Chapter 16 A Last Glimmer of Hope She involuntarily frowned…
Mr. Wang readily agreed, and Lin Yuwei led them through the corridor to a small exhibition hall inside the studio. Although the exhibition hall was small, only a third the size of a regular exhibition hall, it had a unique charm thanks to Lin Yuwei's meticulous design. The glass display cases around the room showcased her representative works from various periods, shimmering under the soft lighting.
“These are all my most cherished works,” Lin Yuwei introduced softly. “Although the space is limited, it is quiet and private, so you can appreciate them at your own pace. The ‘Four Seasons’ series is in this row.”
Mr. Wang had originally come for his fiancée, but upon entering the exhibition hall, his gaze was immediately drawn to a butterfly brooch in the central display case. It was a piece crafted from mother-of-pearl and diamonds, shimmering with a dreamlike, magnificent brilliance under the lights. He unconsciously moved closer and murmured in admiration, "This must be 'Spring of Butterflies,' right? My fiancée often mentions it..."
Just then, the studio doorbell rang. Before Lin Yuwei could speak, Zhou Xubai stepped forward and said to her naturally, "You two continue, I'll go take a look." He was just as familiar with the place as Lin Yuwei, after all, he had contributed half the credit for the establishment of this studio, and Mr. Wang also needed his help to answer questions. So Lin Yuwei didn't stand on ceremony with Zhou Xubai, thanked him, and let him go help.
Mr. Wang stopped in front of one of the pieces and praised it generously, saying, "No wonder my fiancée loves your work so much. Each piece is exquisite and the design is very meaningful. May I bring her to see it another day? She will be very happy." Lin Yuwei smiled and said, "You would be most welcome."
About ten minutes later, Zhou Xubai returned. While Mr. Wang was focused on admiring another piece of work, he walked over to Lin Yuwei and said in a low voice, "The doorbell just now was from a courier. I signed for it and put it on your desk. Also, the landline kept ringing. I answered it for you. It was Xiao Li calling. He said he couldn't reach you and that Qichen Technology has a document that you need to sign in person."
"Thank you, Xu Bai." Lin Yuwei then remembered to take out her phone, only to find that it had been switched to silent mode at some point, and two missed calls were displayed on the screen. She wondered why she needed to go over there again when she had already signed all the documents that needed to be signed.
"Excuse me, I need to return a call." She smiled apologetically at Mr. Wang, walked into the corridor, and dialed Xiao Li's number.
The call was answered almost immediately, and Xiao Li's voice on the other end sounded anxious: "Teacher Lin, I met President Gu at the auction house. He said he must see you in person today to sign an art guarantee, otherwise he will not sign any other documents."
"Do we really have to sign today? We have customers at the studio right now." Lin Yuwei frowned.
Xiao Li's voice became even more tense: "It wasn't supposed to be this urgent, but then President Gu seemed to be in a bad mood and insisted on finishing it today. He said, he said he has to go on a business trip tomorrow..."
Suddenly in a bad mood? Lin Yuwei had a bad feeling. Was Gu Qingyan deliberately making things difficult for her? She still remembered Gu Qingyan's threat that night to "get his money's worth." If he targeted her, Xiao Li wouldn't be able to complete the task. She took a deep breath and softened her tone: "This isn't your fault. Perhaps President Gu has other worries. Tell him I'll go over today. After that, if you don't have anything else to do, just take a week's paid leave, as I said a few days ago."
"Teacher Lin, you're not going to fire me, are you?" Xiao Li's voice suddenly became frightened.
"What are you thinking? It's just a normal vacation." Lin Yuwei chuckled. "I saw that you've been working too hard lately, which has taken up a lot of your rest time. Right now, there are no ongoing projects, so I'm letting you rest properly. Once things get busy again, it will be difficult to approve a long vacation for you. Okay, go and tell President Gu."
Xiao Li was relieved: "Thank you, Teacher Lin."
Lin Yuwei returned to the showroom and first finalized the details of the custom design and the delivery time of the first draft with Mr. Wang. After seeing Mr. Wang off, Zhou Xubai remained in the office.
