Chapter 78: N. An Unexpected Encounter

Organizing a solo exhibition was far more complex than Su Hui had ever imagined.

In the past, he had only participated in small-to-medium joint exhibitions with single installation pieces. He hadn’t needed to do much back then, as the organizers and curatorial companies handled most of the logistics.

It was only after working closely with Keisha that Su Hui truly realized how convoluted the processes and links of hosting an entire exhibition could be.

“This is my first draft of the proposal. Take a look.”

Keisha handed the physical copy to Su Hui and gave him a brief walkthrough. “This time, I hope you can participate to the maximum extent. That includes all the hard environmental setups like venue layout and lighting adjustments, as well as soft setups like the theme, chapter divisions, and exhibition texts. I want your personal style to be fully expressed. After all, stripped to its core, curatorial work is just about showcasing the artist and the artwork itself.”

Su Hui nodded, flipping through the proposal until he saw the commercial section at the back. “What about things like commercial sponsorships and artwork insurance?”

“Don’t worry about those; I’m very experienced.” Keisha gave a hearty, unreserved laugh and pulled out a dedicated commercial plan. “These are all commercial resources I accumulated from organizing large-scale solo exhibitions for other artists. I’ve contacted a few companies over the past few days, and several have already shown intent to cooperate.”

Hearing her mention this, Su Hui bluntly voiced his underlying concern: “Actually, I’m still a bit worried about this aspect. Compared to those already famous artists, I can only be considered a newcomer. I might not have that much commercial value, so I’m afraid it’ll make your job difficult.”

Keisha shook her head. “You absolutely must not think that way. I’ve collaborated with plenty of artists who started completely from scratch, and their final exhibitions were just as successful. Not to mention, you are already a little famous within the circle.”

“Eddy, this is the perfect opportunity. Let’s strive to use this solo exhibition to push your career up a tier. If it goes well, turning it into a tour is completely feasible.”

Keisha’s words provided Su Hui with a massive wave of encouragement. Coupled with the fact that he was currently in a phase where confidence came easily, he returned to his studio brimming with drive and energy.

The tentative dates were set for late April or early May. The timeline was incredibly tight, but fortunately, the students he supervised were all eager to help. Professor White had even treated this opportunity as a practical field activity for them, securing a much larger workshop for their team.

With the assistance of six or seven students, Su Hui’s work progressed rapidly.

“Eddy, more letters for you!”

Ryan and two other students pushed open the door and walked in, holding a few envelopes in their hands.

Su Hui was currently sitting on the floor, sorting through a massive pile of purchased fishing nets. The more he tried to untangle them, the messier they became, to the point where he was practically buried inside them.

Hearing Ryan’s voice, Su Hui raised his head. “I’m over here.”

Ryan handed the letters to Su Hui and squatted down to help him organize. “Eddy, how many letters do you plan to collect?”

Su Hui’s mind felt a bit floaty. “At least two thousand sheets of letter paper, I suppose.”

Ryan nodded. “Two thousand sheets? That’s not too bad. I initially thought you were going to use the letters to build a ‘shell’ of sorts, kind of like HA Schult’s Love Letters Building.”

Su Hui knew the piece Ryan was referring to; it was an artwork he liked very much. He said with a hint of excitement, “That one is beautiful. I’ve seen photographs of it, and it’s a pity it wasn’t exhibited further. I remember it used over a hundred thousand love letters. Seeing it with your own eyes must have been incredibly breathtaking. However, I don’t plan to use the letters as an outer shell. Rather than wrapping or covering, I want an effect of interconnectedness.”

Ryan understood only half of it. “Once your conceptual sketches are out, I should pretty much get it.”

Another student named Dorrin suddenly leaned in. “Let me tell you guys some gossip.”

Su Hui blinked. “What is it?”

