Chapter 28: First Meeting with Wen Qiuning
Before taking the kitten home, Shen Zhouyue took it for a detailed checkup.
After examining it, the vet said, “This kitten wasn’t born long ago. It was likely abandoned and hasn’t eaten for some time.”
Hearing the vet’s words, Shen Zhouyue frowned immediately.
“How could someone bear to throw away such a cute little guy!”
The kitten seemed to sense Shen Zhouyue’s kindness and burrowed deeper into his embrace.
The fine, soft fur brushed against Shen Zhouyue’s arm, making the smile on his face even gentler.
Watching Shen Zhouyue’s smiling, gentle appearance, Yu Tingzhou’s heart skipped a beat.
“Does this little guy need vaccines?”
Hearing this question, Shen Zhouyue also looked at the doctor nearby.
“Not for now. Wait until the child’s health improves a bit before vaccinating.”
This was Shen Zhouyue’s first time raising a small animal, and he was very excited.
He pestered the doctor with many questions about caring for kittens and bought a lot of supplies the kitten might need.
The two, who had come empty-handed, returned carrying bags upon bags—a fruitful harvest.
Shen Zhouyue’s attention was entirely captivated by the kitten; he had no time to spare for Yu Tingzhou in the same car.
He took a photo of the kitten with his phone and sent it to An’an, who was far away in Country F, hoping to share his life with him.
An’an also loved small animals, but sadly his health was poor, so he couldn’t raise them.
But when Shen Zhouyue returned, An’an would be recovered, and he could raise a kitten then too.
[This is the kitten!]
[Daddy, the kitten is so cute~]
Seeing the message from An’an, Shen Zhouyue’s mood instantly brightened.
“Do you like this kitten that much?”
The car had stopped at some point, and Yu Tingzhou’s voice rang in his ear.
Shen Zhouyue snapped back to reality and realized they had arrived at Fang Garden.
“Ah… when did we arrive? Why didn’t you call me…”
Shen Zhouyue scratched his head in embarrassment, looking a bit awkward.
He quickly put away his phone, then picked up the bag containing the kitten and walked toward the house.
The kitten had already been bathed at the pet hospital before coming back, so its appearance had improved significantly.
It stayed obediently in the carrier. As Shen Zhouyue carried it, its paws gripped the edge of the bag, occasionally letting out sweet meows, seemingly observing whether the surrounding environment was dangerous.
Upon returning home, Shen Zhouyue immediately moved the kitten’s things into his own room.
The rooms in the villa were huge. Shen Zhouyue didn’t have many personal items, so the remaining space was perfect for the kitten.
Once everything was set up, Shen Zhouyue opened the carrier and waited patiently for the kitten to adapt to its surroundings.
A few days later, the kitten had a new name: Tangyuan.
Under Shen Zhouyue’s care, the originally scrawny kitten became healthy.
Fluffy and round, it looked just like a giant sticky rice ball, and its personality became lively too.
Shen Zhouyue spent every day with Tangyuan, sketching from life, taking walks, and spending ambiguous nights with Yu Tingzhou. Life was very pleasant.
Until a call from the private investigator broke the peaceful life.
“Mr. Shen, regarding the matter you asked me to investigate, there are results.”
Hearing the private investigator’s words, Shen Zhouyue felt a surge of excitement.
He rubbed Tangyuan’s chubby body to calm himself down. “What are the results?”
“According to the investigation, Mr. Wen has a twin brother. His brother is the real artist behind those paintings. His name is Wen Qiuning.”
“Ten years ago, after the Wen family went bankrupt, Wen Qiusheng couldn’t accept the new reality. He seduced a local big shot and became his lover. But the big shot had a wife at home, so he was quickly kicked out, and his life returned to poverty.”
“When he returned home, he discovered that Wen Qiuning, due to his talent in painting, had gained the appreciation and sponsorship of a famous teacher. Although their life was poor, it was passable, and he was even praised by many.”
“Out of jealousy, Wen Qiusheng pushed Wen Qiuning, who shared a similar face, out to take the fall for his debts. He even made him face the retaliation of the big shot’s wife. Helpless, Wen Qiuning ended up with a wealthy heir who had been pursuing him, but his situation isn’t very good.”
To have experienced such terrible things and still be able to paint such healing art—Shen Zhouyue couldn’t help but feel a secret admiration for Wen Qiuning. He even felt the urge to meet him.
“Send me Wen Qiuning’s current location!”
The private investigator naturally didn’t refuse.
Wen Qiuning’s address was quickly sent to Shen Zhouyue’s account.
Shen Zhouyue glanced at the address and found it wasn’t far; the person also lived in Fang Garden. It was just a short walk away.
Shen Zhouyue checked the time. It was getting late outside, so he decided to go look for him tomorrow.
having made up his mind, Shen Zhouyue first probed Yu Tingzhou indirectly about the owner of that house.