"Teacher Lin, would you do me the honor of having lunch together?" he asked.
Lin Yuwei smiled and nodded: "Okay, I still owe you a meal. You introduced your friends today, so I owe you more and more favors. Wait a moment, I have to make a phone call. After that, we'll go eat."
Zhou Xubai: "You flatter me too much. They all came because of your talent. I was the one who introduced them to you, and they should thank me. In that case, I'm the one who benefited from your good fortune. No rush, take your time to handle your work. The tea here is delicious, I'm going to have a few more cups." As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and poured himself a drink with a self-satisfied air.
Lin Yuwei walked to the window, took a deep breath, opened her photo album, found a picture of Gu Qingyan's business card, and dialed Gu Qingyan's number. However, the phone was always busy. After several unsuccessful attempts, she had no choice but to send a text message to inquire about the signing time.
Gu Qingyan's reply came quickly: 6 PM tonight, Room 802, Building 5, Cuihu Garden.
The address made Lin Yuwei's fingers freeze on the screen. Apartment 801, Building 5, Cuihu Garden, was an apartment under her mother's name. She and Gu Qingyan had lived there together for two whole years. And now, the address he gave her was 802, right across the hall... When did he buy that apartment?
"Are you in trouble?" Zhou Xubai's voice came from behind.
"It's nothing." Lin Yuwei quickly locked the screen, her face already calm. "Just some work-related stuff." She turned and walked towards the wine cabinet, using the act of pouring wine to hide her slightly trembling fingers.
The amber liquid swayed in the glass, reflecting her slightly pale face. Gu Qingyan's appearance always easily shattered the calm she had carefully maintained. What alarmed her even more was that, the moment she read that address, a secret expectation inexplicably welled up in her heart.
This discovery made her hand holding the cup tremble even more. After eight years of living abroad, she thought she had been completely transformed, but it turned out that some of her past experiences had never truly passed.
After having lunch with Zhou Xubai, Lin Yuwei chatted until nearly four in the afternoon. She excused herself, saying she had something to do, and returned home. She hesitated for a moment in front of her wardrobe, and finally changed out of her dress and chose a well-tailored suit. She wore black high-waisted trousers with a beige silk shirt and a fitted blazer. In the mirror, she instantly looked sharper, as if she were wearing armor.
As Lin Yuwei drove alone to Cuihu Garden, the setting sun dyed the clouds orange-red. She rolled down the car window, letting the cool evening breeze dispel the inexplicable restlessness in her heart. As the car approached Cuihu Garden, from the outside, apart from the taller and more lush greenery inside the garden, there were not many changes, and it was no different from the Cuihu Garden in her memory.
The doorbell rang only once before Gu Qingyan opened the door. He was wearing a simple white cotton T-shirt and gray trousers, and his hair was still damp, indicating that he had just taken a shower. Lin Yuwei's gaze passed over his shoulder and she froze on the spot. The living room furnishings, from the sofa to the curtains, and even the cracked vase on the coffee table, were exactly the same as when they lived together eight years ago.
"Come in." He stepped aside.
In a daze, Lin Yuwei seemed to have returned to her college days. Back then, she would always play until very late before going home. When she opened the door, she would see Gu Qingyan busy in the kitchen, with hot food always on the table. Even if she had already eaten out, he would still quietly serve her a bowl of soup.
"Wash your hands and eat first." Gu Qingyan's voice pulled her back to reality: "We can sign the documents after we finish eating, Ms. Lin. Is this arrangement acceptable?"
On the table were Lin Yuwei's favorite dishes from back then: braised prawns, braised sole, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried kale, and winter melon and barley soup. She and Zhou Xubai had been eating and chatting until four in the afternoon, and now she wasn't hungry at all and had no appetite. But Gu Qingyan was no longer the boy she could manipulate. As the client, he held the initiative. In order to successfully secure the payment for the auctioned items, Lin Yuwei could only silently wash her hands and sit down in her familiar seat.
