Mark attended a business banquet on Pei Yuzhou's behalf that evening, then returned to report back afterward.
He knocked on the study door.
"Come in." His voice came deep and hoarse.
Pushing the door open, a thick wave of smoke hit his nose.
Mark was puzzled.
Mr. Pei had never had a smoking addiction; he only ever smoked occasionally. Why had he smoked so much today?
At the desk, the man leaned back in the leather chair, his shirt collar loosely undone, one hand resting on the desktop, fingertips pinching half a cigar.
Smoke spilled from his lips, emotions diluted in the nicotine.
Mark walked closer and saw a smear of blood on his palm, the cut not shallow. "Sir, how did you injure your hand?"
Pei Yuzhou stubbed out the cigar in the ashtray, his thin lips parting slightly. "It's nothing."
"I'll go get the first-aid kit and help you treat the wound." Mark turned and went out.
Pei Yuzhou clenched his palm. A burning pain invaded his nerves, yet his expression remained unchanged, as if he couldn't feel it at all.
The girl's clear, warm, soft voice still lingered in his ears.
"Does it have to be about wanting something? Can't it just be that I like you?"
"I like you, sir, and I also want you to protect me."
"Why are you so difficult to pursue?"
"Then we're a match made in heaven—I'm not a good girl either."
"Can you... let me hold you?"
"Can't I just want to see you?"
Frail, innocent, aggrieved—the voices overlapped and intertwined.
Not a single truthful word came from her mouth. She could turn around and find another man, even if he was more than a decade older than her.
Indeed, people were creatures driven by interest. Love was hypocritical and not worth his effort.
Mark returned to the study, opened the first-aid kit, took out an iodine swab, cleaned the wound for him first, then applied medicine.
Pei Yuzhou leaned back slightly with his head tilted up, closing his eyes.
Mark reminded him, "I'm not handling this professionally. If the wound doesn't improve, you'll still need to call a doctor."
But the man himself didn't take it to heart at all. "This injury isn't that serious."
—
For the past two days, Meng Shuyao had stayed in the studio from morning till night, successfully completing a painting.
After sitting continuously for four or five hours, her lower back ached. She stood up slowly to stretch.
Her purple floral dress had inevitably gotten stained with paint. Several extra strokes of different colors adorned the hem, not jarring at all—rather, they looked like part of the dress's original design.
She wasn't alone in the studio. There was also a senior from the same major who had stayed on for graduate studies.
"Let me see what you've painted." The senior leaned over to look.
The entire painting was rich in color, light and shadow alternating, the interplay of light and darkness well captured.
By a dilapidated windowsill, a little girl hugged a puppy, lying on it to watch the pattering rain outside the window.
It was clearly a very ordinary scene, yet one could sense a touch of pessimism in it.
The senior fell into thought. "I think if the colors were brightened, it would be a completely different feeling."
Meng Shuyao asked, "What kind of feeling?"
"Your painting leans melancholic, right?" the senior said. "But I think rainy days like this are very cozy. Most puppies like playing in water. When I was little, I had a Westie that refused to come inside on rainy days, wagging its tail happily."
Meng Shuyao remained silent.
This was a stray dog, battered by wind and rain outside—how could it be happy?
Moreover, because she had secretly brought the puppy back to the Meng household, she had indirectly caused its death.
The night before last, she had dreamed of that scene again. Meng Yan had deliberately fed the puppy chocolate and grapes. By the time she returned from school, the puppy was already dying, impossible to save.
Meng Yan had been an unscrupulous person since childhood.
Whatever Meng Shuyao liked, Meng Yan would snatch away. Whoever Meng Shuyao cared about, Meng Yan would find ways to harm.
The senior's voice interrupted her thoughts. "But that's just my opinion. You're the creator, so of course your state of mind takes precedence."
Meng Shuyao blinked, her gaze refocusing.
The senior brought up something. "Oh right, Elara, are you free tomorrow afternoon? Could you help me with something?"
Meng Shuyao asked, "With what?"
"I took a part-time tutoring job, right? Tomorrow is the last class, but something came up last minute and I can't get away. The kid is going abroad the day after tomorrow, so we can't reschedule. I was thinking, if you're free, would it be convenient for you to substitute for one class? The fee is yours."
"Did her parent agree?"
"She agreed. Her mom is very easygoing." The senior briefly explained the situation. "It's a single-parent family. The mother is divorced and has two daughters. Their family atmosphere is very nice."
Meng Shuyao nodded. "Okay, send me the address and unit number."
The senior raised her brows. "Thanks so much."
"It's nothing."
—
The next afternoon.
Meng Shuyao took a taxi to the student's home according to the address her senior had sent.
The family lived in a residence in the West District. There was a small yard at the entrance, enclosed by a white picket fence. In the flowerbed on the right were many roses and two red-leaved loropetalum shrubs.
Two swing chairs were placed on the lawn, in soft pink hues that no little girl could resist.
It was evident that the homeowner knew how to live well.
She stood by the door and pressed the doorbell.
After waiting two minutes, the hostess came to open the door, greeting her with a smiling face. "You must be Elara?"
Meng Shuyao greeted her politely. "Yes, hello."
"Come on in." The hostess led her inside. "Nora really didn't lie to me. She truly introduced a beautiful teacher for my daughter."
She had a strong personal charm, instantly closing the distance.
The corners of Meng Shuyao's lips curved slightly. "My senior also said you're very nice, and that both children are especially cute."
The hostess shook her head with a laugh. "What cute? When they make trouble, they only give me headaches."
The interior was kept very tidy, with children's plush toys visible everywhere.
"Beth, pour a glass of juice for your new teacher."
"Okay, Mom, I'm coming."
Pattering footsteps rang out as two girls ran downstairs from above.
The smaller one stared at Meng Shuyao without blinking. "Wow, Sister, you're so pretty."
"Thank you, you're very pretty too." Meng Shuyao couldn't help touching her chubby little face, smooth like a peeled egg.
The little girl grinned widely. She was in the middle of losing her baby teeth, and with the gap in her front teeth, she looked even cuter.
The other girl, Beth, came out of the kitchen with a glass of orange juice. "Teacher, here, drink this."
Meng Shuyao received it with both hands. "Thank you."
Without wasting time, she said, "Where do you paint? Let's start the lesson."
Beth pointed at the stairs. "The study upstairs. I'll take you."
"Okay." Meng Shuyao informed the hostess before going upstairs.
Beth hadn't been learning oil painting for long and was still at the beginner stage.
This lesson, Meng Shuyao mainly taught her about color matching.
"Colors of different saturation can express different emotions. For example, high-saturation colors give people a bright, energetic feeling. Conversely, low-saturation colors look comparatively dim and calm. You'll understand once I show you a few reference images."
Beth listened very attentively.
In the middle of the lesson, the younger sister came upstairs to deliver a fruit plate for them to eat.
Meng Shuyao had Beth take a break first.
The younger sister used a plastic fork to spear a piece of watermelon and brought it to Beth's mouth, looking extremely eager. "Sister, I'll feed you."
Beth knew her too well. "What are you doing? Do you need something from me?"
The younger sister whispered, "I accidentally broke Mom's lipstick..."
"Then go confess to Mom yourself. I'm not going to lie for you."
"Sister, don't be like that. You're the best sister in the whole world."
"That's not what you said last time."
Meng Shuyao watched the two sisters bicker, as if seeing herself and her elder sister when they were young.
However, every time she made a mistake, her elder sister would voluntarily take the blame.
Back then, she would often throw her arms around her sister and act spoiled. "You must be the best sister in the whole world!"
She had once thought she could be that happy for a lifetime.