It's just that they have money.

At 2 p.m. the next day, Fang Chen appeared at the coffee shop entrance on time.

Xu Wen had already arrived and taken the same window seat as last time, with two laptops and a half-finished cup of coffee in front of him.

She saw Fang Chen come in, raised her hand to signal him, and then continued typing on the keyboard.

"Ivy hasn't arrived yet?" Fang Chen sat down and draped his coat over the back of the chair.

"She said there was traffic and she'd be five minutes late." Xu Wen didn't even look up. "I'll go through the documents I compiled yesterday again."

Fang Chen glanced at her: "You don't need to be so insistent. I don't necessarily have to do this project."

"I wasn't nervous." Xu Wen finally raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and said, "I just felt that if you're going to do something, you have to do it well."

Fang Chen smiled but didn't reply.

He ordered a latte, then leaned back in his chair and looked at his phone.

Luo Shanshan sent me a message: "Don't be late tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.!"

"I'm not going tomorrow. I haven't been practicing for a while, so I'm taking a break. I'll let you know when I want to go."

"Okay [knock]"

After exiting the chat window, Fang Chen saw that Zhang Zhenghao had posted a photo on his Moments.

A pot of newly sprouted seedlings. Caption: Sow hope in spring, reap what in autumn.

Fang Chen commented: "Continue planting after the autumn harvest."

Zhang Zhenghao replied instantly: "Get lost."

Fang Chen's lips curved into a smile.

A few minutes later, the coffee shop door was pushed open, and Ivy walked in.

She still had her blonde hair tied in a low ponytail, wore a loose linen shirt and cargo pants, and a pair of dusty canvas shoes, carrying her bulging backpack.

She spotted Fang Chen immediately, strode over, threw her backpack onto the chair next to her, collapsed into the sofa, and let out a long sigh.

"This is clogging my throat." She grabbed the water glass on the table and took a big gulp before realizing, "Whose is this?"

Xu Wen took the cup expressionlessly and moved it aside: "Mine."

She then handed over the records from the past two days to Ivy.

"Oh, sorry." Ivy grinned, took the notebook, and didn't seem embarrassed at all.

"The records are very detailed. That's good, it'll come in handy."

She pulled a huge folder from her backpack, slammed it on the table, and then opened it.

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries, let's get straight to the plan."

Fang Chen leaned forward slightly as he listened to her explain in detail.

The first page is a hand-drawn floor plan sketch. The lines are not very refined, but the spatial relationships are clearly expressed.

Ivy used colored pencils of different colors to mark the functional areas: living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, study, and terrace, making it easy to see at a glance.

"Let's look at the layout first." Ivy pointed to the sketch with her finger. "Regarding the wall in the living room, you said last time that you wouldn't knock it all down. I thought about it and came up with this plan: keep one-third of the wall and turn it into a semi-transparent partition. It's not one of those openwork screens; it's a solid wall, but we've opened a long window in the wall, about 1.2 meters high and about 2 meters long."

She drew a line on the sketch: "The position of this window is such that when you're sitting, your line of sight can just pass through it, but when you stand up, it forms an obstruction. It maintains the continuity of the space while also creating a sense of division."

Fang Chen looked at the line and imagined it for a moment.

"What about the lighting?"

"Both the east and south sides have floor-to-ceiling windows, so the light is sufficient." Ivy turned to the second page, which was a simple lighting analysis diagram. "I deliberately avoided direct sunlight on the long windows, mainly using diffused light. It doesn't feel dark during the day; instead, a strip of light falls on the living room floor, creating a nice visual effect."

When she mentioned the word "light band," her eyes lit up, as if she had already seen that scene.

Fang Chen nodded, but did not immediately express his opinion.

I used to be so poor that I lived in a rented room, I can't imagine this.

She flipped through a few more pages, each one a hand-drawn sketch, the lines rough but the ideas clear.

Fang Chen watched intently, occasionally asking a question or two, which Ai Wei could answer immediately. Moreover, her answers often contained her imagination of the space, such as which direction the light came from, where people would stay, and what kind of material felt the most comfortable to touch.

Xu Wen sat to the side, listening quietly.

When Ivy gets excited, she unconsciously stands up and gestures with her hands to indicate the height and width of the space.

Fang Chen didn't interrupt her; he just listened to her.

That's about it.

After Ivy finished explaining the last page, she sat back down on the sofa, took a big gulp of water, and asked, "Do you agree with the overall approach?"

Next comes the client's moment of glory.

Fang Chen was silent for a few seconds, then said, "There are a few things that need to be changed."

Then, Fang Chen poured out his thoughts and opinions seven or eight times in a row, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

"Here, there, and here. I feel..."

Ivy's expression remained unchanged as she picked up her pen to take notes.

Fang Chen is already considered a very good client; she has no other choice.

Moreover, the question Fang Chen raised this time was still within her comprehension.

Even if you don't understand something, you have to accept it.

Revise the draft, what else can you do?

The client is always right.

"Okay, that's settled then." She stood up, closed the folder, and stuffed it back into her backpack. "I'll send you the revised plan in two days, and then we can produce the renderings."

Fang Chen also stood up: "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work, as long as I'm paid, it's not hard work." Ivy slung her bag over her shoulder, then turned back at the door. "By the way, Mr. Fang, are you planning to live in this villa long-term?"

Fang Chen looked at her: "Why do you ask that?"

He wondered why he would buy it if he wasn't going to live there.

"Because there's a certain... how should I put it, it's not like I bought a house and want to renovate it, but rather that I'm going to live here for a long time." Ivy tilted her head and thought for a moment, "There are many details that people who don't live here for a short period of time would care about."

"Um...do you have any villas available for short-term stays?"

"Yes, and a lot of them," Ivy said, waving goodbye as she walked away.

"..."

Fang Chen pursed his lips, thinking that he was not yet a qualified rich person.

The café fell silent again.

Xu Wen looked at Fang Chen: "Where to next?"

"go home."

"Back to the apartment?"

"No, I'm going back to my hometown. To my parents' place."

Xu Wen paused for a moment, then quickly realized, "Do you need me to come along?"

"No need," Fang Chen shook his head. "I estimate I'll be staying home for a few days, so there shouldn't be much I need your help with. Just focus on writing your report these next few days."

Xu Wen nodded: "Alright, when do we set off?"

"Now."

"Now?" Xu Wen glanced at his watch. "Do your parents know you're going back?"

"I don't know." Fang Chen stood up, picked up his coat, and said, "I won't be home for long. I'll give them a surprise."