Chapter 35 Effort Pays Off 10.4.23.00…
Seeing that he didn't speak, An Rufeng raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips, and continued, "Could it be that when you didn't reply to me before, it wasn't because of work, but just an excuse you made up on purpose?"
Kwon Ji-yong immediately denied that it was an excuse, and then laughed and said, "What I meant was that I wanted to develop a relationship with Ru-feng that required instant replies."
He paused, "Friends don't need to reply instantly. Ru Feng replies to me instantly, so what am I to Ru Feng?"
“An important person.” An Rufeng smiled. If he didn’t say it directly, then she wouldn’t answer directly either.
"How important is it?" Kwon Ji-yong asked.
"That depends on you. How important I am to you is how important you will be to me."
"Really? No matter what place you hold in my heart, will you always give me the same place? Will every effort be rewarded?"
"Effort doesn't always guarantee a return," An Rufeng said truthfully. She wouldn't pay attention to people she wasn't interested in, no matter how much effort was put in.
Kwon Ji-yong lowered his eyelids. Had he misunderstood? Was the important person she was referring to not being in a romantic relationship, but something else? Or was she subtly rejecting him?
An Rufeng glanced at him with a smile in her eyes, and then said, "However, it also depends on who it is."
"So, in your heart, am I someone who will always get a reward for my efforts?"
“Yes, you are.” An Rufeng nodded, giving a definite answer.
Kwon Ji-yong got the answer he wanted and smiled with satisfaction.
.
Meanwhile, at Watanabe's house.
"Is Nala with you?" Alexander asked Watanabe, though it was a question, his tone was very certain.
"How do you know about Nala?" Watanabe didn't deny it, but was curious about where he knew about Nala.
“Ann showed me the photos. I won’t take care of the other cats, give me Nala,” Alexander demanded.
Alexander was previously very curious about Watanabe's sources of inspiration for his paintings, since Watanabe's paintings seem to require a lot of emotional investment, yet he is very prolific.
Now he knows that his inspiration came from abusing cats.
Alexander looked uneasy at the corner of Watanabe's room, where some tools, some bloodstained whips, some small cages, some cages that no longer contained cats but still had some cat hair left in the corners, and some cages that still contained cats, but they were all covered in wounds.
Watanabe followed Alexander's gaze, smiled indifferently, his eyes filled with coldness and cruelty.
He would secretly catch stray cats from the street late at night when no one was around and put them in cages.
He would use a whip to lash the cat's frail body again and again, and the cat's fear, pain, helplessness, and desperate struggle became his creative inspiration.
Alexander looked at the works in the room, some completed and some unfinished, each painting exuding an aura of despair.
Previously, he only saw the techniques and emotions incorporated into the painting, but now, looking at it again, he has a different state of mind, and the images in his mind have become more concrete and bloody.
Every bold red line represents the blood splattered from the cat's struggle.
Every twisted, out-of-control, and frantic line is a mark of a cat's desperate screams.
Every stroke of the pen is an outpouring of Watanabe's darkest desires from the depths of his heart.
Each painting deeply conveys the pain, fear, and helplessness of each cat.
“Where is Nala?” Alexander asked again.
He felt sorry for these cats who had suffered such a tragic fate, but although he did not agree with Watanabe, he understood him. This was Watanabe's artistic inspiration, and he would not expose Watanabe.
If Nala is killed by Watanabe, and An finds out in the future that he knew the truth or could have saved Nala, he will surely lose his muse.
“Nala is very close to me, so of course I can’t let her see these things. She stays somewhere else.” Watanabe didn’t hide anything from him.
“Give it to me,” Alexander demanded.
Watanabe shook his head and calmly refused: "You want Nala because of your muse, but my muse is Nala now. Nala is the only cat that is close to me. The emotions of being killed by someone you trust very much will definitely be different. The work I present will definitely be very different. I will not give it to you."
“If you don’t give me Nala, I’ll expose you. You know we’re the same kind of people; I’ll do this for art. Are you going to lose all your inspiration for one?” Alexander threatened coldly when he saw that Nala was unmoved.
