Chapter Twenty-Six: Awkward Ambiguity
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the grape leaves, falling warmly onto the stone table.
Su Xiao stayed at the Tang family's house for most of the day, until the setting sun cast long shadows on the grape trellis before she took her leave.
Grandma Tang's cooking skills are indeed excellent.
The osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root was just the right amount of sweet, and she couldn't resist eating two more pieces.
My stomach still feels warm right now.
It just so happens that today is Sunday, and the company is closed.
Su Xiao then took a taxi to the studio.
The lights on the third floor were still on; Qin Yu was probably still locked in a fierce battle with that pile of tattered scrolls.
Su Xiao quietly went upstairs.
Just as I turned the corner of the stairs, I saw an ebony fan spread out on the workbench.
The mold remover was still placed next to the character "云" (cloud) that she had only half-finished yesterday.
The test paper has been replaced with new one.
It's hard to tell how terrible things were that day.
She walked over, her fingertips just about to touch the fan.
A dull pain suddenly came from the palm of my right hand.
"hiss--"
Su Xiao abruptly pulled her hand back, looking at her right hand, which was wrapped in gauze.
The doctor said I shouldn't exert myself for at least two weeks.
But the fan painting will be ready for handover in a few days.
She took a deep breath and reached for the tweezers.
His left hand, however, was so clumsy that it wouldn't obey his commands; he had to pinch it three times before he could barely manage to hold the death paper.
The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the desk lamp only illuminated a small area.
Her shadow was cast on the wall, looking exceptionally thin.
My left hand isn't my dominant hand, so I can't control the force well at all.
Too much mold remover was applied, and some dripped onto the white paper next to it, spreading into a small, light stain.
She stared at the faint mark and suddenly felt frustrated.
He threw the tweezers aside in a fit of rage.
"Tsk, you're giving up already?"
A cool, soft sound suddenly came from the doorway.
This startled Su Xiao, who almost knocked over the mold remover next to her.
She looked up in confusion.
Xu Bozhou was seen leaning against the door frame.
A cigarette was held between his fingers, unlit, just twirling around idly.
He was wearing a black shirt today, with the top two buttons undone, revealing a hint of his collarbone.
It exuded an indescribable energy in the dim light.
Those fox-like eyes were half-closed.
He was looking at her with a half-smile, as if he were looking at something interesting.
Why are you here?
Su Xiao's voice was stiff and embarrassed, as if she had been caught in the act.
Xu Bozhou didn't answer, but slowly walked in.
He was tall and had a steady gait; every step he took felt like stepping on the tip of someone's heart.
This made the already thin air in the studio even more cramped.
Xu An said you didn't go home.
He stopped at the workbench.
His gaze swept over the unfolded fan, finally settling on her face.
A mocking smile curled at the corners of his lips:
"Why that expression? Are you planning to switch careers and act in melodramas?"
Su Xiao couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
She knew this man wouldn't say anything nice.
"Not as good as Mr. Xu, who eats salt as his daily meal."
She tried to stand up, but Xu Bozhou pressed her shoulder down.
His palms were warm, but the force was astonishing.
The scent of cedar mixed with a hint of tobacco wafted towards her, forcefully penetrating her nostrils and making her inexplicably uneasy.
"He has quite a temper."
Xu Bozhou smiled, leaned down, and whispered in her ear.
Her breath brushed against her earlobe, leaving a slightly ticklish sensation.
"What? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
His voice was soft and slow, like a viper spitting its tongue, each word drilling into her sore spot.
Su Xiao's face flushed red instantly.
She turned her head to avoid him, but instead met his unfathomable, fox-like eyes.
The light shone down on him, casting a small shadow at the corner of his eye.
Those eyes looked especially alluring.
"It's not your place to say I can't do it."
Su Xiao's voice was strained, and she sounded inexplicably aggrieved:
"Xu Bozhou, do you particularly enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself?"
"So what if it is?"
Xu Bozhou raised an eyebrow, making no attempt to hide it.
Instead, they leaned even closer, their noses almost touching.
"What? This little setback has defeated our genius?"
"How is that possible!"
Su Xiao subconsciously retorted, but the corners of her eyes quietly reddened.
She originally painted traditional Chinese paintings, but she injured her hand and could no longer create at a high intensity.
The hand injury has always been an insurmountable obstacle in her heart.
Xu Bozhou looked at the reddened corners of her eyes.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly released his hand from her shoulder.
He straightened up, picked up a long wooden box from behind him, and placed it on the table.
With a "click," the box opened.
It was lined with dark blue velvet.
Several oddly shaped tools lay on the velvet cloth.
There were extremely fine tweezers and a smoothly polished bamboo knife; they were clearly not items that could be bought on the market.
“This is…” Su Xiao was stunned.
She never expected that Xu Bozhou, who was obsessed with power and interests, would actually know these things.
"For you."
Xu Bozhou's tone returned to its usual nonchalant and sarcastic manner:
“I remember you practiced left-handed penmanship when you were a child.”
Su Xiao looked at the tools, her fingertips twitching slightly.
She recognized that only that old shop in the south of the city could make these special repair tools.
Moreover, you need an introduction from Old Tang to get in.
Could it be that he went all the way to the Tang family just for this?
Don't flatter yourself.
Xu Bozhou seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled:
"This is for the project team; you're just using it temporarily."
Su Xiao pursed her lips and remained silent.
She thought she understood Xu Bozhou.
However, it felt like my heart had been gently bumped by something.
It's a little sour and a little numbing.
"how?"
Seeing that she didn't move, Xu Bozhou reached out and tapped the box:
"I feel like I can't draw anymore after not using my left hand for so many years?"
"Xu Bozhou".
Su Xiao suddenly spoke.
She raised her head and looked directly into Xu Bozhou's eyes.
"You can be really awkward sometimes."
Xu Bozhou didn't reply, but simply turned his head away and raised his chin.
Let her try the tool.
Su Xiao sighed and carefully picked up the finest pair of tweezers from the box.
The bamboo handle is polished very smoothly and feels surprisingly comfortable to hold.
She took a deep breath, recalling the feeling in her right hand.
Slowly extend the tweezers towards the fan surface.
My left hand is really clumsy; it shakes badly, and I almost touched the ink several times.
Xu Bozhou stood by and watched without saying anything more.
The only sounds in the studio were the soft tweezers scraping across the paper and the barely audible breathing of the two people.
Su Xiao's forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and her fingers, gripping the tweezers, turned white from the force.
She held her breath and carefully removed the mold spots from the strokes of the character "云" (cloud).
I don't know how much time has passed.
She finally cleaned up the most troublesome mold spot.
The moment she put down the tweezers, she was almost exhausted, her left hand trembling violently.
"It's barely watchable."
Xu Bozhou suddenly spoke, his tone still carrying a hint of disdain, but his eyes softened.
He reached out and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with his fingertips.
“Xu Bozhou.” She glared at him.
"what?"
He withdrew his hand, his tone utterly innocent:
"You look like you're about to get heatstroke. How about you do a good deed?"
Su Xiao was amused by his words and was about to retort.
But he turned and walked away without looking back.
"I'll have Mengjin send some medicine over tomorrow."
He waved his hand with his back to her:
Don't force yourself to be strong.
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