Chapter 77: N. It Follows Naturally

Su Hui’s leave came to an end, and despite his reluctance, he returned to New York from the Bay Area.

While waiting for his flight at the airport, he unexpectedly received a call from the leadership of his academy. The content boiled down to two main points: first, to inform Su Hui that a highly renowned independent curator had contacted the academy, offering an olive branch with the desire to collaborate with him to plan Su Hui’s first solo exhibition.

The second piece of news was that the academy wanted to offer him a slot to study abroad for advanced training.

Reading between the lines, Su Hui understood the academy’s intention. This slot was not merely for advanced training; rather, through this study opportunity, Su Hui would meet the academy’s recruitment criteria for teaching staff, thereby allowing them to retain him.

Su Hui remained noncommittal. The reason he had stayed there all this time was largely because of Professor White.

Therefore, after hanging up the phone, Su Hui called Professor White. The professor seemed to have learned this news even earlier than he did.

“Congratulations, you are about to have your very first solo exhibition. You must prepare well.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Thinking of the advanced training proposed by the academy, Su Hui’s words carried a bit of hesitation. “It’s just that I don’t know if I really need to go to the UK for advanced training like the academy said…”

“This is just their way of retaining you,” Professor White said. “You will have plenty of opportunities in the future. There is no need to be confined to a specific position. No installation creator absolutely must be a university professor. Moreover, an art academy that prioritizes pragmatism above all else isn’t all that suitable for you anyway.”

“I’ve learned a lot here too,” Su Hui had to admit.

Even though back then he was merely auditing classes and did not possess the actual qualifications to study there.

“Eddy, when you are free, you can go anywhere and learn anything you want to learn.”

Su Hui suddenly saw the light. He could always obtain the guidance he needed most from Professor White.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Upon returning to New York, Bella made an appointment with Su Hui immediately.

They were both very busy, so they only had a casual midday light meal.

“You look like you’re in a great state,” Su Hui looked at Bella. “Radiant.”

Bella said with a smile, “Thank you. Since the media reported the cancellation of the fake engagement, I finally don’t have to be manipulated by Chloe anymore. Plus, I made quite a fortune from this fake engagement.”

“Not to mention the trust funds and real estate—a while ago, Shaw gave me his e-commerce resources, which is exactly what I wanted most. With him bridging the connection, my brand’s e-commerce channels have been set up. Add to that the explosive popularity of your print advertisement; now short video platforms, big and small, are all doing makeup tutorials and replica shoots. The new season’s brand sales have quadrupled, and the shareholders are simply blooming with joy. My dad isn’t angry with me anymore either; after all, who told me to be more capable than my older brothers?”

Hearing her rattle on, Su Hui couldn’t help but smile too. “No wonder you are so busy now that you can’t even have a proper lunch.”

Bella sighed. “I haven’t slept well for several days. Recently there have been several haute couture projects for celebrities… Let’s not talk about those. Eddy, inviting you out today is actually for a few work-related matters.”

“What is it?” Su Hui saw her take out some documents from that huge tote bag.

Bella handed over the documents. “Didn’t I just say your print ad went viral? You have no idea, I’ve been bombarded with phone calls from these modeling agencies during this period. They are all asking me who you are and wanting to sign you.”

Su Hui took them over to look; they were letters of intent for cooperation from modeling agencies. The names of these few companies were very familiar, to the extent that even an outsider like him had heard of them.

“But…” Su Hui didn’t pay attention to the terms they offered. “I was only doing you a favor at the time. I didn’t really want to enter this industry.”

“I understand.” Bella shrugged. “I’m also just helping to pass them along. And I know your personality; doing this line of work would drain your energy heavily.”

“However, if you want to try a different lifestyle, you can also cooperate with me and serve solely as the exclusive model for my personal brand. I will give you much, much more freedom and compensation than they do, how about it?”

Su Hui smiled. “Why do I feel like you’re playing a trick on me? First giving me other people’s collaborations knowing I won’t accept, and then throwing out your own.”

“You’re too smart. This little negotiation tactic of mine was completely seen through by you.” Bella pursed her lips. “But everything is up to you to decide. If you want to, you are welcome anytime.”

After finishing lunch, Bella still handed over all the letters of intent to him, and also proposed inviting him to attend the fashion gala hosted by her mother’s magazine company, asking Su Hui to consider it.

Su Hui arrived at the hospital. His grandmother looked to be in a good state, even able to get out of bed and walk around, though it couldn’t be for too long. Despite this, Su Hui was very satisfied.

He discovered that on his grandmother’s nightstand, there was actually the magazine with him on the cover. The edges were already curled from being flipped through, indicating it had been read many times.

So Su Hui told his grandmother about his recent career developments, and she was very happy.

“Our Xiao Hui will only get better and better in the future.”

Su Hui leaned against his grandmother’s knees. “You will get better and better too.”

