Chapter 45
"Our boss naturally has his own considerations." James took a sip of coffee, his deep eyes obscured by the steam, revealing no emotion.
Christina nodded knowingly and didn't delve further into the matter. Instead, she took out a pen and paper and asked seriously.
"Alright, what kind of design style does your company want?"
James pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.
"We want a commercial district that has a modern feel but doesn't lose its traditional charm. It should attract customers of different age groups and have enough cultural depth and commercial vitality."
Christina's pen paused slightly, and she showed an awkward but polite smile.
"This concept seems quite vague."
"Yes, our boss just won the bid for this project a few days ago. To be honest, he doesn't have a specific idea yet; he just wants to create a commercial district." James spread his hands, indicating his helplessness.
Christina was stunned for a moment, feeling that something was odd.
"If there's plenty of time, why not take your time to find a designer?"
"It's because you just won the gold award, and people must be flocking to you. If we don't book your schedule in advance, we might not be able to book you later." James candidly explained the reason.
Christina felt a bit embarrassed.
Although she wasn't exactly in high demand, she wasn't completely without clients either.
The concern he mentioned was unlikely to happen in the short term.
"That won't be a problem. If you are sure you want to collaborate with our architectural firm, we can draft a preliminary contract, and I'll keep my schedule open."
"Sure, that's no problem." James laughed, "As long as you agree, we can discuss the subsequent conditions slowly."
Christina was a bit unsure.
Why did she feel that he was more anxious than she was?
But she couldn't figure out the reason.
After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Alright, before we officially sign the contract, can I meet your boss to discuss the specific ideas?"
"Of course." James agreed without hesitation, "I'm just here to check your availability. It's good that you have time."
Christina stood up and poured him a cup of coffee.
"Here's your coffee."
Stanley had just arrived at the office when Bruce came over. "Mr. Fisher used to favor you the most, but it seems like that might change now, with the newcomer stealing the spotlight."
Stanley didn't say anything. He just tidied up the blueprints on his desk and locked them in the drawer.
Bruce felt awkward and was about to leave, but he still leaned in. "Hey, aren't you going to do something about it? Letting someone like Christina mix in with us!"
"What's wrong with us? Are we so noble?" Stanley frowned and retorted.
Bruce was taken aback.
Stanley glanced at him and said calmly, "No wonder Mr. Fisher said what he did. You don't focus on your designs and instead think about these irrelevant things. Is it worth it?"
"Fuck! Stop pretending to be so high and mighty." Bruce got angry and slammed the table. "Everyone knows you suck up to Mr. Fisher's granddaughter, and now you're pretending to be all noble. We're being nice because you're one of us!"
Stanley's actions paused slightly.
Bruce got more agitated. "Look at you. Mr. Fisher used to give you all the dirty and tiring jobs, and now she comes in and gets to design a commercial district right away. Do you think you'll ever make it into the mainstream design industry?"
Stanley looked up at him. "We're all doing the work of architects. There's no high or low."
"You can fool us with that, but don't fool yourself." Bruce sneered. "You've been close to Mr. Fisher all this time and haven't gained any benefits. I really feel sorry for you."
Just then, Kaitlyn appeared out of nowhere, glaring.
"What are you doing, Bruce?"
Bruce's expression changed instantly, showing a bit of a fawning smile. "I'm just having a chat with Stanley."
Kaitlyn put her hands on her hips. "Hmph, no one can bully him."
"We're not bullying him." Bruce glanced at Stanley. "Right?"
Stanley couldn't be bothered to respond. He packed up the materials in the drawer and quickly left the room.
Seeing him ignore her, Kaitlyn stomped her foot in anger and was about to chase after him.
Bruce quickly called her back.
"Hey, haven't you noticed that he's never lost his temper or shown any emotion all these years? Don't you want to know why?"
"Ugh, I don't care about your petty issues." Kaitlyn snorted and turned to leave.
Bruce cleared his throat and said loudly, "It's all because of that new girl, Christina. We were talking about Christina, not him, but he got upset and started mocking us."
Kaitlyn stopped in her tracks.
The new girl, Christina. When she brought her grandfather in earlier, Christina was standing right there.
Christina had long hair and was very attractive, standing out among a group of men.
To be honest, she had never seen Stanley stand up for a girl before.
She snorted and left angrily.
Stanley delivered the materials.
Glenn had just arrived and greeted him warmly. "Come on, don't leave. Have a seat."
As he spoke, he looked at Stanley like a big bad wolf eyeing a little rabbit.
Stanley felt a chill down his spine.
"Hello!"
Kelvin took a sip of his coffee.
"What brings you here?"
"This is a bit difficult to say." Glenn sighed.
Kelvin could see through him. If it were really that difficult, he wouldn't have said it. Why put on an act in front of him?
He didn't expose him, nor did he follow Glenn's lead. He just sipped his coffee.
The air was filled with an awkward silence. Sure enough, Glenn couldn't sit still and cleared his throat. "I'm here to ask if I can borrow a few people."
"Borrow people from me?" Kelvin put down his coffee cup. "You have so many people under you. Why borrow my students?"
"I'm in a tough spot." Glenn sighed. "A few days ago, it was reported that a small place in the countryside had discovered medieval buildings in ruins. They said it had restoration value, so they brought a team to restore it to its original appearance."
Kelvin took a deep breath and frowned.
"I remember you have Manuel Jenkins under you. He can lead a team himself now, and he's good at this. Why borrow people from me?"
"Exactly." Glenn spread his hands, looking helpless.
"But the problem is, he broke his leg while restoring the ancient buildings. Now, the cultural relics institute doesn't have any architectural talent and doesn't dare to start work. They called me to find a solution. My students are abroad, and the others are busy. I really can't spare anyone."
Kelvin thought for a moment. "Indeed, we should strongly support the restoration and protection of ancient cultural relics and buildings."