bioinnovel Chapter 86 Taking it personally!
Chapter 86 Taking it personally!
the next day.
The top-floor conference room of the City of Beauty Building.
Zhang Yan sat beside Nie Qingcheng, looking slightly tired.
In contrast, Nie Qingcheng was radiant and in excellent condition.
On one side of the long conference table sat five or six middle-aged men in suits, each sweating and looking very uncomfortable.
The fat man with the Mediterranean-style haircut leading the group was trembling as he wiped his glasses, his eyes not daring to wander towards the person in the main seat.
In the main seat, Nie Qingcheng crossed her legs, holding a newly printed rendering in her hand, her expression as if she had just swallowed a fly.
"Is this the design proposal your institute came up with after three sleepless nights?"
Nie Qingcheng tossed the blueprints onto the table, the paper sliding across the smooth surface and stopping right in front of the balding fat man.
On the drawing, a magnificent European-style castle rises from the ground, complete with Roman columns, spires, and even an extremely out-of-place fountain sculpture, looking no different from a bathhouse in some third-tier cities.
"Dean Wang, I want to build a top-notch hot spring resort, not a nouveau riche's bathhouse."
Nie Qingcheng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling undertone that sent shivers down one's spine. "Do you think my taste is only good enough for these gilded Roman columns?"
Dean Wang jumped in fright and quickly stood up to explain, "President Nie, you've misunderstood! This is the most popular 'Versailles style' right now! Grand! Luxurious! And this golden facade symbolizes abundant wealth..."
"Vulgar."
A lazy voice suddenly broke in.
Zhang Yan, who had been sitting next to Nie Qingcheng playing a match-3 game on his phone, finally looked up.
He glanced at the rendering, shook his head, and casually picked up a grape from the plate and popped it into his mouth.
"This land is originally wetland, reed marshes, and black soil. What's the difference between building a European-style castle on this and wearing a suit to plant rice seedlings?"
Zhang Yan spat the grape skins onto a tissue and said in a flat tone, "Besides, the underground hot springs have a high sulfur content and heavy acidic gases. Your gilded facade will oxidize and turn black in less than six months. Then it won't be Versailles Palace anymore, it will be a haunted house."
Dean Wang choked for a moment, his face turning a deep liver color.
As the dean of the top design institute in Jinghai, it was one thing for him to be scolded by Nie Qingcheng, but now even a freshman dares to point fingers at him.
"This...you must be Mr. Zhang?"
Dean Wang pushed up his glasses, his tone carrying a hint of barely suppressed anger, "Everyone has their own expertise."
"Architectural design emphasizes structural aesthetics and spatial layout; it cannot be decided by mere words."
"Our team has won the Luban Prize!"
"The Luban Prize?"
Zhang Yan chuckled. "If Lu Ban knew you were trying to fool people with these kinds of blueprints, he'd be turning in his grave."
"you!"
Dean Wang was so angry his hands were trembling. "Fine! Since Mr. Zhang doesn't like our proposal, why don't you take over?"
"I'd like to see what kind of flowers you can draw!"
The meeting room fell silent instantly.
All eyes were on Zhang Yan.
The executives under Nie Qingcheng also looked worried. Although everyone knew that this young master Yu was quite capable, this was architectural design, which involved mechanics, aesthetics, water, electricity, heating and ventilation. It was impossible to handle without more than ten years of experience.
Nie Qingcheng frowned, just about to speak up in defense of her own.
Zhang Yan slammed his phone down on the table, stood up, and stretched.
"Okay."
He walked to the electronic whiteboard at the front of the conference room, picked up a stylus, and twirled it in his hand in a pretty flourish.
"Since you can't capture the feeling my wife wants, then I'll do it myself."
Dean Wang sneered, crossing his arms and waiting to see the joke.
This electronic whiteboard is a professional drawing interface. The complex toolbars alone can confuse a layman, let alone hand-drawing on the spot.
Zhang Yan stood in front of the huge whiteboard and closed his eyes.
In his mind, the skill of [God-level Architectural Design Blueprints] was instantly activated.
Countless streams of data exploded before his eyes.
