Chapter 38 - Renovation completed.

The noise from inside the duplex had not stopped for even ten full minutes since noon. Metal cutting, drilling, hammering, footsteps, machines dragging across the floor, workers calling to each other from one room to another, and now and then the deep grinding sound of reinforced materials being fitted into place made the whole twentieth floor feel almost like a construction zone inside a sealed luxury building. Bai Li had stayed there far longer than she originally intended because once she began checking one section, another thought immediately followed, then another instruction, then another adjustment. She moved between floors several times, checked the placement of storage spaces, confirmed which walls were being reinforced first, and personally reminded Shen Kyao twice that the bedroom interiors were not to be disturbed beyond what had already been agreed. By the time the afternoon light shifted toward evening, she could feel the constant noise pressing against her temples.