After the Divorce, I Unlocked a Perfect Life

"First, he complained my design fee was too expensive, then he griped that our company’s quote was too high. He annoyed me so much that I subtly suggested he go find another firm, but he didn’t want to. It took over two months of back-and-forth just to finalize things."

Liang Shuhuo’s design fees weren’t cheap, so a little haggling was to be expected.

But excessive haggling was a different story.

The reputation of Dao Yi Design, combined with Liang Shuhuo’s skill, meant the design fees were bound to be high.

If he thought it was too expensive, he could have found someone else. There was no need to be so persistent with their firm.

"And then what? Keep going."

"The renovation didn’t go smoothly either. This was wrong, that was wrong—he was always finding fault. He even wanted to deduct from our pay. From the start of the renovation until now, he’s docked us for more than twenty thousand yuan for no good reason."

As if she had been bottling it up for a long time, Liang Shuhuo’s floodgates opened, and she couldn’t stop complaining:

"We finally managed to get to the end of the project, and then one of the construction workers had to go and cause more trouble. He smashed the client’s porcelain, and I hear it wasn’t cheap. There hasn’t been a single easy thing about this job."

Liang Shuhuo sighed, unsure of how to best handle the situation.

"I should find someone to read my fortune. I’m sure there’s some kind of curse on me."

Lin Jiang chuckled. ’To be able to torment Liang Shuhuo to this extent, this client must be something else.’

"Given your skill as a designer and the caliber of your company, most people probably wouldn’t even dare to hire you, right? Your clients should all be people who aren’t hurting for money."

"Tell me about it," Liang Shuhuo said.

"Someone like you, who doesn’t haggle at all, is an exception. We don’t mind clients negotiating, but trying to cut my design fee in half right off the bat is just too much. I’m not some third-rate designer."

"That is a bit much," Lin Jiang agreed. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"I’ve only ever encountered clients like that back when I was starting out. This is the first time I’ve seen one since I joined Dao Yi Design."

Liang Shuhuo propped her head up with one hand and said in frustration,

"It’s only a four-million-plus project. Honestly, I’ve spent less energy on your entire job than I have on theirs. He has to nitpick every little thing. It’s driving me crazy."

"Let’s not complain about that for now. After all, it was one of our own guys who broke it. We should focus on finding a solution first."

Lin Jiang thought for a moment, then said,

"But there’s one issue. The house is still under renovation. Normally, people don’t keep valuables in a house at that stage, right? With so many people coming and going, accidents are bound to happen."

"The renovation is basically finished," Liang Shuhuo said. "The client bought their own switches, outlets, and some smart devices, all of which require an electrician to come to the house to install."

"According to the contract, once this stage is complete, the project is officially over. I never thought we’d run into a problem on the very last step."

Lin Jiang had experience with renovations, and an electrician coming to install switches and the like did indeed signal that the project was wrapping up.

The renovation on his own small apartment had followed the same process.

By the time the electrician came to install the switches and outlets, all the furniture was already in place.

The only difference was that he didn’t have any valuables lying around.

"Has anything like this happened at your company before? As the designer, are you also held responsible?"

"Of course," Liang Shuhuo said.

"It actually happened once before. During construction, one of the workers broke a client’s watch worth over a hundred thousand. Since it was second-hand, they negotiated and paid eighty thousand in compensation. The designer was penalized for inadequate supervision and had to pay ten percent, on top of losing their bonus."

"Didn’t the company pay for some of it?"

"Trying to pry money out of a capitalist’s hands is never easy."

Liang Shuhuo quipped, a hint of resignation in her voice.

"But since it’s me this time, my reputation should be worth something. The company will definitely have to pitch in. I guess it’s just money spent to avoid a bigger disaster."

"When it rains, it pours. Let’s go check it out first and see if there’s any way to fix this."

"Okay."