Qi Jingming poured him tea: “What kind of gift requires Boss Lin to bring it personally?”

Lin Chen smiled: “An early work of a certain national-level painting master, 100% authentic, the only one of its kind in the world.”

Qi Jingming looked up in surprise: “Oh? Which master?”

Lin Chen answered gravely: “Master Wen Shaozhuo.”

Qi Jingming realised: “So you are the brother of this budding master. I’ve heard so much about you; it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Lin Chen feigned distress: “However, the master has encountered a little trouble recently.”

Qi Jingming listened attentively: “Please go on.”

Lin Chen: “In the early stages of a master’s growth, they are bound to face various obstacles, such as the eye-rolls and obstruction from parents, and the doubts of people around them.”

Qi Jingming: “What is my role as an NPC?”

Lin Chen: “In the gloomy early years of the master’s growth, a top businessman with sharp and farsighted vision saw the value contained within the master. He was the first to collect his paintings and expressed appreciation in front of the master’s parents.”

“His actions greatly weakened the parents’ obstruction, significantly accelerated the master’s growth, and he became a key benefactor in the master’s life. When the master recalled the past in his twilight years, thinking of this Bole who recognized his talent, he was filled with gratitude and wrote him into My Childhood, allowing this grace of recognition to be passed down to future generations along with both their names.”

Qi Jingming pointed out with sharp eyes: “If a top businessman collects, he stocks at least five at a time. Three to wait for appreciation and sell, one to keep at home, and one to place in a museum.”

Lin Chen smiled: “Truly worthy of being a businessman, your appetite is big.”

Qi Jingming sighed: “After thinking about it, I’m still not as good as someone who started from scratch with 0 cases and 0 background but dared to quote an annual salary of thirty million.”

The story of the two was settled just like that.

The next day, Wen Siheng visited the Fang family.

The whereabouts of the Fang family members were erratic. On the day of Wen Siheng’s visit, it happened that Fang Lian had returned to the country to accompany his younger brother at home.

The Fang family villa had changed greatly since the last time he saw it.

Both sides of the entire living room were filled with temporary jewelry stands. Just a cursory glance revealed at least hundreds of jewelry sets.

Fang Ji clinked and clanked, looking a bit embarrassed: “Oh, Little Wen, sorry. I’ve been preparing for a jewelry exhibition recently. There’s too much jewelry, the studio can’t hold it all, so I had to bring it home.”

Fang Ji didn’t wear much jewelry today, only a beret on his head with a small bell sewn onto it.

Seeing Wen Siheng’s curiosity, Fang Ji deliberately bent his head, shook the little bell at Wen Siheng: “Want to touch it?”

Wen Siheng smiled shyly and touched the little bell: “You’re so cute, Brother Fang Ji.”

Now it was Fang Ji’s turn to be embarrassed: “If you like it, I can sew one for you!”

After chatting briefly, Wen Siheng found an excuse to go to Fang Lian’s room alone.

Fang Lian looked at him: “You are Lin Chen’s colleague? Heh, you don’t know how detestable your boss was back then. Clearly, I am the eldest brother of this family, but as soon as he came, I became the second brother for life… You are still young, the road of being a young master is still long, you must not learn from your boss!”

Lin Chen humbly accepted the criticism and responded sincerely: “Definitely, definitely.”

Fang Lian felt that this young man was modest and well-behaved, showing great potential. He didn’t need to hear any stories; he took the painting and simply agreed to the request for help.

Fang Lian: “Isn’t it just helping to reform Uncle and Auntie Wen? I know the process, don’t worry.”

On the third day, Wen Siheng went to the Li family.

Li Yunhui was guarding the empty villa alone; he hadn’t been home much lately. Wen Siheng learned of Li Yunhui’s whereabouts from the Li family butler and carried the gift to the game studio, finally finding Li Yunhui in person.

Li Yunhui was very surprised by Wen Siheng’s visit: “Visiting me?”

Wen Siheng smiled, his eyes curving, and handed over the gift: “Yes, Brother Yunhui. I heard from A’Shao that the current semester transfer rules at B University were actually suggestions Brother Yunhui made to the school back when you were the student council president!”

