Chapter 438 Extra: Cui Shao
"Mr. Cui, this is the item for this auction."
The assistant sitting in the passenger seat handed Cui Shao the auction catalog.
Cui Shao took it, flipped through it quickly, and then stopped when he saw "Flower and Candle Picture".
It was a painting depicting a newlywed's happiness. The painter had superb skills and with just a few strokes he had portrayed the bright and charming beauty of a newlywed woman, with her head bowed and eyebrows lowered, vividly.
The person in the painting, wearing wedding clothes and with beautiful hair and pretty face, has a face exactly like Gu Nansheng.
The signature reads: This painting was created by Chun Yi during the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Bingwu year. This is a painting from 221 years ago.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Gu Bei's death.
After the "Cui Empire" incident broke out ten years ago, everything related to Gu Nansheng became a treasure that everyone scrambled for. Her residence, her personal belongings, and the traces she left in history were all put under a microscope for the powerful to analyze and study.
They tried to find the secret of longevity, but after studying it over and over again, they got nothing except proof that Gu Nansheng had the compassion and inexplicable mercy of a saint.
Until recently, they gave up, and Gu Nansheng's calligraphy and paintings were scattered in auction houses.
The letters written by Gu Yinan and Jiang Yunzhen to Gu Nan, the collection of essays that the Lin brothers read with Gu Nansheng and finally placed in the tomb to accompany Gu Nansheng in his eternal rest, the ring designed and customized by Lin Jingchun but never given away in time, and even the rental house in Xincheng where Gu Nansheng once lived and where the Lin brothers died together... In just a few months, Cui Shao has already bought dozens of items.
All the thousands of paintings Qi Yan drew during his lifetime were burned before he committed suicide, and he left no trace of Gu Nan.
This painting was a rare item that allowed him to see the appearance of Gu Nansheng.
Even if it depicts her wedding to Junyi.
Cui Shao slowly stroked the badly damaged painting, a look of sorrow and nostalgia gradually welling up between his weary brows. After a long pause, he said, "Take a picture of 'Flower and Candle Picture'."
"Yes." The assistant agreed, and then contacted the client of the online auction to make sure to buy "Flower and Candle Picture".
After a while, the assistant said, "Boss Cui, Team Leader Fang sent a message."
Cui Shao sat in the back seat with his eyes closed. The flickering light and shadow lingered on his face. He did not respond and seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.
The assistant knew that he had not slept because he had just attended a very important offline meeting and there were many things in the company waiting for him to deploy, so it was impossible for him to sleep.
But today he came across a piece he liked. Everyone in the company knew that Cui Shao had recently become obsessed with collecting, and he would buy anything he liked, no matter the price.
But the assistant knew that he might not really like those collections, because he would be depressed for a while every time he took a picture of them.
The assistant hesitated for a moment before continuing to report, "Team Leader Fang said Ms. Jiang brought back a letter. Are you free to get together?"
Team Leader Fang's full name is Fang Wei'ai. He is the leader of the First Special Operations Group of the Kyoto Inspection Department. He is young and promising, and I heard that he will be promoted to director soon.
As for Jiang Wanying, the assistant didn't know her very well. He only knew that she was not often in Kyoto and was probably a frequent traveler.
They kept in touch with Cui Shao frequently, but they were not very close. They were like friends, but also like a group of familiar strangers brought together by a common goal. Overall, it was a complex and difficult to define relationship.
"No time."
Cui Shao opened his eyes and looked out the window. The holographic projection on the building was playing the movie "Nan Sheng". The face that looked like Gu Nansheng was full of incredible vitality in the movie.
After the movie was re-released, it received rave reviews and she became popular again. She is now a hot superstar.
After Gu Bei's death, the world finally stopped its expansive period of development and prosperity and entered a relatively mild period of decline.
The righteous world was in turmoil, and the Cui family was lucky to escape the criticism and regain their reputation. Except for the current surging in the dark, the lives of ordinary people seemed to have returned to before.
This extreme development and change is so random that it seems like a joke.