The only sound at the table was the soft clinking of chopsticks against the bowls and plates. Lin Yuwei mechanically chewed her food in small bites, trying to guess Gu Qingyan's next move while resisting the overwhelming memories. Gu Qingyan, sitting opposite her, was eating with great relish. He suddenly spoke up: "Don't you like the food? Miss Lin has been abroad for eight years. You probably have a Western stomach and can't get used to these simple meals."
"The food was plentiful and tasted great, but... but I'm on a diet." She lied instinctively.
Gu Qingyan's gaze swept over Lin Yuwei without any attempt to hide it, making her ears burn. Just when she thought he was going to say something ambiguous, he simply frowned and said, "Your stomach isn't good, don't mess around. You're fine as you are."
The long mealtime finally ended, and Lin Yuwei breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Qingyan got up, washed his hands, took out a stack of documents, and sat down on the sofa. Lin Yuwei quickly followed him.
Gu Qingyan was very focused on reading, and the two of them did not exchange a word. The room was filled with a somewhat oppressive silence. Finally, he finished reading one of the documents and handed it to her for her to sign. Lin Yuwei took the document and looked down at the table, but there was no sign of a pen.
"It's on the desk in the bedroom." He said without looking up, "Miss Lin, if you don't mind, please go and get it yourself?"
Lin Yuwei glanced back at the half-open door and thought, "We'll put up with this for the sake of two million. Besides, I don't want to be in the living room with Gu Qingyan; the atmosphere is rather awkward."
Lin Yuwei pushed open the bedroom door. The bedroom was very tidy, and the layout was the same as her previous rooms. She turned around to make sure that Gu Qingyan was still focused on reading documents. After entering the room, she inexplicably opened his wardrobe. She wanted to see if there were any traces of other girls here, such as clothes or bags left behind after staying overnight.
Lin Yuwei gently opened Gu Qingyan's wardrobe. What came into view were neatly arranged men's shirts, hung in an orderly manner from light to dark color. The suit jackets were carefully wrapped with dust covers, and the wooden hangers still had the faint scent of cedar, which was the scent she remembered he loved the most.
She couldn't help but frown. With Gu Qingyan's current status and charm, how could he lack beautiful women by his side?
A note from the author:
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Next novel: "Starting as a Widow, Rising to Power by Stepping on Romantic Encounters [1970s]"
"Reborn to bring good luck on our wedding night, my husband died on top of me."
When Ruan Yao opened her eyes again, she was back at the beginning of this nightmare.
In her past life, her beauty as a widow was her original sin, causing her to wither away amidst the lurking wolves.
In this life, allure is her armor, and coldness is her blade.
Since there are many peach blossoms in front of the widow's door, she will become the climbing trumpet creeper, using every branch to reach the blue sky.
The eldest uncle's greed, the younger uncle's ambiguous relationship, the soldier's protection, the cadre's favor...
She accepted every hand extended to her, whether sincere or feigned, seeing them all as stepping stones for her to escape the mire and rise higher.
She navigated among men, her smile both alluring and clear-headed.
"Don't talk about love, that's too vulgar."
"Let's... talk about something practical."
Later, the man who had pulled her from the deepest darkness cornered her against the wall, his eyes red with rage.
"Use it and then throw it away?"
"Ruan Yao, where is your heart?"
She lightly touched his chest with her fingertips, her smile as radiant as a flower:
"Here it is... mine, my spoils."
1. A scheming and seductive widow ×? (Guess who the male lead is!), the female lead is reborn for revenge, a satisfying and cathartic story of punishing the scum.
2. The female lead is not a kind person; she is an ambitious person. Moral guardians should not read this.
3. Female, not male, 1V1 in stages, the female lead only entangles innocent men.
For those interested, you can wait until it's fully released before reading further. The full text of "Princess Syndrome and Stockholm Syndrome [Reconciliation After a Broken Mirror]" is nearing completion. Next, I will be updating "Starting as a Widow, Rising to Power by Stepping on Peach Blossoms [1970s]" daily. Thank you.
Completed work: "Crossdressing Master, Save Me"
A cool, aloof, superpowered cross-dressing man meets an unlucky, innocent girl in distress; a story of mutual redemption.
Welcome to the show, thank you!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