“Thanks to this rule, A’Shao could apply to transfer to the Art Academy so smoothly. So A’Shao and I always thought that if we had the chance, we must come and thank Brother Yunhui properly! But… sigh, I don’t know if A’Shao can transfer successfully. Recently, A’Shao has been so busy with this matter that his feet barely touch the ground… Anyway, today I’m here on A’Shao’s behalf to give this token of appreciation to Brother Yunhui!”

Li Yunhui took the painting. The image was warm and cozy. An angel with indistinct features was scattering specks of starlight from the clouds. The earth, touched by the starligh,t was full of vitality and lush greenery.

The moment Li Yunhui saw the image, before he could even realize the meaning behind the painting, his mind had already thought of Shuyun.

Shuyun. His Shuyun. His Shuyun, who was as cute and warm as an angel…

Li Yunhui was silent for a while, then carefully put the painting away.

Li Yunhui: “Shaozhuo painted this? It’s amazing! …Did he encounter any problems? Why would the transfer fail? Logically speaking, as long as three teachers from the transfer academy are willing to recommend him, he should be able to ignore all other restrictions and go straight to the transfer interview?”

Wen Siheng said with great distress, “There are no obstacles from the school. After all, Dean Gong of the Art Academy personally invited A’Shao to transfer!”

He lowered his eyes dejectedly: “The problem is Mom and Dad… They always feel that A’Shao’s painting is not doing his proper job. After all, being able to paint a couple of pictures isn’t considered a presentable talent in our circle. So A’Shao might…”

Wen Siheng hemmed and hawed.

Li Yunhui had made peace with Li Zhengshen for a long time.

But as soon as he heard stories of surrendering due to parental oppression, he felt stifled and full of anger!

He immediately said: “What do you mean ‘not a presentable talent’? I have quite a few friends in the circle. Give me three days. After three days, at any youth gathering in the circle, I guarantee all you’ll hear are praises for Shaozhuo’s painting skills!”

Wen Siheng was shocked: “This…?! Brother Yunhui, wouldn’t this be…”

Li Yunhui waved his hand casually and said: “It’s nothing, just consider it making a friend. You can ask around in the circle; I’ve always been very good to my friends.”

His tone changed: “However, there is one thing I hope you can help me ask Shaozhuo. In the game project I have on hand, there’s a character for whom I haven’t been able to find a suitable artist. The feeling of this character is very similar to the angel in this painting. If it’s convenient, please help me ask Shaozhuo if he is willing to help with a trial draft. If suitable, the subsequent manuscript fees are negotiable.”

Wen Siheng naturally had no reason to refuse.

So, he returned home with Li Yunhui’s solemn inquiry and quickly established a bridge of communication between Wen Shaozhuo and Li Yunhui.

On the fourth day, Wen Siheng went to the Cheng family.

Of course, he went to the Cheng family’s old residence where Old Master Cheng was.

Although Old Master Cheng had slowly begun to delegate power in the past year, he hadn’t stepped down from his position yet. He was still considered active in the occasional gatherings of wealthy family heads.

As soon as Old Master Cheng saw him, without a word, he first took him to the chess room.

After a game on the chessboard, Old Master Cheng laughed heartily at Wen Siheng: “You are Little Lin!”

Lin Chen opened his mouth and praised: “Old Master Cheng has piercing eyes!”

But Old Master Cheng’s face changed: “You guy who never gets up early without a profit, coming to play chess with me today, you must have a request, right? Hmph, usually when I ask you to play chess you don’t come, now that you need my help, you know to come and play chess with me!”

Lin Chen sighed leisurely: “It’s not that I don’t want to come. It’s just that the work is special, and I really can’t get away.”

Old Master Cheng was very dissatisfied: “Look at you working overtime every day, how tired you must be. Why don’t you become my godson? I guarantee you’ll get a share when the family property is divided!”

Lin Chen smiled: “That share can’t compare to the money I earn from my own work.”

Seeing that Old Master Cheng still wanted to try, Lin Chen immediately steered the topic to business.

