Chapter 41: The Innocent Landlord and the Black Tenant 09 The commissioned repair...
The classical oil painting that was commissioned for restoration was specially delivered to the Ye family mansion.
This is a portrait of a noble lady in gorgeous court attire. There are large cracks and peelings on the face and arms, and the colors are dull, making restoration extremely difficult.
Ye Ling's golden hair was messed up like a bird's nest, her face was stained with several smears of oil paint, and her apron was even more colorful.
He bit the end of his paintbrush, feeling that his artistic career had suffered a huge setback before it had even officially begun.
"Oh... this damn transition layer..." he muttered to himself in distress.
Meanwhile, in the basement.
On the laptop screen in front of Shao Ye, one of the split images was the top-floor studio.
Under the high-definition camera, Ye Ling's appearance of scratching his head and sighing at the canvas was clearly visible.
He saw Ye Ling stand up anxiously, turn around a few times, and finally take out a pack of honey biscuits. After taking two bites, he returned to his focused work state.
Combined with his enthusiasm for chocolate cake in the restaurant before... Shao Ye understood.
"Honey grapefruit tea... should be good?" He muttered to himself, turned off the surveillance screen, stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
Shao Ye found the best honey and plump pomelo, and patiently cut the pomelo peel into fine strips. He also deliberately added a spoonful more honey than the recipe said.
“Ding Dong——”
In the studio, Ye Ling was startled by the doorbell. She hurriedly answered the video doorbell and Shen Yuqiu's handsome and gentle face appeared on the screen.
"Mr. Ye? Good afternoon." Shen Yuqiu's voice came through the speaker with a gentle smile on his face. "Are you restoring that painting? I happen to have some information on the restoration of 17th-century paintings, and I thought I might be able to help, so I took the liberty of coming over."
Ye Ling quickly let him into the mansion. Soon, the studio door opened from the outside, and Shen Yuqiu walked in. He was wearing a simple beige sweater and khaki pants, looking clean and refreshing. He also held a thick folder in his hand.
"Mr. Ye, excuse me." Shen Yuqiu stood at the door with a polite attitude.
"I'm currently preparing a paper on 17th-century Flemish oil painting techniques. Since you're currently restoring that painting, perhaps... this information could be of some help to you?"
Ye Ling wiped her hands on her apron and went forward excitedly: "Really? That's great! Classmate Su, you really come to my rescue! Please come in, please come in!"
Seeing Ye Ling's instantly radiant look, the remaining guilt in Shen Yuqiu's heart finally dissipated, and he walked into the studio with a smile.
The sunlight came through the window, casting a warm glow on the two of them.
Shen Yuqiu has a solid foundation himself, and he explains those obscure techniques and historical backgrounds in a simple and easy-to-understand way, as if he is telling a fascinating story.
"Look here..."
Ye Ling listened attentively and nodded continuously.
"Student Chen! You're amazing!" Ye Ling's voice was filled with joy. "I'm stuck on the ratio and number of times to layer the transparent resin! I tried several times but the gloss wasn't right. But if I do it the way you said..."
He danced and gestured, and his light golden hair danced in the sunlight.
Shen Yuqiu was also infected by his happiness. Looking at his shining eyes, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Mr. Ye, you are too kind. You are the real master of practice, and I am just talking on paper. It is my honor to be able to help you a little."
The two were immersed in a professional artistic discussion. The sunlight, the scent of turpentine, and the rustling of paper formed a harmonious and intellectually beautiful picture.
And at the door of this harmonious picture, a silent and cold figure stood quietly at some point.
Shao Ye stood quietly at the door of the studio, holding a cup of freshly brewed honey pomelo tea.
He had come up with the intention of "seeking credit", wanting to see Ye Ling's surprised expression when she drank the tea he specially prepared, but he was caught off guard by this dazzling scene in front of him.
He saw Shen Yuqiu leaning so close to Ye Ling, as close as a close lover. He saw the undisguised admiration and adoration on Shen Yuqiu's face. And the most dazzling thing was the bright, relaxed smile on Ye Ling's face.
Ye Ling talked to Shen Yuqiu with a light in her eyes, and she was bathed in a kind of happiness that Shao Ye could neither understand nor touch.
The tacit understanding and joy between them were like an invisible wall, once again firmly isolating Shao Ye, an outsider.
His fingers holding the warm teacup tightened unconsciously, and the heat from the cup wall was as hot as an iron.
His eyes were fixed on Ye Ling's dazzling smile, and then moved to Shen Yuqiu's posture as he approached Ye Ling.
My chest felt like it was blocked by something, and I felt stuffy and uneasy.
This feeling was both strange and familiar, like some rare virus that was madly spreading towards his prideful rationality...
In the studio, Ye Ling excitedly picked up a sable brush and dipped it in the transparent resin that had just been prepared according to Shen Yuqiu's suggestion: "Look, classmate Shen! Just lightly adding color like this, doesn't it feel alive..."
“Snap!”
There was a sharp cracking sound, like thunder.
The two people who were immersed in the world of art were frightened and turned their heads to look at the door.
Shao Ye stood there expressionlessly, his feet a shattered white porcelain teacup and a pool of steaming, golden honey pomelo tea. Glass shards and water stains were everywhere.
