Chapter 298
What guru? That is her sister-in-law! (3)
“No, I won’t.” Huo ChuChu was particularly docile today. She bared her teeth briefly and said, “I will only upset Second Brother, who is healthy, from time to time. I will be as careful as I can with you and grandma. I hope for you two to remain healthy.”
If any of them get sick, they would, once again, blame it on fengshui or her brother’s curse.
That was what was going through Huo ChuChu’s mind.
Mother Huo, on the other hand, didn’t know how to respond to that.
Her daughter had always been a porcupine. For everything that she said, Huo ChuChu would come back with 100 lines of rebuttal.
It was odd when she agreed with what she had said.
Was she mocking her?
She was perplexed once again when she looked at her youngest daughter.
She had never ever been this docile before.
“Well, go take a look at you grandmother and help her downstairs. We will be late if we don’t head out soon.”
Mother Huo couldn’t figure out why the change with his daughter.
Her tone was still a little stiff but the storm in it was gone.
Huo ChuChu acknowledged her.
Huo ChuChu was really behaving herself after they had left the house. She didn’t join in with the conversation on their way but only played on her cellphone. All in all, she wasn’t causing any troubles for anyone.
Unlike in the past, she’d always rebut anything that anyone else said.
Mother Hou finally started feeling somewhat assured.
She exchanged a look with Old Mrs. Huo and both of them looked happy.
Mainly Huo ChuChu was getting older and she had no interest in the family business. As such, they would need to start looking into her marriage.
They would spend the next two to three years in mending their relationships with other families, improve their impressions, and, when push came to shove, they could look into families in other cities as well.
She would be stay-at-home housewife so there was no urgency in her getting a job.
Mother Huo reminded her again anxiously right before they have reached their destination.
“Old Mrs. Chen asked your grandmother to go appreciate paintings today. Remember, don’t be rule. Don’t say anything that you shouldn’t. Don’t be a party pooper.”
Huo ChuChu looked up at the mention of appreciating paintings.
“What kind of painting?”
She had an odd feeling about this.
It wasn’t every day when her daughter expressed interest in what they were talking about. Mother Huo was happy to elaborate on it.
“It seems that Old Mrs. Chen had newly acquired a painting from some master. A few experts had appraised it and said it was worth at least ten million yuan or up. I think it is someone by the name of Ink Painting Guru?”
Huo ChuChu, “! ! ? ?”
What guru? That was her sister-in-law, alright!
***
When the first beam of light shined into the room, Gu Shishi opened up her eyes groggily.
“Mmm....”
Frowning, she rolled over. She didn’t even open her eyes when she reached her hand out to look for her phone on the night table. She wanted to see what time it was now.
Nevertheless...
When she rolled over, she rolled into a cedar wood and minty scented warm chest.
At that very instant, after a short daze, her brain was cleared immediately.
The boss...
She looked up sightly and was able to see Huo Sishen’s sleeping face.
His eyes were still closed and his eyelashes casted shadows on his cheeks.
Oh darn!
He was put to sleep by her again?
Gu Shishi’s first idea was that her ability of putting him to sleep was way too effective.
Then, she studied the boss’s sleeping look carefully.
Aye, this man was so good looking.
His brows, eyes, nose, mouth... all of them so perfectly distributed.
When she looked at him carefully, from his hairline to his brows, brows to tip of his nose, and tip of his nose to his chin could be divided into exactly three equal parts.
The distance between his two eyes and the distance between his eyes to his side hairline were also exactly the length of his black eyes.
298.jpg
Picture: distribution of features (what is considered as “perfectly distributed”)
Source: zhuanlan.zhihu.com
That was the same as many pretty little fresh meat and beautiful women.
This was also the standard adopted when creating characters in modern paintings.
Gu Shishi etched his features and the outline of his face in her mind and was amazed.
The boss was surely someone who was be making his living with his look but was held back by his work!
Her lips couldn’t help but curved upward.
What an eye candy that he was.
Chapter 299
“Host, there is no such thing as shame between lovers.” (1)
Early in the morning and ideas were rushing through her head. She had an idea of at least 10 different constructs of.... Sleeping beauty (pretty men) paintings.
She sat up cautiously after basking in the contented feeling for a little while.
She finally felt something metal after the fact... she blushed all of a sudden.
She had just fallen asleep so inexplicably last night and didn’t even have a chance to take off her bra.
Owing to her long-time habit, she felt comfortable going to bed with her bra on and would normally take it off in the middle of the night.
Then she just randomly tossed it next to herself...
She picked it up. She felt disturbed when she looked at her black bra with embroidered edges.
Did the boss see her removing her bra in the middle of the night?
Hmm.....
Gu Shishi had a very complicated look on her.
Huo Sishen had always been a light sleeper.
He had woken up the moment that the girl stirred.
But he dared not make a move.
His plan last night was to return to the study to do more work after the girl had fallen asleep.
He hadn’t expected that he, too, would have fallen asleep while looking at peaceful look on her as she fell asleep.
He had pulled all-nighters three nights in a row. Had he finally reached his limit last night?
It was as though his sleepiness had exploded.
It had always been easy for him to fall asleep next to her and, last night, he didn’t even wake up once in the middle of the night like he normally would. All the way up to the point when she stirred...
She flipped over and snuggled up to him like a kitten.
And that was how he was woken up.
He figured he’d pretend to be asleep in order to avoid the awkwardness.
Gu Shishi would normally be at the breakfast table by 7:30 AM on weekdays.
It was already 7:20 AM, he figured he would leave after she went to wash up.
Nevertheless... she was zoning out in bed... lying next to him. It felt like she was staring at his face....
He finally waited until she had sat up but she had a.... bra in her hand... that he had no idea when she had removed and continued to zone out...
Huo Sishen felt that his temples had never hurt more than they did right now.
In fact, even the back of his ears was burning a little.
When he was still mulling, Gu Shishi had finally finished organizing her thoughts.
In fact, she had even finished reading the unread messages from the system.
[Beep! Third hugging position completed!]