The terrain, wind direction, sunlight, the direction of underground hot springs, and even the structural diagram of the "Heavenly Armory" buried deep underground, all merged into a three-dimensional model in his mind.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
The stylus fell from my hand.
"Whoosh—"
The first stroke is not a straight line, but an extremely graceful curve.
That was the outline of the terrain of the reed marshes south of the city.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yan's hand speed was astonishing.
The pen tip dances across the screen, requiring no thought whatsoever; lines flow out like a torrent.
There are no Roman columns, no spires.
He paints mountains, water, and artistic conception.
Black lines outline a well-arranged cluster of buildings. White walls, dark tiles, and flying eaves.
But this is by no means a retro building in the traditional sense.
Zhang Yan utilized the terrain's elevation differences to suspend the main building in mid-air, with a massive steel structure supporting its base, making it resemble a sky city floating above the reed marshes.
"This...this is..."
Dean Wang's eyes widened, and he unconsciously took two steps forward.
"Using the principle of thermal convection, underground steam is guided to the building's mezzanine for heating in winter and generating electricity in summer using the temperature difference."
As Zhang Yan painted, he casually explained, "The facade uses light-sensitive color-changing glass. During the day, it has the texture of an ink painting, and at night it is as clear as crystal."
With his brushstrokes, a super building, full of futuristic technology yet perfectly blending with Eastern charm, leaps onto the screen.
The most amazing thing is the central main building.
It was a uniquely shaped tower, resembling a giant sword stuck upside down in the ground, pointing straight to the sky.
At the base of the tower, Zhang Yan specially designed a huge, spiral-shaped sunken plaza that connects directly to the ground.
"What kind of design is this?"
Dean Wang pointed to the sunken plaza, his voice trembling, "This doesn't follow conventional circulation logic!"
"This is a longan."
Zhang Yan stopped writing, turned around, and looked at the group of designers who were completely dumbfounded.
"Underground hot springs need outlets; rather than blocking them, we should let them gush out."
He made a stroke in the center of that square.
Instantly, the entire design seemed to come alive.
The originally raging hot spring, guided by this spiral structure, will form a man-made water tornado up to 30 meters high, becoming the most stunning sight in the entire resort, as well as a natural humidifier and temperature control system.
"Wonderful...wonderful!"
Dean Wang plopped back into his chair, muttering to himself, "Using leverage against each other, harmony between man and nature... this is true top-tier design! Compared to this, our Versailles Palace is utter garbage!"
He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with fervor as he gazed at Zhang Yan, as if he had seen the patriarch descend to earth.
"Master Zhang! These drawings... could you please let our institute do the detailed design? I'm begging you! Just let us participate, we won't ask for a single penny in design fees! We can even pay you out of our own pocket!"
The conference room fell into a deathly silence, followed by an uncontrollable gasp of surprise.
The way Nie Qingcheng's executives looked at Zhang Yan changed.
If they had previously held some contempt for this "gold digger," that contempt has long since vanished.
This is hardly the case of living off a woman.
This guy is clearly an all-around tech genius!
Nie Qingcheng sat in the main seat, looking at the stunning building on the screen, and then at Zhang Yan, who stood in front of the whiteboard with a calm and composed expression.
Her heart felt like it had been violently struck by something.
This man always manages to surprise her with a new surprise just when she thinks she's seen through him.
"Alright."
Nie Qingcheng stood up, walked to Zhang Yan's side in her high heels, and naturally took his arm. She waved to Dean Wang, who was now completely convinced.
"Since Zhang Yan has agreed to let you refine it, then it's up to you. Remember, I want a one-to-one replica; if even a single brick is missing, I'll hold you accountable."
"Yes, yes, yes! Don't worry, President Nie! We guarantee to complete the mission!" Dean Wang hugged the printed sketch and ran off with his men as if he had found a treasure, afraid that Zhang Yan would change his mind.
The people in the meeting room left quickly.
Only Zhang Yan and Nie Qingcheng remained.
Nie Qingcheng turned around, leaned against the conference table, crossed her arms, and narrowed her beautiful fox-like eyes slightly as she looked Zhang Yan up and down.
"Designer Zhang is truly a hidden talent."
She pointed a finger at Zhang Yan's chest. "Tell me, what other skills do you have that I don't know about?"
