Chapter 194 Extra 18
That evening, Qin Tian received a troubling message. Her senior sister said the school was in dire need of courses on cultural relic restoration and wanted her to ask Tong Zhongyuan if he was willing to teach the course.
Qin Tian glanced at Tong Zhongyuan, who was currently contacting London for work. He had no interest in teaching people. How should she respond to her senior sister? She couldn't say it directly; he only cared about money.
After Tong Zhongyuan finished the call, he saw her looking at him eagerly, and he thought it was both cute and funny, and his heart melted instantly. He squatted in front of the sofa, took her hand and kissed it.
"What's up?"
"Nothing, just a senior I met this afternoon. She wanted to ask if you'd be willing to teach at the school. I was trying to think of a reason to turn her down."
"Are you going to reject her without even asking me?"
"Don't I know you? You'd rather cook at home than go to class."
His eyes curved as he touched her head. She was talking about home, their home. In the month they'd been together, he had already formed a complete vision and plan for their future. As their daily lives became more and more integrated, this plan became more and more concrete. His future was here, his home was here. He needed to do more than just make money. In this place where they shared life together, he needed an identity worthy of her.
"Actually, I have something I want to discuss with you."
She stroked his hair and pinched his face. She had always thought he was a little fidgety, but now she understood that when you like someone, you can't help but touch and pinch them. She had always thought he was mature and elegant, a man who had nothing to do with cuteness, but now she found everything about him adorable.
"What's up?"
"I'd like to be a guest technical consultant for the Shanghai Museum's cultural relics restoration and conservation, providing technical support, academic guidance, and innovative ideas. What do you think?"
She stopped touching his hand and said, "You want to be a technical consultant?? Really? Why? Don't you want to come to Shangbo?"
"When did I ever say I didn't want to come to the Shanghai Museum? I just think the salary is too low." He sat down next to her. "Director Ming has treated me well, and I need a legitimate status here. Besides, you are at the Shanghai Museum."
"Of course!" She grabbed his hand happily. "Director Ming will definitely agree. When are you going to tell him?"
"In a few days, there's one more thing." He lowered his head and held her slender fingers. "I've been looking at houses near the New Museum recently. There are a few that are pretty good. Would you like to go and see them together this weekend?"
The hand in his, the earnest request, the irresistible gaze. She knew the meaning behind the words, and the significance of looking at houses together. It was too fast, too anxious, too impulsive. She still had a rational voice in her heart, but what she said was, "Okay, let's go look together."
His face instantly brightened, warm and romantic. Perhaps this autumn, he and she, amidst the endless roar of the Huangpu River, will have a real home that belongs to them.
Tang Zhixu has been spending very little time at home lately. The organizers chose Beijing as the first stop for his exhibition. Beijing is undoubtedly the busiest place for calligraphy and painting, and his first auction at China Guardian Auctions took place there. Friends eagerly urged him to come to Beijing to support him. He unanimously replied, "Don't come. Come on, wait until the next stop, Shanghai."
He said the same thing to Anne, but as he expected, she still came.
Anne wore a very French-style white linen top with a cross-V neck, and underneath it was a black heavily embroidered horse-faced skirt, which perfectly combined French laziness with Chinese elegance and solemnity, and was very suitable for occasions such as the opening of a Chinese painting exhibition.
Aunt Wang had sent her a photo of Tang Zhixu, dressed in a formal white shirt and with a carefully styled hairdo. She liked his looks, and even more so his focused gaze.
To impress him, she took half a day off work, went home to change clothes, and put on makeup. She hadn't expected to see him in person—his hair was messy, his sleeves were casually rolled, and his expression was relaxed. But she liked him even more. Compared to the photo, he had a freer, more uninhibited aura.
It wasn't that she didn't feel it; that hastily finished meal reflected his attitude. She felt a little sorry for her overly formal attire. Later, she realized that no matter what she wore that day, the answer would have been the same.
She hadn't expected Tang Zhixu to have a secret crush. It wasn't that she was surprised he had someone in his heart, but he definitely didn't look like the type of man to have a secret crush. What kind of girl could make him love her so much he couldn't express it? Was she incredibly beautiful? Was she of an unattainable status? Or was she already married?
When she sees him again, his crush is over and she has changed her style of dress. Let them get to know each other again.
When Annie arrived, Tang Zhixu was chatting with a senior calligrapher and painter. He saw her out of the corner of his eye, and she smiled at him, then walked away from his sight with a knowing look.
