Chapter 17

By mid-October, Aunt Zou finally confirmed a meeting time with Lin Yilan.

On the appointed day, Lin Yilan invited her third brother, Lin Li, who had no classes, to accompany her.

She had some understanding of the current social security situation; after all, safety came first.

Lin Li waited at the main gate of the Industrial University for ten minutes before spotting Xiao Wu rushing out of the school gate. “Xiao Wu, I’m here.”

Lin Yilan adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and waved at her brother. “Third brother!”

After meeting up, she led him toward the roast duck restaurant.

“You called earlier saying you wanted me to come with you to meet a client. What kind of client?” Lin Li asked.

Lin Yilan anticipated this question. Considering her reluctance to spend on phone calls, she briefly explained the situation to clarify her recent cooperation with Aunt Zou.

“That’s it. Today I’m bringing you to meet Aunt Zou’s elderly nephew, a client I’m hoping to win over.”

Lin Li didn’t have much to say about her desire to earn money, but he was worried about one thing. “Xiao Wu, I think you’ve only been in university for less than two months, right? Are you sure you’re ready to do design work for others?”

He hesitated to say more, just looking at her with some doubt. After all, as siblings, they liked to give each other some face.

Lin Yilan felt his skeptical gaze and rolled her eyes. “Third brother, do you think I’m the kind of person who would take on something without being sure of my ability? I think I’m probably more reliable than you and fourth brother.”

She shot him a look for him to understand the implied comparison.

Though sometimes she acted impulsively, she was dependable.

Her subtle jab at him and their fourth brother met with no protest. When she was younger, he might have pushed back, but after being schooled by her, he’d accepted reality.

In fact, their firm decisions to study economics and finance were, to some extent, influenced by their little sister.

After thinking it over, Lin Li decided not to say more. They were adults now; they didn’t need constant interference. His biggest support as an older brother was simply to be there when his siblings needed him. Just as Xiao Wu never meddled in his or their fourth brother’s small business affairs.

Turning two corners in the alley, they suddenly emerged from a quiet place into a bustling market.

Lin Li was surprised. He glanced at Lin Yilan several times, unable to imagine that the homebody Xiao Wu could discover such a place.

Seeing his expression, Lin Yilan explained, “This place used to be a lively little market in Beijing years ago. Back then, many people were in the food business here.”

“So you found this place? No, your classmates discovered it,” Lin Li nodded, sounding quite certain.

Lin Yilan scoffed lightly. “You’re so smart.”

Counting the shops, she stopped in front of the eighth one, where a courtyard gate bore the sign “Roast Duck.” She gently pushed the gate open.

---

“Welcome.” A young man in a gray-blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, approached them.

“Please come in. How many guests in total?”

Lin Yilan glanced inside. “There are four of us, but two should have arrived early. Their surname is Zou.”

The young man smiled even brighter. “I know. Ms. Zou is already here; I’ll take you to her.”

Though Lin Yilan had dined here before, she hadn’t expected today’s guests to be more numerous and the atmosphere livelier.

Thinking of the increasingly open policies, she felt no surprise, only amazement at the rapid pace of this era’s development.

Passing two tables and turning a corner, they entered a quieter hall.

Through the window, she saw several bamboo plants in the courtyard and then spotted Aunt Zou.

“Aunt Zou, I’m here,” she greeted warmly, drawing on her past experience dealing with demanding clients. She also took a quick glance at the middle-aged man seated beside Aunt Zou.

He wore a watch and a blue short-sleeved shirt made of a fabric clearly not found on mainland city streets at this time, with a somewhat cold expression.

Aunt Zou immediately introduced Lin Yilan to him. “Nephew, this is Lin Yilan, the young lady I mentioned earlier. Her family’s impressive—seven people in total, six of whom are university students. She’s one of them, studying at the nearby Industrial University, something to do with designing houses.”

Seeing the skeptical look from this “old nephew,” Lin Yilan promptly took out her student ID from her bag.

