Chapter 23 Chapter 23 You've come to the right place...
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Jiang Lai never knew that she was susceptible to tenderness. She felt herself being flirted with, her face flushed and her heart pounding.
"Cough cough cough," Jiang Lai cleared her throat and said, "Do you want to see the painting from earlier? It's finished."
Jiang Lai tried her best to ignore Ye Anguo's gaze. Perhaps because she had already made things clear, Ye Anguo's eyes had changed since then, becoming more unrestrained. For the first time, she experienced the feeling of being stared at by the male protagonist in her novel with eyes that seemed to want to devour her.
"Yes." Ye Anguo certainly wanted to see it. He really liked Jiang Lai's paintings, and the fact that they were painted by Jiang Lai herself was already very attractive to him, not to mention that Jiang Lai's paintings were exceptionally good, very lifelike, and looked just like him.
"Jiang Lai, your painting is really good, it's just as good as the photos taken in a photo studio." Ye Anguo genuinely thought so.
"It's alright. I'm quite satisfied with these two paintings. I used to think my paintings were too craftsman-like. Look, this is one of my old paintings." The notebook Jiang Lai is holding contains paintings of the original owner that she drew a few days ago based on her memory, as well as paintings of other members of the Jiang family.
"I don't know much about this, but I think it's amazing. It's exactly the same as the photo. With your paintings, we don't need to go to a photo studio to take pictures anymore." Ye Anguo looked at the two paintings carefully, but with his artistic talent, he couldn't see anything. He thought the paintings were very well done. Anyway, if he were to paint, he could never paint a single flower in his whole life.
When Jiang Lai heard Ye Anguo's words, she wanted to explain what made Ye Anguo's two paintings different from his other paintings. However, she couldn't bring herself to say it because she felt that it was inappropriate to say the words that Ye Anguo had captured the soul and emotion in his paintings. So she swallowed her words.
"I'll take it as you trying to comfort me."
"No, I'm serious. Your portrait is already amazing, even better than the one I saw drawn by someone else at the Shanghai Criminal Investigation Brigade once," Ye Anguo explained earnestly.
"Criminal investigation?" Jiang Lai looked at Ye Anguo with a strange expression. "You're not talking about those people who draw portraits based on other people's descriptions, are you? It seems like they only draw criminal suspects?"
"Is this it? Jiang Lai, you know about this too?" Most people wouldn't know this.
"I know, wasn't there a movie with this plot?" Jiang Lai tried hard to search through the original owner's memories, but failed.
"Indeed, Jiang Lai, can you draw a portrait based on someone else's description?" Ye Anguo asked curiously.
"Logically, it should be possible, but I've never drawn it before, so I'm not sure. How about we give it a try?" Jiang Lai's curiosity was piqued by Ye Anguo; she also wanted to know if she could do it.
"Then give it a try. If you have the ability, you'll definitely be a top candidate," Ye Anguo praised.
"Stop, stop, stop. This hasn't even started yet. You've already praised it." Jiang Lai opened her palm and pressed it down, making a gesture of modesty.
Then, everything that happened next made Jiang Lai realize that he was really quite a genius. Although this painting was just like his previous ones, still full of craftsmanship, Jiang Lai was able to draw a person who looked 80 percent like the person Ye Anguo described.
Ye Anguo's first reaction was that Jiang Lai's skills were amazing; if she were placed in the criminal investigation team, she would definitely have a place there.
Ye Anguo thought this in his heart and said it aloud: "With your amazing drawing skills, you could totally work in the criminal investigation team."
"No, please. All I can do is draw, nothing else. It's better not to waste anyone's time." Jiang Lai quickly shook her head and refused.
Of course, Ye Anguo was just saying that, after all, those who work in criminal investigation are professionals, and it would be almost impossible for Jiang Lai to work in the criminal investigation team without knowing those skills.
"Ye Anguo, who is this person you're describing?" Jiang Lai asked, looking at the man she had drawn in her notebook.
"This is my partner, Political Commissar Yu Botao. He's the kind of person you'd lose in a crowd. In the words of the commander, he's particularly suited for reconnaissance missions." As well as enemy agents and assassination missions, Ye Anguo and Yu Botao have a very good relationship. When talking about him, Ye Anguo exaggerates a lot, and you can tell they get along very well.