Just as he finished the greeting, another colleague arrived. Tang Zhixu looked around but didn't see Annie. He really didn't have time to greet her, so he had to continue the greeting.
Annie followed the exhibition layout, carefully examining each painting. Before meeting Tang Zhixu, she had no knowledge of Chinese painting, and it was only after meeting him that she began to immerse herself in it.
After completing the circuit, she returned to the entrance. A handsome young couple walked in, hand in hand, chatting. The girl looked strangely familiar, and the man beside her was quite elegant. She searched her mind for the girl's features and suddenly remembered that she was a colleague of Tang Zhixu's. Three months earlier, the Shanghai Museum had discovered the Chunjun Tomb. Ever since meeting Tang Zhixu, she had paid close attention to the Shanghai Museum and had watched the press conference.
Tang Zhixu was discussing the inspiration for this work with his colleagues when he caught a glimpse of Qin Tian and Tong Zhongyuan walking in. He had told Qin Tian that he didn't need to come to Beijing. Before the opening that morning, he received a luxurious flower basket in Qin Tian's name. It was a huge basket made of Phalaenopsis, Cymbidium and Cattleya. But he was very familiar with orchids and could tell at a glance that this basket was not cheap. He knew that this was definitely not Qin Tian's work, as Qin Tian was most reluctant to spend money on frivolous things. Sure enough, in the signature section, the man put his name together with Qin Tian's.
He took a look and asked someone to put the flower basket in the center. Tong Zhongyuan thanked him in his own way, although it was still unpleasant.
Therefore, he never expected that after receiving their congratulatory flower basket, the two would still come in person to support him.
"Excuse me," he said hurriedly to the calligraphy teacher, "my friend is coming over, I'll go over and greet him first."
Annie's eyes were still on Qin Tian when she saw Tang Zhixu leave the guest he was chatting with and walk over.
He said something, and Qin Tian responded with a smile. Her male companion extended his hand to congratulate Tang Zhixu. Tang Zhixu looked at his outstretched hand, paused briefly, and shook hands with him.
"Go and greet others. We're so familiar with each other, there's no need to greet them." Qin Tian urged him, "Tong Zhongyuan and I are just taking a look. We won't come over to greet them later."
"Okay, then you can take a look for yourselves. It's not a big deal, why did you come all the way here?"
"It's not a special trip. I just happened to have something to do in Beijing."
Tong Zhongyuan stood there smiling, acting as a competent foil. Just before Tang Zhixu left, he blurted out, "Let's go back to Shanghai for dinner." Tang Zhixu glanced at him and replied with a nasal tone.
Qin Tian watched him leave and took Tong Zhongyuan to start the tour.
Anne withdrew her gaze, having reached the final painting. It was a painting of a courtesan, but unlike any other, it depicted her from behind. She didn't look frail or wealthy; she was tall and slender, standing atop a mountain, gazing at the peaks. While her eyes couldn't be seen, her character and ambition were palpable.
Annie liked this painting. Tang Zhixu rarely depicts people in his work, but she hadn't expected him to paint people with such richness and depth that he could even paint them with more artistic expression than his floral and landscape paintings. She turned her gaze towards him, just as Qin Tian and her male companion were passing through her field of vision. She was looking up at him, talking to him. He paused, plucked something from her hair, and, smiling, smoothed it down before responding. They moved on to the next painting, leaving behind their backs.
An indescribable, strange sense of familiarity suddenly arose. She subconsciously turned her head and saw the painting of a lady looking at the mountain right before her.
In an instant, she knew who she was.
The situation with Tang Zhixu finally came to an end. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he found Annie in a few steps.
"Did you come here specially? Didn't I tell you not to come? I'll open it in Shanghai next month."
Anne handed him the bouquet of flowers.
"Next month is next month. These are the flowers for this time. Congratulations."
Tang Zhixu took the flowers and said, "When are you going back? I have an appointment tonight. Are you free tomorrow at noon? I'll treat you to dinner. Thank you for coming all the way here."
Anne couldn't explain how she felt. Since when did being polite start to make people feel down?
"Okay, let's have lunch together tomorrow."
Qin Tianzheng and Tong Zhongyuan walked around and returned to the entrance. They saw a girl giving flowers to Tang Zhixu. The girl was dressed very attractively, and she took a closer look. She found that the girl was beautiful and elegant, and her temperament was similar to Tong Zhongyuan's.
"Shall we go?" Tong Zhongyuan's voice brought her back.
"Well, let's go."
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