“I heard Mike went to the Photography Academy Dean’s office and got into a huge fight.” Seeing the puzzled look on Ryan’s face, Dorrin confirmed his suspicion. “Yes, it’s exactly the Mike you’re thinking of.”

“Him again?” Eden, who had been involved in the previous conflict with Mike, utterly despised the arrogant racist. “When will he learn to stop causing trouble?”

Ryan didn’t like Mike either. When Su Hui’s grandmother fell ill previously, he hadn’t been at school and couldn’t participate in that fundraiser. But when he returned, he heard that Mike had tried to crash the event and had hurled slurs at Su Hui and several other students of color.

“What is he making a fuss about now?” Ryan asked.

“Who knows.” Dorrin shrugged. “Anyway, no matter what outrageous things he does, he always has a father who don’t mind donating money to back him up.”

Although Su Hui had taken a punch from Mike last time, he didn’t care all that much and had always made it a rule never to actively initiate conflicts with people like him.

“Since you’re all here, let’s work together to assemble the framework for No. 1.”

“Alright!”

By the time they wrapped up work, it was already nine in the evening. Ryan offered to see Su Hui home, but Su Hui declined. Feeling a bit disheartened and thinking back to previous instances, Ryan asked tentatively, “Are you… already together with someone?”

Su Hui didn’t shy away from the question at all. In fact, a sweet expression washed over his face. “Yes, I’m in a relationship. You met my boyfriend last time.”

“It’s that Shaw, right?”

Su Hui nodded with a smile. “Yes, exactly.”

“Alright.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He knew he wasn’t mature enough and fell far short compared to that man. While he could accept it logically, his emotions were bound to take time to settle.

“Then if you guys break up, can you let me know?” he couldn’t help but ask anyway.

Su Hui was amused by his words. Standing at the intersection, he prepared to say goodbye to him. “Ryan, you are still very young and have many, many choices ahead of you. In the future, you’ll realize that I’m actually not that special. But for me, from the very beginning to the end, my only choice has been him. Even when we were apart, that never changed, and it won’t change in the future.”

Looking at the unshakeable determination in Su Hui’s eyes, Ryan understood.

“I get it now.” He lowered his eyes slightly. “I hope I meet someone in the future who treats me as their only choice too.”

“Of course you will.”

After parting ways with Ryan, Su Hui got into a taxi by himself. Bella had sent over an electronic invitation; it was for the fashion gala she had mentioned last time.

Before Su Hui could even look through it carefully, Bella’s call came through. “You’ll attend too, right? Come with me, how about it?”

Su Hui hesitated slightly. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle that kind of high-profile social setting.”

Particularly during a manic phase, Su Hui was deeply worried he might become excessively hyperactive. It would be highly problematic if he started gesticulating wildly over dinner.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to mingle or handle anything. Just walk the red carpet, take a few very short interviews, and then sit down for dinner and chat. If you get bored, you can just go home. It’s incredibly simple.”

Bella tried to persuade him. “And not too many people will fixate on you anyway. Trust me, at these kinds of events, the focus is always on the female celebrities competing for glamour.”

Bella was worried Su Hui might feel intimidated or lost, and she wanted to think of more reasons to convince him. She didn’t expect Su Hui to actively take the initiative on the other end of the line.

“If I go, in what capacity should I attend? A print model?” Su Hui asked.

Bella misinterpreted his meaning. “If you need a spokesperson contract, I can draft one tonight and have my assistant bring it over to you tomorrow.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.”

Su Hui explained, “Bella, I’m actually preparing for my solo exhibition right now, but I’m worried that my lack of mainstream recognition might put a strain on my curator when it comes to attracting sponsors. So I was wondering if attending this event might help in that regard?”

Only then did Bella realize that he was thinking entirely on behalf of his curator, wanting to leverage exposure for sponsorships and investments.

