Chapter 16 Beautiful clothes should be worn by beautiful people...
On Friday, I was happy to receive a message from Ji Nian, saying that Mr. Shixu was not very willing to cooperate and the cover issue was likely to be cancelled.
Gao Xing had brought it up on impulse, but after hearing it, he felt incredibly sorry for Ji Nian. He said, "It's okay. I have no problem with the cover. You can arrange it."
Ji Nian felt bad for having messed up the first thing she'd done for her "daughter." She remembered that tomorrow was Xinghai Media's 20th anniversary celebration, and an author had suddenly said they couldn't come. So she cordially invited her, saying, "By the way, Xinghai is having their 20th anniversary celebration this Saturday at the Mingjing Lake Hotel. Many industry leaders will be there. I think you live nearby. Are you free?"
Gao Xing was a little hesitant. She was just an insignificant little author. Was it appropriate for her to attend an occasion like the 20th anniversary celebration?
Ji Nian didn't notice her hesitation and continued, "I heard from a colleague that there's a special raffle this year. The prize is a car that Guanya just released last month, worth tens of thousands! People from Xingchuan will also be there. They're Xinghai's IP incubator, so we can chat more then!"
Gao Xing didn't dare to dream about winning a lottery or anything like that, because luck had never been her thing. The only good luck she had in her life was the right to live in Mingjing Lake Resort for a year, and she also encountered the overlap of time and space.
However, if the copyright can be sold, there might be some income. Even if it cannot be sold, it would be good to communicate with other authors.
"Thank you, I will be there on time," she finally replied.
At the same time, downstairs in the inpatient building of Ruixi Hospital, Zhou Jinkai found a black SUV parked on the side of the road, opened the door and got in.
“Surprise!”
With a crisp "pop" sound, colorful ribbons exploded on his head. Zhou Jinkai seemed like Tang Monk who accidentally entered the Spider Cave and was entangled in a "spider web" on his head.
Zhou Jinkai: “…”
Seeing that he didn't react, Qian Chuan exaggeratedly covered his chest and said, "I carefully prepared a surprise for you to be discharged from the hospital, and this is your reaction? How can people with a temperature of 36 degrees Celsius be so cold?"
"I think," Zhou Jinkai said, picking off the ribbon expressionlessly, "you need to see a doctor more than I do."
While tidying up, he caught a glimpse of a document bag on the back seat. When he opened it, it seemed to be an invitation for cooperation.
"What is this?" Zhou Jin asked.
Qian Chuan turned around as he started the car and glanced back. "This is really interesting. Can you believe it? Someone actually asked you to draw the cover of a romance novel! Forget about that, but guess how much they're asking?"
Zhou Jinkai glanced at the title of the work and the author, whom he had never heard of. He turned to the next page, where the budget amount was written.
"3000!" Qian Chuan said exaggeratedly, "I thought there were two missing '0's!"
Zhou Jinkai was not interested, so he put it aside and asked about the business: "Have you done what I told you last time?"
Speaking of this, Qian Chuan immediately stopped joking and turned serious. "Prism's auction next year is only open to V9 members and above. I guess it's hard to get an invitation."
It's not just difficult to do, it's extremely tricky.
As the leader in the domestic auction industry, there are not many people who can meet the membership standards of Prism V9 or above. Apart from those big guys who are not in the country for a long time or are elusive, there are even fewer who can give them the opportunity to climb up.
"Is it worth it?" Qian Chuan suddenly said seriously, "Have you ever thought that you might ruin yourself by doing this? After all, he is you..."
He paused and finally swallowed his words.
Zhou Jinkai said nothing, just sat quietly in the leather seat at the back of the car. The light outside the window flickered, reflecting the sharpness that was faintly visible in his eyes.
He may regret it, but he will definitely regret not doing it earlier.
Ugliness is a cancer festering in the body. No amount of bright and beautiful makeup can cover up the foul smell. Sinners should be nailed to the pillar of shame and endure the world's curses for eternity!
In the shadows, the veins on the back of Zhou Jinkai's hands bulged like a poisonous snake ready to strike.
…
The next night, Gao Xing dressed up early and prepared to attend the 20th anniversary celebration of Xinghai Media.
When he was about to go out with his canvas bag on his shoulder, Shen Xingjian happened to come out of the room holding his computer. Seeing Gao Xing dressed so youthfully, he blurted out, "Why are you playing tennis at this time?"
Gao Xing was originally in a good mood, but after hearing his words, she choked up and glanced down at her only dress: "It looks like... I'm going to play tennis?"
Shen Xingjian didn’t quite understand what she meant, and asked sincerely, “Aren’t you wearing tennis clothes?”
Well, it’s tennis clothes, PXX, 35 yuan a set, and I was forced to buy them when I was a freshman in college because my class was participating in the sports meet.