"...I'm sorry, Mr. Ye." Shao Ye's voice was calm, as if he hadn't been the one to break the cup. His eyes were fixed on Ye Ling's face, and he ignored the mess at his feet. "My hand slipped."
[Beep—Warning! Warning!] 778's electronic tone sounded an alarm in Ye Ling's mind. [Detected intense emotional fluctuations in the protagonist, Shao Ye! Analysis suggests this may be due to the intense possessiveness triggered by the host's interaction with the protagonist, Chen Yuqiu! Shura Field Alert!]
Ye Ling: “!”
He was completely stunned.
Jealous? Because he discussed painting with Shen Yuqiu?
"I didn't mean to do that..." Ye Ling muttered softly, "And I didn't even touch Shen Yuqiu. Isn't his possessiveness too strong..."
"Oh right... the floor." Ye Ling looked at the puddle of water that was still steaming. "I'll go get a towel and a broom!"
"No need to trouble Mr. Ye." Shao Ye's voice sounded again, "It was my fault. How could I trouble you to do such rough work yourself?"
Ye Ling stopped in her tracks, belatedly remembering that she was a wealthy, pampered, artist landlord who had never had to deal with household chores. Her image nearly collapsed.
The moment he hesitated, Shao Ye had already moved.
Shao Ye was used to doing this kind of work. He bent down skillfully and planned to pick up the larger glass fragments with his bare hands.
"Student Shao Ye! Be careful with your hands!" Shen Yuqiu couldn't help but remind him.
Shao Ye seemed not to hear and picked up the broken glass piece by piece. His lowered neck was just under Ye Ling's eyes, showing a smooth and graceful line.
His movements were quite large, and the already loose collar of his T-shirt opened even wider as he bent over, revealing his obvious collarbone and even... a small area of his white chest.
With every stretch of his hand and every bend of his waist, the shadow would rise and fall, appearing and disappearing under his open collar.
Ye Ling was standing right in front of him. The angle and timing were too coincidental for him to ignore.
While Ye Ling was worried about the broken glass, she couldn't help but be attracted by the swaying shadow.
Now, the discussion about the painting could not continue. He was still uneasy and his eyes kept glancing at Shao Ye who was kneeling on the ground...especially at the wide collar.
Now that someone had cleaned up the mess, Shen Yuqiu turned to pick up the information book on the table and opened his mouth, as if he was about to say some professional knowledge.
"leaf……"
"hiss……"
A clear gasp sounded at the same time, and the deliberately suppressed breath sound was more noticeable than Shen Yuqiu's clear pronunciation.
Ye Ling immediately became nervous and stared at Shao Ye even more closely.
Shao Ye, who was kneeling, frowned slightly, did not cry out in pain, but just raised his left hand silently.
There was a cut on the tip of the slender and clean index finger caused by a sharp piece of glass, and bright red blood was oozing out rapidly.
"Shao Ye!" Ye Ling exclaimed, no longer caring about his character. He squatted down and grabbed his injured wrist, "You're bleeding! Stop it! I'll go get the medicine box--"
Ye Ling decisively abandoned Shen Yuqiu and chose herself.
The jealousy and gloom surging in the depths of Shao Ye's eyes were instantly replaced by a sense of satisfaction of success.
He let Ye Ling hold his wrist, feeling the slight trembling and warmth from the other's fingertips, his eyelashes drooping, his forbearance seemed a little pitiful.
"It's just a minor injury, no big deal." As he said that, his fingers inadvertently curled up in Ye Ling's palm, just rubbing against the warm and delicate palm.
Shen Yuqiu hesitated to speak, and could only watch this heartwarming scene—
Ye Ling grabbed Shao Ye's hand with eyes full of heartache, and Shao Ye lowered his head and let him hold it. That little wound seemed to have become a huge matter between the two of them.
The information he brought with him seemed so redundant.
"...Mr. Ye," Shen Yuqiu said with a polite smile, "Student Shao Ye's hand needs to be treated. I think you've almost finished reading the information. I'll go back and sort out the specific details and send them to your email. I won't bother you any more today."
"Ah? Classmate Shen, are you leaving now? I..." Ye Ling was still holding Shao Ye's hand. She looked at Shen Yuqiu, then at Shao Ye's bleeding fingers. She was in a dilemma and looked guilty.
"It's okay, you take care of Shao Ye first." Shen Yuqiu said considerately, nodded to Ye Ling, glanced at Shao Ye who still had his head down, then turned and left the studio.
The door was closed gently.
Suddenly, only two people were left in the studio, along with a mess on the floor and the faint aroma of grapefruit tea.
Ye Ling was still squatting beside Shao Ye, holding his injured finger: "Does it hurt? I'll get the medicine box to disinfect..."
Shao Ye then slowly raised his head. He had no expression on his face as he let Ye Ling hold his hand, his gaze gravely returning to those hazelnut eyes filled with worry.
"I'll go get the medicine box! Don't move!" Ye Ling stood up resolutely.
"Well, thank you, Teacher Ye." Shao Ye lowered his head slightly, still maintaining that respectful yet somewhat distant attitude.
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The author has something to say: Pomelo tea has turned over, and so has the dark green tea.
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