The day of the art exhibition arrived quickly. Staff from the Tonghua Art Museum arrived early to conduct final checks before the opening. Cheng Xuhai, the exhibition's director, walked through the spacious art museum, meticulously inspecting every detail.
"Brother Cheng, 'Zhi Fan' has sent over the speech draft," his assistant said, approaching with a printed page.
Cheng Xuhai read it a few times and was very pleased. "As expected of Zhi Da, not only is her painting excellent, but her writing is also superb."
"It's only natural for older people to have good writing skills; you're making a fuss over nothing," his colleague Xu Yi said, walking over. She snatched the speech from Cheng Xuhai's hand, glanced at it, and then chuckled, "Besides, speeches like this are a dime a dozen online; there's nothing special about it." She casually tossed the speech back to the assistant.
Cheng Xuhai's expression turned displeased. "Have you finished checking the East Wing? Yesterday, someone reported flickering issues with the light bulbs in the East Wing. Were the bulbs replaced?"
Xu Yi playfully patted Cheng Xuhai's hand, laughing. "I specifically went to check; there are no problems."
Cheng Xuhai subtly dodged her hand and asked the assistant, "Did Zhi Da say when she would arrive?"
Xu Yi's hand missed, and she awkwardly retracted it, mentally cursing the troublesome "Zhi Fan."
"She said she'd be here at eight," the assistant said, checking the time. "She should be here soon."
Cheng Xuhai quickly handed over his current tasks to the assistant and hurried to the main entrance of the art museum.
Xu Yi was furious. She asked Cheng Xuhai's assistant, "That Zhi Fan is old and faded, yet she's still seducing your boss. How shameless can she be?"
The assistant looked a bit bewildered. "Seducing? Brother Cheng is just a fan of Teacher Zhi Fan's paintings; they have no personal relationship."
"Really?" Xu Yi's face lit up with joy, and then she proudly touched her cheek. "That's right, she's just an old, faded woman. What does it matter how famous she is? Her youth is gone, her beauty is gone. She must be very jealous of young people like me."
The assistant gave a couple of polite chuckles and found an excuse to leave.
...
Cheng Xuhai arrived at the main entrance of the art museum. It was still early, so there weren't many people. When he saw the only car approaching, he quickly strode forward to greet it.
Quan Jiu was wearing a mid-length qipao in bean paste green embroidered with green lotuses, revealing a pair of slender, jade-like calves. Her long, dark hair was smoothly draped over her shoulders, giving her a fresh and noble appearance, as if she had dispelled some of the summer's heat.
Cheng Xuhai was first astonished by the woman's beautiful appearance, then awkwardly stepped aside, having almost mistaken her for someone else.
He nodded a greeting to the woman. "Are you here for the art exhibition? It hasn't opened yet. You can wait in the nearby coffee shop; it's been booked by our museum."
Quan Jiu smiled and said, "We met online, and you don't recognize me?"
Cheng Xuhai paused slightly, then exclaimed in surprise, "You... are Teacher Zhi Fan?"
Impossible. He had always thought Teacher Zhi Fan was at least forty or fifty years old. But her appearance suggested she wasn't even thirty. How could she be so young and so beautiful? This was quite contrary to his perception of artists.
Sensing his失态 (loss of composure), Cheng Xuhai quickly explained, "It's just that Teacher Zhi Fan's paintings are all realistic, painful, and true to life; they're too captivating."
"Let's go, I'll go in and take a look. This is the first time I'm attending my own art exhibition," Quan Jiu said, walking towards the art museum.
Cheng Xuhai, facing his idol, was excited and thrilled. "Teacher Zhi Fan, I've always wanted to ask you, how do you create those satirical realist works?"
"Talent, I guess," Quan Jiu joked.
The two entered the art museum. Cheng Xuhai led Quan Jiu on a tour of the venue and finally brought her to the East Exhibition Area. "This is the exhibition area with the best lighting and the largest space. All of your paintings are displayed here."
Quan Jiu was very satisfied. "The exhibition setup here is always beautiful."
Although Cheng Xuhai really wanted to stay and accompany his idol, he still had work to do. He said, "Teacher, please look around at your leisure. I need to go and conduct checks elsewhere. Also, the VIP lounge is the first room on the right on the second floor. You can rest there anytime if you feel tired."
Quan Jiu smiled slightly. After watching Cheng Xuhai leave, she leisurely admired her own paintings from a spectator's perspective.
Xu Yi watched Cheng Xuhai leave with a look of excitement. Her gaze then fell on Quan Jiu, and her face was filled with hatred. She walked over with a dark expression. "It hasn't opened yet. Please leave, madam."
Quan Jiu turned her head and smiled, explaining, "I am..."
"What, you think you can break the rules just because Cheng Xuhai is backing you? Do you know how much these paintings are worth? Each piece costs millions. You wouldn't be able to compensate even if you sold yourself. Get out."
Quan Jiu looked at her paintings with a half-smile. "They are indeed quite expensive."
Seeing Quan Jiu's captivating smile, Xu Yi's jealousy and anger intensified. No wonder Cheng Xuhai ignored her; she was a vixen.
"Security, come here," Xu Yi said. She couldn't accept this outcome. Even if she couldn't break them up, causing trouble would make her feel better.
The security guards quickly arrived.
Xu Yi told the guards, "This woman sneaked into the exhibition, acting suspiciously. Call the police immediately; I suspect she has theft intentions."
The security guard glanced at Quan Jiu. With her demeanor, she could easily be mistaken for a wealthy socialite; how could she be a thief? He assumed she was a distinguished guest who had entered early and politely said, "Please move to the coffee shop outside the museum. We will open at precisely nine o'clock."
Quan Jiu didn't want to argue and happened to want coffee. She nodded slightly and left the art museum.
Xu Yi let out a smug cold laugh. "What's the point of being good-looking? She's just a pretty face. Without a man supporting her, she's nothing."
...
In the coffee shop, Quan Jiu ordered a cup of coffee and sat in a corner, taking out her tablet to draw.
At that time, there was no one else in the coffee shop. A group of waitstaff were gathered together, discussing animatedly.
"She's truly a socialite; she's so beautiful and has such great气质 (temperament)."
"Many socialites nowadays are fake; they're just superficially glamorous and taking pictures everywhere," someone retorted.
"Her temperament is genuinely good; you can't fake that kind of气质."
Quan Jiu was unaware of these discussions. She stayed until nine o'clock. Hearing the art museum announce the opening, she got up and left.
Returning to the art museum, it was already crowded, but the atmosphere was quiet, with even footsteps being soft. Everyone was earnestly appreciating the various paintings.
The host, Cheng Xuhai, walked to the center of the art museum and introduced the exhibiting artists of the day in a standard broadcasting voice.
"...The fourteenth exhibiting artist is the beloved Teacher 'Zhi Fan.' Her exhibition area is in the East Wing. This time, there are eight paintings available for sale."
As soon as he finished speaking, many guests hurried towards the East Exhibition Area.
Quan Jiu happened to be in the crowd and couldn't avoid being swept along, so she followed the flow of people towards the East Exhibition Area.
The East Exhibition Area was large. Although there were only eight works, because each piece was substantial in size, the walls didn't appear empty. Even with many guests gathered in front of a painting, it wasn't crowded.
Since she was already at her exhibition area, Quan Jiu decided to stay and hear what people thought of her paintings.
She approached her favorite piece. After listening for a short while, a sharp voice sounded from behind her, "Is that you? You, who are kept by a man, are you even worthy of looking at Master 'Zhi Fan's' paintings?"