[Main mission 3: 5/6 completed. Please keep up the good work, host.]
Now a kiss was all there was left to do!
Gu Shishi’s eyes beamed.
She turned to look at the boss who was sleeping quietly. Without any hesitation, she closed her eyes and, trembling, planted a gentle kiss on his chin.
[59% completion.]
[Hint: Move leftward and upward 3 ~ 5 centimeters.]
Gu Shishi adjusted herself immediately and smacked, smacked, smacked all the way to the right location.
She finally got out of bed happily when she heard the melodious chime of [100% completion].
She sprinted into the bathroom and washed up and got dressed in 5 minutes.
She then dashed back to the bed and put her bra back on!
Picking up her purse, she dashed out of her room.
Closing her door gently behind her.
:30 AM exactly.
Gu Shishi was downstair on time for her breakfast.
Huo Sishen, “......”
“Miss Gu, your appetite is very good today.”
Mr. Chef handed over to her another serving of eggs and bacons.
“Yeah! I finished completed this big task. Boy, was it tiring!”
Gu Shishi devoured the food and wiped her hands clean on the napkin.
This was when she finally happily checked the updates in the system after she had completed the final kiss.
[Completion of Mission 3! Reward: No more double chin halo now available!]
[Would you like to apply it now?]
But of course!
[Successfully activated!]
Gu Shishi pulled out her cellphone immediately, adjusted it to selfie mode, and checked out her chin carefully.
She lowered her head, then lowered it some more.
Never mind about double chin, there was not a hint of extra fat on her jawline at all.
Perfect!
Gu Shishi looked left and look right and could not be happier.
She had heard in the past from one of her master’s customer who had liposuction at the hospital to have her double chin removed. She was swollen for more than 7 days.
Another friend of hers went to have hyaluronic acid injected to get rid of her double chin and give her a pointier-looking face. She turned out looking like a snake demon – the chin was too pointy and too fake-looking.
Besides, hyaluronic acid would decompose over time and its effect would last at most a year or two.
Follow up was necessary after 6 months. It would cost 20,000 ~ 30,000 yuan a year and there was no guarantee that the result would be desirable either.
And now, hers was fully natural.
Her natural jaw line did not change all, just her double chin was gone.
Painless, harmless, and the effect was permanent.
Thumbs up!
Gu Shishi could not be happier.
While she was feeling cheerful, her cellphone rang.
She looked at the caller’s name and her smile deepened.
Chapter 300
“Host, there is no such thing as shame between lovers.” (2)
“Good morning, Grandma Chen.”
“Haha, I really can’t come over today. I need to go into work.”
Old Mrs. Chen was holding an ink painting appraisal event for those in the circle.
From what Chen Kexin had told her, most of the main attraction would be her work.
The old lady even invited many experts and planned to have them appraised a lot of the work. She wanted them to compliment on Gu Shishi’s work and make her Ink Painting Guru alias famed. That way the value of her work would increase by several folds afterward.
The old lady had extended her invitation a week ago.
But Gu Shishi had declined her politely.
It was just going to be a brown-nosing party in disguise.
And they would be brown-nosing her. She found it quite embarrassing to be there in person.
Besides, her identity would be revealed some day.
Had she been there today, people would recall her being there in person after her identity was revealed.
Any way she looked at it, it would be too embarrassing.
Besides, she was scheduled to work this weekend. That was the perfect excuse for her.
“Aye, little Shishi, such a bummer that you can’t come. Grandma misses you. When will you have time to come over for dinner?”
“I will. I will. When things slow down a some in a little while.”
Gu Shishi smiled.
Then, something occurred to her suddenly. “Grandma Chen, about the painting that I have mailed out yesterday...”
“Oh yeah, I got it. I got it! I got it last night and it was incredible, Little Shishi. Lucky I purchased insurance on it! My heart will ache even if it was dinged just a little bit. This painting is a whole level above your previous ones!”
Old Mrs. Chen’s voice was half an octave higher.
“You must have put a lot of work in it. How long did it take you? I am going to show all those people today.”
“Yeah, it was by far a medium-sized work that I had put the most time in.”
Gu Shishi put down her fork and told her the truth.
“It took me almost half a month’s time all in all.”
Everyday, all day long, for half a month.
Even though she was still going to work. But she spent almost four hours on this painting at night and in the morning.
And over 10 days’ time from the conversion of mid-level and beginner’s living the painting skill.
She noticed that this was a truly awesome skill.
She was able to exchange her health bar for extra time.
When she was experiencing inside the dimension, no time in the outside world had passed.
The mid-level ability gave her 10 hours a time. Meaning, in the blink of an eye, she had gained extra 10 hours for brain storming and comprehension.
As such, even though she had to work and prepare for her wedding, she was still able to squeeze out enough time to complete her first medium-size work that could affect others’ emotions.
Gu Shishi, too, looked forward to its effect a lot.
“Grandma Chen, do let me know of the responses on site. That way I can correct myself in the future.”
“Half a month...”
Old Mrs. Chen was even more amazed when she heard that.
“Don’t worry. I will take videos to show you!”
“Okay~ Thank you~”
Gu Shishi held her phone in her hand after she hung up.
From what she had learned from Chen Kexin, the Huo’s would be there as well.
She had prepared this painting specifically for Mrs. Huo.
Even if Mrs. Huo wouldn’t be there, she would still have asked Old Mrs. Chen to send the painting over to her afterward!
Gu Shishi let out a sigh, looked at the time, and jumped up into the air.
Meow meow! She was almost late for work again!
She was just about to dash out when she heard a chime from the system out of the blue.
[Main mission 4: Seal it with a kiss. Released!]
[Throughout time, many dream-like romances had risen to the next level through kisses. The progress of mankind, highly-intelligent brains, had led lovers to invent many different ways to kiss.]
[Details on the assignment: Complete three different styles of kisses. Noodle Kiss (0/1), coffee kiss (0/1), and tissue kiss (0/1)]
[Reward: Kiss to become healthier halo.]
