Chapter 16: Incident Involving an Ancient Painting
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The teachers' office and the classrooms were not in the same building, so on her way to class, Qiao Yue heard a lot of gossip about her.
When she reached the classroom, the bell for the second period rang.
Qiao Yue's eyes scanned the classroom before she picked a corner seat by the window. She sat there and waited for the first class of her college life to begin.
But for some reason, the teacher was late.
After the first period, news about Qiao Yue being sent to school by Qiao Ze had spread like wildfire. Added to that was Qiao Yue's good looks. It didn't take long for people to find out more about Qiao Yue; her photo went viral on the school forum.
When the students in the classroom saw that their new classmate was Qiao Yue, everyone began to discuss.
"Look, that's Qiao Yue! Did he transfer to our class? I think he's even more handsome in person than in photos!" A girl glanced at Qiao Yue secretly and muttered like a fangirl.
Another girl who sounded cold and aloof replied, "He's good-looking, but his family background isn't that great."
"Fifth young master Qiao! Such a background is not good enough?" A male voice feigning amazement interrupted the girls' conversation.
"What fifth young master Qiao? Didn't the Qiao family have only four? There's no fifth young master, the fifth child is Qiao Ying!"
"Is your wi-fi 2G? It's all over the school forum. This morning, Qiao Ze personally sent his brother to school and was even prepared to walk him in!"
"Wow! Did Qiao Ze come to our school?"
"Yes, yes. I saw him but there were too many people, so I couldn't squeeze in."
"We are going off topic. What do you mean by Qiao Yue's family background isn't good?"
"It's just that he was born out of wedlock when his mother eloped with a man, and he grew up in the countryside. I heard that someone dug up Qiao Yue's past. He's not a good person."
"Tell us the details."
Gossip was always something people were interested in. It didn't matter if one was an ordinary folk or a so-called rich and powerful person, once there was gossip, no one cared about etiquette.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of the gossip was playing Tetris on her phone with a bored expression.
Suddenly, a message popped up on the screen. Qiao Yue was distracted only for a moment, and the sound of "game over" came from the game.
"Boss, we have an emergency!"
"Tell me."
As soon as Qiao Yue sent the message, a call came in.
The moment Qiao Yue walked out, the discussion in the classroom became louder.
"What happened?" Qiao Yue asked.
"Boss, I'm going to die, I'm really going to die. A server in my shop accidentally spilled tea on a customer's ancient painting."
From the moment the person on the other end of the phone said the first word, Qiao Yue's right eye started to twitch.
"Oh? You can just buy the painting."
Qiao Yue believed that anything that could be solved with money was not a big deal.
"No, I can't! The customer won't sell it. He even said that he only wanted the painting. If it isn't fixed, he would smash the shop and spread the word that we intentionally destroyed his painting."
Qiao Yue rubbed her temples when she heard the sobbing voice on the phone.
"Give me the address."
" 117 Guang Hua Street, Yayi Club."
...
When Qiao Yue arrived, Chu Jia was already waiting for her at the door. This girl named Chu Jia was the one who delivered the guns to Qiao Yue together with the big guy.
"What's the situation?"
"This customer came to our shop to discuss long-term maintenance of his painting. When he got up, he knocked into a waitress who was serving tea and then tea spilled on his painting."
"Is it a large area?"
"Yes, because the painting was rolled up, there are many places that got wet."
"How much is it worth?"
"The customer said that he bought the painting at an auction abroad for 190 million yuan."
After understanding the situation in general, Qiao Yue formulated the basics of how they could restore the painting.
The moment Chu Jia pushed open the door, they could hear the discussion among a few conservator-restorers. After all, this was an expensive painting, and no one dared to repair it without a definite plan.
A bald man was anxiously pacing around the table, urging the conservator-restorers to repair the painting.
Qiao Yue casually looked around the room and saw a crying girl kneeling beside the big guy who was inseparable from Chu Jia.
"Hurry up! I bought this painting for 190 million yuan! If you guys don't do anything, the tea will seep even more!"
"Boss Li, we can only try our best to repair it."
"What do you mean by try your best? I want my original painting back! Are you deaf? And you, you who have no eyes, of all places, why did you have to stand beside me!" The bald man raised his hand as he spoke, ready to slap the waitress.
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Chapter 17: Saving the Damsel in Distress
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The waitress was bracing herself to be slapped but it didn't happen.