Cui Shao's expression was as calm as a pool of stagnant water, with only a hint of fatigue and ennui revealed in his slightly narrow eyes.
A high-end car with stable performance was speeding on the spacious road. Suddenly, a familiar face flashed past the window.
Cui Shao was stunned. Before his brain could react, his body subconsciously straightened and leaned back. He hurriedly shouted, "Stop the car!"
The driver briefly observed the road conditions and stepped on the brakes.
Cui Shao couldn't wait for the car to stop, so he pushed open the door and rushed out.
He didn't care about the dirty water on the ground that splashed on his trouser legs, nor did he have time to put on a warm coat. He strode towards the familiar figure at the fastest speed in his life.
"Gu Nansheng!" He shouted as he ran. All his calmness and self-cultivation were thrown out of the window at this moment.
Then he saw her stop.
Look back.
It was a face exactly like Gu Nansheng's.
She was a little surprised, but not confused. She looked at him with her clear almond-shaped eyes, and the understanding in her eyes revealed her identity.
For a moment, Cui Shao almost couldn't control his emotions of collapse.
He stood still, gritting his teeth and trying hard to suppress the sob that was welling up in his throat.
"Cui Shao."
He heard her say in that familiar, slow tone, like a sigh: "Long time no see."
haven't seen you for a long time?
Ten years have passed, and when we meet again, all you get is such a perfunctory "Long time no see"?
Cui Shao suddenly felt a surge of anger in his heart, but he knew it was wrong. He opened his lips and tried many times before he managed to squeeze out a few broken syllables, "Where are you going?"
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm just here to see you guys." Gu Nan smiled and said, "I'm very happy to see that you're doing well."
The biting cold wind blew her hair, and she was the same as she was back then, with smiling eyes that were bright and soft, like a bunch of pretty branches in the snow.
It has a tall and fresh beauty that is out of tune with this world.
It was as if her withering and death many years ago was just an illusion.
Cui Shao couldn't help but tear up, his chest heaving, "How are you doing?"
He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but the question on the tip of his tongue turned into, "I thought you were dead."
For ten whole years, everyone thought that Changsheng was a joke, and that the similarities between Gu Nansheng, Gu Nan, and Gu Bei were just coincidences. Among those who knew the truth, he was the only one who was still alive, and he was the only one who knew that they were the same person.
The smile on Gu Nan's face faded, and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes. "Sorry."
Cui Shao felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears. It was really rare to hear Gu Nan, who was hard-hearted and said "sorry".
"Where have you been all these years?"
"I'm home." Gu Nan said, "It's far away, in another world. I'm sorry it took so long to come see you."
Her expression softened, and her clear eyes reflected the white snow, shining brightly. She was very happy at home.
Cui Shao knew that he should be happy for her. She was very sad and suffering in this world, and it was a blessing for her to be able to return to the hometown she missed day and night.
However, he pulled the corners of his mouth, but couldn't smile. He stared at Gu Nan solemnly, and said in a tone that was unfamiliar to himself: "If you hate this world so much, why did you come back?"
shut up!
Cui Shao said to himself, it’s good that she’s back, are you trying to drive her away by talking like this?
Are you blaming her, are you hating her?
Don't you want her to live a good life?
What gives you the right? The Lin brothers and Qi Yan were willing to die for her, and Chunyi was able to protect her body. What do you have?
What else can you do besides collecting relics related to her and touching yourself?
The smile on Gu Nan's face gradually disappeared. After a long while, he slowly said, "I didn't expect you to see me. I just glanced at you when I passed by."
Through the car window and the people coming and going, he miraculously caught a brief glimpse of her.
Cui Shao suddenly broke down because of this sentence. His eyes were red and he spoke without thinking, "Is this what you mean by 'look at us'? You are only looking at others, not me! You have never chosen me, never!"
Gu Nan's eyes gradually became serious. She looked inquiring, as if she was getting to know this old friend again. "I only look at everyone from a distance when I see them."
Gu Nan saw the shop that Cen Xiu bought and met her daughter. The mother and daughter were busy working together in the shop. Although it was hard work, they had a goal to achieve.