Puuf—
Gu Shishi also lost her footing and ended up on her knees.
What the heck?!
[The host is progressing too slowly and the system must step in.]
[The system had collected many sweet, sweet scenes from the latest Korean drama and idol shows and created this assignment based on them.]
Gu Shishi was stunned speechless.
How could scenes from dog-food dramas be brought into real life?!!
Noodle kiss as in two people eating the same strand of noodle then ended up kissing?
Coffee... was she supposed to drink some coffee, left a ring of foam around her lips and wait for him to kiss it away?
Tissue kiss... was to kiss with a piece of tissue in between the two of them?
Could it be any more Mary Sue than that?
She quickly flipped to the details within the system.
The system had no shame! None whatsoever!
For every kiss, it included the clip from the specific show along with description of what the male and female leads had done.
Hot dang...
She had just puked blood and completed her shameless three hugs and three kisses.
[Host, there is no such thing as shame between lovers.]
[The more intimacy the better.]
[This wealthy wife has no family of her own to back her. She must hold on tight to her man.]
Gu Shishi, “......”
Chapter 301
Looking down at the pattern on the tiles, Huo Chuchu always started crying. (1)
Gu Shishi arrived at her art studio and started her busy day.
It was already 8 AM when Huo Sishen finally walked out of his own bedroom after he had washed up, changed, and went to the dining room to have breakfast.
He didn’t say a word but he was an hour later than normal.
Even Mr. Chef remained silent.
Siyi was the one who finally came to pick him up. Siyi felt that pigs must be flying.
His boss did not go for his morning jog.
His boss was late having breakfast.
In fact... he hasn’t even arrived at the office yet and was already thinking about skipping out early that evening.
“Give me another list of all the most recent movies that are showing right now.
“Book for tonight.”
Siyi acknowledged quietly.
He didn’t make the movie last time. He wanted to make it up to her.
Huo Sishen didn’t notice anything unusual. Settling down in the backseat of the car, he flipped through the document that he had started but never finished from the night before.
“Push the morning meeting back by an hour.”
He hasn’t had a chance to look over the materials yet.
Siyi, “......”
And that’s how the emperor stopped attending his morning meeting... Boss, could you have fallen any further?
He didn’t want to point out the fact that he hasn’t even gotten married yet.
At this rate, what was it going to be like after he had gotten married?
The Chen’s residence, at the same time.
Most of guests had trickled in.
Chen Kexin, following behind her grandmother, brought the guests into her grandmother’s showroom for her collections.
Almost all families who were close to the Chen’s knew that Old Mrs. Chen loved all traditional arts.
Her collection ranged from jade and other gemstones to wood carving, ink painting to even some antique porcelain or wooden furniture.
Every time she came across some rare items, she would invite her good friends over to appreciate them and have a small-scale tea party.
Every once so often, she would organize bigger events within the circle and invite celebrities and expert appraisers to join and appreciate her collections.
For a collector, showing off their collections was a very important ritual.
From how the collections came about, how they have run into these collections, and even how they had such a good eye and was able to pick out a hidden gem from a booth somewhere.
Not only would they show off the items, they also needed to tell the stories behind them.
As such, other collectors and artists in the circle needed not only to come join the event, but also provide the host with appropriate commentary and sometimes even to appraise the authenticity and value of the item and let the host know whether she had truly gotten a good deal on the item.
And, if the item was indeed authentic, then the others, whether they understood it or not, would also need to chime in and flatter the host’s good eyes.
Even if it was fake, they would still need to say something nice before the experts announce their final verdict so that the host wouldn’t feel too embarrassed afterward.
Old Mrs. Chen, apparently, was very confident today. She had invited over most of the prominent families.
“Please, take a look around.”
“I’ve met a rare gem this year and was lucky enough to get my hands of a few of her works.”
Speaking of paintings, there weren’t a lot of paintings in the room but there were at least over ten of them.
They were scattered around the room either sitting on easels or hung up on the wall having turned into scrolls. They were spaced out stylishly in the room and there were also some jade ware adorning the room.
“Grandma Wencheng.”
Old Mrs. Chen might be old but her eyes were sharp.
“Mother Wencheng, you have arrived.”
The Chen’s and the Huo’s were rivals of sort and the two of them were never close with each other.
In addition, after the Huo’s accidents back in the days and, with only young children and women left, the Huo’s had stopped attending a lot of the gatherings.
Most of the times, the Huo’s were not invited to gatherings among friends.
Nevertheless, thinking that Gu Shishi was about to marry Huo Sishen, Old Mrs. Chen extended her invitation to the Huo’s over specifically, wanting to smooth the relationship between her new adopted granddaughter and the Huo’s.
The Huo’s might feel that their older son was cursed but, as they had arranged for a fiancée for him, they must not have entirely severed their relationship with him.
Old Mrs. Chen figured that Gu Shishi would not have the backing from the Gu’s but it wouldn’t be so bad if she could have some affection from the Huo’s.
She immediately put on a smile toward Grandma and Mother Huo, whom she didn’t usually hang out with.
Chapter 302
Looking down at the pattern on the tiles, Huo Chuchu always started crying. (2)
“I haven’t seen you in such a long time. You are my VIP of the day. Just stay with me.”
Old Mrs. Chen held Grandma Huo’s hand affectionately.
“Just let me know if you see anything that interest you.”
She didn’t care much about her other collections. What she liked the most were Gu Shishi’s work. If the Huo’s were to take a couple with them. They would double as gifts from their daughter-in-law.
It was Old Mrs. Chen’s intention to help them with their relationship.
Only those who had experienced it in the past would know how difficult it was for a girl to prop up a family without the backing of her relatives.
Mother Huo and Grandma Huo were surprised at the treatment that they have received.
“We can’t take what you like.”
“Chuchu, come and say hi to Grandma Chen.”
“Ah, I was just wondering who is that beautiful girl. So it is our Chuchu. Come over here, let Grandma Chen have a better look at you. You look even prettier than the last time I’ve seen you. When was that? Like three years ago? Have you gotten taller as well?”