“Of course it will! This gala draws in tons of Hollywood stars and top models every year, and the media exposure is massive. Honestly, exposure is exactly what you need right now. Don’t worry, my mom is the main organizer. We can emphasize your primary identity as an artist and play down the print modeling aspect. We’ll have the interviews focus heavily on your art, how about that?”

Su Hui thought it over, found it highly reasonable, and gladly agreed. “Mm, is there anything I need to prepare in advance?”

“You agree? Fantastic! Then if you have time over the next couple of days, drop by my studio. We’ll lock down your styling and select a jewelry brand sponsorship while we’re at it.”

“Jewelry sponsorship?” Su Hui was puzzled.

“Yeah! After that print ad came out, a lot of high-end jewelry brands felt you were perfect for showcasing their pieces. They even asked me if I had any new shooting schedules lined up. This time, they’ll absolutely be ecstatic to provide their jewelry.”

Hearing her ramble on so earnestly, Su Hui couldn’t help but say, “Thank you, Bella.”

Bella went blank for a second, then smiled. “What is there to thank me for? We’re friends, and we’re business partners. From the very first glance I caught of you, I knew I had to work with you. Turns out, I really do have an eye for hidden gems.”

Su Hui smiled like a child. “Impressive, impressive. Miss Jones is the most capable.”

Upon returning home, Su Hui found that Gelato had made a total mess of the living room. He spent some time cleaning it up and played with Gelato for a while until he was entirely exhausted. He went back to his room, took a shower, and sat at his desk to pay the fees for the letters he had received today.

After completing the payments, Su Hui struck up a conversation with one of the senders, chatting away with great amusement.

A moment later, Gelato trotted into the room again. In his mouth, he was tightly clamping a small, white spherical object, dragging a length of wire along behind him.

“What is this?” Su Hui bent down, took the contraption out of the dog’s mouth, and examined it closely. He still couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but fearing it might be something important, he immediately placed a video call to Ning Yixiao.

Usually, Ning Yixiao was very quick to pick up video calls and phone calls, but this time he didn’t answer immediately. Su Hui waited for a bit, thinking he was probably busy, and was about to cancel the call.

But right at the exact second he decided to hit cancel, the video connected.

Only, the screen on the other side was completely dark; no lights were on, and there was no sound.

“Ning Yixiao?”

“Mm…”

Ning Yixiao’s deep voice drifted through the earphones, carrying a slight raspy graininess. It sounded far lazier than his usual speaking voice—the distinct tone he only had when he had just awoken.

“Were you asleep?” Su Hui felt a pang of guilt. “Then you should go back to sleep. It’s nothing urgent.”

“Just rested on the couch for a bit…” A lamp was switched on within the frame. Ning Yixiao’s face looked exceptionally handsome under the dim light. His hair was slightly messy, stripping away some of that elite edge and replacing it with a touch of boyishness.

“Anything involving you is urgent business.” His voice transmitted through the earphones, sending a wave of warmth rushing through Su Hui’s heart.

Su Hui’s voice dropped lower unconsciously. “Go sleep in bed. How can you get a good rest on the couch?”

“The bed is too big.” Ning Yixiao paused for a moment, his words carrying a rare lack of logic. “I miss you.”

Su Hui’s heart skipped a beat.

That was completely foul play—suddenly using that kind of voice to say things like that.

The restlessness and excitement he had initially managed to suppress flared up once more because of Ning Yixiao.

Before Su Hui could say anything, Ning Yixiao added, “Professor Su is so busy, he definitely doesn’t think about me.”

Su Hui was left slightly tongue-tied by his teasing. “…Who says.”

Ning Yixiao parroted him playfully, “Who says.”

“Alright.” Su Hui didn’t want to keep letting himself get teased, intending to settle the matter quickly so Ning Yixiao could get more rest.

He aimed the trophy he had snatched from Gelato’s jaws directly at the camera. “Look, what is this? Gelato just brought it over in his mouth. It looks like he ripped it down from somewhere.”

