Chapter 315 I Want All These Paintings
All of Li Luo's hatred and instinctive anger surged out of her body when she heard Chen Xin tell her that Mr. Chen would not live long.
She was stunned.
"Li Luo, go see him as an ordinary person. Don't be his daughter. He knows that he and mom have let you down. He also knows that you won't want anything from him.
He can't give you anything, but he gave you life. I also know that as a younger brother, I can't make up for it.
If you need anything, I will give you everything I have even if I sacrifice my life for it. I only ask you to go back with me to see Dad, and don’t let him die with regrets.”
Chen Xin's words were almost like a plea.
Shang Wanwan was still holding Li Luo's hand. She was so nervous that her palms were sweating, for she was afraid that Li Luo would say something hurtful.
Li Luo moved his lips, tears flowed before he said a word.
"Him, why?"
She wanted to ask Mr. Chen why this happened.
Chen Xin understood her thoughts and could see the relaxation in her expression.
“Depression becomes illness.
Without Mom, Dad's life would be meaningless."
He is telling the truth.
Chen Xin grew up with his parents, and he could see that his father loved his mother very much.
His mother had been sometimes smart and sometimes confused ever since he could remember.
My father knew the difference that others could not see.
Mrs. Chen's mind became uncontrollable after she lost her two daughters.
The reason why she didn't go crazy after all these years was because she felt that one day she would be able to find them and bring them back to her arms.
Shang Wanwan's death was undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back.
She survived for a long time, as she waited five years before committing suicide.
"Sister, I can't persuade you to let go of the past."
Shang Wanwan didn't know how to persuade Li Luo, as she knew all about Li Luo's tragic life.
If Shang Wanwan suffered any pain, it was probably only the psychological trauma caused to her by the women around Huo Dongming during the years she was married to him.
Her life had always been prosperous, and she had never suffered any worldly suffering, so she didn't dare to persuade Li Luo to give up everything and forgive.
Shang Wanwan choked up: "I beg you, too, to go see Dad. Just think of it as visiting an old man. He doesn't have much time left."
Li Luo's tears flowed down her cheeks continuously.
She finally compromised.
Her mother died without her ever seeing her, let alone calling her "Mom" once.
They are the ones who gave us life. Without them, there would be no Li Luo today.
She is unfortunate, but why isn't she happy?
"Okay. I'll go."
Chen Xin and Shang Wanwan both showed joy.
"But we have to wait until the exhibition is over tonight."
"Can."
Chen Xin agreed readily.
As long as Li Luo agrees to go see Mr. Chen, he can wait as long as he wants.
Shang Wanwan knew that Li Luo had introduced many friends over.
Shang Wanwan was very happy that she agreed to visit Mr. Chen.
She was also thinking about her own art exhibition.
Shang Wanwan wiped away her tears.
"Sister, let's go to the exhibition hall together."
The three siblings went to the front hall together.
Wu Zhengyang also brought his friends with him, and a group of people gradually dispersed in front of each painting, quietly appreciating them.
Many paintings were bought one after another.
Shang Wanwan tapped Li Luo lightly.
"You didn't deliberately encourage your friends to buy it, did you?"
Li Luo smiled and said, "Are you such a person without confidence? Don't worry, any of your paintings costs millions. Do I have the face to let people spend huge amounts of money on them? They must really like them before buying them.
The friends I can bring are all real celebrities in the art world, who have a deep understanding and recognition of art. No one will give me a friendly price just for my sake.”
Shang Wanwan thought about it and felt that what she said made sense.
Chen Xin also has friends who have seen the paintings of Ruan Linwan and Mrs. Chen, and they were all impressed by the brushstrokes and the profound meaning expressed in the paintings.
The three siblings were walking in the aisle of the exhibition hall when Wu Zhengyang came over, sweating profusely.
"Wan, Wan, come here quickly."
Shang Wanwan apologized to Li Luo and Chen Xin and asked them to go shopping first while she would come back after taking care of some things.
"Zhengyang, what's wrong?"
Wu Zhengyang looked very excited.
"Yes, someone has taken a fancy to nearly twenty paintings and wants to buy them all."
"What? Are you sure?"
Shang Wanwan was surprised.
Twenty or so?
"Yes. Come with me. They are looking for you to discuss this matter."
Shang Wanwan followed Wu Zhengyang to the exhibition hall. There was an old man who was nearly a hundred years old, wearing a sheepskin hat and holding a Panlong-shaped cane in his hand. He was calm and reserved, looking like an old scholar.
"Are you the author of these paintings?"
The old man had doubts in his eyes when he saw Shang Wanwan.
It seems hard to believe that such sophisticated brushstrokes came from the hands of a young woman.
"Part of it is mine, and part of it is my mother's."
Shang Wanwan said lightly.
The old man nodded and drew a circle in the air with his cane.
"I want all of these."
After saying this, the old man pointed to Mrs. Chen's painting of mother and daughter.
“I want this painting too.”
Shang Wanwan looked at her mother's favorite painting and shook her head.
"No. I won't sell this one."
The old man frowned.
"Not selling? I'll offer you double the price."
It was obvious that the old man liked what she said very much and really wanted to buy it.
He even took out his bank card.
"Tell me a price. I don't like bargaining. It's whatever you say."
Shang Wanwan was still shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, I really don't sell this. This was painted by my mother, who is no longer with us. I want to keep it as a commemoration."
The old man nodded and then told Shang Wanwan a story.
"I had a daughter before. She was beautiful and talented. But she fell in love with a poor boy, who cheated her away. My daughter never came back."
The old man paused here.
"Later, my daughter gave birth to twin girls. The poor boy couldn't afford to raise them, so he gave the children away. My daughter has been ill ever since.
I was angry that she didn't listen to me and ran off with another man. After more than 30 years, I finally found her and found out that she was gone. "
The old man was already in tears when he said this.
Shang Wanwan thought she was listening to a story at first, but the more she listened, the more she felt something was wrong.
The old man took off his sunglasses and wiped his tears.
Shang Wanwan looked at his face carefully and found that he had many similarities with Mrs. Chen in his eyebrows.
"Girl, you should have guessed who I am. I understand that you want to keep this painting as a souvenir.
I also ask you to understand that I am almost 100 years old and will soon be buried in the ground. I don't have many years left to live. I hope that there will be a painting that I can look at my poor daughter and express my longing for her while I am still alive. "
The old man stared at Shang Wanwan with burning eyes.
"You name a price."
Shang Wanwan understood.
This person and I, in fact——
Never mind, she wasn’t here to recognize her relatives, and the old lady had no intention of revealing anything, she was just very interested in the painting.
He had said so much, and it would be very unkind of him if Shang Wanwan still refused to sell the painting to him.
"Since you like me, there's no need to charge me. I'll consider this a gift to you."
The old man looked at her suspiciously.
"You're going to send me off?"
Shang Wanwan nodded.
"Yes, I give it to you. I also hope that you can keep it well. One day, it will return to me, right?"
The old man's lips moved slightly, but he didn't say a word for a long while.
"Let's load all these paintings into the car."
After speaking to his assistant, the old man took out his card.
"Swipe the card."