Chapter 319: Paintings for Sale
Qin Muxuan relented. She trembly lifted her hand to slightly touch his eye. Her lips shivered, trying to utter his name. However, it seemed that she got choked up. His name was unable to come out from her throat.
Gu Zijin fixed his eyes on her for a while, but she didn’t say anything.
The man finally lost his patience. He snorted and let go of her. Then, he strode toward the balcony.
Gu Zijin fumbled for a cigarette while walking. He then lit it up and smoked. “Qin Muxuan, you’ve always known how to hurt me badly.” The man laughed to himself.
His voice was so low that it dissipated with the smoke in the air.
Qin Muxuan suddenly realized the reason he lost his wits. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell to the ground.
‘You did the same thing to me.’
She begged George to design her wedding dress for the ceremony which had failed to be held 4 years ago.
‘If it wasn’t for…’
‘I wouldn’t have given the dress to others…’
After finishing a cigarette in the balcony, Gu Zijin composed himself. He snapped it out and turned to Qin Muxuan.
Noticing she was crying mutely, he felt his heart twitched. Pain and hatred surged inwardly.
He hated her and himself.
Setting his mouth in a grim line, he walked in with a gust of cold air. Gu Zijin handed over a tissue box to her, “Wipe your eyes.”
Qin Muxuan looked up at him. Tears surged over her cheeks. She started sobbing. However, the woman depressed her cry in a second. She took over the box and wipe tears away.
Qin Muxuan fortified herself in every move. She tightly locked her heart in a narrow space.
Gu Zijin poured her a glass of hot water. He stood silently beside her till she calmed down. Then, the man gave her the water.
He did so naturally as if he had rehearsed for a thousand times.
However, Qin Muxuan hadn’t seen such a considerate Gu Zijin 4 years ago.
The woman dropped her eyelids. She took the water over to wet her whistle, “What can I do for you, Mr. Gu?”
Her voice was as calm as standing water, not showing her emotions. It seemed that she hadn’t cried a few minutes ago.
Staring at the confident and mature woman, Gu Zijin lifted the corner of his mouth. Self-mockery in his eyes became more conspicuous.
‘She’s become a strong woman who no longer relies on me.’
He stopped woolgathering. “Please change the sheet if you’re available now. Thank you.” Said him in a low voice.
Qin Muxuan’s mouth twitched, “It must have been an illusion. How stupid am I to regard him as a thoughtful man?”
“Well, Mr. Gu. Are you sure? Do you think I can change your sheet with one hand?”
After glancing at her right shoulder, he nodded with grim eyes, “Yep. I think you were trained before you started your job.”
Qin Muxuan arched her tongue towards the roof of her mouth in order to suppress her anger. After she calmed down, she changed the sheet voicelessly. However, the woman didn’t get used to work with one hand, so it took her a long time to finish the job.
The quilt was in a mess.
However, Qin Muxuan was so exhausted that she gave up on fixing it.
She let out a long sigh. After getting her breath back, she waved goodbye to Gu Zijin who smoked in the balcony.
“Wait.” Gu Zijin put out the cigarette and strode in. Taking vacuum-packed pieces of stewed meat and drumsticks out from his suitcase, he gave them to her, “My mom asked me to bring them here for Xiaobai. I’ve prepared some for Xinxin. Give them to her when you visit her.”
Qin Muxuan drooled when she saw juicy meat.
Yang Xiaoying was an excellent cook, but she could only make a few vegetarian dishes. She didn’t tell lies.
Qin Muxuan took them unhesitatingly. After expressing her thanks, she left right away.
Qin Xin’s food was prepared by program staff. Compared with these snacks, tasty food was more attractive. It was apparent that Gu Zijin gave them to Qin Muxuan through this excuse.
**
Qin Muxuan didn’t dine privately. She shared these with others.
While eating, she discussed with them about the wedding.
“We need to figure out how to find a traditional wedding dress first.”
“Miaomiao, you’re professional. Do you know where can we find it?” Asked Qin Muxuan.
