Chapter 1 Reunion She never imagined that he would take the initiative to appear after she returned to China…
Inside the auction hall, crystal chandeliers cast a dazzling light, illuminating the entire exhibition area as if it were daytime.
Lin Yuwei stood in the center of the booth, her smooth long hair gleaming like pearls under the spotlight. Today she wore a tailor-made black fishtail dress with a hollowed-out back that revealed the beautiful lines of her butterfly bones. The embroidered thorn roses on the side of her waist rose and fell slightly with her breath, swaying gracefully.
Her fingertips rested lightly on the cool glass display case, a composed smile on her face. But only she knew that her palms were already damp with sweat. This auction was crucial for her—she needed to raise at least 1 million to fill the funding gap, allow her new studio in China to be successfully established, and prepare for the international tour next quarter.
Inside the glass display case, her masterpiece "The Thorn Birds" is quietly displayed. This work, which took two years of painstaking effort, is made up of hundreds of ceramic fragments that have been pieced together. The 24K gold wires inlaid in the cracks reflect a cold and luxurious light under the lamp.
“This work explores the dialectical relationship between violence and restoration. Every crack is a testament to history, and the repair of the metal is not to cover up the scars, but to allow the broken to be reborn in a new form.” Lin Yuwei’s melodious voice, amplified by the microphone, resonated clearly throughout the auction hall.
The audience was filled with collectors, art critics, and journalists, their eyes scanning her and her works like searchlights. In the front row, several Asian ladies were examining her with long-handled binoculars, as if assessing a priceless treasure.
Lin Yuwei is one of the most popular emerging artists at home and abroad in recent years. Many big-name luxury brands abroad have negotiated collaborations with her. Today's auction is her first auction since returning to China. In addition, she is extremely beautiful, so the topic has generated a lot of buzz. The pre-auction hype even dominated the trending topics on the Internet for five consecutive days.
"Starting price: 500,000." As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, bidding erupted from the audience.
Lin Yuwei maintained a perfect smile, but out of the corner of her eye, she nervously observed the situation of the sign-holding.
Sitting in the fourth row, a Hong Kong collector wearing a jade necklace raised his paddle and called out in somewhat broken Mandarin: "I bid 600,000."
Next up was an auction house employee sitting in the front row, wearing an earpiece, raising his paddle to bid on behalf of an anonymous client: "800,000."
"850,000!" An elderly gentleman in a Zhongshan suit slowly raised his bidding paddle...
"900,000!"
"930,000!"
The price was steadily rising, which allowed Lin Yuwei's tense shoulders and neck to relax a little. Great, everything was progressing smoothly, and she was not far from her goal of 1 million!
"950,000!" The old man slowly raised his paddle again.
As the price steadily climbed to 950,000, a brief silence fell over the room. The auctioneer and Lin Yuwei exchanged a glance and then began to call out, "Any other guests wish to place a bid?"
No one responded.
"950,000 per auction!" The auctioneer's loud and clear voice echoed in the exhibition hall. Lin Yuwei quickly calculated in her mind that although she was still 50,000 short of her target, this price was already quite good.
"950,000 twice!" Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel, a deep, cold male voice rang out from the back row: "2 million."
The entire room erupted in uproar. This price not only far exceeded market expectations but was also more than double the previous bid! Lin Yuwei's heart skipped a beat. Two million—the task was exceeded, and there was even a surplus of one million! She could hardly believe her ears!
But soon, her surprise was overshadowed by another complex emotion! The voice that shouted 2 million was very familiar, like a sharp knife, precisely cleaving through the defenses she had built deep inside—eight years later, she could still recognize that voice in a sea of millions.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze passing through the blinding spotlight and landing on the tall, slender figure in the last row.
The man wore a well-tailored black suit, his broad shoulders and narrow waist accentuated by the light. He sat in the far corner, his face hidden in shadow, only his dark, deep eyes, like cold stars in a winter night, staring straight at her.
Lin Yuwei's breath hitched for a second, and she pursed her lips.
Eight years.
Gu Qingyan.
Gu Qingyan's sudden appearance was like a heavy hammer blow to Lin Yuwei's chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. She never thought she would meet him again in such a situation, let alone that he would appear in such a generous manner, spending lavishly and determined to win her over.
"Two million at a time!" The auctioneer's voice brought her back to reality.
Lin Yuwei forced herself to look away, loosened her clenched lips, and looked down to find her hands trembling slightly. She silently put her hands behind her back, her nails digging deep into her palms, using the pain to maintain her composure. There was a large group of reporters and countless cameras below the stage, and she couldn't let them catch a glimpse of any abnormality in her emotions.
"Two million twice! Any higher bids?"
The room fell silent. Although Lin Yuwei was very famous, the price of 2 million was beyond most people's expectations. Lin Yuwei could feel countless curious eyes scanning back and forth between her and Gu Qingyan.
Journalists in the art world are masters of sensationalism. Even if she tries her best to appear poised and elegant, tomorrow there will likely be a flood of gossip about an "up-and-coming artist having an affair with a mysterious tycoon."
"2 million for three times, sold!"
Gu Qingyan had already stood up and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, slowly walked towards her. His long legs moved with steady and powerful strides, and his black leather shoes made clear sounds on the marble floor. Every step seemed to touch her sensitive nerves.
