Today was the opening of X-MUSE, and Chuxia was supposed to be the main focus. Lou Fan bringing in a random unrelated person was already strange enough—but the key point was that Chuxia was standing right beside him. Shouldn’t he have introduced that woman to Chuxia first? Instead, he deliberately bypassed her and called the woman over, introducing Chuxia to her instead?
Excuse me???
What is this guy trying to do???
What does this even mean???
Qiao Nian, imagining herself in Chuxia’s position, was about to explode. Her eyes darted between the three of them, but Chuxia still smiled gently, completely unaffected.
“Of course you’re welcome, but we just opened today, so we might not be able to take good care of you,” Chuxia replied politely.
She thought the polite exchange would end there—but unexpectedly, Lou Fan said, “Muting studied visual design abroad, right? Isn’t your place hiring? Let her come and get some practical experience.”
Chuxia froze slightly and looked at him.
She had never said she needed staff. Her plan for X-MUSE was an independent commercial gallery, and for now she didn’t need a visual arts graduate.
Bringing someone in without warning right after opening made her, even with her good temper, feel slightly unhappy.
But she never showed her emotions on her face. She simply smiled faintly and said in mock surprise, “Does Mr. Lou not want to ask Miss Ling’s opinion first? Our place is small—Miss Ling studied abroad, I’m sure she has better opportunities elsewhere.”
Lou Fan looked at her for a moment, then said firmly, “You’re jealous.”
He had been observing her expression through his sunglasses the whole time. Seeing her completely unmoved even when another woman was brought in, he had thought Chuxia was truly ruthless. Now that he sensed a hint of resistance in her words, he was secretly delighted.
“Mr. Lou, that’s quite a joke,” Chuxia said, confused. “Why would I be jealous?”
Lou Fan couldn’t hide his smile. “You were clearly unhappy just now.”
But fearing he might overdo it, he forced his expression down and leaned closer, whispering, “This is my father’s business partner’s daughter. We grew up in the same circle. Some guy stood her up today, so my dad made me come in his place. I had no choice. I drove all the way here as fast as I could because I didn’t want to delay your opening.”
He pouted pitifully. “You really aren’t even a little jealous? You’re not afraid I’ll be taken away by another woman?”
Chuxia ignored his childish behavior. “I was unhappy because I felt disrespected. If you want to bring someone in next time, please inform me in advance. I will give Mr. Lou face, but X-MUSE is my gallery and mine and Qiao Nian’s career—not something anyone can just join.”
Her tone was calm but firm, loud enough for Qiao Nian and Ling Muting to hear clearly.
Qiao Nian silently applauded her in her heart.
Ling Muting felt slightly awkward and glared at Lou Fan. “I told you not to mess around.”
After that, Lou Fan became like a tagalong for the rest of the time, following Chuxia everywhere and praising her nonstop.
“Miss Li has such good taste, the artworks here are amazing. I don’t even understand them.”
Chuxia: “Qiao Nian chose them.”
“Miss Li’s aesthetic is incredible, this interior style—what is it called? Instagram style?”
Chuxia: “This was left by the previous tenant.”
“Miss Li is so capable, attracting such a strong investor who supports you so much.”
Chuxia: “You can praise yourself directly if you want.”
“Baby, are you really mad at me?” Lou Fan leaned slightly, watching her expression. “I won’t do this next time.”
Chuxia, still sorting inventory, replied, “If you feel guilty, you can take a painting with you when you leave.”
Lou Fan clicked his tongue. “So practical.”
Still, he obediently let Qiao Nian choose a painting for him and paid 200,000.
While handing over the card, Ling Muting snickered. “Serves you right. I told you already—girls don’t like this kind of thing.”
Lou Fan wasn’t happy. “What do you know? This is called romance. No one would even play along with your drama.”
The moment he said that, Ling Muting’s smile faded. She forced herself to stay calm. “You don’t understand. He has a special job, he must be busy.”
Lou Fan sneered. “So busy he can’t even send a message and left you at the airport?”
“He’s not—” Ling Muting said angrily and shyly, “You wouldn’t understand.”
Lou Fan shook his head, thinking only men understand men—if a man truly likes a woman, even if it’s raining knives, he will still show up.
At that moment, a tall figure walked into the store.
Chuxia instinctively said “Welcome,” but froze the moment she turned around.
Sheng Jingshi was standing at the entrance, staring directly at her with a cold expression.
Just as Lou Fan had said, Sheng Jingshi had compressed a week’s work into three days. He didn’t even wait for the fastest commercial flight—he applied for a private jet route. He had just landed and come straight here. The weather abroad was completely different from Beijing; it had been hailing, like knives falling from the sky.
Chuxia was surprised by his appearance. She opened her mouth, but realized explaining would be pointless and closed it again.
That tiny movement was still caught by Sheng Jingshi.
He let out a cold laugh. “Nothing to say, Li Chuxia?”
His voice was filled with exhaustion and hatred.
“I didn’t call you because of the time difference. I didn’t want to disturb your rest. But you didn’t send a single message. If I hadn’t had someone watching you because I was worried, I’d still be kept in the dark! When are you going to cut ties with this man?”
Lou Fan frowned and instinctively stood in front of Chuxia, shielding her.
“Mr. Sheng, I think I made myself clear last time. If you’re not here to support the opening, then we don’t welcome you.”
Sheng Jingshi’s fist clenched tightly.
“Your gallery?”
His voice was low and suffocating.
He suddenly laughed, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
“No wonder… you suddenly started liking painting recently…”
His expression tightened, veins faintly visible on his forehead. His gaze was like a predator locking onto prey.
“Sheng Jingshi…”
Chuxia finally called his name, but his heart did not soften. Instead, it ached sharply.
He curved his lips slightly—like mocking her, or mocking himself.
“I never should have given you a choice from the beginning.”
He stared at her with blade-like intensity.
“Walk over here yourself. Otherwise, you will never see your father again.”