She carefully opened her eyes and was met with a pair of eyes that were as bright as stars.
"Don't cry. Girls don't look good when they cry."
Qiao Yue wasn't trying to be nice, but the waitress was not at fault. She knew Chu Jia well. Since Chu Jia said that it was the guest who knocked into the waitress, that was probably what happened.
The man referred to as Boss Li had his wrist held tightly by Qiao Yue. He couldn't pull it back and shouted with a red face, "Where did this meddlesome b*tch come from?"
The room fell silent as soon as Boss Li said that. All eyes were on Qiao Yue, especially Chu Jia's, along with a frightened expression on her face. She was aware that those who had provoked her boss before were either fed to the fish or killed on the spot.
The room was dead silent. Everyone was observing Qiao Yue's expression, waiting for her next move.
Qiao Yue slowly let go of Mr. Li's wrist and said with a smile, "We're all in business, and harmony begets wealth. Don't be so angry, Boss Li. Since I'm here, I'll return the painting to you as it was."
Boss Li sized up Qiao Yue. How could a young boy who looked to be only 18 or 19 could repair an ancient painting?
"You?"
Qiao Yue smiled but did not answer.
The few conservator-restorers were also sizing up Qiao Yue. Although they figured that a person who was personally received by the boss of Yayi Club wasn't simple, but the kid's sloppy appearance did not suggest that he could repair ancient paintings.
One of them who had been in the industry for three years was the first to speak up, "The restoration of ancient paintings is not that simple. The background, history, materials, style, and condition of the painting must be understood in detail before it can be restored."
Another conservator-restorer chimed in, "That's right. Painting restoration takes a lot of time and effort. Although some of us have five years of experience, after some discussion, we concluded that it'll still take five to six days for us to restore this painting to about 70 to 80 percent of its original state."
He didn't finish his sentence, but what his intention was clear.
"We are only confident of restoring it to about 70 to 80 percent in five to six days, and you dare to say 100%?"
Qiao Yue ignored their mockery and said to Boss Li with the same smile, "Boss Li, I can't prove it with my words. I'll show you, my credentials."
After Qiao Yue agreed to come, Chu Jia had sent someone to retrieve Qiao Yue's credentials which had been left with her.
A qualification certificate for the restoration of movable relics was put in front of Boss Li, and he could not help but believe it. Boss Li was even more dumbfounded when he saw the scope in the middle of the certificate; it listed everything from ancient documents to jade artifacts.
The few conservator-restorers looked at Qiao Yue in disbelief. One of them muttered, "It can't be fake, right?"
After hearing what he said, several people, including Boss Li, looked at Qiao Yue suspiciously.
This time, before Qiao Yue could say anything, Chu Jia had already spoken for her. "If you don't believe me, you can verify the certificate number on the official website."
Upon hearing this, Boss Li quickly went online to check. He didn't expect to really find it.
But Boss Li was still doubtful. His small eyes looked up and down at Qiao Yue, who was still smiling, again.
"I can let you fix it, but what happens if you fail?"
"Boss Li, what would you like if I fail?" Qiao Yue asked.
"If you fail, you'll have to pay me double in compensation."
Even Chu Jia's expression turned dark when she heard this. Wasn't that just extortion?
"Boss Li, be reasonable." Qiao Yue stopped smiling and said coldly.
"This was caused by you waitress who had no eyes. If you're not confident in your skills, it's fine. I'll ask them to fix it for me and then give me the blind waitress."
The reason why Boss Li didn't mention this before was that the waitress knew that she had caused a big trouble and had been kowtowing in apology. Boss Li didn't see her face until just now when she raised her head to look at Qiao Yue. She turned out to be a beauty, and Boss Li was immediately attracted to her.
He wanted a 70-80% restored painting and a woman. This Boss Li was indeed greedy.
Chu Jia's face was red with anger. Indeed, her servers here were all good-looking, men or women. But that did not mean that Boss Li could like them as he pleased. If the big guy had not been physically holding her back, she would have kicked Boss Li, thrown money at his face and kicked him out of Yayi Club.
"Boss Li, are you betting on my craftsmanship? If I fail, I'll have to pay you double in compensation. What if I succeed?"
This time, Qiao Yue's smile was no longer bright and sunny like before but dark and cold.
