smoke like fire

The date of Ms. Zhao's art exhibition has been set. It will last for two weeks starting from April [-]th. This time, it will not be held in the new gallery in the old venue, but in the Pearl Gallery, which has only opened for half a year.

The opening tea party will be held on this weekend first.It seems that everything will be different from the past. Ms. Zhao's invitation letter was not sent to me in person, but sent to the company.

The invitation letter is cut out of beige pearl cardboard, with an elegant design, and the words can only be seen when you unfold the logo of the Foresight Gallery. In addition to the standard printing, there is Ms. Zhao's own handwriting.

Written, feel free to invite friends to participate, especially girlfriends.

I froze for a moment, quite surprised, thought for a while, and took out my cell phone to make a call.Ms. Zhao picked it up quickly, and spoke in a leisurely manner: "Got it?"

I said, "Yes, thank you for inviting me, I will definitely be there, but I have many friends, so I may not be able to take anyone with me, and I am afraid that if I invite you, I will annoy you."

Ms. Zhao smiled at the other end, and said in a leisurely tone: "I'll save you time, you don't have to ask Vince anymore, I already have an invitation, you can ask another one."

Vince is Ye Wenli's English name, I am not too surprised that Ms. Zhao will invite him.I laughed and said: "May I ask which one it is? Please, just point to a name, so I can ask if the other party is free."

Ms. Zhao seemed surprised, "Hey, don't you know your girlfriend's name?"

I remained calm and smiled at her, "Of course I know your name."

Ms. Zhao laughed heartily, and said through the receiver, "Don't take advantage of me."

I said, "Where do you dare?"

Ms. Zhao snorted and said, "Don't pretend to me—forget it, I won't force you. However, it's not a bad thing to have a partner. Such an occasion is also suitable for introducing her formally."

Having an object is of course not a bad thing, the bad thing is that the object is not a woman, and what is even worse is that the so-called object's mother is talking to me on the phone.

I said inappropriately: "If there is, of course it would be easy to introduce." After a pause, I asked her bluntly: "Who gave you the wrong information?"

Ms. Zhao answered politely: "I don't think the news is wrong. Well, if you refuse to confess, I don't blame you. If you don't take it, you don't take it. You come alone. Or, you can bring other friends. "

She spoke so naturally that I almost didn't catch the undertones.In the world, apart from myself, she is the only one who cares most about whether Zhao Kuanyi and I get along.

I sighed in my heart, "I'll ask Kuan Yi if he can go."

Miss Zhao really said: "Okay, you can ask him."

I really don't want to get involved in the matter of their mother and son.I have learned my lesson, I am powerless to be a bridge between them; moreover, Zhao Kuanyi will never obey his mother because of me.If he comes to satisfy her, it's the same as he answered me, just because he thought about it-it's all up to him.

I don't know why Ms. Zhao has a wrong idea, she always wants to win me over.

But I don't really hate her either.I respect her in my heart and always cherish such a rare friendship.In the past, he thought from her standpoint, because of the feelings in his heart, he was doing it for himself, not for her, but now, he couldn't easily lend a hand.

I could only make it clear to her: "I will ask, but I can't guarantee that he will be there." I added tactfully: "You know, he is busy."

Ms. Zhao was silent for a moment before she said, "Why don't I know."

The last time Ms. Zhao was injured, I never knew the details behind it.I haven't asked Zhao Kuanyi much. On the one hand, I have no position. On the other hand, he won't be too happy to talk too much.

Thinking in many ways, one thing more is worse than one thing less.I've always understood what it's like to be thankless.

But I noticed that before that, their mother-child interaction seemed to be much more than in the first half year.

Apart from talking on the phone, at the party hosted by Ms. Zhao at the end of the year, Zhao Kuanyi, who had never appeared before, arrived. Although it was late, it was already a sign.

But after she fell, there was no spark again.

I couldn't figure out that Ms. Zhao should not move the exhibition venue since she was concerned about strengthening the relationship between mother and child.One of the investors of the new art gallery is Zhao Kuanyi, and he will always be present at his mother's exhibition at his own place.

So it hurt me.

For the remaining three days before the weekend, I have been waiting for a good opportunity to ask Zhao Kuanyi about going to the art exhibition.After finally leaving the restaurant on Thursday night, the atmosphere was still good. When he wanted to speak, he suddenly said that he had a temporary plan for the weekend.

Most of the time, Zhao Kuanyi is free on weekends and holidays. He doesn't like to socialize on holidays very much, and his success today doesn't need to deliberately find anyone to socialize with.

I was surprised.

Zhao Kuanyi said calmly: "Foreign affairs consultation."

His company has been making frequent moves recently, so I take it for granted. I don't think about the details, and it's hard to mention the original words.As I started the car, I asked casually, "What time is the appointment?"

Zhao Kuanyi answered me at seven o'clock, I couldn't help but stare blankly, looking at him, "Night?"