Old Mrs. Chen was very affectionate toward her.
“Grandma Chen...”
Huo ChuChu had been focused on the paintings up until now. She smiled awkwardly at Old Mrs. Chen.
She saw the Ink Painting Guru stamp as soon as she had walked in and had been feeling dazed since.
She was completely absorbed in the shock of “My son-in-law is so mighty”, “No wonder she could lecture me, she is so mighty”, “To think that I was looking down on her before”....
At that moment, she summoned up her courage and asked curiously, “Old Mrs. Chen, where did you get these paintings from? Did you buy them?”
She knew that Gu Shishi had a shop on Taobao. She had felt that it wasn’t grand enough and even talked to her about selling her work through official high-end channels for paintings.
Gu Shishi response was that she did not have a lot of work and, with the exception of auctioning them, the channels didn’t matter all that much.
Huo Sishen didn’t quite get it at the time. She even though she’d buy a few from Taobao to support her future son-in-law.
But she had never seen anything for sale and the shop always indicated that it was out of stock.
When she saw the room full of paintings and most of them were the ones that she had seen listed as out of stock on Taobao or posted to Gu Shishi’s friend’s circle as sold, she was shocked. She suddenly understood what Gu Shishi was saying.
The channel didn’t matter. She still ended up selling them to the wealthy families!
To think that Grandma Chen would buy things on Taobao...
“That is a long story.”
Old Mrs. Chen loved talking about it.
Holding Huo ChuChu with her left hand and hooking Grandma Huo with her right, she told the stories in details about how Chen Kexin had bought her her birthday gift and how she had subsequently asked her granddaughter to contact the guru and bought more of her work afterward, etc.
She did not mention Gu Shishi’s identity nor her streaming channel.
Old Mrs. Chen didn’t even know about the streaming channel herself.
Not wanting her grandmother to get addicted to the internet, Chen Kexin had never once mentioned it to her.
Even so, Huo ChuChu was still dazed by what she had heard.
No wonder she felt that Chen Kexin was acting strange during the pool party.
Chen Kexin had always been closed to Gu Wushuang and Luo Pingting in the past. When she returned from her study after four years, she was even more distanced with her other friends except for the two of them.
But that day, Chen Kexin hung around Gu Shishi and even let her drew the red plum on her back, thus bringing about the ‘tattoo’ trend afterward.
If Chen Kexin knew of Gu Shishi, then Old Mrs. Chen... knew about it as well?
Huo Sishen gave Old Mrs. Chen a surprised look.
She heard her mother chiming in. “I did see the Four Sons Offering Up Mythical Peaches the other day and was very impressed by it. The skill was mature, the strokes smooth, the characters were lively. I told my mother after I have returned that too. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make your banquet that day and didn’t have the chance to see it for herself.”
Old Mrs. Huo wasn’t feeling well that day and didn’t attend the banquet.
Old Mrs. Chen’s eyes beamed. “Well, she will be able to see it today.”
Naturally, she wanted to show off for Gu Shishi.
Chapter 303
Looking down at the pattern on the tiles, Huo Chuchu always started crying. (3)
Sure enough, when they have in front of the painting, even Old Mrs. Chen who had already looked at it a million times was still drawn to it, never mind Mother Huo who had only seen it from afar once and Old Mrs. Huo who was seeing it for the first time.
Four Sons Offering Up Mythical Peaches was the first of Gu Shishi’s paintings that she used her living the painting ability.
It was filled with the respect and congratulatory meaning from someone of a younger generation to their elders.
Out of ten people who looked at it, at least 8 of them would think about their own children.
Huo ChuChu, who was still very young, didn’t have any particular emotions stirred up. She merely felt that the painting was excellent.
Mother Huo, on the other hand, was stunned. “It looked a lot like...”
She didn’t finish saying who it looked like but she already looked both sad and happy at the same time. She even looked like she was about to reach out to touch the scroll.
Touching a painting with one’s bare hand was a big taboo among collectors.
Even so, those who were appreciating the painting were all so absorbed in it that nobody tried to stop her.
Huo ChuChu was the only one who noticed it and quickly pulled her mother away.
Right after she grabbed her mother and before she could say anything, she heard her own grandmother muttered.
“Xiao Shen...”
Her aged voice made Huo Sishen shuddered.
She turned her head and saw that her grandmother’s face, which she had carefully applied makeup on before they left, was much paler than before and her aged and dimmed eyes had teared out...
“This is Xiao Shen...” said Grandma Huo again and she was almost in tears.
Standing next to hear, Mother Huo, how had just lost control of herself, snapped out of her trance when she heard the painful cry.
“What did you just say, Mom?”
She pinched the old lady sharply.
Never mind that Huo Sishen had been banished a long time ago. Even if he hadn’t, it would still be inappropriate to say that the child in the congratulatory painting looked like one that was cursed.
Huo ChuChu, too, had recovered from her initial shock. The worried look in her own mother eyes deeply saddened her.
If those from his own family were trying so hard to avoid him, what could they possibly expect from others?
Old Mrs. Chen, the only one who was not on the same wavelength as them, was secretly happy.
She hoped that Gu Shishi would have a good relationship with her in-laws. That way, if Huo Sishen ever bullied her, there would at least be someone who would be on her side.
The Chen’s were, after all, outsiders. The was very little that they could do.
“Speaking of, Mother Chuchu, your older son is about to get married. It had been so many years since those rumors and we shouldn’t take them seriously anyway. You should bring your older daughter-in-law to visit often,” said Old Mrs. Chen to test water.
Mother Huo’s face changed colored immediately.
Ever since the accident, the Huo’s had lost their pillars and had rarely participated in outside gatherings.
Mainly, they worried about others asking questions. That would not only rub salt onto their wounds but, as a mother, she also didn’t want to talk about how her husband died from her son’s curse.
She avoided by subject by saying that, “Our family has split already. They will do as they please.”
And that was how she declined Old Mrs. Chen’s invitation with one simple sentence.
Old Mrs. Chen’s face dropped immediately.
