I've seen these things before at my best friend Aze's house, so it's not surprising.
But I never imagined that Yang Wei had such a hobby.
There were many oil paintings hanging on the wall, but to prevent dust, they were covered with a layer of protective paper. After Yang Wen helped me lift it, I took a closer look at these things.
Many of his works are very abstract or impressionistic, with strange colors and lines that I can't understand at all.
Many of the works also have some strange author signatures in the corners, and it's unclear where Yang Wei got these things from.
Yang Wen pushed me along slowly, and as I looked at these works, I couldn't help but chuckle... Although I don't know anything about art appraisal, I would never believe that these scribbles could be valuable. Yang Wei, on the other hand, collected these things like a child, firmly believing they would become expensive works of art in the future. It was truly unexpected; this was the same rational and calm Yang Wei I knew!
It was obvious that Yang Wei could indeed draw, because there were many doodles on the nearby easels, clearly left by the owner of the studio. Although I can't draw, I do have a good friend, Aze, who claims to be an artist. So, having seen so much, I've at least picked up a few tricks. I could tell that Yang Wei wasn't just scribbling randomly; she had some skill and basic technique.
However, as Yang Wen pushed me step by step inside, he lifted the innermost curtain, revealing the last easel in the room. Looking at the paintings on it, I was suddenly stunned!
Shocked, my face froze, and unconsciously, my fingers seemed to be trembling slightly!
The moment my eyes met this painting, I was unable to look away for even a second!
Technically speaking, this painting is not complicated, and the use of color is not particularly sophisticated, but the content of the painting suddenly stirred up a genuine sense of sorrow in my heart.
On the canvas was a forest in a valley. Beside the valley, the night was as black as ink, and the stars filled the sky. Two young people, a man and a woman, sat there, leaning against each other. The man seemed to have some blood on him, yet he gently embraced the woman for warmth. Judging from their clothing, the man in the painting wore a torn suit, while the woman wore a leather jacket…
This sight immediately ripped apart what seemed like a prison in my mind!
I stared blankly at the easel in front of me...
Yes, that's it... Isn't this scene exactly the night Yang Wei and I first met, the night we fell into the valley together and hugged each other for warmth?
Looking at the hastily written signature in the lower right corner of the canvas: Z.W.
Yang Wei... Yang Wei... Did you draw this?
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 106: Choice
On the screen, a man sits in a wheelchair, staring blankly at the canvas in front of him, unable to utter a single word.
It was a dark room, like a monitoring room, with only a row of large and small monitors flashing lights in front.
A slender figure stood in front of a large screen, staring at the image, and couldn't help but slowly extend her finger, as if trying to touch the man in the picture through the screen.
She sighed softly, and then she heard a voice behind her: "Are you really sure about this?"
"Mmm." The voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.
"He's good, but not good enough, at least not smart enough. And... he's still a bit stubborn. Like the compensation I just mentioned. If he were truly a qualified leader, a truly intelligent person, he wouldn't be so fixated on those inner convictions... those ridiculous convictions. Interests would be the most important thing. So, my view is that he has indeed changed, but not thoroughly enough... far from enough. If he were now a qualified leader, he would need the cunning of a fox and the ferocity of a tiger... and at the same time, he would have to let go of those ridiculous inner constraints."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips: "That's right, Uncle, you're absolutely right... But that's precisely why he is Chen Yang. If he had truly accepted your proposal and your compensation, then he would have become just like you, like those other people! Fortunately, he hasn't... Fortunately!"
After a moment of hesitation, a tall, shadowy figure stood up and walked behind the woman: "You should know what you're giving up."
“It’s very clear…it couldn’t be clearer.” The woman suddenly turned her head, using the light from the screen. Her facial features were soft, and her eyes were bright. “But I’ve gained so much more…that’s enough.”
Silence... a brief but almost suffocating silence, as if one could feel the anger of the person behind them. The woman standing in front of the screen suddenly smiled: "Uncle, it seems that the one who is persistent is you, not me."
"You should understand that sometimes, giving up is tantamount to betrayal."
