Gifts you can't refuse
Hanging up the phone, Xuan Yu scratched his head in frustration. What a coincidence, May's interview was also at that place. Luckily, she probably only caught a glimpse of him; otherwise, if she saw him get out of the car and open the door to pick up You Lin, he really wouldn't know how to explain it to Zhi Wei.
Two days ago, Lin sent someone to return his clothes to him and called to invite him to go shopping together the next day. He was afraid that Zhiwei would invite him, so he told Zhiwei that he had to go for a job interview.
Yesterday morning, Youlin drove a luxury sports car to his building. Upon seeing him, she handed him the keys and sat in the passenger seat. It was Xuanyu's first time driving such a sports car, and the acceleration was indeed very impressive. It was a pity that the speed was completely limited in the city; the driving experience would probably be even better on the highway.
He accompanied Youlin shopping for a long time. She didn't even hide the fact that she was buying a bathrobe from him, and even held up a purple slip bathrobe and asked her what she thought. This made him recall that night, and he couldn't help but blush a little, but he still pretended to be calm and said, "It's nice, it looks good."
Upon hearing this, Youlin immediately asked the shop assistant to pack it up and also bought a matching men's version. Xuanyu's throat felt a little dry, and he swallowed hard, but he didn't say anything.
Youlin then went to the Dior store. At the tie section, she picked out a few and held them up against his neck, asking him which ones looked good. Xuanyu casually mentioned two, and Youlin asked the sales assistant to wrap them up, also requesting a suitable tie clip to match.
After dinner, Xuanyu drove Youlin back to her hotel and helped her unpack her bags. Youlin told him to leave the bag with the tie in the trunk, saying, "You can take this with you when you get back."
The waiter helped them drive the car to the parking lot, and Xuanyu followed Youlin to help her take her things back to her room. Once inside, Youlin put down her handbag, waited for Xuanyu to put the shopping bags away, then wrapped her long arms around his neck, tilted her head against his chest, and looked at him, saying, "Xuan, don't leave tonight."
Xuan Yu wrapped his arms around her waist and back, then lowered his head and kissed her.
When Xuan Yu woke up the next morning, he saw You Lin propping herself up on her arms and looking at him. He then pulled her close and kissed her deeply, making You Lin giggle.
After finally catching her breath, she lazily traced Xuan Yu's chest with her finger as she said, "Are you going back today? I also have a meeting with my colleagues today. I've heard so much about Long Island, but I've never been there. How about we go to Long Island tomorrow? Would you mind driving for me? You can drive the car back and pick me up at 9 a.m. tomorrow."
Xuan Yu finished dressing, leaned down and kissed her again, then took the keys and left. That evening, he received a call from Zhi Wei, and told her that he had homework to do on Sunday and a job interview on Monday, thinking that two days on Long Island would probably be enough.
The next morning, he drove to the Youlin Hotel to pick her up as agreed, helped her with her luggage, and then drove to Long Island. It was probably Sunday morning, and the roads were still relatively empty; the driving experience was indeed much better than in Manhattan. It was just a pity that the weather was still quite cold. If it were spring or summer, opening the top would have given it a more vacation feel.
Youlin rented a villa on the southeastern coast of Long Island, probably because it was far from Manhattan and she didn't have to worry about running into colleagues and friends, which made Xuanyu feel much more relaxed. The weather was really cold, and there wasn't much to do on the beach, so they spent most of their time in the room. Even their meals were delivered to their door, and Xuanyu would go and fetch them.
There's only a thin layer of white gauze in front of the large French windows, so there's no need to worry about anyone intruding. It's just a pity that the grass outside is withered and yellow in the middle of winter; otherwise, it would be even more beautiful with lush green grass.
Youlin is around forty years old this year, a time when her libido is at its peak. Xuanyu, young and vigorous, disregards day and night, their passion raging. In just two days, Xuanyu's dark circles have deepened. Youlin, however, has a rosy glow on her face, adding to her mature charm.
On the way back on Monday morning, Youlin said to Xuanyu, "Everyone says that Long Island is beautiful, but it's a pity it's winter, so it's a bit deserted. Why don't we come back in the spring or summer?"
Xuan Yu drove with one hand and held her hand with the other, placing it on her thigh. Hearing this, he naturally agreed.