His grandmother didn’t mention Ning Yixiao, so Su Hui didn’t say anything either. Even though they were very sweet now, the past breakup had caused a major psychological barrier for him, making it very difficult to confess his romance to his family, even though he knew his grandmother would support him no matter what.

But Su Hui still brooded over it.

Whether six years ago or now, possessing Ning Yixiao felt like a fragile, beautiful dream. Su Hui managed it even more carefully than in the past, deeply afraid of it shattering again.

His life had seen immense ups and downs—from possessing everything at birth to losing everything in the blink of an eye. He actually didn’t care that much about fame and wealth, but since this romance had been given a second chance, Su Hui also hoped he could become better.

At least to be a good match for the current Ning Yixiao.

Under the academy’s introduction, Su Hui met with the independent curator named Keisha.

The other party was a tall Black woman with her curly hair tied behind her head, long limbs, and rocking magenta lipstick, looking more like a model than he did.

And Keisha’s very first gaze at him was filled with pleasant surprise.

The weather in New York that day was rare and beautiful, and they had arranged to meet at Trinity Church located on Wall Street.

At five o’clock in the afternoon, when Keisha arrived near the church on foot, she spotted Su Hui almost at a glance—even though prior to this, she had no idea what this artist actually looked like because he kept such a low profile.

The street was filled with people coming and going; commuting professionals off work, tourists, and devout religious believers could be seen everywhere. Amidst this hurried scene, Su Hui sat on a bench to one side of this Gothic church, quietly reading a book. His right hand hung down, fingers holding a cigarette, with smoke curling around his side.

He wore a greyish-brown trench coat, his silver-white hair half-tied up, drenched by the spring sunset. His entire being was gilded with a very light layer of gold, as if blending into one with this church.

Intuition drove Keisha closer, coming to a stop in front of him.

“You are Eddy Sue, right?”

Su Hui raised his head, his eyes a bit innocent.

“Yes.”

He closed his book, stood up, and revealed a soft smile.

The two found an outdoor terrace booth at a café to chat.

“Guess what just happened?” Keisha started a very typical American-style chat. “I passed by your billboard.”

Su Hui’s eyes widened slightly, the smile on his face becoming more obvious. “Really?”

“That’s right, it was absolutely you.” Keisha’s expression was exaggerated to the point of being a bit childish. “I saw you just as I walked near the church, and thought to myself, ‘No way, don’t tell me the artist I’m going to collaborate with is the person in that fashion blockbuster advertisement.'”

Su Hui was amused by her, making small hand gestures as he spoke. “Did you feel it wasn’t very good?”

Keisha gave a loud “No”. “I feel fantastic! How cool is that? I mean, you are an installation artist, yet you have such outstanding looks. If you stand right next to it during every artwork exhibition, I think the number of people coming to see the exhibition would double.”

“Stop joking.” Su Hui felt she was being too exaggerated, though it was the kind that people liked.

“Last time at Chloe’s photography exhibition, for that installation art, I went to the Aldo Hotel to watch it four times.” Keisha lit a cigarette. Just as she was about to put it to her lips, she hesitated for a moment and asked Su Hui, “Do you mind?”

Su Hui smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine.”

Only then did Keisha take a puff, exhaling the smoke, and casually returned to the previous topic, “It was fucking brilliant.”

Hearing the word “fucking”, Su Hui couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you.”

Keisha had a straightforward personality, pulling out a notebook to display her shortlisted venues.

“These are all the art museums I contacted that I think are good, and they are very willing. If possible, for this solo exhibition, I hope we can make it a long-term exhibition—open to the public for at least four months, or even a tour. Of course, everything depends on your wishes.”

Su Hui carefully looked at every location Keisha selected. Several of them were art museums he personally held in high regard. Now that his own works could be displayed in these places, to Su Hui, it felt like a dream.

“What’s wrong?” Keisha noticed he was spacing out.

“Nothing.” Su Hui pulled back his scattered attention and smiled. “These venues are all very good. I like them all very much.”

Keisha revealed a smile full of quite a sense of accomplishment, her teeth flashing snowy white. “Wonderful! Then for the specific selection, we also need to combine it with the artworks to ensure the most perfect effect as much as possible. Feel free to raise any requirements; as long as it’s a resource I can contact, it can be fulfilled for you.”

“Thank you.”

“No, I should thank you too,” Keisha said to him. “It’s been a long time since I felt so full of passion for my work like I do now. It only happened after looking at your artwork.”

After saying that, she raised her hand, putting up a high-five posture.

Su Hui smiled and high-fived Keisha.

“Then let’s work hard together.”

Ever since the work for the solo exhibition was finalized, Su Hui immersed himself in the workshop every day.

