parentshiftbook Chapter 111 You actually coveted my talent
Chapter 111 You actually coveted my talent
Chapter 111 You actually coveted my talent
The three of them sat at the table and exchanged a few pleasantries and casual conversations.
After a moment, Qin Chuan spoke up and asked, "Young Master Zheng, what is the purpose of your request to see me?"
Zheng Ding glanced at Liu Rushi, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.
Liu Rushi sat upright, her expression behind the veil obscuring her face, but her foxy eyes revealed a sense of composure. She showed no intention of getting up to leave, nor of interrupting to inquire, simply sitting quietly like a decoration in the room.
Zheng Ding thought for a moment and considered it in his mind. Lian Niang only said that Xiao Xiaosheng should see the painting, but she didn't say that other people shouldn't be present.
She said at the time, "We must make sure that Xiaoxiaosheng sees it with his own eyes," without explaining anything else.
Since it wasn't said that no one else was allowed to be present, there shouldn't be any problem with taking it out myself.
Besides, Liu Rushi was a guest invited by Xiaoxiaosheng. She was sitting there and wouldn't leave, so he couldn't very well ask her to leave.
Having thought of this, Zheng Ding no longer hesitated.
He reached into his robes and carefully took out the scroll, his movements as solemn as if he were holding some rare treasure.
The scroll was no bigger than the palm of my hand, wrapped in brocade and tied with a red string.
He placed the scroll on the table and gently pushed it in front of Qin Chuan, gesturing for Qin Chuan to open it.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan did not reach out to take it. His gaze fell on the scroll, and then he looked up at Zheng Ding: "Young Master Zheng brought the painting, so please open it yourself. I am a painter, and I have my own rules. I don't touch paintings that I didn't paint."
He said this to deceive Zheng Ding, who knew where the painting Zheng Ding brought came from?
If you reach out to take it, and something happens, that would be bad.
It's better to let Zheng Ding open it himself; he can just look but not touch it, it's safer that way.
Zheng Ding paused for a moment, then nodded without pressuring him.
He took the scroll back, untied the red string, then held both ends of the scroll with both hands and slowly unfurled it. The figure of a woman holding an oil-paper umbrella appeared, her body turned to the side, her face obscured.
Just as the figure appeared, Liu Rushi also sensed a faint, chilling aura. She lowered her eyes, her small mouth under her veil slightly opened, and she exhaled silently. A gentle breeze escaped from her lips, without a sound, color, or smell, and drifted away towards the painting.
The moment the wind swept across the painting, the chilling aura emanating from it seemed to be gripped by something, struggled for a moment, and then vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
When the scroll was unfurled, Qin Chuan cautiously and secretly took precautions.
Seeing that everything was normal after the scroll was fully unrolled, he then looked over.
Hmm, it's a very ordinary painting.
Qin Chuan's gaze swept across the painting, examining it carefully from the woman's profile to the ribs of the oil-paper umbrella.
The brushwork is skillful, the lines are smooth, and the ink tones are well-balanced, making it a decent piece of work.
But that's how it is.
Seeing Qin Chuan looking over, Zheng Ding asked, "What do you think of the painting?"
After all, they had spent a hundred taels of silver to come, so Qin Chuan naturally gave them a round of commercial praise.
After listening, Zheng Ding nodded and then said, "I would like to order another painting from you."
"What would Young Master Zheng like to paint?" Qin Chuan asked.
Zheng Ding then stated his request: "Put me in this painting, so that I can hold up this oil-paper umbrella for the girl in the painting."
His idea was simple: the painting was given to him by Lianniang, and the person in the painting should be Lianniang. Since that was the case, he certainly couldn't let Lianniang stand alone in the rain. He wanted to stay with her, stand beside her, hold an umbrella for her, and shield her from the wind and rain.
The lotus maiden in the painting is lonely, and he wants to make her no longer lonely.
Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan almost lost his composure, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded, saying, "Alright, Young Master Zheng can pick up the painting at Heaven on Earth in three days. I will deliver the painting to Manager Qin then; you can go find him."
Zheng Ding nodded, put away the scroll, stood up, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Qin Chuan: "Thank you, Young Master Xiao. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Farewell."
Qin Chuan also stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Young Master Zheng, please take care. We won't see you off."
Qin Chuan was somewhat surprised to see Zheng Ding leave, and he kept thinking about what had just happened.
Zheng Ding went to such great lengths just to get him to see that painting once, and then order one with himself in it.
"Couple's picture"?
What kind of nonsense is this?
He had assumed that Zheng Ding's visit today was either to discuss something or to inquire about something; there must be some reason or purpose behind it.
As it turned out, it ended just like that, uneventfully.
Could it be that I've misunderstood something?
