Chapter Five—A Reunion Once More

The urban village redevelopment project contracted by Xunyuan Corporation was officially put on the agenda.

A few days ago, the senior management sent Xu Shixi to take the lead and negotiate with the village leaders. The outcome, however, fell short of expectations. The villagers remained deadlocked with him over the issue of relocation compensation, making it impossible to discuss any further details.

This led the company to develop some doubts about Xu Shixi’s capabilities.

To be fair, Xu Shixi’s experience was indeed somewhat lacking. At only thirty-one, he had been with Xunyuan for just seven years. Yet, in those brief seven years, he had risen from an assistant in the planning department to the position of manager—a testament to some real ability.

There were two teams in Xunyuan’s planning department. Besides Xu Shixi’s team, there was another, led by Wan Xinheng, whose members were on average a bit older.

It so happened that the redevelopment project in eastern Yuncheng, overseen by Wan Xinheng, was nearly complete. The company decided to have him join the redevelopment project in the west of Yuncheng as well.

Wan Xinheng was a veteran at Xunyuan, having joined in his twenties and now well into his forties. His relationship with Xu Shixi had always been subtle; whenever the two met, they maintained cordial smiles, but beneath the surface, the undercurrents were unmistakable.

At the meeting, Wan Xinheng handed out the materials he had prepared weeks ago to the senior executives one by one. Naturally, Xu Shixi received a copy as well.

He couldn’t help but admire Wan Xinheng’s foresight and meticulous mind.

Indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier it is.

Wan Xinheng opened his PowerPoint presentation, energetically pointing at the screen as he eloquently explained his ideas to the assembled leaders.

Reading the materials and listening to Wan Xinheng’s presentation, Xu Shixi had to admit that in some aspects, he truly fell short.

The board members, whose focus was profit, nodded in approval at Wan Xinheng’s near-perfect proposal.

“I think Manager Wan should take charge of the urban village project in the west. After all, this project is far from ordinary—he’s prudent and experienced.”

“Yes…”

“I agree as well.”

“…”

“Manager Wan’s proposal is excellent, but I’d like the board to hear mine as well.” Xu Shixi stood, a confident smile upon his face.

He stepped forward as Wan Xinheng unplugged his USB drive from the computer. Their eyes met, exchanging meaningful professional smiles.

Everyone present was lost in their own calculations of how to extract the greatest benefit.

Inspired by Wan Xinheng’s proposal, Xu Shixi made a few subtle, last-minute adjustments.

Although the western district was the least resourced and most underdeveloped of Yuncheng’s four corners, the expansion of the industrial park had boosted the local economy.

A small portion of the new urban village would be reserved as relocation housing, while most of the apartments would be sold at prices higher than the relocation units but lower than those in the city center—attractive to executives from nearby enterprises, white-collar, and even blue-collar workers.

The main challenge, however, was how to address the older villagers’ attachment to the environment where they had spent their lives, as well as the potential inconveniences brought by redevelopment. Meanwhile, the younger generation, mostly of marriageable age, hoped to purchase a second unit at the relocation price after receiving the first.

Both proposals revolved around solving these core issues. As the room erupted in debate, no consensus emerged. Lacking decisive leadership, the board finally instructed the two planning managers to each implement their own plans and see whose outcome would be superior.

Back in his office, Xu Shixi asked his assistant, Xiao Ye, to make an Americano. He blew on the steaming cup, took a small sip, and walked to the window, drawing up the blinds to feel the wind prickling his face.

“You’re really taking this seriously, aren’t you? I know you’re not that young anymore, but do you need to be so eager?” His colleague, Qiao Siming, pushed open the door, teasing him.

Xu Shixi shook his head in exasperation. “If you put as much energy into this project as you do into talking, I wouldn’t be racking my brains right now.”

Qiao Siming laughed, resting his left hand on Xu Shixi’s shoulder. “With you here, what do we have to worry about? I’m more curious—how is your ‘Hyacinth’s Wind’ doing?”

“What do you mean?” Xu Shixi’s heart skipped a beat. He turned away, shrugging off Qiao Siming’s hand, picked up his coffee, and took another sip. “I should be asking you. Last time you sent random messages from my phone—what if someone misunderstood?”

Qiao Siming couldn’t help but laugh. “Looking through your WeChat contacts, apart from colleagues or clients, there isn’t a single other woman. Stumbling on a whole new world, I couldn’t help but investigate.”

It was hard to believe that a successful urban professional in his thirties, well past the age for late marriage or parenthood, didn’t even have a girlfriend. He’d been in the industry for years and had no rumors of romantic exploits—never seen in bars or nightclubs. Rumors began to circulate that perhaps he was simply incapable; even if he preferred men, surely some clue would have emerged by now.

One of his subordinates, only twenty-three when she joined, had fallen for him at first sight and pursued him passionately. But the thousand-year iceberg remained unmoved. After a year, she shifted her affections elsewhere and was now the mother of two.

As for Xu Shixi’s indifference to romance, one had to mention his college friend and now colleague, Qiao Siming. One regarded love with reverence, the other indulged without restraint. Even Xu Shixi couldn’t recall how many women Qiao Siming had “harmed” since they met. Some of his victims were willing, but most were not, some even growing to hate him. Perhaps witnessing Qiao Siming’s callousness toward love made Xu Shixi keep his distance.

