Chapter 7
Edward Quan ·
“I only hinted that he should divorce you, and he flew into a rage. He said he wouldn’t handle my exhibition anymore. He even warned me not to get ideas I shouldn’t have.
“Wen Yu, how did I never realize you were so calculating? You tell me to get him to divorce you, then you turn around and bewitch him!”
“Useless.”
I hung up.
Thinking back over the past few days, he really had stopped interfering with the exhibition, though he still came to see me every night.
None of that concerned me.
I only needed to do my job and earn what I was owed.
11
Many prominent figures in the art world attended the exhibition.
The media outlets Lu Chenzhou had contacted packed the conference room.
Xia Miao’s first solo exhibition in China was an instant sensation.
I held my walkie-talkie calmly. I didn’t resent it in the slightest.
Her success was good for my company.
Dongdong knew how busy I would be and had come to help.
She curled her lip at the woman beneath the flashing cameras.
“So that’s the two-faced bitch?
“Looks, presence—what does she have that you don’t?
“Is your husband possessed? He doesn’t want the campus beauty. He wants that shifty-looking little snake?”
I laughed and nudged her.
“We don’t bad-mouth clients. This job could feed me for years.”
She rolled her eyes.
“In the whole capital, what other rich man’s wife has to scramble for a living like you? You’re an embarrassment to wealthy wives everywhere.”
My assistant rushed over before she could continue.
Her face was stricken.
“Ms. Wen, Xia Miao’s breakthrough painting—someone’s vandalized it.”
My ears rang. I had to lean on Dongdong to stay upright.
Xia Miao wasn’t particularly gifted.
But one painting had made her famous overnight at university.
It was the centerpiece of today’s exhibition.
It had been intact last night. Now it hung in tatters, slashed with a knife.
I forced myself to stay calm.
“Get the security footage.”
My assistant looked close to tears.
“I already checked. Someone deliberately damaged the cameras.”
“How could something this stupid happen?”
She burst into tears.
At the same moment, Xia Miao was approaching with a group of reporters.
“You’re probably all familiar with the piece I painted in my first year at university. It depicts the place where my boyfriend and I first met. That’s why, although it’s only a landscape, you can still feel the incomparable romance of love…”
She stopped short, horror spreading across her face.
“My painting!”
Every camera flash turned toward the ruined work.
Furious, she grabbed my collar.
“Wen Yu, you had full responsibility for my exhibition. You owe me an explanation!”
All the cameras swung toward me.
The dazzling white light made it impossible to open my eyes.
Whispers spread around us.
“I thought this company was famous for its professionalism.”
“Looks like nothing but hype. They can’t even protect the artist’s work. What professional standards are they talking about?”
“Exactly! If I were Xia Miao, I’d be devastated.”
Just as my knees were about to give way, a tall figure stepped in front of me and drew me into his arms.
“Lu Chenzhou! The mysterious billionaire!”
“Isn’t he Xia Miao’s boyfriend? Why is he holding Wen Yu?”
He swept a cold gaze over the crowd, carrying the authority of a man used to commanding others.
“I will cover any losses from today’s exhibition. Please leave my wife alone.”
“Your wife?”
“Mr. Lu, who is your wife?”
His arm tightened around me.
“Wen Yu is my wife. We’ve been married for three years.”
“But hasn’t the media always said Xia Miao is your girlfriend?”
For the first time, he publicly denied any relationship with her.
“Ms. Xia and I are just friends. Please stop making unfounded assumptions.”
“Chenzhou…” Tears streamed down her face. “How could you…”
His gaze passed over her without warmth.
“Xia Miao, you saved my life once. I helped you fulfill your dream of holding an exhibition. Consider the debt repaid.”
12
The cameras swung from one of us to another. Many people in the audience had started livestreaming the spectacle.
At last, I recovered a little strength.
I pulled out of his embrace.