This painting, Throwing a Stone to Test the Water, will lead us to the answer...
Wen Zichuan and Pinot walked down one floor and came to the south-facing study on the second floor.
The furnishings in the room appear to be from the home style of the 2000s, with a good blend of simplicity and grandeur with warmth and elegance. Even after more than ten years, it does not look outdated.
On one side is a solid wood bookcase with clear glass, and on the shelves are photos of Qin Zhihan, Song Xiang and Pinot's family of three.
In the photo, Pinault has a high ponytail, wears a floral dress, and has a youthful and lively smile on his face; Song Xiang was in poor health in his later years and sat in a wheelchair. Even if he tried hard to smile, he couldn't hide his sickly face; Qin Zhihan, who was pushing the wheelchair, wore gold-rimmed glasses and had an elegant temperament. Although he was nearly sixty years old when the photo was taken, he still had a sharp gaze and did not look old at all.
"Father Qin had someone buy this house for me ten years ago. He knew I'd come back one day, so he reserved a place for me to stay." Pinot glanced across the bookcase. "This photo is the last one we took together."
Wen Zichuan looked at the photo again and discovered another detail.
Even though Song Xiang had been ill for a long time and his appearance and health were not as good as they used to be, Qin Zhihan, who was standing next to him, put his arm around his back and gently placed it on his shoulder. His movements were natural and intimate, and it was obvious that the two had a good relationship.
"Remember you said they were separated for thirty years?" Wen Zichuan thought of Pinot's unfinished script.
"Yes, they expressed their love to each other in their twenties, but Dad Song couldn't leave his parents behind. He only came to find Dad Qin after he had taken care of them until they passed away." Pinot said regretfully.
In his later years, Song Xiang not only had poor health, but also a very bad mental state. He was always tormented by deep guilt. Sometimes when he accidentally broke a tableware, he would say "I'm sorry" many times in a row, then kneel on the ground to clean it up carefully, but he would accidentally cut his hands.
Qin Zhihan took him to the hospital for psychological treatment. Song Xiang asked the doctor privately and learned that the medical fee was very high. He locked himself up as soon as he got home, refusing to see anyone or go anywhere.
Qin Zhihan was not short of money and did everything he could for him. In the end, he had no choice but to accompany and coax him, and hold Song Xiang's broken heart year after year.
Wen Zichuan withdrew his gaze. Somehow, every time he listened to the story of Song Xiang and Qin Zhihan, he felt as if he had been stung by a poisonous scorpion and felt unbearable pain and numbness.
If living and dying together can be considered a good ending, then what about the thirty years of separation before that?
Pinault opened the bookcase door, pulled open the drawer at the bottom, took out a silk brocade box and placed it on the desk. After opening the brocade box, she spread out the scroll painting inside and let Wen Zichuan see it.
"As you saw earlier, most of Qin's collections have been donated to the Dengyuan Museum. Those upstairs are all models, not artifacts, and won't fool an expert. Only this copy of 'Two Sheep in the Suburbs of Pu' by Qin's father is worth a try."
"Is there any story behind this painting?" Wen Zichuan asked.
"After 'Two Sheep in the Suburbs of Pu' leaked,' it reappeared at Sinodang. Coincidentally, at that time, Chinese paintings and calligraphy were booming at auction, and the collector of this painting commissioned a company..." It's been so long that Pinault can't quite recall the details. "A company called Destin organized an auction in Nanzhu. Qin's father bought the painting for 500 million yuan, and to avoid interviews, he used a fake identity."
Pinault said this lightly, as if he was just casually describing a certain episode in her life. These wealthy businessmen, with transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars, made Wen Zichuan feel extremely empty, suspended and unreal.
He wiped the sweat from his palms and asked, "Mr. Qin, do you particularly like this painting?"
Pinot nodded. "I didn't understand it at first, but when I returned to Dengyuan, I heard people say that 'Pu' is the name of a place in Dengyuan, and rams are often seen in pairs. I think Father Qin has his reasons."
"Did you also donate the original painting to the Lantern Museum?"
"Yes, but the original is a bit damaged and needs repair, so it probably won't be on display anytime soon."
Wen Zichuan looked down at the painting. Although the painting in front of him was copied by Qin Zhihan, the brushstrokes were delicate and soft.
He could almost imagine what kind of tenderness the writer had in mind to leave the picture of two rams embracing each other affectionately beside the trickling Pu River and on the dense and warm sandy bank.
Seeing him ponder, Pinot added, "Because Qin's father used a fake identity, no one knew the painting had returned to China. The Nanzhu auction at the time was a huge sensation. If he lived in Sinodang and worked in cultural relics, he couldn't have been unaware of this ancient painting worth 500 million yuan."
"You want him to reveal his identity?"
"It's better to let him speak for himself than for us to guess."
Wen Zichuan nodded. This was indeed a good idea. "What a pity. In order to deceive him, we have to sacrifice the painting left by Mr. Qin."
Pinault denied it, "Don't think that. Father Qin once said that finding lost cultural relics one by one is always difficult. If we start with a key figure, sometimes we have a greater chance. Wen Duo has been working at Sino for many years as an archaeologist, so he is definitely not an ordinary person. Let's try it out first and try to provide more clues to Sally. She will help us get to the bottom of the matter."
When leaving Tianchen Lake, Wei Xiaoming looked sleepy and Wen Zichuan patted him twice, telling him to cheer up and drive carefully.
"What treasure is it?" Wei Xiaoming turned the steering wheel while glancing at Wen Zichuan in the passenger seat. He saw that he was holding the brocade box with great care, sitting upright with a serious expression.
"A gift." Wen Zichuan didn't want Pinault to get involved too much, so he made up a sentence and said that he had asked his former colleague to help buy some things, and he would come to pick them up when he was free.
