Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

As the morning light filters through the gauze curtains, the traveler's gaze naturally falls upon the enamel clock on the wall.

The hands remained stubbornly stuck at 8:8.

A chill crept up her spine.

This is no longer her room; this is the hotel lobby.

This was by no means a secret hint she left for herself, but rather a coincidence that enveloped the entire hotel.

Fortunately, this strange synchronization only lasted for a brief minute.

As the second hand completed its first revolution, all the clocks reached 8:9.

But that coincidence, like a silent collective suggestion, left an indelible sense of unease in her heart.

Last night, Tariq, the housekeeper of the Cavieto Hotel, sent a message: he would come to the hotel to see her at eight o'clock sharp this morning with the design drawings.

For this appointment, the traveler specially chose a suitable dress. However, in the rush of changing in the morning, by accident, the heel of her shoe caught precisely on the hem of the sheer long dress.

The sound of tearing announced the "death" of this expensive dress.

The frantic searching and last-minute replacements inevitably made her a few minutes late.

As she hurried down the stairs, the sight that came into view made her instantly slow her pace.

Kavi, the brilliant but life-weary architect, was fast asleep in a deep slumber, leaning against a large velvet sofa in the corner of the hall.

His body was slightly tilted, his head resting on the back of the sofa at an uncomfortable angle. His usually energetic face was now covered with heavy dark circles under his eyes, making him look unusually tired.

The sounds of footsteps, whispers, and even the soft clatter of luggage cart wheels in the hall failed to rouse him from his slumber.

One of his hands was still loosely holding a delicate bone china teacup. The tea had obviously been spilled while he was asleep, leaving a large dark tea stain on the front of his light-colored shirt and trousers.

Water droplets trickled down his trouser leg, one by one, slowly and persistently falling onto the mirror-like marble floor, silently telling of his sudden weariness.

The traveler gently sat down on the sofa opposite, not wanting to disturb his rare rest.

My gaze fell on his side, where several thick brown paper tubes were casually leaning against him, clearly filled with his masterpieces of painstaking effort over the past two days.

"Snapped--"

A crisp cracking sound suddenly shattered the silence.

The bone china teacup that Kavi had been holding finally slipped completely from his fingers, fell freely, and shattered on the marble floor, its short life coming to an end.

The sudden noise successfully woke Kavi from his sweet dream.

"Ouch!" Kavi sat up abruptly as if he had been electrocuted. His confused consciousness was not yet fully clear, and his eyes first caught the conspicuous tea stain on his body.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed, his face instantly filled with panic. He frantically grabbed a napkin from the small round table next to him and tried in vain to wipe away the dark stain that had seeped into the fabric.

Almost at the same moment the teacup shattered, the hotel manager, dressed in a Sumerian-style robe and with an impeccable expression, appeared like a ghost beside the sofa.

“My esteemed guest,” the manager said respectfully, “it is with great regret that we inform you that the bone china teacup you just damaged was a limited edition specially commissioned by our shop from Liyue’s Jade Valley and handcrafted by a renowned master craftsman. According to our preliminary assessment, its value is 130 million Mora.”

The hotel manager gave a slight bow, looking sharply at Kavi. "Would you prefer to pay in cash now, or would you like us to send the bill to your residence later?"

"Wh...what? 130 million Mora!" Kavi instantly sprang from the sofa, all drowsiness and panic vanishing, replaced by disbelief, shock, and anger: "You might as well just rob us! How can a cup cost so much?"

The manager's smile remained unchanged, as if he were wearing a perfect mask: "Guest, please understand that this price already includes reasonable depreciation and wear and tear costs. If you have any doubts about the price, I can immediately provide you with an official Liyue art appraisal certificate and proof of purchase."

"Of course, if you insist on refusing to take responsibility for compensation, we will have no choice but to report your intentional damage to property to the Disciplinary Committee. I suppose... you don't want to be subject to an academic conduct investigation and sanctions by the Order of the Church for this matter, do you?" The last sentence was a direct threat.

Kavi's proud head drooped instantly, his shoulders slumped. He could almost see his roommate Alheisen's cold, mocking gaze and subsequent harsh words when he received this exorbitant bill. Despair overwhelmed him like a cold tide. "Sigh..." he sighed deeply, resignedly, his voice hoarse, "Please... please give me the bill."

"Please put it on my tab," the traveler said, standing up.

“Yes, Miss Lü. It’s my pleasure to serve you.” The manager immediately put on the obsequious smile one would give to a top VIP, and bowed slightly to the travelers. “Then, I won’t disturb you any longer.” He quickly turned and left, as if he had never been there.

“Miss Lu Ren… this… I’m so sorry…” Kavi turned around, his face full of embarrassment and gratitude: “I will definitely find a way to pay you back this money! But…” His voice lowered, clearly not optimistic about the outcome of “finding a way”.

“It’s alright, haha…” The traveler waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down: “Consider this an advance payment for your overtime work on the project. Judging from your appearance, you must have been working hard these past two days, staying up late and putting in a lot of effort for our branch project. Thank you for your hard work.”

Looking at Kavi's exhausted yet determined appearance, she felt as if she were seeing herself in the past, working overtime like a dog, and her heart was filled with empathetic sympathy.

"Actually, you really don't need to rush like this. Your health is the most important thing."

"Phew..." Kavi's tense nerves finally relaxed. He sat back heavily on the sofa and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you so much! Ms. Lü, you really are... Sigh, the competition in our architectural design industry is too fierce, it's incredibly cutthroat. If a project is delayed even slightly, our clients might be poached by our competitors. Being able to produce design drafts as soon as possible so that the client can finalize the design and sign the contract is the best way to keep our jobs and projects."

"It sounds like the work is very stressful?" the traveler asked.

However, in my opinion, no matter how much work pressure there is, it probably can't compare to the mental pressure brought by my roommate at home.

Thinking of Elhesen, a nameless anger suddenly surged up again.

Damn it! I'll settle this score with you sooner or later!

Ugh, I'm so angry! I'm really so angry!

“Hehe…who says otherwise?” Kavi scratched his head, revealing a bitter, self-deprecating smile: “In our line of work, there’s a self-deprecating saying: ‘If you try to persuade someone to study design, you’ll be struck by lightning.’”

Coincidentally, in my original world, there was also a similar profound saying.

“Miss Lü, I’m sorry to have taken up your time. Let me show you the design drafts now.” Kavi shook his head, as if trying to shake off his fatigue and frustration and cheer himself up.