She didn’t think Mother Huo would turn her down so quickly.
Besides, she mentioned the wedding and, as a mother, there was so signs of happiness on her at all.
Huo ChuChu, standing to one side, witnessed it clearly. She couldn’t help but grabbed her mother’s hand feeling sad.
Old Mrs. Huo wiped away her tears from the corners of her eyes and finally recollected herself from the effect of the painting. “Sister of Chen’s, that bowl over there looks interesting. Why don’t you show that to us?”
She, too, had changed the subject with no desire to talk about her grandson at all.
Her face was calm, as though she wasn’t the one who was looking at the painting and missing her grandson just a moment ago at all.
Feeling a lump in her throat, Huo ChuChu looked down at the pattern on the tiles and also started to crying.
Chapter 304
Mother Huo finally couldn’t help but started to cry. (1)
Old Mrs. Chen’s face dropped and no longer wish to engage with the Huo’s.
Her fondness for Gu Shishi grew some more.
“Master Long, Master Ji, you are here. Come and help me appraise these few new works that I recently got my hands on.”
Old Mrs. Chen quickly turned her attention on the others.
There was no reason to continue conversing with them.
Even tigers don’t eat their own offspring. If the Huo’s were such cold individuals, she could deduct what kind of people they were and their values when it came to other things.
Mother Huo and Grandma Huo both stiffened a little.
They obviously sensed the subtle change in Old Mrs. Chen’s attitude. They felt awkward and even somewhat confused.
The two ink painting gurus that Old Mrs. Chen had greeted had already walked over to them.
Rude to have a long face, the two of them had no choice but to listen to their conversation quietly.
“Old Mrs. Chen, you have such good eyes. Where did you find this piece of gem from?”
Huang Chuan was a man close to 60. His hair was all white and he did not dye them black. He was wearing a Mao suit and his strides were steady. His voice energetic and he was in very good health.
“The gongbi over there was amazing. Lao Ji and I were mesmerized by it the minute we walked in and the two of us spent half an hour in front of it. That was such a masterpiece.”
As he was talking, renowned artist Ji Yun also nodded next to him repeatedly.
He was a little older, in his seventies.
He lamented, “This artist’s work is very delicate. The sadness in it is almost infectious. The sleeves float in the air and the bottom of the dress draped on the ground. There was a sense of strength within the tenderness... Looking at it a couple times, I felt like I was almost drawn into the painting. I even felt a hint of sadness.
“The caption written in cursive script further looked unbroken, much like the sadness it is trying to convey.
“The painting and the caption complimented each other perfectly and the context blended together as one. Simply amazing.
“This person’s skill is above mine.”
As Ji Yun talked, he looked over at Old Mrs. Chen solemnly. “Old Madam, please introduce me to this master of this piece of artwork. I thought my painting of people is already at expert level but, when I looked at this today, I realized that there is always someone better out there.”
Master Huang was thinking the exact same thing. He chimed in. “He is so talented. Does Old Mrs. Chen by chance know other aliases that he goes by?”
Ink Painting Guru was obviously just an alias.
As long as they had been in the field, they had never heard of him before.
Old Mrs. Chen was very happy as soon as she heard them talking.
She knew that she had a good eye for art.
Her secret purpose this time was to help Gu Shishi spread her reputation.
They had no idea of Gu Shishi’s age. Just like her back then, they had assumed that it was a famed artist in his 50s or 60s creating under a different alias.
Truth was, Gu Shishi was still young and simply not famed enough in the circle.
“I am not sure about that.”
Old Mrs. Chen did not divulge too much.
Keeping a secret cloak could sometimes also be used as a mean to increase one’s status.
Huang Chuan and Ji Yun both looked disappointed and sighed.
“Then, do you have the contact information of this Ink Painting Guru?”
Old Mrs. Chen narrowed her eyes.
Ji Yun took a step up and said, “There is a Chinese painting exhibition here next month. If Ink Painting Guru has time and is willing, we would like to extend our invitation for him to join us.”
Him and Huang Chuan were the president and vice president.
Old Mrs. Chen neither agreed nor declined.
“As for as contact information goes, I only have her WeChat alias. I don’t have her cellphone number.”
The two were even more disappointed.
“Would you like her WeChat alias?”
Gu Shishi’s Ink Painting Guru account consisted only of pictures and descriptions of a few of her work.
There was nothing else.
She could decide for herself whether to attend or not.
“Okay.”
“Alright.”
Huang Chuan and Ji Yun pulled out their bifocal glasses and their cellphones.
They were up there in age but they were still quite familiar with their cellphones.
Perhaps because the Chinese Painting Association hosted events on a regular basis so they were also quite familiar with using WeChat.
“Go ahead and send us her business card.”
“Hmmm, just send to Lao Huang. Lao Huang, add me to the group. We will talk to her together.”
Old Mrs. Chen skillfully sent that over to them.
She then turned and gave the Huo’s, still standing next to her, a very meaningful look.
Chapter 305
Mother Huo finally couldn’t help but started to cry. (2)
“Master Huang, Master Ji. Can you tell me how much you think these are worth?”
Some people didn’t know how to appreciate good things in life.
They rejected treasures and pushed away their loved ones. The day that they regrated what they have done would come!
Huang Chuan and Ji Yun were happily perusing Ink Painting Guru’s friend’s circle.
As this WeChat account was just one Gu Shishi’s channel to display and sell her work, no approval was required to be added.
They were added immediately.
They looked at two pictures then at their listed price and they were shocked beyond words.
Work of this caliber was listed at 30,000 yuan... 30,000 yuan....
That made them feel so regretful for not seeing them and purchasing them before Old Mrs. Chen did!
That wasn’t just a steal; that was mother of all steal!
They looked over at Old Mrs. Chen. Not only did she have good eyes, she also had amazing luck!
“No need to be so polite, Old Mrs. Chen. We are very similar in age. You can just call me Lao Huang.
“This painting... let me put it this way, its value was well above its selling price.
“In the days to come, this person’s work could very well become the next well-sought-after artist in auctions!”
