The branches swayed in the moonlight, and the mottled light and shadow stirred the tranquility of the night.
Aunt Yanâs words were concise and to the point, and Chen Ruoyuâs relaxed expression returned to her usual look.
She had long expected that her private revenge against Song Yi would be counterattacked by this person; she tidied up her clothes a little, then got up and followed Aunt Yan downstairs.
Itâs just that Chen Ruoyu had just gotten down to the living room on the first floor when someone grabbed her arm.
Mother Songâs crying pear blossoms brought rain, and half-old Xu Niangâs face was full of tears, and she asked Chen Ruoyu with a look of forbearance and grief: âXiaoyi said that it was you who made things difficult and obstructed in every way but refused to let her in.â The painting world is a way of life, and it made her despair, so she took this stupid route. How could you treat your sister like this? She is a relative who is connected to your blood! â
Chen Yinbing stood aside. Her expression was unknown, and her tone remained calm: âRuoyu, whatâs going on?â
âI just had a meal with Teacher Qin from the Provincial Museum and commented on Song Yiâs paintings.â Chen Ruoyu replied.
âA coincidence? Itâs a coincidence once, but itâs not a coincidence one after another. â When Mother Song asked back, her voice was extraordinarily confident and even a little aggressive.
It wasnât.
As Chen Ruoyu said to Song Yi that day, she did it on purpose.
It was just Mother Songâs question, but Chen Ruoyu didnât panic at all. She just explained lightly: âAunt, I just took over my fatherâs gallery, and there are many places where I need to contact people to learn, and I have to eat with several curators and uncles to maintain relationships with my father. Instructed If my aunt thinks that this is not a coincidence, it can only mean that Song Yi also wants to have this relationship, but she just doesnât know what the purpose of Song Yiâs wanting this relationship is. â
Chen Ruoyu didnât say everything, but the purpose of the mother and daughter of the Song family was exposed.
Chen Yinbing has such a big family business, and the two who are used to the dove occupying the magpieâs nest have long coveted it. Songâs mother felt a little guilty, and she forced herself to explain: âXiaoyi will graduate this year. Of course, she wants to find a way out for herself.â
âThere are many ways out,â Chen Ruoyu said.
âBut people go to high places, donât they?â Mother Song said, turning her head to look at Chen Yinbing, âBrother-in-law, Xiaoyi is a high-spirited child. You said at the beginning that Xiaoyi couldnât live forever. Under your protection, I asked her to exercise. Since we have met at the banquet more than once or twice, many of them are relatives. How could Ruoyu break Xiaoyiâs way like this? Yi also saved Ruoyuâs life. Isnât this a kind of revenge?â
As she spoke, the tears in Mother Songâs eyes fell, and she covered her heart with great grief and said, âGod, does this poor daughter of mine want to be the same as my sister who is suffering? â
The incandescent lights in the living room fell on this person, and her weak appearance was the same as Song Yiâs.
Chen Ruoyu was used to seeing the mother and daughter of the Song family. She didnât have any sympathy.
Chen Yinbing, who had been silent for a while, asked, âHow is Song Yiâs injury?â
âItâs terrible,â Mother Song cried. âI went to get off work tonight, and I came home after ten oâclock to call the child, but I couldnât hear her reply, only the sound of water coming from the toilet. When I went in, I saw my poor childâs wrist was soaked in water and was rescued from the hospital just now by my brother-in-law. â
Chen Ruoyu listened quietly to the side, and said with concern: âWhy does my aunt feel at ease leaving Song Yi alone in the hospital, and coming over by herself? Arenât you afraid that Song Yi will have any more thoughts of suicide?â
Chen Ruoyu said something of concern, but her expression was as calm as ever.
Those cold eyes refracted the light above, which made people who were already in a bad mood feel guilty with no emotion.
