Episode 23 Newcomers' Joy
On Wednesday, the gallery held a formal meeting with Pierre as scheduled. He spoke Cantonese much more frequently than Mandarin, and even had a pleasant conversation with Wang Duo.
Two hours later, the two parties finalized the exclusive agency of their works in the mainland, which was truly a long-awaited achievement.
After the meeting, Pierre shook hands with Wang Duo and said goodbye. He said that with his good friend's support, he was very confident in the gallery's presentation plan. He even gave them two invitations, saying that a private gallery would open near Gubei that month and he would be on vacation at that time, so he asked them to keep them for the visit...
Wang Duo was delighted to see off this quirky new artist, and he also praised Lin Ying:
"So he was only willing to do this out of respect for your brother. You're really supportive of newcomers. I actually thought Xiao Cen had to go through all the trouble to get you here."
Lin Ying quickly clarified, "It was indeed Xiao Cen who arranged it. I just happened to hear from my brother the day before yesterday that he and Pierre were good friends..."
"Don't worry, Xiao Cen is yours, you are all heroes this time."
Wang Duo said:
"Lin Ying, I've seen your vision and negotiation skills. I'm planning to share this great news with my friends over tea. Would you like to join us? It's like we can celebrate in advance."
His gaze suddenly stopped, and his eyes, filtered by the lenses, were full of profound meaning.
Lin Ying instantly understood that this was a private invitation, so she immediately declined.
"You must be chatting with your friends about some private things. How embarrassing for me to be standing by?"
Hearing this, Wang Duo glanced at Cen Shuo who was waiting at the door, then glanced at his watch and joked leisurely, "Well, you've done a great job this time, so it's okay to go back and fish for a while. I approve."
He hadn't taken a few steps when, as if he had forgotten something, he turned back to Lin Ying and took out the invitation that Pierre had just given him...
"I see the organizer of this exhibition is quite influential, so it would be beneficial for us to show up. Since you've given us two tickets, why don't you and I go together?"
He thrust the invitation into Lin Ying's hands, his tone exceptionally gentle, "Is this finally considered official business?"
Looking at the boss's back as he walked away, Lin Ying, holding the envelope, suddenly lost in thought. What flashed through her mind was Wang Duo's pair of inquiring and deep eyes under the gold-rimmed glasses...
Wang Duo is 37 years old this year. He divorced his ex-wife the year Lin Ying first came to Tengchun. After that, his ex-wife took their son to Hong Kong, while he chose to continue developing in Shanghai.
Tengchun Culture is just one of the industries under his name. He also controls many media companies and brands. However, Tengchun is his original intention to enter the industry, so he pays the most attention to it in his daily life. When he encounters good works of art and artists, he always loves to put them down.
Since Chen Can went solo, Wang Duo, as his guide and boss, has been extremely respectful and caring towards the young man Lin Ying.
He valued her tenacity and was concerned about her circumstances. But this concern sometimes seemed to outweigh the revolutionary friendship of mutual appreciation...
The person who brought her back to her senses was Cen Shuo.
"Sister, what are you thinking about?"
At this moment, the two of them walked side by side under the sycamore trees. Although they were heading towards the company, their steps were still aimless...
"I didn't think anything of it. But you, don't take it to heart."
Lin Ying immediately got to the point and talked about this meeting - it was originally his credit, but it was suddenly and inexplicably "stolen" by her. The favor that was originally owed to her was forcibly turned into a "charity" from her to him.
"We just made the deal with Pierre, and Mr. Wang is feeling really happy. In a couple of days, I'll explain the whole story to him."
"I don't take it to heart. I'm just an intern, how can I be so utilitarian?"
"What's yours is yours. Even though I'm your superior, I won't steal your credit."
"Even if it was stolen, it wasn't you." Cen Shuo's lips curled up, his eyes full of teasing, "It was your brother who stole it. So I hold this grudge against him."
Lin Ying sneered, "Why remember him? You don't even know him..."
"How can we not consider knowing each other? If we've met before, then we know each other. He's going to see Ruxing this weekend, can I go too? I applied in advance this time, is that okay?"
He suddenly stopped and stood in front of her. The wind blew through the dense sycamore trees, and the afternoon light leaked in, shining on the young man's bold face, which seemed out of focus for a moment.
"You really want to go? He's going to see my daughter."
Cen Shuo followed up:
"He looks at the stars, and I look at you."
Lin Ying chuckled softly, with a hint of meaning in her words, "You can see it now, why do you have to wait until the weekend?"
The tacit understanding between adults does not need to be pointed out. He smiled, lowered his head and stared at the shadows of the forest, his eyes ambiguous and approaching.
"Then I want to see it now, can I?"
Lin Ying glanced at his watch and saw that Ruxing still had an hour before get out of class was over.
