The restaurant Jiang Sui had chosen was so delicious that Qiao Man focused entirely on enjoying the food and didn’t reply to Gu Hantian’s message.
By the time she returned to campus, Gu Hantian was already waiting downstairs at her dorm.
The autumn atmosphere was deepening. The uncleaned corridor downstairs was covered with fallen leaves, and Gu Hantian stood with lowered eyes, as handsome as a sculpture.
Qiao Man’s footsteps suddenly slowed. After staring at Gu Hantian for a long time, she waved one hand behind her back, signaling the person following her to get lost quickly.
“You’re going to make me catch a cold with all that fanning,” Jiang Sui, who was following behind, said fearlessly.
Qiao Man kicked backward.
Jiang Sui nimbly dodged and left without another word.
Qiao Man looked back just in time to see his slender figure disappear into the darkness.
The movie today had been great, the restaurant was delicious too. It was obvious someone had done extensive research beforehand to create today’s nearly perfect experience.
Now the movie was over, the meal was finished, and he was being cast aside like a donkey after grinding wheat—leaving all alone…
Qiao Man pressed her lips together. Her phone suddenly dinged.
Jiang Sui: Does my back look particularly pitiful?
Qiao Man: “…”
Well, whatever trace of pity she’d just felt had been utterly shattered by his single message.
She put away her phone and walked straight toward Gu Hantian.
Gu Hantian had spotted her when her phone chimed. He hadn’t disturbed her while she was replying to messages, but now that she was approaching, he immediately nodded: “Qiao Man.”
Qiao Man stopped in her tracks and gave him a strange look.
“What?” Under her gaze, Gu Hantian’s first reaction was to wonder what was wrong with himself. He even looked down to check as he asked.
Qiao Man: “Nothing.”
She’d just suddenly remembered how in the original story, he always waited for others to greet him first. That’s how it had been when they first met too.
When had he become so polite?
Qiao Man couldn’t recall, but she felt like it had been a long time since she’d seen that male lead who used to give her attitude all the time.
“Looking for me?” Qiao Man asked.
It was still vacation time, so there weren’t many people on campus. Bai Xingyu didn’t live in this building either, so he must be here for her.
Sure enough, Gu Hantian nodded and asked: “Did you get the message I sent?”
Qiao Man looked up: “Yes.”
“What do you think?” Gu Hantian asked again.
Qiao Man looked at him thoughtfully.
The full name of the Caisson Model Design Competition was the ‘University Student Caisson Model Design Competition.’ It tested both creativity and collaboration skills.
It was a very niche competition with numerous rules, including requiring participants to form teams of at least three people.
In the original story, when the male lead discovered registration had begun, he directly filled in his own name and the female supporting character Xiao Chen’s name on the registration page, only informing them the next day.
Since that’s how the original plot went, Qiao Man had found it somewhat strange when she received Gu Hantian’s message.
After all, in the original story, Gu Hantian hadn’t sent any message to notify the female supporting character before registering.
She hadn’t replied, thinking Gu Hantian would register directly. She never expected him to come find her.
Gu Hantian.
The domineering young master from the original story who thought only of himself.
Because she hadn’t replied to his message, he hadn’t made the decision arbitrarily. Instead, he had specifically come to see her.
“You want me to participate with you?” Qiao Man went straight to the point.
Gu Hantian: “Yes.”
Qiao Man: “Why me?”
“Aren’t you fond of caissons?” Gu Hantian countered.
Qiao Man: “It’s just a hobby.”
“Others are the same; everyone’s skill levels are quite similar,” Gu Hantian said. “I’ve read some of your essays—you have thoughtful ideas. Perhaps we could try collaborating once.”
The sun must be rising from the west—Gu Hantian was actually attempting to persuade her.
Qiao Man: “Even if I agreed, there would only be two of us.”
“We can have Xiao Chen make up the numbers,” Gu Hantian immediately suggested.
Although the plot required her to agree, Qiao Man still paused appropriately: “Since you’ve already thought it through, let’s give it a try.”
Gu Hantian nodded: “I’ll go register now.”
