Chapter 13 — The Second Life of the Italian Examiner

Co Yen went down.

"I'll go with you."

Three days later. Co Yen and I boarded the high-speed train to that city. The old town is located east of the city center. Different from Nam Hang. The scale here is ten times larger. The alleys and streets intertwine like a maze. The architecture spans from the Ming - Qing dynasties. By the time of the Republic of China. Then it lasted until the eighties. The level of complexity is beyond any project I have ever worked on. Two days in a row. We went surveying almost non-stop. Take more than four hundred photos. Draw more than ten pages of sketches. Chat with over ten local residents. Monday evening. In the hotel room. I opened my laptop. Start writing a preliminary assessment report. Co Yen sat opposite. Flip through the photos you just took. A moment later he spoke up.

"Miss Tham."

"Let's be honest."

"This project..."

"I see we can't swallow."

My hands continue to type.

"The scale is too large."

"A work room with only four people accepting a project like this..."

"Will investors feel secure?"

I looked at the screen. Calmly replied:

"So we can't rely on just four people."

Co Yen raised her head.

"What do you mean?"

"The construction drawing implementation phase will cooperate with Mr. Tham."

"We are only in charge of ideas, design options and site control."

He thought for a few seconds.

"What about the first stage?"

"Just the concept plan alone is enough to draw three months."

"We recruited two more people."

"Temporarily assigned to the project."

Co Yen nodded.

"Sounds doable."

"But you must build a clear coordination mechanism."

"If something goes wrong in the middle..."

"Let me coordinate."

He looked at me.

"Alone?"

Co Yen burst out laughing.

"You really aren't afraid of dying from work."

I closed my laptop.

"Not without fear."

"It's just that opportunities like this wait for no one."

"If you miss it."

"There won't be a second time."

He was silent for a moment. Then nodded.

"I'm determined."

After returning. I spent five days perfecting a preliminary concept proposal. Forty pages. Then send it to Mr. Ngo. The next afternoon. The phone rings. It was Mr. Ngo calling.

"Our president has finished watching."

"He only said two words."

"What is it?"

"Sign the contract."

After hanging up. I sit in front of my desk. The three remaining people in the room all stared at me. Co Yen was the first to stand up.

"I'm inviting the whole team to dinner tonight."

Tieu Chu banged the table.

"Miss Tham is so awesome!"

A Ha pushed her glasses. His voice was still calm as usual.

"Three million two hundred thousand yuan?"

He nodded slowly.

"I certainly didn't follow the wrong person."

Contract signing date. I wore a simple black suit. Professional. In the meeting room of the partner side. When I signed my name. Mr. Ngo sat opposite and smiled and said:

"Let's be honest."

"When I first met you, I didn't think you were so young."

I also laughed.

"Young or not doesn't matter."

Mr. Ngo nodded.

"The important thing is whether you can get the job done or not."

The contract was successfully signed. Step out of the building. The midday sunlight was so bright that it made people squint their eyes. I stood on the side of the road. Take out your phone. Post a post to your friends circle. This is Nam Hang's completed photo. Include a short sentence.

"Second year of Tri Chi Design. Keep moving forward."

I see a like. From Khuong Ngan. Just below is a comment. The person left behind is his mother.

"Tri Y now has a future."

I looked at that text for three seconds. Then exit. No reply. Put your phone in your pocket. Then call a car to pick up Tieu Niem. That evening. Tieu Niem is watering flowers on the balcony. The pot of mint that she planted by herself has grown a lot. Next to it there is also a pot of yellow ten o'clock flowers. Blooming brightly.

"Look."

"The flowers are blooming."

I squatted down next to my child. Look at the small flowers fluttering in the wind.

"It's beautiful."

Tieu Niem smiled from ear to ear.

"I planted it."

I patted her head.

"You grow very well."

The girl turned her head to look at me.

"When will I buy a new house?"

I gently stroked my child's soft hair.

"Not much longer."

"Is there a big balcony?"

"The future is even bigger than this place."

Tieu Niem's eyes immediately lit up.

"Then I will plant lots and lots of flowers."

I laughed. Tieu Niem burst out laughing. I also laughed. When I stood up, my eyes unconsciously glanced at the clock hanging on the living room wall. Eight thirty at night. The sky still had some light at the end of the day. The wind blew in from the balcony. Brings a faint mint scent. This is the fourth month since my divorce. It's also the tenth month since I started from scratch. I am thirty-two years old. Has a four year old daughter. There is a design department with four members. There is a project worth three million two hundred thousand yuan underway. And there is an open road waiting ahead. When looking back at a past marriage. I no longer complain. No more hatred. There is only a very clear understanding left. Those five years. Never a waste. It's a time to accumulate strength. For now. That's when Tham Tri Y's life really began. Six months later. Old town project completed. A provincial media agency conducts a special report. The title is:

"How did a design department of just four people create a twenty-six million yuan urban renewal project?"

Date the article was posted. My phone rings almost non-stop.