Ning Yixiao wasn’t wearing his glasses. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his reaction a beat slow.

A few seconds later, he suddenly realized what it was. His eyes widened slightly, and all sleepiness instantly vanished.

“That’s a pet camera installed in the living room,” Ning Yixiao said honestly.

He hadn’t expected this item to be discovered, let alone in such a manner.

“Oh, I see. But the wire is snapped. Is it broken?” Su Hui examined the torn end with a bit of concern, feeling it was beyond saving.

“It’s fine. If it’s broken, it’s broken.” Ning Yixiao fell silent for a long while.

“Alright then.” Su Hui didn’t want to disturb Ning Yixiao’s sleep any further. “I’ll hang up now. Go back to sleep for a bit.”

To his surprise, Ning Yixiao suddenly spoke up to stop him. “Wait a minute.”

“What’s wrong?”

Ning Yixiao called his name with absolute seriousness. “Su Hui, there’s something I want to confess to you. I’ve wanted to say it for a long time, but I just never found the right opportunity.”

Su Hui was taken aback by his sudden solemnity. “What is it?”

Ning Yixiao wanted to cushion the blow first. “Don’t be angry.”

Su Hui sensed a trap. The little theater inside his mind immediately started operating at full steam; his thoughts ran wild, and his imagination conjured up increasingly absurd scenarios.

No wonder when Ning Yixiao played Truth or Dare, he had specifically asked if Su Hui had ever thought of him while doing that…

Could it be…

Su Hui gasped sharply. “I knew it!”

Ning Yixiao was completely baffled.

He knew?

He had known all along?

Su Hui immediately stood up from his desk, spinning around his room to check everywhere, his tone filled with exaggerated shock: “Did you install these cameras inside my room? What about the bathroom? You didn’t install one in the bathroom too, did you? Then didn’t you see everything when I showered? Ning Yixiao, I knew you liked me, but I didn’t expect you to be this perverted!”

Ning Yixiao surmised that Su Hui must have watched quite a few strange movies recently.

“…I’m really not that perverted.”

“What do you mean?” Su Hui’s racing thoughts slammed on the brakes.

“There’s only that single camera you’re holding in the whole house, and it was placed in the living room. It was originally meant for looking after Gelato when I wasn’t home, and it hadn’t been used for a while. Later, when you stayed over, I was worried about you, so I turned it on for a bit. But it was strictly limited to the living room area. I’m sorry, I know this was highly disrespectful of your privacy.”

Su Hui’s wild imagination ground to a screeching halt.

He fell silent for a moment.

“Ah… so that’s all it was.”

Ning Yixiao felt that his tone even carried a hint of disappointment.

“What, you feel that wasn’t enough?”

“It’s enough, perfectly enough.” Su Hui pursed his lips.

It was just that it deviated slightly from his imagination.

He had thought Ning Yixiao’s infatuation with him had reached an obsessive, borderline insane level. From the looks of it now, the man was still highly rational.

“You aren’t angry, right?” Ning Yixiao asked.

“I’m not angry.” Su Hui shook his head. “You really could have told me in advance, though at that time, I most likely would have refused.”

“Tell me about it.”

Back then, nothing Ning Yixiao did worked. Su Hui wouldn’t agree to anything, refusing this and rejecting that, leaving him entirely helpless.

But he was still astonished by Su Hui’s current stance. “Though isn’t your level of tolerance for this kind of thing a bit too high?”

“It is not. My tolerance is specifically high for you,” Su Hui emphasized.

“Besides, this is meant for pets, and it’s not like they’re everywhere.”

Being granted such special treatment by Su Hui made Ning Yixiao feel immensely gratified, but he still felt surveillance wasn’t right. “It’s just as well that it’s broken. We won’t use it anymore in the future.”

“Then what about Gelato?” Su Hui asked.

“He can manage.”

As if understanding their conversation, Gelato let out a bark in protest.

Time flew by faster than expected.