Qiao Man nodded back, then suddenly called out to him: “Gu Hantian.”
“Hmm?” Gu Hantian stopped again.
“You were quite polite today—keep it up.” With queenly dignity, Qiao Man bestowed this praise upon the male lead before returning to her dorm.
Gu Hantian stood rooted for a long moment. As he was about to leave, he suddenly caught sight of his upturned lips reflected in the glass across from him.
He wiped the smile off his face instantly, frowning: “What’s so funny?”
Whether in the original story or now, Gu Hantian took this competition extremely seriously. At half past ten that night, he messaged Qiao Man, telling her to come to Classroom 102 in Building 2 for a meeting at two o’clock the next afternoon.
Qiao Man saw it.
But Qiao Man didn’t reply.
No one was allowed to disturb her solitary evening hours—not even the male lead.
Ding-dong.
A message from Jiang Sui: Want midnight snacks?
Qiao Man instantly replied: No. Jiang Sui: Not even grilled chicken gizzards?
Qiao Man: …
Jiang Sui: I’ll be at your dorm in thirty seconds.
Qiao Man threw a trench coat over her pajamas and went to eat grilled chicken gizzards.
The holiday wasn’t over yet, and her roommates hadn’t returned. After her late-night snack, Qiao Man continued to have the entire dorm to herself.
She slept exceptionally well and sat up immediately when her eight o’clock alarm rang the next morning.
She washed up, exercised, did homework, and had bread with milk for both breakfast and lunch—nothing could stop her from studying.
Only when her phone showed 1:40 PM, and a new plot prompt appeared in her mind, did she leisurely get up and head to the teaching building.
Gu Hantian was already waiting in the classroom, accompanied by another person—Bai Xingyu.
Upon seeing Bai Xingyu, Qiao Man paused perfectly before turning her gaze to Gu Hantian.
“On the day of the competition, it’s Xiao Chen’s grandfather’s eightieth birthday banquet. He can’t go with us, so I asked Xingyu to join instead.”
Under Qiao Man’s gaze, Gu Hantian felt inexplicably pressured. Though a simple notification would have sufficed, he found himself explaining unprompted.
Qiao Man glanced at them and delivered her line: “I’m certainly happy if Bai Xingyu wants to join. It’s just that this competition involves some specialized knowledge…”
She trailed off meaningfully, looking at Gu Hantian.
Her stare made his eyelid twitch.
“I’m not responsible for the technical parts. Like Xiao Chen, I’m just here to make up numbers.”
Having previously witnessed how Qiao Man framed her, Bai Xingyu spoke with clear irritation.
Qiao Man lifted her eyes: “But to the judging panel, the three of us are a team. If we win an award, all our names will be on the trophy.”
“Are you implying I’m just here to freeload awards?” Bai Xingyu’s face flushed with anger. “I offer kindness and get suspicion in return! If you don’t want me here, I don’t care to stay anyway!”
She turned and stormed off.
Qiao Man waited for her to follow the script—reach the doorway then storm back in with a darkened expression to issue a challenge.
Bai Xingyu walked to the door, pulled it open, and left.
Qiao Man: “?”
Qiao Man: “…”
Gu Hantian frowned at Qiao Man: “She genuinely came to help. Wasn’t your comment too harsh…”
“Go after her quickly,” Qiao Man urged.
Gu Hantian: “?”
“Hurry!” Seeing his slow reaction, Qiao Man grew visibly displeased.
“Oh… right…”
Not understanding her sudden change in attitude, Gu Hantian immediately rushed out.
“If she refuses to come back, provoke her into returning!” Qiao Man raised her voice.
It was unclear whether Gu Hantian heard her—he vanished in an instant.
Five minutes later, Bai Xingyu stood before Qiao Man, gesturing wildly as she issued her challenge: “Why should I stay away just because you don’t want me here? I’m coming anyway! If you don’t want to be in a group with me, then you quit!”
Qiao Man stared at her for three seconds, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile.
Bai Xingyu: “?”
