Miss you
The pink bear doll looked particularly small and cute in the man's broad palm, with rain still on its fur.
Wen Zheng lowered his eyes and looked at the small object in his palm. As if he remembered something, his brows suddenly softened.
"Yours?" He gently pinched the pink bear's round belly with his fingertips, a faint smile on his lips.
Xia Tangyue's ears felt hot.
The pink bear doll had been carried around by her for more than a decade, and had long since faded from being rubbed. The seam on the right ear had turned slightly white, and the fur on its belly had become exceptionally soft and docile from years of stroking.
At this moment, being held in the hands of this man emitting hormones, the contrast between his slender and powerful fingers and the pink doll is so incongruous that it is simply too awkward.
She took it, said thank you, and pressed the elevator floor.
Suddenly, the front door was opened.
A man in black, soaking wet, walked in, attracting the attention of everyone present.
Before entering the elevator, Xia Tangyue took a look and saw the man in black carrying a suitcase. He was probably also a tenant of this B&B.
Return to the guest room.
Xia Tangyue unbuttoned his shirt with trembling fingers. The wet clothes stuck to his body stickily, and the coldness had penetrated into his bones.
Her fingertips were blue from the cold, her teeth were chattering uncontrollably, and even her breathing was trembling slightly. It was not until she stepped into the bathroom and felt the warm steam blowing in her face that she finally regained a sense of being alive.
The hot water poured down, and the steam quickly blurred the mirror.
She tilted her head back, letting the warm water wash over her numb scalp, and her nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed a little.
After taking a shower, she came out wrapped in a towel and used a hair dryer to dry her long hair while drying the pink bear doll. She smoothed its messy fur and placed it next to the pillow. Then she lay down on the bed comfortably and habitually reached out to touch the bedside table, but found nothing.
Hmm? Where's her cell phone?
Xia Tangyue sat up suddenly, took out the phone whose screen had just gone black from her bag, and tried to restart it.
But be sure not to let water in!
She prayed silently and stared at the screen of her mobile phone until the blue light came on and she finally felt relieved.
An email message popped up.
"If the main exhibit is not confirmed by Friday, the contract will be terminated."
It was sent by the investor.
Xia Tangyue's fingertips hovered above the screen, trembling slightly.
The cold wording of the email was like a bucket of ice water poured on her head, instantly dissipating the warmth she had just felt.
Outside the window, the typhoon was howling very harshly, and the raindrops hit the glass as densely as pouring beans.
"Friday..." Xia Tangyue muttered to himself. Today is Tuesday, and there is a typhoon outside and we can't go out at all.
She fell dejectedly onto the bed. The heavy pressure made her no longer sleepy, but she still felt extremely tired.
It has been two years since she bought the Paper Art Museum. After her continuous development, this small art museum that was originally on the verge of bankruptcy has become a platform for emerging artists to exhibit their works.
When she used all her savings to buy it, everyone said she was crazy. But it was her favorite art museum. When she was a child, she would come here every holiday and stay in it for a whole day.
If the investor withdraws the capital, many subsequent projects of the museum will not be able to be carried out. Not only will the special exhibition "Dream of the Butterfly" that has been prepared for half a year be aborted, but even the employees' salaries for next month will not be paid.
Xia Tangyue buried his face in the pillow, his thin shoulders trembling slightly.
Two years of hard work, the anticipation for the exhibition, and the livelihoods of her employees all now rest on her shoulders alone.
Ringing——
The phone on the quilt vibrated and started ringing. She picked it up and looked at the note. It was her best friend Xina.
"Hello."
"You scared me to death. Why didn't you reply to my WeChat message?" Xina's anxious voice came from the receiver. "Did the typhoon blow you away?"
"I was busy just now and haven't checked WeChat yet."
"What's wrong? You look weak." Xina comforted him, "Don't think too much. Everything will work out. You found the previous seven paintings, and you will find this one too."
Xia Tangyue remained silent.
After hanging up the phone, she huddled into bed, her physical exhaustion and mental tension fighting back and forth, neither of them winning.
The tip of her nose felt slightly hot, and she sniffed, feeling a slight tingling sensation in her throat.
"A-choo——"
The unexpected sneeze made her shudder all over. She fumbled for a tissue and her stomach protested loudly.
Xia Tangyue then remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since noon. The energy bars in his soaked backpack had probably been soaked into a paste.
It was storming outside, so ordering takeout was out of the question.
She managed to stand up and was about to call the front desk to ask if there was anything to eat when her cell phone rang.
"Hello, B&B front desk, there is food on the first floor, you can come down to eat."
Xia Tangyue was stunned for a moment before replying "OK".
What does it mean to make your wishes come true? Isn’t this it?
She got up, changed into clean clothes and went downstairs. There was still only the young man at the front desk. She joked, "Does your B&B provide meals?"