They really didn't mean any harm; they just wanted me to see the painting and maybe paint another one for them.
He was lost in thought when he heard a soft sound behind him—the sound of a teacup being placed on the table.
Liu Rushi had already removed her veil and was leaning back in her chair with a cup of tea in her hand. Her foxy eyes glanced at him sideways, and her tone was teasing: "If I hadn't known beforehand that you were Xiaoxiaosheng, I really wouldn't have recognized you."
Qin Chuan turned around, pulling his thoughts away from Zheng Ding, and looked down at her face: "Why did you come to see me today?"
What's the matter?
Liu Rushi put down her teacup, her expression slightly serious: "You should stay away from that Young Master Zheng in the future."
"What did you figure out?" Qin Chuan asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Hmph," Liu Rushi frowned, her tone carrying undisguised disdain, "His eyes are lifeless, his cheeks are sunken, and he looks like he's lacking energy and vitality. What kind of good person could he be?"
That's it?
Qin Chuan thought she would be able to give some reason, but it turned out she just disliked Zheng Dingxu.
However, it is true that men who are weak are easily disliked, especially by women, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
So you still need to eat more. Next time, I can recommend Zheng Ding to go to Aunt Liu's stall to eat more pork kidneys.
He shook his head, not replying, but instead asked, "What brings you here?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Rushi's foxy eyes suddenly became misty with tears.
She turned her head to look at Qin Chuan, her eyes filled with a hint of grievance. She held a handkerchief in her right hand as if to wipe her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. Combined with her naturally alluring eyes, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was "a sight to behold." "If I had nothing else to say, could I not come to see you, young master?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Chuan looked at her face and felt a pang of pity. He then reached out and naturally took her small hand, gently patted the back of her hand, and rubbed it in his palm a couple of times.
"Hey, what are you saying? You can come whenever you want, I'm not stopping you."
Yes, her skin is like solidified cream, smooth and flawless, and it feels really nice to the touch.
Liu Rushi looked down at her hands, then looked up at Qin Chuan's overly sincere face, a hint of surprise visible in her foxy eyes.
No, I was just pretending. Why did you actually hit me?
She had used this tearful tactic countless times, and those literati would either bow repeatedly in apology or frantically offer her handkerchiefs, but no one dared to touch her directly or even touch her twice.
Could it be that my charm has been greatly enhanced by the literary baptism I've received these past few days?
"Hmph." Liu Rushi came to her senses, pulled her hand out of Qin Chuan's palm, and turned her head away from him: "I'm angry. You must write me a poem to make me feel better."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Qin Chuan suddenly shouted, "Alright!"
Liu Rushi was startled by the sudden shout. When she turned to look at Qin Chuan, her face was filled with joy. He agreed so readily?
If I had known he was so easy to talk to, I wouldn't have bothered putting on that act.
Just as she was about to say something, Qin Chuan continued, "I originally thought you were in love with my beauty, but I never expected you were actually after my talent."
As he spoke, Qin Chuan continued moving, grabbing the box containing his art supplies behind him and running to the door in a few steps.
He turned around, leaning against the doorframe with one hand, his face contorted with deep sorrow: "You shallow woman. You've hurt my feelings. From now on, we're severing all ties and will never see each other again."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Chuan's figure had already disappeared behind the door, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps descending the stairs.
A moment later, Liu Ru peeked out of the window and saw that the figure carrying the painting box had run out of the Xiangmanlou gate and disappeared into the bustling crowd on the street without looking back.
Liu Rushi stood by the window, stunned for several breaths, before slowly sitting back down in her chair.
She subconsciously raised her hand to touch her cheek, then turned her head to look at the bronze mirror in the corner of the room. The person in the mirror had beautiful features and a natural charm in her eyes. She was the "shallow woman" that Qin Chuan had mentioned earlier.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, then suddenly became uncertain. She wasn't some kind of man-eating monster, so why was that kid running so fast?
She tried blinking at herself in the mirror, and even she felt a little flutter in her eyes. Just now, Qin Chuan was clearly captivated by her, so how could he turn his back on her in the blink of an eye and run away faster than a rabbit?
She recalled the scene just now. She had only said, "Write a poem for me, and it will be better," and Qin Chuan's expression changed instantly. First, he accused her of being greedy for talent, and then he picked up his suitcase and ran away faster than a rabbit.
This reaction is a bit too exaggerated.
"Could it be—" Liu Rushi frowned slightly, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of hair that fell beside her shoulder, her confusion deepening. "Is it because my allure has weakened after my recent baptism of literary energy?"
She looked at herself in the bronze mirror again, carefully examining her eyes. Her foxy eyes were still the same, slightly upturned at the corners, brimming with a watery light. They didn't seem to have lost their allure at all. "So, I was really too hasty and hurt his feelings?"