Chapter 6: My Painting!

Page (1/3)

Hearing Lin Beichen’s accusation, Qiao Yanxin was momentarily stunned.

“What did you say? Isn’t Qiao Yunzhou with you? Don’t joke around. You can throw a tantrum, but if you keep causing trouble like this, it won’t look good. My patience has limits. Hurry up and make Qiao Yunzhou get back to the Qiao family.”

Lin Beichen’s eyes were swollen and red; he had obviously been crying.

“Can you truly understand? Yunzhou is missing! I’ve been looking for him all these days, but no matter how hard I search, I can’t find him. The police say he might be dead, but they haven’t found a body either.”

“What have you been doing all this time? If it weren’t for you, would Yunzhou have been targeted by that murderer? You didn’t even look for him, and yet you think he’s just sulking with you? Qiao Yanxin, you really are unreasonable!”

Seeing Lin Beichen’s sorrowful expression before me, I wanted to step forward and embrace him. But such a simple gesture was something I could not bring myself to do.

I silently thought, “I’m already dead, but please, you must live well.”

After being driven out of the Lin family by Lin Beichen, Qiao Yanxin sat in her car, dazed and unable to believe what she had just heard.

“Qiao Yunzhou is dead? How could that be! He was just sulking with me…”

The more she spoke, the more uncertain she became.

Qiao Yanxin drove silently to the company building, sitting in the car without going upstairs right away. After a moment of thought, she called Secretary Zhang.

“Secretary Zhang, hire a few more private investigators, more than usual. Help me check Qiao Yunzhou’s whereabouts, especially the days before he disappeared.”

Hearing Qiao Yanxin’s words, a mocking smile tugged at my lips.

The child’s dead, and now you want to look for me. By now, my body would surely be rotting.

Just as I hung up the phone, the car window was suddenly tapped.

I looked up and saw Gu Tingchu, his face full of joy.

Qiao Yanxin hadn’t locked the car door, so he opened it and climbed in, sitting on my lap.

I rolled my eyes and moved to the back seat.

Gu Tingchu, immediately upon entering, looked at Qiao Yanxin with big, watery puppy eyes, full of innocence.

“Yanxin, are you angry? Is it because last time I went to your marital home and made that request, which upset you? Then let me apologize. You haven’t been talking to me for a long time.”

After speaking, Gu Tingchu looked a little aggrieved and reached to hold Qiao Yanxin’s hand.

Qiao Yanxin used to be very affected by this kind of behavior. Whenever Gu Tingchu showed such concern, she would immediately give in. Houses, cars—anything Gu Tingchu wanted, she would pick just to make him happy.

Page (2/3)

But today, she felt unusually weary.

Seeing Gu Tingchu’s act, she felt a strange discomfort.

Qiao Yanxin pulled her hand back and rubbed her forehead irritably.

“Tingchu, I’ve been a bit too busy lately.”

Hearing this, Gu Tingchu immediately reached out to massage her shoulders.

“If that’s the case, Yanxin, why don’t you skip work today and come see my art exhibition? It just opened today, and I’ve exhibited a new painting I recently finished.”

Qiao Yanxin was momentarily taken aback and suddenly remembered this.

Gu Tingchu had spent nearly a year preparing for this exhibition, investing tremendous resources.

Moreover, it was his heartfelt work, and no matter what, Qiao Yanxin had to see it.

“Sorry, Tingchu, I’ve been so busy lately that I completely forgot.”

Gu Tingchu immediately shook his head understandingly. “It’s okay. I’m already happy if you come.”

Hearing Qiao Yanxin’s words, a chill slowly rose in my heart.

Recalling the past decade, it seemed laughable.

I used to love painting. In high school, I learned about the path of art students and was deeply moved.

The Qiao family was wealthy and treated me well. When they knew I wanted to study painting, they fully supported me.

Back then, I studied under a famous domestic painter for quite some time.

At first, Qiao Yanxin was indifferent about my pursuit of painting.

Our relationship wasn’t like now; she naturally supported my aspirations.

But at some point, whenever I painted or went out to study painting, Qiao Yanxin would show an angry expression, as if someone owed her eight million yuan.

When did this change begin? I think it might have started when Gu Tingchu appeared.

There was no choice—I had to give up studying painting and only painted secretly where Qiao Yanxin couldn’t see.

My dream then was to open my own gallery and exhibit my work.

But now, that dream was about to be realized by someone else.

Qiao Yanxin and I were not always like this. Back then, the Qiao family hadn’t grown as large, so we two children were often targeted by rival families.

Page (3/3)

One summer, the air was thick and stifling. I was dragged by unknown men toward a car.

They didn’t know who was more important, Qiao Yanxin or me; they only knew I was a boy and thought kidnapping me might extort more money.

I struggled desperately but was inwardly relieved it wasn’t Qiao Yanxin who was taken.

Yet she hadn’t left; she clung to the man, biting, scratching, kicking. Even when beaten, she refused to let go.

In the end, both of us were rescued.

I was unharmed, but she had a deep gash on her face.

Seeing the wound pained me greatly.

“You can’t be so impulsive next time. It would be such a pity if a girl’s face got disfigured.”

Qiao Yanxin had always cared deeply about her appearance, but now she said nothing and just smiled warmly at me.

“My face isn’t as important as you are.”

I believed that for my entire life.

Following behind them, my vision blurred.

Only then did I realize I had died too soon. There were so many things I hadn’t done, so many things I wanted to do—how could I have died?

Suddenly, other visitors’ praise reached my ears.

“Mr. Gu’s painting, ‘Tiger Descending the Mountain,’ is incredibly vivid and full of momentum!”

Others echoed, “It’s impressive for someone so young. Mr. Gu has such profound skill in painting.”

Hearing that familiar name, I turned sharply.

Before me was the very painting I had created!

Not only that, but many other paintings in the studio were clearly my work!

Gu Tingchu—he had stolen my paintings!

He dared to do this so openly, unafraid of being discovered.

Because he was certain I would never return alive, he could be so brazen!