Chapter 15: Wrong Painting

 Chapter 15: Wrong Painting

All the gifts were registered, so the two paintings covered in red cloth were quickly brought into the venue.

Nan Huang remained calm. Ye Nan Huang's painting skills were decent; she had carefully examined the painting she prepared yesterday, titled "The Old Man in the Woods," which was suitable as a birthday gift for Grandma Bao.

By doing this, Nan Huang wanted to have a competition with the original host and Mu Yun. Secondly, she wanted Bao Shen to see that the original host, Ye Nan Huang, had extraordinary talents in various aspects and was not inferior to this "third party."

It was also a way to help the original host regain some dignity.

Song Chu and Xie Ziran were somewhat worried, so Song Chu asked, "Is the gift okay? Do you need any help from me?"

Nan Huang shook her head and replied, "It's okay."

Song Chu nodded and said, "Alright."

This woman was skilled in medicine, so a simple painting should not be a challenge for her.

Grandma Bao elegantly looked at the two paintings and said with a smile, "I've heard that Miss Mu's painting skills are excellent. Let's start by looking at Miss Mu's painting."

Mu Yun's face lit up with a smile. She was confident in her painting.

The people in the venue looked on with curiosity as the staff uncovered the canvas.

Then, a brilliant golden color suddenly burst into everyone's sight.

Mu Yun introduced her painting in a coquettish manner, "I named this painting 'Radiant Sunflowers.' Each sunflower is filled with the scent of sunlight, symbolizing vitality and life. Mu Yun wishes Grandma longevity and blessings as vast as the eastern sea and as enduring as the southern mountains."

After Mu Yun finished speaking, there were scattered applause in the room.

Nan Huang looked closely at the painting. Although she didn't like Mu Yun as a person, she had to admit that this painting was quite good.

Someone in the room shouted, "Grandma Bao, would you consider selling this painting? I'm willing to buy it for a hundred thousand."

"Too stingy. I'll pay two hundred thousand."

"I offer two hundred and fifty thousand."

"I'll pay three hundred thousand!"

"Alright, alright!" Grandma Bao smiled and lowered her voice, "I didn't say I want to sell it."

After that, she looked at Mu Yun and said, "Young lady, your painting is quite good. I'll accept it as a gift."

Mu Yun blushed at the praise. She turned to look at Bao Shen but saw that he seemed distracted, as if he were looking at... the painting Ye Nan Huang had brought.

Mu Yun's heart tensed up once again.

Was Bao Shen curious about what Ye Nan Huang had brought? Did he care about Ye Nan Huang?

Mu Yun approached and asked softly, "Brother Shen, what about my painting..."

Bao Shen snapped out of his thoughts and said, "It's good."

After that, he didn't say anything else.

Zhao Gang and his friends said, "Next, we should take a look at Miss Ye's painting."

With Mu Yun's painting on display, they were curious to see how Ye Nan Huang would respond.

Nan Huang smiled faintly. She admitted that Mu Yun's painting was decent, but when it came to artistic skill and brushwork, she believed Ye Nan Huang had the upper hand.

She wasn't worried about losing.

Song Chu and Xie Ziran had some initial doubts, but seeing Nan Huang's expression, they gradually relaxed.

Perhaps Ye Nan Huang had acquired a valuable artwork.

As everyone's curiosity and attention focused on Ye Nan Huang's painting, the staff uncovered the gift. But at the very moment the canvas was revealed, the entire venue fell silent.

Even Nan Huang was shocked. She stared at the unveiled painting, not blinking, and then it hit her—she had taken the wrong painting!

She had given the wrong one!

It wasn't the bright and cheerful "The Old Man in the Woods" that she had painted; instead, it was her own creation from last night, "The Cliff."

Mu Yun was the first to realize the situation. She seized the opportunity, suppressed her inner joy, and explained, "Brother Shen, Grandma, please don't be angry. My sister didn't intentionally choose this dark and unusual painting for this special birthday celebration."

Gradually, the audience began to regain their composure. Indeed, this painting was not suitable for such an occasion, and its content was too shocking, leaving everyone gasping.

The scene depicted a gloomy and despairing cliff with only a lonely shoe left behind. The cold sea breeze blew through the scene, creating a heart-wrenching atmosphere.

It was a painting that evoked sorrow and anguish, completely unsuitable as a birthday gift for an elderly person.

Upstairs on the second floor of the venue, beside Xi Guangyao, the man referred to as "Fifth Master" had taken off his coat, handing it to his assistant. He sat there arrogantly, gripping his glass with tense fingers.

The glass suddenly made a crisp sound.

Xi Guangyao looked at the man in surprise. "Are you okay? Why are you squeezing the glass so hard? How much strength do you have? You've shattered it!"

The broken glass had pierced the man's palm, and blood was dripping from his hand.

Xi Guangyao nervously ordered, "Call a doctor!"

His assistant, Yang Bo, hurriedly said, "Yes, Mr. Xi."

The man with the deep, intense gaze remained silent as he stared at the painting.

Then, he raised his body slightly and shifted his gaze to Nan Huang.

Xi Guangyao was startled by the man's murderous look. "Wait, are you going to kill her?"

The man gave Xi Guangyao a chilling look, making him even more terrified. "No, wait, are you going to kill me?"

The man remained silent and turned his gaze back to the scene.

In the venue, everyone's attention was divided between Nan Huang and the painting. They wondered how Ye Nan Huang, Bao Shen's wife who was about to divorce him, would react in this situation.

However, at this moment, Nan Huang had no mood to deal with it. She continued to stare at the painting, overwhelmed by a deep sense of pain and sorrow that engulfed her, leaving her speechless.

Last night, as she packed Ye Nan Huang's painting, her mind had gone momentarily quiet. Suddenly, she had an inexplicable desire to express her sense of desolation, loneliness, and despair.

And then, when she came to her senses, she had already finished painting "The Cliff."

The painting was too dark, and she couldn't bring herself to look at it. That's why she had immediately covered it with a cloth after finishing it.

She didn't expect that the clearly visible "The Old Man in the Woods" inside the room had been replaced with her covered painting of "The Cliff."

Zhao Gang saw an opportunity and confronted Ye Nan Huang, "Ye Nan Huang, what's the meaning of giving such a painting at Grandma Bao's birthday celebration?"

Nan Huang stared at her own painting expressionlessly, as if she couldn't hear Zhao Gang's voice, and she had no desire to explain.

At that moment, an elderly man in the crowd suddenly spoke up, "Wait a moment. Miss Ye

, can you confirm if this painting is a work by Qing Huang?"

(End of this chapter)