“Classmate Bai misunderstood me. I never said I didn’t want to work with you. Han Tian and I are delighted you’re willing to help,” Qiao Man continued reciting her lines.
Bai Xingyu snorted coldly, sat down with a stern face, and found a seat.
Qiao Man sat diagonally across from her. Both simultaneously turned their gaze to Gu Hantian.
Finally, they could begin the meeting.
Gu Hantian distributed pre-printed materials: “This competition’s theme is ‘Rebirth.’ Any initial thoughts?”
“None. I’m just here to handle miscellaneous tasks,” Bai Xingyu retorted while glaring at Qiao Man.
Qiao Man ignored her, mechanically delivering her lines: “I’ll follow Han Tian’s lead.”
Gu Hantian nodded: “Here’s my thinking—most ‘rebirth’ themes are religion-related. To stand out in the competition, we have two options: either delve deeper into religious aspects than anyone else, or completely abandon that angle and find a entirely fresh perspective.”
Bai Xingyu: “Don’t understand.”
Qiao Man: “I think we could try both approaches.”
“We don’t have enough time to pursue both,” Gu Hantian frowned.
Qiao Man: “Then let’s choose the religious theme. It’s safer.”
“What’s the point if it’s too safe?” Bai Xingyu immediately objected.
After a long silence, Gu Hantian looked up at Qiao Man: “I want to take on the challenge.”
Bai Xingyu shot a triumphant glance at Qiao Man.
Qiao Man smiled: “As you wish.”
Gu Hantian nodded: “If no one objects, then it’s settled.”
“Fine.” Bai Xingyu stood up.
Qiao Man also rose: “Alright.”
Mission accomplished.
Qiao Man sat back down: “Settled? What’s actually settled after all this discussion?”
Gu Hantian: “?”
Bai Xingyu: “?”
“All we’ve determined is to avoid religious themes. So what’s next? You just said ‘take on the challenge’—but what exactly is this new perspective? What general shape should the caisson take? What design should the ventilation ducts have? Nothing concrete has been decided. What exactly have you settled?”
Gu Hantian: “…”
Bai Xingyu: “…”
Qiao Man lifted her chin. “Gu Hantian, come up with five themes related to ‘new life’ by the end of today and send them to me before 9 AM tomorrow. Bai Xingyu, compile the information on the top three works from the past ten competitions. Make sure to include the names of the judging panel for each year, and highlight any judges from this year’s panel in a different color. We need to understand the judges’ preferences before selecting a suitable theme from the ones Gu Hantian proposes.”
Gu Hantian frowned. “I don’t want to…”
“Don’t want what? Don’t want to cater to the judges? Then why compete? You might as well stay home and play by yourself,” Qiao Man shot him a glance. “Besides, I’ve given you plenty of freedom. Choosing a theme close to the judges’ preferences from your ideas versus coming up with themes based entirely on their preferences—you know the difference, don’t you?”
Gu Hantian fell silent.
Bai Xingyu also said nothing.
“I know what you’re thinking—that creativity should be free, noble, and unrestrained, or it’s not cool enough. But I’ll say it again: if you truly want freedom, don’t enter a competition full of rules. Since you’ve chosen to participate, do everything you can to win.”
After speaking, Qiao Man paused to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, then gathered her materials and headed out. As she passed Bai Xingyu, the latter instinctively shifted aside.
“…Didn’t she say earlier that she’d listen to you?” Bai Xingyu muttered under her breath, but no one responded.
Curious, she glanced over and saw Gu Hantian frowning, seemingly deep in thought.
“Hey!” she suddenly raised her voice.
Gu Hantian looked at her. “Hmm?”
“…Don’t be nervous. You can do it.” Bai Xingyu offered him an awkward encouragement.
A flicker of discomfort crossed Gu Hantian’s face, and he turned away. “You’ve never even seen my work. How do you know I can?”
“Because you’ve always been the most capable one since we were kids,” Bai Xingyu said matter-of-factly.
Gu Hantian glanced at her, his posture straightening slightly.
Once Qiao Man had clarified the tasks and deadlines, their efficiency noticeably improved.