"There are many more."
Zhang Yan grabbed her hand, playing with her slender fingers. "For example... I can warm your bed?"
"loquacious."
Nie Qingcheng rolled her eyes at him and turned to look at the magnificent blueprint on the screen.
Her gaze fell on the tallest central tower.
That's the highest point in the entire resort, offering the best view, overlooking the entire reed marshland and the night view of Jinghai City in the distance.
"This building."
Nie Qingcheng stretched out her finger and drew a circle around the location of the tower. Her tone became somewhat domineering, yet also carried a hint of barely perceptible tenderness.
"Not open to the public."
"Huh?" Zhang Yan was taken aback. "This is the best location with the best view. If you turn it into a top-tier suite, it can sell for 88,000 a night."
"I don't need that little bit of money."
Nie Qingcheng turned her head, looked into Zhang Yan's eyes, and parted her red lips slightly, "This building belongs only to the two of us."
"I want to make the top floor our home, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a large bathtub, and a Steinway piano."
She leaned closer to Zhang Yan, her warm breath brushing against his neck, her voice lowered, carrying a hint of seduction.
"From now on, every night, I'll watch you play the piano from up here, or... do something else."
Zhang Yan's Adam's apple bobbed.
This woman is simply a vixen.
"Mr. Nie, we haven't even started work yet, and you're already having such wild ideas?"
"What? It won't work?"
Nie Qingcheng lifted his chin, her eyes gleaming. "Or are you saying you don't want to live with your sister?"
"I want it, I dream about it." Zhang Yan surrendered helplessly.
"That's more like it."
Nie Qingcheng released her grip with satisfaction and turned her gaze back to the sunken plaza on the blueprint.
This is what Zhang Yan referred to as "longan".
Her eyes suddenly sharpened.
"But you designed such a large spiral tunnel in that location, it wasn't just for aesthetics, was it?"
Nie Qingcheng knows Zhang Yan too well.
This kid always thinks three steps ahead before taking any action.
Zhang Yan smiled, walked to the screen, and zoomed in on the structural diagram of the sunken plaza.
"My wife is so smart."
He pointed to several seemingly decorative metal pillars at the bottom of the square.
"This spiral tunnel, besides guiding the hot springs, is actually also a huge elevator shaft."
Zhang Yan lowered his voice, so that only the two of them could hear it.
"The entrance to that 'Heavenly Armory' is right below here."
"Once the resort starts construction, we can legitimately mobilize heavy machinery to dig open that entrance."
"At that time, this tower will be our command center."
Zhang Yan turned around, looked at Nie Qingcheng, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"This is our love nest."
"And below..."
"It's our arsenal."
Looking at him, Nie Qingcheng felt her blood boiling.
The feeling of simultaneously engaging in romance and plotting for the world was simply addictive to her.
"it is good."
Nie Qingcheng wrapped her arms around Zhang Yan's neck, stood on tiptoe, and planted a hard kiss on his lips.
"Then let's get started right away."
"I can't wait to see what treasures are buried underground."
Just then, there was a knock on the conference room door.
Secretary Li rushed in, holding a tablet computer, her face looking rather grim.
"President Nie! Something terrible has happened!"
"Zhou Wenbin, whom we kicked out, has somehow found a bunch of media reporters, and they're currently blocking the construction site entrance and doing a live broadcast!"
"He said... he said our construction site unearthed cultural relics, demanding an immediate halt to work and that the cultural relics bureau intervene to seal off the site!"
Nie Qingcheng's face darkened, and the tenderness and affection from before vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, queenly aura.
"That fly is really persistent."
She sneered, picked up her phone from the table, and said, "Let's go see how he wants to die."
Zhang Yan stopped her.
"Don't rush."
Zhang Yan glanced at the complex sunken plaza structure diagram on the screen, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"Is the Cultural Heritage Bureau getting involved?"
"Perfect."
"I'm worried about not having anyone to provide security for us for free."
Zhang Yan straightened his collar, a sly glint in his eyes.
"Since he wants to make a big fuss, then we'll play along and make it big."
"Honey, get your acting ready."
"This time, we not only need to shut him up, but we also need to make him obediently act as our watchdog."