Chapter 111 You are like a peacock spreading its tail.

Ruan Liuzheng pursed her lips, her cold eyes fixed on Xie Qingcen, and her beautiful eyebrows twisted unconsciously.

Although Xie Qingcen's voice contained a faint smile and her tone was a bit playful, this was the third time Xie Qingcen emphasized it.

It seemed that he really had something to tell her, and it seemed to be good news.

She nodded, and a rare hint of curiosity appeared in her cold voice.

"What is it? There's no rush, but you keep emphasizing it."

Xie Qingcen laughed barely audibly, he put his arm around Ruan Liuzheng's shoulders, and led her to the sofa.

Qingjun's eyebrows relaxed slightly, with a hint of gentleness.

After both of them sat down, he spoke slowly, his voice low and magnetic.

"The lawyer who handled your grandfather's will has completed his assignment abroad and will be returning to Yuncheng in a few days."

Xie Qingcen knew what Ruan Liuzheng was worried about and what she cared about most, so he didn't waste any time and simply shared the most important news.

He stared at Ruan Liuzheng quietly, waiting for her to digest the news.

Ruan Liuzheng's eyes froze, and her palms, hanging on her knees, unconsciously tightened, a mixture of joy and sorrow in her heart.

She was one step closer to the truth. The answers her grandfather had left for her and her mother were finally within her grasp.

Perhaps then, the spirits of her grandparents and mother could finally rest in peace.

Ruan Liuzheng closed her eyes, her throat suddenly tightening as she recalled childhood memories.

Her fists clenched tightly, even trembling slightly.

Xie Qingcen remained silent. He knew Ruan Liuzheng's pride and understood what she was thinking.

Recalling the results of the previous investigation, his few words revealed all of Ruan Liuzheng's past suffering.

He pursed his lips, and his eyes looking at Ruan Liuzheng were filled with a bit of heartache, but he always disturbed Ruan Liuzheng.

He just sat quietly by the side, acting as a diligent companion.

After a long time, Ruan Liuzheng got rid of those disturbing memories. She opened her eyes, and the fragility and sadness in her eyes were instantly covered by her, leaving only coldness and calmness.

She slightly raised her eyelids, her eyes light, "Can you arrange a meeting for me as soon as possible?"

Her voice was slightly hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor, which was very different from the calmness on her face.

Xie Qingcen's eyes dimmed slightly.

The corners of her thin lips were tightly pursed into a straight line, but this time it was not anger, but pity.

Unable to suppress the heartache and pity.

He nodded, his eyes darkening. "I've already made all the arrangements. Nothing will go wrong. And I informed him of your intentions when I contacted him."

Ruan Liuzheng looked up at Xie Qingcen, her throat tightening. "So what did he say?"

The lawyer handling Grandpa's will had been the person who had spent the longest time with him during his illness. This

was because the lawyer was a student Grandpa had sponsored and was his favorite. He had joined Grandpa's company upon graduation and was deeply nurtured by him.

Besides her and her mother, he was the person Grandpa trusted most.

Because her mother disliked managing the company and knew nothing about it,

Grandpa had entrusted many of his final instructions to Bai Xunan and the lawyer. Ruan Liuzheng and her mother knew very little about what Grandpa had said during his illness.

Apart from Grandpa's physical condition, she and her mother knew almost nothing.

This explains why she and her mother were so passive later on, even being manipulated by Bai Xunan.

After coming to their senses, Ruan Liuzheng and her mother had considered searching for the other party involved in their grandfather's will, the lawyer. However, for some reason, the lawyer had

vanished from the face of the earth, completely disappearing from Yuncheng without a trace.

Even after her mother, Ruan Lichu, passed away, neither Ruan Liuzheng nor her mother had been able to find the lawyer.

Ruan Liuzheng only vaguely remembered the lawyer's surname, Shen, and that he'd often give her candy when she visited the Ruan residence as a child.

She couldn't recall the rest.

After marrying Fu Yanci, Ruan Liuzheng secretly used the Fu family's influence to search for Shen, but to no avail.

Over time, she grew discouraged, even occasionally tempted to give up.

Unexpectedly, things would turn around now.

Recalling the hardships of the past, Ruan Liuzheng let out a soft breath, her brows furrowed in thought, her cold eyes fixed on Xie Qingcen.

Their gaze was filled with anxiety and anticipation.

She worried the lawyer would refuse to meet, yet she also hoped to learn something about her grandfather from him.

Contradictory yet helpless.

Xie Qingcen seemed to sense Ruan Liuzheng's mood. His eyes softened for a moment, then he reached out and forcefully pried open Ruan Liuzheng's tightly clenched palm, and stuffed his slender jade-like knuckles into the gap in her palm.

Fingers clasped tightly.

He opened his lips, and his clear voice contained a hint of comfort, "Don't worry, he is willing to see you. Otherwise, I would not tell you his whereabouts."