Zhuang Chen scratched his head and smiled a little embarrassedly: "My brother specifically ordered it. He said that you got caught in the rain today, so he asked us to prepare something hot." Then he pointed in the direction of the restaurant, "The ginger tea and seafood porridge are warm, and there are freshly-cooked shrimp cakes."
"Your brother?"
"Yes." Zhuang Chen smiled and said, "It's the guy you were with just now. I saw that you haven't come back for such a long time, so I asked my brother to look for you. His name is Wen Zheng, and my name is Zhuang Chen. If you need anything, just call the front desk. I'm usually here."
So that's how it is. Xia Tangyue withdrew his gaze from Zhuang Chen.
Judging from their appearance alone, you really can't tell that they are brothers.
Zhuang Chen wasn't bad looking, and if you ignored his physical disability, he was even a bit handsome. But Wen Zheng was so handsome that he was in a different league from the others.
Xia Tangyue came to the restaurant. The chandelier was lit warmly. On the table stood a steaming small clay pot and a bowl of ginger tea.
Is this really the treatment that a normal B&B should provide? Making ginger tea for guests caught in the rain is such a good service.
Just as I was lost in thought, I heard steady footsteps behind me.
Wen Zheng came over with a plate of freshly cut fruit: "Why, not to your liking?"
"No..." Xia Tangyue raised his head. Wen Zheng had changed into clean clothes. The dark grey T-shirt made his shoulders look particularly straight. The ends of his hair were still a little wet, and it was obvious that he had just showered.
She scooped a spoonful of porridge, and the delicious aroma instantly spread on her tongue: "Your B&B's service is really thoughtful, no wonder it has received rave reviews online."
Wen Zheng put down the fruit plate, sat down opposite her, picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of hot tea. In the curling hot air, his eyebrows and eyes looked particularly deep: "After all, when opening a business, service comes first."
"What about you? Why did you come to a remote town like this alone?"
Xia Tangyue picked up the ginger tea and took a sip, then said casually, "I'm here to travel."
“Travelling during a typhoon?”
There was a smile in his voice. Xia Tangyue turned his eyes away and continued to drink his porridge with his head down.
This explanation was indeed a bit untrue, but she couldn't just say that she was here to look for a painting, right?
The series of works of "Revelation" are treasures coveted by many people. There are countless eyes in the art world who are secretly watching this masterpiece that has been missing for many years. If the news leaks out, I am afraid that collectors and auction house people will flock to it before dawn, and even those unscrupulous art dealers will be attracted by the news.
The seafood porridge was delicious and sweet. Xia Tangyue finished it in no time. She looked around and found that there were no other guests eating in the restaurant, as if this meal was prepared specially for her.
Return to the room.
She took out the soaked items in her bag and put them on the windowsill to dry, and began to study the address the gatekeeper had written to her. The weather forecast said it would rain for the next two days and would clear up on Friday.
I hope it won't affect her going out to look for paintings.
Lying on the bed, Xia Tangyue took a deep breath to relieve herself from the stress. She gradually became sleepy and closed her eyes.
It was midnight.
Xia Tangyue tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep, and the hair on his forehead had already been soaked with sweat.
Her cheeks were unnaturally flushed, her lips were cracked, and her throat felt like it was burning.
"Hmm..." The unbearable heat made her unconsciously pull away the quilt, and the cold air from the air conditioner brushed across her calves.
She opened her eyes dazedly, as if she had just struggled out of a nightmare. She was in a daze. She half-sat up with her legs bent and buried her face in her knees. The temperature of her forehead told her that she had a fever.
It was really like a rainy day when the roof was leaking. The ship was late and encountered headwinds.
She was very helpless, so she got out of bed and looked for her suitcase to see if there was any antipyretic medicine.
The good news is that the medicine has been found, the bad news is that it has been soaked in water.
Xia Tangyue sat on the chair and looked at the pills that were soaked in water and smiled bitterly.
What should I do? It's raining heavily outside at this time...
She changed out of her pajamas and went out to the first floor. She was not sure if there was anyone at the front desk at this time, so she had to give it a try.
Unexpectedly, the floor lamp was still on in the porch, and the computer at the front desk was also on. The blue light was reflected on Wen Zheng's chiseled profile. His slender fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard, and the K-line chart jumping on the screen was particularly eye-catching in the dark.
Xia Tangyue narrowed his eyes.
Is it the US stock market at this time?
Suddenly, Wen Zheng turned around as if he sensed something and met her eyes.
"I'm sorry." Xia Tangyue said in a hoarse voice, "I seem to have a fever. Do you have any antipyretic medicine? Can you give me one?"
Wen Zheng frowned, turned around, took out the medicine box from the cabinet, and took out the thermometer: "Sit on the sofa and take your temperature first."
Xia Tangyue thought that it was unnecessary to go through so much trouble and that she could just take the medicine directly. But Wen Zheng had already stuffed the thermometer into her hand without giving any explanation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
