Well of Mystery

After figuring out the structure of Xuanjing Apartment, the place is actually not that difficult to find.It took five or six minutes for Bai Xiuqi to reach the second floor of the west building from the east building smoothly.

The red-clothed figure he saw just now disappeared through the wooden door not far from the Taobao shop owner's house.

It wasn't until he got closer that he realized that the place had been renovated.The originally thick and oppressive walls were knocked out a lot, and wooden windows with a rather classical style were installed. Red gauze curtains hung inside the windows, so the internal situation could not be seen clearly.

Beside the same remodeled wooden door, Bai Xiuqi saw a Xiangxi wooden exorcism mask, half painted black and half painted white, and an electronic doorbell was ingeniously installed in the mask's mouth.

"The yin-yang mask...it must be right here!"

Bai Xiuqi was talking to himself, his eyes couldn't hide the light of excitement.

Jiang Chenglu, who followed him, was a little puzzled by Monk Zhang Er, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Who are you looking for?"

"I should ask you this question." Bai Xiuqi asked back: "Is this the studio of puppeteer Hua Yinyang?!"

The "flower yin and yang" in Bai Xiuqi's impression should first be a young sculptor. He is very talented, but he acts low-key and doesn't like to show his face.

To know the name Hua Yinyang, one has to count down six or seven years.

At that time, Bai Xiuqi was visiting a biennial exhibition of sculpture works in the capital.Not long after entering the exhibition hall, I saw a large group of men and women staring intently at a white wall, which also attracted many latecomers to stop and watch.

It was only later that everyone discovered that the so-called "white wall" had no mystery at all. The real works of art were the men and women themselves—they were all woodcarved portraits, and even the materials of their clothes were restored by the hands of the sculptor. .

This is the early work of Hua Yin Yang.

Bai Xiuqi waited by the sculpture for a long time that day, and also asked the organizer of the exhibition, but still failed to meet Hua Yinyang.

But later, he gradually became familiar with Hua Yinyang's works, which mainly focus on portraits, but the materials are not limited to wood carvings.He also makes art out of copper, iron, china clay and even resin.

However, over the past few years, Hua Yinyang seems to prefer being called a "puppeteer" rather than a "sculptor".He became interested in making movable articulated figures.

The works created by his hands are lifelike, yet grotesque and magical, and each one can capture the hearts of the audience.

In the past three years, Huayinyang will put out several doll works for auction every autumn, and the price of the falling hammer has been staggering every year.The high price certainly discourages some collectors, but for Bai Xiuqi, the biggest regret is that his favorite work has never been put up for auction.

Red Fu Nu is the name of that work.

It was really a work of beauty so heart-rending—the black hair was like a cloud, and the white porcelain skin was smooth and delicate, as if it had body temperature.The obsidian inlaid eyes were half closed calmly, staring at the red whisk in his hand.

The girl in red seemed to be meditating, and seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive, and she grabbed Bai Xiuqi's full attention with just one glance.

The Red Fu Nu was exhibited only once, and then disappeared.Hua Yinyang hid her away, and her disappearance has been unknown since then.

But Bai Xiuqi never expected that just a few minutes ago, he seemed to see Hong Fu Nu wearing that iconic red dress, flashing past this corridor.

Is that the red-haired girl?But how could a puppet move by itself?

Maybe the person who moved it was blocked by the puppet... Bai Xiuqi habitually used the most popular explanation to convince himself.

Anyway, the truth is behind this thin wooden door.He got ready and rang the doorbell.A deep voice echoed in the room, and after a while there was movement inside, and the wooden door was quickly opened.

The face that appeared in front of Bai Xiuqi made him take a big step back in shock.

"Red... Hong Fu?!"

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.The living person who appeared in front of his eyes at this moment was the red-haired girl whom he had longed for.

The same red dress, the same beauty, the doll has become a real person!

Aware of Bai Xiuqi's shock, Jiang Cheng took a step forward to support his back.As soon as the red-haired girl saw Jiang Chenglu, she suddenly smiled and called out sweetly, "A Jiang!"

