Chapter 150: The White-Bearded Old Man
  Wen Ning rubbed his aching neck, his eyes dim as he looked at Wang Haihua.

  "I think you should know the saying 'a gambler must accept defeat.' If you had been as lucid and rational as you are now when I first suggested continuing the game, you wouldn't have lost so badly."

  Wang Haihua no longer felt the excitement and surprise she had felt when she first met Wen Ning a few days ago. She finally understood that this seemingly handsome and gentle man was actually a dark

  man. "So, that woman is truly pitiful, choosing someone as dark as you."

  Wen Ning remained calm in the face of her sarcasm and provocation. "Don't worry about our relationship. What you need to consider now is how to repay the thousand yuan you owe."

  Wang Haihua's smile faded immediately upon hearing this.

  When Wen Ning suggested continuing the game that afternoon, she said she had no money, so Wen Ning suggested that the old housekeeper lend her the money: if she lost, she would only return the principal; if she won, she would return the principal, and all the interest would go to Wang Haihua.

  In her impulsiveness, coupled with Wen Ning's deliberate show of weakness, she felt a strong chance of winning back, so she readily agreed. But who could have foreseen such a crushing loss?
  Seeing Wang Haihua's eyes shift, ready to cheat, Wen Ning pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Don't forget, I still have your IOU..." Written

  in black and white, it was clear as day. Even if Wang Haihua wanted to deny it, she finally lost the courage. "Well... wasn't that just a joke? Why did you take it so seriously?"

  Wen Ning's expression suddenly turned cold. "If it were me who lost, you wouldn't say that, would you? With so many witnesses, even if we take it to the police or court, you're still in the wrong. You have to pay the money back."

  Wen Ning's words shattered Wang Haihua's last shred of hope. With such a large sum of money and no job, how could she possibly repay it?

  Seeing this, Wen Ning smiled faintly, stood up, and gave Butler Wang a look. The old butler immediately understood and approached Wang Haihua, whispering something in a low voice.

  Wang Haihua's eyes suddenly brightened. She looked at the old housekeeper as if he were her savior. "Old man, are you serious?"

  Seeing the housekeeper's expression change, Wang Haihua realized what she had just said. "Ahaha, it was a slip of the tongue. Housekeeper Wang, are you serious?"

  The old housekeeper nodded. "As long as you promise not to come to my Meng family again, we won't need this money. We will also prepare tickets and travel expenses for you to go home. What do you think?"

  What do you think? Of course, this is great!
  But the thought of not being able to come to the Meng family easily in the future made Wang Haihua feel that she had suffered a huge loss. "If I am not allowed to come to the Meng family, what will happen to my job? How will I find a partner in the future?"

  Seeing that she was about to go back on her word, the old housekeeper immediately frowned. "It's okay if you don't agree. Just wait for our subpoena. If it gets out that you owe money and don't pay it back, which company would want someone like you..."

  Wen Ning and the old housekeeper played the good cop and the bad cop, and finally tricked Wang Haihua into agreeing to stop harassing the Meng family.

  Early the next morning, escorted by bodyguards, Wang Haihua finally left.

  Standing in the attic, Fang Qing and Zicheng breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the car drive away.

  With this major nuisance gone, the Meng family felt a rare sense of relief. That evening, the cook prepared a large meal to thank Wen Ning for his help.

  Because it had been raining non-stop, everyone was practically crammed in.

  So, the next morning, the housekeeper arranged for a car and took the entire family to a scenic park for some relaxation.

  Wen Ning took Zicheng out for rock climbing, while Fang Qing found a corner by the lake and began painting the park's pavilions.

  She was so engrossed in her painting, she was oblivious to the crowds gathering behind her.

  Fang Qing dipped her dark green paint in preparation for painting the distant trees when someone behind her stopped her. "Hold on! The colors are gradients here. If you do it so directly, it'll look harsh."

  The sudden voice startled Fang Qing, and she jabbed her brush against the canvas.

  "Oh no, it's all in vain now..." The onlookers sighed and gradually dispersed.

  Fang Qing sighed and raised his hand to tear it up and start over, but the person behind him immediately leaned over and said, "Don't tear it up, it can be fixed."

  Then, without waiting for Fang Qing to react, the person stepped forward, grabbed the paintbrush, and casually made two strokes on the stained area. The originally damaged picture was magically restored.

  Fang Qing looked at the paper in amazement, which was obviously more artistic than his previous painting. He turned around with surprise and saw that the person next to him was a white-haired old man.

  "Thank you, Grandpa. I didn't expect you to be so talented. I'm lucky to have met you, otherwise I would have to repaint this painting."

  The old man smiled at the words, stroked his white beard and sighed, "I can't say I understand it, I just know a little bit."

  Then he looked at Fang Qing again. Although the girl was young and had little painting experience, she had a good grasp of composition and structure, so he felt like giving her some advice.

  "Girl, are you interested in learning painting from me?"

  Seeing Fang Qing wasn't resistant, the old man dropped his calm demeanor and quickly pulled out a tattered flyer from his pocket. He thrust it in front of Fang Qing and began to explain enthusiastically.

  "Let me tell you, if you want to learn to paint well, you can't do it without guidance. You must find a famous artist to personally teach you..."

  Fang Qing opened her mouth, "Um... well..."

  The old man slapped her silly hand away, "I know what you're going to say. You're just worried that my fees are unreasonable and I'm cheating you! Don't worry, although I, Old Gong, may not look very reliable, I really can paint..."

  "My prices are the most reasonable in the whole city, and I guarantee that I will teach you until you learn it, and I won't charge you a penny more..."

  As he spoke, the old man took out a few pieces of wrinkled drawing paper from somewhere's pocket and showed them to Fang Qing with a proud look on his face.

  "Look, this is my old work. How is it? Not bad, right? Well, don't worry. Although I'm old, I'm more than capable of teaching a little kid like you..."

  Fang Qing stared at the drawing paper in the old man's hand in amazement. Although these pieces of paper had been folded into many wrinkles, Fang Qing could still make out the overall appearance of the painting at a glance. "This... Which master's work is this?"

  The white-bearded old man stroked the few remaining beards on his chin proudly. "Who else could it be... Ahem, of course it's this master's work. Hey, little girl, are you going to learn painting from me or not? I, an old man, don't accept disciples easily. Once you miss this opportunity, you'll never get it again."

  Seeing Fang Qing attracted by the painting, the old man felt that there was a way. "Girl, as long as you learn from me for a few days, I guarantee that your painting skills will improve rapidly. How about it?"

  Before Fang Qing could speak, Wen Ning came over from behind. "Old man, don't bother."

  (End of this chapter)