"Gift? What gift? Is it for me?" Wei Xiaoming's eyes lit up, and he wished he could write on his face "Teacher Wen and I are the best in the world."
"This is for President Wei," Wen Zichuan stroked the silk surface of the brocade box, "Thank him for giving me the opportunity."
"Tsk! Godfather helped you, so I didn't help you too? When we were on the set, I saved all the delicious food for you and took you to play with us. No one else remembered your birthday, but I still threw you a birthday party! You, you, you, you can't be so hypocritical! If Godfather has a gift, I have to have one too!"
Wen Zichuan's birthday was in February of the new year. He had just joined the crew and was a newcomer. Not only did the big and small stars in the crew not know him, it was a blessing that some of the snobbish ones didn't even look at him.
Wei Xiaoming held a birthday party for him. Although the conditions at the location were average, Wen Zichuan's subsequent filming went much more smoothly because of that attention.
"It's not that I don't want to give you a gift, I'm just afraid that you won't like what I choose." Wen Zichuan smiled. He was still sitting in Wei Xiaoming's luxury sports car. How could he win Young Master Wei's smile without something worth millions?
"How could it be—!" Wei Xiaoming deliberately stretched out his voice. "Zichuan, you have such a beautiful voice. How about this, if you have the chance, can you sing a song for me?"
Wen Zichuan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
A week later, when Wei Jing finished his work in the imperial capital and rushed to Dengyuan to organize a celebration banquet.
The banquet was held at the most luxurious hotel in the city. President Wei freely booked the top-floor banquet suite with the best view. Through the huge glass windows, he could take in the most prosperous scene of Dengyuan.
The people attending the banquet this time had a high degree of overlap with those at Heting Manor. The only difference was that Wen Zichuan was no longer the "prey" who knew nothing.
For example, Mr. Chen Juncai, who was rumored to be bisexual, had the audacity to take advantage of him secretly last time when he wasn't paying attention, but when they met again this time, he was much more well-behaved.
However, Mr. Chen was not only worried because he had signed with Xingyu Feiyu. After all, Shi Wenyao was still sitting in his arms, urging him to drink one glass after another, leaving him no time to care about anything else.
Wen Zichuan twirled the wine glass and glanced at Kim Ki-duk and Mu Qi at the other table.
Kim Ki-duk's face was pale and it was not obvious how much he had drunk. Mu Qi was pushed by him to toast everyone one by one. Not long after the meal started, she was holding her forehead and gasping for breath.
"Boss Jin, I toast to you." Wen Zichuan brought his cup over and changed from red to white. "Thank you for your cultivation and understanding."
"Cultivation" means choosing him to be a "voice actor idol", but when the project went bankrupt, they made full use of him and gave him to Wei Jing, who liked men; "consideration" means that the five million could be offset by the project, and half of the bright future of the second voice was bet on him.
Wen Zichuan's lips curled up, but there was no smile in his eyes.
President Jin stood up and clinked glasses with him, laughing happily twice: "There is still a long way to go. Let's help each other and win together."
Wen Zichuan raised his glass, drank it all, still smiling, and returned to his seat.
The seating arrangement for this celebration banquet was very particular. For example, at Mr. Wei's table, there were big bosses, producers, directors and two leading actors who were directly involved in the project investment; while at Mr. Jin's side, there were mainly several partners in the pan-entertainment sector who were engaged in the subsequent IP derivative research and development, publicity and operation.
Wen Zichuan also understood. The second time, he wanted to cling to Xingyu Feiyu's thigh, but he didn't do it completely. According to his observation and understanding, President Wei is not someone you can easily win over by "catering to his preferences" once.
After three rounds of drinks, those who couldn't drink much had already passed out. Several big bosses could drink quite well, but they just slowed down and chatted from time to time.
Wei Xiaoming was allowed to have a brief taste, and under the influence of alcohol, his "stage-crazy" personality was exposed.
When he was on the crew, he made friends with many actors. It was rare for them to get together again after the filming was completed. Now he was in high spirits and pulled out a microphone cord from somewhere, insisting on singing.
Wei Jing wanted to train him, but was afraid that he would feel embarrassed, so he simply let the actors present take turns to perform.
The accompanying actors had no idea what Mr. Wei was doing. They just saw so many big bosses present and thought that if they performed well today, they might get a new job tomorrow. So they didn't hold back and all rushed to order songs.
"This song 'Contentment' is dedicated to my good partner, Mr. Wen Zichuan! Thank you Mr. Wen for taking care of me. I am very content to have you by my side!"
Wei Xiaoming gave him a look, and Wen Zichuan took it and clapped his hands while listening to him sing.
Although his loud, hoarse voice was full of emotion and had no skills, it was at least sincere, so sincere that Wen Zichuan felt inexplicably guilty - Wei Xiaoming cared too much about him, and he always had some use for Wei Xiaoming.
"Boss Wei." After Wei Xiaoming finished singing, amidst the applause and the crowd, Wen Zichuan handed over the brocade box he had prepared long ago with both hands. "This is something I asked a friend to bring back from abroad. I hope you like it."
Wei Jing looked at the brocade box and then looked at him. His film remuneration had not yet arrived, and he had not imagined that Wen Zichuan could give him any decent gift at this juncture.
However, Wen Zichuan and Cheng Sizhou have a close relationship, so he cannot easily draw this conclusion.
"I accept it. You keep working hard." Wei Jing nodded and motioned Lan Qin to come over and receive the gift box.
"Don't worry, I will." Wen Zichuan seemed calm, but his heart was actually tightening. This painting would be a stone thrown into the lake, guiding them to follow the ripples and find the answers to everything.
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