“Kindergarten children’s bodies are still developing and are relatively soft and easy to train. Now that your bones and muscles are hard, it is easy to go astray when training them.”
Ye Jiajia originally wanted to put on the airs of a wealthy lady in front of Shi Wan, so that she could see clearly who was truly wealthy and who was worthy of the Lu family's reputation.
As a result, Shi Wan corrected him, leaving him speechless and forgetting what he was going to say.
"Look, these are gifts from others." After saying that, Ye Jiajia pointedly directed Shi Wan to look at the lively atmosphere in the hall.
"Don't force yourself into a circle you don't belong to. You'll only embarrass yourself and others as well," Lin Yue said sarcastically to Shi Wan.
"If it were me, I'd choose to cover my face and not show it." The voice rose an octave, drawing the attention of the young ladies around, who occasionally let out unpleasant sneers.
"Yes, I bet this young lady is here to crash the Ji family banquet and snag a rich husband, isn't she?"
"I think he only knows Ji Meng. He's just an ordinary person who came here to freeload."
"She's pretty and young, probably some CEO's mistress."
After speaking, the young women and socialites would glance at their husbands or elders, worried that their loved ones might have gotten involved with her.
"Hmph... If you're not of much substance to attend this kind of banquet, what would you bring as a gift? A crystal ball? Flowers? Heh..."
"The air is thick with the smell of poverty."
The onlookers pretended to smell something and lightly covered their noses.
Shi Wan ignored the jealous crowd around her and stood up gracefully. Her beautiful figure and demeanor were not affected by the sarcastic remarks. Not wanting to pay any more attention to the boring crowd, she turned around and bumped into a hard chest.
Lu Jingyan pursed his lips, staring intently at the women in front of him, his gloomy eyes filled with coldness.
"What are you? Get out! What does your Lin family have left to atone for your sins?" His tone was icy and completely flat.
Several women were frightened by Lu Jingyan's cold gaze and quickly moved to the side. Lin Yue, who had just been the first to be hit, was now hiding behind Ye Jiajia.
Ye Jiajia spoke first, her voice sweet and delicate, "Mr. Lu, I was just asking what Miss Shi planned to give to Aunt Ji, I didn't mean anything else."
"However, it seems that Miss Shi did not prepare anything. It's a pity. It's fortunate that Aunt Ji is so understanding."
After saying that, Ye Jiajia glanced at Shi Wan sarcastically. Shi Wan didn't say anything. Knowing Ye Jiajia's thoughts about Lu Jingyan, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and put her hands on Lu Jingyan's shoulders, whispering a few words in his ear. Then Lu Jingyan turned his head and asked the butler to go to Shi Wan's car to get something.
Shi Wan seemed to be deliberately retaliating against Lu Jingyan's behavior just now, whispering in Lu Jingyan's ear. Lu Jingyan was not swayed at all, and instead wrapped his arms around Shi Wan's slender waist.
This time, Shi Wan blushed. However, she hadn't dealt with the domineering young lady yet, so she couldn't lose face and could only let him hold her.
"Ms. Shi, would you like to open your gift now?"
"No need, I'll untie it later, thank you Uncle Li." The girl nodded sweetly to the old butler and took the box.
At this moment, after finishing entertaining her guests, Ji's mother walked over to Shi Wan. Shi Wan opened the exquisite and simple box, and from the outside of the box, it could be seen that it contained a painting or calligraphy.
Because Lu Jingyan was holding her waist, she looked up and said tactfully, "It's inconvenient to open like this, loosen your grip a little..." Lu Jingyan stared at Shi Wan's flushed face and her red lips that seemed to be dripping with moisture, and gently parted them, restraining the urge to kiss her.
A voice echoed in my heart: I can't wait any longer; I want to possess this little woman completely.