Upon hearing this, Watanabe did not immediately agree, but said he would consider it.
Alexander left the Watanabe residence after setting a time limit.
.
Kwon Ji-yong's French restaurant, although located in Japan, has very authentic flavors and has not been modified to suit local tastes, thus maintaining its original taste.
Anru Feng was quite satisfied with the meal; she usually doesn't like the taste of food that has been altered after eating it before.
After finishing the dessert, soufflé cheesecake, Kwon Ji-yong took out an exquisite gift box and handed it to An Joo-fung: "Birthday present."
An Rufeng took the gift box, curious about its contents, and asked with a smile, "May I open it now?"
Kwon Ji-yong nodded.
Anru Feng gently opened it, and her eyes lit up when she saw the gift inside.
Inside lay an exquisite wristwatch, a work by Philippe Duffer. Judging from the style, it was a small seconds watch from the Simplicity series.
Anjou Feng loves minimalism, and she is particularly fond of the Simplety series of watches, which have a simple and exquisite design. She wears watches from this series most of the time.
The one Kwon Ji-yong gave was different; it was clearly specially customized.
The watch has a silver case and a deep blue-black dial, inlaid with a delicate white daisy. The daisy's petals are missing at the eight o'clock position, making the design unique and exquisite.
"So beautiful!" An Rufeng exclaimed. The watch was simple, elegant, and interesting. She examined it carefully, liking it more and more. She smiled and asked Quan Zhilong, "May I wear it now?"
Upon hearing this, Kwon Ji-yong breathed a sigh of relief.
An Ru Feng doesn't usually like wearing jewelry, and Quan Zhilong was worried for a long time about what gift to give her.
Kwon Ji-yong noticed that she only wore watches, and had a particular fondness for Phoebus Dufresne's Simplicity series watches, so he carefully designed and customized this watch for her.
Seeing that An Joo-feng wanted to wear it right away and seemed to really like it, Kwon Ji-yong was overjoyed.
Kwon Ji-yong didn't say whether it was okay or not. He simply took the watch, gently lifted An Ru-feng's wrist, took off the white gold watch from the same series that she was originally wearing, wrapped the strap of the watch he had given her around An Ru-feng's slender wrist, and fastened the clasp.
When the watch he had given An Ru Feng was securely placed on her wrist, Kwon Ji Yong's face lit up with a joyful smile.
Anru Feng waved her hand, quite pleased with her new watch, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Seeing this, Kwon Ji-yong took out another carefully wrapped gift box from beside him.
"There's more?" An Rufeng asked in surprise as she took the document.
Kwon Ji-yong smiled, indicating that she could open it.
She slowly opened the gift box, and a beautiful painting appeared before her eyes.
Anru Feng looked at the painting with great surprise. Alexander had also painted a similar morning swan and given it to her, but the painting that Quan Zhilong gave her gave her a completely different feeling.
In Kwon Ji-yong's painting, the rising sun has just peeked over the horizon, its warm rays gently showering the earth like a golden veil.
The crystal-clear morning dew clings to the green leaves, sparkling in the sunlight, like countless tiny, dazzling diamonds adorning them, exuding a sense of purity and new life.
The sunrise in the sky was colorful, with red, orange and pink colors intertwined, like a dreamlike painting.
The clear lake water shimmered in the morning light, as if flowing with the rhythm of life.
Meanwhile, on the lake, a flock of swans were leisurely enjoying the beauty of the morning light.
Their pure white feathers shimmered in the sunlight as they swam gracefully.
However, one of the swans stood out from the crowd. Even surrounded by the other swans, and amidst the vibrant scene, its elegance couldn't conceal its loneliness.
Kwon Ji-yong gazed at An Joo-bong and said, "This painting was inspired by you."
Kwon Ji-yong stroked the swans surrounding the center and said gently to An Ru-feng, "Ru-feng gives me the feeling of being like this elegant white swan, dazzling yet lonely."
"Ru Feng, are you lonely?"
An Rufeng suddenly looked up at Quan Zhilong.
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