“Who would commission us to design a commercial plaza?”

Lyle secretly pinched the fat on his belly – it wasn’t like he’d get better opportunities than Jonathan just because he was heavier.

Requirements for architects were very strict in America. No one would hire students, no matter how cheap their rates were.

“It’s hypothetical, just hypothetical. Don’t let reality kill our imagination. Do I need to get you a suit to help you get into character?”

After Xia Xiaolan said this, Lyle sucked in his stomach hard.

Large-size clothes were common, suits came in large sizes too. Lyle closed his eyes and imagined – he’d definitely look good in a suit!

“OK, so we’re designing a commercial plaza – what kind of plaza?”

Richard asked.

Xia Xiaolan paused, “A commercial plaza selling electronic products. What do you think it should be like?”

“Electronic products—”

“Computers? Sound systems?”

“Something like that, maybe more varied.”

Xia Xiaolan was directly borrowing the concept of Du Zhaohui’s electronic components market.

She could repurpose this concept without using the actual design.

If she completed the design as a homework assignment, Du Zhaohui wouldn’t necessarily discard it. He might not use her design, but he would have to consider her planning opinions for the entire project.

The more detailed Xia Xiaolan’s description became, the more interested Richard and the others became.

At first, the three were reluctant to abandon their half-completed assignment, but if there was a better option, they were willing to start over.

It was risky.

If you wanted to get an A from McCarthy without taking any risks, even if McCarthy agreed, those previous top students who’d lost half their hair wouldn’t agree!

“If it’s a commercial plaza, where would it be located?”

“The foot traffic would be completely different in places like Ithaca versus New York…”

“Would it only sell electronic products?”

Were Richard and the others losers? Xia Xiaolan didn’t think so. They might just be architecture students, but precisely because Cornell had formidable professors like McCarthy, even if Richard’s group thought their professional skills weren’t outstanding, it depended on who you compared them to.

They were studying in America’s strongest undergraduate architecture program – no matter how lacking they might be, they had developed some architectural thinking!

A qualified architect don’t just bury themselves in drawings – they need to think about the big picture.

They need to know exactly what they’re drawing.

Not to mention, could a commercial plaza in New York be the same as one in Ithaca? Considering foot traffic alone, a plaza in New York would need wider emergency exits at mia nimum – to facilitate evacuation in case of fire or stampede!

This thought wasn’t very auspicious, but this was architectural thinking.

Of course, architects without authority might have such designs rejected by clients – wide and numerous emergency exits waste usable space… Should architects submit? Chinese architects had little autonomy and had to submit to client pressure, watching good designs get sent back for revisions until they became unrecognizable.

But American architects would stand their ground against client demands!

America had a vast land and a sparse population. Despite high crime rates, drugs, and adult content, oddly they valued every American citizen’s safety. No matter how adamant clients were, they had to follow the architect’s design – removing emergency exits was impossible, it was illegal, and could never get built!

With architects having such status, it was natural that architectural firms flourished everywhere.

This profession truly requires strong professional qualities. The reason Richard’s group resonated with Xia Xiaolan’s theory about breaking into circles was that they understood their career prospects – only by pushing forward desperately could they become leaders in the architecture industry!

Now, Xia Xiaolan let them imagine in advance.

Lyle sucked in his stomach, already imagining himself in a major firm.

Richard was also striving for better performance, imagining himself as a newcomer who just joined the firm, desperately needing this big project to prove himself.

Daisy was also sweating at the back of her head, worried about not performing well enough at the firm.

Everyone was getting into the role-play. After Xia Xiaolan laid out the basic conditions, Richard’s group all offered their opinions.

“For electronic products, wouldn’t it be better if the mall had a tech feel?”

“Square, diamond-shaped, or circular?”

“Why does it have to be one building? Why not two or three buildings side by side…”

“With New York’s foot traffic, the underground parking needs at least four levels!”

Brainstorming was a good method. Xia Xiaolan noted down everyone’s suggestions, “This is the overall plan. Now for this assignment, let’s break this commercial plaza into several parts, using the main building as our assignment. Any objections?”

“Why split it up?”

“Because we don’t have enough time! Also because we want to save some surprises for Professor McCarthy and our competitor Jonathan, to present at the end of the semester.”

The semester was only half over – why rush?

Why not hold back the trump card?

Richard’s freckles twitched, “Mm, I agree with Xia. Let’s not rush, take it slow, and submit our best work.”

…

While Xia Xiaolan and her team members scrapped their half-done assignment to start over, Ning Xue wasn’t idle either.

Heidi believed Xia Xiaolan’s group could never surpass them because they had Jonathan.

“Ning, what are you so nervous about?”

Even if Xia Xiaolan’s professional abilities were impressive, dragging Richard’s three along to get an A was simply impossible.

Ning Xue shook her head, “I was Xia Xiaolan’s classmate for a year and a half. Anything that falls into her hands changes from impossible to possible. It’s fine if she doesn’t say it out loud, but once she does, she’ll give it her all.”

Jonathan stopped calculating:

“I want to see just how strong she is at her full power. Without worthy opponents, our group can’t improve either.”

Jonathan was proud, but not blindly arrogant.

After working with Ning Xue for two months, Jonathan recognized her abilities.

Others thought Ning Xue was included because she was Heidi’s roommate, but that wasn’t the case at all – Ning Xue had real capability.

She didn’t fall behind, didn’t drag them down, and could help.

In contrast, Heidi was the weakest one…

Since Ning Xue thought so highly of Xia Xiaolan, how could Jonathan ignore his opponent? Getting an A while carrying Richard’s group? Unless Xia Xiaolan truly had A+ capability – something that even Jonathan would need to give 200% effort to achieve.

Heidi felt uncomfortable.

Jonathan trusted Ning Xue – didn’t he believe what she said?

Had he forgotten whose boyfriend he was?

Heidi suddenly felt a crisis brewing, but pretended to be relaxed: “You’re all too nervous. People at school are betting on this – I bet a week’s living expenses on our group winning!”