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Chapter 18: Formalizing the Bet
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Fix it, fix it, that's what you should do," shouted Boss Li guiltily when faced with the no longer friendly Qiao Yue.
"Forget it. Since Boss Li doesn't want to talk, then we'll go through the judicial process!"
When Boss Li heard that Qiao Yue talk about judicial process involving the police, his expression changed instantly and he quickly said, "There's no need to go through the legal process. Just do as you said before. If you fail to fix it, you'll have to pay me double in compensation. If you succeed..."
Boss Li was fat and bald to begin with, and his facial features were small. His frown made his entire face scrunched up, making him look like a bun with wrinkles.
Qiao Yue couldn't bear to look at his face. She replied quickly, "If I succeed, then please apologize to our waitress and boss in front of all the guests at the club event this Saturday."
Glancing at Chu Jia who was holding her phone, Boss Li gritted his teeth and said, "Alright!"
"This would be our bet. We need a notary."
Boss Li still didn't believe that Qiao Yue could restore his painting. He wanted to be paid double in compensation, so he asked for a notary to witness their bet.
"I'll be the witness." Chu Jia stepped forward and spoke.
"No, you're in the same gang. Maybe you'll deny everything when he can't fix it."
Chu Jia hated Boss Li to the core. If not for the fact that Yayi Club was one of their unblemished businesses, she would have tied him up, put him in a sack and give him a good beating.
"What if I'm the witness?" A cold voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.
Qiao Yue's ears felt slightly itchy; the voice sounded familiar.
The person then appeared from behind the half-closed door; it was Qiao Jing.
There was another man next to Qiao Jing, who was looking at Qiao Yue with a smile.
Qiao Yue was about to speak when Boss Li unexpectedly walked up to both men and extended his hand, "President Qiao, President Shen, you're here too!"
The smiling man shifted his gaze to Boss Li and said, "Boss Li, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The man said that but did not shake hands with Boss Li, let alone Qiao Jing. He did not even look at Boss Li. Boss Li could only put down his hand awkwardly.
"I'll be the witness to your bet." Qiao Jing stared at Qiao Yue as he spoke.
"I have no objection to President Qiao being the witness," said Boss Li quickly in order to please Qiao Jing.
"I agree too." Qiao Yue looked at Boss Li with a smile.
"I'll bring the restored painting back here in two days."
"Alright!" Boss Li nodded.
After the bet was made, Qiao Yue didn't waste more time talking nonsense. She went straight to the studio where they restore relics at the club. The few conservator-restorers followed.
Boss Li wanted to follow but was stopped by Chu Jia.
Chu Jia fake smiled as she said, "Boss Li, relic restoration requires a quiet environment. If Boss Li is worried, why don't you stay here for two days? Since you have made the bet with our club, we will waive the accommodation fees for these two days."
"Good, good." Boss Li's chubby face was grinning so widely that his eyes couldn't be seen.
"Then, President Qiao, President Shen, I'll go up first."
"Please go ahead, Boss Li."
Chu Jia was worried about Qiao Yue's situation, but she could not leave because she had guests.
The man referred to as President Shen probably saw Chu Jia's anxiety and said to her with a smile, "Qiao Jing and I are leaving too. Miss Chu, see you in two days."
"Alright. Take care, you two."
After getting into the car, Qiao Jing glanced at the person beside him and asked, "Why did you follow me in?"
"Qiao Jing, that's your fifth brother?"
Qiao Jing lowered his eyes and hummed in agreement.
"Interesting! Didn't you say that your fifth brother is not good at anything? I saw the certificate on the table just now. It's a first-grade certificate!"
Qiao Jing didn't answer. He couldn't see through his fifth brother either.
"That Boss Li is really stupid. One is Qiao Jing, and the other is Qiao Yue. You even helped Qiao Yue notarize the bet. What made him think that you're someone who would meddle in other people's business?"
The man laughed so hard that he rocked back and forth. There were stupid people in the business world, but there were few who were so stupid as to think that Qiao Jing would meddle in other people's business.
"Help me investigate Qiao Yue."
"What?" The man clutched his stomach and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes as he asked.
"Check overseas. Contact me if there's anything."
"Sure, no problem."
The man was also curious about Qiao Yue. Even Qiao Jing couldn't find out who his fifth brother was. This person definitely deserved to be looked into.
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Chapter 19: Executing the Bet
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue was busy at work despite her disgust at gasping in studio she heard from time to time. This was the workplace for all the conservator-restorers at Yayi Club after all.
