Being respected for professional knowledge felt both novel and unfamiliar.

The most direct impact of her growing reputation was improved business for Qihang Studio!

Zhou Limin, Lü Yan, and Chen Yiyi, the interns at Qihang Studio, felt this impact most keenly—their workload increased, bringing both pain and joy. Zhou Limin’s uncle Zhou Maotong showed no sympathy when he secretly visited her, teasing:

“Well, still think the Design Institute isn’t good enough? At the Institute, you’d have people looking after you, learning just as much without working so hard. Yes, you’d need to accumulate experience, but as my niece, you could rise after just two years.”

All newcomers needed to accumulate experience.

The Design Institute, like all state-owned units, emphasized seniority.

Nie Weiguo could previously appropriate others’ work at the Design Institute simply because, as Deputy Director, nobody dared resist.

This was unavoidable.

Workplace unwritten rules existed everywhere. Even in private firms, senior staff might bully newcomers, but if newcomers couldn’t take it, they could quit or switch jobs—that was normal.

At the Design Institute, it wasn’t so simple. You stayed where you were assigned. Ordinary people lacked the influence to transfer, remaining tied to their work unit for life. Before the Reform and Opening Up, private enterprise wasn’t allowed, and all units were state-owned—where could one go? “Career planning” was an alien concept!

This year marked the eighth year of Reform and Opening Up.

Special Economic Zones were developing, private enterprise was growing nationwide, and Gong Yang wasn’t the only college graduate refusing state job assignments.

Zhou Maotong thought his niece Zhou Limin worried about being constrained at the Design Institute. He assured her that while restrictions existed, she had advantages over other newcomers—after two years, he’d ensure she had opportunities to advance.

Parents in any industry tried to help their children enter the same field, as the foundation they’d built made it easier for the next generation to succeed.

This wasn’t unique to China—Mond Dawson, an American, had similar plans!

Zhou Limin met her uncle secretly, eating quickly, and though she didn’t contradict Zhou Maotong, she showed clear resistance.

“The studio’s very busy lately, Uncle, please don’t come visit me.”

Zhou Maotong was speechless.

Ah, young girls had such an unrelenting spirit, always thinking they were special and unique.

With Xia Xiaolan as a reference point, it was natural she didn’t want to follow family arrangements and join the Design Institute.

Could Limin become a second Junior Sister Xia?

Zhou Maotong didn’t want to discourage his niece, so he let her figure things out herself.

Junior Sister Xia would graduate early, while Limin still had another year at Huaqing’s Architecture Department before internship—there was time for reality to teach her… Of course, if Limin persisted and preferred working at a studio, Zhou Maotong would have to swallow his pride and ask his junior sister for help.

Yes, he used the word “ask.”

If he tried to pressure Xia Xiaolan using his senior status, Mao Kangshan would likely personally clean house—they couldn’t afford to offend her, after all, she’d brought glory to their teacher!

Xia Xiaolan was unaware of the uncle-niece tug-of-war.

Her roommates wanted to come to Shenzhen for practical internships, and she had arranged appropriate positions for each—nobody had complained.

In the scorching heat, Yang Yonghong happily immersed herself at the ‘Luohu Tiancheng’ site.

Following Mao Kangshan, she occasionally engaged with Shenzhen’s drainage system planning, as Mao was a planning consultant in this field.

The only thing Yang Yonghong hadn’t experienced was mountain blasting and bridge construction—nothing to regret, as Xia Xiaolan hadn’t either. Xia Xiaolan kept hoping her reputation would qualify her to bid on infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, Su Jing, interning under Gong Yang, was thoroughly humbled.

She’d ended up in Huaqing’s Architecture Department because she loved drawing and planning to pursue interior design. After a week with Gong Yang, Su Jing was deeply discouraged.

What was an art foundation worth when Gong Yang, an honors graduate from the Commercial University’s Art Department, completely outclassed her half-learned skills?

Su Jing had thought that after three years of studying architecture at Huaqing, mastering such difficult professional knowledge, interior design would be easy.

It wasn’t!

Damn, why should that table be placed there?

The cabinet’s color and shape completely affected the design…

Seemingly simple interior design exposed Su Jing’s knowledge gaps. As a student, her limited experience couldn’t match Gong Yang’s aesthetic level.

As an architect, one could build conventional, square buildings—unremarkable buildings were common.

The interior design seemed simple, appearing to require less professional knowledge, but whether a house came alive depended on it. A sofa, a cushion, or a painting could make huge differences. Designing differently for various layouts and budgets, Su Jing abandoned her usual boisterous manner, following Gong Yang quietly like a chicken.

She looked at Gong Yang with admiration—how could a man have such delicate sensibilities?

Gong Yang seemed to read Su Jing’s thoughts.

“It’s nothing special. I knew nothing at first. If I’m better than you at anything, it’s just sensitivity to color.”

“How did you become so good?”

Gong Yang smiled, “Because Director Xia, who brought me into the industry, is very strong. She started me at a very high point. She often says she’s amateur, not a professional interior designer—I think she’s too hard on herself!”

The impressive person was right beside them.

Su Jing felt like slapping herself—how many opportunities had she wasted?

Unfortunately, Xiaolan would graduate early and wouldn’t be their roommate anymore.

Among the five from Room 307 who came, only Yang Yonghong had directly experienced Xia Xiaolan’s capabilities; the others remained somewhat removed from understanding how impressive she was. Su Jing and Zhou Limin had thought Xia Xiaolan’s current achievements came from having more opportunities—after all, not every architecture student could study under Old Master Mao.

If they had Xia Xiaolan’s opportunities, wouldn’t they do just as well?

Weren’t they getting that chance now?

Zhou Limin still hadn’t convinced Kong Yongquan to let her permanently station at the Commercial City Museum construction site.

How had Xia Xiaolan stood out at GMP in America? GMP had more employees than Qihang and stricter requirements… Without Kong Yongquan’s approval, where was the confidence to win GMP New York partner’s favor?

Acknowledging inferiority to peers was painful.

Afterward, would one give up entirely, turn envy into jealousy, or—rise to the challenge?

Su Jing and Zhou Limin wanted to talk with Xia Xiaolan, but she couldn’t spare much time for them. Though they were her classmates and ‘interns,’ what intern could see the big boss whenever they wanted?

Xia Xiaolan was incredibly busy. Du Zhaohui had used some tricks to lure Wang Jianhua to Shenzhen.

Meanwhile, Xia Xiaolan pondered how to attend Tang Yuanyue and He Zhitong’s wedding.

How should she go?

Maybe she shouldn’t go at all.

If only her Zhou Cheng were here.

She could just go arm-in-arm with Zhou Cheng.

—With such a handsome man, who would give a damn about Tang Yuanyue?