Huang Chuan was very confident in his judgement.
Even Ji Yun, who was normally the more conservative one, agreed. “Depending on the skill, technique, and meaning, the price will vary. Take that one for example, I am willing to pay up to 10 million yuan personally, if Old Mrs. Chen is willing to part with it.”
Old Mrs. Chen chuckled. “Oh, I can’t do that. They are my treasures. I have no plans of selling them.”
She declined them right away.
But she didn’t look unhappy at all. Quite the contrary, she looked excited and complacent.
The president and vice president of the Chinese Painting Association, who rarely associated themselves with the riches, extended their olive branches to her today.
One of them asked her to part with her prized collection and the other had changed the way they address each other. That was certainly something that had never happened before!
Old Mrs. Chen felt very prideful today.
Mother Huo and Grandma Huo, on the other hand, both looked curious.
Both of them knew that artists had their own quirks and the older they get, the worst they get. One can’t bribe their friendships with money. They, too, found that odd.
Only a handful of ink painting artists could produce work that could fetch upward of 10 million yuan in the market.
They listened to them for a little while and couldn’t help but walked over in the direction of the work that had brought about such high praises from the two experts.
“Is this the one?” asked Grandma Huo.
As soon as she finished talking, Mother Huo, who was holding her, shuddered.
If the Four Sons Offering Up Mythical Peaches painting reminded her of her older son whom she had given up in the past and made her at loss in her memories of child-rearing then this painting, in first glance, managed to rock her to her soul.
Exactly like how the two experts had said, grief, sorrow, sadness, mourning, despair, helplessness... all of these emotions came rushing out of the painting and slammed into her!
She heard her mother-in-law’s words. Mother Huo parted her lips a little but couldn’t make any sound at all.
She felt coldness on her cheek and, when she touched herself, she felt cold and wet tears!
Sorrow, came pouring out from her chest along with her twisted flesh and bones.
Huo ChuChu was just thinking how embarrassing and unreasonable her mother was but now she witnessed how her mother was sorrowful beyond words. She was on the brink of falling because of weakness in her knees.
Huo ChuChu looked up immediately.
She, too, was a little stunned when she saw the painting on the wall.
It was a Lady Meng Jiang crying on the Great Wall.
The story of Lady Meng Jiang was very well known.
And there were many different versions being passed along.
The most common one was the one had it that Lady Meng Jiang’s was drafted to join the war and he never returned. Lady Meng Jiang travelled thousands of li*looking for her husband and learned that her husband died from exhaustion and but nobody could tell her where he was buried. Lady Meng Jiang cried days and nights on the Great Wall and finally she cried so much that 800 li of the the Great Wall collapsed and exposed her husband’s body under it.
The painting described this version of the story.
Lady Meng Jiang down on her hands and knees at the bottom of the Great Wall. She cried so much that the sun and the moon was paled, even the wind seemed to be weeping with her, and the ocean rattled...
The character of Lady Meng Jiang was very delicate and she was covering up her face in sorrow. The grief on her was genuine and touched everyone who looked at her.
The Great Wall in the background was painted in thick and dark ink. The be-there-or-bust feel was perfectly conveyed!
Mankind has joys and sorrows and the moon has new moon and full moon.
Nothing is ever perfect in life!
The painting consisted of both heavy and light ink. Lighter ink for the trees and darker ones for the clouds. The characters were portrayed lightly and the deep sorrow was thoroughly conveyed.
Chapter 306
Mother Huo finally couldn’t help but started to cry. (3)
Even Huo ChuChu, who was single and never been in love, felt her heart tightened.
Never mind Mother Huo who had lost her husband years ago. She was widowed at a young age, had to raise her children on her own, take care of her mother-in-law, and even prop up the Huo’s empire.
In the early years, first her husband passed away, then her father-in-law also passed away. Leaving behind nothing but a mess to her. Businesses at the company was not moving forward and their competitors watching them like hawks. Her mother-in-law couldn’t handle it and had fallen ill. She was truth helpless with nobody to reach out to back them.
Cry.
Even when she told herself to not cry and that it wouldn’t do her any good at all but she just couldn’t stop her tears from streaming down.
Mother Huo remembered that she, too, had cried for an entire month.
Every night when it was quiet and others were asleep, she would close her room door, lay in bed alone, pull the blanket over her head and start to cry.
Tears would just stream down uncontrollably.
She couldn’t just do nothing else but to cry like Lady Meng Jiang... she had kids to take care of and she needed to learn how to manage the company and to attend all sorts of shareholder meetings... No matter how tired or painful she felt, she could only swallow them all up!
She had almost forgotten how she made it through those dark days of her life.
Looking at the painting of Lady Meng Jiang, Mother Huo’s could no longer see out of her blurry eyes.
She could no longer tell the sleeves apart from the patterns apart from the collapse of the Great Wall... she only felt that these ink painting lines, each stroke of them, was nothing but thick sorrow and pain that was almost have physical weight.
She could relate to that!
Tears streamed down her cheeks nonstop!
Nobody knew whether Lady Meng Jiang’s husband died from corvee, pressure, or accident.
But she trusted that the hatred that she felt was the same as hers.
She was too helpless and too broken down back then to the point of desperation... And the more painful and sorrowful she was, the more she needed an outlet.
She thought this through every single night...
Had he not been driving his older son to a picnic, Huo Qidong, who had always doted on her, would never had sped and died on the highway.
Had Huo Qidong not died, her father-in-law would not have fallen ill from overworking and died after him.
Her thought was like a spell. The more she thought about it, the crazier it got!
The less and less she wanted to see her older son as days gone on!
Every time she saw him, she couldn’t help but thought that all of her sufferings were caused by him!
She was in too much pain!
Every time she saw him, it was like a stab in her chest. Forcing her to remember the pain at the hospital where she couldn’t even see her husband for one last time and to remember every night that she was lonely, scared, and sad.
Mother Huo felt that this painting in front of her reached straight to the scar in the deepest part of her heart.
