“It looks good, but—” he had a doubt.
“He gave me two options: the first was to sign an agency contract with him, and the second was that he could accept an internship for a period of time.”
What are your own thoughts?
"I'll pass on the brokerage contract, but I'm open to an internship. But why is he being so enthusiastic towards an intern? He spent over a week with me, picking me up and personally showing me around. With his status, shouldn't only his most important clients receive this kind of treatment?"
"Perhaps he particularly values your talent."
Xiang Lan chuckled twice. For the past few days, their conversations had focused on the styles of other artists' exhibitions, which works were particularly eye-catching, and which artists had recently made breakthroughs. The conversations hadn't extended to her talent or her future creative endeavors. Only a couple of times had he asked Zidu a few questions. She was self-aware and had some doubts, but she didn't express them, treating it as a good opportunity to understand the current art market.
Gu Yuan returned quickly, personally placing two glasses of juice in front of the two of them, saying, "Freshly squeezed juice, try my cooking."
"Thank you, Brother Yuan."
He sat down in his seat, clasped his hands, and glanced at Lan, taking a perfunctory sip of his drink. Fang Zidu, however, turned his gaze to him and asked, "Gentlemen, what do you think? Are you interested in my company?"
"It's great, better than I imagined." Xiang Lan put down her cup. "I really like the atmosphere here."
"That's good." Gu Yuan then asked, "Have you made up your mind?"
"Brother Yuan, I'm pregnant now. If I work here, will it be inconvenient for me?"
“It doesn’t matter.” He shrugged. “The work is very flexible; you can do it from home. There are several positions available for you to choose from, depending on what direction you want to take in the future. If you’re interested in fine art, I suggest you observe and learn more. You can start in the client relations department and get to know the established artists. If you want to go into auctions, you can learn gradually there as well. If you want to go into the commercial field, you can go to the business department—”
"Brother Yuan, do you think I'd be picky?" Xiang Lan joked. "Is it really that good and that free?"
"You have to figure out for yourself which path is right for you; other people's advice won't be of much use to you."
"Then I'll go back and think about it carefully."
“Of course, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event.” After talking with her, Gu Yuan turned to look at Fang Zidu, “Zidu, what about you?”
"Me?" Fang Zi was taken aback.
Are you interested in this place?
"It's alright, today is mainly about spending time with Xiang Lan."
"I still don't know what you do."
"I do scientific research," Fang Zidu said. "I only play around when I have time; it's not my main job."
Gu Yuan pondered for a moment, "Very good. How about we have a casual lunch together?"
"No need," Xiang Lan quickly declined. "I have a family dinner appointment today, and it's not convenient for me to bother you any further."
Xiang Lan wasn't lying. Before leaving early this morning, Xiang Yuan had called to request a lunch gathering so he could check on her condition in person. The two took a taxi to his project office, where a meal was already prepared in the kitchenette.
"You've lost weight." These were Xiang Yuan's first words to Xiang Lan, then he glanced at Fang Zidu with obvious dissatisfaction.
"The doctor said this is good, but I need to exercise more and be more active." Xiang Lan sat down at the table and saw that all the dishes were her favorites, which whetted her appetite.
“Your sister-in-law has been vomiting a lot lately, and she looks even thinner than you.”
"It must be because you didn't make her feel safe."
"nonsense."
"If you make her feel safe, she won't get depressed. Let me tell you, a large part of morning sickness is psychological."
"Really." Xiang Yuan looked like he'd been fooled.
Fangzi and his family sat down and set out the bowls and chopsticks.
"What are you all busy with today?" Xiang Yuan asked casually.
"My uncle introduced me to a Mr. Gu. I've been in contact with him these past few days. He wants to cooperate with me." Xiang Lan wanted to show off in front of her brother and prove that she had grown up. "His name is Gu Yuan. I don't know if you've heard of him."
"Hmm, Gu Yuan?" He thought for a moment. "The name sounds familiar."
"He's that famous?" Xiang Lan asked, puzzled.
“I don’t know about that. But these hotels and clubs around here sometimes buy artwork when they change clothes, so I might have heard of it somewhere.” He picked up a piece of meat and handed it to her. “Eat quickly. If you’re interested, I can look in the filing cabinet later to see if I can find any information about him.”
"When purchasing artworks here, do you do it yourself, or do you entrust it to a relevant company?" Fang Zidu changed the subject.
“We have them all,” Xiang Yuan said, unusually good-natured. “For small quantities and low prices, we just outsource the procurement; it’s too much trouble. For large quantities and high-value items, we’ll invite bids and also hire professional design consultants.”
