Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Exhibition Backstage.

Two men sat across from each other at a table, with staff helping to pour tea and bring refreshments.

Yu Yanxiang was a straightforward man; after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he cut to the chase:

"President Nan, I actually have a favor to ask. I hope you'll consider it."

Nan Liujing nodded and made a "please" gesture with his hand.

"It's actually about one of the artworks from Shen Gali's exhibition. I like it very much and hope to keep it for my personal collection. As for the collection fee, it's up to you."

Nan Liujing let out a faint laugh.

A piece of work that looked like a dog's breakfast could actually attract a connoisseur—truly rare occurrences in this day and age.

"I wonder which piece Principal Yu has taken a liking to, and what merits you see that have earned such high praise."

Yu Yanxiang gave a faint smile, rubbing his rough fingers together, appearing somewhat uneasy.

"To be honest with you, I once had a young son who passed away from illness at the age of five. He loved art dearly, often scribbling on the walls, which frequently earned him scoldings from me and my ex-wife. It wasn't until after he left that we realized we didn't have even one of his paintings left. That regret has stayed with us."

He sighed softly: "And Shen Gali's work looks a lot like something my late son would draw. It reminds me of him, so I hope President Nan will seriously consider it. As for the cost, that's negotiable."

Nan Liujing, who was also annoyed by these worthless pieces having no place to discard, was more than happy to let someone else save him the trouble. He said generously: "Which piece has Principal Yu taken a liking to?"

He was just about to say, "I'll have someone take it down and gift it to you. There's no need to pay—consider it a friendly gesture."

Yu Yanxiang's gaze turned resolute: "That piece titled *The One I Love Most*."

Nan Liujing's fingers moved slightly, and the polite smile beneath his mask gradually faded.

The one I love most...

Uncle Li said the person in that painting was him, Nan Liujing.

He gently rubbed the armrest of his wheelchair, his gaze falling to the floor. The "okay" that was about to slip out got caught in his throat, refusing to come out.

Yu Yanxiang was still holding his breath, waiting for an answer. When he saw Nan Liujing remain silent, he stressed again: "The fee is entirely negotiable."

Nan Liujing himself didn't know why a simple monosyllable got stuck in his throat. Every time he tried to force it out, it cut his throat, and he could only swallow it back.

Shen Gali's works, like the man himself, had a remarkable ability to ruin one's mood.

After what felt like nearly an eternity, Nan Liujing slowly took a deep breath, then put on a polite, distant smile again:

"I'm sorry, Principal Yu. This is proof of Gali's growth, and I don't think he'd want to part with it. All I can say is, I'm sorry."

A long silence followed, until Yu Yanxiang let out a bitter smile: "It's all right, I understand. I was too forward."

Nan Liujing, pushed by Uncle Li, saw Yu Yanxiang off. Just then, they noticed an artist they didn't recognize praising a piece titled *Butterfly*, claiming it had opened his eyes to what moving artwork truly was. He grabbed Shen Gali's hand and asked how much he would sell it for.

Shen Gali perked up at the mention of money. After a moment's thought, he slowly raised five fingers.

He wasn't ripping him off—fifty bucks would at least cover materials, plus a little extra for the effort.

The artist's eyes widened; he got so excited he started reaching for his wallet: "Five hundred thousand is a steal for me. How about I make it a million?!"

Shen Gali: ?

Nan Liujing: ?

Where did he get his glasses? They needed to know so they could steer clear of that place.

Seeing the artist excitedly about to call for the painting to be taken down, Nan Liujing interrupted him: "I'm sorry, it's a personal collection. Not for sale."

The artist froze: "Whose... personal collection?"

Nan Liujing said lowly: "Mine."

The artist left, disappointed.

Thinking that Principal Yu had a valid reason and the artist might have poor eyesight, Shen Lanqing just had to butt in.

"Brother, sell me all these paintings. I love them so much. Just name a price, and I'll have Mom send the money over."

One after another, people offered huge sums. The others, driven by herd mentality and afraid of missing out on some rare treasure, started bidding against each other. One shouted a hundred thousand, another directly went to eight hundred thousand.

