Chapter 26

I’m rich!!!

On the way back home, Lin Yilan kept touching her bag. It didn’t contain money, but it held a contract worth one thousand yuan.

Indeed, Lai Chengrong had been incredibly generous this time. It was hard to say if it was related to him getting Lai Jialin involved as the person in charge of this small project, but he had readily agreed that as long as the Lai family’s house was built without any issues, Lin Yilan would receive one thousand yuan.

In this era, a thousand yuan was a significant sum. If she could land a few more deals like this, she would be able to buy a courtyard house in Beijing.

As someone who had transmigrated, she was not immune to the common desire to own a traditional courtyard house. However, the prices were far from as cheap as she had imagined. A decent courtyard wouldn't cost seven or eight thousand, but four or five thousand was a baseline. Of course, cheaper ones existed, provided she could find them.

On the way back to school, Lin Yilan skipped along, her braids swinging with her, looking visibly happy. She spent the entire walk planning how to spend those hundreds of "Big Unity" banknotes until she finally reached her dormitory.

Once inside, she sat down and immediately took the contract out of her bag, tucking it into the very bottom of her drawer. Just as she pulled out her key to unlock the small cabinet by her feet, she suddenly heard a loud "bang."

Startled, Lin Yilan shivered. She clutched her chest and looked up to see who had made the noise. Unsurprisingly, it was Hang Xiuling. Based on her observations over the past few days, the culprit behind any sudden loud noises in the room was almost always Hang Xiuling.

"Xiu, what’s wrong?" asked Wang Xiaohong, who was sitting opposite Hang Xiuling. The others in the room also turned their gaze toward her.

Hang Xiuling didn't speak. She simply lifted her chin, staring defiantly at Lin Yilan. Lin Yilan, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on her, asked in bewilderment, "Student Hang Xiuling, is something the matter?"

Hang Xiuling flared her nostrils, crossed her arms over her chest, and let out a heavy huff. Lin Yilan hadn't the slightest clue what this "scorned lover" act was supposed to mean.

"Hmph!" Seeing no reaction, Hang Xiuling continued to project her displeasure. "Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph—"

Lin Yilan was torn between laughter and frustration. "Student Hang Xiuling, please just say what’s on your mind. I don’t quite understand what you mean."

Hang Xiuling puffed out her cheeks in anger, slammed her hand on the table, and stood up. "When we talked about a dorm get-together, didn't I suggest we go to the Moscow Restaurant?"

Seeing that she had stopped mid-sentence, Lin Yilan obliged, "And then?"

Hang Xiuling stared intently at Lin Yilan. Seeing the genuine confusion on her face, she realized the girl truly didn't know. *Ugh, so thick-headed! Hmph.*

"But I saw you drinking coffee today!"

"You clearly said you didn't have any money, yet you went out for coffee today! Are you..." Hang Xiuling’s mouth twitched, and her eyebrows knitted together.

Lin Yilan hadn't expected to be spotted by Hang Xiuling while meeting the Lai father and son, and she hesitated on how to explain the situation.

"Are you... are you trying to avoid eating with me?"

"Ah—what?" *How is she supposed to explain this? That wasn't her intention at all.*

The other six people in the room were at a loss for words, leading to a strange, heavy silence in Dormitory 406. Just as everyone was desperate for someone to break the tension, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Xiu, tell them, did you see that Lin Yilan from your dorm drinking coffee with a man in the cafe today?"

All eight residents of Dorm 406 stared at the person who had walked in without knocking. Upon hearing this, Lin Yilan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hang Xiuling, while Xiong Zhaodi frowned, looking at Lin Yilan with concern.

Following the girl who had spoken, several others entered the room and made a beeline for Hang Xiuling. "Xiu, I wasn't wrong, was I?"

"Excuse me, miss," Lin Yilan said, raising her hand to signal the uninvited guests. "I am right here. If you have any questions, you can ask me directly."

The girl who had spoken froze, looked at Lin Yilan, and then back at Hang Xiuling. "Is she... is she really Lin Yilan?"

*Impressive,* she thought. People didn't even know who she was, yet they were happy to gossip about her behind her back. It seemed Lin Yilan was becoming quite the celebrity in the girls' dormitory.

