Chapter 18 - Chapter 十八: Inside the Studio, Warmth Deepens

On Saturday morning, Su Wan woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window. She stretched lazily, and as she picked up her phone, she saw a message from Lu Chengyu: "I'll be waiting at your community gate at 10 a.m.—taking you somewhere special." It was followed by a star emoji.Su Wan smiled and replied "Okay" before getting up to wash up. She opened her jewelry box, looking at the necklace and bracelet inside. After a moment's hesitation, she put both on—the silver necklace lay gently against her collarbone, and the bracelet swayed softly on her wrist. When the sunlight hit them, they sparkled with tiny glimmers.Promptly at 10 a.m., Su Wan walked to the community gate and saw Lu Chengyu leaning against a black SUV. Dressed in a light gray casual outfit, he looked more approachable than his usual suit-clad self. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he hurried over: "That bracelet suits you perfectly.""Thank you," Su Wan's cheeks flushed slightly as she followed him into the car. The vehicle drove out of the city toward the old town, finally stopping in front of an old office building covered in ivy. The building looked quite dated, its weathered red brick walls worn by time. A wooden sign reading "Creative Design Park" hung at the entrance, and inside, the hum of printers and the voices of designers discussing projects drifted out occasionally."This is the office building I rented after graduating from college," Lu Chengyu said, leading Su Wan into the elevator and pressing the button for the 12th floor. "I didn't join the family business back then—I opened a small studio here and worked as a designer for three years."The elevator doors slid open, revealing a corridor lined with light gray carpet that muffled their footsteps. At the end, a door stood slightly ajar, with a wooden plaque hanging on it. Engraved in gilded characters were the words "Chengyu Design Studio"—the edges of the plaque were worn, showing its years of use.Lu Chengyu pushed the door open, and a faint scent of ink and coffee wafted over. The studio wasn't large—about fifty square meters—but it was warmly decorated. The left wall was covered with design drawings: hand-drawn sketches, printed renderings, mostly of small-scale buildings and interior designs. On the right was a bookshelf filled with design books, from On the Combination of Architectural Spaces to Interior Design Data Collection, along with several well-worn hand-drawing tutorials. By the window stood a spacious solid wood desk, with a few sketches of the Stellar Center project spread out on it. Next to them was a silver thermos and a half-used pencil."Surprised? I used to be a draftsman too," Lu Chengyu walked to the bookshelf and picked up a somewhat outdated crystal trophy, engraved with "2018 Annual Best Emerging Designer." There was a small crack on the base. "This was my first award for an independent project—a community library. To meet the deadline, I lived in this studio for a month, sleeping only four hours a day. The day before submitting the proposal, I accidentally dropped the trophy and felt heartbroken about it for a long time."Su Wan walked to the desk and picked up one of the sketches. It was a hand-drawn draft of the Stellar Center's underground landscape, with different colored pencils marking the positions of plants and the angles of lights. In the corner was a tiny sketch of a succulent, with a note next to it: "Wanwan's favorite variety." A warm flutter stirred in her heart as she looked up at Lu Chengyu: "How did you know I like this type of succulent?""I saw several pots on your balcony when I delivered documents to your house last time," Lu Chengyu scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I checked—it's called a 'Haworthia cooperi.' It likes shade and can't be exposed to direct sunlight."Su Wan walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a hand-drawing tutorial at random. Inside were several yellowed sticky notes filled with dense design ideas and small doodles—cats, plants, and some quirky architectural shapes. "Did you draw all these?" she asked, pointing to a sticky note with a sketch of a small house."Yeah, I'd doodle when I ran out of inspiration," Lu Chengyu walked over and pointed to the note. "This small house was designed for my grandma. She lived in the countryside her whole life and wanted a house with a yard where she could grow vegetables and flowers. Unfortunately, she passed away before I could make it a reality."His voice softened with regret. Su Wan gently patted his arm, comforting him: "Someday, we can bring this design to life together. We can donate it to a rural nursing home, so more elderly people can live in houses with yards."Lu Chengyu looked at her, his eyes gradually lighting up: "That's a great idea. We'll draw the blueprints and choose the materials together."They sat down at the desk, and Lu Chengyu told her stories about his early days as a designer: the first time he communicated with a client, he was so nervous he mixed up the proposal; to measure the dimensions of an old building, he climbed three floors of scaffolding; during a pro bono design project, he met a group of lovely children, and their drawings of ideal homes became his source of inspiration. Su Wan shared her own experiences too: spending three months in the library for her graduation project in college; having her proposals rejected five times by a client when she first started working, then staying up all night revising until it was finally approved; and the nervous excitement of leading her first independent project.Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on them and stretching their shadows long. Lu Chengyu picked up the pencil from the desk and drew a house with a yard on a blank piece of paper. The yard was filled with succulents and osmanthus trees, and two people stood at the door, holding hands. "How about we design our future home like this?" he handed her the drawing, his eyes full of expectation.Su Wan looked at the sketch, her heart filled with sweetness. She nodded gently: "That sounds perfect. We should also install a swing in the yard, so we can sit and watch the stars in summer.""No problem," Lu Chengyu smiled. "And a small pavilion for admiring osmanthus and drinking hot tea in autumn."They talked about their future plans and design philosophies, losing track of time until evening. The setting sun streamed through the window, painting the studio in a warm orange hue. Lu Chengyu drove Su Wan home. At the community gate, he hesitated for a moment before gently hugging her. His embrace was warm, carrying the faint scent of ink. Su Wan's body tensed slightly at first, then relaxed as she hugged him back softly."Wanwan, I'm so happy when I'm with you," Lu Chengyu's voice echoed in her ear, soft and slightly hoarse."Me too," Su Wan said softly, but firmly.Lu Chengyu stood there, smiling as he watched Su Wan walk into the community. He touched the ring box in his pocket—he'd had it custom-made a few days ago, engraved with their names. He'd originally planned to give it to her when the time was right, but now he realized there was no rush. They had plenty of time to walk through life together, slowly and steadily.