Chapter 26 Picasso's tools for pleasing others.
He Xintu turned around and came up behind her, placing his hands on Liang Yizhi's shoulders, his voice coming from behind her ear:
"Let's go, time is precious."
Liang Yizhi was half-pushed and half-forced into the museum's main entrance.
They entered the front exhibition hall and began their tour. It was still early, and the number of visitors was not high today; the hall was very quiet.
They slowed their pace, walking and admiring the huge walls covered with artwork.
Liang Yizhi noticed that He Xintu wasn't just casually browsing the exhibition; he was thoroughly enjoying the paintings on the walls.
He would slow down his pace as he passed each artwork, savoring each piece carefully, and only reluctantly looking away when he had seen enough.
Liang Yizhi couldn't help but lower her voice and ask him, "Do you often come to art exhibitions?"
“No,” he replied.
"Are there any painters you like here?"
No, not at all.
"Then why did you think of inviting me here?" Liang Yizhi asked, puzzled.
He Xintu laughed and said, "There's no particular reason, I just wanted to find an excuse to ask you out."
“If we had booked your performance, we wouldn’t have been able to chat with you. Art is interconnected, so I thought coming here would be nice too.”
So that's why I chose this place – I wanted to have things in common with her.
Liang Yizhi felt happy. This at least proved that the other party had put in effort for her.
They strolled and chatted, then stopped in front of a painting.
Before me is Picasso's "Pygmalion." The strange intersections of lines and randomly cut geometric blocks of color combine to create a vibrant and lively effect.
He Xintu seemed to be attracted by the painting.
He paused, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the canvas. His eyes lingered on every stroke, imagining how the artist had used color and light to create this work.
“I thought you invited me here because you like art exhibitions,” Liang Yizhi said, looking him over. “Most people would find art exhibitions boring, but you seem to find them very interesting.”
"Really?" He Xintu didn't expect to be evaluated like that. "You're making me feel like I'm putting on airs."
He tilted his head slightly and said frankly, "I don't understand anything; I'm just appreciating it."
“It’s okay if you don’t understand it.” Liang Yizhi doesn’t think it’s a big deal. “The important thing is this moment, what you see and how you feel. Just treat it as a way to relax.”
You're absolutely right.
He Xintu answered in agreement, gazing at the painting before him, and said calmly:
"Not understanding is also a kind of beauty, isn't it? If you see things too clearly, they are not as interesting as they were at the beginning."
This was the first time Liang Yizhi had heard such a statement; some people even considered misunderstanding a kind of beauty.
She didn't think there was anything strange about it; she just felt it was a very novel and open-minded idea.
The unknown, shrouded in mystery, always arouses a desire to explore inward.
Just like how she's becoming increasingly curious about what kind of person He Xintu really is. And because she has feelings for him, she always wants to know more about him.
They chatted casually, occasionally offering a few comments as they passed by the paintings.
After leaving the art museum, it was finally time to go eat that meal.
She asked He Xintu, "Do you have a favorite cuisine?"
He Xintu said, "I like them all. I'm not a picky eater."
Worried about his tastes, she asked another question: "Are you from Yucheng?"
"no."
"Where do you live?"
He Xintu slightly tucked his chin in and gave a vague answer: "In...a very far place."
Liang Yizhi thought to herself, if it's far from Yucheng, it's probably to the north.
She asked, "So you're from the North?"
"Yes, you could say that."
Since he gave that answer, Liang Yizhi didn't press him for details.
She casually mentioned a great restaurant nearby, which she had actually found after doing a lot of research the night before.
I asked him this question because I wanted to know if he could eat spicy food, in case I touched a nerve.
Fortunately, He Xintu is very easygoing.
During the meal, Liang Yizhi, fearing an awkward situation, tried to find a topic of conversation, so she brought up how she had been overwhelmed by her friend's recent troubles.
She confided her concern to him: "I want to help her in a more natural way, because I'm afraid that if she accepts my help, she will feel more pressured."
He Xintu sat opposite her, looking at his phone, and echoed her sentiments: "It is indeed quite a headache."
He did not continue asking questions based on Liang Yizhi's words.
Seeing that he didn't seem to care much, Liang Yizhi figured he probably wasn't interested in the topic, so she didn't say anything more.
He Xintu kept his head down.
After looking at his phone for a while, he finally picked it up and showed Liang Yizhi a picture: "Do you know where this place is?"
Liang Yizhi recognized him at a glance: "Tong Zhen?"
Have you been there?
"No, it's just that the scenery there looks similar to this picture."
“I’m planning to open a branch,” He Xintu said, shifting the topic back to himself. “The location is at the foot of a mountain in Tongzhen. It’s already booked, and we’re currently preparing for the renovations.”
"Really?" Liang Yizhi was pleasantly surprised to hear his idea. "A bar at the foot of the mountain sounds really cool."
"Walking shakily down the mountain with trembling legs, only to end up walking into a bar, isn't that interesting?"
Liang Yizhi chimed in, "That's a really good idea."
After finishing their meal, they took a walk along the street to digest.
As Liang Yizhi thought about the bar, she suddenly remembered that Jiang Huai had asked them to inquire about He Xintu in the group chat last time.