“Sir, hello. I’m Lin Yilan. I don’t have any other identification on me right now, but here’s my student ID.”

The man paused, took the card, glanced over it, and his expression softened slightly, though he remained seated. “Ms. Lin, hello. I’m Lai Chengrong.”

Lin Yilan smiled and greeted him again. “Hello, President Lai.”

Lai Chengrong raised a hand. “Ms. Lin, please have a seat with your companion first.”

Once Lin Yilan and Lin Li sat down, Lai Chengrong began to speak.

“Ms. Lin, I won’t beat around the bush. If it weren’t for my aunt, I wouldn’t have come to meet you today. You’re just a freshman in the architecture department—I’m sure you understand what that means.”

Lin Li’s expression immediately turned cold. He wanted to say something but caught a glance from Xiao Wu and held back.

Aunt Zou looked a bit embarrassed.

Lin Yilan showed no change in expression, simply reassuringly patting her brother’s arm. Inside and out, she remained unmoved by President Lai’s words.

In fact, during the two weeks waiting for Aunt Zou’s call, Lin Yilan had already guessed the situation had changed. Being a university student might still impress some on the mainland, but coming to a place like Gangcheng—where she had apparently made some career progress over the years—it was mediocre at best, even amusing.

Seeing this young woman opposite him not embarrassed by his words, and still smiling as before, Lai Chengrong’s impression of Lin Yilan rose by a notch.

---

“Ms. Lin, don’t take my words too harshly. You don’t seem completely uninformed.”

She’d heard far worse in her previous life while doing projects. She nodded seriously. “President Lai, since you’ve come, why not share your ideas for your parents’ house design with me? As the saying goes, no deal can harm friendship. Besides, I’ll shamelessly flatter myself—if my ideas can improve your parents’ house, it won’t have been a complete waste of time, right?”

Lai Chengrong looked at her for a moment, inscrutable, then chuckled. “Alright. But let me be clear—if I adopt your design ideas, I probably won’t be able to pay you anything.”

Lin Yilan knew this well. For designers, it was common to have clients “freeload” on design ideas to maintain good relations.

Seeing her sincere attitude, Lai Chengrong slowly began outlining his plans for the house he intended to build for his parents.

“I originally wanted to bring my parents to live with me in Gangcheng, but they refused. I don’t know if you young people can understand the stubbornness of the older generation—they don’t want to leave, even if it means a better life.”

“Really... so I’m thinking of building a house in our hometown to give them a better living environment.”

“My design requirements are simple: I’m willing to spend more, but they must have the best so they can live comfortably.”

“Especially to show those who looked down on us before that Lai Chengrong can now give his parents a good life.”

“Ms. Lin, what do you think about the design for this house?”

Lin Yilan was not surprised by his demands. In her previous life, she’d seen many clients who, after sudden wealth, requested the best without specifying details—much like Lai Chengrong.

She took out a notebook and pencil from her bag and calmly summarized his requirements.

“I’m a child to my parents too, so I deeply understand your intentions, President Lai. If I earn money, I would also want to provide a good life for my parents.”

“But I also understand your parents’ perspective. When people get older, they want to be surrounded by familiar faces and environments—that’s how they feel safe.”

“That’s why I fully support your idea of building a house for your parents in the village.”

Lai Chengrong looked extremely pleased.

Though he wasn’t sure about this mainland university student’s design skills, her articulation was impressive. Considering the opposition from their village and his brothers after he proposed to build the house, he felt annoyed.

They didn’t want to move to Gangcheng for a better life, so he compromised by funding a house in the village. Yet there was still so much resistance—it was frustrating.

It was just fear that the youngest son would do better than the eldest and second brothers; the villagers feared their family’s “bottom dweller” might outshine the secretaries and directors.

Lin Yilan noticed Lai Chengrong’s satisfaction and pride but didn’t continue flattering him. Instead, she shifted the conversation.