As he approached the light, Lin Yuwei finally saw his face clearly. Time had sculpted his features into sharper contours, the shadows cast by his brow bones made his eyes appear deeper, and his jawline was taut, giving him a unique charm that only a mature man possesses.
Lin Yuwei's gaze fell on his left ring finger, which was bare of any jewelry. A surge of joy rose within her. Had he not yet found someone new? Then she inwardly cursed herself for being so foolish. They had parted on bad terms back then, and eight years had passed. Did she really expect him to remain celibate for her?
"Miss Lin." Gu Qingyan stopped in front of the booth, his voice lower than he remembered, with a hint of mockery: "Long time no see."
Lin Yuwei looked at the man in front of her, her throat tightening instinctively. Gu Qingyan was taller than she remembered; even in seven-centimeter heels, she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze, an angle that made her feel uneasy. In her memory, she was always looking down at him, with him either squatting or kneeling in front of her. Now, the positions were completely reversed.
“Mr. Gu has always been at the forefront of the IT industry.” She heard herself respond with perfect social graces: “I really didn’t expect you to be interested in my work.”
Gu Qingyan's lips curled slightly, revealing a cold smile: "Miss Lin, I've always been very interested in 'cracks'." He spoke slowly, his gaze moving from her alluring eyes down to her collarbone, where a barely visible light-colored scar was partially concealed by the carefully designed neckline of her dress. It was from the night of her seventeenth birthday, during a conflict at a bar. Gu Qingyan had shielded her from most of the damage, but a shard of glass had still managed to cut her collarbone.
Lin Yuwei met his ambiguous gaze and knew what he was looking at. She subconsciously wanted to raise her hand to cover herself, but she held back. This action was too obvious, and the media present would not miss any detail.
Gu Qingyan seemed to see through her thoughts, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. He reached out and gently stroked the "Thorn Bird" in the display case through the glass. His slender fingers lingered on the most menacing crack in the center of the work, his fingertips slowly caressing the glass surface.
That slender hand and the caressing motion were all too familiar to Lin Yuwei. Eleven years ago, on that rainy night, he disregarded his own blood-soaked body and gently stroked the wound on her collarbone, asking in a hoarse voice, "It hurts, doesn't it?"
Now, Gu Qingyan's actions and eyes told her that he still remembered everything from the past, and that he was definitely not here with good intentions.
Suddenly, a flurry of flashes went off as the reporters sensed something unusual. A female reporter wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood up and pushed her way to the front: "Mr. Gu, do you and Ms. Lin know each other? What special significance does this piece hold for you?"
Gu Qingyan did not answer the reporter's question, but instead took out a business card from his suit pocket and handed it to Lin Yuwei: "We will discuss the handover of the exhibits in detail later."
His tone left no room for refusal. Lin Yuwei took the business card, and the moment their fingertips touched, a faint electric current seemed to surge up her arm and back. She quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions. She saw that the business card only had simple gold lettering: Gu Qingyan, and a mobile phone number. There was no company or title, just like him. He looked simple, but he was always unfathomable.
"I'll have my assistant contact you." She smiled politely, trying to keep her voice calm and businesslike.
Gu Qingyan seemed dissatisfied with her polite attitude, a cold glint in his eyes: "I'd much rather hear from you in person, Lin Yuwei." He deliberately called her by her full name, his voice low so only she could hear: "Don't keep me waiting too long." With that, he turned and left, the crowd automatically parting to make way for him.
Lin Yuwei stood there, watching his figure disappear into the auction hall entrance. The business card in her hand was slightly deformed from being squeezed. Her assistant, Xiao Li, rushed onto the stage, handed her a bottle of mineral water, and asked with concern, "Ms. Lin, you don't look well. Would you like to rest for a bit?"
She shook her head, unscrewed the bottle cap, and took a sip. The icy liquid couldn't quell the inexplicable irritation in her chest. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the auction hall, she saw Gu Qingyan walk towards a black Maybach. The driver respectfully opened the car door for him. Just as he bent down to get in, he seemed to sense her gaze and suddenly turned back to look in her direction.
Their eyes met again through the glass and the crowd. Lin Yuwei turned around abruptly, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She should have known better. Gu Qingyan was never the kind of person who would forget easily, not eight years ago, and certainly not now.
"Cancel my date with Mr. Zhou tonight," she said to her assistant, Xiao Li, her voice trembling slightly. "Just tell him... I suddenly feel unwell."
As Lin Yuwei stepped out of the auction hall, dusk had already enveloped the city. Standing on the steps, she let the evening breeze tousle her carefully styled long hair. Her phone vibrated twice in her bag; it was a message from her mother: "Congratulations on the successful completion of your first auction, daughter. When are you coming home? Mom misses you." These three short sentences plunged her into an icy abyss.
She and her mother had lost contact for eight years. To be precise, in the eight years since she went abroad, she had cut off all contact with China, including her mother. She thought that as long as she prepared herself mentally, she could start over when she returned to China. Unexpectedly, at the very first auction, her mother and Gu Qingyan came to her door.
She turned off her phone screen, looked up at the sky, and saw the first star just beginning to appear. Eight years ago, at a similar dusk, Gu Qingyan kissed her for the last time, his lips tasting of blood. He said, "Lin Yuwei, you taught me what love is, now it's time to teach me how to leave."
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