Episode 37 Unwilling
Pierre's exhibition was held in a western-style building owned by a wealthy man, not far from the gallery's studio.
With the exhibition about to open, Lin Ying finally returned to work and arranged a meeting with the painting's licensing agent and curator that afternoon.
When we arrived at the villa, Shen Lan, the authorized agent of Pierre's paintings, was already waiting at the door. Although the works were being shown in mainland China for the first time, Pierre himself was still on vacation. He had completely delegated the development of the matter to the licensor and agent, which was really cool.
After a brief greeting, the three parties walked into the villa one by one. Lin Ying was pleased to see that the roll-up banners and temporary posters were fully configured, and the works were basically laid out. The curator took her and Shen Lan upstairs and downstairs to walk through the exhibition process. The exhibition experience was smooth, and the architectural style and paintings complemented each other.
Although the villa is a historical building, the property rights are still a private residence and it is not easily open to the public. It occasionally hosts private or semi-public events. The fact that it is willing to host this exhibition is one of the few ways that the interior of the building is open to the public. It seems that Wang Duo had to spend a lot of time and effort behind the scenes.
This is Pierre's first offline performance in mainland China, which has attracted quite a lot of attention. Ticket promotion is also progressing well.
The conversation continued until almost five o'clock. Lin Ying said goodbye to the curator and came out of the villa with Shen Lan.
"Thank you, Mr. Shen, for taking care of the shipment of the exhibits. After the official launch in two days, I'll call Mr. Wang and you call Pierre, and we can have a banquet to celebrate this successful cooperation."
"I wonder if Pierre has had time to come to mainland China recently. He used to be reluctant to come in person to sign an agency contract with a gallery. The last time he came to Shanghai to discuss it with your gallery, it was because of his old friend's presence... He was born in Hong Kong, but at heart he's still a typical European. Nothing is more important to him than vacation and gatherings."
Lin Ying said, "Of course, with the work, we have the confidence. I can only say that Tengchun got lucky this time. He borrowed the help of his old friend, and it also allowed Pierre and Mr. Wang to reunite in Shanghai."
Hearing the hidden meaning in her words, Shen Lan also smiled meaningfully. He saw the car he called from afar and waved to the driver while saying goodbye to Lin Ying.
"Ms. Lin, we'll see you after the event. Please give my regards to Mr. Wang and Mr. Jiang."
After saying that, he got into the back seat and waved goodbye to Lin Ying.
Lin Ying's smile lasted until the car turned a corner, and then disappeared. There was a moment of blankness in her eyes.
Pierre's paintings had always been entirely under the care of Shen Lan, and the two had collaborated for many years. Since she hadn't questioned her deliberately tentative "reunion," it was obvious that this person was the old friend who was supposed to help Wang Duo connect with Pierre. He also knew that the old friend Pierre was referring to was Jiang Shu. Clearly, he and Pierre knew a little about her relationship with Jiang Shu, but it seemed that Jiang Shu and Wang Duo had little in common...
The world is really small. It seems that the "Six-Person Rule" that has been circulating on the Internet for a while is not groundless.
She glanced at the time and it was time to pick up her child from kindergarten.
Summer days are long, and the sky is still high in the evening. Seeing the children coming out of the school gate one after another, she saw Ruxing's shadow and waved to her, but her face was extremely depressed... Lin Ying's heart tightened, thinking that her daughter was bullied because of the last incident. She immediately asked the reason with concern, but Ruxing said:
"Mom, there's no castle for me at the Rising Star Youth Exhibition..."
After Jiang Shu conveyed the teacher's intentions last time, she was ill and overwhelmed with work, so she completely forgot to convey this to Ruxing. So she asked, "Did the teacher tell you this when we went to class yesterday?"
She shook her head, "Jia Jia went out to play over the weekend and said my castle wasn't there."
Lin Ying finally understood the reason, but she was secretly relieved to know that the child wasn't worried about being bullied. She patiently comforted the child with words, then took her hand and walked home...
"Ruxing, your paintings weren't exhibited, but that doesn't mean they're not good enough. It's just because you didn't meet the age requirement. Besides, not everything will go your way. Just because we didn't get in this time doesn't mean we can't in the future. You're so talented and work so hard, there will be many more exhibition opportunities for you. Don't be discouraged by this one failure. Mom promises you that after I'm done with this busy period, I'll take you to Disneyland, okay?"
