Chapter 12: The Final Wish"Tap… tap-tap… tap-tap-tap…"Xiao Bei, who had been dozing while leaning back in his chair, was startled awake by faint knocking sounds. He pricked up his ears to listen to the tapping pattern, confirming it was the signal Shan Xiaoxi had agreed upon with him before leaving. He quickly opened the door.Shan Xiaoxi slipped inside the building.Xiao Bei looked her up and down curiously.She was still wearing that cloak. To make it easier for her to move around the Red Light District, Lin Ting had given her the cloak.Shan Xiaoxi patted Xiao Bei, telling him to go back to sleep quickly, then went to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of warm milk before returning to her own room.What Lin Ting had given her was premium-grade Patra Bone Wine. Drinking one bottle could sustain its effects for four hours, and the aftereffects were particularly strong.Shan Xiaoxi didn't usually drink alcohol and had a low tolerance. Earlier, due to nervous tension, she hadn't felt it, but now that things were over, she felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded.It seemed she should try to avoid drinking such premium-grade stuff in the future. When she had drunk ordinary-grade Patra Bone Wine before, she hadn't experienced such heady aftereffects.Returning to her bedroom, Shan Xiaoxi drank the milk, washed up, then climbed into bed. She tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep, even feeling a bit bloated.After lying still with her eyes closed for a while, scenes from her meeting with Selena kept surfacing in her mind. Shan Xiaoxi felt she was actually becoming more alert instead.Shan Xiaoxi rolled out of bed, hesitated for a moment, then simply threw on an outer garment and went out.Her room was right next to Vincent's.The door wasn't locked, just as it had been during Vincent's lifetime. It opened when pushed.Shan Xiaoxi turned on the light.The bright ceiling lamp illuminated the room as if it were daytime.The items in the room were neatly arranged, and it was cleaned daily to maintain hygiene.The painting supplies were placed where Vincent was accustomed to keeping them. Everything was exactly as it had been when Vincent was alive.On the easel was the last painting Vincent had been working on before his death: "Selena Across the River." Shan Xiaoxi had deliberately placed it there.Tonight was the first time Shan Xiaoxi had seen Selena in person. To be honest, she was quite different from the Selena in Vincent's paintings. The Selena in Vincent's eyes had less arrogance and more gentleness.Selena of the Night Rose was accustomed to looking at people with her chin raised. Her demeanor carried an innate aloofness, giving people a sense of being unattainable."Selena Across the River," however, was enveloped in a gentle aura, radiating warm vitality like a sunflower in the sun, making one unable to resist wanting to get close.Only, this painting had been contaminated.Vincent had been working on this painting when he was attacked. The assault came too suddenly; he didn't have time to protect the painting. Spilled paint and bloodstains—whose blood it was unknown—had splattered onto the canvas.Vincent had originally planned to personally give this painting to Selena after completing it. This was his final wish before his death, and Shan Xiaoxi wanted to help him fulfill it.Vincent had discussed his ideas for this painting with Shan Xiaoxi. She knew what kind of painting he wanted to present.Shan Xiaoxi opened the paint box, picked up the palette and brush, and began repairing the painting bit by bit.Time passed minute by minute in her focused state.By the time Shan Xiaoxi put down her brush, noisy sounds were already coming from the hallway.Stretching, she lifted a corner of the curtain. Warm sunlight spilled into the room. Pulling the curtains open forcefully, the sunlight swept away the gloom—it was a new day.She went downstairs to eat something, then returned to her room to catch up on sleep. By the time Shan Xiaoxi woke up again, full of energy, it was already afternoon.There were still over three hours until the Crimson Moon rose, giving her plenty of time to make a trip to the Red Light District and back.Shan Xiaoxi didn’t want to delay and decided to deliver the painting to Selena today.She put her tracksuit back on—no need for a cloak during broad daylight—packed the painting into her backpack, informed the welfare home’s caretaker, and headed out.During the day, no one dared to set up toll booths on the alloy bridge. People came and went in a steady stream, just as Shan Xiaoxi remembered from her daily commute.Stepping onto the bridge in daylight again, Shan Xiaoxi’s state of mind was entirely different now.Like other red-light districts, the people of the West Bank Red Light Street were active at night and dormant during the day.The street was much quieter in the daytime. The black canopy overhead had been retracted, and the streetlights on either side eagerly absorbed the sun’s energy to illuminate the night.Shan Xiaoxi felt an indescribable mix of emotions toward the Night Rose Club building.Its church-like architectural style starkly contrasted with the business it operated. The green glazed tiles on its roof always made people think of "green hats," which seemed to align with its line of work.In her previous life, Shan Xiaoxi had visited the Bund in a major city, where there was also a building with a green roof, sharing its name with a famous film.With these complicated feelings, Shan Xiaoxi knocked on the side door of the Night Rose.Today’s doorman wasn’t the bald man from yesterday. Shan Xiaoxi gave Selena’s name, and without further questions, the doorman let her inside.A maid escorted Shan Xiaoxi directly to Selena’s room.Selena had just woken up, still exuding a lazy aura as she sat by the windowsill, sipping expensive bitter coffee one mouthful at a time.No matter the era or place, beautiful women