She mentioned to him, "By the way, I have a friend who was very interested in your bar during our last chat. He was wondering if he could bring his colleagues here for a team-building activity?"
“Of course.” He Xintu readily agreed, even introducing her to the types of drinks and saying he could recommend some of his friends who could provide camping sites or party villas.
After sharing all this, he asked, "Which friend of yours?"
"It's the one you met the first time we met."
"From the hot pot restaurant?" He Xintu narrowed his eyes. "Or the one that came in later?"
"The hot pot restaurant, they're fighting alongside you."
“No problem then.” He Xintu readily agreed, then changed the subject, “But if it’s the latter one, then forget it.”
Liang Yizhi was taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind his words: "Why?"
He Xintu gave a vague answer: "It's nothing. We business people all believe in fate. I just don't have any chemistry with people."
Liang Yizhi thought to herself: What a coincidence, he doesn't have a good impression of you either.
Just in case, she still asked, "If he were to come with us, would you mind?"
"If you mind, then you won't bring him?"
“…He is our friend.” Liang Yizhi looked slightly embarrassed. “You can get to know each other first, become friends, and maybe your opinions of each other will change after you get to know each other better?”
He Xintu said, "Don't worry, since they are your friends, I will treat them all the same."
He gazed into her eyes: "Just to see you."
He Xintu's gaze reminded her of the Picasso painting she had seen earlier that day.
Their gazes were equally penetrating, as if piercing through the thin paper, shooting straight at her without any detours or concealment.
Liang Yizhi's face flushed again. She didn't want to believe that she was such an easily aroused person.
She looked away, casually changing the subject: "Has anyone ever asked you... why you laugh so much?"
"It's not good-looking?"
He Xintu lowered his raised lips again, his intentional restraint making his lips look somewhat aggrieved.
Liang Yizhi panicked for a moment: "That's not what I meant... It's just that if you do that, it's easy for people to misunderstand."
He Xintu uttered a single syllable from his throat, soft and low, but very long: "How do you know it's just a misunderstanding?"
Liang Yizhi suddenly recalled He Man's words from that night: "This man is not simple."
She was powerless against him and could only follow his lead. The conversation drifted further and further away, and she eventually got herself involved.
Leung Yik-chi is always quite direct when communicating with people; she doesn't beat around the bush or use cryptic language, so she also likes straightforward people.
But this kind of straightforwardness is different from He Xintu's.
She was frank and straightforward, saying whatever came to mind and telling the other person whatever came to mind. But He Xintu was not.
He Xintu's directness stems from his undisguised curiosity about you. He lays everything bare, knowing exactly what you're thinking, and he tells you exactly what you want to know.
He always manages to steer the atmosphere in the direction he wants.
He Xintu added, "But you're right, I am often misunderstood."
Sensing the implication in his words, Liang Yizhi asked cautiously, "Has something happened?"
"It's nothing, just some minor squabbles between classmates when we were in school."
He Xintu shrugged and summarized briefly: "They thought I was a rich man, and since I didn't talk much, they threatened me to give them my pocket money."
Liang Yizhi understood immediately: "Did they bully you?"
She raised her voice slightly. He Xintu saw her staring intently at him, smiled, but didn't say anything more: "It's nothing, just childish games between kids. I'm fine."
"People who emphasize how good they are are usually not good."
He Xintu was taken aback, not expecting her attitude to become serious because of this topic.
He composed himself and comforted her, saying, "Don't think too much about it, it's all in the past."
Just take my smile as a tool I habitually use to please others.
Liang Yizhi listened in silence, but suddenly raised her hand and gently tugged at his sleeve. He Xintu turned around with this invisible force.
She stopped and told him earnestly, "Your smile is beautiful."
“Really.” Her eyes fell on the high, straight nose across from him, and she raised her hand, pointing to her own mouth. “Most people don’t have lips and complexion as beautiful as yours.”
"Furthermore, I don't think you're trying to please me, nor do you need to please everyone. On the contrary, those who have seen your smile should feel the need to please you."
The empty road was quiet, and her voice, like a melodious wind chime, swayed in the breeze, opening a window to the night.
"Those who bully you, those who miss out on you, that's because they're incompetent."
She spoke those comforting words so casually.
He Xintu loves mixing drinks and has tasted many kinds of liquor and blended many flavors, but he has never tasted one with such a rich flavor.
It's delightful, sweet and astringent, with a bitter aftertaste that spreads from the back of your tongue. At first, you're kept in the dark, but one bite fills your heart with a sense of fullness.
When you recall it, tiny bubbles rise from your chest, stimulating your heart little by little.
As the autumn wind blew, golden ginkgo leaves fell, and a dazzling downpour poured down, with leaves landing on Liang Yizhi's head.
He Xintu reached out and plucked the thin leaf. Holding the stem, he tucked the small, fan-shaped leaf into Liang Yizhi's hair, following her sideburns.
His dry fingers moved down smoothly, his index finger lightly touching her earlobe.
"What should we do?" He Xintu lowered his eyes, looked at the girl in front of him, placed his palm on her cheek, and gently stroked her delicate skin with his thumb.
"Right now, it seems like there really is someone I want to please."
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