Chapter 1
In spring, the port city is always damp. Raindrops trickle down the glass windows, and speeding cars kick up mud and water, creating a damp atmosphere in every corner of the city. You can even feel the moisture on your skin.
Su Xian hates this kind of weather the most, so after filming "Dark Tide" wrapped up, she's been lazily staying at home for the past few days since returning from the film studio. However, she couldn't resist several phone calls from her friend Zhang Zhiran in the industry, so she had to go out and accompany her to an art exhibition.
A white Alphard drove on the overpass, its wipers swishing rapidly from side to side. Su Xian leaned back in her seat, phone in hand, her soft black cashmere sweater clinging to her body. Her slender ankles, visible through her white sneakers, were hidden beneath a beige rug, and the exposed skin of her thighs appeared pale against her dark green skirt.
Su Xuan searched for the resume of the emerging painter Eileen Xie on her phone. She graduated from Hong Kong University of the Arts and has emerged as a rising star for her bold use of color and avant-garde style that blends abstract art with modern techniques. Last year, she won the Holmes Group's Emerging Artist Award, one of only six winners worldwide.
Su Xian wasn't very knowledgeable about art appreciation, but she was familiar with the Holmes Group. Starting with the blue-blooded brand Holmes, it had made a series of acquisitions of wine, jewelry, cosmetics and fashion brands. In recent decades, it has developed rapidly, and its businesses also include department stores, hotel resorts and media. It is now the world's largest luxury goods group.
Su Xuan was invited to the Holmes fashion show for the first time last year. After more than a year of evaluation, she finally became Holmes' first brand ambassador in Greater China at the beginning of this year, which is undoubtedly a testament to the brand's recognition of her.
The windshield wipers slowed down, and the sky outside the window, washed by rain for several days, couldn't wait to show its clean, bright light.
Alpha stopped at the Port City Exhibition Hall. Although Zhi Ran said that today was the last day of the art exhibition and that it was only open to a few invited guests, Su Xuan still took off a black mask and put it on, as was his usual habit. Most of his handsome face was covered, only his eyebrows and eyes were visible. His eyes were sharp at the inner corners and slightly upturned at the outer corners, and his eyes held a sharp edge in their movement.
While Zhi Ran was still stuck in traffic, Su Xian showed her the invitation and went in first to look around while waiting. The two-story exhibition hall wasn't large. After a quick stroll, she gained a superficial understanding of the phrase "bold use of color and avant-garde style that blends abstraction" in Eileen Xie's resume. Most of the paintings were intensely colored, with the canvases composed of various geometric shapes. She could tell some were portraits or still lifes, but she couldn't understand most of them. The only painter she could match from her limited knowledge of art was Picasso.
Feeling unbearably stuffy, Su Xian strolled to the end of the second-floor corridor, pushed open the fire door, stood on the fire escape, and took off her mask to get some fresh air. She opened her backpack, intending to find her phone to ask Zhi Ran how much longer it would take, but the first thing she touched was a small cardboard box. Her fingers lingered on it for a moment; she suddenly remembered it was a pack of ESSE cigarettes. Su Xian pulled one out, took out the black lighter from the pack, lit it, and held the long cigarette between her slender white fingers, bringing it to her lips. Her slightly narrowed eyes were indistinct behind the swirling smoke.
Su Xuan learned to smoke because of the role required. In "Dark Tide", she played Lin Ya, a woman who killed her husband after suffering domestic violence for a long time. During the more than one month of filming, she controlled herself from getting addicted to cigarettes, but when she missed the light minty taste, she would light one up and take a couple of puffs, and then put it aside to watch it burn away slowly.
Su Xian fiddled with a lighter in one hand, the faint smell of smoke beside her bringing a sense of peace. She had just closed her eyes when she was startled by the sound of the fire door downstairs suddenly opening. First, a pair of high heels appeared, followed by what sounded like a pair of men's leather shoes. The door closed again, casting two shadows on the white wall.
“I think I made myself very clear yesterday, Winona,” the man said in a cold voice in English.
"Lin, we've been together for almost a month now, is this how you treat me?" The woman's voice was soft and sweet.
Not knowing whose playboy's love affair it was, Su Xian took a small puff of his cigarette and eavesdropped with great interest.
“In the past month, you’ve only accompanied me to one charity ball and one horse race. As for why you were able to successfully negotiate the Roxa and Beams runway shows, you should know very well that the 1 million I paid you yesterday was more than enough.”
“My love for you goes beyond that, Lin,” Winona giggled. “Last week, a paparazzi contacted me, and I didn’t say a word. But now I’m thinking, maybe I should go find him…” Winona paused slightly, and a figure on the wall reached out and slid down along another figure. “I can talk to him about your mole, and I can also tell him that you like me to help you in bed…”
"Cough cough cough..." Su Xian took a deep drag on her cigarette and choked, coughing violently. Eavesdropping wasn't easy; no matter what she heard, she had to pretend nothing was wrong, and she was definitely not good at that. Her throat felt like it had been smoked, and she desperately tried to suppress her coughs, hoping she hadn't attracted the attention of the people downstairs.
