Chapter 4 I Reject
Twenty minutes later, Lin Zhinian came out and Ye Xingzhou was already waiting for him in the car.
Lin Zhinian opened the car door and got in, apologizing first. Ye Xingzhou put down the half-read magazine and signaled the driver to set off.
"Come with me to Qingping Garden and have a simple meal with Mr. Chen."
Lin Zhinian was surprised for a moment, but quickly realized that Ye Xingzhou had got what he wanted. Eight million was exchanged for an admission ticket to Qingping Garden, which was a very good deal for him.
"What can I do?" he asked hesitantly.
Ye Xingzhou leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and rested, and said calmly: "Mr. Chen likes Western oil paintings very much, you just need to chat with him casually."
Lin Zhinian nodded: "Okay, I understand."
Lin Zhinian's eyes fell on Ye Xingzhou's face, and seeing the fatigue between his brows, he asked in a low voice: "Xingzhou, is your work very hard?"
Ye Xingzhou didn't open his eyes, and the only answer he got was a nonchalant "hmm".
Lin Zhinian thought of what happened earlier and tried to explain to him: "Mr. Qi came to the exhibition today on a whim. My second uncle wants to cooperate with Ronghua Capital recently. Qi Ronghua is famous for doting on his son. I don't want to offend him, lest our relationship become strained."
Ye Xingzhou just said, "It's up to you."
These two words without any emotion seem considerate but actually mean indifference.
Lin Zhinian was unwilling to give up, and continued, "Mr. Qi wanted to buy my award-winning painting, but I didn't agree. Xingzhou, I'll give the painting to you after the exhibition is over."
The words "I drew this for you" came to my lips but were never spoken.
Ye Xingzhou closed his eyes, his expression remained calm: "Thank you."
The conversation could no longer continue at this point. Seeing that Ye Xingzhou was not interested, Lin Zhinian could only give up. He turned his gaze to the outside of the car window, staring at the city streets that were rapidly receding, and was slightly stunned.
He and Ye Xingzhou had known each other for a long time. They went to the same international high school. Ye Xingzhou transferred to the school in the second semester of his senior year. Everyone knew that he had a disgraceful background. His brothers and classmates isolated and excluded him. At that time, Ye Xingzhou was even more indifferent than he is now. He kept to himself like a lone wolf, and he was the only one who had reached out to him.
At least at that time, there was warmth in Ye Xingzhou's eyes when he looked at him. When did it start to change, Lin Zhinian thought, maybe it was because when Ye Xingzhou asked him if he was willing to be together, he chose to retreat. He didn't dare to, he needed the protection of his family, and he couldn't give up those material things.
He has been studying and working abroad for more than ten years. Although the Lin family is no longer prosperous, he has obtained what he has always wanted, honor, fame, and dreams, but not Ye Xingzhou.
Lin Zhinian himself didn't know what his relationship with Ye Xingzhou was like now. Before returning to Huaicheng and seeing Ye Xingzhou again, he had imagined many possibilities, but none of them was like this. Ye Xingzhou did not hide his purpose of getting close to him at all, maybe to use him or to humiliate him. He could refuse, but he didn't want to.
Whether it is for the Lin family or for one's own selfish reasons.
After driving for forty minutes towards the north of the city, we entered a private estate nestled in the mountains and beside the water. This used to be a royal garden, but now it is a private sanatorium, a place that not even the rich could enter.
The Ye family was always successful in the business world in the past, and the connections behind them should not be underestimated, but that has nothing to do with Ye Xingzhou now. He just took over the company and can only rely on himself to build a new network of relationships.
He really felt that it was a good deal to exchange eight million for the chance to have a meal.
The car stopped in front of a small Chinese-style building, and a man who looked like a butler led people to welcome them in.
Old Chen was painting at the big table in the living room. The nearly seventy-year-old man was wearing a navy blue Tang suit. He was not tall, but stood upright, and his brush moved as fast as the wind, looking like a scholar.
