You Owe Me, My Love novel Chapter 362

Chapter 362 Reminiscing The Good Times

It was an extremely tempting offer by Gu Mingchen.

It would mean she could simultaneously take care of her child and helped Liu Yan to get away from Shen Yiyan’s control.

Liu Yan has helped me so much. I can’t bring myself to continue to be a drag on her. Therefore, she agreed, “Okay. I will take good care of your children, sir.”

Sir?

Gu Mingchen chuckled at the way she addressed him. She also acted the same way when they were still acquaintances. She would either address him as Chief or sir. Her politeness makes her sound so aloof and unapproachable.

Wu Nian stared bemusedly at Gu Mingchen; she had no idea why he was laughing. What’s so funny?

Besides, his laughter sounded somewhat mocking, which made her feel a tad bit uneasy.

“Then, I shall leave the matter in your capable hands. If there’s nothing else, Mr. Gu, I’ll take my leave first.” Wu Nian nodded at him respectfully and left quickly.

She could not bear to stay there longer. His cold and dominating presence was so suppressing that she could hardly breathe.

Watching her retreating figure, his gaze deepened as if he could see through all lies and deceptions.

As soon as Wu Nian returned to the living room, Liu Yan walked towards her and asked, “Nian, are you okay?”

She nodded. “Xia He is an old acquaintance of mine, so I chatted with her for a while. She said she would cook us some noodles later.”

“Ms. Wu.” Stephen’s voice came from their backs.

Wu Nian whirled around and greeted him.

“Thank you so much for your help. If it weren’t for you, I would never know the truth behind the death of my children,” Stephen remarked.

However, Wu Nian did not think he needed to thank her. After all, it was a matter of life and death. “Not at all. Maybe it was just fate. I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Stephen. I’m sure the three of them are in a better place now.”

Wiping off the tears brimming in his eyes, the man took a candle and beckoned to her. “Come with me.”

Wu Nian glanced towards Aaron, and he nodded, motioning her to go.

She followed him and entered one of the studios.

Under the faint light of the candle in his hand, the paintings that filled the walls looked mysteriously enchanting.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for me. The paintings here are my most treasured possessions. You can have two of them and consider them a sheer gift from me,” Stephen stated.

Shaking her head, Wu Nian rejected him politely, “Everyone has something they hold dear. It would be unkind of me to take away your prized possessions in this moment of sorrow. Besides, you really don’t have to thank me. I was just doing what I could do.”

“If these are not to your taste, one of my works, Dream Girl, was auctioned for fifteen million. After the deduction of the auction fee and tax, I will give the rest of the money to you.”

“Mr. Stephen’s paintings are ingenious, and I believe each of them carries profound meaning. They are simply incomparable. Why would I think they’re bad?”

“Really? Which one do you like? I’ll give it to you,” he offered sincerely.

“Mm, I’ll have ‘Darkness’ then.” Wu Nian stared at the painting and commented, “In a small, claustrophobic room, the light bulb is broken, and the surroundings are pitch black. Outside the window, the swaying tree branches are silhouetted against the dark stormy sky filled with forked lightning. The light of lightning shone through the window, bringing a short-lived brightness into the room. A little girl in a white dress sits on the ground, looking out of the window with her lips curled into a smile. Around her, there are mice on the ground, bats in the air, and spiders in the corners of the wall. If one looks closely, one can see that the door is not locked. Besides that, there is a book on the bed, and the font on the book looks strange. I think it’s Braille. Hence, the girl is probably blind and imprisoned. She’s lonely and has gone through a lot of hardships. Despite that, her heart longs for a ray of light in her life. I think this painting resembles the state of mind of Mr. Stephen at that time.”

The corners of her mouth turned up as she continued to admire the painting. It also left her misty-eyed.

“You are right. This piece is indeed my favorite. When I painted this, I was being pressured by my parents into giving up my dream as an artist. They wanted me to be a businessman instead. Along the way of pursuing my dream, I encountered a lot of obstacles and setbacks. I was even betrayed by my girlfriend and my friends. No one could understand my dream. When Gu Mingchen saw this painting, he said the same thing as you. That day, he stood where you are now and stared at it the whole afternoon without saying a word. When I secretly went to check on him, I saw him shedding tears!” Stephen exclaimed.

A drop of tear rolled down Wu Nian’s cheek, and more came down until they rolled down like a stream. She turned her face away, trying to compose herself.

The painting brought tears to her eyes because it was a complete portrayal of how her heart had once been.

Back then, she was in a pit of loneliness and despair, suffering from marriage betrayal, her father’s oppression, and her mother’s worsening condition.

And Gu Mingchen was that lightning that flashed through the sky, short-lived and bright.

When she saw that ray of light, she opened the door and dashed out recklessly. Unfortunately, she had failed to notice the menacing silhouette of the swaying branches.

Only when she left the house did she realize that there were violent storms and plagues outside. The lightning wasn’t the only thing present.

However, her infatuation had touched the heart of the lightning. Thus, in order to illuminate her way back home, the lightning got off track from its original life.

Gu Mingchen probably had the same thought as mine.

“You’re crying too?” Stephen asked.

Wu Nian wiped her tears and smiled. “It’s a great painting, Mr. Stephen. It is very relatable, and it has the ability to make people think of many things. This is one of those legendary paintings that can make people feel like they are actually there in the art.”

“Ms. Wu is such a charismatic person. Later on, I’ll get somebody to take it down and give it to you. Now I know why you’re Aaron’s girlfriend. That boy has high standards in choosing his partner. You’re indeed a good match for him and definitely qualified to be a countess.”

Hearing that, Wu Nian gave him a faint smile in return. Aaron is a fake companion whom I use to fend off Gu Mingchen. I’ve never thought of being a countess; I’m happy with who I am now.

“By the way, Mr. Stephen, could you do me a favor? Please don’t tell the others about how I cried when I saw the painting,” Wu Nian said bashfully. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Stephen nodded in reply. “I have personal matters to attend to now, so I may not be able to send you off tomorrow. Whenever you are free in the future, give me a call. I can bring you all here again and show you around the island.”

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you, Mr. Stephen.”

After that, both of them left the studio. On the way back to his room, Stephen met Gu Mingchen. With a glint of mischief in his eyes, he stepped forward and whispered surreptitiously, “That girl, Wu Nian, took a fancy to the ‘Darkness’ you liked as well. And she wept, too. But she cried more than you. Her tears were coming out like streams from her eyes.”

Perplexed, Gu Mingchen glanced at him with his eyebrows knitted. “How did you know I shed tears?”

“What? Did I say that? You know what? Forgive me. I’m clearly still grieving and spouted nonsense just now.” With that, the man went away hurriedly before Gu Mingchen could say anything.