Chapter 158 He might even have dozens of homes outside!

Ling Yue turned back and looked at Song Xinyao, who was sitting on the sofa in a daze.

"Aren't you going to your class reunion? Not leaving yet?" She lifted her wrist to check her watch. "It's already six o'clock."

Song Xinyao suddenly snapped back to her senses.

She stood up abruptly.

"Ahhh, it's over, it's over! I completely forgot about that!"

The entire afternoon spent shopping...

She had been very excited at first, helping with the selections, but later she was left entirely in a state of shock and numbness.

Any thoughts of a class reunion had long since been cast to the back of her mind.

Who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, the sun would be setting?

"My makeup isn't done, and I forgot to change! I'm so hopeless... Hey, where was the restaurant again? Where's my phone?" she muttered in a frantic rush as she jogged back to her bedroom.

Ling Yue shook her head helplessly.

She opened her phone and contacted Master Qin: Take Song Xinyao to her class reunion in a bit. Once you drop her off, you can finish for the day and go home.

Master Qin: Understood!

Housekeeper Shi Xiaosha stood up and called out to Ling Yue as she headed out, "Miss, the architect team finished their previous project a few days ago and has been asking about your schedule. Since you're not going out tonight and have no other plans, should I call them over?"

Oh right, there was that matter too.

A week ago, all the interior furnishings of the manor had been cleared out, and the demolition of the building structure had already begun.

The architect team needed to get on-site as soon as possible. It would be best if they could complete the blueprints before the demolition was finished so the construction crew could immediately start the next phase, avoiding any wasted time.

"From seven to ten o'clock—I'll give them three hours."

Ling Yue walked toward the large living room, already smelling the aroma of food along the way.

She pounced toward the table.

"Eh, what's this? Malatang!"

"It's actually Malatang!"

Even though it was only 'micro-micro' spicy and a tiny portion without any artificial additives, it smelled incredibly fragrant!

Ling Yue was already slurping it up.

The fact that the Young Miss loved his cooking was the greatest professional compliment for Wang Junqi.

He gave a shy smile. "It uses a bone broth base with a minimal amount of chili oil, paired with rich, mellow sesame sauce. Please try it."

Ling Yue grabbed her chopsticks and first slurped up a mouthful of yellow beef tendon noodles.

The taste was a bit light.

However, the seasoning wasn't bad. The light flavor wasn't too stimulating, and the mild texture wouldn't burden her stomach.

Compared to her previous diet of purely bland steamed or boiled foods, this bowl of Malatang could already be considered heavy-flavored.

"Delicious! I love it!" Ling Yue then popped a large shrimp into her mouth.

The shrimp meat was firm and bouncy, with a natural hint of sweetness that, when paired with the bone broth, a touch of chili oil, and sesame sauce, made the shrimp incredibly flavorful.

Unfortunately, this bowl of Malatang was too small.

It was gone in a few bites, leaving her wanting more.

"The portions will be increased gradually and moderately. Miss, please have some winter melon and pork rib soup to cleanse your palate."

Great, after this bowl of soup, the savory Malatang flavor was washed away, and her mouth felt completely plain again.

Seven o'clock in the evening.

The architect team arrived on time.

Housekeeper Shi Xiaosha led them to the tea room.

A thick aroma of tea wafted through the room.

"This is my Young Miss," Housekeeper Shi Xiaosha introduced Ling Yue, who was seated in the main chair.

"Miss Ling." The team members nodded to greet Ling Yue.

"Please, have a seat." Ling Yue reached out with a gesture of invitation.

The architect team sat in the lower seats.

Ling Yue had seen their profiles; they were a top-tier domestic architect team that had won numerous international awards.

They had just finished their last project and immediately took on her order without a break.

Although only five people came today, they were likely the representative figures, especially the project lead—a capable and shrewd woman in her seventies named Li Chenfang.

Ling Yue had spent 84 million just to hire them, and that was only the starting price. If special issues arose and the construction period was extended, the cost would increase.

But after seeing their designs, Ling Yue felt that this money was a necessary expense!

And there was a high probability it would be well worth it.