Jiang Chenglu also smiled at her, and asked, "Why didn't you notify me when you came back?"

"Isn't this what happened just now? We brought you some gifts, and I'll bring them to you later."

"So polite."

Jiang Chenglu scratched his hair, then thought of Bai Xiuqi beside him.He was about to introduce, when he heard Bai Xiuqi ask, "Excuse me...why do you look exactly like Hongfu girl?"

"Hong Fu" didn't answer, she stared at Bai Xiuqi for a long time, and suddenly said without beginning and end: "You are so pretty, but I don't seem to know you..."

Having said that, she turned her head to look at Jiang Chenglu again: "Ah Jiang, I said not to bring strangers here, you are causing me trouble."

Jiang Chenglu put his arms around Bai Xiuqi's shoulders: "He is not an outsider, but the grandson of Mr. Bai. From now on, we will have to rely on the noble hand of our little boss to live here."

"Depend on him?"

Hua Yinyang's peach blossom eyes widened: "Is there a mistake? This is..."

She wanted to continue talking, but Jiang Chenglu quickly pulled her aside and explained in a low voice: "He doesn't know anything yet, I will tell him slowly."

Bai Xiuqi on the side obviously knew that the two of them had something to hide from him, but he was too embarrassed to ask, so he could only cough a few times, and Jiang Chenglu quickly turned around with a smile.

"It's okay, it's okay, Xiaohua didn't understand the situation just now, but now she has made it clear."

In line with his words, the beautiful girl reluctantly nodded.

"Let me be clear first, my name is not Hua Yinyang, it's an alias shared by my brother and sister."

It turns out that Huayinyang is two people, elder brother Huayang and younger sister Huayin.The two brothers and sisters work together in a division of labor, and each has its own specialties—Hua Yang is good at body modeling, while Hua Yin has a unique way of decorating clothes.Yin and Yang complement each other, and the works are naturally flexible and lively.

What's even more rare is that these two brothers and sisters are handsome in appearance, and they have good looks.The so-called "Red Fu Girl" was just a replica made by them in front of the mirror on a whim, so it's no wonder that it was impossible to sell it at the auction.

Bai Xiuqi suddenly realized, and asked the girl in front of him: "So, you are Huayin, and you have an older brother named Huayang?"

"Sorry, I'm Huayang."

Hong Fu smiled smugly: "As for dressing like this... I just want to scare the guy next door."

As he spoke, he compared to the right, the room of Shang Douxing, the boss of Taobao.Only then did Bai Xiuqi realize that the door over there was ajar, and it was obvious that someone was eavesdropping.

"Hey, come here if you want to hear it. What are you doing sneakily?"

Hua Yang yelled over there, but there was no answer, and a second later the door slammed shut tightly.

"Boss Shang is angry." Jiang Chenglu added fearing that the world would not be chaotic: "He doesn't like you now."

"Hmph." Hua Yang sneered, "It's not his turn to choose."

At this time, Bai Xiuqi finally recovered.Although the red-clothed girl whom he once "dreamed about" turned out to be a man, after all, his love for art is different from love, and he has nothing to worry about.

However, he still has one wish.

"It's the puppet studio inside, can I go in and have a look?"

Hua Yang was stunned for a moment: "Okay, isn't this building yours? And I think you seem to be quite familiar with our works..."

Bai Xiuqi briefly talked about the process before and after he became attached to "Hua Yin Yang". Halfway through hearing it, Hua Yang also remembered something.

"Bai Xiuqi... I know you too! I really didn't expect Mr. Bai's grandson to be a well-known young painter today. He really has a family background, so hurry up and go in."

Bai Xiuqi thanked her, but couldn't help but ask one more question: "Didn't my grandfather mention anything about me?"

"I mentioned it, but not too much, that is, to the extent of knowing that there is a grandson like you."

Jiang Chenglu patted Bai Xiuqi on the shoulder: "This is not a good place, maybe he doesn't want you to come here at all."

Hua Yinyang's studio is very spacious. Judging from the layout, it should have been a livestock house in the past.After a thorough renovation, however, the place is more of a period-style showroom than a studio.