Yu Qianqian is still a video blogger, running several accounts at the same time and is very busy.
Ding Xianjing is a well-known handcraft artist. She participated in the production of a low-cost web drama, which received very good response.
Wenxin is still playing games and has created a killer move that has gone viral. By chance, she became friends with Baga-chan, and now the two are famous sisters in major games.
The other Shamatte sisters have found stable jobs and no longer have to risk walking the streets on cold snowy nights, doing dirty work that could land them in jail at any time.
Fang Wei'ai and Jiang Wanying are very close. Two people with special identities sympathize with each other and warm each other in this strange world.
As for Cui Shao, half of the industries and commodities in this city were named Cui, and his business empire was even larger than before.
In Gu Nan's opinion, everyone would be sad if she died, but it would be enough if they could regroup and get better.
"Cui Shao, put it down."
Cui Shao was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. His fur instantly stood up and his voice became louder. "Are you leaving again?"
Gu Nan fell silent.
Her figure blurred in the cold silence, as if it would disappear in the north wind in the next second.
Cui Shao once again felt the suffocating despair. He knew that she would not stay and she was going to leave.
He took a deep breath, trying to relieve the burning feeling in his chest, but it was no use. The harder he tried, the more painful his chest became.
Huge tears rolled down from his eyes and hit his exquisite leather shoes, shattering them into pieces. He raised his hands to cover his eyes, and his red fingertips trembled slightly due to the cold.
He had so many things to say and countless thoughts to tell Gu Nan, but Gu Nan was leaving and didn't even come back for him.
He despaired at the hopelessness of his predicament.
I feel disheartened by this constant abandonment.
For so many years, she never looked back at him.
Cui Shao burst into tears and gnashed his teeth, "Gu Nansheng, I hate you!"
Gu Nan looked at him quietly, his black and white eyes reflecting a tear-stained face.
There are obvious fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and there are vague white hairs on his temples. He is halfway through his life and is no longer young.
But his business empire is growing stronger, and he stands at the pinnacle of money and power, almost able to look down on everyone in the world.
But he was too stubborn and suffered a lot for a relationship that was never reciprocated.
"Are you hating me, or are you hating yourself?"
boom--
It was like a bolt from the blue.
As soon as Cui Shao stopped crying, his whole body trembled.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
"...Mr. Cui, Mr. Cui." The assistant's anxious voice gradually became clearer. "Are you okay?"
His sight was focused on the interior of the black car, the assistant with a worried look on his face, the clean leather shoes as new, the white and warm hands... He had been sitting in the car and had never left.
"Boss Cui," the assistant carefully handed over a clean handkerchief. "You're dreaming."
Cui Shao went to take it, but found that his whole hand was shaking violently.
He felt both cold and hot, and the narrow carriage space was so stuffy that he could hardly breathe.
He looked out the window and saw the familiar exterior of the company. It was not on the street, there were no passers-by in a hurry, and there was no Gu Nansheng walking around and casting a casual glance at him.
Is this a dream?
Was it really just a dream?
Something hot landed on the back of my hand.
Cui Shao blinked, and there were a few more drops, which turned out to be tears.
He lowered his head, a little stunned.
Why are you crying? It's just a dream.
Gu Nansheng is completely dead, and she will never come back. After so many years, she should have realized this long ago.
But does he really hate Gu Nansheng?
Has his love for Gu Nansheng gradually turned into hatred?
Was the resentment he had been holding for so many years due to an inseparable love or unwilling hatred?
Or as Gu Nansheng said, is he hating Gu Nansheng or himself?
A suppressed, thin gasp came from the throat, like the sad whimper of some small animal.
Cui Shao lowered his head deeply. He didn't want to admit at all that he hated himself for being hopeless and asking for trouble.
How could he hate Gu Nansheng?
Gu Nansheng doesn't owe him anything.
He owes himself.
But so what? This world is ugly and evil, and it is not worth any beautiful things being left for it.
All those with insatiable desires should rot and melt in this cruel furnace, never to be reborn.
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