Gu Hantian proposed five themes, and Qiao Man, combining them with the data Bai Xingyu had compiled, selected the one most suitable for the competition.
“The concept of time is good. We could incorporate elements like a sundial. This year’s judging panel would probably like that. What do you think?” Qiao Man asked.
Gu Hantian frowned. “Let’s think about it some more. I still feel it’s too rushed.”
“Do we have enough time?” Qiao Man pressed.
Gu Hantian fell silent.
The three of them quickly finalized the theme and began gathering every night after 7 PM at the studio Gu Hantian rented off-campus.
Since it was a model competition, the rules stipulated that the work could not exceed one meter in length, width, or height. Whether using wood or bricks, everything had to be miniaturized. Bricks could be custom-ordered, but the wood had to be planed by hand.
Qiao Man never imagined she’d ever find herself playing the role of a carpenter.
“Bai Xingyu, hand me the hammer.”
“Bai Xingyu, hold this board for me.”
“Bai Xingyu, get me a glass of water.”
After three days of being treated like a maid, Bai Xingyu finally snapped.
“You can’t even get your own water?!” she demanded angrily.
Qiao Man, straddling a log, glanced at her casually. “Pour.”
Bai Xingyu took a deep breath, poured a glass of water, and thrust it toward her.
Qiao Man looked at her grimy gloves, then leaned down to drink.
Bai Xingyu really wanted to splash water in her face, but still patiently finished feeding her.
After attending to the queen, Bai Xingyu turned to the person drawing in the corner: “Gu Hantian, do you want some water?”
Gu Hantian shook his head, lowering his gaze to continue sketching.
“Hey,” Bai Xingyu quietly moved closer to Qiao Man, “don’t you think Gu Hantian seems a bit off? He’s doing what he loves, but why do I feel he’s not happy?”
“Are you free?” Qiao Man retorted.
Bai Xingyu: “…”
“If you’re free, go clean the toilet,” Qiao Man ordered.
Bai Xingyu took a deep breath, straightened his face, and went.
He actually went?
Qiao Man’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
Cleaning the toilet was required by the plot, but in the original text, Bai Xingyu had been furious, cursing her before leaving. Why was he so compliant now?
Unable to understand, Qiao Man was about to continue working when she noticed Gu Hantian staring at her, as if wanting to say something.
“Something wrong?”
Qiao Man was certain he hadn’t seen her bullying Bai Xingyu earlier.
Sure enough, Gu Hantian remained silent for three seconds before shaking his head and resuming his drawing.
At 10:30 PM, the three left the studio. Just as they reached the ground floor, they spotted Jiang Sui under the streetlight.
“Jiang Sui?”
Bai Xingyu called out in surprise and immediately walked toward him.
Since being rescued by Jiang Sui in the wine cellar, Gu Hantian could no longer maintain a stern expression toward him. But watching Bai Xingyu walk away without looking back, he still felt uncomfortable.
He and Qiao Man stopped simultaneously, nodding distantly at Jiang Sui without approaching.
“What are you doing here?” Bai Xingyu asked.
“I wanted to see you but was afraid of interrupting your work, so I waited here for you,” Jiang Sui said with a faint smile.
Bai Xingyu chuckled, “I just do odd jobs—nothing worth interrupting.”
“What happened to your hand?” Jiang Sui asked.
Bai Xingyu shook his hand, “I bumped it while moving something.”
“Why so careless?” As he spoke, Jiang Sui pulled a bandage from his backpack.
Bai Xingyu quickly waved his hands, “No need, no need…”
When Jiang Sui asked about Bai Xingyu’s hand, Gu Hantian immediately looked over.
Seeing the wound on Bai Xingyu’s hand, his brows furrowed instantly.
He had been distracted these past few days and hadn’t noticed when she got injured.
“Did you see the injury on her hand?” Qiao Man suddenly asked.
Gu Hantian: “Mm…”
“Find time to see an eye doctor. If you can see it clearly from this far, I suspect you have presbyopia,” Qiao Man said seriously.
Gu Hantian: “…”
“Pfft.”