Hearing his question, Yu Tingzhou frowned immediately and asked unhappily, “Why are you asking about this?”
Yu Tingzhou knew the owner of that villa, but not very well.
Worried that Shen Zhouyue was having other ideas, Yu Tingzhou reminded him again, “Don’t forget, the one-year period isn’t up yet!”
Shen Zhouyue paused, then quickly realized what Yu Tingzhou meant.
He rolled his eyes at Yu Tingzhou. “What wild thoughts are you having!”
“I just wanted to go over for a visit. We are neighbors, after all.”
Shen Zhouyue’s reason sounded a bit forced, but Yu Tingzhou didn’t ask further.
He remembered that a rather frail-looking boy lived in that villa. He didn’t know what his relationship was to Qiu Xingqiu.
“If you want to go, then go.”
“Mainly, I was afraid it might affect your relationship with the homeowner.”
Shen Zhouyue’s words were a bit strange.
Yu Tingzhou frowned and scrutinized him. “You’re just visiting a neighbor; how would that affect my relationship with the homeowner?”
Shen Zhouyue stole a glance at Yu Tingzhou. Confirming he wasn’t angry, he said, “The person living there seems to be the real creator of the paintings Wen Qiusheng exhibited.”
“I want to get to know that person, but basically every time I see him, he’s only active inside the house, so…”
Seeing Shen Zhouyue like this, Yu Tingzhou felt somewhat helpless. “I understand. You don’t need to worry.”
“I don’t have any business dealings with the Qiu family. Even if we upset them, it doesn’t matter.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhouyue breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then I’ll go visit tomorrow.”
So excited? It seems he really likes those paintings…
Early the next morning, Shen Zhouyue carried Tangyuan and walked toward the villa next door.
He stood at the door and rang the bell.
The bell rang for quite a while before there was a reaction.
“Who… who is it…”
A weak voice came from inside the house.
The person’s voice was a bit hoarse, sounding like it was from overuse, or perhaps the nervousness of not having communicated with people for a long time.
“Hello, I’m your neighbor from next door. I just moved here not long ago and wanted to pay a visit.”
Silence reigned on the other side. After a long while, the voice slowly spoke again, “No… no need… I’m sick… better not…”
His voice was very cramped, carrying a sense of hesitation.
“Ah… then do you need help getting to the hospital?”
The voice on the other end seemed nervous. “No need.”
With that, the connection cut off.
Shen Zhouyue was a little disappointed not to see the person, but he didn’t give up.
He continued to ring the doorbell.
The bell rang quickly again.
The person inside seemed to sense Shen Zhouyue’s persistence. After struggling for a good while, he answered again.
“You… do you have… something to discuss?”
“They say a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, so I wanted to chat with you…”
Shen Zhouyue said a lot. He didn’t know which reason made the person inside change his mind.
The door in front of him creaked open.
“Please, please come in!”
Shen Zhouyue carried Tangyuan into the house.
Arriving in the living room, he saw a thin man sitting on the sofa.
The man looked gloomy. His bangs were a bit long, covering his eyes.
But from the exposed lower half of his face, one could still see a resemblance to Wen Qiusheng.
Shen Zhouyue deliberately put on a confused look. “Eh? You look a lot like a painter from an art exhibition I saw before!”
The man sitting on the sofa, who had kept his head down, suddenly looked up. His bangs lifted with the movement, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes.
The slightly upturned corners of his eyes, along with a tear mole at the tail of his eye, gave him a fragile appearance.
“Painter? What paintings?”
Shen Zhouyue walked to the man and showed him the photos he had taken.
“These paintings!”
“The artist is a painter named Wen Qiusheng. Many of this painter’s works look very healing. I really like his brushwork…”
The man beside him was shedding tears silently before Shen Zhouyue realized it.
Shen Zhouyue noticed that the fabric on the man’s leg was soaked with tears, turning a darker color.
He froze.
Did I say something too harsh?
“You… came specifically… to find me… didn’t you?”
The man raised his head to look at Shen Zhouyue.
His eyes were still brimming with tears that wouldn’t stop flowing down his cheeks.
“How did you guess?”
The man wiped the tears from his face, trying hard to calm himself. His frail body trembled slightly. “Every photo you took focused on where I signed my name.”
“These paintings… were taken away by my brother… My brother is Wen Qiusheng…”
Shen Zhouyue felt that Wen Qiuning must be living a very hard life.
It made sense. A talented person framed by his own brother, forced to submit to a man he didn’t like, while his own paintings became his brother’s ticket into high society.
No one would be willing to accept that.
“Are you okay?”
Shen Zhouyue looked at Wen Qiuning carefully, regretting that he had been too obvious.
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