"You mean the Yang family?" The woman shook her head. "Actually... does the Yang family really have no one to carry on the family name without me? Uncle, you're getting old... Even though you raised me from scratch, and all my wisdom comes from you, you really are getting old... The Yang family isn't lacking in talent, as long as you stop being so fixated on the constraints of bloodline! Look at the young people around you. Besides me and your precious son, there are many other young people with the surname Yang. But you're blinded by the distance of bloodline and can't see their excellence. Take the simplest example... Yang Wen? He's a distant relative, but he also has the surname Yang. And he's quite capable, yet you only placed him in a low-level management position, a job like running errands... If you observe carefully, you'll find many more like him around you."
She spoke softer and softer until she finally turned around. In the darkness, her face was hidden in shadow, only her eyes shone brightly like cold stars: "Li Wenjing once said: People like us, born into a family and raised from childhood, are burdened by the weight of our bloodline and surname. Undoubtedly, we enjoy much more than ordinary people, but at the same time, we also live in a cage... My uncle, it's time. I think it's time for me to step out of this cage."
She slowly stepped forward, her beautiful face gradually emerging from the darkness, her gaze calm and wise, a faint smile playing on her lips. Yang Wei suddenly took a deep breath, then stretched, her smile growing even more delightful: "You see, the feeling of freedom is actually quite nice."
...
I didn't know when Yang Wen left behind me. I just stared at the painting in front of me, then gently pushed my wheelchair closer, and reached out my finger, unable to resist gently touching the canvas, then stroking it back and forth.
Because of the oil paint, the canvas was full of texture, and I even pictured Yang Wei with her hair tied up, wearing a T-shirt, holding a paintbrush, and looking tenderly at the canvas...
The ancients said: When love reaches its peak, it begins to fade. But is it truly love, or is it indifference?
Can these things really be explained in just a few words?
The door behind me had opened silently without my noticing, until a soft voice came from behind me:
"Don't you know that it's bad to randomly browse other people's works?"
...
I was jolted awake, and then I turned around abruptly, because my movement was so sudden that I almost didn't even turn the wheelchair around.
The crisp sound of high heels on the floor accompanied Yang Wei as she slowly walked in from the doorway. Her short hair seemed to have grown a bit longer, and she was wearing the black dress we wore when we first met. With a half-smile on her face, she calmly walked to my side and grasped the handle of her wheelchair: "If you keep touching me like this, you'll ruin my painting."
"I...I don't know...you..." I suddenly felt a little short of breath, and for a moment I hadn't reacted: "I didn't know you were here..."
Seeing the smile on Yang Wei's lips, I quickly calmed down, took a deep breath, and composed myself: "Wait! How did you get here? You should still be in Shanghai!"
Yang smiled but didn't say anything, just looked at me.
I looked quietly into her eyes for a long time before finally sighing, "I understand... It was you who arranged this. Hmm, that Yang Wen also deliberately lured me here, right? Heh... That kid's acting skills are pretty good too."
Yang Wei remained smiling and did not speak.
“Okay…okay…Yang Wei, you were in Las Vegas, and your uncle brought me here to talk to me. Did you know all this? Or did you arrange it all? What exactly are you trying to do? Or…”
"Shut up." Yang Wei suddenly whispered, a hint of excitement on her face. Then she walked around to my side and slowly leaned down: "From now on, call me Weiwei..."
I didn't say anything, because my mouth had been gagged.
...
I thought I could really forget her, completely forget her!
But when Yang Wei's soft, sweet lips touched mine, I realized that my so-called forgetting was nothing but a ridiculous joke.
She sat in my lap, on my legs, her arms wrapped around my neck, and kissed me passionately. The familiar, fragrant scent, her soft lips, her breathy breaths...
That one kiss almost made me give up all my resistance. I had originally wanted to push her hands away, but the moment she nestled into my arms, my movement changed from pushing her away to hugging her tightly!
This one kiss was enough to evoke all the beautiful memories between Yang Wei and me; we almost forgot everything. It was a long, suffocating kiss. I only finally released her when Yang Wei was almost breathless.
Before I could catch my breath, I finally remembered the question that had been nagging at me:
"Why? What happened?"
Yang smiled, his eyes gentle as they were so close: "What happened? You just kissed me, it's that simple."
I shook my head helplessly: "Don't dodge the question with me, what exactly happened?"
