Mr. Liu hugged her tightly and said excitedly, "Silly child, all I wish for is your happiness. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you walk out of the shadows."
"You, an artist, having to argue with people every day, it must’ve been hard on you."
"Silly child, if they dare to laugh at you, of course I must..." Mr. Liu was moved. He was halfway through his sentence when he realized what his daughter had said. He suddenly let go and jumped up, denying vehemently, "Who’s arguing? Who’s argued? How could I, a distinguished artist, possibly get into an argument?"
Sheng Ning watched their interaction and felt genuinely happy. He also thought of his father back in his hometown, realizing he hadn’t written any letters or made any phone calls since returning. He decided to write a letter as soon as he got back.
When the conditions in the countryside improved, he planned to install a telephone for his parents to make contact easier. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet
"Dad, since when does one claim to be an artist themselves? Your skin is getting thicker by the day." Liu Yilan used to respect, admire, and even fear her father’s authority. But ever since her disfigurement, she’d shut herself away at home and didn’t go out. Gossip and rumors abounded outside, and her father didn’t hesitate to argue and fight for her. This revealed another side of her father and made her feel the warmth of family affection.
She touched her scarred face. Her mother always believed that her face could be healed, but now she felt that even if it couldn’t be healed, it didn’t matter.
Though she had lost some things, she had gained so much more.
After leaving Liu Yilan’s home, Sheng Ning had a bold idea. She couldn’t help Liu Yilan remove the scars on her face anytime soon, but she could find a way to cover them up.
People in this era were straightforward, even somewhat rigid, and nobody had ever thought of this method before. In her previous life, Sheng Ning had seen many TV dramas about disfigurement, where many used a beautifully crafted mask, and she had even seen one with a Phoenix tattooed over the scars.
That night, while taking a break from writing her novel, she racked her brains and sketched on paper, making revisions until she finally had a draft ready before turning off the light.
"You Li, help me revise this." Sheng Ning’s drawing ability was far inferior to Wu Youli’s, so she brought the sketch to her.
"Sure!" Wu Youli put down her diary, and upon seeing the phoenix tail design of the half-mask on the paper, she was stunned by its beauty. "It’s so beautiful. What is this? It looks like a phoenix tail."
"Exactly. I didn’t do it well, help me revise it."
Wu Youli truly came from a family of intellectuals; she was very skilled at drawing, and in less than half an hour, she redrew the design based on Sheng Ning’s original. It looked lifelike and drew admiration.
The next day, Sheng Ning took the drawing to the silversmith shop across the street from the General Union, requesting a custom-made piece based on the picture. As she left the silversmith shop, Su Hai was standing at the shop entrance, dressed in a light Zhongshan suit.
"Planning to buy some silver? I’ll treat you!" Su Hai offered with a friendly smile.
"No need," Sheng Ning said coldly, trying to pass him but was blocked when Su Hai outstretched his hand.
"Let’s go back and have a meal together."
"No!" Sheng Ning decided to keep her distance from him.
"Your grandfather is sick!"
Sheng Ning stopped in her tracks, and Su Hai smiled like a fox, "My car is parked at the end of the alley, hurry, it’s cold outside."
In the end, Sheng Ning didn’t even know how she got into the car and only realized what had happened when they arrived at the General Union Courtyard. She cursed Su Hai silently for his despicableness.
"Are you cursing me?"