"Morning."

I was taken aback for a moment, "Do you play golf?"

"It's an appointment at the Taipei stadium, but let's talk about it later." Zhao Kuanyi said, looking at me: "The green light is on."

I hurried forward.I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart, lamenting that man is not as good as God—no wonder God has an arrangement; He closed the window of Miss Zhao’s hope, and came to soothe my long-term distress that was finally for nothing.

After all, I didn't ask Zhao Kuanyi about it.

The weekend's opening tea party started at 01:30 in the afternoon. I checked the time and drove to the meeting.

Pearl Art Gallery is located on Fuzhou Street. It is well-decorated and modern. The large expanse of glass on the facade reflects a flowing and elegant atmosphere. It is very conspicuous among several rows of old apartments.

There are many congratulatory flower baskets at the entrance, each with their own wonderful congratulatory messages, competing with each other, the left one is dear, the right one is favorite, or the beautiful and elegant ones—that’s all.Every year at this time, it seems that Ms. Zhao's acceptance of friendship.But catching up is worse than catching up by chance, no matter how good the timing is, the beauty has long been concerned about it.

I couldn't find where she belonged in the sea of ​​flowers, but I noticed the gallery logo on the beige wall next to it. Underneath, there was another small acrylic relief, which was a crabapple red.

It looks familiar to me, but I can't remember it at the moment.

Many people arrived early in the venue, each gathered in one place, enjoyed the paintings or had snacks, and exchanged ideas from time to time.Kobayashi was at the reception, and I handed her a gift I had brought.

"Are you still busy?"

"Yes. Anyway, no matter how busy you are, this is the only time." Xiao Lin answered with a smile, picked up the things, and pointed me to Miss Zhao's location.

Ms. Zhao was standing in front of a painting of red roses in full bloom, wearing a printed silk shawl and white jumpsuit, which was very eye-catching.She pulled her hair back today, revealing a small section of her slender neck.

Surrounded by a group of people, she was beaming and seemed to be being complimented.I was not in a hurry to step forward to disturb, but as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw someone I was familiar with in another group of people.

Ye Wenli also saw me, raised his eyebrows, pulled away from the crowd and walked towards me.

Ever since we started talking, he and I still behave the same as usual, and we haven't been embarrassed.However, the bottle of wine I owed him has not been brought to him, and he has never mentioned it.

Ye Wenli passed the long table and took two glasses of champagne.He handed me a glass, looked around, and asked, "Are you coming alone?"

I paused and smiled, "Of course I came alone."

Ye Wenli also smiled, as if he didn't mind my perfunctory.He said something else: "You came too late and missed a good show."

I asked, "Oh, what a show?"

"Cao Jingqian also arrived, and presented a bouquet of flowers to Claire in public, nine hundred and ninety-nine red roses." Ye Wenli said.

Cao Jingqian?Of course I know who it is, the chairman of Dongfang Construction.

The last time we met, Ms. Zhao answered me, still ringing in my ears.

Perhaps, the truth has always been as she said, it is not my wrong thinking-I hope it is a wrong thinking.

I said, "What's the point? Cao Dong has always been friends with her, and it's not uncommon to send her a bouquet of flowers when invited here."

Ye Wenli seemed to disapprove, and smiled mysteriously.

"You forgot, his wife left at the beginning of last year, but I heard that since the end of last year, he has been vigorously pursuing Claire, which seems to be true." He said, pointing slightly in one direction, "From just now Up to now, he has always insisted on the post of flower protector."

I looked around and found that no matter where Ms. Zhao went, there was indeed Cao Jingqian. Every time he took up the position cleverly, it was difficult for anyone to get close to Ms. Zhao.

But Ms. Zhao didn't seem to be surprised, nor did she seem to be troubled. She still smiled and greeted the guests who came to congratulate one after another calmly and enthusiastically.

Ye Wenli said: "There are too many people chasing Claire, he is the most stupid for sticking to her."

I didn't answer, feeling very uncomfortable hearing this sentence.

Ye Wenli asked himself: "Do you know why Claire changed the exhibition venue?"

I have always been curious about this matter, and I glanced at him, "Do you know the reason?"

"The main investor of Pearl Art Gallery is Dongfang Construction."

I was stunned, and suddenly remembered, no wonder I was familiar with the relief under the sign just now.The symbol of Dongfang Construction is exactly a red begonia.

Putting the two things together, I had an association, and said: "Then, maybe you guessed wrong, they are not one-sided."

Ye Wenli smiled.

"You forgot who Claire invited to the party at the end of last year."

I was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "If there is a mutual interest between them, please invite his son, it's not too bad."

Ye Wenli had already taken a sip of champagne, and said with a slightly deep look in his eyes: "However, the person in charge here is not Cao Jingqian, but his son Cao Zongqing."

Before we had time to discuss this matter, someone approached us, and Ye Wenli and I stopped talking in a tacit understanding, and didn't talk about it later.

