Chapter 48
Lin Zheng: “…”
Seeing Yan Yang’s reply, Lin Zheng fought the urge to grab the alarm clock on his nightstand and hurl it through the phone at him. He forced himself to calm down.
He’d made a mistake. He never should have asked Yan Yang in the first place.
While Yan Yang knew Gu Lin best, he was also the one who most enjoyed digging pits for him to fall into.
Lin Zheng knew exactly what kind of thoughts filled Yan Yang’s head.
He shouldn’t have held out any hope for him.
Lin Zheng slammed his phone face down on the bed with a thwack.
A moment later, the phone vibrated, its screen lighting up against the quilt.
Probably because he hadn’t replied for a while, Yan Yang had sent another message.
Reluctantly, Lin Zheng flipped the phone over.
Yan Yang: “Don’t be shy. This is the best idea I can think of right now. What else could make Gu Lin happier than you offering yourself to him? It’s obvious. You’re the optimal solution.”
Listen to this, just listen to this. What kind of nonsense is he spouting?
Is he even human?
Lin Zheng furiously typed out a reply: “Get lost. If you want to offer someone, offer yourself!”
Then he tossed the phone aside and fell back onto the bed.
His body sank into the soft bedding. The light traced the already striking features of his face, making them look even more refined. His clear, bright eyes stared at the white ceiling, his naturally rosy lips pouting slightly.
This was so difficult.
Gifting himself was out of the question.
How utterly humiliating.
People who didn’t know better would think he was a narcissist in his past life.
Absolutely not. He had to prevent that from ever happening.
So, what kind of gift should he get for Gu Lin?
No, that wasn’t right. The question was, how could he make Gu Lin happy?
Something meaningful, something meaningful…
As he was thinking, the phone next to his head vibrated.
He picked it up and saw it was a call from Wu Yu.
Why would Wu Yu be calling so late?
He answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Wu Yu’s gentle voice came through the receiver. It was quiet on his end, but it sounded a bit empty, so Lin Zheng guessed he probably wasn’t at home. Maybe he was at his art studio.
Wu Yu had mentioned on the phone before that a client had taken a liking to his paintings. The client seemed to really appreciate his work and talent, so he had specially funded a studio for him.
Although it wasn’t huge, it was much more spacious than his previous small studio.
“No, I’m still awake,” Lin Zheng said.
“About the studio I mentioned before—it’s officially opening tomorrow. I was wondering if you have time. If you do, I’d like to invite you to come, and I can also return your bracelet.”
Wu Yu had told him about the studio before, and Lin Zheng had already agreed to go. It was just that the opening date hadn’t been set. Since he had already promised, he naturally had to keep his word.
“Sure, I can make it. I’ll head over tomorrow morning,” he replied.
Wu Yu sounded pleased. “Great. I’ll send you the address in a bit.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Lin Zheng thought to himself that he hadn’t even figured out a gift for Gu Lin, and now he had to start thinking about what to get for Wu Yu.
It suddenly occurred to Lin Zheng that in the original story, Wu Yu’s talent had been recognized by Gu Lin. Although he was supposed to return to Yinlu County to care for his elderly grandmother later on, he was initially sponsored by Gu Lin. The plot had changed because of his intervention. Lin Zheng had been worried that Wu Yu’s future would be affected since Gu Lin hadn’t sponsored him as the script dictated. He had even considered asking Gu Lin directly to sponsor Wu Yu. But unexpectedly, a talented person will eventually be discovered, even without deliberate efforts. Although Gu Lin wasn’t involved, Wu Yu’s talent was still recognized by another equally impressive patron. His future development wouldn’t be affected at all.
Thinking of this, Lin Zheng’s conscience felt much clearer.
He lay on the bed with his hands behind his head.
He now hoped that Wu Yu could quickly develop his career. By then, with sufficient resources, he wouldn’t have to give up his career here just to take care of his grandmother. He believed Wu Yu could manage both.
That’s it!
Lin Zheng shot up, flipping into a sitting position on the bed.
Artists often have wild, boundless imaginations. Maybe Wu Yu could give him some good advice about Gu Lin’s birthday.
The next day, Lin Zheng went to the address Wu Yu had sent him.
The studio was located on a middle floor of a large building, easily accessible from both above and below, and the surrounding transportation was very convenient.
When Lin Zheng arrived, Wu Yu was talking to a group of people gathered around him, his arms crossed.
He was wearing a dark vest over a blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up above his forearms. He had one arm propped up, supporting his chin, and the fabric of his shirt was stretched taut, outlining the muscles of his upper arm.
Wu Yu had a gentle appearance. His individual features weren’t as striking as Gu Lin’s, but when put together, they fit like perfectly matched building blocks, creating a soft and pleasant look that was easy on the eyes. After a while, one might even find it hard to look away.
Halfway through explaining the schedule to the people around him, Wu Yu caught a glimpse of someone at the door out of the corner of his eye. He stopped talking and looked toward the entrance.
Seeing that Wu Yu had noticed him, Lin Zheng smiled and waved.
Wu Yu turned and walked toward him.
When he reached him, the serious expression on his face was replaced with a smile.
“Why are you here so early?” Wu Yu glanced at the people he had been talking to. “I was just going over the opening ceremony schedule with my friends.”
Lin Zheng had, in fact, left early on purpose.
He handed Wu Yu the fruit basket he was carrying. “It’s fine. I came early specifically to help out.”
“You just had to come yourself. Why bring a fruit basket?”
“It’s your studio opening. Shouldn’t we celebrate?”
Wu Yu had no choice but to accept. “Alright then, thank you, Boss Lin.”