Bai Xingyu was still saying “no need” when he noticed Jiang Sui laughing and looked puzzled, “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.”
Taking advantage of his distraction, Jiang Sui slapped the bandage onto the wound with a smack.
Bai Xingyu: “…”
“All done.”
Bai Xingyu: “…Thanks.”
Mission complete.
Jiang Sui glanced at Qiao Man, “Where are you all heading now?”
“To grab some food. Want to join?” Bai Xingyu invited.
Jiang Sui shook his head, “No need, I have things to do.”
[Jiang Sui glanced at Qiao Man, signaling her not to let Bai Xingyu and Gu Hantian be alone together.]
Jiang Sui looked over.
[Qiao Man’s face turned cold.]
Qiao Man’s expression cooled, and she shot him a disdainful look.
Jiang Sui left in high spirits.
Bai Xingyu rejoined the trio, and they found a still-open restaurant to sit down.
While waiting for the food to be served, Gu Hantian stepped out for a moment, leaving Bai Xingyu and Qiao Man staring at each other in awkward silence.
After a strange quiet stretched between them, Bai Xingyu cleared her throat: “Even though you framed me before, considering we still have to compete together, I’ll be the bigger person and not hold it against—”
“Are the bricks ready?” Qiao Man interrupted her.
Bai Xingyu replied, “They said we need to wait a few more days.”
“Push them,” Qiao Man ordered.
Bai Xingyu frowned, “I already did. They said they can’t speed it up.”
Qiao Man insisted, “Tell them to deliver by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, or we won’t pay the balance.”
Bai Xingyu hesitated, “What if they just cancel the order? Finding another supplier now would be too late.”
Qiao Man said confidently, “They won’t. It’s the off-season, and we placed our order early. They’ve probably finished the work already and are just dragging their feet out of habit.”
“Alright, I’ll follow up tomorrow.”
Bai Xingyu nodded, then suddenly realized—wait, why was she obeying Qiao Man so readily?
But the moment to retort had already passed, so she could only swallow her frustration with a sip of water.
Gu Hantian returned shortly after, and the three finished their meal together. Qiao Man headed back to school alone, while he and Bai Xingyu walked toward the residential area next to campus.
Under the shimmering moonlight, the pedestrian street was quiet and spacious.
Gu Hantian carried his backpack in one hand, hesitating a few times before he finally started to speak—only to be cut off by Bai Xingyu’s question: “Why have you been upset these past few days?”
Gu Hantian paused, “Have I?”
“Of course you have,” Bai Xingyu shot him a sidelong glance. “Don’t deny it. We grew up together—you think I don’t know you?”
After a brief silence, Gu Hantian turned his face away. “It’s not that I’m upset, I just… I can’t really explain it.”
“Then take your time,” Bai Xingyu said, taking two steps forward before turning to walk backward, facing him.
Gu Hantian gazed at her fair face under the streetlamp, quiet for a long moment before murmuring softly, “When I signed up, I was really looking forward to this competition.”
“Not anymore?” Bai Xingyu asked.
Gu Hantian pressed his lips together. “I still am, but… it doesn’t feel the same.”
Bai Xingyu looked puzzled and was about to ask what he meant when Gu Hantian suddenly changed the subject, his tone casual: “You got hurt—why didn’t you tell me?”
“This?” Bai Xingyu glanced at her hand. “It’s not serious. Nothing worth mentioning.”
Gu Hantian frowned. “Let me see.”
“It’s covered up—you can’t see anything,” she said, but still held her hand out to him.
Suddenly, Gu Hantian took her fingers in his.
Bai Xingyu froze, her whole body stiffening.
“What kind of bandage is this? So half-hearted,” Gu Hantian remarked disdainfully, eyeing the adhesive bandage on her hand.
Bai Xingyu, who had been tense from the hand-holding, immediately bristled: “Jiang Sui was just being kind! How is that half-hearted?”
Gu Hantian glanced at her, then abruptly began peeling off the bandage.
“What are you doing?!” She tried to pull her hand back.
“Don’t move,” Gu Hantian said firmly.