I waited until Ms. Zhao was a bit free and saw Cao Jingqian being caught by a friend next to me, so I went to greet her.She saw me and opened her arms enthusiastically.

I hugged her lightly and said, "Congratulations on the development."

Ms. Zhao said with a smile: "Thank you, I have seen your gift and I like it very much. Please spend the money."

What I gave her was a Cartier diamond necklace, "I saw it a while ago, and I think it suits you very well." I joked again: "However, the most suitable for beauties is red roses, and I need nine hundred and ninety-nine. "

Ms. Zhao's smile didn't fade away, and she gave me a real look, "If you send it too, of course I'll accept it happily."

I laughed, "I don't dare to steal the spotlight."

Miss Zhao snorted softly, and raised her hand to brush her hair.I noticed a diamond ring on her right index finger.Noticing my gaze, she held out her hand to me.

"Is it good-looking? It was designed by someone."

The ring is made of rose gold. The main diamond in the center is cut like a flower, and there are diamonds arranged around it, which looks very delicate.I sincerely praised a few words, and she then eloquently explained who she found and designed it.

Hearing the name unexpectedly, I felt a sudden block in my heart, my face was still good-mannered, but my answer was unavoidably perfunctory.Fortunately, men can ignore women's interest in clothing and accessories.

Seeing that I can handle it a bit, Ms. Zhao will not say more.

I chatted with her about my thoughts on her works.She never asked Zhao Kuanyi whether he was there or not.

Just when I was about to take the initiative to mention it, someone came again.

I gave up the space to speak, listened for a while, and walked out of the gallery after saying hello to Ms. Zhao.

Standing at the door, I was about to take out a cigarette when I saw a car pull up.

When the people above got out of the car, I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw it.

Fan Yuejiao also saw me, smiled and called, "Mr. Cheng."

I was still surprised, "Sister Fan, you—"

"The chairman asked me to come here." Before the question was finished, Fan Yuejiao confessed everything: "The chairman also wanted to be there, but he really couldn't get away."

I couldn't talk about the thoughts in my heart for a while, so I couldn't help asking: "Is he still not finished with his work?"

Fan Yuejiao didn't seem surprised, I knew it.She smiled, as if about to answer, when the phone rang suddenly.She picked it up immediately, and replied skillfully, as if she was speaking a formula—no comment, no comment, no response.

As soon as I heard it, I guessed that the caller might be a reporter.

Zhao Kuanyi's company has been making a lot of noise recently, but it's not time to announce the news.After she hung up, I asked with a smile, "What's the matter? There are still media to deal with this weekend?"

Fan Yuejiao sighed: "It's not all because of the magazine that was published yesterday, I have already answered enough calls early in the morning."

I couldn't help wondering: "What magazine?"

"A magazine that is not popular." Fan Yuejiao said, as if thinking of something, "Oh, it happens to be there." She dug out a copy from her briefcase and handed it to me, "They are all written in a mess, not at all. It's about the chairman."

I took it, and saw the headline on the cover at a glance: Actress throws away poor man after three years of love.

There is another subtitle below, called One Night to Marry a Rich Family.I paused and looked at the actress photographed on the cover. She was no stranger, and she was popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

I opened it to see.

There is nothing to say about the content, but to ridicule and slander the efforts of this actress to marry into a wealthy family.

The place where the photo was taken was in Beijing. In a high-end club, there was a table of people eating, all of whom were well-known figures in the industry on both sides of the strait.Among them is Zhao Kuanyi.

In the photo, the actress is dressed in fashion, smiling, and circling around the venue, leaning on a man's arms at once, and then switching to someone else.

Because it was taken secretly, the resolution of the photo is not very good.

In one picture, the surrounding picture is almost blacked out, and it is not very clear. You can only see the actress half bent over, with one hand on Zhao Kuanyi's shoulder, and half of their faces seem to overlap.

There are two reasons that can be guessed, or she was about to fall, and Zhao Kuanyi gave her a hand, or, she actually kissed.

There are many other photos—changed to other places—all of these people are walking on the road.The female star is drawn with a red circle, and the one holding her hand is another person at the dinner table.

No wonder the weekly magazine has such a title.

Indeed, as Fan Yuejiao said, it has nothing to do with Zhao Kuanyi.Probably all the men in attendance will be asked once.

I actually feel nothing.

However, among the group of people in these photos, there is a familiar face and an all-too-familiar demeanor.The man walked behind, behind Zhao Kuanyi.

It was Lin Luowei.

There are several consecutive photos of her walking on the road.There is one of them getting close.

The reporter who took the sneak shot probably focused on the actress.She shoots whoever she is with, and there are actually not many details around, so you can't see too clearly.

"—Isn't it boring?"

Hearing Fan Yuejiao's summary, I collected myself, nodded silently, and handed the magazine back.I also feel compelled to draw conclusions.

I said, "It's too boring."