“Don’t let this harm your health. I’ve already thought of a way to break this deadlock,” Xia Xiaolan explained her plan to appeal to AIA. “…So I want to design the museum independently. When AIA sends people, I’ll work under their supervision. Since Senior Kong and Sister Hou are both very experienced architects, I’m worried AIA’s representatives won’t acknowledge that I’m leading this project.”

Just like Lisa. Most people believed that young architects couldn’t match experienced professionals – when a master leads a rookie to defeat a boss, the credit doesn’t go to the rookie.

Xia Xiaolan wanted to silence AIA and make Monde Dawson’s stigma against her groundless!

“Will it work? Will AIA even listen…” Mao Kangshan hadn’t joined this organization, and few Chinese architects were members. He couldn’t let his young disciple be falsely accused. Such a reputation would truly destroy Xiaolan’s future as an architect.

If he couldn’t find connections abroad to help Xiaolan appeal, he would even bow to Ning Yanfan to turn this around. Mao Kangshan had secretly made up his mind. The old man had been stubborn all his life, but now he was willing to sacrifice his pride to protect Xia Xiaolan’s reputation and future… This decision stemmed from both his hatred of injustice and his love for Xia Xiaolan!

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know Mao Kangshan’s plans, but she wanted to give him confidence: “I think it will work! Master, this won’t stump me. Even if the process is twisted, the final result won’t be too bad! Put it this way – if I can force AIA to admit their mistake, others’ slander will become the foundation of my fame. Having both AIA and a Pritzker Prize winner push me onto the international stage – such an opportunity is rare!”

Hou Qi was the first to nod. “That’s true. Ordinary Chinese architects don’t even get the chance to offend a Pritzker Prize winner.”

Even if someone criticized Monde in Chinese newspapers, he wouldn’t care – he wouldn’t even read them. The prerequisite for offending a Pritzker Prize winner was having close contact with them first.

Thinking about what Xia Xiaolan had achieved at Cornell, forcing Mrs. Dawson to publicly apologize for “racial discrimination,” Hou Qi envied Xia Xiaolan’s exchange student life – now that was a youth well spent!

“Then do it yourself. Your senior and Little Hou can’t help you. Your assistants can only be those with less experience than you.”

Could they ask current students? Mao Kangshan shook his head. No, students hadn’t done such projects. Xiaolan was already a special case – among a thousand architecture students, you couldn’t find another Xiaolan.

At a similar level, old Ning’s granddaughter wasn’t bad. But that wouldn’t work either. She and Xiaolan were evenly matched. With Ning Xue joining, it would be hard to say who was leading the museum project.

Others might acknowledge the museum’s design but wouldn’t know whether to credit Xiaolan or Ning Xue… While the design might be outstanding, the stigma on Xiaolan would remain.

Mao Kangshan was suddenly troubled.

Xia Xiaolan remained optimistic: “For such a big project, I can complete it independently, though it will take longer. I’m sure Uncle Xu and others won’t mind – the museum isn’t for profit, it’s funded by the Xu family, so there’s no rush. If AIA complains about my slow pace, they can assign assistants to me.”

Her optimism somewhat infected Mao Kangshan. The old man unusually left the construction site early today and started making phone calls once he got home.

Xia Xiaolan also made calls at her company, dialing America. She called Eric Bloom, the civil rights lawyer who had helped her fend off Mrs. Dawson at Cornell. Wen Manni had just given birth at her advanced age, not even a month ago, so Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t trouble her. This lawsuit – a Chinese person suing an American, an intern suing a professional architect – Xia Xiaolan thought Eric might be interested.

Eric’s call went to voicemail, so Xia Xiaolan briefly explained the situation.

She didn’t know that Mao Kangshan had already made quite a stir domestically in a very short time.

First, Mao Kangshan called Ning Yanfan. The old man was quite clever, not asking for help from a personal angle, but instead putting pressure: “A Chinese architect is being bullied abroad – as an executive director of the Chinese Architectural Society, will you handle this? Will the Society stand up for her?”

“Of course! Is she a member of the Society?”

This was just like Mao Dapao’s temperament – if he ever changed, Ning Yanfan wouldn’t be used to it. Despite his bad temper, Mao Kangshan’s character and integrity weren’t problematic. Ning Yanfan didn’t think Mao Kangshan would lie about such matters, so he set the tone first.

Mao Kangshan felt guilty – damn, Xiaolan might not even be a member of the Chinese Architectural Society!

When the Society held an “Architectural Symposium” in Jiangcheng, Xia Xiaolan attended and met Nie Weiguo. Nie Weiguo was from the Society, and Xia Xiaolan’s first impression of the Society wasn’t particularly good. Plus, she was still a student, and the Society hadn’t rushed to recruit her – with her master being Mao Dapao and her youthful spirit, the Society was a bit wary. If no one brought it up, they’d temporarily play deaf and dumb.

They already had an untouchable senior figure like Mao Kangshan, forcing the Society to create an “advisor” position to put him on a pedestal and keep him from managing actual affairs. Having another “little Mao Kangshan” – was life too comfortable?

Mao Kangshan’s first thought was “terrible,” but then he got angry and asked Ning Yanfan: “You remind me – why hasn’t the Society recruited Xiaolan? Is it because she’s my disciple? You’re deliberately excluding her, aren’t you!”

“…”

So, the architect being bullied abroad was Xia Xiaolan? Somehow, Ning Yanfan wasn’t surprised at all.

This fits Xia Xiaolan’s pattern. Usually, when Chinese architects were bullied abroad, they wouldn’t obsess over seeking justice… But Xia Xiaolan was different. From their first meeting, she had left a very deep impression on Ning Yanfan.

What she did – others in the same situation couldn’t have done better!

“Why hasn’t she joined the Society? Comrade Kangshan, everyone knows Little Xia is your disciple. Without your recommendation, who would dare nominate her? A disciple shows respect to their master, and a master should plan for their disciple’s future, don’t you agree?”

Ning Yanfan pushed back neither too hard nor too soft.

Mao Kangshan snorted: “I won’t waste time on this. I can recommend her to join the Society right now, but can our Society stand up for her? I don’t even expect to win against AIA, but at least let those foreigners see that Xiaolan isn’t fighting alone and that not all Chinese architects are pushovers!”

As Mao Kangshan explained, Ning Yanfan’s expression gradually became serious.

“AIA disqualified Little Xia? And with such reasoning? If AIA doesn’t change their view and apologize for their mistake, this child can only work in China in the future!”

Maybe she couldn’t even make it in China. At the Jiangcheng symposium, one reason for Nie Weiguo’s misfortune was plagiarizing others’ designs!