Chapter 27
"Go ahead." Tang Yuchuan's eyes were filled with encouragement. He took the boxing gloves from Zou Ping and carefully put them on for her. "I'll watch you fight here."
Zou Ping smiled, her eyes curved like sunshine shining into the shadows.
Tang Yuchuan watched her walk towards the sandbag, and saw her fists cut through the air as they swung out, with muffled sounds falling one after another, crisp and neat.
Each blow seemed to peel off the emotions in the body layer by layer, leaving them in the dull echo.
Her breathing was hot and rhythmic, but her eyes were relaxed as if she had finally let go of something.
His eyes gradually softened.
Those years cast a shadow over his memory—the rigorous training, the cold room, the boxing gloves, the piano, the math Olympiad problems, the programming, the English vocabulary…everything wasn't a choice, but an order. Boxing, for him, had never been about freedom.
But at this moment, he saw its other side for the first time—it could not be a punishment, but a release. Like her, it could directly release the heat suppressed in his heart.
As Zou Ping retracted her punch, beads of sweat trickled down her temples. She walked towards him with a smile and handed him a bottle of water. "How's it going? Do you think I'm doing well?"
Tang Yuchuan took the water, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly: "More than OK."
His eyes gradually softened. Although the shadow of his childhood was still there, it was slowly dispelled by her strength and ease.
The half sentence he didn't say was: the "red" on her face in front of the canvas was the heat suppressed in his heart, heavy and intense; when it came to the sandbag, the heat became direct, and every punch seemed to want to penetrate something.
It was as if the same "heat" was released by her in different forms with different powers.
He seemed to like her a little more, and liked the complete her that was intertwined with these two forces.
Tang Yuchuan watched her wipe the sweat off her face and said softly, "When you're boxing, you seem to be much lighter. I mean your state."
Zou Ping smiled and shrugged: "Well, it's different from painting. Sometimes the more you paint, the more you get into it."
His eyes were gentle. "But when you paint, you also have your own passion. Especially in the past few years. When I first saw you, I only thought you were skilled. In the past two years, your paintings have really become more and more different."
"But I feel there is no future for painting. When I was young, I thought it was a talent. If I could draw something realistically, I could draw well. As long as I could draw well, I could support myself and take care of my mother in the future." Zou Ping was still smiling, but there was a hint of bitterness in her smile.
Not only was she lost in her artistic career, but she was also alienated from her mother. After being rescued by Tang Yuchuan, she tried to contact her mother several times, but her mother's responses were always cold, as if she would break up with her if she didn't marry the stranger as they asked.
"Are you thinking about things at home?" Tang Yuchuan keenly noticed her emotional fluctuations.
"No, I just wanted to paint. I felt like there was no future." She didn't want to talk about her mother.
"It's already very good. Sometimes, all it takes to change from quantitative change to qualitative change is an opportunity." Tang Yuchuan was very tactful most of the time. Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, he immediately brought the topic back to the painting.
Zou Ping took a sip of water and smiled helplessly, "Well, turning a hobby into a profession does bring more pressure. Besides, as a painter, even if you have talent, most people only become famous after they die."
Tang Yuchuan raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "Not really, there are also living painters like Dali and Monet."
Zou Ping laughed out loud, with a mixture of sarcasm and emotion: "There are definitely a few, but there are many more who have died, like Van Gogh, Cézanne, Modigliani... It seems like everyone has to wait until they die before being remembered."
"I think times have changed," Tang Yuchuan said confidently. "Art channels are different now, and there are many more opportunities for works to be seen."
Zou Ping nodded, and she also admitted that art is sometimes very subjective.
She mentioned an installation art that she didn't quite understand. Critics said it was shocking and avant-garde, but when she looked at the messy materials and flashing lights, she felt empty and alienated.
But this work has increased in value several times due to publicity and public opinion.
In this fast-paced era, channels and publicity have become an inevitable part of artistic development. The fact that a work is seen, discussed, and recognized often determines its fate more quickly than the work itself.
She frowned slightly, as if she was thinking, and asking herself: Will the paintings she draws also be swept away by such a wave and eventually be seen, or will they simply be submerged?
The two of them discussed art and the times in a low voice, as if inadvertently pushing their thoughts away from each other and then gently pulling them closer.
Tang Yuchuan smiled: "What about you? Do you draw to make yourself happy, or to make others remember you?"
Zou Ping pursed her lips slightly, her gaze drifting slightly away, as if deep in thought. After a moment, she murmured, "Of course, I hope someone will see my paintings and recognize them... but I don't want to paint just for recognition. I hope to paint for expression and for my own enjoyment."
Just as the two were immersed in art and heated discussions, Tang Yuchuan's phone vibrated.
He looked down at his phone screen and raised his eyebrows slightly: "I have to go back to the company."
Zou Ping frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. She just turned sideways and looked at him.