The floor-to-ceiling hood with exquisite workmanship divides the whole room into three different areas, and a bead curtain hangs on the hood to block the view.The most eye-catching thing after entering the door is a hanging painting that stands up to the sky. The pavilions and pavilions on the Overseas Fairy Mountains are patchwork, and several puppets under the name of Hua Yinyang are sitting or standing in the painting.

"Any works that we are satisfied with will be added to this painting."

According to Hua Yang, the place where the model is turned is not here. This room is mainly used for drafting and making clay samples, and also stores some favorite works.

Sure enough, after bypassing the hanging pictures, there is the work area, with some sketches and design ideas scattered on the wall.On the long table are a computer, some professional books, a camera, and some paper and pens.Packets of clay are stacked on a circular sculpture stand at the end of the long table.Perhaps it was because the owner had just returned from a trip, so he hadn't opened it.

"Look at whatever you want, I'm sorry."

With that said, Hua Yang turned around and walked towards the depths of the room.

The bead curtain was still shaking around, he had already untied his belt and took off the red gauze dress, and he was naked underneath, with a clear view of the spring scenery behind him.

Although he confirmed that the other party was also a man, Bai Xiuqi still looked away in embarrassment and hurriedly looked at the draft on the wall.

"Little Master." Jiang Chenglu suddenly walked up to him and said in a low voice, "Are these dolls very valuable?"

"That's right. The most common ones started shooting at 2 three years ago, and there are also ones with millions."

"So expensive?!" Jiang Chenglu was stunned: "Xiaohua has said several times that she wants to give it to me, but I think the house is too small, so I refused!"

"He will give it to you next time, you give it to me!" Bai Xiuqi gritted her teeth: "You will be covered for one year's food expenses!"

Not long after, Huayang came out from the curtain again.He had already taken off his wig, wiped off his red makeup, and put on a T-shirt and jeans, so he finally looked a little manly.

He pointed to the inside of the room: "There are still some finished products inside, let's take a look?"

Of course Bai Xiuqi would not give up such a rare opportunity, he followed Jiang Chenglu to open the bead curtain, and felt his scalp tingle after just one glance.

The walls, floor, and even the ceiling on both sides of the room have been converted into solid storage spaces, and through the transparent glass, you can see large and small puppets on display.Vampires and mermaids are next to each other, and fox fairies are next to impermanence. Many of them are masterpieces that have never been exhibited.

"Compared with sculpture, I prefer dolls. Sculpture is a solidified art, while dolls can change clothes, postures and even appearances according to their own understanding. It grows with my growth."

Hua Yang said with a smile.

Surrounded by all these puppets, countless pairs of "lines of sight" intertwine with each other, forming an invisible net.Different expressions convey different emotions, and different stories are hidden behind them...

Bai Xiuqi suddenly felt that he was about to be overwhelmed by the overwhelming beauty.

He stretched out his hand to open his collar, took a deep breath, and lowered his head to let his eyes breathe for a moment.

But he forgot that there were even dolls under the floor.And there is a particularly large window at his feet, and there is a 1:1 life-size male doll.

Different from the various dolls around, it was just placed flat in the center of the cupboard, with many tiny ice crystal-like particles under its body, surrounded by large "ice cubes".

The body of the male doll is almost completely naked, revealing a firm chest and abdomen and slender legs. Even Baek Xiuqi, a painter, seems to be perfect.

Against the backdrop of the ice crystals, the puppet's skin also glows with a layer of light blue shimmer, giving people an illusion of transparency.

Most striking, though, is the doll's head—or, rather, its absence of a head.

Looking up along the smooth and slender neck, the place where the head was originally was was empty.There was only one snow-white camellia.

"We call him the handsome headless boy."

Hua Yang said: "Maybe it's because the body is so perfect that we really can't imagine what he should look like. Incomplete beauty is not bad."

Bai Xiuqi didn't reply, he stared blankly at the puppet in front of him, was attracted by it, and forgot all the words in a trance.