Yan Hua looks at the girl on the news as if she walks out of a cla.s.sical painting. Behind the girl there are oil paintings that she can"t understand. All the paintings are very colorful but she doesn"t recognize where those paintings look good.
"I heard that she sold more than a dozen paintings on the first day. The most expensive one was 500,000..." Chen Hong glances at Yan Hua cautiously. "The person who bought the painting is Lang Ruoxian."
Fei Ying turns off the TV. "All right. Stop watching TV. Let"s discuss the shop. Do you think the one we found before is suitable?"
"I think it is suitable!" Chen Hong answers quickly, trying to change the subject. "The location and rent are good. If you don"t mind, tomorrow I"ll go to talk about leasing for opening the shop."
Fei Ying looks at Yan Hua and Yan Hua smiles. "You don"t have to be like that, as if I have been lovelorn."
"Well, even if you don"t like Lang Ruoxian so much now, it will be uncomfortable for you to see him like this..." Fei Ying hugs her. "I hear he hasn"t come to have dinner with you these days."
"That"s just right."
Only Yan Hua knows that every night when Lang Ruoxian comes back, he comes first to meet Gungun and then gives her the food he has brought back, such as desserts, snacks, or hot drinks.
Neither of them mentions anything about Qiang Di, just as if that person doesn"t exist.
"Let"s talk about the shop!" Yan Hua takes out a pile of papers. "I printed it out from the Internet. You can have a look and decide which decoration style you like."
When the three women are studying the decoration style, Fei Ying suddenly says, "I remember Fei Yi has a friend who knows a famous foreign designer. Why don"t we ask him for help?"
"It is also okay." Yan Hua brews a pot of fruit tea. "See if he has time and figure out how much we should pay for him."
In the end, the three of them set the division of labor. Chen Hong will go to talk about leasing for opening the shop. Fei Ying will look for the designer to decorate. And Yan Hua will be responsible for choosing good-looking tableware.
"I have another suggestion." Yan Hua looks at the other two women. "We"d better move the foundation over as well. One reason is that the transportation is convenient, the other one is that we may find more people in need."
"I think so, too!" Chen Hong bangs the table. "As early as I wanted to open this salon, I thought we could move the foundation in, so everyone would be convenient."
Fei Ying raises her hand. "Many people don"t want to expose themselves. We can make a specially warm and sweet room and the staff will communicate with the help-seekers in a secret place, so they will be more relaxed."
It is known that many people won"t reveal their hearts to strangers, let alone the experience which may not be very good.
"This can be made." Yan Hua agrees. Several people who asked for help suddenly regretted and stopped speaking halfway on the phone. They would not answer the phone anymore even the foundation staff tried contacting them again and again.
"When we begin the decoration, remember to put forward this request." Chen Hong says, and sees Yan Hua"s mobile phone flashing. "Did you turn on the mute?"
Yan Hua picks it up and looks at the caller ID, which is unknown to her.
"h.e.l.lo?"
Fei Ying and Chen Hong don"t know who is calling Yan Hua, but they find her expression becoming very subtle.
"Who is that?" When Yan Hua hangs up, Fei Ying asks.
Yan Hua says in an intriguing tone. "Qiang Di."
Standing outside the building where the painting exhibition is held, Fei Ying and Chen Hong are rubbing their fists and wiping their palms, as if they are going to the war.
"Your expressions are too exaggerating." Yan Hua has to remind them.
Fei Ying snorts. "We are not nervous but to help energize you."
Qiang Di dares to invite Yan Hua to come to her painting exhibition. If it is not a naked provocation, what should such action be called? Even Chen Hong, an old stager in love, tells them.
"This woman must not be so harmless as she looks. Maybe she is a white lotus b**ch, whose appearance looks pure, but in fact she just pretends to be pure, kind and lofty."
They think that Lang Ruoxian is not unlikely so blind, but they, including Yan Hua, cannot agree to Qiang Di"s behavior.
"Since she wants to see me, it is either a demonstration or a provocation, both of which are the most useless to me." Yan Hua doesn"t want to come at all. It is Fei Ying and Chen Hong who insist on her coming.
"The enemy has almost reached the door of your house. Don"t you face the battle?"
Yan Hua later thought that if Qiang Di really had some purpose, certainly she would not give up easily. If she didn"t agree to meet her, in case Qiang Di ran to her house and scared Gungun, trouble would be caused. So Yan Hua comes.
"Let"s enter!"
It is the third day that the painting exhibition held in the largest exhibition hall in G City. There are still many people. Yan Hua and her friends visit the exhibition slowly along the stream of people. The decoration of the entire exhibition hall is luxurious and upscale, as are the oil paintings.
"Although I can"t tell good and bad, they are all quite deluxe." Chen Hong points to a painting. "It is estimated that this frame alone will cost a lot of money."
"The frame is made of crystal! This young lady has a very good taste." A voice interposes. The three women look back and see Qiang Di standing there in a pale green cheongsam, like a fresh lily.
Fei Ying and Chen Hong look at each other, having the same idea: It is our Hua who is comparatively more beautiful!
Lily is so plain, how can it be better than peony, the national beauty and heavenly fragrance?
"Miss Yan, nice to meet you. I am Qiang Di." The woman reaches out and the verdant emerald on her wrist almost makes Fei Ying cry out in surprise.
Chen Hong glances at her: Calm down.
Fei Ying thinks, "F**k. Lang Ruoxian is a b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
The communication between the two women doesn"t escape Yan Hua"s eyes. She shakes hands with Qiang Di while feeling funny. "Nice to meet you, Miss Qiang."