How was Lady Meng Jiang’s painful crying any different from her placing all the blame onto her older son as an outlet?
But what else could she have done?
There was... nothing else that she could have done!
Mother Huo couldn’t hold back anymore and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
***
[Beep! Received fondness from Mother Huo and Grandma Huo!]
[Beep! Received fondness from Huo ChuChu!]
[Beep! Received fondness from Huang Chuan and...!]
[Beep! Mid-level Living the painting activated once.]
A barrage of message almost distracted Gu Shishi from her lecture.
She was in the middle of explaining drawing technique and couldn’t possibly take a break to check out the messages.
She finally took a gander at the system news when she went to the restroom.
And she was shocked by what she saw.
Acknowledgement from others went up 30% in one morning.
Old Mrs. Chen had been a great help on this!
The brown-nosers whom she had invited today were all renowned in the society. That and Old Mrs. Chen’s friend’s circle were all wealthy people and that allowed her experience level to go up and up.
Gu Shishi thought she was mistaken when she saw fondness from the Huo’s. But she had it figured out when she saw that her painting’s effect had been activated.
Chapter 307
“Hoho, Huohuohuohuo, would you like some coffee?” (1)
It was the effect of her Lady Meng Jiang!
Her artwork that has emotions associated with it!
Her original thought was to use a painting about mother and son love to strike up Boss Huo’s mother’s conscience.
But then she vetoed that idea herself. What was the point of her being moved by another mother’s story?
Would that really make her realize her own mistake?
It had been so many years already. Even if she had a shred of love for him, would she have never talked to him once? Would she really realize where she was a wrong about abandoning her own child?
She didn’t think painting the stories of Mencius’s Mother Cuts the Cloth to Teach Him a Lesson or Mencius’s Mother Moving Three Times for Her Son would have that effect on her!
Lady Meng Jiang, on the other hand, looked like it was about a wife who mourned the loss of her husband at first glance but it was, in reality, about the society back then that overexploited their people and making life unbearable for them.
Those who died from working on the Great Wall, from exhaustion, from overworked... there was, however, not one version that Lady Meng Jiang’s husband died because of her curse.
She hoped that this would be able to wake Boss Huo’s mother up!
Who would predict which would come first, tomorrow or an accident?
Who could guarantee that one would live to 100 years old?
So why blame another person’s life and death on another individual? There was certainly no cause and effect between the two!
Gu Shishi sighed.
Gu Shishi was so angry when she painted the painting that she didn’t even use her regular hard pen calligraphy for its caption. The proper and soft style would not be able to convey her indignation and her strong urge to pry open Boss Huo’s mother’s brain. Instead, she opted for a raging cursive style calligraphy all the way to the end and that finally made her feel better!
“Now that I received fondness from it. Did that mean it was successful?”
She was perturbed as she looked at the system’s interface.
That being side, whether she did successfully pry open Boss Huo’s Mother’s brain or not, she had no intention to interact with them for the time being.
Of the Huo’s, with the exception that Huo ChuChu was a genuine person, the others.... Meh.
Even Huo Wencheng, whom original owner was fond of, was one who was unable to think clearly or have questionable behavioral issues.
Even if he was still young at the time it all happened and didn’t know better. But he should figure out by now how ridiculously superstitious this cursing talk was in this day and age.
His mind was even as clear as his younger sister Huo ChuChu. Another braindead product of the author... no wonder he would fall for Gu Wushuang. She figured all it took was some whining form Gu Wushuang and he could no longer tell left from right.
Those two were match made in heaven for sure!
Gu Shishi shook her head.
“Never mind that. My job is done as long as I’ve taught them a lesson.”
She refocused herself and went back to her class.
At this very moment, was like a circus over at the Chen’s.
Mother Huo suddenly broke down and started to bawl. Then it was Grandma Huo, who put on her bifocal lens, studied the painting carefully, and also started to cry.
Both of these women had lost their husbands.
The sadness of the painting reminded them of their own fates.
They could both relate to the painting at that very moment.
They completely blended into the role of Lady Meng Jiang and only wished that their tears could somehow brought their husbands back.
Standing in front of the painting, they all felt that this Ink Painting Guru was simply incredible.
Her painting style was mature and flawless and, as though she could completely relate to their pain that they had experienced, each of the strokes perfectly conveyed their pain of losing their husbands.
“This painter must have experienced losing a loved one or witnessed it happening to someone that she is close to.”
Vice President Huang Chuan lamented.
As such, more and more people walked over to the painting.
After all, Old Mrs. Chen was up there in age and many of those that she had invited were her age and a few of them, inevitably, had lost their spouses.
Even when one passed away in one’s golden years, it would still sadden their loved ones.
As such, nobody was able to comfort Mother Huo and Grandma Huo who were still crying in front of the painting.
Finally, more and more people started crying in front of it.
Chapter 308
“Hoho, Huohuohuohuo, would you like some coffee?” (2)
Emotions could be infectious.
Same goes with sadness. Everybody stood around and the light sobbing quickly infected everyone’s heart like a virus. Looking up at the sorrow of Lady Meng Jiang the painting one more time and thinking about their own loneliness or that of their elders... or thinking about what would happen if they lose their spouses...
Sobbing sound could be heard in the entire show room.
Even Huo ChuChu’s eyes were reddened.
Chen Kexin, who came a little late, was baffled and surprised.
Finally, she, too, joined the others with her reddened eyes.
It was much like in a theater when, during a particularly sad scene, the audience next to one started to wiped their tears secretly and one would be quickly affected... and, just like that, the suffocating sadness spread in the entire area.
By the time Mother Huo and Grandma Huo were done crying and wondered and regretted about how they had lost control of their emotions so completely, they were startled by the realization that everyone around them were crying.
Giving that some more thought, their expressions changed as well.
Old Mrs. Chen’s brother passed away from heart failure last year.
The old man of the Zhang’s passed away from cancer three years ago.
The little uncle of the Li’s died in his twenties in a rock-climbing accident.
The grandma of the Gu’s had also passed away a few years back from health issues.