Bai Xingyu widened her eyes, ready to protest—why should she stay still?—when she saw him pull iodine and cotton swabs from his bag.
She stared in surprise, then it dawned on her: “You went out earlier… to buy these?”
Without looking up, Gu Hantian carefully disinfected her wound. As he worked, he couldn’t resist taking a jab at his rival: “No disinfecting, no proper bandaging—just slapping on a band-aid. You call that not half-hearted?”
Bai Xingyu opened her mouth to argue, but then a thought struck her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
“…What are you looking at?”
“Are you jealous?” she asked, tilting her head.
Gu Hantian stubbornly insisted: “You’re overthinking it.”
“Oh.” Bai Xingyu feigned indifference to mask her slight disappointment.
After a moment of silence, Gu Hantian spoke: “Didn’t he confess to you before? Why are you still hanging out with him?”
“Is that not allowed?” Bai Xingyu didn’t understand.
Gu Hantian glanced at her: “If you don’t like him, don’t give him false hope.”
“I’m not. We’ve already made it clear – we’re just friends.” Bai Xingyu explained.
Gu Hantian didn’t think Jiang Sui seemed like he wanted to be just friends with her, but the atmosphere was too good right now, and he didn’t want to argue, so he remained silent.
“Gu Hantian.” Bai Xingyu suddenly called out to him.
Gu Hantian: “Hmm?”
“If you don’t like the current proposal, you should go talk to Qiao Man.” Bai Xingyu spoke carefully.
Gu Hantian lifted his gaze to look at her.
“Although changing themes midway isn’t very considerate, you’ll be going for an internship at the company next year. This competition might be your first and possibly last time participating. Regardless of the ranking, I hope you can at least create a work you truly love.”
Gu Hantian stared back at her intently.
Bai Xingyu joked: “What are you looking at? Hesitation isn’t like you. What’s really holding you back?”
Hearing this, Gu Hantian was momentarily stunned, finally realizing he hadn’t been acting like himself lately.
His eyes regained their determination: “I’ll go find her right now.”
In the school’s small garden, Qiao Man sat leisurely on a bench.
Jiang Sui knelt before her, taking out cotton swabs, hydrogen peroxide, gauze and other medical supplies from his bag, arranging them neatly beside him before gently smoothing out her hand.
Under the streetlight, three small blisters lined up neatly on her palm, shining brightly with reddish surroundings, appearing unexpectedly delicate for someone like her.
“How did this happen?” Jiang Sui frowned slightly.
Qiao Man: “Planed too many wooden boards.”
“Couldn’t you take it slower?”
Qiao Man: “No choice, time is tight.”
The Caisson Model Design Competition had an unusual schedule – less than a month from registration to submission. Most participants would prepare semi-finished products in advance and make adjustments according to the competition theme.
Only their male lead Gu Hantian insisted on waiting for the competition theme to be announced before starting preparations.
As Jiang Sui treated her blisters, Qiao Man winced in pain and tried to distract herself: “Were all these bought for Bai Xingyu?”
She was referring to the items on the bench.
Jiang Sui ignored her question. Noticing her fingers shrinking back, he paused and gently blew on her palm.
The warm, gentle breeze on her palm eased the pain, but her hand still tried to pull back.
Jiang Sui grasped her fingers and said helplessly: “The plot prompt only told me to bring her a band-aid. I bought these after seeing you guys. It’s not that she didn’t need them and I’m giving them to you instead. Satisfied, Your Majesty?”
Qiao Man looked down at him: “How did you know I’d need these?”
Jiang Sui shook her hand slightly: “Someone who’s never even sharpened a pencil herself since childhood is now using planes for handicraft. It would be best if you didn’t get hurt, but it’s better to be prepared. And now it came in handy.”
Qiao Man pressed her lips together and reluctantly placed her hand back in his palm.
After bandaging her hand with gauze, Jiang Sui asked: “Spoil it for me – what award did you win in the competition?”
“No award.” Qiao Man replied.
Jiang Sui paused, looking up with confusion: “Hmm?”
“No ranking,” Qiao Man met his gaze, “In the original story, Gu Hantian’s father found out about him participating in the competition and directly had his work removed. So no award.”
