Chapter 54: How Dare She

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Tang Xi did not go home that night. Instead, she called Aunt Yu and asked her to take Little Seven downstairs for a walk.

“You have a dog now?” Tang Qiushuang asked as she came in with a glass of milk.

“It belongs to the neighbor.”

“You got friendly with your neighbor so quickly. Is it a man or a woman?”

Under Tang Qiushuang’s unabashedly curious gaze, Tang Xi lied, “A woman. Auntie, what are you thinking? It’s not as if I can’t find a husband.”

“What do you think of Young Master Bo?” Tang Qiushuang was very pleased with the man she had introduced.

Whenever Bo Xuyao was mentioned, Tang Xi had countless questions.

“Auntie, how did you meet him?”

“Your grandmother’s birthday is next month, so I bought her a pair of bracelets. He’s the manager of that jewelry store—or perhaps the store director. In any case, he’s someone with authority there.”

Tang Xi pressed a hand to her forehead. Earlier that day, she had accidentally glimpsed half of the watch peeking from Bo Xuyao’s sleeve.

It was from the same brand as the one worn by Zhou Jingchuan, and was worth tens of millions.

Whether he was a jewelry-store manager or director, unless he came from a wealthy family, he could never afford a watch that expensive.

“That young man made an excellent impression on me after just one meeting. He even spoke with the senior management and got me thirty percent off.”

“The bracelets from Silver Moon?” Tang Xi remembered that her grandmother had always loved Silver Moon’s jewelry.

“Yes, Silver Moon.”

“Auntie, Silver Moon has never offered discounts. If they really gave you thirty percent off, people would trample their doorway flat trying to get in.”

Silver Moon was a jewelry store under Fengyi, Kyoto’s largest jewelry corporation. Its exquisite and distinctive designs were immensely popular. The brand’s signature was uniqueness: every piece it sold was one of a kind, and therefore it had never offered discounts.

“That is strange. I did buy the bracelets at Silver Moon, and they really did give me thirty percent off. I even have the receipt.”

Tang Qiushuang handed the milk to Tang Xi. “Could Young Master Bo have deliberately approached me?”

Tang Xi thought her aunt had finally seen through him.

But the next second, Tang Qiushuang suddenly exclaimed, “He went to such lengths just to get acquainted with you, which shows he must have had designs on you from the very beginning. Young men who are that persistent and intelligent are rare. Your aunt’s judgment is as sharp as ever.”

Tang Xi: ...

She hurriedly took a sip of milk to bring the conversation to an end.

“I heard you’re going to Harbor City?”

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“I’ve taken on the costume-design work for a film crew.”

“Then should Young Master Bo go with you?”

Tang Xi did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Auntie, I’m going to Harbor City for work. While I’m away, I’ll have to trouble you with taking care of Dad.”

Tang Qiushuang was deeply gratified. “I used to think Gu Yu treasured you so much that he wouldn’t let you leave the house to work. But I know how much you love costume design and how long you’ve wanted to make something of yourself in this industry. It’s good that you two have separated. At least now you can reclaim your passion and do what you truly want.”

~

A few days later, Tang Xi finished arranging Little Seven’s food and treats.

Little Seven seemed to know that she was leaving. It kept rubbing itself against her, circling her restlessly. Aunt Yu had called it clingy, and she certainly had not wronged it.

Her neighbor had not returned since going back to Harbor City last time.

Apart from asking about Little Seven a week earlier, the two of them had had no further contact.

At seven in the evening, Tang Xi’s plane arrived in Harbor City.

The film she was joining was Poly Tianxi’s most important project of the year. From its investment to its director and cast, everything about it was grandly produced. Her work was to oversee all the film’s costume designs as well as costume arrangements throughout the shoot.

She would be working in Harbor City for three months, so she had brought two extra-large suitcases.

“Are you Tang Xi? I’m over here.”

At the exit, a young woman raised a large sign and fixed her eyes firmly on Tang Xi.