The corners of his happy mouth drooped suddenly.
"Aren't you going to play tennis?" Shen Xingjian asked without any expression, just like all the ignorant straight men in the world.
"The editor asked me to attend the publishing house's 20th anniversary celebration." Gao Xing explained dejectedly.
Editor? Shen Xingjian remembered that she seemed to have a side job.
"Are you planning to go like this?" Shen Xingjian was incredulous, his surprised expression even a little bit mean.
"I don't plan that now." Gao Xing turned around and was about to go upstairs.
During the time they lived together, Shen Xingjian had already fully understood Gao Xing's sloppy life. He knew without thinking that even if she went upstairs to change, she couldn't get a better one than this one.
Shen Xingjian didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business, but thinking of her accidental comfort a few days ago, he finally turned his wheelchair and said, “Wait.”
He returned to his room and took out a key: "Second floor, west side..."
He paused and continued, "There's a mahogany wardrobe in the west room on the second floor. Inside are my mother's old clothes. I have someone clean them regularly every year. If you don't mind... you can choose one."
On Gao Xing's first day here, Shen Xingjian had specifically emphasized to her that she was not allowed to enter the room on the west side of the second floor. Although she was curious at the time, she thought less trouble was better than more trouble, so she never asked. It turned out that it was his parents' room.
Although Shen Xingjian never mentioned it, she could roughly guess that he probably had no relatives, otherwise he would not live alone.
Hearing this, Gao Xing stopped and turned her gaze from the key in his hand to that handsome, thin face. She asked cautiously, "Really... is it okay?"
The reason why Shen Xingjian hesitated just now was because some people would be taboo, but Gao Xing obviously didn’t have this idea. He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: “Just don’t break it for me.”
Soft light shone down as the electricity was connected, and in the room, dust floated quietly in the light.
Gao Xing originally thought that this room would be somewhat dusty like the guest room to the east, but after entering, he found that the entire room was clean and tidy. Apart from the furniture covered with dust cloth, it did not look like it had been uninhabited for a long time.
Her eyes were quickly drawn to a photo on the wall. It was a family portrait: a young couple with a little boy of two or three years old sitting between them. The man was tall and graceful, with his warm hand on his wife's shoulder. The woman had curved eyebrows and smiled gently while holding the child in her arms.
This is... Shen Xingjian's parents?
Gao Xing walked over, her eyes tracing over their similar features, and she suddenly understood where the kindness he sometimes displayed came from.
When the mahogany wardrobe was opened, there was a faint scent of detergent. Each piece of clothing was carefully wrapped in a dust bag and hung neatly.
Her happy fingertips skimmed over the fabrics, finally stopping on a black skirt - the simplest style, but with fine stitching and small floral letters embroidered on the lining.
Gao Xing had gained a little weight recently and was no longer as thin as before, but the skirt was still a little too big for her. So when she changed and came downstairs, she was so uncomfortable that even her steps were awkward.
When Shen Xingjian saw her, his first reaction was to frown. He remembered that his mother had many beautiful floral dresses, so why did she choose this old-fashioned one?
But when Gao Xing approached and saw that her unmade-up face looked even more plain against the pure black, he suddenly understood why people always said that youth is invincible.
The girl standing on the stairs at this moment is as fresh as a newly sprouted bamboo. The black skirt makes her body look particularly slender, and a beautiful aura emanates from every inch of her skin.
"Isn't it a bit strange?" Gao Xing asked him unconfidently.
Shen Xingjian came back to his senses and tilted his head slightly unnaturally: "It's...it's okay."
Hearing his reluctant answer, Gao Xing knew that he must look very funny now. He was about to say forget it, but he saw Shen Xingjian's eyes evading, and suddenly said impatiently: "Didn't you say you were going to be late? Why don't you leave? Do you want everyone to wait for you?"
Gao Xing looked up at the time and saw that it was indeed about to start, so he didn't bother to think about it. He picked up his phone, told him a few words that he might be back late, and ran away.
After she left, Shen Xingjian dared to breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had escaped a disaster and was relieved.
After many years, when he saw the skirt again, he thought he would feel nostalgic and sad, but unexpectedly, he didn't.
Gao Xing was nothing like his mother, or even completely different. In his memory, his mother always wore this dress with her hair in an elegant bun and her pearl earrings dangling gently on her cheeks.
When he was a child, his mother often said when she was shopping: "Clothes have to be worn by someone." He didn't understand it at that time, but now he seems to understand it.
Beautiful clothes should be worn by beautiful people.
Shen Xingjian didn’t realize that the corners of his mouth slightly raised when he recalled this scene.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Sing: It’s the heartbeat, quietly avoiding the gaze! [Red Heart]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