There's no better moment than this. It's the quiet, dull afternoon. The work she's done means she doesn't have to make a to-do list for the next hour, and the next to-do list doesn't require her to prepare an hour in advance...
Take a break from your busy schedule.
This is the perfect leisure time.
As soon as she opened the office door, Cen Shuo eagerly kissed her. Neither of them had drunk alcohol today, but Lin Ying felt ashamed. Although she knew no one was around and Ruxing was still doing paper-cutting at the kindergarten, she was doing something so ambiguous and outrageous with her subordinate during work hours in such an everyday setting...
Having established that kind of relationship, there's nothing wrong with doing this, but at this moment, in this situation...
Let her still feel like she is having an affair.
As soon as he opened the door, Cen Shuo officially launched his offensive. This offensive was no less aggressive than the last time, and even more urgent. Young people are always energetic and impatient...
He is only twenty-two years old.
Thinking back to when I was 22, Yan Yiming and I didn't enjoy any benefits...
She suddenly remembered that Jiang Shu once said that he had his first time at the age of 22, and that it was his first love. It was really strange. She had doubts at that time and wanted to ask him: "Why did you start at the age of 22? I thought you had tried it a long time ago."
Unfortunately, she didn't ask, and he didn't say it explicitly. She couldn't understand what he felt like at 22, but she had experienced someone else's 22, so that was a way of making up for it, wasn't it?
This time, without the lingering feeling of drunkenness, Lin Ying truly felt the courage of the young man.
Every minute counted, and there was no awkwardness or dullness at all. She speculated that Cen Shuo must have had more than just her...
"Sister...can we do this every day?"
It was rare for her to be able to speak so freely in her own home. Hearing this, she didn't care about the content at all and responded incoherently - perhaps it was a kind of comfort? At this time, she shouldn't say anything that would spoil the mood, and everything she said at this time also tacitly agreed not to take it seriously.
Afterwards, Lin Ying wanted to fall asleep, but she forced herself to get up and take a quick shower...
Ten minutes later, she would be able to pick up Ruxing from school.
Seeing her so anxious and hurried, Cen Shuo couldn't just lie there any longer, so he got up and put on his clothes. Looking at the jade-like skin of the person in front of him, he picked and chose, covering himself up bit by bit, and then restored himself to his usual intellectual and elegant appearance...
Lin Ying pulled up her dress and urged Cen Shuo to go out.
But just before she opened the door, Cen Shuo suddenly grabbed her waist from behind, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and rubbed against her like a big golden retriever, murmuring:
"Do you mean what you just promised me?"
Lin Ying, however, reached out and scratched his chin as if coaxing a child: "How does it count? It's not like you have time like this every day."
He suddenly kissed her earlobe, trying to provoke her into submission. However, Lin Ying was not tempted by this. She simply turned around, stood on tiptoe and pecked the corner of his lips, and continued to coax her: "Be good, I will call you when it's time."
He cooperated with her and fought for the last bit of tenderness in her leisure time.
"Would you mind if I come this weekend too?"
Finally, he asked.
Lin Ying had no choice but to compromise: "It's okay for you to come, don't think it's crowded." Lin Ying didn't look at him, her eyes seemed more like thinking,
"He's my child's uncle anyway."
Jiang Shu has been back in the mainland for two weeks and has not yet told his parents that he has returned to Shanghai.
Working remotely from home is also intermittent. I have no backbone. I don’t go to the company or contact my subordinates. I pretend to follow the working model of the past two years: work from home.
Last weekend he went to Jing'an Temple, not to discuss any project, but to find an excuse to meet Lin Ying and her daughter.
She said her daughter was learning painting at Jing'an Temple, so she asked around for famous art studios of all sizes nearby. She saw the one in the mall on its official website, and it happened to be exhibiting this month's "Rising Star Works," one of which was signed "Lin Ruxing."
It really was effortless.
He calculated the time and went there to stake out the spot, and happened to be there.
Unexpectedly, after just their second meeting, Ruxing was willing to get close to him. Not only was this girl not shy at all, but every word she said touched his heart, as if she was deliberately paving the way for him.
Although Ruxing looks exactly like Lin Ying when she was a child, her personality is completely different. She is more like a clever kid - perhaps because she inherited Yan Yiming's noisy nature.
However, Yan Yiming wouldn't appreciate this noise at all, but he felt a strong affinity for Ruxing. After all, she was Lin Ying's daughter. He probably loved her too.
When Pierre heard that he was in Shanghai and had no plans to return to Hong Kong, he was very worried and asked him to come out to meet him, insisting on eating at this private local restaurant on Wukang Road. Jiang Shu naturally agreed. He arrived earlier than Pierre and wanted to sit in the corner on the second floor, but as soon as he went upstairs, he saw a familiar figure.
There was a young man sitting opposite, who looked like a college student, but Lin Ying was actually very affectionate and helped wipe the corners of his lips...
