Episode 58 Time and Luck
After that incident, Wang Duo's ex-wife formally filed for divorce. She even went to the gallery during working hours and knocked on Wang Duo's door. The two argued endlessly in the office. Lin Ying could only hear it vaguely, but it was very real.
Only then did she understand that Wang Duo had wanted to file for divorce for a long time, but his wife was unwilling to give in. That day in the hospital, they were caught cheating, and his wife cursed and even sarcastically asked Ruxing if she was Wang Duo's illegitimate daughter... Lin Ying took the opportunity to bear the stigma of being a mistress, and even inexplicably became the fuse that completely ended their marriage.
Mrs. Wang was yelling and chattering in the office. Sister Zhang's workstation was closest to the office, and she enjoyed watching the fun and wanted to listen to what was going on, even though she wanted to borrow the ears of a rabbit.
However, Lin Ying's attitude of "the innocent will be cleared" did not bring her innocence.
The next day, Sister Zhang picked up the rumor that "Lin Ying is a mistress and her daughter is an illegitimate child, no wonder Mr. Wang is so fond of her" and spread it throughout the gallery...
No matter how much she defended herself, it would only become a topic of conversation and laughter for everyone after dinner.
Three months later, Wang Duo officially broke up with his ex-wife.
She was also unlucky, as she happened to be dealing with her boss's divorce, so she deserved to endure all the malice, but it was all fate.
If it weren't for Wang Duo's favor, she wouldn't have been able to get the ticket to participate in the Poly Night Auction. But if it weren't for the negligence that night, the two of them wouldn't have run to the hospital for the sake of their child and been "caught in an affair." And because of this, Wang Duo not only appreciated her, but also felt a bit of guilt. Otherwise, her position as director wouldn't have come so quickly. Even if she was gifted and worked hard to make up for her shortcomings, she wouldn't have achieved what she has today.
At first, she felt conflicted about Wang Duo's care for her, and even thought she was unworthy of her position, especially after the rumors spread...
Her experience at Poly Nightclub gave her a lot to talk about.
At that auction, Wang Duo bought the first work of a neo-impressionist painter for US$250,000. Three days later, he sent Lin Ying to visit him in person in the name of "collecting the work because of his reputation" and finalized the agency and sales rights of three works by the artist. One of the paintings is still circulating in the secondary market, and the starting price is not to be underestimated.
From then on, Fujiharu became famous in the industry, and she officially entered the industry, gaining her first voice in her life...
But behind the fame and fortune, there is also a mixture of notoriety and scandal. While Lin Ying enjoys the glory of career success, she also endures the siege of gossip.
She was so fragmented during that period, like a nesting doll, never knowing how many layers she had inside, and how many masks she could peel off for people to see.
I even thought at one point that maybe after experiencing some things, it's time to stop.
And the person who calmed her mind was also the culprit who brought her to this point.
On the night of her 28th birthday, Wang Duo proposed to celebrate with her.
On December nights, the light fades very quickly, and as darkness falls, the wind blows with a biting cold.
She thought her colleagues would help her celebrate her birthday, but when she arrived at the restaurant, she found only a very quiet Wang Duo sitting in the quiet corner of the bistro. She remembered that the red wine he brought that day was his favorite CARO blended Malbec, which was difficult to buy in mainland China.
"I thought... everyone would come."
"Are you disappointed to see me the only one?"
Wang Duo ordered the waiter to pour the decanted wine and ordered the appetizers. Lin Ying's ears were red from the wind, and her brain froze for a moment. After hearing this, she couldn't help but make amends -
"That's not the case."
"That can be called a surprise?"
Of course not, but Lin Ying couldn't say this to a boss who had taken care of her tonight and had benefited her many times in the past.
Wang Duo clinked his glasses with hers, the light in his eyes hidden behind his glasses. Lin Ying thought he would at least elaborate on something, but when he opened his mouth, he was unexpectedly naked—
"Regarding my divorce from my ex-wife, I apologize for causing you to misunderstand and spread rumors. Over the years, I've been eager to expand my business and accumulate artistic resources, traveling back and forth between the two places. This has led to a rift between us and a loss of trust. That's why she hired a private detective from Hong Kong to come to mainland China to investigate me. Unexpectedly... you happened to run into them and cause such a huge misunderstanding."
He lowered his head, and even his usual demeanor took on a self-deprecating coldness.
"I know you have resentment in your heart, but it's difficult for you to express it because of my status. But this matter is ultimately caused by me. I have wronged you because of my own neglect of my family. I feel sorry for you."
Twenty-eight-year-old Lin Ying was not at a loss in the face of this situation, but she could hardly hide her surprise. The atmosphere was tense for a while, and she finally chose to retort -
"So you asked me out alone tonight just to say sorry to me?"
"Not entirely." Wang Duo chuckled and shook his head. "After this incident, I've thought about it for a long time and feel the need to explain to you, Lin Ying, that I do favor you. I've noticed you since your husband passed away."
Her fingers holding the handle of the glass trembled slightly, causing the wine in the glass to hang a few inches on the wall, just like the other person's thoughts that were about to overflow.
"But you don't have to be nervous. The favor I'm talking about doesn't just refer to love between men and women.