Tong Jiayi had met Song Xining while flying between Kyoto and Harbor City. A flight attendant with Hong Kong Airlines, she had been asked to come and pick Tang Xi up.

This was not Tang Xi’s first visit to Harbor City, but Song Xining was always worried about her.

Tang Xi had rarely been away from Gu Yu for more than a week in the past. This time, she would be gone for three months, and Song Xining was afraid someone might run off with her.

That was why she had arranged for Tong Jiayi to receive Tang Xi and look after her while she was there.

“Hello, Tang Xi.” Tong Jiayi lowered the sign and warmly embraced her. “Welcome to Harbor City. If you need anything, just let me know. I’m Xining’s friend, which makes me your friend too. Don’t stand on ceremony with me.”

Tang Xi gave Tong Jiayi the local specialties she had brought from Kyoto, leaving her delighted for quite some time.

The two of them drove into the city and arrived at the hotel Tang Xi had booked near Victoria Harbour.

“Tang Xi, you look a lot like our Miss Harbor City this year—but you’re much prettier.” Tong Jiayi spared no effort in her praise. “Yes, that one.”

A giant advertisement was playing on a towering building by the roadside. In it, a girl dressed in white sat on a lawn, with a certain brand of milk beside her.

An eye-catching caption appeared along one side of the screen:

Brand Ambassador: Wu Bixuan.

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At first glance, she did indeed resemble Tang Xi in several ways. But the girl’s face was naïve and charming, as though untouched by the dust of worldly affairs.

“Don’t let her innocent looks fool you. Her mind is anything but innocent.” Tong Jiayi gave a disdainful snort. “I’ve run into her several times on flights.”

Tang Xi merely smiled and said nothing.

Separated from the girl in the advertisement by a cold, enormous screen, she could never possibly have anything to do with her.

Tong Jiayi had an international flight the following day. After taking Tang Xi to her hotel, the two of them had a simple meal, and then she left.

Before going, she gave Tang Xi a portable simultaneous translator. The earpiece was tiny and discreet; once inserted, it could provide real-time translation between Cantonese and Mandarin.

After her shower, Tang Xi saw a message from Tang Qiushuang:

Gu Yu came to the house looking for you today, but I drove him away. You’re in Harbor City now, so be careful. Call me if anything happens.

~

Gu Yu returned home in a daze.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw that the mural in the entryway was gone. In its place hung an extremely tacky landscape painting.

Tang Xi had painted that mural stroke by stroke during the renovation.

He remembered it with perfect clarity: she had sat on a ladder, palette in hand, while he stood below, holding it steady and watching her—watching her paint.

The pale-yellow light overhead illuminated her fair skin, her fluttering lashes, and the brows drawn together in concentration.

From time to time, she would lower her head to look at him, the corners of her slender lips lifting into a smile brighter and more vivid than the mural itself.

“Where is it? Where’s the painting?”

Like a madman, Gu Yu tried to tear the landscape painting from the wall.

But it had been fastened too securely. Even after digging at it until his fingernails throbbed with pain, he could not tear off so much as a scrap.

At that moment, the newly hired maid came running at the sound of the commotion.

“Sir, what happened?”

“What happened to the painting that used to be on the wall?”

The blood-red fury in Gu Yu’s eyes startled her.

Almost trembling, she said, “Miss Gu brought some workers over this afternoon and had the painting scraped off. This one was put up afterward. Miss Gu also said that you would definitely like it.”

“Where is Gu Wennuan?”

Gu Yu’s voice was hysterical. All his usual gentle elegance had vanished, replaced by something more like a provoked beast, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.

“Miss Gu—Miss Gu took Young Master Xiaofeng to his art class.” The maid lowered her head cautiously, not daring even to raise her eyes.

“Scrape it off. Scrape everything off.”

The more Gu Yu looked at the painting, the more he hated it. The mural had been torn away by force, and the thought of it felt as though a huge piece had been gouged out of his heart.

Gu Wennuan—how dare she?

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