"He looks quite good-looking, why can't I remember him? Isn't he quite distinctive?" Jiang Lai was also curious. The man drawn in the notebook had sharp eyes and handsome features. Logically speaking, it was impossible not to remember someone like that.
"Yu Botao is indeed good-looking, but he's easy to overlook. How should I put it? If everyone is together and deliberately looking for him, they'll forget he even exists." In fact, more than one person had this question; everyone felt that Yu Botao's abilities were quite remarkable.
Ye Anguo didn't know how to describe it, but Jiang Lai's nod of understanding was like having an invisibility buff; you couldn't find her if you weren't paying attention.
Jiang Lai recalled that the protagonist in one of her own books was just like that. The male lead was so easily overlooked that he was like an invisible person. So Jiang Lai paired him with a female lead who seemed to be shining the moment she saw him. That's why it was a sweet romance novel.
Jiang Lai became very curious, feeling that this was a story from a novel, and wondered if Yu Botao's life was like this: "Is he married? Does his wife often neglect him?"
After thinking for a moment, Ye Anguo said, "He's already married, but I don't know if his wife will neglect him. I haven't heard anything about it, so I don't think so."
"Can I have this?" Ye Anguo asked, wanting the notebook in Jiang Lai's hand again.
"Alright, here you go." Jiang Lai was indeed pleased by Ye Anguo. Just like a chef is happy when his food is eaten up, it also pleases Jiang Lai when his paintings are appreciated and liked by others.
"Knock knock knock," Jiang Lai heard a knock on the door. She turned around and found that the door had been closed at some point.
"When did this door close? I didn't notice at all." Jiang Lai belatedly realized that she had no observation skills whatsoever.
"Let's go outside when Changqing left just now. I'm afraid that Li Xiangxiang will come knocking again." Ye Anguo's expression and demeanor changed. He really hated Li Xiangxiang.
The knocking on the door didn't stop, as if the person wouldn't leave until the door was opened: "Anguo, Ye Anguo, I know you're in there. I brought you some sour tangerines, don't you like them? I brought a lot."
Ye Anguo opened the door with a cold face, his icy aura emanating from him: "No need to shout, I will never eat sour oranges again." Ye Anguo swore.
Jiang Lai followed Ye Anguo out and found that this Li Xiangxiang was quite pretty, with fair and delicate skin, completely different from the rural girls Jiang Lai had seen along the way. She must be quite pampered at home, at least she doesn't have to work in the fields to have such fair skin.
Of course, Li Xiangxiang is no match for Jiang Lai, the heroine of a sweet romance novel. The difference is immediately apparent when the two stand side-by-side. It's not that rural girls are inferior to city girls; it's just that Jiang Lai has the protagonist's halo, which makes her stand out. Even Su Erniu, another heroine, can't compare.
Jiang Lai could tell that Ye Anguo was already disgusted with Li Xiangxiang. Knowing that she was coming, he even closed the door and didn't even step out when his sister-in-law's family came. Yet Li Xiangxiang was still oblivious to her own feelings. Just looking at Ye Anguo's expression, Jiang Lai wanted to feel embarrassed for her in advance.
"Ye Anguo, why are you keeping the door closed in broad daylight? Uh... who is she? What is she doing in your house?" Li Xiangxiang looked like a wife who had caught her husband cheating on her with a mistress.
Ye Anguo frowned and said to Li Xiangxiang with a cold face, "Miss Li, this is my home, this is my fiancée, we are getting married soon, please stop talking to yourself in the future. I have already made it clear to you that I have no feelings for you."
"Who else but me could accept a man with three sons like you? Are you upset that I said I was going to send your sons away? Fine, I won't mention it again." Li Xiangxiang looked like she was about to cry. Judging from her appearance, others would think that Ye Anguo had abandoned her after starting something.
