Chapter 17 — After Notarizing 5 Houses, I Just Got Married

The conversation between us started purely at work, gradually adding some sidelines. During the survey in Chengdu, I met him in the hotel lobby in the evening. He had just finished a phone call, holding the phone in his hand and sitting on the sofa in the lobby.

“Aren't you resting yet this late?”

“Just finished reviewing the response data from the scene, there is one detail I want to confirm with you.”

He gave me his phone, on it was a group of user survey data.

“Regarding the level of acceptance of bamboo weaving elements—72% of young tenants said they liked it, but 15% said it was ‘too cheesy and rustic.’ What do you think?”

"That 15% have not seen real high-end bamboo and rattan products. Wait until the first sample room batch is released, they will change their mind."

He glanced at me. That was the first time he used his eyes outside of work to look at me.

“Are you that confident in your work?”

“If the designer does not have faith in his own plan, the customer cannot have faith.”

He took the phone back.

"What time is it?"

“Eleven o'clock.”

“What time is the flight tomorrow morning?”

“Eight in the morning.”

“Then rest early.”

He stood up, walked two steps and turned around to look.

“Director To.”

“Chengdu grilled meat skewers, have you ever tried it?”

"Not yet."

"After the survey tomorrow, I'll invite you out to dinner. Consider it a party to welcome the wind."

I was stunned for a moment. It was the first time we ate alone together outside of work. The hot pot broth was very spicy, so spicy that it brought tears to my eyes. His movements of handing out tissues were very natural.

“If you can't eat spicy food, don't try.”

"Who wants to try? I just picked up a perverted spicy skewer."

He laughed. That was the first time I saw his real smile. Not a social smile, a commercial smile, or a professional smile. It's a smile with the corners of the mouth raised and the corners of the eyes curled. At that moment, I remembered what Lam Dao said.

“You deserve to be treated respectfully by a kind man.”

Then I stuffed that skewer into my mouth. So spicy that I want to cry. But the tears worth shedding have dried up a long time ago. The tears falling now are tears of bitterness, not because of Tran Hao. Returning from Chengdu, Co Dien had a new habit. Every time the project has good news, he will privately send me a Wechat message. Not tagging in the work group, but sending privately.

“The Chengdu branch entered the soft interior construction phase two weeks early, smoothly.”

“Window frame samples in Hangzhou are out, more beautiful than 3D drawings.”

“Tang Tam Thai color chart of Xi'an branch has been approved, color deviation controlled below 3%.”

Every message isn't long, but it helps me know that he's paying attention to every detail. I usually respond with an “Understood” or brief additional comments. One time he texted: "This year can your department expand to 20 people?"

“Recruiting already.”

“I have some good candidates to introduce to you.”

He actually introduced himself as a young designer from London with an extremely excellent portfolio. After the interview, I accepted on the spot. After work that day, I sent him a message: "Thank you for the introduction, very good person." He replied: "Nothing. Have you had dinner yet?" I looked at this message.

“Caring about partners' meals is Thinh's corporate culture Hang?”

“No, it's my personal habit.”

I don't text back anymore. But I'm smiling. Laughing alone at the phone screen. It's been a long time since I laughed at a message like that. Half a year later, the first branch of the apartment chain - Thanh Do branch - officially opened. On the first day of opening, the room occupancy rate reached 97%. On social networking platforms, check-in posts about this branch are densely covered.

“Is this a long-term rental apartment? It's obviously an art museum!”

“After staying for a week, I don't want to move out anymore. The woven bamboo screen is so beautiful!”

“Finally, someone is bringing indigenous culture into the living space, not in a way that just labels it, but in a way that can actually be felt.”

Co Dien gave a brief speech at the opening ceremony. When mentioning the design team, he said one sentence: "The soul of this brand was brought to life by Director To Niem of the Cam Hoa Design department. Without her plan, there would be no products we have today." Under the stands, applause broke out continuously. I stood in the back row, my palms a little sweaty. After the ceremony, journalists interviewed me.