Yu Miaomiao, who was a freeloader, sat beside Xiao Heng and peeped at his interaction with Feng Yi. She was to overjoyed to pay attention to their conversation. Obviously, she ignored Qin Muxuan’s question.
Qin Xiaobai nudged her. Yu Miaomiao finally got her thoughts together, “What?”
Qin Muxuan reiterated her question.
“That’s a store named SHE. S-H-E. It also provides wedding planning and other services if you pay for them.” Yu Miaomiao snorted, “Its owner loves money. He’s happy to do everything only if you pay the cash.”
Words failed everyone on the spot.
Noticing no one responded, Yu Miaomiao perceived the silence among others out of the blue. She scratched her head, smirking, “Only SHE has traditional wedding dresses in the town.”
People around exchanged glances. At the end, they gazed at Qin Muxuan, “Make some money!”
She couldn’t rival them, so she had no choice but to sell paintings.
Qin Muxuan also took Xiao Heng with her. He could make money by walking horses for clients.
Qin Xiaobai offered to help.
**
Yin Youting and the three headed to a grassland for making money the second day.
As soon as they arrived, they were surrounded by people making inquiries.
It turned out that a slew of the show’s audience located the place according to the evidence from their live stream. Those audience advertised for them. Local people received the news that celebrities would walk horses, so they flooded to the grassland. Therefore, Qin Muxuan’s group was understaffed. Qin Xiaobai had to assist his mother.
The group didn’t stop until the sun scorched their back at noon.
Qin Muxuan handed a painting to a client after finishing the last stroke. She then laid flat her drawing board on which she rested.
Yin Youting collected money, which was the easiest job, because he was not invited by the show.
He bought a cola and placed it upon her face to cool her down, “Can you move your fingers?”
“My hands are almost cramped.” Qin Muxuan’s face puckered. She shook her head, “Would you mind massaging my hands?”
The man opened the cola and handed it over to her. He crouched down, holding her hand to slightly rub it. “It’ll be hotter in the afternoon. People may stay at home. You can take a rest.”
“No, I can’t. The money’s inadequate.”
“Well, I will pay the rest if you sell me a figure painting.” Yin Youting raised his eyes to stop her from refusing.
“Your work is worth that much.”
Staring at him, Qin Muxuan felt complicated. Her little finger twitched. Guilt fidgeted her.
She withdrew her hand and sat up. “Of course. After all, I had worked for the Qin Group. You’ve gotten a great deal.” She laughed.
Yin Youting fathomed what she was thinking, so he felt disappointed.
He rose to his feet with a smile, looking into the distance. “The couple have indeed gotten a great deal. So many celebrities offer free services to them.”
“That’s true.” Noticing Xiao Heng walked over with a horse awkwardly, Qin Muxuan grinned. Her eyes curved into crescent moon-like shape. “It’s rare to see you in such a mess, Mr. Xiao.”
Hearing that, Xiao Heng glared at her. He replied feebly, “You’re also in a mess, dirty kitty!”
After he gave the reins to the horse’s owner, Xiao Heng sprawled untidily on the ground as a dead body.Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.
Qin Muxuan took her phone as a mirror. She looked in it and found there were charcoal marks on her face. ‘The pen might smear my face when I mopped myself up.’
When she was cleaning her face, Qin Xiaobai stopped beside her. He was riding a horse heatedly.
“Get on my horse, Xuanxuan. I’ll take you on a ride!”
“You?” Qin Muxuan shook her head after eyeballing his slender body. “This horse has been galloping for a morning. It must have been exhausted. You should allow it to rest.”
“Then we can change one.” The boy said with intense interest. He was unwilling to give up.
Qin Muxuan contemplated, “Well, you know what? Let’s play a game. Who will be the first to be here after riding on a horse around the grassland? The loser should massage the winner.”
“Deal!” Xiao Heng sat up with a great heave.
When the game was accepted by the three, they selected and rode on their horses.
As the referee, Yin Youting counted down, “Three, Two…”
Before he could finish that, the three jumped the gun. Horses started galloping on the grassland.
“Jesus! What’s wrong with the horse!” Qin Muxuan screamed.