Given the same environment and the same equipment, if Qiao Yue could restore the painting 100% while other conservator-restorers only 70 to 80%, it all came down to skill.
Gradually, Qiao Yue got into her zone where she could no longer hear any sound around her.
When a few conservator-restorers saw Chu Jia enter, they were about to greet her when she stopped them with a gesture.
Chu Jia walked up to Qiao Yue and saw that her hands were moving in a way that she didn't understand. This was not the first time she had seen Qiao Yue work, but every time she saw her work, she was amazed and felt assured.
Qiao Yue would probably remain tense until she finished the restoration.
Chu Jia waved her hand to ask the other conservator-restorers out. Two of them still wanted to watch Qiao Yue work; Chu Jia had to urge them repeatedly before they followed her out.
"I think you all know Qiao Yue's skill level now."
The moment Chu Jia said this, the few people who were still discussing Qiao Yue's craftsmanship instantly fell silent.
"Qiao Yue is the conservator-restorer I invited here. He's here to protect our club's reputation, but you're always picking on him. I didn't expect that my men would side with an outsider; you didn't work together to let Boss Li know how challenging it was to repair his painting, but questioned Qiao Yue's craftsmanship and credibility instead."
"I, I was just afraid that if we didn't restore it properly, the club would have to take the blame."
"Then tell me, could you fix it?"
"I..."
"Alright, I'll let you guys think about it! If you insist that you're right, I won't keep you."
With that, Chu Jia turned and left. She trusted Qiao Yue. Although she was young, she had become their pillar of support all these years. Hence, she would believe whatever Qiao Yue said.
Chu Jia's guess was right. Qiao Yue was in a tense state for two days. It wasn't until she finished the last stroke when she heaved a sigh of relief.
A few of the conservator-restorers hurried to examine the painting when they saw Qiao Yue take off her gloves.
"Amazing, it can actually be restored to this extent."
Even when they stuck their faces to the painting, they couldn't see any traces of tea on it.
Qiao Yue, who had been tense for a long time, felt exhausted and irritable.
She walked around them, rolled up the painting and walked out of the studio with two dark circles under her eyes.
Restoring a painting could take anywhere from a few days to a few years. There were very few people who could repair a painting that was soaked in tea in two days.
"Qiao Yue, how are you?"
The first thing Chu Jia asked when Qiao Yue left the studio was not about the ancient painting but Qiao Yue's wellbeing.
"Has everyone arrived?"
"Yes. President Qiao and President Shen are here too."
"Alright," Qiao Yue said before she walked towards room 107.
When Qiao Yue pushed the door open and entered, Boss Li was chatting with the smiling man about family matters.
Qiao Jing's eyes had been fixed on the door; as soon as Qiao Yue opened the door, their eyes met.
Qiao Jing looked at Qiao Yue's dispirited appearance and stepped forward with a frown, "You didn't sleep for two days?"
"I'm fine," Qiao Yue replied before she looked at Boss Li and asked, "Boss Li, do you still remember our bet?"
Boss Li was looking at Qiao Jing and Qiao Yue suspiciously when he heard Qiao Yue's question. He replied absentmindedly, "Yes."
"That's good. Boss Li, please take a look at the painting!"
The painting was unrolled on a long table. Boss Li looked at the painting carefully, wishing that he could stick his entire body to it. If the painting was not restored as promised, he would get double the amount he paid in compensation.
But after a long examination, Boss Li still didn't find any tea stains. He walked around again and suddenly shouted, "Here, there's something here!"
Qiao Yue stepped forward to look. She raised her eyebrows slightly as she said, "Boss Li, are you sure this is it? There's no problem anywhere else?"
"No, this is it! You failed to restore it!"
Hearing the conviction in Boss Li's answer, Qiao Jing and the smiling man also went up to check. Their expressions were a little strange after they looked.
Qiao Yue asked again, "Boss Li, are you sure?"
"Yes! I'm very sure!"
Since Qiao Yue asked again, Boss Li thought that he wasn't convincing enough, so he howled with even more conviction.
Qiao Yue's lips curved into a smile as she handed a before-restoration photo of the painting to Boss Li. "Boss Li, why don't you compare it yourself?"
Qiao Jing stared at Qiao Yue's smile, dazed for a moment before he snapped back to reality when someone touched his arm.
