the previous proposal."
Yoda hesitated. The client's design was already in its final stages, and all the previous communications had been pleasant. Why would they suddenly stop?
Yudang wanted to say something more, but the other party had already hung up the phone.
After listening to the whole thing, Liu Si said, "Sis, could it be that they skipped out on the bill?"
Although it looked very similar, and it was all so sudden, Yoda still hesitated and said, "It can't be that bad, he's always so cooperative."
Liu Si: "If I had known, I would have taken the deposit and signed the contract first. He sounded so nice to me at the time, but I never expected him to be so dishonest."
Yoda was somewhat disheartened; this was her first case since joining the firm. The client had come in saying they didn't quite trust outside designers, so they wanted to see if they could get a design proposal first before deciding whether to sign a contract.
Yoda thought it was normal for others to have some concerns since she was new to designing, and she believed that as long as she put her heart into it, the customer would be satisfied. So she didn't sign a contract, and now the customer just left because they didn't like it.
Liu Si offered a few words of comfort, and Yoda forced himself to cheer up, but he couldn't help feeling down. Although no contract had been signed, Yoda had already invested a significant amount of time and effort.
A few days later, Wang Mian stormed back and said to Yoda, "Sister Yoda, this is really too much. You know, the room where you were kicked out is now using the design you prepared beforehand."
Although losing orders is frustrating, Yoda himself didn't say anything and continued working as if nothing had happened. Everyone just let it go, since most designers encounter this to some extent.
However, while Wang Mian was out, he happened to run into Li Chong bragging to his friends about how he taught people to wait for the designer to finish the drawings before running away, easily securing a job by simply promising a 50% reduction in design fees. While mocking the designer who had lost the job, Li Chong boasted: "It's just changing the wall color; I can make money effortlessly."
Wang Mian was furious just thinking about Li Chong's tone. If Liu Si hadn't pulled him back, he would have gone up to argue on the spot: "He's so shameless! When you were designing, he had the customer take a picture of the design and changed the wall color to make it his."
Yoda wasn't too angry. She was upset at the time, but after a few days, she felt it was nothing. Besides, she wasn't very familiar with Li Chong and couldn't imagine how nasty his tone could be, so the hurt was practically nonexistent.
She could even calmly comfort the two of them: "It's okay. The interior design styles are all similar. Even if you sue him, what proof do you have that he copied mine? After all, at least he changed the wall color."
Liu Siqi was indignant and said, "If the software you sent to the homeowners hadn't been set to delete the images after three hours, someone like him would probably have just used it directly, saving him the trouble of teaching others to take photos secretly."
"This customer is something else. You kept running to the site, taking him to see the renovation materials, and he only left when we were at the very last step. And that Li Chong, when the business broke up, he even took the design templates that the boss had used for everyone's reference. I saw it with my own eyes, he's so shameless. We haven't even said anything to him, and he still comes to steal our orders. It's really despicable. No way, I'm not having it."
Yoda patted her on the back: "Calm down, it's alright. The customer is willing to use his method, there's no point in us arguing about it. Besides, we have other orders to do right now, so just focus on doing your own thing. Anyway, I'm very creative and have a lot of ideas right now. If the customer doesn't use my design, it's their loss."
“Many of my designs have their own reasons. Even if it’s just changing the color, it’s not the effect I’m looking for. So in reality, it’s not my design anymore, and it has deviated from my original design intention.”
Although Yoda's words made sense, Wang Mian was still unhappy: "Sigh, it's very difficult to protect one's rights in the design industry. But how can there be no connection? Even if you keep coming up with new ideas, that design style is still something you've spent a lot of time creating."
Those around Yoda knew she poured her heart and soul into every project, so they were unhappy for her. Yoda said with relief, "With you all standing up for me like this, all my anger has vanished. Now that the firm is starting afresh, it's not worth arguing over some nobody; it's a waste of time. Besides, the competition is fierce now, and if the firm gets involved in disputes, people's impression of it will suffer."
Liu Si didn't understand: "How could that be? It's not our fault."
Yoda patted Liu Si on the shoulder: "The current public opinion on home renovation is like this. Some people have encountered situations where the designer abandons them after the renovation is completed, making it difficult to protect their rights. So, whenever many people see that a design firm has disputes, they will subconsciously think that the conflict is between the designer and the homeowner because of the renovation."
"The firm has just gone through a period of turmoil. The most important thing is to rebuild our reputation and increase our clients' trust in us, so don't do these things out of a momentary sense of loyalty."
Liu Si couldn't help but feel regretful: "But all the preparations you made for this design have been wasted."