Jiang Shu suddenly felt empty in his heart. In the past, he might have walked over with a swagger, pretending to meet the two of them by chance, and then pretended to be calm and chose a seat next to them, so that he could enjoy Lin Ying's embarrassed, helpless and tangled expression from time to time. This was what he enjoyed most in the past.
But he was no longer the same person he used to be, so there was no need to upset her. He then instructed the waiter and chose a seat on the first floor, just in time for Pierre to come in.
The two of them had a pleasant conversation as they did in the past. Pierre looked at the Wukang Building not far away and revealed that he would come again the day after tomorrow for a meeting with a nearby gallery. Out of concern for his friend and curiosity about the company's location that Lin Ying had previously revealed, he took the initiative to ask the name of the gallery.
Sure enough, it was Tengchun Culture where Lin Ying worked.
He had intended to quietly cover up this "chance encounter" and didn't want to act deliberate, but after learning about Fujiharu and Pierre's fate, he couldn't help but step forward and settle the bill - so she had to meet him by chance.
Even if it's embarrassing, will this incident with Pierre move her a little?
But when the four of them met, they found out that she had actually been connected through that college student.
Jiang Shu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief - fortunately he didn't give up this chance to meet.
For the following week, his schedule remained loose. Except for seeing Pierre off at the airport on Thursday, he had free time.
Before Pierre boarded the plane, he did not forget to tease him:
"I hope that next time I see you, she won't be your 'sister' anymore."
Jiang Shu scoffed, "Then don't come to the mainland for the next few years."
"e on! It's not your pace!"
He winked and made a pun about his size.
However, he didn't know that the relationship between him and Lin Ying had stopped six years ago.
After leaving the airport, he drove aimlessly for a while, thinking about asking Eric if there was any activity he could go to to kill time. Unexpectedly, his idea was exactly the same as Eric's. He said -
"My new bar is opening tonight, would you like to come and support me?"
Eric has been idle since graduation. He used to rely on his parents' company for support. It was only after he got married in the past two years that he started to take the initiative to do some things. He previously invested in fast-moving consumer goods and joined the two-dimensional industry and made a lot of money. However, the popularity of brands is updated very quickly. After thinking about it, he still wants to do what he is good at - drinking.
So the project that was started to be planned half a year ago has finally been completed.
Although it is called a bar, the place is not small and is more like a KTV club, with a quiet drinking table and noisy private rooms.
Anyway, most of his friends are second-generation rich and first-generation entrepreneurs, so he is not worried that this big place will not be warm.
When Jiang counted the time, the light in the hall was sometimes bright and sometimes dim, and the light bulbs were flashing so brightly that it was dazzling. Fortunately, Eric took the initiative to step out from the noise and personally pulled him in, leading him into a relatively quiet box.
Men and women of all kinds sang and danced, especially the girl standing in the middle, who had a graceful figure. Her clothes shone like the lights in the hall, and her swaying waist and curvy figure added a lot of charm to her voice. The other men whistled at her, and the girl smiled charmingly and seductively...
Eric arranged for Jiang Shu to sit next to him, and the girls immediately came over. Each of them had a beautiful face and figure, and their styles were all unique. Eric was really as picky as ever.
Eric shouted, barely covering the singing voice in the microphone, and introduced them to those people - "This is my good friend from college, now the Executive President of Jianglin Group Greater Bay Area, Mr. Jiang!"
This name is well-known even here. In the past, when people mentioned Jiang Shu, they just said that he was relying on the chairman Jiang Yueling. Now that the group can successfully turn around in the Greater Bay Area again, it is all thanks to Jiang Shu's stay and management in these years, and his personal reputation has been thoroughly established.
"My brother is a handsome man, successful in his career, and well-off. He's still a bachelor. If anyone gets him, I'll be invited to sit at the head table at the wedding..."
Jiang Shu pretended to expose his words: "You've been deceiving different people with the same words for more than ten years, and you're not tired of it yet?"
The girls across from them all looked like college students, the oldest of whom couldn't have been over 25. They all raised their glasses to Jiang Shu, saying, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jiang!" either generously or shyly.
Jiang Shu was about to finish his drink when his vision suddenly darkened. The girl who had just sang unexpectedly walked up to him, clinked glasses with him without noticing anyone else, and drank it all in one gulp...
This surprised everyone present.
The girl was not timid at all. She winked at the girl sitting closest to the river, which made her admit defeat and move her butt reluctantly, giving her the seat.
She sat down next to Jiang Shu and immediately took the black wine from the table to refill her own cup. The sequins on her clothes complemented her eyeshadow. Although her makeup and hair were mature, it was clear that she had a naturally charming face, and she looked very familiar...
"Mr. Jiang, what a coincidence, we meet again! You helped me before, and I've been wanting to find a chance to thank you in person!"
She turned out to be the female college student who was left alone in the restaurant by a scumbag and looked at the bill with a sad face.
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