Chapter 103 A familiar painting

Ruan Liuzheng looked at Xie Qingcen quietly, her brows and eyes indifferent, "What I want is the result, not your admission of fault."

She looked serious, enunciating each word, her cold eyes calm without a trace of fluctuation.

If it weren't for the sudden increase in tone, Xie Qingcen would have thought that the two of them were just talking about today's weather.

He frowned, and a hint of helplessness flashed across his delicate eyebrows.

"Your calmness is sometimes really scary."

Xie Qingcen raised his hand and gently stroked the side of Ruan Liuzheng's face. His movements were gentle and affectionate. His dark eyes stared straight at Ruan Liuzheng, and there was an ambiguous light in his eyes.

"You know? I feel really frustrated when you do this, because I can't see myself in your eyes, especially now."

Xie Qingcen's Adam's apple rolled, and he didn't care about the other people in the lounge. A hint of vulnerability was revealed in his eyes without any concealment.

This was the first time in his life that he felt defeated by a woman.

Xie Qingcen was born into the Xie family, one of Yuncheng's most prestigious families.

He'd been the center of attention since childhood, his superior family background, impeccable looks, and genius-like abilities making him the center of attention wherever he went. He'd always been the one to stir up other people's emotions, but this was the first time he'd been so moved by someone else.

However, Xie Qingcen relished the experience.

After all, this was the woman he'd chosen.

He smiled faintly, his delicate features revealing an indescribable fondness and tenderness.

Ruan Liuzheng's eyes flickered, sensing Xie Qingcen's shifting emotions and his unabashed display of weakness. She moved her lips.

She looked up and said, "So, do you want me to have a big argument with you? Or just a quick fight?"

"Xie Qingcen, remember I said, in a way, we're the same kind of people. Quarrels and suspicions are too cheap for people like us."

Ruan Liuzheng's eyebrows rose slightly, a faint glint in her cold eyes.

Her face remained expressionless, but surprisingly, the sudden uneasiness within Xie Qingcen slowly subsided.

He chuckled, a deep smile in his dark eyes, his thin lips opening and closing, but no words came out.

After a long moment, he slowed his breathing and nodded happily, "Yes, we are the same kind of people. But I have to admit that when it comes to feelings, I lack your rationality."

"To you, I am willing to submit."

Ruan Liuzheng's eyes trembled, quietly feeling the strength of Xie Qingcen's palm. She raised her eyes, her pale pink lips curled slightly, and she said rather unpleasantly, "But is this the time to say all this? Shouldn't you have explained something to me right away?"

Xie Qingcen's eyes paused.

He pursed his lips, a hint of coldness etched across his delicate features. "Fu Yanci and I are indeed related by blood, but that can be ignored."

His eyes were deep, and his clear voice took on a hint of coldness as he spoke of Fu Yanci.

There was an undisguised coldness in his eyes.

Ruan Liuzheng's tense body suddenly relaxed when she heard that. She breathed a sigh of relief, and her beautiful eyebrows gradually relaxed.

She really didn't want to have anything to do with Fu Yanci anymore.

The lesson she learned from her miserable marriage with him was too painful.

Although she was not afraid, if possible, who would be willing to face a disgusting person every day?

A fool who couldn't see the reality and was arrogant.

Ruan Liuzheng frowned, and a hint of coldness passed through her cold eyes.

A hint of indifference appeared on her fair face.

She looked at Xie Qingcen and asked again uncertainly, "Are you sure you can ignore it?"

Xie Qingcen smiled. He raised his hand and gently tidied the hair by Ruan Liuzheng's ear, with a doting smile on his handsome face.

He opened his lips slightly, "Don't worry, even if there's a connection, he's the one bowing to you."

"Your man's strength and seniority are there; he'll never let you suffer any injustice."

Xie Qingcen's eyes narrowed slightly, her tone arrogant and domineering.

But her words were utterly vulgar.

Ruan Liuzheng's expression of cold indifference instantly broke.

She couldn't help but laugh, tilting her head back, her stark black eyes filled with Xie Qingcen, and the corners of her pale pink lips couldn't help but curl up.

"Xie Qingcen, how do you manage to hold such a face and say such words without changing your expression?"

"If anyone saw this, you'd lose your reputation."

Her eyes were clear, curved at the corners, and a playful smile lingered in them. It

was indescribably moving to see.

Xie Qingcen's eyes darkened, and the lines of his jaw were clear and smooth, and the Adam's apple beneath them rolled slightly uncontrollably.

There was undisguised desire in her eyes.

But thinking of Wen Jiming in the lounge, he took another deep breath, frowned, and silently concealed his emotions.

Yet his eyes remained brooding.

He opened his lips, his dark, inky eyes fixed on Ruan Liuzheng, his voice low, "My reputation was ruined the moment I met Miss Ruan."

Xie Qingcen lifted his gaze and leaned closer to Ruan Liuzheng. His breath was warm, his eyes like a vast sea of stars

, a boundless blackness punctuated by tiny sparks.