always struggled with puffiness, and bitter coffee seemed like a low-effort yet effective solution.In her previous life, Shan Xiaoxi avoided coffee due to stomach issues, and in this life, she couldn’t afford it.She hadn’t paid much attention during her visit last night, but now she noticed Selena’s bedroom had an antique European style, as did the entire Night Rose. It seemed the club’s owner had a preference for vintage European aesthetics.Half of the blue velvet curtains were drawn, hanging beside the window, blocking the sunlight behind Selena while allowing it to shine across from her. Enjoying the sunlight without worrying about tanning, perhaps.Here, the curtains were meant to block the daytime sun, not the Red Moon radiation at night. It seemed even in this world, things served multiple purposes.The aroma of coffee filled the room.Selena leaned against the window, the refracted sunlight casting a faint golden glow over her.This was her favorite time of day, savoring the tranquility before nightfall.At this moment, she truly embodied the aura of the woman in Vincent’s painting.Selena didn’t invite Shan Xiaoxi to sit but had a maid pour her a cup of coffee.Shan Xiaoxi had long grown accustomed to the inequality between people in this world and learned to remain unfazed by others’ casual disregard.She took a small sip of the coffee, the milky yet bitter and astringent flavor spreading across her tongue. It seemed slightly worse than she remembered from her previous life. Still, not wanting to waste it, she finished the entire cup.Thinking Shan Xiaoxi enjoyed it, Selena gestured for the maid to refill her cup. Shan Xiaoxi waved her hand in refusal.Shan Xiaoxi licked her lips and frowned. "Too bitter, like drinking medicine."Selena was amused by her expression and took a light sip. "It is a bit bitter, and I don't particularly like it either, but this drink can help you stay alert. Compared to coffee, I prefer tea, but tea leaves are scarce. The establishment only uses them to entertain distinguished guests, so we rarely get to drink it."Shan Xiaoxi naturally knew tea was more expensive than coffee because she also enjoyed drinking tea. Back when she worked at the Miracle Gallery, whenever guests visited the shop, she would bring out tea to serve them, taking the opportunity to enjoy a little herself.Shan Xiaoxi recounted that experience jokingly. Selena seemed somewhat surprised and had a maid bring over a chair, inviting Shan Xiaoxi to sit opposite her.Shan Xiaoxi graciously accepted and shared a few more amusing stories from her time working at the gallery before shifting to the purpose of her visit today.She took out the painting and began telling Vincent's story.He liked eating soft-boiled eggs, enjoyed a glass of milk before bed, loved azaleas, loved painting by the Fallen River, and adored the girl he had glimpsed briefly—Selena.Perhaps it was because Shan Xiaoxi spoke so eloquently, or perhaps it was the familiar long, straight black hair of the girl in the painting that moved her, but Selena took the painting and grew fonder of it the longer she looked.How does one describe the beauty of a painting? There's no need to praise the beauty of the subject; one only needs to appreciate the emotions expressed by the person in the painting.Just by looking at this painting, Selena felt her heart soften.Vincent's brushstrokes gave the painting a gentle tone, while Shan Xiaoxi transformed the splattered paint and bloodstains on the canvas into colorful bubbles, making the entire piece dreamy and beautiful.In the upper left corner of the painting, there had originally been a relatively large bloodstain. Shan Xiaoxi had turned it into the Crimson Moon, then obscured it with thick clouds, making the moon appear faintly visible.This should have been a painting carrying a curse, as the artist was attacked while creating it. But Shan Xiaoxi had turned it into a painting of blessing, as it carried the final love of the original artist before his death.Selena stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the Fallen River."It's a pity I didn't meet Mr. Vincent earlier. I believe we would have become very good friends."Shan Xiaoxi also came to the window, looking out at the shimmering Fallen River."As long as you like this painting, that's enough. His final wish was to give this painting to you. I just wanted to help him fulfill that wish—nothing more."The two stood quietly, gazing at the Fallen River, mourning the person they held in their hearts.Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the hallway outside—a man cursing, a woman screaming and crying.Shan Xiaoxi was curious but didn't ask, remembering Lin Ting's warning from the night before.Selena frowned and gestured to her maid. The maid bowed and tiptoed out, returning shortly after.The maid looked eager to share the gossip. Shan Xiaoxi asked if she should leave, but Selena told her to stay."If you want to stay by my side in the future, there are some things you need to know, at least to be aware of them, so you won't be fooled by others."Selena preferred clever people. This was also why she didn't want to bring her current maid to the Third Ring, and she thought Shan Xiaoxi seemed fairly intelligent.The maid vividly recounted what had happened outside.The people arguing were Ellie and a guest named Julio.Julio came from the Third Ring and had been getting along famously with Ellie lately, often staying overnight, and it was said he even planned to buy Ellie's freedom and take her to the Third Ring.However, just moments ago, Ellie discovered that a leather bag Julio had given her was actually a high-quality counterfeit.Ellie was furious that Julio had deceived her with a fake, while Julio swore up and down that he hadn't, leading to an argument between the two. The quarrel spilled from the room into the hallway as Ellie tried to kick Julio out.

The Fashion Rookie and The Mysterious Gentleman