Lady

The days that followed were no longer counted down; Ju Hui continued to refine her work and participate in pre-arranged promotional activities.

Her old works, borrowed from Norway, were exhibited in galleries and exhibitions of all sizes, and were also written about by critics invited by Sheng Qijing, with the spotlight shining on her past glories without reservation.

Then, her long-unsold, clumsy works were labeled as "private collection" and "exclusive," and suddenly appeared in a well-known art magazine spearheaded by Mo Cun.

At the auction, the buyers' hearts were in their throats as they nervously raised their paddles to bid. Ju Hui actually sold two of her old works in China, as if she had struck gold.

Sheng Qijing: [I didn't arrange the auction; they set the prices themselves. I believe in your abilities.]

Ju Hui understands that this might have made her blush a few years ago, but today she understands that this is an extremely legitimate investment activity, and both the buyer and seller are well aware of this.

What truly perplexed Ju Hui was that this might improve the year-end modern exhibition and sales, thus encouraging Sheng Qijing to stay in Paris.

Is he doing this in the hopes of staying?

She planned to save this question for when they met in person; she hoped that one day they could hear each other's voices and smell each other's scents, and have a conversation without any pretense or lies.

The buyer invited Ju Hui to the mall's opening reception. Sheng Qijing said she could skip it, but Ju Hui had a habit of meeting the buyer, so she went, accompanied by Kan Yu.

Before heading to the banquet, Jiang Yiying was at home. Seeing Ju Hui and Kan Yu's casual yet formal attire, she asked if she could come along.

Ju Hui thought for a moment: "This is different from the film festival you went to. It was all about discussing collaborations. Were there a lot of celebrities there that time?"

Jiang Yiying gave an awkward laugh, "No, I was just wondering if I could see Brother Jiaping... You guys should go now!"

As predicted by Jiang Yiying, Ju Hui indeed saw Bian Jiaping in the hall, and when their eyes met, a look of surprise flashed across his face.

He walked on, his steps firm.

He wasn't holding a glass of white wine, nor was he accompanied by a secretary or assistant. He was wearing a suit with his hands in his pockets, and his tall, thin figure made the fabric of his clothes look somewhat loose, giving him an aloof and acerbic air.

As he approached, he frowned: "You haven't been drinking, have you?"

Ju Hui choked, wondering about Bian Jiaping's attitude of skipping the pleasantries and coming straight to the point. She spoke nonchalantly, "Kan Yu was the one drinking. I'm going back to drive. What brings you here?"

Bian Jiaping gave Kan Yu a look that said, "I'd like to ask you that," and said, "Yun Aonan's brother is here too."

"Yeah?"

Ju Hui looked around. Bian Jiaping had spoken with certainty, but she didn't see that arrogant figure.

She accidentally made eye contact with some strangers, so she could only smile politely and nod at them.

Turning back, Bian Jiaping asked with a cold face, "Why were you with him when you went to Yun Que last time?"

Ju Hui finally heard the anger in Bian Jiaping's voice, and her brows furrowed quickly. He had seen Yun Aoze at that time, but he hadn't said anything.

Two weeks later, suddenly being questioned face-to-face feels wrong, like bringing up the experience of meeting your parents at the entrance of a nightclub when you're 18 and then turning it into something you're 28 about.

The atmosphere was tense, but thankfully Kan Yu returned.

"Mr. Bian, you're here too."

Kan Yu had called Bian Jiaping "Brother Jiaping" before, but today he came as an individual, not as Ju Hui's agent, and he didn't try to get too close to her.

Bian Jiaping nodded to him, "I need to ask Ju Hui to go out for a bit."

Sensing a hint of discord, Kan Yu had no grounds to refuse. From his angle, he could only see the top of Ju Hui's head. She didn't speak, and her ears were slightly red.

Ju Hui and Bian Jiaping walked out of the banquet hall side by side, took the elevator downstairs, and left on foot, their destination being the lakeside, which was two kilometers away as the crow flies.

The spring evening breeze is leisurely and free, but Bian Jiaping can't find it in this business district. He wants to get away from the high-rise buildings.

They ran into a 7-Eleven on the street, and Bian Jiaping asked her what she wanted to drink.

Ju Hui replied: Whatever.

For a moment she was disappointed, thinking that Bian Jiaping would scold her. The redness on her ears gradually faded. She couldn't drink alcohol to begin with, and the night became as boring as the old-fashioned lemon tea he bought.

They walked slowly, their decorative handbags too small to hold the plastic bottles, most of which were dangling in her palms. It would take another hour to walk back to this point.

It's so awkward.

Bian Jiaping asked, "When are you and Sheng Qijing getting married?"

Ju Hui blushed again immediately, and became even angrier. He wasn't even married yet, and he was already pressuring her.

"Why would I marry him? He's been in Paris for two or three months now, and he might just settle down there."

"No, he will come back."

Bian Jiaping said in a low voice, as if he were about to die.

Ju Hui frowned, displeased that these words came from Bian Jiaping, who exuded uncertainty.

She knew he would come back, of course, even though Sheng Qijing himself didn't know when he would finish his work. As for Bian Jiaping, although he was there, he always gave the impression that he might leave at any moment.

What gives him the right to say something so certain?

She gave a nonchalant "oh," and said, "Whatever. Even if he comes back, I don't want to be with him. I have other options."

"Was it Yun Aonan who introduced you to her brother, trying to play matchmaker for you two?"

Ju Hui was amused by the word "red thread" and imagined Yun Aonan dressed as the matchmaker. "That's right, but he doesn't have that kind of interest."

Bian Jiaping stared at her seriously, unsure whether she was telling the truth or not. "Then stop associating with her and have a good talk with Sheng Qijing about the future."

