Under the flower corridor, each shining diamond was inlaid with different, lifelike oil paintings.
One or two might not reveal much, but in every painting, Du Ruoxin saw traces of Shirley's unique painting style. This was no coincidence.
She was certain that Aitaien liked Shirley, but she hadn't expected such adoration.
It was like a fanatical fangirl.
Du Ruoxin felt a little overwhelmed, truly.
"Just what?" Aitaien immediately became nervous, her big, sparkling eyes fixed directly on Du Ruoxin.
Du Ruoxin's lips curved slightly, "It's hard to get her to meet you..."
Aitaien clasped her hands together, pleading very sincerely, "Please, please."
Du Ruoxin chuckled out loud, "Alright, I'll try."
Aitaien's face lit up immediately, "How should I repay you? Miss Du, what do you want?"
Du Ruoxin smiled gently, "Let's talk about it after I manage to arrange the meeting." She paused, "By the way, which art academy did you study at?"
Aitaien's face immediately drooped, her mood low, "None."
Du Ruoxin was extremely surprised, "Ah? You have such high talent in aesthetics, why didn't you pursue further studies?"
Aitaien pouted, "Grandfather disagreed."
Her grandfather said that although she was born into a prominent family with vast wealth, it was precisely because of this that she needed to learn to protect herself and speak with strength.
In the old man's view, business or law were the undisputed choices representing strength.
"As soon as school starts in September, I'll be going to Harvard Law School."
Du Ruoxin stared at the dejected girl who seemed to have lost all her vitality, "You don't like it, do you?"
Aitaien shook her head, then nodded again—within the family, her likes or dislikes were irrelevant; everything was decided by her grandfather.
Du Ruoxin couldn't help but laugh again, "You haven't even tried to resist?"
Aitaien's eyes widened in shock, as if the word "resist" was something incredibly rebellious.
Du Ruoxin understood. For a gentle, innocent girl like Aitaien, especially in India, a country where women's status was extremely low, how could she possibly know how to defy orders?
"You don't need to resist," Du Ruoxin said tactfully, "Just express your thoughts to your elders, have you tried that?"
Aitaien whispered, "I've tried."
But it was no use.
Her grandfather would use reality to show her what it meant to speak with strength.
Women without strength were too pathetic!
She didn't want to live the life of the women in the slums.
Therefore, art was her hobby, the pure land of her soul that she pursued her entire life; law was her strength, through which she could protect herself and avoid harm.
Du Ruoxin: "..."
After a moment of silence, just as she was about to speak, another girl approached, "Miss, the master is looking for you."
Upon hearing that her grandfather was looking for her, Aitaien immediately stood up, "Okay, coming right away."
She turned to look at Du Ruoxin, pulling out her phone as she said, "Miss Du, what's your phone number?"
Du Ruoxin: "8619990808***"
Aitaien dialed, grinned, "Here's my number, save it."
Du Ruoxin: "Okay."
Aitaien: "See you later."
Du Ruoxin: "See you later."
Aitaien left. As soon as she rounded the corner and Du Ruoxin was out of sight, the maid couldn't help but interject, "Miss, I don't think that Du Ruoxin is a good person."
Aitaien asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
The maid: "I feel like she's been tricking you, trying to get close to you. Who knows what her intentions are?"
Aitaien: "...No, it can't be?"
The reason she had sealed her paintings in diamonds and placed them among a pile of inconspicuous flowers was to see if anyone would notice her inner world.
If there was someone, and he came to her with a diamond, she would marry him.
The maid said seriously, "I still feel like she stole the diamonds."
She added fiercely, "Why not try the police dogs?"
"Police dogs have sensitive noses and can definitely help you find the diamonds!"
Moreover, police dogs that had undergone special training were exceptionally fierce and carried the risk of biting suspects, or even killing them.