He hoped that the birthday gift he intended to give to Ning Yixiao could serve as the core artwork of the solo exhibition. This was what Su Hui dreamed of, so he worked exceptionally hard, almost without sleep or rest.

The only rest time was video calling Ning Yixiao.

“My company is going to expand its campus, and we might have a branch office in New York too.”

In the camera lens, Ning Yixiao wore a very casual greyish-white hoodie and a baseball cap, making Su Hui involuntarily think of how he looked six years ago.

It was as if nothing had changed.

Noticing his spacing out, Ning Yixiao purposely said, “So unfocused, who are you thinking about?”

Su Hui snapped back. “Thinking about you.”

“Don’t lie,” Ning Yixiao said.

“Fine,” Su Hui admitted, “I’m thinking of the 21-year-old Ning Yixiao.”

Ning Yixiao gave a meaningful nod. “I see. Looks like I have to find a way to travel back in time and take him out.”

Su Hui was amused by him, then corrected his thought in a serious manner, “No, no, then the 20-year-old Su Hui would die.”

“Alright.” Ning Yixiao pretended to be magnanimous, raising an eyebrow. “Letting him off for the sake of the kitten.”

Su Hui shared the progress of his solo exhibition with him. “I feel very fulfilled every day. Although I sleep very little, I’ve done a whole lot of things. And Bella also agreed to share that previous artwork for the exhibition, so I don’t have to worry about the quantity of artworks. Do you think I should contact that anonymous collector from before? He felt like a very good person; maybe he would be willing to lend it to me too.”

He said a lot in one breath. Ning Yixiao listened attentively, not expecting the topic to loop right back onto his own head.

“That Sean?” Ning Yixiao pretended to ponder. “You can try asking him. If he’s unwilling, there’s nothing that can be done.”

“I think he should agree, and I also want to invite him to attend my solo exhibition.” When talking about the things he liked to do, Su Hui’s eyes were bright. “How do you think I should convince him?”

You don’t need to convince him at all.

Ning Yixiao answered in his heart.

On the contrary, it was he who had to think carefully about how to muddle through.

Ning Yixiao even generated the thought of confessing directly.

“Ning Yixiao, you will come too, right? Although the opening period is very long, I want you to come on the very first day.”

Su Hui tilted his face up, his tone unconsciously carrying more of a spoiled, coaxing edge than before.

Ning Yixiao nodded. “Of course, I will head over ahead of time to accompany you.”

“I couldn’t sleep last night and discovered a 24-hour bookstore. I went in and bought a dozen books.” Su Hui revealed a regretful expression, sighing, “What a waste, what a waste.”

“Can you carry them back? I’ll find someone to help you.”

“That’s not the point, is it?” Su Hui felt Ning Yixiao was so strange.

“What’s the point?”

Su Hui pursed his lips, full of vexation. “The point is that I carelessly spent money again. Although working for Bella brought in quite a bit, spending like this is really wasteful.”

After all, he had gone through times when he was very strapped for cash. Back then, even if his manic phase hit and he desperately wanted to buy things, he couldn’t just recklessly buy like a little young master; at most, he would buy himself some chocolates he normally couldn’t bear to eat. Yet once the manic phase passed, he would feel regretful over those chocolates.

“A few days ago, I also just bought a huge pile of pigments. The room can’t even hold them anymore.”

Ning Yixiao, however, smiled. “Then let’s switch to a bigger house.”

“Ning Yixiao, your brain really works differently from ordinary people.”

“As long as it’s the same as yours.”

Ending the call with Su Hui, Ning Yixiao swam for an hour. After taking a shower, he returned to his office desk to handle new work.

He saw an email sent by Charles, which contained the video he had requested previously.

Ning Yixiao watched the entire process of that perverted shop owner being retaliated against with an expressionless face.

These people carrying criminal records did things for money and were fully prepared to be detained. When beating someone up, they knew best how to cause the most pain while maximizing the avoidance of complications.

Watching that old man tied up and dumped under the bed with a face full of terror, Ning Yixiao didn’t feel much.

His capacity for empathy had always been very low.

Even though the core philosophy of the company he founded was to let artificial intelligence satisfy human emotional needs, in reality, even he himself couldn’t achieve this point.

Su Hui was completely the opposite; his capacity for empathy far exceeded ordinary people. From strangers to every single blade of grass or tree, he would put himself in their shoes to empathize.

He was like the interface for Ning Yixiao to generate an emotional connection with this world.

For all the people who had harmed Su Hui, Ning Yixiao felt no punishment was too severe, and death wouldn’t even expiate their crimes. Because no matter how hard he tried, those harms had already genuinely occurred; every single wound clearly manifested and remained unhealed to this day.

Ning Yixiao replied to the email, offering his thanks to Charles. Soon after, he received a call from Charles.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to thank me just yet, there is more besides this.”