Mother Songâs crying paused before she said, âI⦠Iâve found a nurse.â
Chen Ruoyu nodded when she heard the words, gently pinned the long hair on the side of her face behind her ears, and her eyes fell on Song Motherâs body and asked, âAuntie said that you saw Song Yiâs hand stretched out when you came back from night work. In our house, you come home from night work at ten oâclock in the evening. It takes twenty minutes for the ambulance from the nearest hospital to arrive at your home. Then it takes about forty minutes to go back and forth. What brings you here at 11:45 a.m.?Did you come here to ask for the guilt before Song Yiâs surgery was completed, or the wound wasnât big at all, and Song Yiâs consciousness remained constant? Are you awake?â
Chen Ruoyuâs words are long, but the logic is correct. In just a few sentences, Song Motherâs âfactâ, which was full of flaws, was defeated.
Mother Song didnât expect that Chen Ruoyu, who used to be silent in the past, would be so reluctant today and expose her words so frankly. She is used to being respected by people on weekdays. said, âRuoyu, how can you talk to your aunt like this? Are you questioning me? Brother-in-law, I know I am an outsider and may not get Ruoyuâs respect, but she canât just slap me on the face like this. Bar. â
Chen Yinbing was unmoved, standing beside Chen Ruoyu, and said, âQingxiu, I hope you can answer Ruoyuâs question just now.â
âIâ¦â Mother Song hesitated, not knowing how to answer.
Chen Ruoyu understood the authenticity of Chen Ruoyuâs reasoning just now, with obvious disappointment written on her face.
With his hands behind his back, he spoke to Mother Song with a serious expression: âQingxiu, because of your sister, itâs difficult for you to be alone with your children these years.â Our family doesnât help your family less, but I may have neglected to teach you. It is better to teach a man how to fish than to teach him how to fish, which has made Xiaoyi what she is now. My original intention was to keep her down-to-earth, but I didnât expect this situation to happen. Our Chen family will be responsible for the cost of Xiaoyiâs hospitalization, but thatâs it.â
Chen Yinbingâs words were sincere and sincere, and every sentence made sense, but some people only heard the last half of the sentence.
Mother Song panicked. Her eyes were more frightened than what she had just said about Song Yi, âBrother-in-lawâ¦Are you going to stop worrying about our orphans and widows? If my sisterâ¦â
Itâs just that Chen Yinbing didnât let Mother Song move out of her deck of cards this time, so she interrupted her: âYour sister doesnât want to see you like this.â
âTo be honest, Xiaoyiâs talent, Qingxiu, you know better than me. In the past few years, she has learned enough painting skills from me to make her find a job that is much better than ordinary people. Itâs not good to be too ambitious. Conduct.â
Mother Song collapsed with her back still upright and looked at Chen Yinbing pitifully: âBrother-in-lawâ¦â
Chen Yinbing ignored her and greeted Aunt Yan, who was standing not far away, âAunt Yan.â
Aunt Yan stepped forward: âMaster.â
âCall the car at home to take Auntie back to the hospital, and you will follow along and help me with the cooking.â Chen Yinbing then ordered.
Aunt Yan also understood what he meant and nodded respectfully, âYes.â
Songâs motherâs guilt ended with a complete failure. She couldnât understand why Chen Yinbing, who had always been partial to Song Yi, would stand on the top platform of fairness and examine the matter this time.
The Chen house, which was still noisy just now, suddenly became quiet, and Chen Yinbing and Chen Ruoyu were left in the living room.
When father and daughter rarely coexist in the same room, Chen Yinbing put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, âYou were never such a child in the past.â
âIâve always been like this.â
However, Chen Ruoyu replied, her calm eyes were like a pool of cold water, and she could not see much emotion.
This is the first time Chen Yinbing has seen Chen Ruoyu today, but as she answered, her meticulous calmness cannot be cultivated overnight.
His daughter, who had grown up unnoticed for a long time, could compete with him.
He should have understood long ago that since Chen Ruoyu returned to China and wanted to not take over the gallery at home, there was a way not to take over.
Thinking of this, Chen Yinbing asked again, âThatâs why you agreed to take over the gallery at home.â
âNo.â Chen Ruoyu denied it.