The atmosphere buzzed with excitement. A painting that looked like an elementary schooler's stick figures had already been bid up to a ridiculous five million.

Shen Gali secretly thought that once they reached enough for an afterlife garden, he'd seal the deal.

He was thrilled. He just wondered if he could take a sneak peek inside early.

Watching the bidding crowd, Nan Liujing's fingers slowly tightened.

After a while, he called over Uncle Li and said coldly, "Notify the staff. End the exhibition. Close the venue immediately."

*

Shen Gali leaned against the car window, his mind full of the money that had grown wings and flown away.

Sure enough, the original antagonist's grudge against him was off the charts. Eight million had just grown legs and run away.

He let out a long sigh. His mood bottomed out.

Headache, toothache, sore throat—everything hurt.

Outside the car window, Shen Lanqing—with a visibly annoyed Nan Feiyao beside him—kept tapping the glass, his face lit up with a bright smile: "Brother, I'll text you. Make sure you reply, okay?"

As the car drove off, Shen Lanqing's smile vanished in an instant.

Nan Feiyao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He snatched Shen Lanqing's mask of a smile and put it on, his spirits lifted: "Lanqing, our date is starting for real."

Shen Lanqing walked straight ahead, not looking back: "Go on your date by yourself."

Nan Feiyao was stunned. He had never seen Shen Lanqing look so upset before. He didn't know what he had done wrong.

"What's wrong? Who upset you?"

Shen Lanqing stopped, his hands clenched into fists. He turned around, his brows sharply furrowed: "Why did you embarrass my brother in front of everyone? Are you picking on him?"

Nan Feiyao couldn't believe it: "You're getting upset over this?"

"Something like this?! Do you think this is a small matter?" Shen Lanqing's voice rose sharply. "If Principal Yu hadn't explained, do you have any idea what my brother would have gone through today? Everyone was ready to drop it, but you had to keep stoking the fire. What's your angle? What did my brother ever do to you?"

Nan Feiyao let out a laugh, finding Shen Lanqing's sudden anger completely baffling: "Your brother can only fool naive people like you. Do you think he's any good? He deliberately pushed you into the water and spread sexual rumors about you online, and you still defend him?"

"My brother is not that kind of person!" His furious roar made passersby turn and stare.

"He's not like that!" Shen Lanqing's eyes turned red, his clenched fists trembling slightly. "This is all a misunderstanding. If you continue to badmouth him, then let's never see each other again."

With that, Shen Lanqing left Nan Feiyao behind and walked away with decisive steps.

Nan Feiyao stared at his retreating figure, still unable to believe that the usually gentle and sensible Shen Lanqing would yell at him over a worthless piece of trash.

But what else could he do? He liked him, so he just had to coax him.

On the other side, in Nan Liujing's car.

Shen Gali leaned against the window, his face full of gloom, still brooding over his eight million.

Nan Liujing sat beside him, flipping through a financial magazine, and said casually, "Since everyone has praised your work, you should keep studying and aim to improve faster."

Shen Gali didn't want to talk. He was in a terrible mood. At times like this, he just wanted to sleep.

Not hearing any response from Shen Gali, Nan Liujing glanced over and saw that the man had already closed his eyes, hidden in the dim corner, making his skin look even paler, almost sickly.

But what was that gesture with his hand resting on his knee? His thumb and index finger were slightly spread, the other three fingers curled in—like he was making an...

Eight?

Just then, Uncle Li, who was driving in the front, suddenly called out softly, "Mr. Shen, we're about to pass the market. Do you want to buy tonight's ingredients, or should we head straight home?"

Shen Gali opened his eyes wearily, his voice barely a whisper: "Buy... I have to buy."

Without the grocery money he could secretly pocket, it would take him forever to save that eight million. By the time he saved enough, he'd probably be dead, only for the villain to wrap him in a straw mat, toss him in the back hills, where wild wolves would drag him out for a midnight snack.

This hurts... it hurts so much...

Nan Liujing kept his head down, flipping through the magazine without looking up. "I'll go with you today."

Let's see what tricks you're up to.

Shen Gali thought: Can we negotiate? Just let me be reborn straight into the chapter where I'm tortured to death by the villain.