Later that evening, as it was nearly time to leave, Su Yishu received an order from someone claiming to be from the hotel’s management department. He explained that the hotel’s curtains hadn’t been replaced since opening—ten years ago. Now, the hotel wanted all new curtains installed before May Day.

Based on the client’s data, Su Yishu quickly estimated there were a hundred windows, all to be made with one and a half times the usual pleating.

For fabric, the client chose a relatively inexpensive herringbone linen from the shop, priced at thirty-five yuan per meter. The fabric was nearly three meters wide, so no seams were needed for the curtains.

Originally, Yishu planned to give the client a rough estimate, but the client insisted on an exact price, so she had to calculate each one. Fortunately, most windows were the same size, with only a few irregular shapes.

She glanced at the time—23:40. Yan Lu, her colleague, had closed her software ten minutes earlier, playing on her phone while waiting for the end of her shift.

Yishu opened a new Word document, recording every step of her calculations, and finally tallied the total: 157,500 yuan.

The client also requested a value-added tax invoice. Yishu explained that an electronic invoice could be provided for free, but a VAT invoice would require an additional 17% tax—26,775 yuan. The client wanted Kaishenglai to cover this cost.

Yishu scoffed at such unreasonable demands. Still, since it was a rare big client, she decided to delay and ask Liu Hanzhang for instructions the next day.

Yan Lu’s internal clock reminded her it was time to go. Meanwhile, Yishu was still troubled by the VAT invoice and discount issues for the curtains.

“Wow, you landed such a big order! This should put that arrogant Guo Yamei in her place,” Yan Lu said, glancing at Yishu’s chat log.

“Keep your voice down. It’s not a done deal yet—no need for others to overhear,” Yishu said, feeling awkward.

“What are you afraid of? Look around—only you and I are left in the office,” Yan Lu replied, leaning against the desk, arms crossed.

Seeing Yan Lu eager to go home, glancing at the clock and fiddling with her phone, Yishu told her to leave first.

Yan Lu demurred politely but didn’t insist.

Twenty minutes later, with no further messages from the client, Yishu bade them goodnight and shut down her computer.

The office doors didn’t require manual locking; they closed automatically upon exit. To re-enter, one needed to input a password and swipe an employee card. This wasn’t always required, but after a former employee broke in to steal at night, the locks were upgraded. During the day, simply disabling the lock from inside made things easier.

Yishu looked back at the office, moonlight streaming through the glass, casting a hazy glow.

The night food stalls outside the company were gone, leaving only a mess behind.

Nearly home, Su Yishu spotted someone lingering by the entrance to the village, talking on a phone next to a car—probably an Audi. She didn’t know car models, only that it was a sedan.

As she passed, the man called out to her. Startled, Yishu tried to speed up but hit the brakes instead, stopping right in front of him.

After all, she was a young woman of decent looks, and it was late at night. Being stopped by a strange man, she felt a brief surge of fear and tried to get away.

The man stepped forward, placing a hand on her e-bike’s handlebars.

“It’s me.”

Hearing that familiar, low voice, Yishu’s anxiety melted away.

It was him.

Xu Shixi had driven over at night to examine the village’s facilities, identify shortcomings, and note what needed improvement.

Among the villagers opposing the redevelopment, aside from the greedy, most feared losing the sense of community and vibrancy that defined the urban village. Under cover of darkness, Xu Shixi observed the surroundings: a small river ran through the village, and if the area became a residential complex, footbridges could be built over the water, willows planted along the banks, and the central park largely preserved, with some simple fitness and play equipment added for daily recreation. The fields outside the village weren’t part of the redevelopment, so the villagers could still grow fruits and vegetables. Once the complex was completed, the increased population would multiply those scattered incomes.

Yishu pushed her e-bike to the roadside and put down the kickstand.

“It’s so late—why are you still here?” She tugged at her sweater, which was slipping backward.

The night breeze was still chilly.

“My car broke down,” Xu Shixi said, pointing below. “Got a flat tire.”

He made no mention of his real reason for being there. Since Su Yishu was among the opposition, he avoided any sensitive words that might provoke her.

“How will you get home?” Yishu asked, worried.

“I called a friend to pick me up,” Shixi replied, checking his watch. “They should be here soon.”

“Oh…” Yishu hesitated. “About what happened the other day—well, the day before yesterday—thank you.”

“There’s no need to mention it. It was nothing.”

Should she invite him home? Yishu wondered. It was late, and the temperature had dropped several degrees. Dark clouds drifted in from the east—it looked like rain. But she lived alone, and if her brother were home, it wouldn’t matter. Besides, if the neighbors found out, gossip would be inevitable.

“Then I’ll go ahead. Take care,” Yishu said in a soft voice.

Xu Shixi replied politely, “Be safe on your way,” and said no more.

Yishu had barely reached home when she heard the rain drumming on the banana leaves in the yard. She opened the closet, took out a folding umbrella, and hurried toward the village entrance. Only then did she realize she’d brought just one umbrella—if she gave it to him, she’d be left to walk back in the rain. But she was nearly there, so she decided to deliver it anyway.

Rounding the giant camphor tree at the entrance, she saw the dim light inside the sedan from a distance. Once again, she scolded herself for her foolishness. Even with a flat tire, he could shelter from the rain inside the car.