"I never agreed to go on a blind date with you from beginning to end. We've barely spoken more than a few times, and this is only our third meeting. I don't know where you got the idea that we'd ever become a couple." Ye Anguo's face turned pale with anger. Otherwise, why would he not want to see this person? He couldn't reason with her at all; she was completely unreasonable.
Jiang Lai saw that Ye Anguo's face was really ugly, and she really suspected that he was about to lose his temper at any moment. However, no matter what, she did not think about stepping forward to say anything. As mentioned before, she was a perfectionist when it came to relationships. If she found that the other person had a flaw that she could not tolerate, she would immediately back down.
Why has Jiang Lai never been in a relationship by the age of 26? Of course, there's a reason. If someone she doesn't like does anything that she finds offensive, Jiang Lai will want to run away.
Yes, the premise is that you don't like someone enough. Jiang Lai has met people she liked before, whether it was a crush or a mutual ambiguous relationship. She liked someone once. At that time, Jiang Lai hated men who smoked, drank, and swore, but that person did everything, and she still liked him.
Perhaps it's because the other person isn't addicted yet. When they smoke, they have a faint tobacco smell on them, which isn't unpleasant but rather quite pleasant. They also drink alcohol, but only a few sips, not the kind that makes them drunk.
Jiang Lai had also heard that person swear and use foul language, but he never did it in front of her.
Speaking of that person, he was really an outstanding young man, quite different from anyone Jiang Lai had known before. He was both generous and stingy, stingy with others but generous to her. Although he was a soldier, he was always impeccably clean when they met, and he had a refined and gentle appearance, which was exactly the kind of look Jiang Lai liked.
He would try every means to find out her preferences, and on every important day, even if he couldn't find time to meet her, he would send her gifts and call her. He would also send her brown sugar water during her period.
Jiang Lai liked him a lot at the time, but because of some inexplicable reserve, before she could break the ice between them, she encountered a melodramatic plot straight out of a soap opera.
He grew up in a single-parent family and did not become a mama's boy. He has a mother who hopes her son will become successful. The other party looks down on her status as an orphan and says that a leader's daughter has taken a fancy to him. So this mother, who is wholeheartedly thinking about her son, came to his door.
Jiang Lai was someone who wanted a family but was also afraid of one. After finding out that the boy and his mother had a good relationship, Jiang Lai backed down. She liked him, but it wasn't to the point where she would endure everything for him, so Jiang Lai decisively backed down.
Jiang Lai has never been the type to compromise herself for others. After discovering that the other person had a mother who was not a kind person, and anticipating how much trouble it would be if she were to be with him, Jiang Lai decisively withdrew without hesitation, taking advantage of the fact that their relationship was not yet deep.
The reason Jiang Lai came to the Ye family today under the pretext of sending Ye Anguo home, but secretly wanted to see if the Ye family members, especially Ye Anguo's parents, were reasonable people, was also because of her own experience.
This is enough to show how demanding Jiang Lai is when it comes to relationships. She can leave someone who is far beyond her reach, someone she hasn't even gotten together with yet, let alone someone who will eventually marry her, just because that person has a demanding mother.
Similarly, if Ye Anguo doesn't handle this matter well, then Jiang Lai's earlier statement about reconsidering won't be just empty talk.
Fortunately, Ye Anguo did not disappoint her. He launched a powerful attack on Li Xiangxiang without holding back. Of course, Ye Anguo was not the kind of person who would say vulgar or malicious things, but he was not exactly elegant either.
"It's not that the matchmaker is exaggerating your abilities, but do you think I'd willingly become a stepmother to your three children? You're so young, and you're already out of your mind to raise three orphaned children? Who knows if your three adopted sons are truly adopted or bastards?" Li Xiangxiang, embarrassed by Ye Anguo's words, became even more reckless in her speech.
Then Ye Anguo really got angry, his face turned as black as a rock. How to put it, Ye Anguo was indeed a veteran of the battlefield. Once he got angry, his aura was very frightening. Ye Anguo didn't even need to say anything; his aura was enough to scare Li Xiangxiang.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't say that, everyone's saying it." Li Xiangxiang said this with a pale face and ran away. She didn't even answer when Li Qingqing's mother, Zhou Xiaoping, asked her questions from behind. She ran away in a flash.
