Chapter 561: Jiang Silu Becomes a Boss for the First Time, Makes Big Money, and Treats Lu Fan to a Meal

She reviewed the portfolios one by one, making marks on each with her pen. Some works she really liked, some she found average, and others she couldn’t quite understand, so she looked at those a few more times.

“Sister Xiaoya, what do you think of this person?” Jiang Silu asked, pointing at a resume.

Xiaoya leaned over for a look. The resume belonged to a twenty-eight-year-old man named Chen Mo. He had graduated from Jiangnan University’s School of Design, had five years of work experience, and had previously worked as a landscape designer at a design firm in Suzhou. His portfolio included several completed projects with beautifully taken photographs.

“He has extensive work experience and a solid portfolio,” Xiaoya nodded. “We can keep a close eye on him.”

Jiang Silu drew a circle on the resume.

On Saturday morning, Jiang Silu arrived at the company early.

She was wearing a white shirt and light makeup, her hair tied back in a low ponytail. But after checking herself in the mirror, she felt she looked too formal and swapped the shirt for a light blue knit sweater.

Xiaoya was waiting for her at the door. Seeing her approach, she smiled. “Nervous?”

“A little,” Jiang Silu answered honestly.

“There’s no need to be nervous,” Xiaoya said, patting her shoulder. “You’ll be sitting in the lead seat. You’re the interviewer, not the one being interviewed.”

Jiang Silu took a deep breath and pushed open the conference room door.

The first candidate to enter was a twenty-six-year-old man named Lin Yuan. He wore thick black-framed glasses and a dark blue jacket. He carried a thick portfolio in his hands, his posture stiff and straight as he walked in.

“Hello, interviewers. My name is Lin Yuan. I graduated from Nanjing University of the Arts and have three years of work experience.” He sat down, placed his portfolio on the table, and flipped to the first page.

Jiang Silu examined the portfolio, which displayed the interior design for a cafe. The 3D renderings were beautifully executed, featuring delicate lighting and shadows alongside a strong sense of spatial depth.

She turned to the second page, which showcased a landscape plan for a small park. The plant arrangements were diverse, and seasonal variations had been thoughtfully taken into account.

Xiaoya asked, “For this park project, which parts were you responsible for?”

“The conceptual design, 3D renderings, and construction drawings—I did them all,” Lin Yuan answered.

Xiaoya nodded and glanced at Jiang Silu, signaling that she could ask questions.

Jiang Silu hesitated for a moment before speaking. “For that cafe project you did, was the flooring terrazzo or epoxy?”

Lin Yuan was taken aback for a second before letting out a laugh. “It’s terrazzo, but the 3D renderings show the effect of epoxy flooring. Because the client had a limited budget, the materials were changed later on.”

Jiang Silu nodded and asked, “Then when you made the renderings, did you design them based on terrazzo or epoxy?”

“Based on epoxy,” Lin Yuan replied. “Because the client said they might switch back later.”

“So did they switch back in the end?”

Lin Yuan fell silent for two seconds and shook his head. “No.”

Jiang Silu didn’t ask anything else and jotted down a few notes on her paper. Xiaoya glanced at her with a smile playing on her lips.

The second candidate was a twenty-five-year-old woman named Su Wan. With a high ponytail and a white hoodie, she looked younger than her actual age. Her portfolio was simple, containing only three projects, but the foundation for each was exceptionally solid.

“Are these projects you did at your previous company?” Xiaoya asked.

“Yes,” Su Wan nodded. “I followed this project from concept all the way through construction, and visited the site over twenty times.”

Jiang Silu browsed the portfolio and turned to a site photo. It showed Su Wan wearing a hard hat on a construction site, holding a set of blueprints as she communicated with the workers. Her face was slightly flushed from the sun, but she was smiling brightly.

“Su Wan, what was the biggest difficulty you encountered in this project?” Jiang Silu asked.

Su Wan thought for a moment before replying, “It was the plant selection. The client wanted a type of tree with blue flowers, but there weren’t any suitable options during that season. We scoured numerous nurseries and finally found one down in Guangzhou.”

“So how did you resolve it?” Jiang Silu pressed.

“The client insisted on blue flowers, so we substituted it with a different shrub that had a longer flowering period. The result was even better than expected,” Su Wan smiled. “The client even specifically posted on their Moments later to thank us.”

Jiang Silu smiled and jotted down a few more notes.

The third candidate to come in was Chen Mo, the one Jiang Silu had circled earlier.

He wore a dark gray suit jacket, his hair neatly styled, and carried a tablet in his hand. Upon entering, his gaze swept across the conference room before landing on Jiang Silu, pausing for a brief moment.

“Hello, interviewers. My name is Chen Mo.” He sat down, placed the tablet on the table, and opened his portfolio.

His portfolio was highly professional; every project included a detailed preliminary analysis, design refinements, the construction process, and final completion photos.

Jiang Silu swiped through the pages one by one. Toward the end, she spotted an ancient town renovation project. In the photos, a dilapidated old house had been transformed into a boutique bed-and-breakfast featuring classic gray bricks and dark roofing tiles, alongside wooden doors and ornate windows. A few bamboo stalks were planted in the courtyard, looking as if they would emit a soft RUSTLE whenever the wind blew.

“How long did you work on this project?” Jiang Silu asked.

“From concept to completion, a year and a half,” Chen Mo replied.

“What was the hardest part?”

“Communicating with the original residents,” Chen Mo said. “When the project first started, many of the locals refused to agree to the renovations. We went door-to-door to talk with them, listened to their concerns, and revised our designs accordingly. We spent three whole months just negotiating.”

Jiang Silu looked at the photo of the finished project, then back at Chen Mo. “Then what do you think is the most important aspect of design?”