The email arrives at 9:47 AM.
I'm in the study when my phone buzzes, half-focused on a sketch that isn't going anywhere, and I almost don't check it.
Almost.
But my hand moves automatically, picking up the phone, unlocking the screen.
And there it is.
Subject: Dingshan Real Estate Master-Planned Community Design Competition - Results Announcement
My heart stops.
Actually stops for a second before slamming back into motion, too fast, too hard.
I stare at the subject line.
Don't open it, can't open it.
I need to open it.
My thumb hovers over the screen.
This is it.
Two months of work, weeks of waiting, everything I've been thinking about obsessively condensed into whatever is inside this email.
I open it.
The first line is standard professional language, thanking all participants for their submissions, acknowledging the high quality of entries received.
I skip past it.
My eyes catch on the next paragraph.
We are pleased to announce the results of the competition:
