Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Three days later.

Shen Yuan called, her voice buzzing with excitement. “Sister Hua, Sister Hua! Good news, great news! After a selection process by all the experts on-site, they’ve unanimously decided that you will be the one to complete the brushwork for the Seclusion Painting by Wang Meng, one of the Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty. Are you happy?”n
Su Hua gave a faint hum of acknowledgment. “When do I start?”

Shen Yuan was stunned. “That… that’s your only reaction?”

Su Hua arched an eyebrow slightly. “What kind of reaction should I have?”

Shen Yuan raised her voice. “Do you have any idea? You successfully beat eighteen master copyists gathered from all over the country. Every single one of those masters is a top-tier talent from their local museums, and they’re all over forty or fifty years old. You’re only twenty-three, yet you beat so many experts. Shouldn’t you be cheering, clapping, and ecstatic?”

Su Hua gave two dry, hollow laughs. “Is this better?”

Hearing her perfunctory laughter, Shen Yuan felt speechless. “Your left hand is still in the recovery phase. Won’t that affect the brushwork?”

“It’s fine; I mostly use my right hand. However, you guys need to help me find someone to grind the ink. I can’t use ready-made bottled ink; the ink will bleed, which would affect the mounting process.”

“No problem! Just mention any requirements you have, and I’ll tell our director. Actually, why don’t I just grind the ink for you?”

“Sure.”

Once the Seclusion Painting had been patched and the colors filled in, it was Su Hua’s turn to take up the brush.

She was extremely meticulous. Once she sat down and picked up the brush, she became completely immersed, transcending her surroundings as if entering a state of deep meditation. She often forgot to eat.

Shen Yuan didn’t dare disturb her.

Because they were restoring a cultural relic from over seven hundred years ago, this was the only one of its kind-it was irreplaceable.

If she were interrupted and made a single wrong stroke, the entire painting would be ruined.

This was why cultural relic restorers were also known as “surgeons of history”; they could not afford a single mistake.

Ten days later, Su Hua finished the brushwork.

Her brush strokes, technique, spirit, and artistic conception perfectly matched the original painter, Wang Meng.

A group of veteran experts spent half a day hunched over the painting with magnifying glasses, yet they couldn’t find a single flaw.

It had to be said that Su Hua’s work was both beautiful and efficient. What took others months to complete, she had finished in ten days.

Most people in the industry could spend their entire lives and never reach her level.

Hard work determines the floor, but talent determines the ceiling.

She had the talent, she was willing to work hard, and she had a grandfather known as the Restoration Master to teach her personally. One couldn’t help but be impressed.

One of the more cheerful veteran experts gave Su Hua a thumbs-up and praised her endlessly, saying that Su Wenmai had taught a fine disciple and that the student had surpassed the master.

A few other experts, who truly cherished such talent, even jointly submitted an application to grant Su Hua a “Cultural Relic Restoration Expert” certificate.

The museum also specially appointed her as a visiting researcher for the Jingdu Museum.

Next, the restored painting was sent to the mounting room.

Su Hua and the veteran experts went to a celebratory banquet.

Though it was called a celebratory banquet, it was actually just a farewell dinner for everyone to gather one last time.

During the meal, several white-haired experts asked Su Hua if she had a boyfriend, competing to introduce their grandsons and maternal grandsons to her.

Before Su Hua could even speak, the old men started bickering among themselves, each boasting about how great their own grandson was.

Some were so impatient they called their grandsons right then and there, telling them to hurry over.

Su Hua was a bit embarrassed by their boisterous chatter.

Shen Yuan quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Su Hua is so beautiful, she must have a boyfriend already. Thank you all for your kindness toward her.”

The experts sighed with regret and asked, “Which family’s boy is it? Who is the lucky fellow?”

Naturally, Su Hua couldn’t mention Gu Beixian. She laughed it off and managed to deflect the question.

In the past, Su Hua didn’t like dealing with these veteran experts.

She never used to attend their dinners.

Today, however, she realized that this group of experts was quite lovely. They were like children in their old age-each one quite mischievous.

After the meal, reporters arrived for interviews.

Because of her connection to the Gu Family, it wasn’t convenient for Su Hua to appear on camera, nor did she want people digging into her background. She politely declined and gave the opportunity to those lovely veteran experts.

Once she was free, Shen Yuan insisted on dragging her to the Antiques market, saying she wanted to find a hidden gem.

Gold in times of chaos, Antiques in times of prosperity.

In these peaceful times, the Antiques market was booming, and true bargains were hard to find.
Good things are always expensive; the cheap ones are mostly handicrafts or fakes.