Jiang Sui fell silent, showing a complicated expression after a while: “If I may ask, since you already knew this would be the outcome, why are you working so hard?”
“No ranking, but it was scored before being removed – 94.5, the highest score in the competition,” Qiao Man said matter-of-factly, “Since I’m participating, I can’t score lower than that, right?”
Jiang Sui: “…”
The Great Queen returning to her 20s – her competitive spirit has multiplied exponentially.
After treating the blisters on both hands, Jiang Sui stood up to stretch, but paused midway and ducked into a nearby grove of trees.
Qiao Man hesitated, but before she could ask what was happening, someone dashed past her like the wind.
Three seconds later, the person came running back.
“Qiao… Man,” Gu Hantian gasped, out of breath, “what are you doing here?”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Qiao Man asked calmly.
Gu Hantian replied, “Looking for you.”
“Looking for me?” Qiao Man raised an eyebrow.
Gu Hantian caught his breath and resumed his cool demeanor. “I want to change the theme.”
Without waiting for Qiao Man’s response, he pulled out his phone, quickly swiped a few times, and showed her a design draft.
“This is the new theme I’ve been thinking about these past two days. It might be a bit more radical compared to the previous topic, but rather than catering to the judges’ preferences, I’d rather…”
“Okay.” Qiao Man handed the phone back to him.
Gu Hantian was taken aback. “What?”
“I said okay, let’s change the theme. I trust you,” Qiao Man said calmly.
Surprised by her quick agreement, a hint of confusion flickered in Gu Hantian’s sharp eyes, making him look somewhat dazed.
After a moment, he asked, “…Really?”
“Of course,” Qiao Man confirmed again.
Finally snapping out of it, Gu Hantian asked, “Why? You said before that the purpose of competing was to win, but this new theme clearly doesn’t align with the judges’ tastes, and the design isn’t mainstream enough. How could you…”
“I did say that, but that was for most people. For geniuses, we should have different standards,” Qiao Man interrupted, adding affirmation. “Gu Hantian, your new theme is special.”
Gu Hantian’s lips moved slightly, but he suddenly noticed the bandages on her hands.
“Your hands…”
“It’s nothing serious,” Qiao Man touched the bandages. “I agree to change the theme, but that means we have even less time. You might have to work very hard.”
“I can handle it,” Gu Hantian replied immediately.
Qiao Man smiled faintly. “Then go back and rest. School starts tomorrow—don’t be late.”
Gu Hantian glanced at the bandages on her hands, wanting to say something but deciding it wasn’t necessary. In the end, he lowered his gaze and left.
Jiang Sui quietly emerged from the grove and sat down beside Qiao Man. “Is the plan he brought this time the one that scored 94.5 in the novel?”
“The novel only mentioned they got the highest score; it didn’t specify which plan they used,” Qiao Man said casually.
Jiang Sui turned to look at her. “Then why did you agree to let him change the plan?”
Qiao Man glanced at him. “First, his new topic is genuinely refreshing, and I think it’s worth the risk. Second, compared to my half-baked knowledge, Gu Hantian is more professional. A good leader knows how to listen to suggestions. Third, although time is tight, we’re still in the early stages of preparation. The materials we previously ordered can still be used even if we change the topic, so the loss isn’t significant.”
Jiang Sui nodded. “Reasonable and well-justified. Truly moving. Is there a fourth reason?”
“Fourth, we’re a team of three. The male and female leads are natural allies. If I hadn’t taken the initiative during the first coordination, I wouldn’t have gained leadership. Now that Gu Hantian has come to me, it means his mind is made up. If I don’t agree, both of them will likely rebel, and I’ll lose all authority, including the power to decide the topic. Rather than that, it’s better to concede the decision on the topic and solidify my influence in other areas.”
Jiang Sui: “So the question is, which of the four points is the most important?”
Qiao Man gave him a strange look, as if puzzled by why he would ask such a foolish question.
“Of course it’s the fourth. Want to seize power? You’ll have to step over my dead body first.”