He leaned deliberately into Ruan Liuzheng's ear and said, "So you must be responsible for me, Miss Ruan Liuzheng."

The ending note rose slightly, bringing a tantalizing itch and an unconscious warmth to the heart.

Ruan Liuzheng instinctively curled her fingers, almost awkwardly avoiding Xie Qingcen, her cold eyes slightly flustered.

Her breathing slowed, but she could still hear the chaotic pounding of her heart.

She closed her eyes, suppressing the emotions threatening to burst forth.

The place wasn't right, the time wasn't right, and the timing wasn't right.

Ruan Liuzheng took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, her expression had returned to calm. She looked at Xie Qingcen, "I understand."

A faint curve curved the corners of her pale pink lips. "But Xie Qingcen, Uncle Wen is still here. Shouldn't you be more restrained?" "

Besides, don't forget, we're here for serious business today. You don't seem to have even looked at a single painting outside."

Ruan Liuzheng's brows relaxed, her eyes gently gazing at Xie Qingcen before her. Her clear, cold voice held a faint smile. Her

aura wasn't as distant as before.

Xie Qingcen was slightly startled.

He curled his lips, his dark eyes gazing at Wen Jiming, who was pretending to sip tea nearby. A low laugh escaped his throat.

"Don't worry, I've already told Uncle Wen to choose a painting from his collection with a good meaning as a birthday present for you."

"Uncle Wen has excellent taste!"

...

A moment later, Wen Jiming's assistant knocked on the office door, bringing a painting wrapped in fine sulphuric acid paper.

The painting, wrapped in three layers of paper, showed the care and love of its owner.

The assistant placed the painting in front of the three people, nodded to Wen Jiming, and then turned and left,

leaving the space to the three people again.

Ruan Liuzheng gazed at the carefully preserved painting, a hint of curiosity in her cold eyes.

But more than that, worry.

As a member of the art world, Ruan Liuzheng understood the artist's obsession with fine works.

Wen Jiming had preserved the painting so carefully, and now he wanted to...

Ruan Liuzheng looked at Wen Jiming, a hint of worry and reluctance in her eyes. A

mixture of emotions filled her heart.

She pursed her lips and said, "Uncle Wen, this painting is clearly something you cherish. If you really can't bear to part with it, Qing Cen and I can choose something else, or even give it to Teacher."

A gentleman does not take away what others love. Even if they are close, they should not take advantage of others' love and care and ignore their feelings.

Taking away someone else's beloved things is always a cruel thing. Even

if the items are given by others voluntarily.

But Ruan Liuzheng was also reluctant. Besides, they all loved painting, so she could empathize with him.

She carefully observed Wen Jiming's expression. Whenever Wen Jiming showed a hint of reluctance or sadness on his face, she would persuade Xie Qingcen

to let the matter go.

However, Ruan Liuzheng observed for a long time but saw nothing.

Wen Jiming had elegant eyebrows and eyes, and his face was gentle and dignified, without any other emotions.

He nodded slightly to Ruan Liuzheng, his voice gentle, "Don't worry, I know what's going on."

"I got this painting by chance at an auction abroad. I have collected it for a long time. That day, Qingcen asked me to choose a painting for him as a birthday gift for Professor Wen, and the first thing I thought of was this painting."

Wen Jiming looked at the painting wrapped in layers of sulfuric acid paper in front of him with a smile on his face, and a hint of something else flashed in his gentle eyes.

But he quickly sorted out his emotions, as if that change had never occurred.

Ruan Liuzheng pursed her lips, glanced at the work in front of her, and stopped talking.

Seeing this, Xie Qingcen, who was standing next to her, put a little force on Ruan Liuzheng's arm, easily attracting Ruan Liuzheng's attention.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice clear, "Uncle Wen and Professor Wen have a special relationship. Even if it is his beloved treasure, he will reluctantly give it up to Professor Wen." "

Besides, at first I just wanted Uncle Wen to help us keep an eye on it. It was Uncle Wen who suggested it himself. So he will definitely not be reluctant to part with it. Just don't worry."

Ruan Liuzheng heard this, and the tangle in her eyes dissipated. She nodded, "Sorry, I'm being too stubborn."

Wen Jiming smiled, his voice clear, "Okay, take the painting apart quickly. Take a look at this work. Are you satisfied with it? This is the work of a painter I admire most. It's a pity..."

At the end, Wen Jiming suddenly fell silent, with regret and sorrow that was difficult to conceal between his eyebrows.

He sighed slightly and looked at Xie Qingcen, "Open the package."

Xie Qingcen looked at Wen Jiming thoughtfully, then nodded. He stood up and walked forward, carefully unwrapping the sulfuric acid paper outside the painting.

When the painting appeared in front of her eyes, Ruan Liuzheng was stunned for a moment.

Looking at the familiar brushstrokes and painting style, she unconsciously pursed the corners of her lips, raised her eyes and looked at Xie Qingcen next to her, and then looked at Wen Jiming who was admiring the painting.

A hint of indescribable helplessness flashed across her cold eyes.