Why? When he saw Qiao Yue's smile just now, his heart seemed to have skipped a beat.
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Chapter 20: You are the First
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Boss Li's face turned darker as he checked. Even after the comparison, he still couldn't see any traces of restoration.
However, for the sake of the double compensation, Boss Li acted shameless and pointed at the spot from just now as he said, "This was added by you."
Qiao Yue face palmed. She had already given him the photo; how could he still be so shameless and spew such nonsense?
"Boss Li, you are probably not very familiar with ancient paintings, are you? This painting is a Gu Wei. Gu Wei is good at painting landscapes, and before the last stroke of every painting, he would paint things perfectly. His last stroke was always a spot of ink in the corner, to mean imperfection. His ink was mixed with special pigments, so when evaluating Gu Wei's paintings, experts would always start with this spot of ink."
"Congratulations, Boss Li. You've bought an authentic piece of art, but it's a pity that such a good painting has fallen into the hands of someone who doesn't know how to appreciate it."
Qiao Yue shook her head as she spoke, and her words made Boss Li's face turn green, white, and red.
The man with the surname Shen coughed lightly to suppress his laughter.
Qiao Jing, on the other hand, looked at Qiao Yue quietly with a faint smile on his face.
"Alright, that's it for this matter!"
Boss Li collected the painting and threw a few red notes at Qiao Yue, indicating that he would no longer pursue this matter. At the same time, he was trying to cover up his bad behavior and the bet.
This time, not only Qiao Yue, but Qiao Jing and the other man's face also darkened.
Boss Li tried to leave this embarrassing place as quickly as possible without looking at them, but he was stopped at the door.
"Boss Li, you must keep your word. Do you think you can deny the bet just because you want to? Moreover, President Qiao and President Shen are here as witnesses," Chu Jia said in a soft voice.
Boss Li looked up at the big guy blocking the door and then at Qiao Jing.
In that instant, his eyes filled with fear. He wiped his sweat and stuttered, "I, I wasn't going to deny the bet. It's just that it's not yet Saturday, right? I, I'll go home first."
"You can go home, but if you don't come here on Saturday night, then you'll have to carefully consider how many times I can mess with your family's assets."
Qiao Jing's voice was so cold that ice could fall from it. He walked over to the exhausted young man and helped him out.
Boss Li was dragged to the side by the big guy as he watched the two people held close to each other walk away.
Shortly after, President Shen gave Boss Li a mocking smile as he walked past him. "You're the first person who dared to throw money at fifth young master Qiao! Brave warrior!"
"What? Fifth young master?" Boss Li was bewildered.
"Don't you know his name? Qiao Yue, Qiao as in Qiao Jing."
Boss Li felt as if he had been struck by lightning; he stood stunned on the spot.
Chu Jia was too lazy to mock him and dragged the big guy back to work.
After everyone left, only the 100-yuan bills on the ground were laughing at Boss Li's stupidity.
In the car, Qiao Jing's assistant drove while Qiao Yue and Qiao Jing sat in the back.
The assistant's driving skills were good. He drove steadily all the way, making Qiao Yue drowsy.
She was able to maintain a high state of concentration when she was working but once she let go, she couldn't hold on.
Once, she was left on a deserted island full of beasts by her Godfather to survive. She did not sleep for almost a week, afraid that the beasts would prey on her. Later when Chu Jia came to pick her up, she fell asleep on the plane. She heard that it was the big guy who carried her back to her residence, where she slept for three days straight.
Thinking of the past, Qiao Yue's eyelids grew heavier, and her head gradually leaned against the car window.
"Come sleep here."
In a half-awake state, Qiao Yue heard a stiff but gentle voice. Her head was covered by a warm hand, and she slept solidly supported.
Qiao Yue slept all the way until the next morning. She stretched lazily and felt alive again. It had been too long since she pulled an all-nighter; she's not used to it. She felt her age catching up to her.
When Qiao Yue went downstairs to eat, she saw Qiao Xin and Qiao Ying preparing to get into the car.
Since Qiao Yue had been confirmed at Harvey, Qiao Xin had brought forward her departure time.
Qiao Yue didn't know if it was her imagination, but she seemed to have seen Qiao Xin give her an inexplicable smile before she got into the car.
Qiao Yue shuddered, goosebumps all over her body. She felt like sh*t was about to hit the fan.
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