âAccepting the gallery at home is my decision. I didnât do it deliberately to embarrass anyone. The cost is too high. There is no need for me to choose a path because of being an outsider. This is my own life, Dad. â
Chen Ruoyuâs words were smooth and natural, and Chen Yinbingâs eyes gradually became complicated.
The silence she showed in this home is just a corner of the iceberg floating on the water, and what sinks below is the deep city house that has been polished with time.
Chen Yinbingâs complicated emotions finally turned into a long sigh, and he, who has always been strong and old-fashioned, once again compromised with Chen Ruoyu: âSince the gallery has been handed over to you, from now on these are all your affairs. You can do it yourself.â
âI understand.â Chen Ruoyu nodded, saying nothing more.
No cockiness, no joy.
Chen Yinbing, who was accustomed to Song Yi acting coquettish towards herself every time she got her approval, suddenly felt a little sad.
He seems to have not been close to her since the child was born. The pain of losing his wife has made him avoid this child, who indirectly killed his wife, but it is the same.
The child in front of him is the biological child worthy of his love.
Chen Yinbing rarely spoke lovingly to his daughter: âIf you encounter anything in the future, you can tell Dad, and Dad will agree to what he can do.â
âThank you, Dad.â Chen Ruoyu listened unmoved. She had long been used to this not being her home, and there was no way for her late guilt to go through time to remove the scars from the past.
The clock in the room penetrated the room, dull and loud. Chen Ruoyu looked up at the hour and minute hands that had overlapped on the Roman numeral twelve, and reminded in a faint voice, âItâs getting late, rest.â
Chen Yinbing wanted to say something, but after looking at Chen Ruoyu, she still turned her head back to her room.
The slender figure was printed on the wall, and she trudged toward the corridor of the room. Chen Ruoyu looked up and walked towards the opposite stairwell.
Itâs just that Chen Ruoyu didnât see it, and the shadow stopped halfway.
Just like that, Chen Yinbing turned her head to look at Chen Ruoyu, who was walking upstairs, looking at her thin back and the expressionless face that flashed by in the corner.
The hair hanging on the side of her face matched the light very well, which perfectly set off the clean breeze between her eyebrows and eyes.
Chen Ruoyu put on a thin cyan silk shirt, and the slightly floating wind lifted the tulle, light and illusory.
In Chen Yinbingâs ears, the words Shi Ran said in the gallery at the beginning sounded again: âSince ancient times, when painting, you only learn the style, not the skin.â What should be cherished the most? â
This is what Chen Yinbing thinks of most often these days.
He once thought he understood, but only now has he tasted the more assiduous meaning of this sentence.
He was slow to realize that he had made an irreversible mistake.
Half a month sounds like a long time, but in the blink of an eye, Shi Ranâs annual leave is over.
Those who should be dealt with on Weibo have been punished accordingly. The first month of the Apostle Public Beta has exceeded 100 million, and everything seems to be developing in a better direction.
On Monday, Shi Ranâs first day back to work at the company.
It is still a familiar environment, the familiar crowded elevator, and the high-heeled shoes on the tiled floor will still make a crisp sound.
Get out of the elevator, and punch in. Shi Ran thought she would start her work calmly, but she didnât want to be startled by a few âbangsâ as soon as she opened the door of the art group.
Colorful paper flowers exploded from the gun salute and fluttered in front of Shi Ranâs head.
The faces she knew were all at the door to welcome her back, and the entire entryway was covered in her favorite red.
Shi Ran still hadnât reacted, and a huge momentum embraced her and she stumbled.
The little girl, Xu Mengtian, didnât know if she was too excited, so she rushed up and gave Shi Ran a big hug.
âSister Shi Ran, you are finally back!â
Shi Ran was a little awkward in such close contact.
He smiled at Xu Mengtian and let go of her hug.
Those dark eyes seemed to look at the crowd unintentionally as if they were looking for something.
But it stopped in a second.
Chen Ruoyu stood toward Shi Ranâs station, away from the crowd, so that people could see it at a glance.
Shi Ran just looked at Chen Ruoyu from a distance across the sea of people, and the two pairs of eyes that looked at each other were equally calm, but they were also surging under the calm.