Yoda laughed: "How could it be a waste? You see, I actually accumulated a lot of experience while preparing the materials. When there are similar cases in the future, I can just apply what I learned."
Yoda's words were reasonable and logical. Most importantly, she remained calm and gentle throughout, showing no resentment at being stood up. Everyone was touched by her composure and felt that the matter was no big deal.
Wang Mian turned around and saw Shi Xing standing behind him, seemingly having been there for quite some time. Seeing his boss reminded him of his unfinished work, and he felt a pang of guilt, as if he'd been caught slacking off. Everyone tacitly dispersed, leaving only Youda looking at Shi Xing: "You're back. How's the project?"
After initial preparations, the proposed plan has been approved and is undergoing fire safety review today. "It has passed smoothly, and construction can begin."
Yoda was happy for Shi Xing; all his hard work had finally paid off. "That's great! This is your first project of this caliber. If you do a good job designing the office area for this landscaping company, anyone who comes to the company for consultations will be able to see your design capabilities firsthand. It's your best advertisement."
Shi Xing seemed somewhat distracted: "Yeah, that's right."
Yoda didn't notice, only considering Shixing's situation. After all, the most important thing for commercial projects is the construction period. In the past, Shixing often worked overtime and stayed up all night in order to complete the optimization of the decoration style before the deadline for finalizing the plan. Even the time he had a fever and went to the hospital was for this.
Yoda knew how much effort Shi Xing had put into this project. Even though she felt sorry for his health, she didn't stop him from staying up late. Instead, she did her best to share the burden with him.
Anyway, Yoda doesn't have any designs to do now, which is a way of fulfilling his wish when he left the company—that he wouldn't have to do repetitive designs anymore. Things are getting better now; he really doesn't need to do any more designs—there's simply nothing to design anymore.
“After construction begins, every project needs to be followed up. You just focus on this; I'll handle the other miscellaneous tasks. After all, I have plenty of experience as an assistant.” Yoda said proudly.
Shi Xing was very obliging and smiled, "Okay, I'll leave it to you."
When Xie Yiyi arrived at the agency, she immediately shouted as soon as she saw Yoda, "I heard you failed in your first battle and got canceled on your very first job."
Yoda hadn't expected that bad news would travel so fast. He quickly stepped forward and covered Yoda's mouth, saying, "Keep your voice down, is this something to be proud of?"
Seeing that no one was paying attention, he breathed a sigh of relief, closed the office door behind him, and looked at Xie Yiyi, who was sitting casually in her seat: "It's nothing good, how did you know? Where did you hear it from?"
Xie Yiyi: "It's just hearsay. Oh, don't worry about it. It's their loss if they don't use a designer as good as you. I even want you to design for me."
Yoda stepped forward: "You, you're all talk and no action. Now give me your house to build."
Caught red-handed, Xie Yiyi showed no remorse, shrugging her shoulders: "Oh, I was just saying. You were unconscious when I was renovating the house."
"If you're really serious, then give me the house now and renovate it again."
Xie Yiyi: "You're too late, I'm pregnant again."
Yoda stared at the other's sudden movement: "Ah, so fast?"
"Don't be so surprised, the child isn't yours." Xie Yiyi was a little embarrassed. She had originally thought she would be free once the baby was a little older, but she didn't expect to suddenly have a second child. Since she was already here, she didn't have any trouble and accepted it calmly.
Seeing Yoda's expression, Xie Yiyi suddenly became shy again.
"If it were really mine, I'd be even more shocked than I am now; it would be a record-breaking achievement." Well, Yoda conceded defeat, acknowledging the other's current arrogance. He dutifully served tea and water, and offered various snacks for the customer to choose from.
Xie Yiyi gently raised her hand, took a small sip of water, and then gracefully began to eat Yoda's personal stash. Because of frequent overtime work, and the fact that they couldn't always eat at regular mealtimes, everyone was used to bringing their own snacks to the office.
While eating, she said, "If you had woken up earlier, I would definitely have let you design my house. I didn't think things through when I was decorating, and now I have a lot of things I want to change. And the storage wasn't designed well either, so it seems like it's not quite enough now."
Yoda, playing the role of a dutiful caretaker, took away the hawthorn preserves Xie Yiyi was about to eat: "You can't eat this while pregnant, right? Eat something else. Who told you to go out and find someone else to do the renovations yourself back then? Why didn't you find Shi Xing? Don't you trust him?"
Xie Yiyi glanced at Yoda and said, "Sigh, back then, it wasn't quite appropriate."
Yoda, puzzled, asked, "What's wrong with it?"
Xie Yiyi: "You still don't know what Li Mi does, do you?"
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