"Hahaha! Don"t call me Miss Qiang. It"s so strange. Just call me Xiaodi. Friends call me so." Qiang Di points to the other side. "Shall we go to the rest area to have a chat?"
Yan Hua nods and glances at Fei Ying and Chen Hong. "It"s rare for you to come to visit a painting exhibition. You two go and look around. Come to find me later."
"Okay, call us if there is something." Chen Hong pulls Fei Ying who wants to follow.
When Yan Hua and Qiang Di leave, Fei Ying pouts. "Green tea b**ch. Does she wear that lousy bracelet to display her success in love?"
"You said the other day that the bracelet was very amazing." Chen Hong smiles. "Come on! Don"t underestimate Yan Hua. She is more powerful than both of us at some time."
The café is indeed a café in the gallery. Even the chairs in it are in shape of noses, standing erect there one by one. Yan Hua thinks that she must not have understood art before, because she really doesn"t know where these things look nice.
"What kind of coffee does Miss Yan drink?" Having sat down, Qiang Di asks her, "Would you like to have tea as same as me?"
Yan Hua looks at the waiter. "Boiled water, please. Please give me warm water."
"I thought you wouldn"t come!" Qiang Di grabs the tea bag and pulls it time and again. "I heard that you got angry towards Ruoxian because he went to see me last time..."
Yan Hua interrupts her. "I"m sorry, I think you have misunderstood. Lang Ruoxian and I were brother-in-law and sister-in-law before and are now friends, not the kind of relationship you mentioned, so I won"t be angry about how your relationship is with him, and I have no position to be angry."
Qiang Di frowns and the expression on her comely face appears somewhat hesitating. But she still asks, "Is it my delusion? But why do I think you are hostile to me? Or how can you talk so..."
"Directly?" Yan Hua smiles, "That"s because you don"t know me. I always talk like that. Miss Qiang Di, speaking of hostility, it is you who are hostile to me."
Qiang Di takes a sip of tea and lifts up her neck. "Have I shown any hostility so that you misunderstand me?"
"Since you called me and actively invited me out, you have exposed your mind." Yan Hua also drinks water and lifts up her neck. "Lang Ruoxian hadn"t known that you did so, had he?"
Qiang Di"s expression changes at last, but she disguises herself very well. She almost immediately returns to normal and smiles quietly. "You really misunderstood me. I just wanted to meet you. Ruoxian and I are just good friends, not the kind of relationship you think."
"I don"t think you two have that kind of relationship." Yan Hua smiles. "You misunderstood me. I didn"t misunderstand you."
"Then why are you at odds with Ruoxian?" Qiang Di also smiles. "Hasn"t he explained it clearly to you?"
Yan Hua tilts her head. "Why don"t you understand? You misunderstood my relationship with Lang Ruoxian, so you wanted to meet me to tempt. To tempt doesn"t work for me. You needn"t bother."
"It doesn"t matter what relationship you have with Lang Ruoxian, because I have nothing to do with him."
"Really?" A mocking expression suddenly appears on Qiang Di"s face. "Then he didn"t buy the house you live in now? A woman lives in a house bought by a man and still says that they don"t have any special relationship. Miss Yan, you must have a different definition about the relationship between men and women."
Yan Hua raises her eyebrows. Qiang Di says so to offend her openly? What she is most not afraid of is to rip open the face directly.
"If you want to say so, then Miss Qiang, have you paid for the Lang Consortium"s hotel you have been staying in this time since your returned China? Lang Ruoxian bought a painting of yours. Does he really like it? The car parking at the gate belongs to Lang Consortium and the driver is hired by Lang Ruoxian."
"Yes! So what?" Qiang Di snorts. "Do you know how long we have known each other? We are the best friends in the world!"
Yan Hua nods. "I used to be his sister-in-law, though I am not now. But my son Gungun is still the fourth generation of grandchildren of Lang Family. Grandpa and Lang Ruoxian can"t bear to see him eat poorly or live poorly, so they bought us a house. Lang Ruoxian was afraid that we as widow and orphan would be bullied, so he lived in the next door..."
She looks at Qiang Di"s darkened face and asks, "Are you satisfied with my answer?"
"Ruoxian!" But Qiang Di suddenly stands up.
Yan Hua looks back and finds Lang Ruoxian is there, though she doesn"t know when he has come. Behind him stand Fei Ying and Chen Hong. Fei Ying is winking at her.
"I can"t have dinner with you today. Please contact Shu Sheng if something happens." Lang Ruoxian glances at Qiang Di and walks to Yan Hua under Qiang Di"s surprising eyes. "Do you still want to continue your visiting? Let"s go home!"
Yan Hua stands up. "I don"t understand."
"It"s okay. I don"t understand, either." Lang Ruoxian smiles.
"Miss Qiang, next time I will invite you to visit the foundation, but it will be in two months. I hope you will still be in China then." Yan Hua nods at Qiang Di and walks past her.
Lang Ruoxian stops when he pa.s.ses her behind. "Xiaodi, let"s talk about it later."
"Hum! I am angry." Qiang Di stamps her foot.
Yan Hua is surprised to find that this woman is completely different when being in front of others and being in front of Lang Ruoxian, like a different person.
Lang Ruoxian looks at her. "Call Shu Sheng if there is something. I"ll go."
"You can stay with Miss Qiang." Yan Hua blinks.
"No, let"s go home." Lang Ruoxian takes her hand.