Chapter 637: Chapter 635: Please Help
The middle-aged noblewoman of Jinse Garden didn’t wait for Wan Chuchu to return home that night. The next day, she learned from the nanny that Wan Chuchu wouldn’t be back for the next few days. She felt quite dejected for a moment but didn’t say anything further, and quietly went back to her own house.
Afterwards, the nanny told this to Wan Chuchu.
Wan Chuchu found it very strange. She knew the middle-aged noblewoman the nanny mentioned; her husband was a famous painter, and he treated her very well. Several times, Wan Chuchu saw him holding her hand while taking a walk in the community, and the love he held so carefully in his palms was evident.
What was the relationship between this middle-aged noblewoman and Ming Wan? The nanny said the two looked very similar, but why would Ming Wan run away upon seeing her?
There must be some unpleasantness between the two, perhaps involving a privacy issue that Ming Wan was unwilling to mention. Otherwise, Ming Wan wouldn’t resist staying at her house.
Forget it. Since it’s someone else’s private matter and has nothing to do with her, it’s better not to casually inquire or get involved, so Wan Chuchu put the matter out of her mind, and Ming Wan didn’t contact her again.
A few days later, Jiang Kechu finally returned.
That evening, Wan Chuchu and Jiang Kechu were enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner on their home’s third-floor terrace when the nanny came rushing up, looking very troubled, and said:
"Um, that noblewoman’s husband came to our house, saying he has something important to discuss with you."
Wan Chuchu was taken aback, realizing it was the painter wanting to talk to her.
Jiang Kechu frowned upon hearing this. Why would someone else’s husband want to talk to his wife in the evening when they were having a private moment? His face turned dark, scaring the nanny, who quickly ran downstairs again.
Wan Chuchu chuckled and said, "What are you overthinking? Look how you scared her." She then explained the matter of Ming Wan, which made Jiang Kechu’s brow relax slightly, though he still unhappily said:
"Why can’t it wait until tomorrow morning? Why does it have to be now?"
Wan Chuchu stood up, hugged his arm, and laughed, "Come on, the guest is already here; let’s go see what it’s about, just being neighborly."
When they got downstairs, they saw a middle-aged man anxiously sitting in the living room, with a unique mix of an artist’s unruliness and delicacy in his expression.
"Sorry to disturb you, I’m your neighbor, living next door," the painter said, standing up immediately when they appeared. "My name is Liu."
Wan Chuchu smiled and, seeing Jiang Kechu had no intention of speaking, had to say, "Hello, Mr. Liu, I’m Wan, and this is my husband, Jiang. May I ask what urgent matter brings Mr. Liu here so late?"
Painter Liu’s expression was somewhat complex for a moment, and he nodded, saying, "Here’s the thing, my wife fell ill after meeting a girl at your doorstep a few days ago and has been down ever since. She fell seriously ill today, so I took the liberty of coming over to ask about that girl. Can you tell me where she is now? Could you ask her to meet my wife?"
Asking Ming Wan to meet Painter Liu’s wife? That was quite a difficult thing. Ming Wan clearly didn’t want to see Mrs. Liu. Wan Chuchu’s eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Jiang Kechu.
Jiang Kechu coldly said, "I’m sorry, but I fear we can’t fulfill Mr. and Mrs. Liu’s request."
Painter Liu immediately became anxious, saying, "My wife is very upset. Please, you have to help. Even if they can’t meet, could my wife at least talk to the girl on the phone? Just a call would do." His demeanor turned somewhat humble for the sake of his wife.
It was clear that Painter Liu loved his wife very much, and Wan Chuchu felt a bit emotional seeing such a free-spirited artist begging.
She said, "As you probably know, my friend doesn’t want to see your wife. She originally came to visit me, but upon seeing your wife, she immediately left without even staying as planned. Also, my relationship with my friend is just ordinary, and I can’t press her to do anything she dislikes, so I’m very sorry..."
After hearing her words, Painter Liu’s expression became dejected. He knew he couldn’t force things, but thinking of his sorrowful wife at home, he couldn’t just leave.
"What should I do then?" Painter Liu muttered, looking helpless, "My wife is heartbroken... and I can’t comfort her... can’t fulfill her wish... I’m really useless..."
Wan Chuchu was taken aback. Was this really the confident and spirited painter from the newspaper?
Seeing him so distraught and sorrowful, Wan Chuchu felt awkward. She glanced at Jiang Kechu, who looked as if he was losing patience and wanted to drive out this tearful man.
So Jiang Kechu, impatiently, said, "Mr. Liu, it’s getting late. Perhaps you should go back and comfort your wife properly."
Mr. Liu was not someone who insisted endlessly. He got up, dejected, and said once more, "I’m sorry, to bother you," then turned to leave.
It seemed like the matter was over, but the next day, as soon as Jiang Kechu left the house, Painter Liu came again, and this time he brought a painting.
"This work is for you." Before Wan Chuchu and the nanny had a chance to react, Painter Liu placed the painting onto the coffee table in the living room and said, "I put a lot of effort into this piece. If it were on the market, three million would be no problem."
The nanny gasped.
Wan Chuchu walked over to take a look and froze; the content of the painting was of her and Chuanqi and Hunter playing in the yard. Her brows knitted tightly, and she glared angrily at Painter Liu.
"Were you spying on our home?"
Painter Liu was startled, hurriedly waving his hand, stammering in explanation, "No, no, once my wife and I were on the roof enjoying the view, we happened to see you playing in the yard, so I took a photo. Later, I thought it was quite interesting, so I painted it. I have no other intentions. It took me six months to finish this painting, and if you don’t like it, I’ll just give it to you. Rest assured, I’ve destroyed the photo long ago."
Though he seemed quite sincere in his explanation, Wan Chuchu was still not very pleased.
Unexpectedly, the nanny beside them started clicking her tongue in admiration, saying, "The painting is so lifelike, it looks like I’m seeing little Chuanqi and Hunter in person. These two little cuties are painted so adorably, just looking at them cheers people up."
Wan Chuchu: "..." Whose side was this nanny really on?
Forget it, the painting was already here, let bygones be bygones. She told Painter Liu, "Do not photograph our home again in the future."
"Okay, okay, okay," Painter Liu nodded repeatedly, then murmured, "There’s no canopy over the yard, and the walls are just low fences, anyone can see in."
Wan Chuchu clenched her teeth, "The painting is accepted, you can leave now."
Beside her, the nanny exclaimed again, "Is the painting really worth that much money? Three million! I couldn’t earn that much even in several lifetimes!"
