Chapter 103: Portrait
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Exiting from the Gu Family’s ancestral mansion, Gu Shaoting intended to drive Tong Fei back home.
At Tong Fei’s doorstep, she looked at Gu Shaoting with a hint of shyness and extended an invitation, “Shaoting, it’s still early. Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?”
Her gaze carried anticipation, and her coy demeanor was quite alluring.
Gu Shaoting pursed his lips and replied with a gentle refusal, “I’m a bit tired tonight. Let’s do it another time. You have an early flight tomorrow. You should rest.”
“Okay, then. Please drive safely,” Tong Fei responded with disappointment. She was genuinely finding it more and more difficult to understand Gu Shaoting. Over the years, she had put in a lot of effort to get close to him, and sometimes, no matter how obvious she made her intentions, he seemed uninterested. Occasionally, she couldn’t help but question her own charm, but the number of people pursuing her was evidence that the issue lay with Gu Shaoting.
In the beginning, she thought it was because he had just divorced Shu Pan that he wasn’t used to it. However, now that it had been such a long time, he should have adapted. She planned to think of a way to figure this out when she returned from her overseas advertising shoot.
Gu Shaoting watched Tong Fei for a moment as she fell into thought, then bid her goodbye. He stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped away.
While waiting at a traffic light, Gu Shaoting suddenly thought that it had been a long time since he had been to Shuimu Qinghua. After some contemplation, he decided to drive there.
After his divorce, he had seldom visited the place. He had a small apartment not far from the company where he usually rested.
Upon returning home, the room was silent and pristine. Sister Zhang took care of it, so everything was neat. He gazed at the spacious interior, feeling a sense of emptiness. There was no liveliness.
He glanced at the bedroom, where the bed was neatly made with the pillows arranged perfectly. Then, he walked into the study, where Shu Pan’s reference books had once been placed. Now, the space was empty.
He noticed a corner of paper sticking out from the bottom of the cabinet. When he pulled it out, he was stunned. The portrait on the paper was incredibly familiar—it was a portrait of himself.
Evidently, it was a painting by Shu Pan, as it was accompanied by English writing that read, ‘My husband.”
The portrait was astonishingly lifelike, capturing his deep-set eyes, high nose, and intense gaze. It was clear that the artist had poured a lot of emotion into this work.
Gu Shaoting touched the portrait with his hand, feeling an indescribable emotion. He placed it in a drawer and lit a cigarette.
Sitting at the desk, he exhaled smoke, lost in thought. He wasn’t sure what he was contemplating, and the cigarette burned down to his fingers without him realizing.
The next day, when he returned to the office, He Ming walked in. “Brother Ting, what can I do for you?”
He had received a phone call from Gu Shaoting early in the morning, so he rushed over, thinking it was something urgent.
“Oh, I want to renovate the villa in Tongyuan. Can you help me find a renovation company? It needs to be done as soon as possible.”
“Is this sudden? You’ve owned it for quite some time now. Don’t you have
several places to stay already?” He Ming marveled at the world of the wealthy. Although he considered himself middle-class, compared to Gu Shaoting, he felt like a small fish in a big pond.
“Regardless, it’s always needed to be renovated. The environment in Tongyuan is excellent, and it’s a key project for the Gu Group. Now it has been developed well.” Gu Shaoting had kept one of the best properties for himself.
“Why? Are you planning to get married to Tong Fei? Thinking of renovating it as your new home?” He Ming couldn’t think of any other reason..