After giving the gift and sighing that “Wen parents’ education really can’t catch up with you, Old Master Cheng,” he casually requested a few good words to improve the public opinion environment around Papa Wen and Mama Wen.

Old Master Cheng listened casually, got happy, and agreed easily.

After Old Master Cheng agreed to the request, he acted very quickly.

He kept Lin Chen in the chess room until dinner time. Only at dinner time did he take him out, bringing along the painting he had just received, and greatly praised Wen Shaozhuo’s work in front of everyone in the Cheng family!

The Cheng family members were long accustomed to Old Master Cheng calling them together every now and then. But a situation like today, specially calling everyone to the old residence for dinner just for such a small matter, was still rare.

For a moment, the eyes of everyone in the Cheng family fell on Wen Siheng, openly or secretly, each guessing how this Little Wen had coaxed the Old Master.

Among these gazes, one seemed particularly scorching.

Wen Siheng was sitting cautiously and seriously on Old Master Cheng’s right hand side at this time, while sitting on Old Master Cheng’s left hand side was Cheng Huanzhen.

The dining table today was long and rectangular.

Therefore, Lin Chen didn’t need to raise his head at all to know who the gaze from across him, which almost materialized into substance, came from.

Lin Chen raised his eyes, gave a polite smile to the young man who was the source of the gaze, then withdrew his gaze and answered the questions of the other Cheng family uncles and aunts cautiously and politely.

Cheng Huanzhen felt that the time during this meal was somewhat unbearable.

Since the conversation in the teahouse that day, this was the first time he had seen his Little Uncle again. During this whole month in between, his Little Uncle always had various reasons not to let him visit.

Either busy with work, or couldn’t get away, or had other arrangements, or wasn’t at home…

He constantly convinced himself that his Little Uncle must be doing this unintentionally. With various objective factors piling up on his Little Uncle, he definitely wasn’t actively avoiding seeing him.

But… why did the time his Little Uncle spent talking to the Third Uncle next door turn out to be longer than the time he spent making eye contact with him!

Cheng Huanzhen rarely felt restless, having no appetite to eat at all.

Finally enduring until the end of dinner, his grandfather enthusiastically invited his Little Uncle back to the chess room to continue their battle from the afternoon!

Cheng Huanzhen couldn’t bear it anymore. He decisively interrupted the conversation between his grandfather and Lin Chen, and said expressionlessly and seriously to his grandfather: “Grandfather, please don’t forget the doctor’s instructions. You need to move around and take a walk for an hour after dinner.”

Old Master Cheng: “…”

Old Master Cheng was slightly annoyed: “I know, I know, do I need you to remind me?”

Saying so, Old Master Cheng finally didn’t continue dragging Lin Chen along.

Cheng Huanzhen diligently waited on the side while his grandfather and Little Uncle chatted for a long time, finally waiting until his Little Uncle stood up to take his leave.

Ten seconds after his Little Uncle left, he also stood up and politely bid farewell to his grandfather to leave.

He hurriedly said to Cheng Zhaorui who had been waiting for him on the side: “Dad, you go back first, don’t wait for me.”

Then he quickly left the old residence.

Where is Little Uncle?

Not here, not there either!

Cheng Huanzhen scanned around anxiously and quickly.

Under the streetlights, in the shadows, his Little Uncle’s figure was nowhere to be seen!

…Where is Little Uncle? Clearly, his Little Uncle only left the table ten seconds earlier than him, how could he be gone already?

Has Little Uncle already left? Why did Little Uncle leave so fast? Why didn’t Little Uncle wait for him? Is Little Uncle really avoiding him?

Cheng Huanzhen’s footsteps slowed down bit by bit.

He lowered his head blankly and dejectedly in this lonely night.

…Maybe, he should call Little Uncle?

But if Little Uncle is really avoiding him, then he…

A steady and gentle scent of sandalwood suddenly embraced him from behind like the wind.

A strand of hair fell on his shoulder.

A voice more steady and magnetic than Wen Siheng’s sounded close to his ear; it was the voice he had only heard during his Little Uncle’s vacation.

“What’s with that expression? Haven’t seen you for a few minutes. Why do you look like you’re about to cry? …Hey, have a strawberry candy; don’t cry.”