Chapter 333 Something Was Missing

Chapter 333 Something Was Missing

After Su Youyue spoke, Xie Yuan fell silent for a moment.

However, she continued to look at him, knowing that he would agree.

Sure enough, the man soon responded, "Alright."

The two of them proceeded towards the study.

At the door, Su Youyue instructed Chunya and Jin'er to wait outside.

Still holding hands, they walked to the bookshelf. Xie Yuan turned a slender-mouthed white jade vase in the corner, and after a moment, the secret entrance that Su Youyue had seen before opened once again.

The secret room was dark, and upon entering, everything was pitch black; she could see nothing but smelled an even stronger scent of ink than in the study.

Xie Yuan finally let go of her hand.

He took a few steps to the side, and shortly after, a spark of fire lit up, illuminating the lamp in the corner. Su Youyue finally saw her surroundings clearly.

Even though she had a slight premonition, when she saw the densely packed paintings hanging on all four walls of the secret room, her pupils couldn't help but tremble.

The secret room wasn't small, and there wasn't much inside except for the spacious area. However, three of the smooth walls were covered with countless paintings. One, two, three... countless paintings displayed vibrant colors, some adorned with gold powder that shimmered under the candlelight, making the entire secret room resemble a kaleidoscope of dazzling scenes.

Looking at the figures in each painting, Su Youyue's breath momentarily halted.

If any one of these paintings were viewed separately, she might think they depicted someone else, but when all the paintings were together, she immediately recognized herself, Su Youyue.

From her childhood to her present appearance...

Each painting was arranged in chronological order, starting from when she was a baby until recent memories.

Many of the early paintings showed her as a child, sometimes climbing trees, sometimes secretly taking off her shoes to play with fish in the stream, and sometimes hiding under a lotus leaf during the rain.

The later paintings showed her slightly older, but the scenes were less realistic and more idyllic.

Then came the time when she was eight years old, having grown taller but still a young girl, confident and spirited, sometimes archery, sometimes riding horses, and sometimes wielding a whip.

These scenes were numerous, and the style seemed to become more realistic again.

Then, the timeline seemed to jump forward again. The girl in the paintings had grown up, exuding the same confidence and pride as before, with a composed and proud demeanor. One of the paintings was the one Su Youyue had seen in Xie Yuan's study in her previous life.

The paintings on either side of this one did not depict real events from her life, and the style became more impressionistic again.

At this moment, she suddenly understood.

Some of these paintings depicted scenes that Xie Yuan had witnessed firsthand, while others were scenes he had imagined...

The painting that had caused their cold war was not of another woman at all; it was clearly Xie Yuan's imagination of her!

For a moment, the paintings before her eyes suddenly became blurry. Su Youyue blinked to hold back her tears, and her vision gradually cleared.

There were no words on the paintings, yet she could clearly see Xie Yuan's love for her.

Xie Yuan's love for her couldn't be fully expressed in just a few words.

It was beyond profound and indescribable.

In her previous life, she had used prejudice and pride as armor in front of him, always clashing with him, ending in discord.

At this moment, she stood before him completely unguarded, as if she had turned into a tender and gentle presence.

Xie Yuan had already lit all the candles on the bronze lamp stand, and under the warm glow, his rugged features softened.

Su Youyue walked over to him, her eyes moist and sweet as she gazed at him. After he put away the fire starter, her nimble and soft fingers once again tightly grasped his hand.

"These paintings are good, but they're missing something."

Xie Yuan looked down at her: "What does my dear want? I'll add it for you."

Su Youyue lifted his right hand and kissed his knuckles: "I want you by my side."

The man was slightly taken aback but then agreed, holding her hand firmly and soothing her: "Next time, I'll paint myself beside you, okay?"

Su Youyue's eyes were still wet, and after a while, she finally suppressed her sorrow and nodded: "Okay."

But when she turned around, she saw that there were also paintings on the wall of this secret room.

There weren't many paintings on this wall, but... each one was incredibly sensual. Some showed half-revealed shoulders, while others were even more explicit, rivaling the most vivid depictions of intimate scenes. No, they were even more vivid than any such scenes.

Before her marriage, her aunt had given her a book, but the illustrations inside paled in comparison to these, far less vivid than what she saw now.

Instantly, Su Youyue's face turned bright red.

She was even more shocked to find herself the subject of Xie Yuan's intimate paintings in his secret room...

"Xie Yuan!" Her previously soft voice now turned sharp and angry, though it still carried a hint of embarrassment, lacking any real threat.

These paintings were also scenes from his imagination, meaning he had been thinking about her like this for who knows how long...

Xie Yuan looked at the flustered girl and coughed lightly, trying to think of an explanation. But then he heard Su Youyue say fiercely:

"If you're going to draw them, why didn't you draw us together? That's not fair!"

The man turned to look at her, thoughtfully considering her question, and nodded: "Alright, next time I'll include both of us."

Hearing this, Su Youyue felt a bit more balanced inside.

But when she looked at the paintings on the wall again, memories of last night flashed through her mind. Afraid of what might happen if she stayed longer, she quickly pulled Xie Yuan out of the secret room.

She now had a delicate body that couldn’t keep up with her thoughts... After the events of last night, she still needed to rest and recuperate properly.

Thinking of this, Su Youyue quickly shifted her gaze and looked at each painting on the other three walls.

When she first met Xie Yuan, she was still too young and didn’t remember many things.

"Xie Yuan, is the old locust tree where I used to climb and pick flowers still there? Where was it again?"

"It’s in the alley behind the Su residence," Xie Yuan replied gently.

Su Youyue, however, was like a curious child: "Where did we meet for the first time? When was it?"

Hearing her endless questions, which showed a keen interest in their childhood, Xie Yuan gently rubbed her head, with a subtle glow in his eyes.

"Our first meeting..."

Xie Yuan’s voice was low and gentle, not like flowing water, but like golden sand slowly moving under the water in midsummer.

Their first meeting happened during the height of summer when she was just over four years old.