Hmm?

Catherine was curious.

She hadn’t thought Frank was a bad person, otherwise she wouldn’t have brought him to the party.

But Frank’s evasiveness made Catherine uncomfortable.

“I must forbid you from approaching Xia!”

Frank was bewildered.

“Catherine, we’ve been friends for many years!”

Catherine ignored him and asked Frank to get out of the car at the intersection.

Frank rubbed his face:

“What?!”

Catherine didn’t respond and drove away.

On this March night, Frank couldn’t tell one road from another, defeated by Beijing’s hutongs, he got lost. While asking for directions, due to the language barrier, well-meaning citizens took him to the police station.

This nearly drove Frank to break down.

He finally contacted Catherine, who had to personally vouch for him before they would release him.

Frank could only surrender:

“I was just curious! Curious about who offended Mondy Dawson!”

“Is it the Mondy I know…”

“Yes, Mondy Dawson who invited me to join Dawson Studio as a partner, the same one you know, the Pritzker Architecture Prize winner.”

Catherine frowned: “I remember you turned down that job.”

“Of course I refused. Mondy’s behavior puzzled me… This year’s AIA, sorry, that’s the American Institute of Architects, they’ve always given out the ‘AIA Award’ – even the Pritzker Prize is junior to it. AIA noticed how quickly the Pritzker Prize was rising in prominence, and last year they were discussing establishing an award under the ‘AIA Award’ to encourage young architects…”

Frank’s narrative left Catherine incredulous.

A Pritzker Architecture Prize winner causing trouble for a Chinese student?

In Chinese terms, it was an unseemly display!

Frank shrugged: “Besides me, probably not many know about this. She had an excellent opportunity, but now it’s lost. Who could stand up for her? A poor thing far from the international architecture circle – she really shouldn’t have returned to China from Cornell University.”

Any industry places great emphasis on credentials.

How can you enter good firms without academic credentials as a stepping stone?

Between someone who graduated from Cornell’s Architecture School and someone from an obscure third-rate university with an unpronounceable name, who would firms choose?

Similarly, when facing unfair treatment, who would stand up for you?

What use is it if the president of a third-rate university speaks up for you when they are in a weak position?

Frank wasn’t saying Huaqing was third-rate – the Huaqing students he’d spoken with today didn’t give him a bad impression.

It’s just that internationally, they weren’t yet recognized… With information barriers, by the time events happened and news reached Huaqing University, everything was already over.

If Mondy hadn’t specifically targeted her, Frank wouldn’t have been interested in a Chinese student.

Since he happened to be traveling in China, why not see this student?

It was that simple!

Frank raised both hands, “Can you get me out now? I feel like I’m being treated as a spy!”

Catherine felt heavy-hearted.

During the English competition, Xia Xiaolan had said she wanted to become a female architect – whether she’d become famous was uncertain, but gender shouldn’t be an obstacle.

Now what was hindering Xia Xiaolan’s success wasn’t gender at all.

“I must tell her what you’ve said!”

Frank didn’t stop her. After all, he wasn’t going to work at Dawson Studio, so it didn’t matter if he offended Mondy Dawson, but one point was crucial:

“If you tell her, what good will it do besides making her feel bad? I see she likes Huaqing University – she returned home after just one year as an exchange student at Cornell. Can you persuade her to attend another prestigious school to gain mainstream recognition in the international architecture circle? Catherine, I don’t think you can. Geniuses aren’t rare – they exist in every corner of the world at any moment. Some are discovered and move onto bigger stages, receiving praise and admiration. Others, for various reasons, remain stuck in small places. This Chinese student you like falls into the second category.”

Why not study abroad?

Staying abroad would be better.

Choosing to return home might be because she couldn’t leave her family, or perhaps due to a young person’s irrational confidence.

But whatever the reason, having given up that path, she shouldn’t regret it later.

With the same qualifications, Xia Xiaolan could only watch others shine.

Catherine remained silent at Frank’s words.

To tell or not?

Xia Xiaolan was too stubborn.

Ah!

…

The strange Frank, the troubled Catherine.

An English lady worrying about Xia Xiaolan’s future – human relationships were truly unpredictable.

Before Catherine could decide whether to tell Xia Xiaolan, someone else already had.

Saturday noon, Xia Xiaolan arrived in Peng City.

An overseas call came through to Qihang Company.

Yu Li’s English was halting, but she could barely understand what the caller was saying.

“Director Xia, it’s a partner from GMP…”

“Give me the phone!”

Partner Kissinger from GMP?

Why was he calling? How strange. Since she had insisted on returning home and rejected Kissinger’s invitation, the partner hadn’t contacted her.

“Mr. Kissinger, is that you? Long time no see, how have you been?”

“I’m not doing well at all!”

Ugh, he seemed to have eaten gunpowder.

Kissinger spoke with irritation, “What did you do to Mondy Dawson? Did you steal his business? Or something else… I’m one hundred percent certain this person is deliberately targeting you. He ruined GMP’s award! Shit! An award that should have belonged to GMP, to you!”

Kissinger spoke like a machine gun.

The rapid speech tested Xia Xiaolan’s listening skills.

“Sir, are you calling to tell me something, or just to vent your anger at me? If you’re saying I offended Mondy Dawson – oh no, saying I offended Mrs. Dawson or Miss Dawson would be more accurate. Did Mondy do something to GMP because of me? But I’ve already left GMP.”

“You left, but your work didn’t! Remember the theater renovation commissioned by Mrs. Wilson? The firm submitted it for this year’s AIA Rising Star Architect Under 28 selection. What do most 28-year-old architects know? Most are still working as assistants! But you were different – you had work. Damn, Mondy Dawson, he ruined everything!”

Kissinger’s fury could be felt across the Pacific.

If the partner’s anger was marked on a scale of 1-10, Xia Xiaolan estimated it was at least above 8.

“You can speak more slowly, I have time right now.”

Mondy Dawson?

She had thought she wouldn’t deal with him for several years.

Unexpectedly, shortly after her return to China, Mondy Dawson had already done something to make Kissinger jump with rage. Xia Xiaolan didn’t need to hear the whole story to guess what could make the partner so angry – something she wouldn’t be happy about either. Yes, just hearing the beginning made her angry – Mondy had ruined some “Rising Star Architect” award selection that Kissinger believed GMP had a chance to win, that her work had a chance to win!