The girl and her companions clearly hadn't expected Lin Yilan to be in the room, and the atmosphere grew incredibly awkward.

"Uh, Xiu, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll come find you later. I'm leaving." With that, they scurried out of the room.

The others in the dorm, still confused about the intruders' intent, decided to act as if they hadn't been there at all. Lin Yilan shrugged, pushed the small incident aside, and returned to her plans.

She unlocked the small cabinet, which was filled with kraft paper file folders arranged in order. She flipped through them and found the one she needed. Removing the folder, she locked the cabinet and took out the documents.

These were the backup design drafts she had created for the Lai family, along with a list she had compiled. It included small items for the house that she hadn't seen on the market yet—mostly for interior decoration—which were largely optional. However, for the sake of design consistency, Lin Yilan wouldn't abandon them just because they weren't available in this era. After all, a designer must stand by their work, even when facing a client.

Though, she admitted, this often made the job much harder.

Of course, this didn't mean she wouldn't listen to the client or her superiors. She would take advice where appropriate and accept suggestions, but she would also push back—unless they could actually convince her otherwise.

Thinking about it, Lin Yilan realized she was a rather difficult designer. Perhaps one day, after being "beaten down" by reality, she would change. But for now, she wasn't worried about the future, so she continued to pursue her design philosophy.

With that thought, Lin Yilan let out a long breath and buried her head back into the drafts to check the list.

Three days later, Lai Jialin called Lin Yilan in the evening, saying he wanted to have a chat before construction began. The two agreed on a time and place over the phone.

"Ring, ring, ring—"

"Alright, students, that’s all for today’s lecture."

Hearing the professor, Lin Yilan packed up her textbooks, pulled her backpack from her drawer, and immediately headed for the door. Seeing her back as she left, a male student who had been sitting next to her called out to Xiong Zhaodi.

"Class monitor, has Lin been very busy lately?"

Xiong Zhaodi was stunned for a moment. "She's quite busy. Every time I'm at the library, she's usually there too. When I'm in the dorm, she's there as well. She's busy studying. Why do you ask?"

*Does he have some ulterior motive?* Xiong Zhaodi clutched her books, looking at him with suspicion.

The male student looked wronged. He glanced around and whispered, "I heard you share a dorm with girls from the Mechanical Design major. I heard the boys in their dorm talking about Lin, saying she’s dating a man from outside the school. Shouldn't you warn her? It would be a shame if she got expelled after working so hard to get into university. Anyway, I’m off, goodbye, class monitor."

He slipped out of the classroom. Xiong Zhaodi immediately forgot her intention to lecture him and began to worry about Lin Yilan.

*Xiao Lan shouldn't be dating, right?*

She walked toward the dorm, her heart heavy, skipping her usual library session. What was so good about dating? She thought of all the trouble it had caused back in her village, not to mention her own situation...

"Sigh—" Xiong Zhaodi sighed, hung her head, and kicked a pebble on the path.

"Clink."

Lin Yilan placed her coffee cup on the saucer and looked at the clear-eyed Lai Jialin across from her.

"Mr. Lai, have you been back to your grandparents' home lately?"

Lai Jialin let out a dry laugh. "Ha, ha, ha. We went together before my father left. Since he returned—oh, I mean, since he went back to Hong Kong—I've been busy trying to learn more about the mainland, so I haven't had the chance to visit my grandparents."

*I knew it...*

If he had actually met his grandparents and the rest of the relatives, he wouldn't be wearing such an innocent expression right now. Lin Yilan smiled at him, her eyes tinged with a hint of sympathy.

"Mr. Lai, since you haven't been back yet, I suggest you go and communicate with them about the construction. It might be better that way."

Lai Jialin frowned. "Look, Miss Lin, we are here today to discuss the construction at my grandfather's house."

The implication was clear: *Mind your own business.*

Lin Yilan understood perfectly, so she explained patiently, "I understand, Mr. Lai. Before construction officially begins, we need to coordinate the schedule with your grandfather and confirm where the family will stay during the building process. We also need to talk to your grandfather and the village cadres about how many people will be needed to help with the construction."