Chapter Thirteen: An Affair at a Funeral
Su Xiao paused, her lips twitching almost imperceptibly.
Making connections is no problem, but whether the collaboration ultimately succeeds or not is not up to her.
"Alright."
The main hall fell silent instantly.
Grandma Yan paused, her hand still holding the prayer beads, and looked up at Su Xiao:
“We will go tomorrow, but Su girl, your most important thing right now is to give Ming Shen a son or daughter, so that I can have an explanation to my ancestors when I go down in the future.”
"Thank you, Grandma."
Su Xiao thanked her, her waist bent very low, her hair hanging down to cover her face and her embarrassment.
Fortunately, she still had value, allowing the Yan family to leave her with this last bit of dignity.
As I stepped out of the Yan family's old house, the sunlight was blinding.
Su Xiao hailed a taxi and gave the address of her studio.
She didn't sit down until the car had driven quite a distance before leaning back in her seat and slowly curling up.
Yan Mingshen never came in the end; she should have expected that.
My phone vibrated; it was a message from Qin Yu:
"Senior, the form has been sent to your email. When are you coming to the studio?"
Su Xiao sniffed and replied:
"Coming right away."
She can't cry for too long.
She still has paintings to finish, collectors to compensate, and her father's funeral to arrange.
When Su Xiao arrived at the studio, Qin Yu was squatting by the workbench, carefully peeling off the back cover of a painting with tweezers.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw that her eyes were dark and swollen. He frowned and said, "Senior sister, have you looked at the form? If you really can't figure it out, I'll have Xiao Li help you check it."
"No need." Su Xiao placed the computer on the empty table, plugged it in, and turned it on. "You go about your business."
The call went more smoothly than expected, consisting mostly of sighs and words of comfort.
However, some collectors still scoffed at her apology and refused to withdraw their lawsuits.
Su Xiao sighed; she could understand.
The money from the house sale hasn't come through yet, so her claims are unsubstantiated and it's understandable that collectors don't believe her.
By the time I finished making the last call, it was completely dark outside.
Only Qin Yu and his two apprentices were still busy in the studio. The light from the desk lamp fell on their focused faces, giving them a handsome, youthful look.
Seeing her rubbing her eyes, Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, then got up and handed her a blanket.
"Senior sister, there's a lounge upstairs. Go lie down for a while. I left the light on for you."
Su Xiao didn't refuse and took the blanket upstairs.
She had reached her limit; if she didn't rest soon, her body would give out.
There was only one narrow sofa in the lounge. She curled up on it, wrapped herself tightly in a blanket, but still felt cold. She tossed and turned until late at night before finally falling asleep.
The alarm clock woke her up before five o'clock the next day. Su Xiao rubbed her head and sat up, the blanket on her body sliding to the ground.
As dawn broke outside the window, she picked up the blanket, folded it neatly, and tiptoed downstairs. She greeted Qin Yu, who was waiting downstairs, and hailed a car to head to the Su family's old residence.
The mourning hall in the old house has been set up.
Her father's portrait was placed in the center, the person in the black frame smiling gently, just as she remembered.
The old lady of the Su family sat on a chair in the corner. When Su Xiao came in, she still didn't give her a good look, but she didn't make things difficult for her anymore.
Su Xiao walked to the altar, knelt down, and kowtowed three times to her father.
She's been overwhelmed with work lately and hasn't been able to properly keep vigil for her father. She only hopes that today she can send him off on his final journey smoothly...
"Madam," the housekeeper said in a low voice, "the Yan family's car has arrived at the door."
"At least you're still somewhat useful." Old Mrs. Su scoffed, glanced at her sideways, and got up to fetch the person.
Old Mrs. Yan was helped in by Zhou Manyun as she slowly walked in from outside the door. Both of them were dressed in plain clothes and had no expression on their faces.
Grandma Yan shook hands with Grandma Su and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Seeing that Yan Mingshen was not there, Zhou Manyun glanced at Su Xiao but did not say anything.
The atmosphere was silent and oppressive.
The Yan family never looked down on the Su family.
Before, with her father around, the two sides could barely maintain a superficial warmth. Now that her father is gone, the fact that the Yan family even came is a huge loss of face for her.
Not long after, mourners began to arrive one after another.
The gallery's regular customers, her father's former friends, and some distant relatives whose names she couldn't recall.