"I'm so happy." Yang Wei sighed and said slowly, "Because you've changed a lot recently... But luckily, even though you've changed a bit, you're still Chen Yang, the Xiao Wu I like."
“Tonight…” I frowned.
“Tonight, when my uncle was negotiating with you, you rejected all the compensation he offered without even listening to them… If you had chosen to agree to his terms, or if you had been interested in listening first and then considering it… then you would never have seen me again in your life.” Yang Wei spoke very seriously, and I could tell she wasn’t joking.
"This is my final decision." Yang Wei thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Perhaps, there's no need to explain too much. If you insist on asking why, I can tell you this: Mr. Chen, I've been kicked out of the Yang Group's door. My uncle has taken away all my assets, all my property, my company shares, and all the influence I've secretly cultivated over the years! My credit cards have been frozen, and I only have less than three hundred dollars left in my pocket, not even enough for a plane ticket to China..." Her eyes were smiling, but more so with tenderness. "Now I want to ask you: you'll probably have to support me from now on, and I'm used to spending lavishly. Can you afford it?"
"...You!" I stared wide-eyed. "You??"
"Yes." Yang Wei nodded.
"You really..."
“That’s right.” Yang Wei nodded.
"You should consider..."
"I've thought it through," Yang Wei nodded again.
"This is..."
Yang Wei smiled: "Darling, are you planning to continue stammering and talking to me like this... or will you continue kissing me?"
As she spoke, she smiled and winked at me.
A radiant smile, a beautiful woman in your arms, soft whispers, tender affection... any man would know which one to choose!
And I am a man.
...
In front of the monitor, a middle-aged man watched a man and woman embracing on the screen. His expression was unreadable, neither happy nor angry. After a while, he sighed: "I hope you made the right choice, my niece."
At this moment, Yang Wei on the screen raised her head, blinked at the surveillance camera, and then, without my noticing, gently took out a small object and waved it at the camera.
With a beep, the screen turned into static. Mr. Yang, sitting in front of the screen, curled his lip and said, "Oh, is she afraid of being spied on... What a petty girl."
He walked out of the monitoring room, then suddenly stopped and casually said, "Hmm..."
Immediately, two of his men appeared beside him.
"Bring me all of Yang Wen's information," Mr. Yang Er simply instructed, and someone immediately went to do so.
“Well, my niece, I hope the person you recommended is a truly talented individual,” Mr. Yang muttered to himself. Then, glancing at the people around him, he suddenly asked, “Answer me, am I old?”
The subordinate beside him, who had a serious expression, paused for a moment when he heard his boss ask such a strange question. He was clearly nervous: "Uh... no, sir, you..."
"Alright, I was just asking casually." Mr. Yang sighed. "Go... except for Yang Wen, find the information of all the young people in the family over the age of twenty. Damn it... Weiwei, do you know what a huge mess you've left me with."
...
"You tricked me into coming to Las Vegas just to meet your uncle? And to test me?"
"uh-huh."
"Was that test your own idea, or your uncle's?"
“My…uncle.”
"Uh... it shouldn't be a problem to ask now, right? What exactly is the compensation your uncle was talking about? I was so angry back then that I didn't even ask."
"...Well, Uncle's original plan was that if you agreed to sever ties with me and stop seducing the Yang family's heir, he would give you a casino in Las Vegas, and at the same time...you know, the American Zhi Gong Tang and the Qing Hong in China are related by blood, and Uncle has a good relationship with the American Zhi Gong Tang...Hey! What's with that expression?!"
"Fine! This isn't the first time you've tricked me... If I weren't paralyzed right now, I would have executed you on the spot tonight."
"Haha! It's precisely because I know you're like this now... that I've come knocking on your door."
"Damn it... the tone of your voice... no, turn on the light! Is there a bright light here? I need to check whether you are Yang Wei or... that female bandit Qiao Qiao in disguise."
Then came another round of commotion. Finally, we quieted down. Yang Wei sighed and leaned gently against me. "Chen Yang, I don't know what's wrong with me... I feel so relieved right now. Even though I gave up the thing I was pursuing the most, I feel so happy... Is this really the feeling of freedom after liberation?"