Lin Zheng deliberately put on a boss-like air and waved his hand. “Don’t mention it.”
Wu Yu chuckled at his antics.
Although Lin Zheng had come early to help, after following Wu Yu around for a bit, he realized there wasn’t much he could do. Wu Yu, on the other hand, was constantly confirming the schedule with different people and checking the paintings that were to be displayed in the outer room.
So, Lin Zheng just looked around. If he saw a spot that hadn’t been cleaned, he’d grab a broom and sweep it a little. If he saw a messy table, he’d tidy it up.
When Wu Yu was mostly done, he apologized to Lin Zheng. “I invited you here as a guest, but there was a last-minute issue with one of the paintings for the exhibition this morning. I’ve been dealing with that and haven’t been a good host. I’m sorry.”
Not only had he failed to be a good host, but he had also let Lin Zheng help him with quite a bit.
Lin Zheng waved his hand generously, being very understanding. “No worries, no worries. Boss Lin is very magnanimous.”
Wu Yu paused for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. “Then I thank Boss Lin for his magnanimity.”
Wu Yu’s studio was divided into two large rooms, an inner one and an outer one. The inner room was further split into two sections: a workspace and a much larger, spacious painting studio. The outer room was dedicated to exhibiting his artwork.
Wu Yu told Lin Zheng that his current goal wasn’t to make the studio huge or to earn a lot of money. Compared to superficial things like money, he valued the act of painting itself more. He wanted to use the studio as a base to recruit a group of students who loved to paint, bringing people with the same passion together. At the same time, he felt he was still in a process of continuous learning and hoped to grow alongside people with similar interests, developing the studio together.
Lin Zheng had to admit that he admired Wu Yu for many of his views.
Just the fact that Wu Yu valued art more than money made him feel that this was a friend worth having.
After the opening ceremony, as they were looking at the paintings in the exhibition hall, Lin Zheng was suddenly reminded of Wu Yu’s seascape painting.
“By the way,” he asked mysteriously, “do you know who has your seascape painting now?”
“That seascape painting…” Wu Yu looked at Lin Zheng, then shook his head. “I only know it was sold by the art gallery. I don’t know who bought it or who has it now.”
Lin Zheng was a little disappointed. “No way. It’s your work, and you don’t know anything about it?” He added casually, “You just let it go after it was sold? Don’t tell me you don’t even know how much it sold for.”
Looking at Wu Yu’s expression, Lin Zheng was shocked. “Whoa, you really don’t know how much it sold for?!”
Wu Yu gave a wry smile and shook his head. One of the conditions for having the painting exhibited in the gallery was that he had to completely transfer its ownership to them. After that, he had no idea what the gallery did with his painting.
When Lin Zheng found out, he felt indignant for him. “You’ve got to be kidding me! So after the gallery sold that painting for a high price, you didn’t get a single cent?”
Wu Yu looked puzzled. “Sold for a high price?”
Lin Zheng slapped his forehead. In his eyes, Wu Yu was a sweet, naive fool who had been tricked.
Wu Yu could see Lin Zheng’s sympathy for him. “It’s okay,” he said. “Even though I didn’t get any money, I still received other benefits.”
The only benefit, really, was that visitors to the exhibition could see his name in the bottom right corner of the painting.
But for him at that time, that was already a pretty good reward.
And come to think of it, if it hadn’t been for that exhibition, he wouldn’t have been noticed by his current patron. He probably wouldn’t have had the courage to approach Lin Zheng and introduce himself when he saw him at the gym.
He didn’t regret anything he had done, because everything existed as a result of cause and effect.
Lin Zheng sighed. Even if one should treat money like dirt, that painting was worth a lot.
But it was a pity. There was nothing that could be done about it now.
Lin Zheng sighed again.
“It’s alright,” Wu Yu said. “I’ve already gained other rewards that are satisfying enough.”
Lin Zheng couldn’t tell if Wu Yu was comforting himself or consoling him.
As they were nearing the end of their tour of the paintings, Lin Zheng saw a gift box in one of the artworks and was suddenly reminded of his plan to ask Wu Yu for advice.
He turned to the person behind him. “Wu Yu, if there’s someone who doesn’t like to celebrate his birthday, but you still want to make him happy on that day, what would you do?”
Wu Yu hadn’t expected such a question. He stroked his chin and thought for a moment before answering, “Then I would do something that would touch him, without letting him know it’s a birthday celebration.”
Lin Zheng snapped his fingers. “Yes, that’s what I was thinking too. So, if this person is a powerful figure in the business world, who doesn’t lack money, food, or clothes, what do you think you could do to move him?”
As soon as Lin Zheng said this, Wu Yu realized who the person who disliked birthdays was.
Of the powerful business figures he knew in Lin Zheng’s circle, there was only one.
Wu Yu lowered his hand and said casually, “Actually, you don’t necessarily have to do something to move him. A simple gift to express your feelings would be enough. After all, it’s the thought that counts.”
Lin Zheng: “…”
Well, now. That’s not what you said a moment ago.
Although he didn’t know why Wu Yu had suddenly changed his mind, Lin Zheng thought his words made sense. But if he gave a gift, wouldn’t Gu Lin know he was celebrating his birthday? What if Gu Lin got angry and threw the gift in his face?
No, the risk was too great.
He wasn’t going to do that.
Seeing Lin Zheng’s troubled expression, Wu Yu said, “Actually, I have another idea.”
Lin Zheng’s curiosity was piqued. “What idea?”
Wu Yu looked at Lin Zheng and smiled.
Lin Zheng grew even more curious.
Author’s Note: Today, our little Lin Zheng is running around for his man.
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