***
They never thought about it this way before but, when everyone was crying today, they finally realized that every family has their own painful story.
Were the men of the Huo’s the only ones who had passed away unexpectedly?
No! Death had touched every family!
Mother Huo and Grandma Huo’s hearts tightened violently.
They had always thought that they were the most unfortunately people.
The pillars of the family were gone with only the women left... but, in looking around, many of those around them had lost their husbands or fathers. Someone even lost their loved ones from a younger generation!
They have made a lot of money and lived an upscaled lifestyle.
But many had also over exhausted themselves in this circle. Or that they over consumed alcohol when they were networking or out having fun. Most of the men had high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. They lacked rest and a healthy lifestyle!
They felt that they were the most unfortunate people some ten years ago and that their worlds had collapsed.
Nevertheless, they weren’t the only ones who had lost their loved ones and had their worlds crumbled around them.
Looking at the women around them with their eyes reddened, both Mother Huo and Grandma Huo had complicated looks on them.
When one suddenly realized that others were even more misfortunately than them, what rights did they still have to complain about their own lives?
When Gu Shishi arrived home from work while rubbing her shoulder and had taken a tub bath, she received a string of text messages from Grandma Chen and Chen Kexin.
[Happy Chubster: Oh boy, I’ve cried so much today. Aye, I ended up hugging and crying with a few old girlfriends of mine...]
[MeowMeow: My grandma’s exhibition almost turned into... a memorial... That was so scary... even as a single dawg, that Lady Meng Jiang made my heart ached. How did you do that, Instructor Gu?]
Chen Kexin, too, was one of Gu Shishi’s students.
Gu Shishi couldn’t answer her question.
How did she do that?
Keke, relying on the system, of course!
She could achieve beginner’s level of Living the painting a few times on her own already.
But this ability to affect others’ emotions and made them bawl and completely absorbed into the painting was... a little bit more challenging. She hasn’t quite gotten the handle of it yet. That has yet to come.
[Just practice more.]
She gave her student a simple and cool response.
She would just have to exchange for that skill a few more times, try it out, and see if she could figure out some sort of a logic behind it!
[Happy Chubster had sent you a video clip.]
Gu Shishi clicked it opened and was stunned immediately.
Crying could be heard throughout the venue and MeowMeow wasn’t lying when she said the event was more like a memorial than an exhibition appreciation!
Guilty as charged!
She quickly clicked out of the video and stopped watching it.
Scary!
The effect of this skill could be very severe.
Chapter 309
“Hoho, Huohuohuohuo, would you like some coffee?” (3)
[Happy Chubster: Many asked me to introduce you to them. I have given them your WeChat information. Do as you see fit.]
Meaning that it was up to Gu Shishi whether she wanted to pay them any attention or not.
Gu Shishi did not have her Ink Painting Guru’s old cellphone with her when she left for work.
Now that she was flipping through it at night, there were, indeed, a lot of chat windows from people that she didn’t know.
Some were just saying hi. Others asked for her paintings. Some asked her to attend Chinese painting gatherings.... Even Huo ChuChu had messaged her.
[Sister-in-law, my mom and my grandma want your paintings too ORZ... They used up all the tissues in the car on our way home day. Both tears and snots coming out at the same time.]
[By the way, your painting seemed to have reminded them of Big Brother! Sister-in-law, how did you do that? That was incredible!]
Gu Shishi felt a bit embarrassed.
The effect was that good?
They were completed enlightened and bawled their eyes out?
She replied Huo ChuChu expressing that she would not have time to painting anything for her mother for the time being.
She has not responded to anyone else.
She was a busy person.
She didn’t have that much free time.
After taking a bath, Gu Shishi shook her head and sighed.
She was just a pitiful soul who was forced to replay scenes in Korean drama by the system!
After she had quickly wrapped her wet hair up with a towel, she resorted to a sigh and started doing eeny, meeny, miny, moe with the assignments from the system.
“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
Finally, her finger landed unfortunately on coffee kiss.
Wonder. Middle of the night. Coffee!!! Simply incredible!!!
Gu Shishi did not believe in fate but, after some consideration, she couldn’t possibly make noodles in the middle of the night and force the boss to eat the same strand as her nor could she possibly go see him with a piece of tissue... Finally, she gritted her teeth and made a cup of Nestle 3-in-1 instant coffee in her cat paw cup.
She just bought that over lunch today at the supermarket with Ling Xiaomei!
An entire box of 12.
She must be able to succeed in one of the 12 times!
Done thinking, Gu Shishi, carrying the cup of coffee with her back straight and her chest thrusted out, walked out of her room and stepped onto the Persian rug in the hallway....
She cleared her throat and knocked on the door to the boss’s study.
Then, she lowered her head and took a big gulp of the milk coffee!
Most importantly, there need to be milk form around her lips... Mmmhmm!
That way...
When the door to the room opened, Gu Shishi suddenly realized a detail that she had overlooked!
Instant coffee had no foam!
Gosh darn it!
Her little face twisted.
“Hehe, Huohuohuohuo, would you like to have some coffee?”
That was the goofy line that Huo Sishen heard when his tall and handsome body appeared by the door.
Huo Sishen paused for a little bit at the entrance to his study when he figured out what Gu Shishi had just said.
“Coffee at 11 PM?”
The girl standing in front of the door had a cat claw mug in her hand and, clearly, she had already taken a sip out of it.
It wasn’t even bought specifically for him.
Turning to look at the clock on the wall, he couldn’t help but frowned.
Drinking coffee at this hour? Did she plan to stay up all night tonight?
Gu Shishi started to sweat. She was anxious to complete her assignments.
And anxiousness brought about oversights.
She pursed her lips a little and she didn’t even need a mirror to know that never mind about foam, there wasn’t even any sign of coffee on her face right now.
Round 1, a complete failure!
“Hmmm... yeah, I just felt like some all of a sudden,” said Gu Shishi, embarrassed, as she stroked the side of the mug with her finger.
“Em..... goodnight then.”
She then turned around to leave with her cheeks flushed.