Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Two: Business Trip (2/2)
“No, I came here to talk to you.”
Ever since Xiao Yu entered, he’d been evaluating Zhou Mang. His appearance… well, Xiao Yu wasn’t someone to judge based on appearance, so he didn’t pay too much attention to it. But, his impression of Zhou Mang rose when he saw Zhou Mang’s neat and orderly desk. When Zhou Mang had turned around to check Nan Wei’s seat after receiving Xiao Yu’s autograph, Xiao Yu saw Zhou Mang’s computer screen around the side of Zhou Mang’s large body.
There was a design draft in progress on the screen.
Just from this glance, Xiao Yu already determined Zhou Mang’s style.
For designers, the best way to communicate was through their designs.
Although it was perhaps hard for others to politely describe his appearance, Zhou Mang’s designs were very meticulously drawn. From the way he handled each detail, it was clear that Zhou Mang had gone through professional training and a standard education. It matched up perfectly with the caliber of the number one design student from University S.
This might be all that a seasoned veteran of the industry could tell from one glance, but Xiao Yu could see even more.
For example, Xiao Yu had a very fuzzy feeling that Zhou Mang’s style was very similar to Lin Zhou’s. It was just his intuition though; Xiao Yu couldn’t explain it.
It wasn’t a criticism. Although Lin Zhou didn’t have strong morals, Lin Zhou’s abilities were at the top of the industry. Even though he worked on designs much less frequently now as a Director, it was clear that Lin Zhou was still extremely capable just from the fact that he’d become chief designer after Xiao Yu had been fired.
Of course, with Xiao Yu’s experience and talent, it was acceptable for Xiao Yu to look down on Lin Zhou’s respectably rigid adherence to the core rules. It also stemmed from a bit of professional pride. Every designer had their own style. If Xiao Yu were to follow Lin Zhou’s style, he definitely wouldn’t be as good as Lin Zhou.
For the style that Zhou Mang followed, Zhou Mang’s work was already quite representative. Xiao Yu wasn’t able to provide him with any tips that a veteran of that style could have.
From Xiao Yu’s perspective, Zhou Mang was certainly more suited for SI. For all intents and purposes, Zhou Mang would receive much better guidance under Lin Zhou’s leadership.
But…
“Huh?” Hearing that Xiao Yu had come looking for him, Zhou Mang didn’t even know where he should place his hands and feet.
“You’re very skilled. If you have any problems in the future, feel free to come find me. However, I might not be able to dedicate too much time to you since I still have to take care of Nan Wei too. How about this: I can introduce you to any other senior designer you like at YL. Having a mentor will help you to improve faster.”
Gold shined no matter where it was. Even if Xiao Yu couldn’t personally teach Zhou Mang, he certainly didn’t want to send him to Lin Zhou.
“No need, no need. The person I admire most is you. I’ve always wanted to become a designer like you.”
“Ah, okay then. Continue to work hard.”
Xiao Yu’s original intention had been to build a one-on-one relationship between Zhou Mang and another senior designer. Initially, he dropped this idea after hearing what Zhou Mang said. But, after thinking about it more carefully, he gave it another try. “There’s many other talented designers at YL…”
“No way. Of course they can’t match up to you.”
“……”
Just as their conversation fell into an awkward silence, Nan Wei returned.
“Master, you don’t need to worry about him.” Nan Wei had overheard their conversation from outside. Fortunately, he’d already become accustomed to Zhou Mang’s peculiarities and propensity for derailing conversations. He was able to bring the conversation back to the main point. “Just do things however you see fit. He won’t reject it.”
Xiao Yu wordlessly nodded in acceptance.
Zhou Mang looked around in apparent confusion and laughed foolishly.
……
On the day before the exhibition, when it was time to tour the exhibition hall and facilities, Xiao Yu finally came across Lin Zhou.
After coming to YL, Xiao Yu hadn’t needed to personally do many trivial tasks like inspecting the exhibition hall. Sending any assistant to do them would have been sufficient, but Xiao Yu still personally went in order to increase his chances of running into Lin Zhou. He’d finally achieved his wish.
Lin Zhou had long known that Xiao Yu was looking for him. He wasn’t surprised at all to see Xiao Yu here.
“Let’s talk elsewhere,” Lin Zhou said.
“Sure.” Xiao Yu nodded his head lightly.
They went to a nearby cafe. It was Xiao Yu’s first time here.
“I pretended to be ill for so long. Now I’ve run into you on my first day out. Must be fate,” Lin Zhou mused.
Lin Zhou seemed to be looking far away. Instead of his once amiable personality, he now seemed completely foreign to Xiao Yu.
“It’s not. I’ve been paying attention to SI’s matters for a while now. There was no way you wouldn’t show up to such a big event,” Xiao Yu said.
“Very true. As expected of you.” Lin Zhou didn’t pursue the topic. Instead, he bluntly asked, “Why are you looking for me? If you’re talking about the car accident, I didn’t personally do anything. As long as I don’t admit to anything, you don’t have any proof at all. Isn’t that right?”
“No,” Xiao Yu coldly responded.
The negative reply clearly wasn’t in response to Lin Zhou’s last question, but rather his first question.
Xiao Yu continued, “I didn’t come find you to talk to you about the car accident.”
Lin Zhou was startled.
After a while, Lin Zhou said, “Then, I believe that between us, we don’t have much else to talk about.”