Monde decided to visit the theater.

Though he didn’t bring his wife, he brought Heidi along.

With Monde present, Heidi didn’t dare drink anymore. October in New York was perfect for wearing long sleeves to cover the wounds on her wrists.

She didn’t dare ask where they were going; she just needed to follow her father’s arrangements.

On the way, Monde voluntarily explained:

“To defeat your enemy, you must first understand them. You must first clearly understand their capabilities before you can defeat and surpass them.”

Who was he talking about – Ning Xue or Xia Xiaolan?

Heidi was brought to Broadway.

After more than two months, the theater was still under renovation. It was a medium-sized project that couldn’t be completed in just two months. In New York, no employer could find construction workers willing to work three shifts. When it was time to leave, they would leave, and staying meant overtime pay. Even if employers were willing to pay double for night shifts, they would face complaints about disturbing the peace in urban areas.

In China, giving Xia Xiaolan two months to renovate a theater would be simple with sufficient funding – completion would be quick.

In New York, no matter the urgency, they had to follow the scheduled construction period.

Monde found the theater according to the address. Lisa, who was collaborating with Xia Xiaolan, was at the construction site today, along with Mrs. Wilson.

Mrs. Wilson was there to find fault.

Once such people turn against you, they become completely different people.

How enthusiastic had she been toward Xia Xiaolan at the GMP office before?

Now, it was as if Xia Xiaolan had desecrated her family grave – she was determined to make trouble.

Lisa was nearly at her breaking point.

GMP had asked Mrs. Wilson’s opinion about whether to abandon the half-completed renovation plan. If the client was unsatisfied, they could propose new plans… Of course, GMP wouldn’t bear the losses for work already done. It was Mrs. Wilson who had approved Xia Xiaolan’s “internet-famous style” plan before GMP began construction. They had contracts, and GMP had dealt with more difficult clients than Mrs. Wilson.

Mrs. Wilson rejected this proposal – while she wanted to make trouble for Xia Xiaolan, she wouldn’t let herself lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The main plan couldn’t change, but clients could suggest minor details.

This was why Lisa was nearly breaking down. Mrs. Wilson wanted to find fault while considering the theater’s future reopening effect, so she had different “opinions” every day. An amateur directing professional, everything was chaos… When Lisa seriously tried to make modifications, Mrs. Wilson would reverse her own decisions two days later.

Being a shrewd wealthy person, she wouldn’t joke with her interests.

The plan remained the same “internet-famous style” that Xia Xiaolan had originally designed.

But Lisa was exhausted.

Kissinger was also angry and hadn’t paid Xia Xiaolan her promised project commission. It wasn’t that Kissinger went back on his word; he felt Mrs. Wilson would cause more trouble. They had chosen the client themselves and had let Xia Xiaolan choose between two commissions – what could they do now?

When Monde brought Heidi over, they encountered Mrs. Wilson finding fault.

“Sorry, we’re not open to the public yet.”

They were in the middle of an argument when a middle-aged man led a young girl inside – couldn’t they see construction was ongoing?

“Excuse me, I am—”

“Monde? Mr. Monde Dawson?”

Though Lisa was dizzy from Mrs. Wilson’s complaints, she immediately recognized Monde. She had seen his interview with his photo in a magazine. Lisa greatly admired Monde and called out his name:

“Hello sir, I’m Lisa, an architect from GMP.”

Lisa introduced herself, too excited, as Monde shook her hand while surveying the site.

“Hello Lisa, I was originally bringing my daughter to see a Broadway show today. Passing by this theater and seeing it under renovation, could I show her around? She’s also an architecture student who wants to become a female architect like you. In our field, practice is more important than theory.”

Lisa was overwhelmed with honor.

Was she being complimented by a Pritzker Architecture Prize winner?

Even without the Pritzker Prize, Monde was a famous American architect – the prize had just added another layer of golden glory to his fame.

“Of course, please feel free to look around!”

Lisa wanted to ask if they needed her explanation. Though it wasn’t her design, she had been following the construction throughout – no one except Xia Xiaolan understood the plan better than Lisa.

With other colleagues, Lisa would have been very alert – an architect coming to view GMP’s construction site could be plagiarizing or stealing clients.

But Monde didn’t need to plagiarize, nor would he lower himself to steal such a client.

Lisa agreed immediately before remembering she should consult the client. Mrs. Wilson suddenly became agreeable: “It’s fine, please look around. When the theater reopens, Mr. Dawson must bring his family to experience the new audiovisual effects.”

Lisa guided Monde and his daughter, answering all of Heidi’s questions in detail.

Compared to arguing with the picky Mrs. Wilson, showing Monde and his daughter around the construction site was more pleasant. In some places where Lisa’s explanation deviated from Xia Xiaolan’s original design intent, Monde noticed it all.

“Excellent design, it has a dreamlike quality. This plan’s effect appeals to young people, even some older female audiences. Heidi, do you see? This is GMP’s standard, Lisa is a very capable female architect.”

Faced with Monde’s praise, Lisa was flattered but couldn’t take credit for Xia Xiaolan’s work:

“No, you misunderstand, this isn’t my work. It’s the work of another architect at our firm.”

Lisa didn’t say “intern.”

This was Xia Xiaolan’s work!

Heidi understood as soon as she heard Lisa was from GMP – during internships, Xia Xiaolan was at GMP, while Ning Xue was at P&W.

Though the theater wasn’t completed, Lisa had Xia Xiaolan’s rendered effect drawings.

Heidi looked at the renderings and was speechless for a long time.

At that time, she and Daisy had been assigned to Foster’s office for internships. In those two months, Heidi never had the chance to handle such commissions. She also couldn’t tell Foster’s people “My father is Monde Dawson, you must value me highly”… that would be too embarrassing!

With the same internship, Xia Xiaolan was so highly valued at GMP. This theater renovation plan – Heidi not only lacked the ability to create it, did she even lack the ability to appreciate it?

Such capability indeed far exceeded her current level.

Heidi was greatly discouraged.

Monde thanked Lisa and led Heidi away from the theater. His expression darkened:

“Did you see? This is the gap between you and them. This is already professional architect level. Heidi, if you want to defeat them, you need a complete transformation. You can’t forget the humiliation they brought you.”

Monde still couldn’t discern Xia Xiaolan’s style, but he could determine her level.

Heidi was too discouraged to speak, and Monde despised her spineless appearance.

“Hey, Mr. Dawson, right? I think we need to get to know each other better if you also know that intern architect from GMP!”

Mrs. Wilson caught up and called out to Monde.