"Miss Ling, time is precious. Shall we get straight to the point?" Li Chenfang's gentle expression from when she entered vanished, replaced by a serious demeanor when discussing work.

Ling Yue nodded. "Let's begin."

"This is the floor plan of your manor. We went to Suzhou the day before yesterday for an on-site survey. This plot of land is relatively easy to reconstruct..."

“...”

Li Chenfang was very professional, and the conversation was basically kept at her pace.

Ling Yue chatted with her a lot.

Her mouth was dry by the time they reached the final stage.

Li Chenfang said, "Finally, could you describe the specific style you like, or if there are any buildings or objects that must be kept?"

Ling Yue began to envision it. "I like a vintage European style with a strong natural forest atmosphere. I need a clear, circulating river to be created, and there must be independent flower fields, vegetable patches, and a small orchard.

One main building for personal residence, which needs to be equipped with the sturdiest modern vault for collecting jewelry, haute couture, or antiques.

One secondary building to meet the living and dining needs of 100 staff members.

I need an independent banquet hall, equipped with meeting rooms, entertainment rooms, a home theater, a bar, a badminton court, a gaming room, and so on.

Two helicopter landing pads and one wine cellar—the cellar doesn't have to be too large.

I need swimming pools both indoors and outdoors, as well as rooms or open ground for fitness.

I also need a stable to keep about ten horses, located further away from the living quarters to avoid noise."

Ling Yue took a sip of tea, rested for a moment, and continued:

"For the reception area, I want high ceilings to create a bright, transparent spatial aesthetic with plenty of sunlight.

Set up three master bedrooms with different styles and orientations; I want to switch between them occasionally.

There's no upper limit for the walk-in closet—800 square meters or more. I have many clothes, and my watches, jewelry, and gold also need a lot of storage space. In short, the bigger the closet, the better.

I also like buying cars, so I need an independent garage that can accommodate 80 to 100 vehicles.

Oh, and there are several century-old or even thousand-year-old trees in the manor. They must, must be kept. It would be best to create a small garden around them for my post-meal walks..."

Ling Yue laid out the ideas in her heart one by one.

She felt a sense of relief, as if she had finally voiced thoughts she had been holding in for a long time.

Li Chenfang had beautiful handwriting, and her notebook was filled with dense written records.

"I understand your requirements. You want a living environment that is cozier and more immersive. You like staying at home, don't you?"

Ling Yue nodded. "You could say that."

If necessary, she could indeed stay at home for several months without going out.

The architect team discussed for a while.

Li Chenfang said, "We can achieve all the requirements you've proposed. Next, we will immediately head to Suzhou for another on-site survey and preliminary design sketches. We should be able to provide them to you in about a month."

Ling Yue smiled. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's our duty. Do you have any other questions?" Li Chenfang asked.

"There is indeed one more thing." Ling Yue put down her teacup and said, "If you see a large, yellowish Fat Cat on the site, remember you must catch it."

Li Chenfang had an 'I must have misheard' expression on her face.

"A cat?" she asked uncertainly.

Ling Yue took out her phone, opened Su Zhao's WeChat, and clicked on a photo he had sent not long ago. "This cat."

In the photo, the large yellowish Fat Cat was catching a dragonfly, captured mid-action by Su Zhao.

Since the day Ling Yue saw the cat, it had disappeared again.

Su Zhao had sent people to look for it for a long time but couldn't find it.

He guessed that the feline master might have gone out to wander again.

That Fat Cat would get a bit rounder every time it went out; maybe it had dozens of other homes out there!

Although he didn't have time to spend with small animals, it was an adoption the old master had made while he was alive, so Su Zhao still wanted to find it.

That said, such a large manor wasn't enough for the feline master to stroll around in; it just had to go wandering outside. Who knew what it was after?

Seeing that Ling Yue wasn't joking, Li Chenfang suppressed her confusion and said seriously, "Alright, we'll keep an eye out."

Ling Yue stood up and saw them out of the tea room. "Then I'll leave the rest to you all. If there are any issues, feel free to contact my butler at any time."

Li Xinfeng, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward and nodded to the architects. "I'll see you out."