The Tang family also sent someone, Tang Yi, the youngest grandson of the Tang family, who was holding an envelope in his hand: "My grandfather asked me to give this to you. He said that he can't be of much help to Uncle Su, so please accept this small token of his appreciation."
Su Xiao held the envelope, her fingertips trembling, and thanked him repeatedly.
Halfway through the journey, Yan Mingshen finally arrived late.
He was wearing a black suit, his hair was neatly combed, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.
Xia Zhi, who was following beside her, had also changed into a plain-colored dress and was holding a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.
Her face was pale, and she leaned closer to Yan Mingshen, looking timid.
Looking at the two figures standing side by side at the door, Su Xiao felt the nausea she had finally managed to suppress surge up again.
She looked away, ignored him, and turned back to continue greeting the guests.
Zhou Manyun's expression changed, and she exchanged a glance with Old Madam Yan.
The funeral was nearing its end, most of the guests had left, and only a few servants remained in the mourning hall, arranging the wreaths that everyone had brought.
The old lady of the Su family was standing under the corridor talking to the Yan family members, her voice very low.
Until Su Xiaogang saw off the last elder who came to pay his respects, she and Yan Mingshen did not exchange a single word.
He didn't even offer an explanation for what happened yesterday.
Why promise her something you can't do?
It's always the same. Su Xiao sighed and turned to go to the back corridor to pack her things.
However, they ended up bumping into Xia Zhi and Yan Mingshen in the corner.
The two were pressed tightly together, with most of their bodies hidden by the pillar...
Xia Zhi's exposed half-face was filled with lust.
Her shoulders were partially exposed, and her eyes were slightly squinted.
Yan Mingshen's hand was still on her waist.
The two were entangled.
The man's low breathing reached my ears...
Are they both in such a hurry?
They insisted on embarrassing her at her father's funeral.
Su Xiao was furious.
He turned around and went to the back of the house, then took a cat out of the old lady's room.
Under the eaves of the corridor, just a wall away from her.
Yan Mingshen was bending down to adjust Xia Zhi's half-exposed shoulder strap, his movements intimate.
With a flick of her wrist, Su Xiao tossed the orange cat in her arms forcefully along the curve of the eaves.
The fat cat was caught off guard and thrown out, tracing an arc in the air.
With a meow, it bristled and landed right at Xia Zhi's feet on the bluestone slab.
"ah--!"
Xia Zhi's scream shattered the last solemnity of the mourning hall.
Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and her whole body trembled like a leaf.
She tried desperately to shrink into Yan Mingshen's arms, but her high heels twisted, almost causing Yan Mingshen to stumble as well.
"Cat! There is a cat!"
She cried out incoherently, her nails digging into Yan Mingshen's arm:
"Ming Shen! Get it away! Get it away now!"
The orange cat arched its back, hissed at her, and stood its fluffy tail straight up, startled by her scream.
The people talking in the corridor were startled by the commotion and turned around. The old lady of the Su family frowned:
"Why are you calling for the soul at such a proper funeral?"
When Old Mrs. Yan saw the chaos before her, her face darkened to the point of being sullen.
"What happened?" Old Mrs. Yan asked in a deep voice, her cane tapping on the ground.
Xia Zhi was speechless and just kept snuggling into Yan Mingshen's arms.
His panicked and bewildered appearance was completely different from his fawning demeanor in the corner just moments before.
In the eyes of elders, it adds a touch of petty and uncouth behavior that is not presentable.
The old lady of the Su family scoffed and gave Xia Zhi a disapproving look:
"How old are you? Are you afraid of a cat? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Old Mrs. Yan's expression darkened further.
He already had reservations about Xia Zhi's intimate behavior with Yan Mingshen at the funeral.
Seeing her like this, he shook his head and said nothing more.
Su Xiao looked at the group in complete chaos, especially Xia Zhi, who looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground.
He finally vented his anger.
After accepting the funeral arrangements, Su Xiao went to Xu An's house.
Xu An went to film a movie, and no one was home, so Su Xiao sent her a message.
I skillfully unlocked the combination lock, entered the room, and turned on the lights.
The living room was empty. Su Xiao curled up on the sofa and opened the envelope that Tang Yi had handed her.
The envelope contained a bank card and a note.
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