Chapter 287 The Paranoid Painter 17 (1/2)

Chapter 287 The Paranoid Painter 17 "This is my intention."

Jin Ye shook his head, a sly glint in his eyes.

Zi Xi playfully slapped him, but couldn't help laughing.

[The domineering ghost, what about this one?]

She typed on her phone and made a gesture.

Make a heart shape with your thumbs and index fingers touching.

"What's the meaning?"

Jin Ye raised an eyebrow.

[You don't know the internet slang used by young people, you're so old-fashioned.]

Zi Xi typed with a smug smile.

"Yeah?"

"Will you tell or not? Will you tell or not?"

Jin Ye suddenly pounced on her and tickled her.

Zi Xi laughed so hard she could barely breathe, struggling in his arms.

This was the first time she had laughed so heartily since losing her voice; though silent, it was more real than any other laugh.

In the end, she surrendered, making that gesture, then pointing at Jin Ye and then at herself.

Although he doesn't often follow those trending internet memes, Jin Ye understood what she was trying to say.

"us."

He stopped joking around, gazed at her intently, and then solemnly made the same gesture.

On the opening night of the international art exhibition, the most prestigious art center in Lishi was brightly lit.

Jin Ye's works occupy the entire east wing exhibition hall, and each painting is surrounded by admiring viewers and collectors.

In front of the huge pure white muse in the center of the exhibition hall, the crowd was even more dense.

Jin Ye, with his arm around Zi Xi's waist, calmly weaved through the crowd.

He was dressed in a custom-made black tuxedo, which made him appear even more upright, while she wore a pure white long dress, and the diamond teardrop necklace around her neck sparkled under the lights.

Wherever the two went, they attracted admiring glances and whispers.

"Mr. Jin, your work is simply a miracle!"

"Especially 'The Pure White Muse,' it reminds me of that pure beauty, yet it also possesses a modern expressionist tension..."

A well-known critic excitedly grabbed Jin Ye's hand.

Jin Ye politely but distantly withdrew his hand, but his arm never left Zi Xi's waist.

However, as more and more important figures came to talk, Jin Ye had to temporarily release Zi Xi and let her wait in the lounge.

"I'll be right there. Just press the call button if you need anything. There are people outside the door."

He leaned down and whispered in her ear:

Zi Xi nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

The luxurious lounge was quiet, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle outside.

Zi Xi stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the dazzling night view of Paris, and a feeling of unreality welled up in her heart.

Just a few months ago, she was an international student struggling to make a living, but now she stands in an exhibition hall at the pinnacle of world art.

"Isn't the night view beautiful?"

A familiar yet unsettling voice came from behind.

Zi Xi turned around abruptly and saw Su Qingyan standing at the door.

She was wearing a staff uniform, pushing a food cart, with a fake smile on her face.

"What, you didn't expect me to be able to come in?"

"After all, I'm someone who's forbidden to get close."

"But you see, there's no problem in the world that money can't solve, including bribing security guards."

Su Qingyan approached slowly, her tone laced with sarcasm.

Zi Xi took a step back warily and reached out to press the call button, but Su Qingyan blocked her way first.

"Don't rush me, I just want to chat with you."

"Look at you, a mute, dressed in haute couture and wearing expensive jewelry, the center of attention all over the world..."

Do you feel like you're special?

Su Qingyan's smile turned gloomy.

Zi Xi looked at her expressionlessly, her hand quietly reaching into her pocket for her phone, and silently pressed the record button.

"You know this is all fake, right?"