24

A fulfilling life seems to truly dilute longing. By the time Shi Yue freed herself from the burden of her final project, summer was in full swing. The greenery outside her apartment was lush and vibrant. After packaging the design drafts on her computer and sending them to her instructor, she picked up her phone, only to find that her chat history with Leng Yanmi had stopped exactly a week ago.

In that week, aside from sparing some time to have a meal with her mother, Jiang Fu, Shi Yue had buried herself entirely in her coursework.

Just as she was thinking about how to restart a conversation with Leng Yanmi, another message popped up in her contacts list.

Wu Xuan: "Are you free this weekend for a meal? Xiao Ya is on summer break and keeps asking to hang out with you."

Since obtaining Wu Xuan's proxy for her share of Shi Nuo's stock, Shi Yue had maintained contact with this interesting mother-daughter pair. Previously, Wu Xuan had invited her out several times, but Shi Yue had declined due to her busy schedule.

Now that her work was momentarily at an end, it seemed like a good time to catch up with a friend.

So Shi Yue readily agreed and set a time and place to meet up with Wu Xuan.

That weekend, the three met promptly at the entrance of a large children's mall. As soon as Wu Miaoya saw Shi Yue, she demanded to be held, clinging to her with joy all the way, even more attached than to her own mother, Wu Xuan.

Wu Xuan felt complicated and explained to Shi Yue, "The touring art exhibition just ended, and I've only just returned from City B. I hardly spend time with Xiao Ya."

Shi Yue helped the little girl climb up a big slide and turned back to confirm, "So Xiao Ya is usually with the nanny and driver?"

Wu Xuan nodded.

Shi Yue, being an outsider, could only subtly remind her, "Children do need to spend more time with their family."

"Can't be helped," Wu Xuan sighed. "It's the nature of my work." She paused, "I'll be here preparing new artwork in the second half of the year, so I'll probably have more time to spend with her."

Looking at the happy Xiao Ya, Shi Yue suddenly remembered something, "What about Xiao Ya's other mother?"

Wu Xuan was silent for a moment. Just when Shi Yue thought she wouldn't answer, Wu Xuan spoke up, "She's studying abroad... and probably won't be back anytime soon."

Seeing her somewhat solemn expression, Shi Yue wisely chose not to pursue the topic further.

At noon that day, the three of them found a nearby restaurant for lunch. During the meal, Wu Xuan glanced at her phone and smiled, sharing with Shi Yue, "The World S-Class Art Auction is currently taking place in Country G, Europe. Unfortunately, I didn't get a ticket this year. There are a few very precious paintings in this year's auction. You might be interested."

Shi Yue took her phone.

Displayed on the screen were several posts from one of Wu Xuan's friends, who had entered the auction and taken many photos with excellent lighting effects. Although Shi Yue was primarily a fashion designer, she had a deep interest in art. As she browsed, she discussed the pieces with Wu Xuan.

Next to them, the little girl Wu Miaoya also listened attentively, surprisingly not interrupting.

Suddenly, Shi Yue scrolled to a photo, and her smile froze.

Seeing her fall silent, Wu Xuan asked, "What's wrong?"

Shi Yue snapped back to reality and shook her head, "It's nothing... I saw someone I know."

"Someone you know?" Wu Xuan leaned closer, nodding. "Oh, isn't this President Leng? Hmm? Isn't she usually super busy? How does she have the time to attend an art auction?"

Shi Yue's attention was actually on something else.

She pointed at the girl holding Leng Yanmi's arm in the photo, "Sister Wu, do you know this person?"

"This..." Wu Xuan took back her phone and examined it carefully. Since the girl in the photo was showing her profile, Wu Xuan took some time to recognize her, "Oh, I know."

She told Shi Yue, "She's a Chinese-American artist who gained fame in the circle last year. I think her surname is Shu, but I can't remember her full name. I just know her family is quite wealthy. She's good at painting still lifes; her works are very spirited. She had an exhibition in our country last year."

Shi Yue nodded thoughtfully.

Leng Yanmi wasn't particularly interested in paintings. The topic never came up during their conversations. So why was she at the auction? Was it for a business engagement, or for the beautiful girl in the photo, whose mere side profile was enough to spark the imagination?

"I remember you came to my exhibition with President Leng..." Wu Xuan, seemingly insensitive in matters of the heart, didn't notice Shi Yue's unease and continued talking to herself. "It looks like President Leng has recently taken an interest in art. This time, she invited someone else to the auction."

Shi Yue frowned, "Did she invite this girl?"

"Well, didn't she?" Wu Xuan shook her head. "I'm not sure, but President Leng probably wouldn't attend such an event alone, right? It's normal to bring someone along, isn't it?"

"..." Shi Yue fell silent and gulped down a glass of cold water.

When she got home that night, she searched for related news and quickly found a report on a major media platform—

[Leng Group's CEO Spends Eight-Figure Sum on Masterpiece for a Beloved Companion]

Next to the headline was a photo of Leng Yanmi and Miss Shu sitting side by side at the auction. The spotlight shone on their faces, Miss Shu gazing affectionately at the ever-elegant Leng Yanmi.

The two of them looked like a pair of soulmates straight out of a painting.

Just as Shi Yue was about to continue reading, a message came from Leng Yanmi. When Shi Yue opened it, she found it was all about the "Feather Garment Designer Competition."

Leng Yanmi: [Registration for the competition opens next month. Here are the registration conditions and requirements. I'll send you the information about the judges later.]

This information would be gradually disclosed when the competition opened for registration. Clearly, Leng Yanmi had helped her get the information in advance.

But what she didn't know was that, as a transmigrator, Shi Yue was already well aware of the competition details. She just never intended to use this knowledge to gain an advantage.

Shi Yue ignored the messages and asked instead: [What are you doing, Aunt?]

Leng Yanmi didn't hide anything from her: [About to visit a friend's house.]

On any other day, Shi Yue probably wouldn't have pried—she considered herself not the type to be suspicious, demanding updates on her partner's whereabouts. But the headline she'd just read was still fresh in her mind, and Shi Yue couldn't remain as composed as usual.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, quickly typing and sending her next message: [Which friend? What are you going to do at their house?]

Leng Yanmi: [Shu Qingxi.]

A moment later, she added: [She said her cat can do a backflip. My cat has never done such a high-level trick, so I'm going to see it for myself.]

Shi Yue: ???