That morning, Zhiwei went downstairs to go to the art museum to see an exhibition. When she got downstairs, she saw Li Fuqiang leaning against the car parked by the roadside. When he saw her come down, he stood up straight and greeted her, "Good morning, Miss Chen."
Zhiwei stammered, "Good morning, Mr. Li." She couldn't bring herself to say the words "what a coincidence." There was no way she could deceive herself into thinking it was just a coincidence.
Are we going out?
“Ah, yes, I’m planning to go to the art museum to see the exhibition. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has recently put on a batch of new exhibits.” As soon as she said this, thinking that Mr. Li also wanted to visit, she quickly added, “It’s not anything special, just some works by emerging artists. I guess only art students like us would be interested in it.”
Li Fuqiang understood what she meant and smiled, "I was very grateful to Miss Shen for helping me with my course selection last time. This is a small gift to express my gratitude." He took out a rather large, flat box from the back seat of the car.
"Mr. Li, you're too kind. You already treated me to something last time. There's really no need for that."
"Don't refuse yet, open it and take a look. Actually, this isn't a gift from me, it's your own work."
Upon hearing this, Zhiwei was extremely surprised. She couldn't very well refuse, so she took the package and opened the box. Li Fuqiang even helped her carry the box so it wouldn't be too heavy.
The box was opened, revealing its contents. Zhiwei exclaimed "Ah!" and her eyes immediately lit up, her face flushing with excitement.
"This, this---"
Inside the box was a glass artifact, approximately 30 x 50 centimeters, shimmering with iridescent light. Within its irregular geometric shape, though all the colors were the same, the rich texture of the glass created a tapestry of different hues, both vibrant and harmonious. The different colored patches weren't perfectly flat; the black outline of the rose stood out, even the thorns on its stem were clearly tangible. This was unmistakably the glass artifact from Zhiwei's painting.
It perfectly solved the texture problem that Zhiwei had been dissatisfied with, and it was even more beautiful than she had imagined. It was the first time Zhiwei had seen her own conceived work appear before her in such a perfect form. She was so excited she could hardly breathe, and her face flushed with excitement.
After a long pause, she remembered something, looked up at Li Fuqiang, but didn't know what to say, "This, this, this is just too beautiful, I---"
"You should definitely accept this, right? It would make your portfolio even more comprehensive."
"Mr. Li, this is really... thank you so much." Zhiwei bowed slightly to him.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"This is quite heavy. Do you want me to help you take it home first?"
"Oh, right, no need to trouble you. I can do it myself," she said, closing the box and preparing to carry it upstairs.
"Let me carry your bag for you," Li Fuqiang said, not insisting that she take the bag and letting her carry the box home herself.
A moment later, Zhiwei came downstairs empty-handed again and took the bag from Li Fuqiang. She slung the bag over her shoulder, put her hands in her coat pockets, and unconsciously kicked the ground, unsure what to say. After so many times, to say it was just a coincidence again felt like self-deception, but…
Li Fuqiang just smiled and said, "Didn't you say you were going to see an exhibition? Don't be late. Do you want me to drive you there?"
Zhiwei quickly replied, "Oh, no need to trouble you, it's very convenient for me to take the subway."
She hesitated for a moment, "Mr. Li, we are complete strangers, and I have received such a special gift from you, but I have nothing to repay you with."
Li Fuqiang smiled and said, "Meeting is fate. This isn't a gift, it's just your own work. Don't worry, I mean no harm."
“Mr. Li, that’s not what I meant. My mother and I depend on each other for survival. I promised my mother that I would not become someone’s mistress or a third party.”
Upon hearing her words, Li Fuqiang straightened up solemnly and looked at Zhiwei, saying, "Miss Shen. I am Li Fuqiang, 55 years old this year, and have been single for many years. Miss Shen is so elegant and refined that I feel ashamed of myself, yet I cannot help but yearn for her."
Zhiwei was surprised by his words, "I...I have a boyfriend."
Li Fuqiang smiled, bowed slightly, and said, "Both are unmarried."
Zhiwei didn't know how to answer for a moment, and said in a fluster, "I, I have to go see the exhibition. Goodbye, Mr. Li."
After saying that, she hurriedly walked towards the subway station, and Li Fuqiang did not stop her. Zhiwei felt as if a tangible gaze was fixed on her back, and her walking posture became stiff.
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