Lin Xin'er froze.
Did she really forget?
Ethan Yu's voice was calm but carried a hint of weight. "Just because you put in effort doesn't guarantee success. But putting in effort is never wrong. You did well this time. Still, I hope that in your future designs… you don't forget why you started."
Lin Xin'er stood there, speechless.
Don't forget your original intention.
Those four words slammed into her heart like a hammer.
Had she really… lost sight of her purpose?
What was her original intention? Wasn't it to become a great designer? To create from passion and inspiration—not to earn the approval of Ethan Yu?
But this time, all she had cared about was pleasing him. In her rush to impress, her designs had become impatient, flashy—hollow. And the saddest part? She hadn't even realized it until now. She couldn't see herself clearly anymore.
Ethan Yu glanced at her, noticing she still didn't fully understand, but he didn't elaborate. "If there's nothing else, you can go. And Lin Xin'er—next time you break the rules, there'll be consequences."
"…Yes, sir."
She nodded, dazed, and walked away like a sleepwalker.
He had pointed out her mistake, gently even—but her chest still ached.
She had always been the girl who excelled. The one who never slipped. And now, for the first time, she'd fallen flat on her face. The humiliation stung more than she thought it would.
What hurt even more was that she had pinned her hopes on this design competition. She thought it would be her big moment—a chance to redeem herself in Ethan's eyes, to win back his attention, his praise.
But reality had delivered the opposite.
Lately, it seemed like no matter what she did, she just couldn't get close to him again. It was like there was this invisible wall between them—one that she had no idea how to break through.
All I wanted… was to get a little closer to him. Why is that so hard?
With her heart full of frustration and sadness, Lin Xin'er found herself sitting alone on the edge of a flowerbed outside the office building. Her head was lowered, tears silently slipping down her cheeks.
She had never liked someone this deeply before. And now she couldn't have him. Couldn't even get near him. The ache of that was almost unbearable.
And the worst part?
There was nothing she could do—except cry.
As luck would have it, someone else had seen her.
Chi Xiyang, who often popped by the company just to chat with Ethan, happened to be strolling in from the parking lot. The moment he spotted Lin Xin'er sitting there with red eyes and trembling shoulders, he stopped in his tracks.
He blinked in surprise, then walked over.
"Miss Lin, do you need a tissue?" he asked gently, holding one out.
Startled, Lin Xin'er looked up and saw him. Embarrassed, she quickly turned away, wiping her face in a panic.
Chi Xiyang squatted down beside her, tilting his head. Her tear-streaked cheeks, her downcast eyes—she looked like a porcelain doll who'd just been dropped.
"Why are you always crying?" he asked, half teasing, half concerned. "Did someone bully you again?"
Lin Xin'er avoided his gaze, her voice small. "No… it's not like that."
But Chi Xiyang had already made up his mind. In his eyes, Lin Xin'er was the type of girl who was soft-hearted, maybe too pure for her own good.
Clearly, someone had wronged her.
"Tell me who it was," he said suddenly, serious now. "I'll help you get justice."
His sudden protectiveness made her even more flustered. Her lips trembled. She shook her head. "Really, no one bullied me…"
Chi Xiyang narrowed his eyes at her. "If no one bullied you, then what are you crying for? And what's up with Ethan? Does he not care that his employees are crying outside on company property?"
"It's not his fault!" Lin Xin'er said quickly, defending Ethan almost instinctively. "It's my own problem."
"Oh?" Chi Xiyang raised an eyebrow. "Then what problem do you have?"
Lin Xin'er dropped her head again, voice low and thick with self-blame. "I just… I feel like I've failed. I thought I did well, but clearly I didn't. I just wanted to do my best."
Chi Xiyang looked confused. "Do your best at what?"
Then it clicked for him.
"Ohhh, today was your company's design competition, right? Don't tell me—your work didn't make the cut?"
Lin Xin'er bit her lip and nodded. Tears started falling again, hot and fast. "It was a disaster. I didn't think it would be this bad. I don't even know what I did wrong. I just feel… useless."
Chi Xiyang blinked, then sat down beside her. "Hey now. Just because something didn't go right once doesn't mean you're useless. Everyone fails sometimes."
Lin Xin'er didn't reply. She just hugged her knees tighter and buried her face in them, trying to hold back another wave of tears.
But Chi Xiyang didn't leave.
He just sat there next to her, quietly, like a stubborn cat that had decided to keep her company—whether she wanted it or not.