This old man Chen was once a ruthless figure in both the political and business circles. Even Ye Xingzhou's deceased father had to call himself his younger brother in front of him.
Ye Xingzhou and the other man waited for a while. When Old Chen finished painting, he looked up as if he saw them and said with a smile, "I was so absorbed in painting that I didn't notice you came in. You don't have to stand there all the time. Sit down."
Ye Xingzhou presented the gift he brought, a box of Longjing tea. It was not a rare or expensive item, but it suited Old Chen's taste very well. He happily accepted it with a smile: "We are just here for a simple meal. No need to be so polite. I remember seeing you before. You were only a teenager at that time. Your father said that you had a steady personality, but you didn't like to talk much. At that time, I thought you had a promising future. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Ye Xingzhou said calmly: "My nephew should have come to visit you a long time ago, but there has never been a suitable opportunity before."
After a few pleasantries, Ye Xingzhou introduced Lin Zhinian next to him. Old Chen had also heard of his name. He said with interest: "Although I can only paint Chinese paintings, I am very interested in those Western paintings and have collected quite a few. I didn't expect to have the honor of meeting an expert here today."
Lin Zhinian quickly said, "Mr. Chen, you are too kind. I am just interested in this, and I am not an expert."
Mr. Chen waved his hand and said, "It's a good thing for young people to have abilities. There's no need to be so modest."
The topic after that kept revolving around the painting. Lin Zhinian chatted with Mr. Chen, and Ye Xingzhou occasionally added a word or two. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Near noon, the housekeeper came over to remind everyone that lunch was ready, but Mr. Chen showed no intention of moving away immediately. He continued talking, as if he was waiting for someone.
Twenty minutes later, someone finally arrived. Before he even showed up, he started talking: "Grandpa, why did you suddenly ask me to come over for dinner? You didn't even tell me in advance. The traffic was so congested."
They looked up and saw that the person who walked in while talking was Qi Xing.
Lin Zhinian looked surprised, and Ye Xingzhou frowned slightly, but soon his expression returned to normal.
Qi Xing raised his eyebrows when he saw them, walked over and sat next to Old Chen, and said casually: "If you had told us earlier that you were coming here, we would have come together."
Mr. Chen asked him, "Do you know each other?"
"Yes, I know him. I went to see Teacher Lin's exhibition this morning. And you already know about it, old man. I wanted to bid for the painting you donated, but it was snatched away by this Mr. Ye for eight million." Qi Xing emphasized the "eight million" as if he was intentionally mocking Ye Xingzhou.
Elder Chen smiled and said, "You two can be considered as getting to know each other after fighting. That's good."
He introduced Qi Xing to Ye Xingzhou and Lin Zhinian, saying that Qi Xing was his godson: "I saw that you are all young people and have a lot to talk about, so I called this kid over as well. It's just a simple meal anyway, and it will be more lively with more people."
Qi Xing glanced at Ye Xingzhou with a fake smile: "Yeah, I'm just afraid that someone will think that my coming here will ruin his business."
Lin Zhinian smiled and said, "It will be more lively with more people. It just so happens that I still owe Master Qi a meal."
Qi Xing just stared at Ye Xingzhou and asked in a long voice: "What did Master Ye say?"
Ye Xingzhou looked back at him calmly, and uttered two words from his thin lips: "Nice to meet you."
There was neither embarrassment nor confusion on his face. Although the relationship between Qi Xing and Old Chen was beyond his expectations, it did not affect him at all.
Qi Xing sneered in his heart. It was really unpleasant not to see the man's expression change.
Later at the dinner table, Mr. Chen continued to talk to Lin Zhinian about his exhibition. When he mentioned Lin Zhinian's award-winning work, Qi Xing said, "I like that painting very much, and I wanted to buy it from Mr. Lin, but it was a pity that Mr. Lin refused to give it up."
Because Mr. Chen was there, Lin Zhinian explained, "I was planning to give that painting to Xingzhou. Sorry."
