"No placement at all?" Chi Xi raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Lin Xin'er gave a pitiful shake of her head. "Fourth place…"
Chi Xi burst into laughter. "Fourth?" He lifted her chin playfully, teasing, "Miss Lin, do you even realize how many designers work at Dongfang?"
Her expression faltered. She clearly wasn't comfortable with the way he touched her, so she ducked her head and brushed his hand away, replying with a cool, "Of course I know."
But Chi Xi's playful air shifted. His gaze turned unexpectedly deep and serious. "There are hundreds of designers at Dongfang. All of them are incredibly talented. And yet, you—someone who just joined not long ago—managed to win the grand prize last year. And this year, even with all the pressure, you placed fourth. Do you realize what that means? You beat out more than a hundred people. You're young, you're gifted, and you work harder than anyone else I know. You have no idea how amazing you are, do you?"
Lin Xin'er blinked at him, her voice small and unsure. "Am I really that good?"
Chi Xi smiled and pulled a tissue from his pocket. Gently, he dabbed away the remnants of her tears. "Of course you are. You're the most hardworking, brilliant girl I've ever met. So come on, no more tears. If someone like you is crying, then the rest of us may as well give up. Heck, I might as well go bury myself."
That finally earned a chuckle from her. "President Chi, are you making fun of me?"
"I never joke with beautiful women," he said solemnly, then added with a wink, "Especially the brilliant ones."
Faced with his heated gaze, Lin Xin'er blushed and quickly looked away, her heart thumping erratically.
Chi Xi's grin widened. She was too cute.
Honestly, how could someone be this pretty, talented, and endearing all at once?
Meanwhile, not far away, Hailey Tang was quietly observing their interaction.
She recognized Chi Xi immediately—he was one of the few people bold enough to treat the company like his living room, popping in unannounced to chat with Ethan Yu. Seeing him now, gently coaxing a smile out of Lin Xin'er, stirred a complicated feeling in her chest.
In her last life, it hadn't just been Ethan who liked Lin Xin'er—Chi Xi had fallen for her, too.
Would it be the same this time around?
Probably. Lin Xin'er had that kind of charm—pure, vulnerable, and easy to love.
But what about that girl?
That familiar face suddenly flashed through Hailey's mind—a round-cheeked girl with a sweet, gentle smile.
She remembered her clearly.
That girl had suffered terribly in their past life, just like Hailey had.
Hailey had managed to escape the tragedy of her previous fate by walking away from Ethan. But what about the other girl?
She deserved a different ending too.
Hailey sighed and turned toward the elevator, her mind still full of questions. She wasn't here to spy on Lin Xin'er or Chi Xi. Today, she had a mission: deliver lunch to Ethan Yu.
After she'd gotten home yesterday, her mother-in-law had called her. The chat had been mostly casual, but at the end, the older woman had firmly reminded her: "Don't forget to bring your husband lunch every day. It's a wife's duty."
So here she was again, lunchbox in hand—not just to fulfill her "duty," but also to sniff around and find out how the design competition had gone.
—
When she reached the top floor, the secretary greeted her with a soft, "Good afternoon, Madam."
Hailey smiled politely. "Is Ethan in?"
The secretary nodded. "Yes, but he's resting. The president worked all night, and after hosting the design competition this morning, he was completely drained. He asked not to be disturbed."
Hailey handed her the insulated lunchbox. "Then I won't go in. Just give this to him when he wakes up."
"Of course. I'll make sure he gets it."
Hailey hesitated for a moment, then asked, "By the way… the competition results—have they been posted?"
"Yes, they've just been released. Here's the list of winners." The secretary handed her a sheet of A4 paper.
Hailey took it and scanned the names. Her eyes widened.
Lin Xin'er had placed fourth?
She'd thought for sure Lin Xin'er would take first. That girl had always had a kind of golden protagonist aura around her—last life included.
Was that why she'd been crying downstairs?
Hailey couldn't recall exactly where Lin Xin'er had ranked in her past life, but fourth place sounded about right. Maybe history really was repeating itself, piece by piece.
"Was there a grand prize winner this year?" Hailey asked casually.
The secretary shook her head. "No grand prize was awarded this year. President Yu said none of the entries quite met the standard. So only first through fifth place were announced."
Hailey raised an eyebrow. No grand prize?
That explained a lot.
In the previous timeline, Lin Xin'er had won the grand prize her first year, which had made her an overnight sensation in the company. It had also caught Ethan's full attention.
But this time, no one won that honor.
Did Ethan do that on purpose? Hailey wondered. Maybe he was trying not to show favoritism, or maybe… he was making a statement.
Either way, this small twist meant that Lin Xin'er's path to stardom had just become a little rockier.
Maybe… just maybe… the dominoes were falling differently now.
She folded the paper and handed it back. "Thanks. I'll get going, then."
"Goodbye, Madam. Have a nice day!"
As Hailey stepped back into the elevator, her thoughts remained tangled. She had no idea what Ethan was thinking—or what Lin Xin'er would do next—but something was shifting. For the first time in both their lives, maybe the story wouldn't play out the same way again.
And maybe… just maybe… that girl would get a second chance too.