When Ruxing heard the word Disney, her eyes lit up. "Really? Really?!"
"Of course, Mom won't break her promise."
Ruxing, who knew the meaning of this word, seemed to suddenly remember something and asked hurriedly -
"Then uncle will come too, right?"
Lin Ying was stunned.
"Ruxing, now you remember, Uncle said last time that if we can't participate in the exhibition this time, he'll take Ruxing and Mom to Disneyland as a prize for Ruxing! Did Mom and Uncle already make this appointment?"
…
"Did he say that when he took you to paint?"
Ruxing nodded like pounding garlic.
No wonder he helped her inquire about the children's exhibition that night. If she compromised and let Ruxing's painting go in, then Ruxing, who was able to successfully exhibit her painting, would naturally remember Jiang Shu's kindness.
If she refused, he would also suggest taking the mother and daughter to Disney. Even if she, as a mother, refused, Ruxing, as a child, would be very fond of his uncle who came from nowhere, and would definitely pester Lin Ying and ask why her uncle didn't come?
He is quite smart and tries to please both sides.
Lin Ying had no choice but to calm the child down first.
"Okay, okay, when we have some free time, we'll take Ruxing to see the real castle."
No matter what, Lin Ying was very pleased that the child's face was finally full of happiness again.
Anyway, Lin Ying will definitely take her to Disneyland. As for whether she will take others... let's talk about it later.
When they arrived downstairs in the community, the mother and daughter noticed a familiar figure at the same time - she couldn't count how many times Cen Shuo had come uninvited.
But she had a feeling that this would be the last time.
He passed by Ruxing and looked at Linying with hope in his eyes. "I'm here to say goodbye."
Although the two had never established a romantic relationship, after the rift arose because of the last incident, she obviously did not follow the principle of communication, whether as a leader at work or a superior in the relationship.
So this time, she nodded directly——
"It's hot outside, let's talk upstairs?"
After the public door was opened, she immediately ventilated the kitchen and turned on the air conditioner in the bedroom and living room so that the cold air could pass through the corridor.
"Ruxing, Mommy's going to the kitchen to cook and talk to Brother Cen for a while. You can go back to your bedroom and play by yourself for a while, okay?"
Ruxing rolled her pupils, looked at Cen Shuo a little nervously, and finally nodded. She obediently took the picture book and crayons and went to the bedroom to tinker with them herself.
Then, she took out a bottle of iced mineral water from the refrigerator and handed it to Cen Shuo. As usual, she casually tied her hair with a clip, disinfected her hands, tied an apron, and took out the prepared ingredients from the refrigerator.
Cheng Xinran has been working overtime a lot recently, and she also remembered that Lin Ying was on sick leave, so she specifically told her not to cook for her in the future. So she didn't go to the vegetable market tonight, and planned to use the surplus ingredients from before to make do.
Just as he was about to peel the potatoes, Cen Shuo wanted to help like last time, but Lin Ying flatly refused:
"We don't have much food tonight, so we can't have you stay for dinner. Don't bother."
He could only smile awkwardly and calmly unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle...
"I heard from Mr. Wang that you think the cost of living in Shanghai is too high, so you don't plan to accept a formal offer. Is that true?"
She asked the question, but her eyes remained on the potatoes in her hand.
Cen Shuo took a sip of ice water and nodded nonchalantly, "My official salary is barely enough for my daily living. If I can't save any money, what's the point of staying here?"
After peeling the potatoes, she placed them on the cutting board, ready to shred them, without looking up.
"Xiao Xie's position has become vacant. I've submitted it to President Wang for approval. We plan to optimize the administrative work content and authority. The base salary will also increase by ten percent. I originally wanted this position for you."
Cen Shuo suddenly smiled and asked, "Why? Are you reluctant to leave me now?"
This question finally made Lin Ying stop what he was doing and look up.
"I respect your opinion. As your former boss, I have to remind you not to act on your emotions. Of course, putting work aside, from an emotional perspective, I do owe you an answer."
Lin Ying blanched the shredded potatoes and filtered them, then took out the freshly thawed chicken breast and cut it into cubes.
"Even if you didn't come today, I would still have made time to meet and talk with you. I recently took a week off, and during that time I did a lot of thinking. When it comes to relationships, I've always been accustomed to avoiding conflict, always thinking that if I don't face some problems, they won't exist, and I can just muddle through them.
