Meng Jixue’s heart skipped a beat. She abruptly looked up and immediately spotted an especially striking figure among the crowd.
He stood at 1.9 meters tall, his build tall and straight. His sharp brow bones were as defined as blades, pressing down over a pair of deep, unfathomable black eyes.
The corners of his eyes were slightly raised, and there was an extremely faint mole on the bridge of his nose, adding a hint of dangerous charm. His jawline was taut and sharply defined as he walked toward her.
He stopped only when he reached the desk, his gaze falling on the painting as his eyes narrowed slightly.
An overwhelming sense of pressure immediately swept over her. Meng Jixue instinctively clenched her fingers.
This man.
His presence was simply far too powerful.
After a while, the man’s cold, deep voice reached her ears. “What a pity.”
A pity? A pity about what?
Meng Jixue frowned slightly and met Zhou Hanzhang’s gaze.
She tried to detect some clue from his expression. Yet there was not the slightest trace of emotion in the man’s eyes.
Instead, as their eyes met, Meng Jixue inexplicably felt as though her little thoughts had been seen through.
Just then, a cold scoff came from nearby.
“I told you long ago that it’s Uncle’s painting. Normally, no one is even allowed to touch it. And yet someone actually completed the painting without his permission. Uncle definitely won’t be happy about it.”
Meng Jixue looked over.
The speaker was Zhou Manzhu, the youngest daughter of the second branch of the Zhou family.
The two of them were not particularly close. Although they were five years apart, for some reason, Zhou Manzhu always liked to compare herself with Meng Jixue. Yet in the eyes of outsiders, Meng Jixue was clearly the more outstanding and dazzling one. Whenever the two stood together, it was always Meng Jixue who received the praise.
Under such circumstances, there was naturally no way for them to become friends.
Besides, Zhou Manzhu was a die hard fan of Zhou Hanzhang. When Old Master Zhou had asked Meng Jixue to complete the painting earlier, she had already looked displeased. However, since Old Master Zhou himself had given the order, she had not dared to step forward and say anything directly.
Now that Zhou Hanzhang had returned and said, “What a pity,” Zhou Manzhu finally felt that she had found fault with Meng Jixue and immediately jumped in with a sarcastic remark.
Old Master Zhou frowned and tapped the floor with his cane, his tone becoming sterner. “Manzhu, completing the painting was done with my permission.”
At those words, Zhou Manzhu looked indignant, but she did not dare say anything more. She could only glare resentfully at Meng Jixue.
After all, whenever Meng Jixue came to their home, she felt as though she became completely invisible.
Seeing that Zhou Manzhu was a young woman who was easily embarrassed, Old Master Zhou did not say anything harsher.
He then turned to Zhou Hanzhang and said irritably, “You came home and didn’t even bother to tell your father. Do you not consider me your father anymore? And now you have the nerve to criticize Jixue. Is a painting by the Meng family’s talented daughter really not good enough for you?”
In truth, Old Master Zhou was somewhat intimidated by this youngest son of his.
After all, the painting belonged to Zhou Hanzhang. From a reasonable standpoint, Old Master Zhou really had no right to let Meng Jixue alter it without asking him first.
However, Old Master Zhou had simply wanted Meng Jixue to show off her skills in front of the Zhou family, lest his several grandsons really think too highly of themselves and believe they were so impressive that they could even look down on the talented daughter of the Meng family.
That was why, with one thing leading to another, he had asked her to complete Zhou Hanzhang’s painting.
Now that matters had come to this point, Old Master Zhou was clearly feeling a little guilty, so he struck first.
How could Zhou Hanzhang not see through his intentions?
He withdrew his gaze from Meng Jixue and turned back to the painting. In a calm voice, he said, “What I meant by ‘what a pity’ is not that the painting Jixue completed is bad. Rather, I think talent like hers should be used to restore Song dynasty paintings in the Palace Museum, not to complete this half finished work of mine from my reckless younger days.”
At this point, Zhou Hanzhang paused and looked at Meng Jixue.
He lowered his eyes, a trace of scrutiny hidden within his deep gaze.
After a moment, he spoke in a meaningful tone. “Jixue, don’t you agree?”
Once again, there was an overwhelming sense of pressure that left no room for refusal.
Whether it was his height or his imposing presence, he made people feel as though they could hardly breathe.