At the time, Chen Can signed your ex-husband, hoping to capitalize on his paintings and capitalize on the Jianglin Group's popularity. From a business perspective, this was a smart move, but from a humanitarian perspective, it clearly violated humanistic considerations. You, pregnant with your child posthumously, tried to stop this. If I remember correctly, you said something in an interview that has left a deep impression on me:
"I don't want the media to exploit my husband, not just to let the deceased rest in peace, but so that I, who am still alive, and my child who is about to enter this world, can live a peaceful life. If the peace of a living person can be arbitrarily erased to promote the reputation of a deceased person, then what is the difference between such behavior and sacrifice? I don't think that if a painter suffered an accident, his wife and children deserve to consume the value of their lives because of his spectacular death."
That was when I noticed you, and I even vaguely felt that compared to your husband, you, the wife hidden behind the painter, might be more suitable for this industry than him... It's a pity that you disappeared because of pregnancy and childbirth.
Until you took the initiative to find Chen Can, and he sent your resume to my email. To be honest, at that time I could already see that Chen Can was somewhat dissatisfied with the decline of the gallery, so I wanted to train you. I also knew that if I was willing to give you this opportunity, you would definitely seize it and do well.
I admire people who are courageous and decisive. In my opinion, this kind of courage and decisiveness is not about sticking to something to the end, but about being a dealer who always has the awareness to reshuffle the cards and play the next game…”
"So, Lin Ying, just as you chose to reshuffle the cards back then, I believe you can do the same now.
The world of Vanity Fair is never short of gossip, nor is it short of talented individuals who can make up for their shortcomings with hard work, but the only ones who can truly stay are those who do everything they can to stay at the table.”
As soon as the words fell, the wine in Lin Ying's glass had already returned to calm. She immediately understood Wang Duo's intention tonight - he was persuading her to stay at the card table, no matter what method, no matter what criticisms she would receive in the meantime.
Just like what Jiang Shu said to her back then - "No one can be perfect, there's no need to keep staring at your own flaws."
Besides, some stains are just other people's casual scribbles, so why should she let them endorse her?
Before becoming a director, she followed Wang Duo to various dinners and summits, some complex and some utilitarian, and chatted with people from all walks of life about everyone's history of fame, which works had extraordinary skills, and the artistic value behind them... But in fact, art is just a prefix, and the focus is on value.
Even she herself is "value" itself.
If you want to be respected by others, you must show your own value. Everything about a person can be measured by value. Experience and achievements are value, social content is value, even the supporting role and appearance can be value, and have always been value.
She used to scoff at this, even disdain it, but now that she has left the ivory tower, she realizes that fate's gift and plunder of her was more like a courtesy followed by force, and she only realized it belatedly.
She thought it was fate that put her in a cage, but in fact, there were some cages that she clearly walked into voluntarily.
Breaking away from the old cage and entering a new sky does not mean that she can grow new wings instantly. She has to force herself to make different choices again and again and break the prejudices in her past cognition - prejudices against herself and against others.
And those girls who can talk and laugh in the world of fame and fortune are worthy of praise not only for their beautiful appearance, but also for their sexy brains.
There is no so-called "slut" or "goddess", those are all one-sided definitions, and these definitions can also intersect in the same person. Now she stands at this intersection with the women in the prejudice of the past.
Therefore, a hero does not care about his origin. She does not need to defend her own stains, but instead focuses on her own bright spots countless times.
Her thoughts swirled back to the present day. This year's performance report had finally come to an end. When it was time to get off work, she and Wang Duo came out of the office one after the other. They saw Xu Yiwei looking up from his workstation and grinning at them.
"Hello, Mr. Wang, Mr. Lin!"
Lin Ying asked, "Aren't you going to get off work yet?"
"I want to add a few more details about Pierre's exhibition, which is about the gallery background you asked me to edit last time. I'll be leaving in ten minutes."
Wang Duo just glanced at the girl's desk, seemingly indifferent. As he went downstairs with Lin Ying, he sighed for no reason -
"Is this the girl recommended by CEO Jiang? She seems quite as enthusiastic as you were when you first joined the company."
Lin Ying smiled: "She is more thoughtful than I was back then, and she can be a bit clever sometimes. Even though she is young, she is quite shrewd."
"Is this the 'leading by example' smoothness you want?"
Lin Ying nodded in agreement, "I guess so. Otherwise, how do you think Sister Zhang got into trouble today?"
Seeing her admit it so easily, Wang Duo couldn't help but tease, "After all, she was recommended by President Jiang, so she must be a tough guy."
Lin Ying deliberately ignored this. Wang Duo changed the subject:
"Are you free tonight?"
"how?"
"Remember what I said? I'll treat you to a meal after I'm done with this. Thank you for taking care of Jiaze last weekend."
Of course Lin Ying had not forgotten. She was polite that time but did not take it seriously in her heart. But now, she did not want to refuse this invitation at all.
"Okay, then I'll go pick up Ruxing first. Can you send me the restaurant address later?"
He said, "Jia Ze's stomach hasn't been feeling well lately, so why don't you go to the restaurant? Let's go to my house. You know Aunt Gu's cooking skills, it's no worse than what you can get outside."
The last time she went to Wang Duo's house for personal reasons was when Ruxing was being taken care of by the nanny...
It was during that period that caused misunderstandings among his ex-wife, leading to rumors being spread about her and her daughter.
Since then, Lin Ying deliberately avoided going to his house. Even if she really went there, she would not go in unless it was necessary. She would just say hello downstairs or at the door.
"Let's go? I'll go with you to pick up Ruxing. It just so happens that I didn't drive to the gallery today. After we're done, can I take your car back with you?"
And use her car.
He knows how to make it difficult for the other party to refuse.
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