"General targets—"
"It's hard to say," Xiang Yuan shook his head. "The art market is murky these days; prices can change several times over in the blink of an eye. Last time the resort opened, we needed a few decent oil paintings to decorate the storefront. My uncle introduced us to some, and they weren't even by any masters. It cost several million yuan, which really broke my father's heart. When the old man wants to collect things, he usually asks people to buy him gold and jade. He doesn't understand calligraphy, paintings, or modern art, and he doesn't have much exposure to them. By the way, especially modern art, those small, inconspicuous pieces can add up to a lot of money. Every time the hotel changes its decor, it's a huge expense."
"A lot of money has been spent on this."
"Of course. It's only because my uncle knows his stuff and hasn't been ripped off too many times. If he didn't, he'd be in big trouble. By the way, Lanlan should know a little about this too."
Xiang Lan nodded, "I've been to a few auctions with you, it was alright."
"I've photographed some small trinkets for her, including a tiny silver wire-woven jewelry box, which cost tens of thousands—"
After the three finished their meal, they made tea to cleanse their palates. Xiang Yuan went to the shelf to look for information, flipped through a nearly thick catalog of artworks, and finally found a business card on the cover. He took it out and handed it to Xiang Lan, "Is this it?"
Xiang Lan took the call and nodded, "It's him."
"Yes, he came to see me before, and I remember him quite well."
"Introduced by your uncle?"
"It shouldn't be him, he came to us himself." Xiang Yuan tilted his head. "How was your contact with him?"
"It's alright, he's quite enthusiastic towards me," Xiang Lan said. "He accompanied me around for several days, introduced me to many people, and took me to see many exhibitions. He said he hopes to sign me as an agent or have me work directly at his company. I'd really like to do an internship there."
"I see—"
Fang Zidu asked, "Your internship at his company, will that affect my brother's situation?"
Xiang Lan's eyes darted around as she watched the two men. "What do you mean? You suspect he can't get through to Big Brother, so you're trying to get him through me?"
"It's not impossible."
"He really went to a lot of trouble."
Xiang Yuan smiled and said, "The methods used in the business world are nothing more than these."
"So, does that mean he's been deliberately trying to get close to me from the very beginning?" It seemed like his enthusiasm had a reasonable explanation. Xiang Lan felt a little uncomfortable, but she quickly dismissed it. "But I don't dislike it. After all, he's very thoughtful and hasn't brought up these things intentionally."
Fang Zi pursed his lips, glanced at Xiang Yuan, who was helpless, and said, "Of course, it's a common practice, it just depends on who uses it better. You need to learn to discern the true nature of a person under this tactic, whether they are good or bad, and whether you can grasp it. If you think there's no problem, then continuing to deal with them is fine, but your current physical condition—"
“I think it’s fine.” Xiang Lan thought for a moment. “If it’s just a work-related relationship, there shouldn’t be any problem. Besides, I don’t think we’re good enough for pure artistic collaborations. So at most, I can intern in his business department to see how it works, which is also a learning experience. If there are similar jobs at home in the future, you can hand them over to me, right?”
Xiang Yuan glanced at Fang Zidu again and affirmed, "That's right."
Xiang Lan laughed and wanted to take her husband's hand, but she saw that he was a little stunned, as if he was very interested in the picture book.
After chatting and confirming that Xiang Lan was doing well, Xiang Yuan felt relieved. As he saw them off, he patted Fang Zidu on the shoulder and said, "I've tried my best to help you expose Gu Yuan's intentions to hurt Lan Lan, but it's obviously not working. This won't get Xiang Lan home. Young man, can you think of another way?"
It turned out that Fang Zidu had already researched Gu Yuan online and only allowed Xiang Lan to go out with him after confirming his credibility. However, later, wanting her to stay home and rest, he thoroughly investigated Gu Yuan. Liu Nanyang's assessment of him was quite accurate; he was indeed somewhat promiscuous and had rumors of negatively influencing his artists. Furthermore, Fang Zidu had inadvertently discovered that Gu Yuan was competing for the art procurement project at the Xiang family's new InterContinental Hotel. Fang Zidu had an idea: he would use this to get Xiang Lan to avoid him.
Oh dear, I miscalculated.
Fang Zidu remained silent the entire way home, while Xiang Lan chatted happily with friends and family on her phone, oblivious to his inner turmoil and worries. As they neared home, she said to him, "Zidu, then I'll officially reply to Gu Yuan that I'll start my internship at his company next week, okay?"
He seemed a little downcast. He got out of the car, took her hand, and led her home, saying, "Xiang Lan, I feel like I'm still just an ordinary person. While rationally it's normal for you to go out and work, deep down I don't want you to work so hard. I don't want you to go to Gu Yuan's company—"
"Ah, why?" Xiang Lan's eyes showed an unusual slyness. "Oh, so that's why Big Brother invited me to dinner for no reason today. Was it you who orchestrated this? And you were the one who exposed Gu Yuan's affair to Big Brother?"
