Shi Meng rarely listens to outside opinions about his work. Only when faced with such sincere "fans" does he realize what it feels like to be trusted and supported.
He somewhat enjoyed this rare, comfortable conversation, although he mostly listened and didn't speak. Wei Liangji, relieved that his worries had been confirmed, also relaxed, and the two discussed Shi Meng's early, somewhat immature works and his later, more melancholic style.
Wei Liangji said with a smile: "It is said that artistic creation is linked to mood and emotions. Mr. Shi's style has gradually become obscure and dark. I thought it was caused by family trivialities and daily life. But after meeting him today, I realized that Mr. Shi is so young. No wonder he can paint so purely."
This statement was both subtle and clear, almost explicitly stating the fact that Shi Meng had not yet been beaten down by life, and that he had ruined himself for the sake of a mere love.
Although the other person's words only contained praise and not disdain, Shi Meng couldn't help but follow the conversation and think about that place.
So during the ensuing conversation, he frequently drifted off into thought, and even Wei Liangji noticed that he was distracted.
True to his manners, Wei Liangji said, "If Mr. Shi has other matters to attend to, I shall take my leave now."
Shi Meng snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "I didn't... it's just that half an hour is almost up."
Thinking back to the crazy rant Fu Xuanliao made at the door a few days ago, Shi Meng couldn't help but be on guard.
Unexpectedly, when Wei Liangji heard that the young man guarding the door might cause trouble, he was first taken aback, and then he laughed.
It's a way that someone with experience tells young people how to handle relationships—an attitude that is both insightful and disapproving.
He did not comment on the matter, but suggested, "Now that you have escaped this place of trouble, Mr. Shi may try to let go and try to start a stable and healthy relationship."
Fortunately, before half an hour had passed, other people came to visit.
It was Pan Jiawei. He had returned early from outside to keep the appointment, and he didn't fully understand the situation. He only told Shi Meng roughly, "I just passed by the breakfast shop. It was robbed. Even the painting you drew for them is gone. The police want you to help with the investigation."
The incident happened suddenly, and Shi Meng rushed over.
Wei Liangji had to rush back to Fengcheng, so Shi Meng gave him a ride.
From the conversation between the two about the painting, Pan Jiawei gleaned important information. He returned to the breakfast shop and discussed it with the owner. They both agreed that the thief was after the painting.
"Losing several days' worth of revenue is a small matter, but losing the painting the artist commissioned is a real problem!" The usually amiable, round-faced proprietress looked distressed. "I should have kept the painting inside; I knew I shouldn't have hung it outside."
Even though the person involved said so, the police still asked for other details, such as whether they had seen any suspicious people in the vicinity recently, or whether they had any conflicts or feuds with others.
The proprietress thought carefully and said, "No, we only have regular customers from the neighborhood. We rarely see unfamiliar faces."
The neighbors who witnessed the incident also testified that the couple who ran the breakfast shop had been in business for over ten years and were very kind people. In addition, the neighbors on the whole street were as close as family, so how could they have a feud?
Just when the investigation reached a stalemate, Pan Jiawei suddenly interjected: "If we're talking about suspicious individuals, isn't there one right here?"
Following the direction of his finger, everyone saw Fu Xuanliao standing not far behind Shi Meng, like a guardian angel.
The proprietress waved her hand: "Oh no, this young man is a very nice guy. I'm too short to reach it before, and he helped me hang the painting up."
Some people around Fu Xuanliao looked familiar, but they couldn't help but be suspicious of this outsider who had suddenly barged in.
The police then took the advice of the onlookers and went up to ask Fu Xuanliao a few questions, including his name, where he came from, what he was doing there, and where he lived.
"From Maple City."
"Looking for someone."
"Live in your own car."
Fu Xuanliao's answer was simple and clear. When asked who he was looking for, he glanced at Shi Meng, then quickly looked away, as if afraid of causing him trouble, and said, "I'm looking for a very important person."
The onlookers began to whisper among themselves. It would be difficult for anyone to trust such a vague and unreliable outsider.
But judging from his clothes and manner of speaking, he didn't seem like someone who would steal.
Adhering to the principle of better to be wrong than to miss, the police continued their questioning: "Where were you two hours ago, at 12:30 pm?"
It was noon when the breakfast shop owner heard that her window had been smashed. She had been busy all morning and had only lain down for a few minutes when she hurriedly put on her clothes and rushed to the shop in the front yard, but she was too late; she hadn't even seen the thief.
Unfortunately, this spot is a bend in the road and a blind spot for surveillance cameras. The police just went to the community monitoring room, and the entire street was empty, but they didn't capture anything in this area.
Before Fu Xuanliao could answer, Shi Mengxian recalled that two and a half hours earlier, at noon, he was boiling water in the kitchen and saw Fu Xuanliao eating bread with a bottle of mineral water through the window.
Those instant breads don't taste particularly good, but they're convenient and time-saving; you can just open them and eat them.
Shi Meng could roughly guess why Fu Xuanliao chose this type of bread. He had said that he would use it to keep him company every Saturday from now on. So there was no way he would go anywhere else, not even for a minute.
However, apart from Shi Meng, no one can vouch for him on this matter.
Sure enough, Fu Xuanliao said, "I'm on the street."
When the police asked which street it was, Fu Xuanliao told them the name of the street where Shi Meng's family had come from, which was very close to the breakfast shop.