"And he has clearly stated that there are some things that do need to be told to you. So don't be nervous, and don't hurt yourself."

Xie Qingcen's tone paused slightly, and his dark eyes were a little gentle. The corners of his lips curled up with a faint smile, "Everything will develop in the right direction."

Ruan Liuzheng felt the scorching heat in his palm. She pursed her lips unconsciously, and her long and thick eyelashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly flapping its wings, casting a small black shadow under her eyes.

She nodded and repeated, "Yes, everything will turn out well."

She had already divorced Fu Yanci and left the quagmire of the Fu family.

Even if things got worse, they probably wouldn't be as difficult as the past five hopeless years.

No matter what the outcome, Ruan Liuzheng had to know the truth and give an explanation to her deceased grandparents and mother. She

also had to give an explanation to her past self.

After Ruan Liuzheng thought it through, the heavy feeling in her heart relaxed a little. She looked at Xie Qingcen, a faint arc at the corner of her pale pink lips, her eyes cold and determined.

With expectation and hope, there was no more decadence.

Xie Qingcen raised the corners of his eyes, and a hint of relief flashed in his dark eyes. He opened his lips slightly, and his voice was as clear as knocking on stone to strike jade.

"Besides that, there is another piece of news, which should be considered news you expected."

His eyes were light and calm, and there was a hint of warmth on his handsome face. His eyes were clear and full of Ruan Liuzheng.

Meeting his slightly heated gaze, Ruan Liuzheng's cold eyes froze for a moment. A subtle blush crept into her ears, and she subconsciously slowed her breathing.

She asked softly, "What's the news? You seem to be in an especially good mood today, always keeping me in suspense."

She raised her eyelids, a small frown forming between her delicate brows. A hint of doubt lingered in her distinct black and white eyes. She

seemed obedient, less fierce.

Xie Qingcen smiled faintly. He couldn't help but raise his hand to rub the top of Ruan Liuzheng's head, which felt so good to his touch. His brows were deep, and he said, "Because Miss Ruan is so outstanding, I feel proud and happy."

His eyes were lowered, his lips thin and cold, but a faint smile was in his eyes.

A smile caused by Ruan Liuzheng.

Ruan Liuzheng suddenly realized something, pursed her lips, then raised her eyes, her voice full of smiles and arrogance.

"It's not the first day you've known I'm outstanding. Why haven't I seen you so happy before?"

She crossed her arms and took a step back, moving a little further away from Xie Qingcen.

Her delicate eyebrows raised slightly, a hint of arrogance.

Xie Qingcen smiled and looked at Ruan Liuzheng, her delicate eyebrows and eyes looking slightly beautiful in the sunlight.

He lowered his head, a faint glint visible in his eyes. He nodded and said, "But yesterday I wasn't with you, but today I'm on par with you. So, naturally, my emotions are a little different."

Ruan Liuzheng curled her lips slightly, her brows raised, and a noticeable curve appeared at the corners of her pale pink lips.

Her tone was slightly raised, with a hint of playfulness.

"Xie Qingcen, you can put your tail back on."

Ruan Liuzheng took a slight breath, a hint of resignation between her brows. "For me now, the most attractive thing is not you, but the news you're talking about."

Xie Qingcen's expression froze for a moment, and then an unconcealable smile spread across his lips. It

was a light and refreshing laugh.

However, he took a deep breath and looked at Ruan Liuzheng with an indescribable complexity of eyes, a mixture of amusement and a slight anger.

In the end, it all dissolved into a sigh.

He raised his hand and pinched his brows, then said, "Ruan Liuzheng, you really are the terminator of romance."

Ruan Liuzheng raised her eyebrows, pursed her lips and said nothing.

Seeing this, Xie Qingcen had to put away his joking thoughts, and his handsome eyebrows were tinged with a bit of seriousness, "Uncle Wen called and said that your painting was selected. He will put your work in the most central position in the official exhibition in a few days, and he will recommend you to participate in the China Youth Painting Competition to be held in a few weeks."

Yesterday was only the first day of Wen Jiming's exhibition, which was a small warm-up. The real heavyweight works, including their previous submissions, will be exhibited one by one in the exhibitions in the next few days.

But Ruan Liuzheng could only spare one day yesterday. She had to deal with work and illustrate for the magazine she had agreed to a few days ago.

So she could only miss it with regret.

She frowned, and a trace of loss flashed across her cold eyes.

Seeing this, Xie Qingcen thought Ruan Liuzheng was struggling. He pursed his lips and said, "Whether you want to participate or not depends on your own decision, but Uncle Wen has decided to give you the only spot he has."

Ruan Liuzheng came back to her senses, raised her eyebrows, nodded and said, "I will participate, and thank Uncle Wen for taking care of me."

The China Youth Painting Competition is considered the most important competition in the domestic art world.

Although she didn't have time to visit Mr. Wen's exhibition, the competition was held in a few weeks, and she could still spare a day to attend.

No matter what, she couldn't let Mr. Wen down.