The secretary shook her head. "No Grand Prize was awarded this year. Everyone's talking about it—wondering why Mr. Yu didn't select one. Some are even guessing that… maybe the Grand Prize winner hasn't been publicly announced yet."
So… Ethan really did give it to her?
Hailey Tang stood still for a moment, piecing it together. She knew very well—if the award had gone to her, it wasn't because her work was the most polished or the most professional. It was because, in Ethan's exacting eyes, the rest of the submissions simply didn't meet his standards.
Ji Chuan had told her before: Just because there's a prize doesn't mean someone will win it. Only if it's worthy of his recognition.
So Ethan had recognized hers. That was all that mattered.
She offered the secretary a polite smile and turned to leave.
—
Later that afternoon, Ethan finally woke up from his nap. The secretary dutifully brought in the lunch Hailey had left for him.
He didn't say anything, just nodded silently. Then, without even finishing the meal, he called for an emergency meeting with his core design team.
By the end of the day, a new project group had been established.
It was a handpicked team—comprised only of those whose work had impressed him during the competition. Lin Xin'er was among them, although she still looked a little pale from the morning's emotional roller coaster.
Their mission: once the company officially won the bidding rights for the new city plaza development, this team would be responsible for expanding the concept into a full-scale architectural plan.
Everyone assumed that Ethan would base the final bid on one of the award-winning designs from the competition. After all, wasn't that the point of the whole event?
But when the documents landed on their desks, the team members were collectively stunned.
It wasn't any of the winning designs.
What lay before them was something else entirely.
The sketches bore Ethan's unmistakable touch—his obsession with symmetry, spatial logic, and future-oriented design was all there. And yet… the core concept didn't feel like his usual work at all.
It had softness. Emotion. Imagination.
It was perfect. Unreasonably perfect.
No flaws in the draft. No technical errors. Just pure, cohesive brilliance.
Now it made sense—why there had been no Grand Prize. Because something better had already taken shape.
Lin Xin'er stared at the design in silence, her heart sinking slowly like a stone tossed into a deep well.
Was I ever even close? she wondered. Or have I been living in a fantasy, thinking I had talent when I was only being tolerated?
She bit her lip, wanting to ask—but couldn't.
Luckily, someone else was braver.
"President Yu," one of the senior designers spoke up cautiously, "is it alright to ask… who designed this? It looks like your work, but also… not quite."
Ethan raised his head. The team held their breath.
He rarely smiled in meetings, but now a faint one tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Well… it might surprise you," he said. "The original concept wasn't mine. It came from someone with absolutely no formal design training. I made a few adjustments here and there, but the core idea is entirely hers."
Gasps rippled across the room. People exchanged confused looks. Who could possibly have impressed Ethan Yu like this?
He hesitated, then added, almost awkwardly, "She's… my wife."
Silence. Thick and instant.
It was the first time many of them had even heard him mention her.
Ethan himself looked a little uncomfortable, like the words had snuck out before he could rethink them.
But they were true.
She's my wife.
He hadn't referred to Hailey that way in public before. Maybe not even in private.
And yet… it felt oddly right.
The room exploded into a chorus of startled exclamations.
"Wait, your wife designed this?!"
"You mean… Mrs. Tang? Hailey Tang?"
"I thought she wasn't even from a design background!"
"She really drew this from scratch?"
The questions came fast and overlapping. Ethan didn't try to silence them. He let them buzz for a moment before calmly nodding.
"Yes. The concept was entirely hers. I just helped shape it into the final version."
There was a moment of stunned awe.
Then came the laughter. The light teasing.
"So the mysterious Grand Prize went to the CEO's wife, huh?" one of the older designers joked.
Ethan didn't deny it. In fact, he even chuckled and said, "Yes. I gave it to her."
Far from being upset, the room erupted into approving nods and smiles.
"Well, to be fair, it is the best design I've seen this year."
"Honestly, if she can pull this off without formal training, we all better watch out!"
"She's probably been learning through osmosis, living with the boss!"
"I'm not even mad. That's some raw talent right there."
"I seriously want to take a class from Mrs. Tang now."
The atmosphere turned bright and relaxed. People genuinely admired the work—and respected the fact that Ethan had been honest about its origins.
Only one person wasn't smiling.
Lin Xin'er sat quietly in the back, her heart twisted in knots.
It didn't make sense.
Hailey Tang? That spoiled, temperamental girl who, just a few months ago, had no job, no direction, and no sense of design?
Now she was winning Grand Prizes? She was being praised by Ethan Yu himself, in front of a room full of top designers?
No. It didn't feel real.
Lin Xin'er forced a small smile to stay polite. But inside, she was seething.
What changed? Why her? Why not me?
Ethan didn't notice her mood—or if he did, he didn't care. He glanced down at the design one more time, the corner of his mouth twitching into the barest hint of pride.
The truth was, he'd been skeptical at first too.
But the longer he stared at Hailey's sketches, the more he realized—there was something in her vision that most professionals lacked: purity. Boldness. Freedom from the constraints of textbook thinking.
Maybe… maybe she was talented.
He found himself wanting to nurture that spark in her.
Maybe he hadn't just married Hailey Tang out of obligation or convenience.
Maybe, just maybe, he'd married someone extraordinary.
And finally—he was starting to see it.