"It was Miao Zhan who sent the message," Tang Yuchuan explained smoothly, his tone relaxed and affirmative. "He's very efficient. He organized the information on Hongsheng very clearly, allowing me to quickly understand the situation. He's such a serious secretary, so as a boss, I can't let him down, right?"
Zou Ping curled her lips slightly and muttered softly: "Yesterday you said you would leave time for me, and today you said you would leave time for me again... Tang Yuchuan, I find that you don't have complete time at all."
There was a hint of helplessness in her voice, but not accusatory.
Tang Yuchuan lowered his head, his eyes soft: "Sorry."
Zou Ping smiled softly, as if to comfort him, or to adjust herself: "It's okay, I understand. You have a lot on your hands, and I know that it's good enough that you try to make time for me."
She watched the corners of his mouth rise slightly, and a warmth welled up in her heart.
Tang Yuchuan stood up as if he was about to leave, but suddenly turned around and said in a calm and gentle tone: "By the way, there is a charity reception the day after tomorrow night. Would you... like to go with me?"
Zou Ping was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She didn't say "yes" or "no," but just asked softly, "I...have never participated before. Do I need to prepare anything?"
He smiled, his eyes gentle yet firm. "Don't be nervous, it's just an ordinary cocktail party. The main purpose is to support charity, maintain the company's image, and also to meet people and maintain some so-called relationships."
Zou Ping frowned slightly and let down his guard a little.
The cocktail parties she imagined were the kind seen on TV, glamorous but suffocating. But now, his words were like a gentle breeze, slowly relaxing her tense nerves.
Zou Ping still had some doubts in her heart: "Secretary Chen...who is this? Isn't it Secretary Miao?"
Tang Yuchuan looked at her, his tone still gentle: "Of course there is more than one person in the secretariat. If you want Miao Zhan to take you there, that's fine too. He has good taste. However, Chen Zui is a girl, so it might be more convenient for you to go shopping and pick out clothes together, and it would also be easier for you to chat."
Zou Ping nodded gently, "Oh, I'm fine with that. Secretary Chen, then, it's good to get to know someone close to you."
A gentle smile flashed in Tang Yuchuan's eyes: "Okay, that's settled. You just need to relax, I'll take care of everything else."
Zou Ping nodded again.
Tang Yuchuan turned slightly sideways and looked at Zou Ping, his tone gentle and natural: "Would you like to stay a little longer? If you leave now, I can take you home."
Zou Ping shook her head and said gently, "I'm not in a hurry to go back. I want to stay a little longer. You go first."
He nodded slightly, his tone calm: "Okay, send me a message when you leave, and I'll ask the driver to pick you up."
Zou Ping smiled lightly and said calmly, "Don't bother me. You don't have to make any special arrangements. This place is close to the subway. I can go back by myself."
Tang Yuchuan did not insist, "Then...be careful."
There was no deliberate courtesy in the air, just like the tacit breathing between the two people.
At this moment, Zou Ping suddenly felt that the two of them seemed to have returned to the previous stage of their relationship.
At that time, they were not together yet, she liked him and he cared about her.
Living in the same space, their relationship is like a gently stretched string, maintaining distance but never breaking.
Tang Yuchuan did not deliberately squeeze into her space, nor did he force arrangements. She depended on him but also did not depend on him.
At that time, there was a sense of alienation in the air at home, but in that alienation, there was a layer of warmth, which let her know that even without words, he would care about her safety and would lend a hand when needed.
She didn't know when it started, but Tang Yuchuan's attitude towards her had changed a little. Although the change was very subtle, Zou Ping could feel it.
It seems better, but also seems worse.
Fortunately, he cared about her more. Zou Ping couldn't help but be happy about the care from the person she liked.
The bad thing was that he cared about her more, because that care was obviously not the care that came from the normal development of a relationship. There must be other reasons behind it. Her premonition and analysis told her that it was not a good reason.
Zou Ping sometimes wants to get to the bottom of things, but finds that she doesn't have the courage to explore. She always feels that some truths will come to light sooner or later. Instead of rushing to uncover them, it is better to quietly enjoy the warmth that she can hold at the moment.
At this moment, Tang Yuchuan seemed to have returned to his previous state, with a simple and firm attitude: if you need help, I am here; if you don’t need it, I won’t force it on you.
God knows how worried Zou Ping was just now that Tang Yuchuan would insist on sending her off, or find someone to send her off.
Thinking of this, Zou Ping felt a little relieved. She liked the subtle respect he showed, which made her feel at ease.
"Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?" Tang Yuchuan noticed her gaze.
"Take care of yourself..." Thousands of words in my heart finally condensed into these four words.
She herself couldn't explain why she said that.
There are so many things I want to say and so many feelings I want to express, but at this moment they all turn into the simplest concern.
Maybe it’s because words always seem clumsy when facing him.
Or maybe, it’s because there are some emotions that even I dare not face directly.
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