Lu Jingyan raised the corners of his mouth, his doting smile gentle and bright. He raised his hand to tuck the stray hairs that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear. "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Shi Wan blushed and didn't look at Lu Jingyan. She turned to Ji's mother and said softly, "Auntie, Mengmeng said that you have been looking for Master Wuwang's 'Autumn Departure.' This is Autumn Departure. There are also Spring Charm, Summer Cicada, and Winter Stillness. I thought that since it is a collection of four seasons, none of them can be missing, so I will give you all four of them as a way of thanking Mengmeng for taking care of me all these years."
Master Wuwang has been in seclusion in recent years, and people of all status and position who go to him for paintings generally return empty-handed.
A painting of autumn departure had already caused Ji's mother to be turned away despite searching all her connections in the capital. Ji's mother gently stroked the painting with joy, as if it were a treasure, and her eyes gradually reddened.
"Master Wuwang is said to be living abroad. How could she have obtained the Four Seasons series of paintings? It must be fake." At this moment, a questioning voice came.
"Yes, Madam Ji has been searching for many years without success. Is this young girl even more capable than the Ji family?"
“These days, there are plenty of tricks to make fakes look real.” Some people have begun to voice their doubts.
On the one hand, they had never seen this unfamiliar girl in the high society circles of Kyoto, the Imperial Capital, and even the new capital.
Secondly, in their eyes, Shi Wan was nothing more than a pretty, decorative girl; no one would associate her with a master of ink painting.
"Just because our Ji family couldn't find it doesn't mean that what others gave us was fake." Ji Meng rolled her eyes dramatically.
"If you're so capable, go find a fake one and take a look!" The rich ladies in front of him were speechless with embarrassment.
"No...no, this is a genuine work by the master." Madam Ji gently stroked the inconspicuous corner in the lower right corner with her hand.
"This happened when Ji Chu's father was communicating with Master Wuwang. Ji Chu was being naughty and smeared the tip of the leaf with black ink. Fortunately, his father stopped him in time."
“Back then, Master Wuwang did not blame Ji Chu. He even asked Ji Chu’s father to complete the remaining autumn leaves. The color of the tail of this fallen leaf is darker than the others. This cannot be faked.”
Although there was a minor hiccup, the Ji family's father and mother requested the painting from Master Wuwang, but because they had promised to give the painting to other friends beforehand, they did not receive it.
Later, when Ji's father passed away, he still couldn't forget the painting, but Master Wuwang retired and no longer saw anyone who wanted the painting.
"Wanwan, good child, you've helped your aunt and uncle fulfill a wish." She wiped her wet eyes after saying that.
After it was confirmed that the Autumn Departure Painting was genuine, the atmosphere in the banquet hall suddenly shifted, something neither Ye Jiajia nor Lin Yue had anticipated.
People started approaching Shi Wan and talking to her, showing more respect than before when they were dismissive of her.
"Miss Shi, is Master Wuwang planning to hold an art exhibition soon?" "Miss Shi, my father also has a great interest in Master Wuwang's paintings..."
Shi Wan was immediately surrounded, but fortunately, Lu Jingyan hadn't lowered his hand since then. He swept his cold gaze over the people who came forward to flatter him, his tightly pursed lips revealing his displeasure.
"Miss Wu Nian, is there something you don't know about us?" He whispered in Shi Wan's ear, and Shi Wan's ears turned red again, much to her dismay.
"You?! How do you know? How do you know I'm Shi Nian?!" Ignoring her burning ears, she looked up at Lu Jingyan. Her eyes were sparkling, cute with a hint of confusion. Looking at Shi Wan's cute and confused appearance, a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.
"Enough, enough, Lu Gou, shouldn't you let go?" Chu Ningxuan stared intently at Lu Jingyan's restless hands.
"My little sister Shi Wan is so innocent, kind and lovely, how could you, an old cow, want to eat young grass!"
"Right, Xiao Shiwan!" he said, winking at Shiwan.
"The more I look at you, the more familiar I feel with you. The red mole on your nose looks a lot like my aunt. One day, Brother Chu will take you to meet my family. They will definitely like you too."
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