The fire door downstairs opened again, and the high heels glimpsed as they left. Su Xian wondered how Mr. Lin had managed to get rid of her. She finally managed to stop coughing and leaned against the railing, trying to catch her breath, but then she heard the sound of men's leather shoes slowly rising.
They're coming for her, she has to leave quickly! Su Xian quickly stubbed out her cigarette on the trash can and tried to find a mask to put on, but in her panic, the lighter fell to the ground. The footsteps grew closer, and the two feet turned at the top of the stairs and continued upwards.
He could see himself! Su Xian finally found the mask in her bag. She quickly turned around, but wearing a short skirt made it inconvenient to squat down and pick up the lighter at this moment. She hurriedly pulled the doorknob and rushed out.
Su Xian hurried down the corridor, wanting to get as far away from the fire door as possible, her breath coming in short gasps as if trying to break free of the mask's confinement. There was a long wooden bench in the corner; only after sitting down did she realize how fast her heart was beating. She wasn't the one who had been caught, so why was she so nervous?
Su Xian's arm was poked hard, and her heart skipped a beat. She turned her head, and thankfully, it was Zhi Ran.
"This painting is so beautiful? I called you but you didn't hear me."
Su Xian's gaze then turned to the painting on the wall. It was a portrait, with the figure divided into many sharp, multifaceted shapes, from which the features of the person in the painting could still be vaguely discerned.
“Look at the photo of this person in the exhibition catalog; he doesn’t have that mysterious air about him anymore.”
Su Xian lowered her head and took the exhibition booklet from Zhi Ran's hand, but she wasn't interested in studying it. She had been walking too fast and felt a little thirsty.
"My mom wants you to come home for dinner tonight," Zhi Ran said. "Have you finished watching it?"
Su Xian nodded. "I'll go to that coffee shop over there for a drink first. Call me when you're leaving."
The café was at the end of the corridor. Su Xuan sat down at the glass table, ordered a glass of lemonade, drank most of it in one gulp, and absentmindedly flipped through the exhibition catalog in her hands. It turned out that the portrait she had just seen was Eileen Xie's award-winning work.
"It's an honor to have Mr. Lin here. I'd like to invite you to a casual meal. I wonder if Mr. Lin is free tonight?" The husky female voice was filled with surprise. It wasn't loud, but it was particularly noticeable in the coffee shop where there was only one person.
Lin again? Su Xuan's finger turned a page in the exhibition catalog.
"I'm sorry, I have plans tonight."
Isn't that the voice of Lin from downstairs? Su Xian looked up curiously. A woman with wheat-colored skin was standing at the entrance of the coffee shop, while the man next to her was blocked by the wall, only the cuff of his black suit was visible. The veins on the back of his hand under the white trim of his shirt were faintly visible, and his skin was whiter than that of the woman next to him.
Su Xian flipped the exhibition catalog to the cover and saw that the lady in the catalog was Eillen Xie. Upon hearing Mr. Lin's refusal, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face.
“However, it should be me inviting you to dinner. I hope I will have the honor next time.” As soon as Mr. Lin finished speaking, Eileen Xie’s initial disappointment was replaced by joy.
Turns out he speaks fluent Chinese too. He really is a playboy, attracting attention wherever he goes. He hasn't even finished one relationship before he's already started another.
“Of course.” Eileen Xie smiled ingratiatingly. “But it’s a real pity. I would love to hear your thoughts on the exhibition.”
"Then why don't we grab a coffee and chat for a bit?"
Mr. Lin raised his hand in greeting, revealing a tourbillon on his wrist, the intricately geared sand-gold dial flashing by. His tall figure followed Eileen Xie out. His features were not as defined as those of most East Asians, but he had a pair of dark eyes and a polite smile on his face. His deep features blended perfectly with the gentleness of an East Asian.
Su Xian suddenly recalled the explicit words she had just heard, and the vaguely suggestive fingers in the shadows. Her gaze involuntarily drifted downwards... Besides the open collar and white shirt, she saw nothing else. She looked away, only to meet his gaze. It seemed like a casual glance, but it lingered on her face for a considerable time. Su Xian's gaze was open, trying to hide her slight unease. In the end, he was the one who looked away first, gentlemanly pulling out a chair for Eileen Xie beside him.
The phone on the table vibrated. Su Xian stopped paying attention to the movement on the other table and lowered her head to answer the call.
"Hey, Zhiran."
"Okay, I'll get down now."
Zhi Ran had already finished viewing the exhibition and was waiting for her on the first floor. Su Xian put the exhibition brochure and her phone into her bag and stood up. Her shapely, long legs, clad in a dark green short skirt, took slightly larger steps than most people. Her slightly wavy long hair cascaded down her back, as smooth and lustrous as black silk.
A tall, graceful figure left the coffee shop. At another table, a man lowered his eyes, while the woman beside him talked about the inspiration behind one of her paintings. The black coffee on the table was still hot. His right hand ran over the button of his suit jacket, as if casually adjusting his appearance. When he touched the small, square object through his clothes, the smile on his lips deepened.
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