A week later, Su Hui attended the fashion gala hosted by Bella’s mother alongside Bella.

The theme of this gala was sci-fi futurism, and the venue layout was packed with a high-tech ambiance. The red carpet was assembled from a series of LED lights; the moment one stepped onto it, red ripples would emanate outwards, creating an incredibly interactive experience. The venue’s original domed ceiling was filled with silver reflective panels, looking like a colossal energy storage device.

There were numerous artificial intelligence interaction modules inside the venue, with mirrors and metallic decorations visible everywhere. At the same time, a vast layout of laser lights and moving head lights caught Su Hui’s eyes, making them light up.

He was dressed in a piece from Bella’s self-created brand’s Spring/Summer Haute Couture men’s line—a silver, deep V-neck suit crafted from liquid metallic silk fabric, layered with a standing-collar trench coat of the same color palette, paired with a sapphire silver snake-bone chain.

Drawing inspiration from a futuristic, exotic kingdom, the stylist had curled Su Hui’s silver-white hair into soft waves. The highlight of his makeup was a silver fluorescent eyeliner that would glow with a soft blue luminescence in dimmer lighting.

To complement the diamond tassel gown and liquid metal face mask Bella wore, the stylist had also outfitted Su Hui with a diamond face chain.

The two made their entrance arm-in-arm, stepping onto the red carpet. Su Hui had purposely taken his medication before coming, so his state remained entirely relaxed in front of the flashing cameras and grand stage. Bella, a seasoned regular in high society, waved enthusiastically while striking various sexy and playful poses.

“Alright, let’s head up,” Bella whispered a reminder to Su Hui.

The flashing lights made Su Hui space out slightly. He nodded, matching Bella’s pace as they climbed the stairs.

The place was teeming with celebrities and models attending the gala. Even someone like Su Hui, who paid absolutely no attention to the entertainment industry, could recognize quite a few faces.

The LED screens weren’t like a traditional solid red carpet; he was deeply worried that Bella might trip while wearing her sky-high heels, so he reached out to steady her from time to time.

Having finally scaled the last step, Bella ran off to grab a drink from a waiter, letting Su Hui breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, she hadn’t tripped.

Taking a spill here would definitely hurt a lot, and it might even cause a fracture. Bella definitely wouldn’t be able to stand wearing a plaster cast.

Su Hui began to lose control of his thoughts, going as far as to imagine what kind of flowers he should bring if he had to visit her in the hospital…

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind him, deep and casual.

“Such a gentleman?”

Su Hui’s heart thudded violently. He turned around in utter bewilderment.

Amidst the surging crowds of high society and under the hovering flashbulbs, Ning Yixiao stood clad in a long-awaited black suit. The outfit featured an asymmetrical cut, its fabric adorned with subtle, dark traditional Chinese embroidery patterns. With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his height—nearing 1.9 meters—towered over many of the celebrities present, his aura completely dominating the space.

Su Hui hadn’t anticipated that Ning Yixiao would attend as well. Caught in a wave of pleasant surprise, his pitch rose considerably higher than a moment ago.

“How come you’re here too?”

Ning Yixiao adjusted his cuffs slightly. “The venue setup and artificial intelligence used here today were all sponsored by my company, so they extended an invitation to me as well.”

“So that’s why. You are really amazing.” Su Hui showered him with unreserved praise.

“Su Hui.”

“Mm?” Su Hui tilted his face up unconsciously. The ambient lights fell over his features, making the diamonds on his face chain sway, glittering with dazzling brilliance.

It was incredibly loud here, filled with the sounds of reporters and frantic shutters. Ning Yixiao took a step closer, bowing his head slightly until he was right next to Su Hui’s ear.

“You look beautiful today.”

“It really makes one want to lock you away so that no one else is allowed to look.”

Ning Yixiao maintained an expressionless face, tilting his head slightly. “Am I a pervert?”