The waters in the antiques industry are far too deep.

The two women visited several shops but came up empty-handed.

Finally, they arrived at an antique shop that was elegantly decorated in an ancient style, looking quite grand.

Su Hua looked around, her gaze eventually settling on a transparent vacuum-sealed box. Inside was a pile of old, shredded paper fragments. Even the largest piece was only the size of a child’s palm, so fragmented that the original form was unrecognizable.

Seeing her staring at it, Shen Yuan asked the shop assistant out of curiosity, “How much for this?”

The assistant held up two fingers. “Two hundred thousand.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes widened. “Two hundred thousand for these scraps of paper? You’ve certainly got some nerve with that price. Why don’t you just go rob a bank?”

The assistant didn’t get angry, merely saying with a smile, “This is an Ink Lotus Painting by Bada Shanren Zhu Da. It wasn’t properly preserved during the war. If it were intact, it would be worth at least ten million. If you don’t believe me, you can take some time to look it up online.”

Shen Yuan curled her lip. “But your painting is too shredded. There’s no way it’s worth two hundred thousand.”

The assistant knew the situation perfectly well.

When they first acquired it, they had paid two thousand yuan. They had intended to take it to Su Wenmai, the best ancient painting restoration expert in the country, but the old gentleman had passed away from stomach cancer. When they looked for others, no one could help; they all said it was too fragmented to even begin piecing together.

Leaving it here just took up space and required dusting every day.

The boss had left instructions: sell it for whatever anyone would pay.

The assistant’s eyes darted around as he said, “Then why don’t you name a price?”

Shen Yuan glanced at Su Hua. Seeing that she was interested in buying and knowing she could restore it, Shen Yuan held up one finger. “One hundred.”

Su Hua nearly burst out laughing.

She really dared to bargain.

Fortunately, they lived in a civilized society; in the old days, bargaining like that would have gotten someone beaten up.

The assistant grew annoyed, offering a fake smile. “Do you think this is scrap paper? Even if it were scrap, this is paper from the late Ming or early Qing dynasty. It could still sell for eight or ten thousand.”

“Don’t try to fool me. The kind that sells for ten thousand is a complete sheet of ancient Xuan paper. These are just fragments; they’re even too small to be used for patching other old paintings. How about this: I’ll give you a thousand yuan. Any more and we’re leaving.” After saying that, Shen Yuan grabbed Su Hua’s hand and started walking toward the door.

The assistant shouted from behind them, “One hundred thousand! You can take it for one hundred thousand!”

“Ten thousand! Not a penny more!” Shen Yuan countered without even looking back.

Seeing that the two were already at the door, the assistant’s face darkened. He shouted, “Fine, take it for ten thousand!”

Su Hua turned back immediately, swiped her card, signed the contract, and left with the fragments.

Back at Riyue Bay.

She went to her study and began piecing the painting together.

Fearing that Aunt Liu or the Hourly Worker might burst in and bring a draft that would blow the fragments away, she hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the study door.

When Gu Beixian returned, he didn’t see her anywhere.

He came to the study and saw the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, knowing she was working.

He gently pushed the door open just a crack.

He saw Su Hua sitting at the desk with her head down, focused intently on piecing the painting together.

The orange light bathed her fair, delicate face, making her look as though she were in a deep state of meditation.

This atmosphere of stillness and focus made the entire study feel like a temple-silent, filled with ancient scrolls and the glow of a lamp-making one reluctant to disturb her.

Gu Beixian quietly closed the door and retreated.

Su Hua worked until the middle of the night before stopping. She looked up at the clock on the wall; it was one in the morning.

She set the painting down, walked out of the study, and locked it.

Afraid of waking Gu Beixian, she moved quietly to the bathroom to wash up, then went to the guest room to sleep.

But the next morning, when she woke up and opened her eyes, she saw Gu Beixian lying beside her, gazing down at her.

Su Hua was very surprised. She rubbed her bleary eyes and looked at the man’s clear, handsome, and elegant face. “Why did you come to sleep in the guest room too?”

Gu Beixian pulled her into a light embrace, his index finger gently touching her cherry-red lips. “I was afraid you’d dream of me in the middle of the night and cry because you couldn’t find me.”

This… was so sweet.

A sharp pang of sweetness hit Su Hua’s heart; she was truly touched by his warmth.

With her eyes curving into crescents, she leaned in, cupped his face, and began kissing him-his forehead, his eyes, then the tip of his nose-until she was breathless.

She kissed that handsome face until it was covered in her saliva.