"What are you doing there?" the police officer continued.
"Waiting for someone."
"Waiting for whom?"
Almost simultaneously with Fu Xuanliao's "No comment," Shi Meng spoke up, "Maybe they're waiting for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Meng caught a glimpse of the almost joyful expression on Fu Xuanliao's face.
It's just a pity that this joy will soon be shattered.
Because Shi Meng had a bold idea in his mind, an idea that could achieve the same effect as calling the police, or even achieve more.
The police assumed he was trying to provide an alibi for Fu Xuanliao, so they turned to him and asked, "Were you with him at 12:30 pm?"
“No,” Shi Meng said. “I arranged to meet him at twelve o’clock, but something came up and I was late. He was no longer there at 12:30.”
He was mostly telling the truth. He saw Fu Xuanliao through the window at 12:00. By 12:30, Fu Xuanliao was already sitting at the dining table. He didn't know if Fu Xuanliao was still there.
So this isn't a lie, Shi Meng told himself. He was just returning the slander that had been leveled against him back then.
As he expected, Fu Xuanliao was shocked. He was stunned at first, then dark circles appeared in his eyes, and the smile that had just appeared faded, turning into an almost transparent pale white.
He looked at Shi Meng with a straight and open gaze, as if asking a question.
As for what to ask, that was a secret code known only to the two of them.
Amidst her rapid, trembling heartbeat, Shi Meng heard a voice in her ear saying: Yes, that's it, give it back to him, give all that pain back to him.
Falsely accused, branded as a painter who stole paintings, and subjected to all sorts of contempt and humiliation... If we were to explain all of this as a cruel twist of fate, it would be too easy. What exactly did he suffer?
Only then was Shi Meng truly aroused by a sense of pleasure in revenge.
He thought with almost glee, "If I treat you like this, if I take revenge on you, will you still think I'm a good person? Will you still be willing to do it?"
Didn't I say that I'd give you anything? Would you accept it if I made you go through what I went through back then?
"Mr. Fu, is that correct?"
As the police questioned him, Fu Xuanliao came to his senses, and with him, his breathing returned to normal. He held his breath for a long time, and only released it slowly after confirming with his eyes.
Only then did he realize how much harm his seemingly innocuous "misunderstanding" had caused Shi Meng.
Moreover, it was a long-term injury that affected both body and mind. How could one possibly empathize with someone and feel their pain in a few short days and nights?
The intense, sharp pain was mixed with an undeniable bitterness.
It turns out that Shi Meng had never taken what he did seriously, much less believed it.
Shi Meng only remembers that being with him was very painful, so she wanted to stay very far away from him. First, she tried to kill herself, but failed, and then she tried to drown him.
Their fate is either death or serious injury.
His breathing was accompanied by a slight tremor in his heart. Fu Xuanliao attributed this reaction to his inexperience with such a thing and the natural fear of the unknown.
He forced himself to look up and meet Shi Meng's gaze, making a final confirmation.
Do you want me to be like that?
When he saw Shi Meng's eyes tremble, it was a very brief moment, perhaps a wavering of resolve, or perhaps a pang of pity... These things were not important at the moment. In any case, Shi Meng did not shake his head or express any objection.
Fu Xuanliao looked away, then turned to the police officer and replied, "Yes, that's right."
If that's what you want me to be, then I'll be.
As long as you are happy, and you feel happy, that's enough.
Everyone was surprised, and a chorus of condemnation immediately arose.
"I never expected that someone who looks so decent would be a thief."
"I knew it, they're from out of town..."
"I saw he was driving a luxury car."
"It was stolen, probably. To cover their tracks, the license plate might even be fake."
How many years would you get for burglary?
...
After careful consideration, the suspect was temporarily identified. However, due to the large number of people around, the police asked Fu Xuanliao to return to the police station for further interrogation.
Before leaving, Fu Xuanliao asked the police for some time, as he had something to say.
When he walked toward Shi Meng, everyone who witnessed the whole thing thought he was going to get angry and jump up and down, or question and insult him. After all, he had just been identified by the testimony and must be in a terrible mood, and he looked fierce and menacing with a sullen face.
Pan Jiawei was startled and raised his arm to block Shi Meng as if facing a formidable enemy: "Don't do anything rash."
Pan Jiawei was easily pushed aside by Fu Xuanliao, who walked up to him. The push was so simple and brutal that it was almost a matter of course. Before Pan Jiawei could react, he was already standing in front of Shi Meng.
What happened next was completely wrong for everyone.
Fu Xuanliao stood about a foot away from Shi Meng. Under the watchful eyes of the police and passersby, he slowly took off his coat, shook it, spread it out, wrapped his arm around it, and placed it on Shi Meng's shoulder.
Fu Xuanliao was tall, and his overcoat looked very loose on Shi Meng. The collar of the coat was tightly wrapped around his slender, fair neck.
When your fingertip accidentally touches your skin, it feels like being pricked and burned.
In comparison, Fu Xuanliao's face was excessively cold and even somewhat chilling, as if all the blood in his body had been drained.
He didn't say anything warm like "It's cold, wear more clothes." Afraid of running out of time, he picked out the most important thing and said, "Please take good care of my baby for me."
Then he added, "I'm sorry, I always break my promises."
This is the second thing that needs an apology.
It won't happen again... if there is a future.
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