Ju Hui laughed, muttering, "What's the big deal? Besides, who told you to go see Yun Aonan? I don't even have any contact with her brother, and now you're bringing this up..."

These words completely angered Bian Jiaping. He stopped speaking until his anger reached its peak: "Ju Hui, I don't like anything happening because of me..."

He shut up. Ju Hui's profile, the slightly curled strands of hair that seemed to tuck into the corner of her lips, all spoke volumes. She knew that she had said those words on purpose to provoke him.

After crossing another intersection, Ju Hui suggested that they turn back the way they came and spend the night in the lingering warmth of the cool night.

Later, Bian Jiaping began to see Ju Hui frequently, carrying with him the resentment he had inhaled.

They always met at the Persimmon Courtyard, which was Bian Jiaping's house. He kept a key to the courtyard gate, and Ju Hui never changed the password, so he could always come in at any time.

The first few times, he would send a WeChat message asking what she was doing, and Ju Hui would always reply: working at Loft.

He stopped asking about it the next few times, and she had no idea that he was coming that day, or how long he had been waiting next door. When she opened the door, she saw him working at the dimly lit dining table, just like when Ju Hui first met him at the hotel after returning to Ruobei.

The only difference was that Ju Hui was no longer surprised, and the English words flashing on his thin glasses were no longer in English.

These meetings gradually changed from once every three days to once every two days or once a day. Sometimes they didn't say a word, but the conversation would always end with Sheng Qijing.

At this moment, Ju Hui thought that Bian Jiaping was practicing entrusting his "daughter" to someone at the wedding, which made him less bothered by Bian's persistent behavior.

But from another perspective, after the father handed his daughter his hand, he was about to leave the stage, which made Ju Hui somewhat panicked.

Jiaping arrived a little early that day, before lunchtime. The sun was scorching hot, and the yard was so quiet that even the bacteria had disappeared.

Unfortunately, Ju Hui was still upstairs and hadn't woken up yet. She had stayed up all night, and the sudden sound of the door opening downstairs and the sunlight streaming into her room woke her up.

"If you don't want me to come, then just buy this house. We'll go transfer the title today."

"If you can get in line and complete the procedures at this hour, I'll consider you amazing, okay?"

Ju Hui tidied up and went out with Bian Jiaping. But when they got into the car, she felt numb. Instead of heading straight to the real estate registration center, they found a restaurant in a shopping mall and sat down. They hadn't eaten yet.

When they met again, they changed the subject, talking about taxes or property deeds. They also met at more places. Ju Hui spent a large sum of money and received two contracts and a property deed.

The courtyard officially belonged to Ju Hui, Bian Jiaping disappeared, and the subtle entanglements seemed to have vanished in half.

At first, this feeling made her feel at ease, and she was able to complete her first new work smoothly with a peaceful mind.

Later, she became curious about what Bian Jiaping was busy with, and wondered if she could appear in his office without making a sound.

The idea came to him, but it took him quite some time to find a day to "sneak a visit".

As if something was amiss, the night before that day, Sheng Qijing made his first phone call in months.

"I'm going back to China next week, first to Shanghai."

It was evening, and Ju Hui was celebrating her birthday at Yun Aonan's house. The refrigerator was slightly cool, and the heavy, vase-shaped soda bottle was fogged up, making my palm wet.

She hummed in agreement, concealing the excitement that the candlelight behind the window paper was finally about to burn a hole through it. She changed the subject and reported the progress of her work to her boss.

As Ju Hui spoke, she unconsciously gripped, released, and twirled the bottle of water, the warmth of her shoulders and fingertips connecting her to the rainy streets of Paris that day.

"Ju Hui".

With a snap, Yun Aoze turned off the only refrigerator light in the kitchen for her.

He then noticed that Ju Hui was holding up her phone, hidden in a blind spot. He stopped speaking and simply mouthed to her:

Sheng Jiashu has arrived.

After he finished speaking, he went upstairs via the nearest staircase, and the living room erupted with loud chatter and laughter.

"You celebrated your birthday at Yun Aonan's house?"

"Yes, Sister Jia Shu is here too."

“I know, I asked her to go and deliver the gift for me.”

Ju Hui hung up the phone and came out of the kitchen. Sheng Jiashu was the first to spot her and grabbed her arm, refusing to let go.

Yun Aonan also came to help Ju Hui, and the three of them smiled and together held the knife, cutting the cake into eight pieces horizontally and vertically.

Yun Aonan whispered in Ju Hui's ear, "Could you take a cake to my brother for me? He's upstairs..."

Before Ju Hui could react, Sheng Jiashu heard the word "brother" and exclaimed, "I haven't seen your brother in a long time. Is he upstairs? Why don't you call him down?"

"Then Xiaohui, go and call her."

"No, maybe he's sleeping without clothes on. I'm getting married, I'll go get him."

Seeing that they clearly didn't know what Yun Aoze was thinking, Ju Hui picked up the cake, stepped over them, and walked ahead.

"It's alright, I'll go..."

The next day, Ju Hui woke up next to Yun Aonan, refused lunch, and carried the computer that had been in her car since the day before, which was warm from the sun, and drove directly from her home to the Yun Que Company building.

Looking back now, I realize that wasn't a wise decision.

It was unwise of her to take the initiative to attend the banquet and unexpectedly meet Bian Jiaping.

After actually working as a receptionist, going upstairs, and passing by a group of company colleagues, Ju Hui understood why he started contacting her so frequently, and why each time was more unpleasant than the last.

Everything became clear on this day—Bian Jiaping was preparing to sell the company at a low price and get out quickly, but Sheng Qijing intercepted the deal.

For the past few months, he has been testing Ju Hui's attitude. If she is willing to marry Sheng Qijing, he will sell the company to Sheng Qijing, or even give it away as part of her dowry.