Chapter 57: Renovation
“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand Miss Wanrong well enough, I was careless,” Tong Shenliu lowered her head, her voice filled with self-blame.
“I’m also at fault,” Tong Shenba followed, apologizing with deep guilt in his voice.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Gu Wanrong waved her hands repeatedly, indicating she no longer cared, touched by their sincere apologies.
Gu Wanrong suddenly realized that there was nothing for a large group of people to do in the suite. So she continued, “Tong Shenliu and Tong Shenba, please send some of them out; I don’t need this many people here.”
Tong Shenliu and Tong Shenba exchanged glances and immediately understood Gu Wanrong’s meaning. They each took away some of their servants and bodyguards, leaving the presidential suite.
With the departure of the crowd, the room instantly became quiet. Gu Wanrong sat on the sofa and sighed softly. She knew that Tong Shenliu and Tong Shenba, meeting her for the first time, had tried their best, perhaps a little too much.
After Gu Wanrong finished washing and came out of the bathroom, seeing only Tong Shenliu and Tong Shenba in the room, she felt much more relaxed.
Tong Shenliu was focused on selecting her outfit for the day, while Tong Shenba stood quietly in the corner of the living room.
Before going to Xia Country, Tong Shenliu and Tong Shenba had communicated with Gu Wanrong numerous times via video, gaining a deep understanding of her daily life, preferences, and habits, and carefully planning their subsequent work schedule.
They had originally planned to introduce their team members to Gu Wanrong today, but unexpectedly, the Gu Wanrong who gave off a serious impression in the videos was in reality a reserved girl.
Gu Wanrong didn’t know that the embarrassing moment that made her toes curl earlier that morning was due to Tong Shenliu and Tong Shenba’s judgment based on her serious demeanor in the videos.
The significant difference in her online and offline personalities forced them to readjust their work tasks and strategies.
Several outfits of different styles were arranged on a mobile clothes rack. Tong Shenliu pushed the rack in front of Gu Wanrong for her to choose from, also giving her a chance to better understand Gu Wanrong.
Tong Shenliu had excellent taste, and even the clothes and jewelry Gu Wanrong haphazardly packed into her suitcase were styled beautifully by her, each outfit comfortable and attractive.
Gu Wanrong, looking at the various styles, chose the simple yet girlish outfit that caught her eye first.
“Manager Liu, I have an appointment with the courtyard designer this afternoon,” Gu Wanrong said, holding the chosen outfit and walking away.
“Understood, Miss Wanrong. Shall I arrange for a hotel driver to take you there?” Tong Shenliu asked.
“Yes,” Gu Wanrong replied.
Then she briefly told Tong Shenliu about her experience at Bai Xian Mountain Villa yesterday and instructed, “Tomorrow, you go and straighten out Bai Xian Mountain Villa. The management is too chaotic. Those who are incompetent, like Manager Shi, should be demoted or have their salaries reduced.”
“Understood, Miss Wanrong,” Tong Shenliu replied seriously.
Afternoon.
The hotel driver was already waiting at the entrance. Gu Wanrong, with Tong Shenba, left the hotel and got into the car.
The driver quickly took them to their appointment. After getting out of the car, they entered a studio with an artistic atmosphere.
Lin Yu, the designer, had been waiting. Seeing Gu Wanrong enter, she smiled and stood up to greet her.
“Miss Gu, hello!” Lin Yu greeted politely.
Gu Wanrong returned the smile, softly saying, “Hello.”
Then, they shook hands amicably and walked towards the meeting room.
When Gu Wanrong was selecting a designer for her courtyard from the database, most designs were overly modern, not meeting her expectations.
Lin Yu, specializing in ancient building restoration, designed courtyards that blended modern living with the original cultural heritage, creating a warm and elegant atmosphere.
Furthermore, she excelled in landscape design, crucial for Gu Wanrong’s garden. She could also tailor designs to specific client needs.
In the meeting room:
“I really like the courtyards you’ve designed before, and your ingenuity in landscape design also surprised me,” Gu Wanrong showed Lin Yu some of her favorite examples on her phone.
Lin Yu smiled, “Thank you. I did spend a lot of thought on that garden design.”
After a brief conversation, the three got up and headed to Qingnan Hutong.
For Lin Yu, only by personally inspecting the courtyard could she truly understand its current condition; photos couldn’t fully capture the reality and details.
The three got out of the car at the entrance of the hutong and walked slowly inward.
Qingnan Hutong was peaceful and serene, lined with ancient walls and traditional large courtyards. Lin Yu observed the difference between this environment and the ones she had worked with before, and was surprised.
In her experience, courtyards like Gu Wanrong’s were usually operated as clubs. While those renovated for personal use were rare, they existed, surprising Lin Yu that someone so young possessed such great wealth.
But the fact that Qingnan Hutong, located in the city center, was filled with such large, complete courtyards, each occupied, made her suspect Gu Wanrong was even wealthier and more influential than she imagined.
This spurred Lin Yu to work harder, dedicating 200% of her effort to observing the “Gu Residence” and recording Gu Wanrong’s requirements.
Gu Wanrong and Lin Yu finally reached the “Gu Residence.” Looking up at the grand, elegantly carved gate, Lin Yu noted the word “ancient charm” in her notebook.
Tong Shenba opened the heavy vermilion doors. Gu Wanrong and Lin Yu entered the courtyard.
Gu Wanrong took Lin Yu through every corner of the “Gu Residence,” detailing her wishes.
“Designer Lin, I hope the overall layout of the courtyard remains unchanged. The interior facilities shouldn’t be overly modern; they need to match the exterior.
The bedroom style should be warmer, with a separate walk-in closet next to it. Ideally, there should be more greenery or flowers in this courtyard.
For nighttime lighting, I prefer antique-style fixtures, but with high brightness; I don’t like dim lighting.
Here, there’s a separate garden, but it’s been neglected and withered.
So, I hope you can restore it to a beautiful garden with rockeries, flowing water, lush trees, and vibrant flowers, allowing me to see the changing seasons here.
…”
Gu Wanrong described her requirements for each specific area, and Lin Yu diligently took notes.
Meanwhile, with Tong Shenba’s help, Lin Yu checked the details of the “Gu Residence”: the condition of the roof tiles, the house structure, the condition of various facilities…
“Oh, Designer Lin, when choosing materials, only consider quality; don’t worry about the budget. Prioritize achieving the best effect,” Gu Wanrong reminded Lin Yu as they returned to the main house.
Designs and reality often differed, and budget constraints frequently led to substitutions.
But Gu Wanrong’s generous statement freed Lin Yu from budget concerns. Lin Yu sensed that the renovation of the “Gu Residence” would surpass her previous works.
As the sun set, the three concluded their inspection of the “Gu Residence.”
Gu Wanrong spent the entire afternoon discussing the renovation with Lin Yu. Despite her excitement, she was exhausted.
Gu Wanrong parted ways with Lin Yu at the hutong entrance and returned to the hotel with Tong Shenba.
As soon as she got out of the car, a burly, drunk man wielding a knife charged towards her. For a moment, her mind went blank, and her body froze in place.