Gu Anxi chatted with Wang Keru for a bit longer before heading to her studio to paint.
Upon seeing the half-finished painting Gu Anxi had been working on, Wang Keru’s mouth fell open in astonishment, her fingers hovering over the canvas, not daring to touch it. "Anxi, did you paint this?" she asked.
Gu Anxi simply hummed in reply, "Is it okay?"
Wang Keru couldn’t keep her hands off it. This... this... was nothing short of a masterpiece!
Suddenly, as if she had remembered something, she said, "Hold on a moment."
She then ran out to her car to rummage through it. When she returned, she was holding a large plastic bag, one typically used to store X-ray films. From it, she pulled out a stack of sketches. "You left these at the Qin family’s home, so I kept them for you."
Gu Anxi took them from her and murmured a quiet "Mm," looking down.
After that, they didn’t say much else. Gu Anxi focused on her painting while Wang Keru would occasionally squeeze out some paint or pour her a cup of water. During her breaks, they would chat about everyday things. Wang Keru, naturally slipping into a mother’s role, would subtly inquire about where she lived, and where Bo Xichen slept at night...
Gu Anxi couldn’t stand the questioning any longer. "Mom, what are you thinking? We’re just an ordinary boss and employee."
Just then, Gu Anxi’s phone BEEPED, providing a timely distraction.
With a paintbrush in her hand, Gu Anxi asked Wang Keru to check it for her. Wang Keru picked up the phone and paused. "Someone transferred 20,000,000 to your account."
Gu Anxi, completely taken aback, asked, "Any notes?"
Wang Keru was silent for a moment, making Gu Anxi look at her curiously. "What’s wrong?"
Her mother’s expression was hard to describe. "There’s a message: ’Professor Bo says this is for household expenses.’"
Gu Anxi was stunned into silence.
A moment later, she resumed painting. "It must be a scam message," she declared.
Wang Keru cleared her throat softly. "It’s a message from the bank."
Gu Anxi retorted, "Then they must have gotten the account number wrong."
Her mother quietly reminded her, "There aren’t many people with the surname ’Bo,’ even fewer who are professors. There are even fewer Professor Bos with this much money. Don’t you think so, Anxi?"
Gu Anxi sighed, put down her brush, and turned her chair around. "Okay, okay, I admit it was from Dr. Bo. I asked him to pay my salary, but I had no idea he would transfer so much!"
She pinned the blame on Bo Xichen.
Wang Keru looked envious, but soon corrected her attitude—
She had promised to turn over a new leaf. She couldn’t be blinded by this much money, or else people would accuse her of selling her daughter!
Therefore, she started lecturing again. One shouldn’t be greedy for small advantages, she said. Girls needed to look at the bigger picture and thoroughly test the waters, and so on... Get full chapters from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦·𝘯𝘦𝘵
Gu Anxi painted amidst her mother’s endless chatter. She herself hadn’t noticed that, compared to her previous Dark, bolder style, her current style was much brighter. A vibrant emotion overflowed from the entire canvas. These few paintings later became Luo Lin’s most representative works.
Wang Keru stayed until just after nine in the evening. She also accompanied Gu Anxi on a visit to Granny Chen before leaving.
As she was leaving, she gave Gu Anxi many reminders, finally mentioning, "In half a month, the Qin family will be heading to Beicheng for Jiaxing’s auction, Anxi..."
At the Qin family’s home, she had heard Shen Wanqing mention Luo Lin many times. Now, seeing Gu Anxi paint, she understood everything. She reached out and gently touched Gu Anxi’s soft hair. "I’m happy, Anxi. I neglected you before..."
Gu Anxi stood there for a while before whispering, "Mom, can you hug me?"