Chapter 885: The Watercolor Painting
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia Yu said, “I haven’t seen Brother Ziheng in a long time and am here to see him. Is he in?”
Nanny Zhou hesitated. “This… wait a minute… let me go inform him.” It was already past nine at night, and Nanny Zhou knew that Mister would usually be in his study clearing his paperwork and hated to be disturbed. Furthermore, Mister hadn’t wanted to see Miss Xia Yu for many years now, would he get angry with her if she told him that Miss Xia Yu was here?
However, as a mere helper, she didn’t have the authority to reject Xia Yu outright.
She turned and started to walk into the bungalow with worry written on her face.
“Hold on.” Xia Yu called her back. “Nanny Zhou, please tell Brother Ziheng that I’ve just returned from the Xia Family village where I met sister. I’ve brought a present for him.” Seeing Nanny Zhou’s expression, Xia Yu knew that Pei Ziheng’s attitude towards her would be hostile and feared that he would refuse to meet her. She knew that even if Brother Ziheng didn’t want to see her, he couldn’t refuse any information on Xia Ling.
Xia Yu thought jealously.
“Miss Xia Yu.” Unexpectedly, Nanny Zhou lifted her eyes to look straight at Xia Yu with a serious expression. “I know that you care for Mister, and bringing him a present from so far away must not have been easy. I shouldn’t say too much being a mere helper, but forgive me for being direct. Miss Ling is about to get married… she has no fate with Mister. If you really care for Mister, I think the most important thing now is to help him to forget Miss Ling, rather than to keep reminding him of her.” Nanny Zhou had observed how much Mister pined for Miss Ling over the years. She had been taking care of Mister since he was a child, and couldn’t bear to see him stuck in such an unrequited love.
Xia Yu cursed silently at Nanny Zhou’s words. Why did she care so much about her master’s business as a mere helper? However, she controlled her temper given that she needed Nanny Zhou’s help to pass Pei Ziheng the message. “I understand your concern, Nanny Zhou. Do you think I want to talk about Sister? But if I don’t, will he see me? If we forget about me altogether, think about it… has he shown an interest in any other girl other than Sister all these years? Nanny Zhou, can you bear to see him be alone all his life at this rate?”
How could Nanny Zhou possibly bear to see that happen?
She had watched Mister grow up, having been taking care of him since he was just five or six years old. She knew how hard he worked as a child, studying and memorizing books till the break of dawn. He would be hit by his father often even though he was a bright child, and would sometimes be made to kneel in the yard on a snowy day, doing math calculations while shivering through the cold. She watched him become the most stellar of the Pei Family children, developing his steadiness and discipline and showing the gravitas of a leader as a young man. The wealthy families that worked with him would often sing him praises…
Later, she personally packed his bags when he was sent overseas to study.
He had only been gone for two years when there was news that his father, the previous family head, passed away from illness. Pei Ziheng hurried back to take up the mantle as the family head at the young age of sixteen and to run the sprawling Imperial Entertainment business. Then, many waited to see him mess up, but he pulled through. He pulled countless all-nighters to prove his mettle and led Imperial Entertainment to new heights.
He had always been an outstanding leader, earning the trust and support of his loyal followers.
However, there was a price to pay for all of this.
Mister didn’t have a personal life at all. His schedule every day was filled with meetings after meetings. The only ray of sunshine in his dull life was that girl, Xia Ling… oh, and later there was Ye Xingling. But apparently, they were the same person… anyway, none of this was important.
What was important was that that girl came into his life for a fleeting moment before leaving him.
Mister was left by himself to face the stresses of the world, his hair turning white overnight. He was still pining for her until now.
Nanny Zhou felt for him and prayed that another girl would come into his life. It didn’t matter whether she was poor or rich, and her age and character were all unimportant. As long as she could bring back the spark to Mister’s eyes…
She lifted her head to look at Xia Yu.
As a woman, she knew that Xia Yu harbored a love for Mister all these years. Would Xia Yu be that girl for him?
The chances were slim.
If Mister liked her, they would’ve been together many years ago. However, given Mister’s current condition, there didn’t seem to be anybody that could open the doors of his heart. Perhaps there was no harm in letting Xia Yu try again. It was better than nothing.
Nanny Zhou said, “I will pass your message to him.”
She went upstairs to inform Pei Ziheng of Xia Yu’s arrival.
Carrying a big, flat box, Xia Yu walked slowly up the wooden steps to Pei Ziheng’s study on the second floor. In the study, Pei Ziheng was sitting quietly with only the dim lights of the antique table lamp illuminating his face. Half his handsome face was lit up, while the other half remained shrouded in darkness. He looked like a resting beast.
“This is the present?” This was his first question to Xia Yu.
No warm greetings or words of concern. His attention was only on the item in her hands.
Xia Yu felt a piercing pain in her heart. However, she snapped back to her senses and smiled. “Yes, Brother Ziheng. I spent many days making this present. I hope you like it.”
She passed the large gift box over to him.
Pei Ziheng received it and tore the wrapping paper open. A beautiful watercolor painting came into view—it depicted a moonlit mountain range with a small olden Chinese room shrouded with flower bushes. A girl was looking out of the window, admiring the moon in the sky, looking resplendent in the quiet night.
That was… Xiao Ling.
Pei Ziheng held his breath as he reached out stiffly and smoothed his fingers over the girl’s pristine side profile. She appeared more beautiful than before, with a peacefulness between her brows. Was that because she was about to get married?
His gaze darkened with this thought.
“This is Sister’s living quarters in the Xia Family village. I’ve drawn it to replicate reality as much as possible.” Xia Yu spoke up after observing Pei Ziheng quietly for a while. “That night, I was standing in the bushes and happened to catch sight of Sister in the window admiring the moon. She looked so beautiful that I just had to draw her as a gift to you.”
“Is she okay… in the Xia Family?” He asked, before immediately feeling the redundancy of his question. What wouldn’t she be well in the Xia Family? That was her home… she was with her family, and… Li Lei.
As expected, Xia Yu replied, “She’s very good. She’s getting prepared for her wedding and is happy every day.”
Pei Ziheng’s hand holding the painting stiffened, leaving an indentation on the canvas. “You can leave now.” He told Xia Yu.