Li Xiangxiang ran away without looking back. Zhou Xiaoping wanted to come over and ask Ye Anguo what was going on, but Ye Anguo didn't have a good impression of her. After glancing at her, he no longer spoke politely: "Auntie, I have made it clear before that I have no feelings for Li Xiangxiang. She and I are not suitable. I just don't know why you bring her to me every time?"
"Well... in the past, marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers. So many people entered the bridal chamber without ever meeting each other, and they still lived happily ever after. I just thought that Xiangxiang was good-looking and had a good character, so she was a good match for you, which is why..."
Zhou Xiaoping was interrupted before she could finish speaking. The person was neither Ye Anguo nor Jiang Lai, but You Maidong, who had rushed back after hearing that Zhou Xiaoping had brought Li Xiangxiang here.
What You Maidong said next made Jiang Lai realize that she had made the right decision to come.
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Author's Note: Recommending a friend's work
Book Title: "The Green Tea Girl Became an Internet Sensation After Her Persona Collapsed"
Author: Smiling Confusion
Before her rebirth, Su Ziyu had worked hard in the entertainment industry for many years, but no matter how hard she tried, she always remained on the fringes of fame.
After her rebirth, Su Ziyu learned the truth: she was a cannon fodder female supporting character in a wish-fulfillment novel set in the entertainment industry, so no matter how hard she tried, it was useless. Su Ziyu's purpose as cannon fodder was to elevate the female lead. However, now that she had awakened her consciousness, she no longer wanted this cannon fodder position; let whoever wanted it, take it! Who isn't a little princess at heart? She was numb, and she let herself go.
During the recording of the show, top star Gao Shenghan fell into the water, and everyone was stunned. Su Ziyu jumped into the water to save him. A few minutes later, she carried Gao Shenghan on her shoulder like a sack of rice and brought him ashore.
During the recording of the show, the original female lead was expected to volunteer to cook. Su Ziyu directly stated, "I like to eat the food I cook myself; other people's cooking doesn't suit my taste." The live chat was filled with criticism. However, after Su Ziyu finished cooking, the other guests were so impressed by the aroma that they asked her to cook for them as well. Of course, they would clean and chop the vegetables, and Su Ziyu would only need to stir-fry them.
Filming: The original female lead and Su Ziyu both took on the same role. The original female lead played the kind and innocent female lead, while Su Ziyu played a ruthless villain. After the show aired, it attracted a large number of female fans who screamed for Su Ziyu, saying things like, "Sister is so cool, I love her!" and "What a terrible script that made her disappear from the show! I instantly lost interest in watching it."
Su Ziyu only bound herself to the system to earn some retirement money, but she never expected that abandoning her persona and revealing her true nature would make her famous, even more famous than the original female lead...
Not only did she become famous, but she also received a huge reward from the system, transforming herself from a wage earner into an investor. She could finally make whatever scripts she wanted, and if no one else invested, she would invest herself. She had originally invested out of passion, but all the scripts she invested in became huge hits, making her a legendary figure in the investment world...
Gao Shenghan had always kept his distance from Su Ziyu. He thought Su Ziyu was spoiled, pretentious, and spoke in a affected manner. It wasn't until Su Ziyu rescued him from the water and carried him ashore like a sandbag that he realized that being pretentious was just a persona of Su Ziyu. He gradually discovered more and more of Su Ziyu's good qualities.
Gao Shenghan said, "Su Ziyu, you saved me, I have no way to repay you... Giving money is a bit vulgar..."
Su Ziyu: "No, no, no, I'm just an ordinary person. If you want to thank me, just give me money. Once the grudge is settled, the money and goods are cleared. If we meet again in the future, we'll still be strangers!"
"......"
Su Ziyu resolutely refused, but Gao Shenghan found himself looking at Su Ziyu more and more often...
Su Ziyu chatted happily with the puppy, not even glancing at him.
Gao Shenghan panicked; he couldn't sit still any longer.
Unfortunately, winning her back wasn't easy, because she's a total straight-laced woman.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2:30:11 on September 8, 2021 and 00:08 on September 9, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: janmu 2 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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