Hongtu Real Estate was in the city's east CBD, 32nd floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows faced half the provincial capital.
On her first day of work, Wanting stood at the entrance for a while. Three months ago she was still Mrs. Lu, cooking and cleaning at home waiting for her husband to return. Now she wore a suit and hung her badge on her chest, standing in an office building. Life had turned over quickly.
The project team had seven people. She was the newest, with the least seniority. Team leader Zhang Lei was just over thirty. The way he looked at her carried politeness, but beneath it hid disdain. Wanting didn't mind. What she cared about was Star River Bay.
The Star River Bay project was the largest real estate development in the provincial capital these past two years. Total investment over five billion. To secure it, Hongtu had revised their proposal seven times. By the time Wanting joined, the eighth version had just been finalized.
She spent a week reading all seven previous versions, then wrote an analysis report.
Zhang Lei flipped through two pages and set it down.
"You just need to look at version eight. The previous ones are all waste drafts."
"Version eight has a problem."
Wanting said.
"What Wand Group cares most about is helping the east district retain talent. But the supporting amenities for talent in our proposal only account for a small portion. I heard that competitors are preparing to do twice what we have."
Zhang Lei was stunned for a moment.
"How did you see that?"
"I pulled the bidding data and public financial reports for Jincheng for the past six months. Their investment in talent support has been increasing. In their most recent project, they already reached twice what our proposal has. What Wand Group wants - you can tell by watching where Jincheng is putting its effort."
The way Zhang Lei looked at her changed.
A month later, Wanting was converted to permanent status. Not because of that report, but because she did something no one had done before. She went to the east district talent market and camped out for a week. Talked to people looking for jobs. Asked what they cared about most. Rent. Commute. Children's schooling. Filled two notebooks.
After returning, she wrote a report: "Causes and Countermeasures for Talent Loss in East District" and handed it to boss Chen Zhiyuan.
Chen Zhiyuan was just over forty. Self-made man. Famous in the provincial capital's real estate circle for not tolerating nonsense. After reading the report, he called Wanting to his office.
"What are your thoughts on the Star River Bay proposal?"
Wanting pulled a USB drive from her bag.
"I made a new version. Completely redone. Core concept is talent ecosystem. Not just building houses - building a place where people are willing to relocate their household registration, transfer their children's schooling, bring their elderly parents over."
Chen Zhiyuan looked at it for over twenty minutes. Closed the file and was silent for a few seconds.
"Starting today, you're leading the Star River Bay proposal. Zhang Lei is still team leader. You determine the specific direction."
When Wanting walked out of the office, her hands were shaking. Not from nervousness. It was a feeling she hadn't had in a long time. The ground beneath her feet was solid.
That evening back in the rental, she opened her computer and started organizing the proposal framework. Her phone rang. An unrecognized number. She picked up.
"Ms. Su Wanting? This is Dr. Zhang from the reproductive medicine department at Provincial People's Hospital. Regarding an indicator from your examination last time - we wanted to confirm with you. We looked at that private hospital report you brought. The hormone data differs from our results by nearly a factor of two. Based on your current physical condition, those values are impossible."
Wanting gripped her phone tightly.
"You mean to say, there's a problem with that previous report?"
"I'm not in a position to draw conclusions. But if I were you, I would recommend contacting the examining institution at that time and requesting the original records. If necessary, you can pursue medical appraisal."
The call ended.
Wanting put down her phone and leaned back in her chair. Stared at the ceiling for a long time. Lin Hui. Lu Yichen. That report was a setup from beginning to end. The person who couldn't bear children was never her.