Fangzi had never done anything like this before. Once he was exposed, he panicked, his face turned red, and he didn't know what to say.
"You don't want me to go out to work, so you're indirectly telling me that Gu Yuan isn't interested in my talent, but has other motives, and want me to give up, right?" Xiang Lan said seriously with a serious face, "I didn't expect you to do this."
"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want you to work, but given your current situation—"
"I asked the doctor, and he said there's no problem with my work, and the first six months should be the most stable period, so there shouldn't be any issues. Therefore, these are all just excuses, right?"
"I'm sorry." Fangzi hadn't even learned to argue, so she could only continue apologizing.
"I never expected you to treat me like this. I thought you were very supportive of me." Xiang Lan felt very depressed and walked forward dejectedly, her resentment growing stronger. When Lin Li provoked her, she could pretend to be thick-skinned and indifferent, but when she was alone, the thought of it made her feel embarrassed. The better the prescriptions were made, the more restless she became. She had a fear that being together too easily would lead outsiders to compare them.
"What if I give up even the only thing I'm good at?" Her eyes were red, and tears fell one by one onto the cement ground. "Am I really not talented, so the people who appreciate me are only interacting with me because of my family? This is so sad."
Fangzi hurried up to her and tried to take her hand, but she shook him off. Apologizing now was useless.
"I'm sorry." This was the third apology.
Xiang Lan glanced at him with tears in her eyes, and he froze. It was the first time he had ever seen her cry, and he was at a loss for what to do.
"You're so wonderful, and all I know is a little bit of my profession; I can't do anything else." Xiang Lan cried bitterly. "More and more people will see you in the future. If I stay home all day taking care of the kids and do nothing, eventually no one will see me anymore. I don't want to become invisible, I don't want people to say I'm not good enough for you, I don't want to lose you—"
Fangzi didn't know what to do. Holding her close, she said with heartache, "Xiang Lan, I didn't mean to keep you confined at home. I was just being petty. I was afraid Gu Yuan would steal you away. He's more mature and knowledgeable than any of us, and he's more suited to your profession than I am. You're happy with him every day. I'm sorry, I don't know anything about work either; I just felt he had ulterior motives—"
"There are plenty of beautiful women in that company, and many artists more talented than me working there. Why would they possibly be interested in me? You're just trying to flatter me—"
Xiang Lan cried, and he completely surrendered, utterly powerless to resist.
"You're not allowed to interfere in my affairs." She said fiercely, but she was actually being coquettish.
"Okay, I'll discuss it with you properly next time, even if I don't want to—"
"We can't be unwilling, we must be willing, and we must be overjoyed."
"This is a bit difficult, but I will try my best."
"You're not allowed to ask your brother to put pressure on me, not anyone else."
"Okay." Fang Zi had almost lost all dignity and just wanted to make up for this mistake. "But you also need to have a work schedule. You can't work more than eight hours a day, from nine to five, and we'll arrange a car to pick you up and drop you off, okay?"
"That's more like it." Xiang Lan rubbed her eyes, her tears turning into a smile, a small concession. "I'll arrange my work hours properly, making sure it doesn't affect our baby."
"Could you please stop crying in the future?" he said shyly. "Your crying is making me so confused, I don't know what to do."
"It depends on your behavior. If you bully me again..."
Fang Zidu finally felt relieved. He had never done anything like this before, even though he had failed. In Xiang Lan's eyes, he was just an ordinary person.
Chapter 58
Xiang Lan didn't condemn Fang Zidu's attempts to interfere with his pursuit; instead, he was quite pleased because he made amends afterward. He reorganized their work and life schedules, arranging daily transportation for her to and from work to ensure her safety, and limiting her total daily working hours. Xiang Lan appreciated his concessions, clarifying that her future focus remained on artistic creation. This particular project would cease before delivery, existing solely as a social practice.
Based on the above, in addition to her work and crafts, she began to take on some simple household chores, such as dusting, cleaning, washing small items of clothing, or dry cleaning bed sheets and duvet covers. On weekends, when she had free time but Fang Zi had to work overtime in the lab, she would make some fruit platters, buy some snacks, and go to the school to see him, and also ask Deng Yifan out for dinner and a movie—currently, Deng Yifan is working hard at a film company, pursuing his dream of becoming a director.
However, Xiang Lan still harbored resentment towards Lin Li and was unwilling to see her before she had achieved success, so she only handed the items to Fang Zidu outside the laboratory.