But now, it's time to change our approach. Cen Shuo, there's really no need for us to continue. I'm so much older than you, and I have a child. Even if you're willing to go through fire and water, I can't afford you to compromise yourself. After all, a relationship between us should be based on similar foundations and experiences."
This was the first time Cen Shuo heard Lin Ying confess like this. Her tone was gentle and firm, but when he heard the last part, he couldn't help but lower his eyes.
"So... my 'internship' is completely over?"
"If you don't plan on accepting the offer, that's true."
Cen Shuo was speechless. He had obviously not expected Lin Ying to be so decisive. Not only did she not try to save him, emotionally or professionally, but she also so frankly acknowledged her limitations and even predicted his thoughts...
"So what's your relationship with Jiang Shu now?"
Recalling the beginning of the argument with Cen Shuo, Lin Ying laughed dumbly and reached out to pour a layer of dark soy sauce on the meat bowl...
"As you can see, he's my child's uncle. But he and I aren't biological siblings. We did have a past, but that's in the past. It doesn't matter to me who Ruxing's father is. My ex-husband has passed away, so I'm destined to be a single mother. I took the initiative to give birth to the child and shoulder the responsibility of being a mother."
"But I can see that he hasn't given up on you yet."
"That's his business, I can't control it."
The words "I can't help you" completely cost him his bargaining chip. The mineral water in his hand cooled silently, and the steam soaked his palms, making them wet and hot.
"Actually, last week, after I heard you were on sick leave, I struggled for a long time over whether or not to come see you. I've been bombarding you with messages constantly lately. You must have blocked me a long time ago, right? Every time I send you a message, I get angry, and then I blame myself for making you unhappy... I've made you completely ignore me. Maybe you're waiting for me to break the ice?
So a few days ago, I mustered up the courage to come home to visit you, but I saw Jiang Shu waiting downstairs. I saw you coming down the hallway, holding Ruxing's hand, and the three of you happily getting into his car... After that day, I decided to resign."
He was referring to the day Jiang Shu came to pick Lin Ying up for a follow-up appointment. That was the only time she and Jiang Shu had crossed paths that week.
Although Cen Shuo is young, he is a person with a strong desire for control.
So he hates the cold war, and he hates it even more that the other party cannot be controlled by him.
But he has become much more patient with his girlfriend Lin Ying than before. Perhaps due to the difference in age and experience between them, he has reserved more patience for his inner desire for control.
But no matter how much patience you have, it will eventually run out.
After all, he was still so young, so young that he didn't know that Lin Ying's patience was an iron wall.
So much so that her patience at this moment annoyed him—"Just let it go. It's true that not everyone can perfectly balance love and work. If you really can't do it, it's not a bad thing to escape and leave."
"Lin Ying, you actually like him, right?"
His questioning voice was as light as a feather, almost audible only when close to him. "You keep saying that he is your child's uncle, but you just don't dare to admit that he is the person you like, right? Just like how you avoided my questions before..."
Clang——
Lin Ying flicked her wrist, and the kitchen knife landed squarely on the chopping board.
Cen Shuo's heart trembled, thinking that she must have been irritated again - he came this time, clearly wanting to see her secrets exposed, lose control in front of him and say harsh words like last time. That way, he could use the trick of coaxing and persuading her again, and she wouldn't be as unfamiliar and out of control as last time. He wanted to be the one at the helm this time.
She has always been considerate and gentle, so she will definitely be able to salvage things this time...
So before the other party turned around, he anticipated how cold those bright deer eyes would be. However, Lin Ying's real expression seemed more calm.
She breathed a sigh of relief and said to him with warm eyes:
"Cen Shuo, I understand your reluctance, but feelings in this world aren't black and white. My feelings are no longer your business."
Before leaving that day, Cen Shuo threw the empty mineral water bottle into the dry trash bin.
Before turning on the stove, Lin Ying took a quick glance and noticed that it had been almost ravaged into a chain shape... She felt inexplicably relieved that she had started the conversation with him in the kitchen, with a kitchen knife in her hand, so she wouldn't be so miserable.
But she almost lost control, but not because of Cen Shuo's reaction, but because of the question he asked.
With a whoosh, fry the oil in the pan.
It was like a sudden rainstorm, carrying the memories that were buried deep in her heart, and they began to boil and roll together.
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