“Didn’t you give me a nurse’s information before? My wife’s younger sister happens to work in the home healthcare system. I asked her for a favor, and sure enough, she found some clues.”

Charles sent the data over. “Look, these are the employers she served. She contacted these few employers, and heard them say that this Danni was actually very rich before, and only came to work as a home nurse later when she ran out of money.”

It must be that Xu Zhi cut off the funds provided to her.

“I obtained Danni’s bank card numbers from the employers. One of them is an account at a certain private bank, and I remember you are a premium user there. This is likely a clue, because later on she emphasized to her employers not to wire the salary into this card, and switched to a different card.”

Ning Yixiao understood.

This card was very likely the transaction channel between Danni and Xu Zhi, and also crucial evidence.

He recorded the card number and sent it to his financial assistant.

“I suggest you still try to look for her for a face-to-face talk. After all, she is very short of money right now; maybe she would be willing to help you for some remuneration.”

Charles said, “Relying on my intuition of so many years, I feel she isn’t entirely bad. Think about it, actually after the psychiatric hospital went bankrupt, Danni could have completely confined Eddy and continued to extort that stepfather. After all, as long as he was around, she would have a continuous stream of money, but she didn’t do so, indicating she still has a bit of conscience.”

Ning Yixiao agreed with this point. “She refused to meet with me, but I will have my assistant continue to contact her to see what kind of conditions she wants.”

“Also, I had someone investigate that Xu Zhi you mentioned. He’s a tough character.”

Charles spoke candidly, “You are currently in the IPO stage. Actually, I don’t suggest you meddle in his affairs right now. You know, this is very sensitive, and many things can’t be done just because one has money.”

Ning Yixiao naturally knew. The existing resources he held were severed from that domestic circle; money and power could be linked, but they were never an overlapping relationship.

“The duration of time doesn’t matter, but I must watch him go to prison.”

“It’s not impossible.” Charles smiled. “I asked a lawyer friend in China to help investigate. He said their internal power struggles are very severe recently, and they are highly cautious about every small issue. If you really grasp enough dirt, you can give it a try, as long as you can ensure you stay out of it.”

“I understand.”

Ning Yixiao knew that right now, besides continuing to investigate Xu Zhi, what he needed even more was a knife to pierce open Xu Zhi’s true face on his behalf.

But up until now, he hadn’t found a suitable candidate. Su Hui definitely wouldn’t do; he even hoped Su Hui wouldn’t be involved in any single part of it, otherwise it would be very dangerous.

A good choice would be Xu Zhi’s competitor. But setting aside whether Ning Yixiao could contact such a person, even if he did, the conflict of interests involved was exceptionally complex. There was no telling if the other party might suddenly turn coat one day, leaving him losing both the bait and the fish.

“Don’t be anxious, cast a long line to catch a big fish.” Charles said with a smile, “I actually defended such a person before. We won at the time, and this client also thought he could sit back and relax, but within a few years he still went in; even God couldn’t save him. Once a person sits in a high position and things go smoothly, they will commit more wrongdoings, and by then it will be too late to turn back.”

A man who commits many injustices is doomed to destroy himself.

It wasn’t that Ning Yixiao didn’t understand this truth, but he still wanted it to happen as fast as possible.

The next morning, after finishing a meeting with collaborators, Ning Yixiao returned to his office and received a message from Jingming.

[Jingming: I finally understand now.]

[Workaholic: What?]

[Jingming: You said Su Hui would have a very strong desire to shop during his manic phases. I didn’t feel that way before; he doesn’t look like that kind of person at all, and besides, he doesn’t seem to have much desire to consume.]

[Workaholic: The things he buys are a bit different, not the brand-name luxury goods kind.]

[Jingming: That’s exactly what I’m trying to say! Guess what I discovered?]

[Jingming: Shares web link]

Ning Yixiao clicked on the URL he sent. It was a secondhand trading website; speaking of which, this website was actually a small project Jingming had invested in previously.

The page displayed a project named “Letter Collection”, and the initiator was precisely Su Hui.

What he wanted to purchase were letters written by others. There were no restrictions or requirements; ones written or received were both fine, as long as they were handwritten letters, and the quantity was unlimited—the more the better.

Staring at the description information on the page and the small symbols Su Hui would use during his manic phases, Ning Yixiao couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth.

[Jingming: What do you think he’s buying this for?]

[Workaholic: Naturally he has his reasons.]

[Jingming: Aren’t you going to rein in your little artist!]

[Workaholic: If the little artist is happy, he can even buy an elephant, what does this count as. As long as he’s happy.]

__

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Every day there seem to be friends caring about the ending. Actually, it is pretty much wrapping up now. What’s left later is just the strike back against the antagonist, Xiao Hui’s career development, and some minor twists and turns (should just be these). It’s estimated to be soon, but because I write as I go without a backlog, I might not be able to predict the number of chapters very accurately.