"So it was meant to be given to Young Master Ye," Qi Xing said as if he had suddenly realized something. "No wonder."
Lin Zhinian nodded slightly uncomfortably.
Old Chen laughed and scolded Qi Xing: "You little rascal, stop joining in the fun. You don't understand painting at all. It would be a waste if you bought it. I originally thought it would be great if I could collect that painting."
Qi Xing retorted: "Old man, you didn't join in the fun either. It was Teacher Lin who gave the painting to Young Master Ye. You and I had no part in it."
Ye Xingzhou ignored him and calmly suggested to Mr. Chen: "If you like it, I can give the painting to you."
As soon as he said this, Lin Zhinian's expression changed slightly, but he quickly concealed it.
Old Chen smiled and said, "How can I do that? A gentleman does not take away what others like. If you are willing to give it to me, I would be embarrassed to accept it."
"My nephew doesn't know how to appreciate these things. It's fine to give the painting to someone who really knows the value of it. If you like it, you're welcome." Ye Xingzhou's tone was not flattering. It was really like a junior giving a gift to an elder that suited the other person's heart. After saying that, he turned around and asked Lin Zhinian considerately, "Do you think it's okay, Zhinian?"
Lin Zhinian raised his eyes and met his calm and steady gaze. He paused and said, "It is an honor for the younger generation to have my humble work collected by Mr. Chen."
Qi Xing, who was sitting opposite him, said "tsk", smiled and gave Chen Lao a thumbs up: "Old man, you are still very respectful."
Having said that, Mr. Chen no longer refused and happily accepted their kindness.
The meal was a great pleasure for both hosts and guests. Afterwards, they drank a pot of tea with Mr. Chen. Then, Mr. Chen enthusiastically took Lin Zhinian to appreciate the paintings in his collection. He also told Qi Xing and Ye Xingzhou that if they were not interested, they did not need to follow and could do as they pleased.
Ye Xingzhou went to the bathroom and when he came out he walked outside to the yard to get some fresh air and wait for Lin Zhinian.
Qi Xing was feeding the fish in the pond in the corridor of the courtyard. When he saw Ye Xingzhou coming out, he threw a handful of fish food into the water and spoke first: "Young Master Ye is so eager to flatter my grandfather, and he even brought Teacher Lin to please the old man. He really worked hard."
Ye Xingzhou didn't take his sarcasm seriously and lit a cigarette. Qi Xing sneered, "If you don't want to be kicked out by my uncle, you'd better not smoke in front of him."
Ye Xingzhou turned his gaze, put the cigarette in his mouth, and narrowed his eyes slightly. His eyes were dark, but the look behind the lenses was revealing. He looked at Qi Xing without any scruples.
Qi Xing was slightly unhappy. This man pretended to be gentle and refined in front of his elders, but now he looked like a hooligan with bad intentions.
He recalled how Ye Xingzhou had teased him in the art museum before, and felt uncomfortable all over.
"What are you looking at?"
Qi Xing raised his voice, his face angry.
Appears to be fierce but is actually weak.
These words flashed through Ye Xingzhou's mind, and he finally spoke: "Son of a nouveau riche?"
"Want to know about my relationship with the old man?" Qi Xing laughed angrily, "I won't tell you."
After he finished speaking, he changed his mind and walked up to Ye Xingzhou, deliberately getting in front of him to provoke him: "How about this, I see you don't care much about Teacher Lin anyway, you give him to me, I'll help you say good things in front of my godfather, and you don't have to work so hard to bid for paintings and give paintings away, my godfather may not even look at you with high regard."
They were too close, already beyond the safe distance, but Qi Xing himself didn't realize it.
Ye Xingzhou looked at him calmly, his eyes slowly moving across his face.
Qi Xing raised his eyebrows: "Think about it?"
After a while, Ye Xingzhou took a puff of cigarette, slowly blew it into his face, and said in an extremely subtle and dangerous tone: "I refuse."
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