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墨書 Inktalez
I stood outside the gallery, looking through the cold glass at that figure.
It had been two years since we last met. He seemed a bit thinner, his hair cut short. The lines of his profile were still strong, but he lacked the former arrogance and had taken on a more somber demeanor.
He was looking at my painting.
The piece depicted me at eighteen, wearing faded denim overalls, standing in front of an easel with a carefree smile on my face, my eyes sparkling with dreams of art and the future.
That was me… a youth I could never return to.
He stood there for a long time, motionless, like a silent statue.
What was he thinking? Was he reminiscing about the past? Or regretting that he had snuffed out the light in my eyes with his own hands?
Perhaps neither.
He was simply admiring a piece… a “treasure” he once possessed but had lost.
“Lin Wan Jie, why aren’t you leaving?” A colleague’s voice pulled me back to reality.
“Nothing,” I replied casually, pulling my gaze away. “This gallery isn’t interesting; let’s go check out somewhere else.”
I turned and walked away without looking back.
Inside the gallery, Chen Yi seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around!
His gaze pierced through the glass, locking onto my retreating figure with precision!
I felt that intense, shocked, and ecstatic stare stick to my back like fire.
But I didn’t stop.
I even quickened my pace, almost fleeing in panic.
Not out of fear.
But out of disgust.
Disgust at being associated with him in any way, disgust at being targeted again by his obsessive gaze.
“Lin Wan!”
His hoarse voice called out from behind me, filled with disbelief.
I ignored it, pulling my colleague into a small alley nearby, completely cutting off his suffocating gaze.
"Lin Wan Jie, are you okay? Your face looks so pale," my colleague asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired," I forced a smile.
Back at the hotel, I immediately called Su Qing.
"Qing Qing, what happened to that self-portrait of mine?" I asked straightforwardly.
Su Qing paused for a moment on the other end of the line before her tone turned angry. "Lan Wan! I knew it! I knew he had bad intentions!"
"What happened?"
"That bastard Chen Yi! He somehow found out that I had taken your paintings away and sent someone to look for me! At first, he wanted to buy them at a high price, but I refused. Then… then he threatened me! He said if I didn’t give him the paintings, he would…" Su Qing's voice was filled with grievance and fear. "Lan Wan, I'm sorry… I couldn’t protect that painting…"
I fell silent.
The last flicker of hope in my heart was completely extinguished.
Coercion and temptation.
This was Chen Yi's true nature.
The so-called photography exhibition and the so-called art purchase were merely his means to get close to me and entangle me further.
All his regrets and changes were nothing but nonsense!
"It's not your fault, Qing Qing," I comforted her. "I underestimated his shamelessness."
After hanging up the phone, a chill settled in my heart.
The next day, we finished our business trip and returned to the small town.
As soon as I got off the train, I spotted a familiar figure at the exit.
Chen Yi.
He had clearly rushed over overnight, still wearing the wrinkled suit from yesterday. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and stubble had appeared on his face, making him look disheveled.
Yet in his eyes burned a wild, almost frenzied light of something regained.
When he saw me, he immediately strode over and blocked my path.
“Lan Wan!” His voice was hoarse, filled with uncontainable excitement and… a hint of humility? “You… you’re really here…”
The colleagues accompanying me looked surprised at the scene unfolding.
“Lin Wan Jie, this is…”
“I don’t know him,” I coldly replied, brushing past him and attempting to move forward.
“Lan Wan!” He suddenly grabbed my wrist with an astonishing force. “You don’t recognize me?! I’m Chen Yi! I’m your husband!”
“Ex-husband.” I forcefully shook off his hand, grimacing in disgust. “Mr. Chen, please have some self-respect! We are already divorced!”
“I didn’t agree to it!” He stubbornly blocked my path, his eyes bloodshot like a wounded beast. “That divorce doesn’t count! I don’t acknowledge it!”
“Whether you acknowledge it or not has nothing to do with me.” My voice was as cold as ice. “Legally, we have no relationship anymore. Please step aside and don’t obstruct me.”
“I won’t let you go!” He tightened his grip on my arm, the pressure increasing to the point where it felt like he might crush my bones. “Lan Wan, come back with me! I was wrong! I truly realize my mistakes! Just give me one more chance, please! I beg you!”
He was actually… begging me?
The once arrogant Chen Yi was now pleading with me in such a humble tone in front of everyone?
People around us had begun to gather, whispering and pointing.
I felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and anger.
“Let go of me!” I struggled. “Chen Yi, don’t make me call the police!”
“Go ahead and call them!” He seemed to have lost all restraint, holding onto me tightly. “Unless you come with me, I’ll stay here and drag this out with you all day!”
His entanglement, his madness, his self-degradation only made me feel disgusted.
Was this what he called realizing his mistakes?
It was nothing more than hysteria after losing control.
“Chen Yi.” I stopped struggling, lifted my head, and looked at him coldly, my eyes filled with disdain and revulsion. “What do you think you look like right now?”
His expression faltered under my gaze.
“Like a… tail-wagging dog begging for scraps,” I said slowly and deliberately. “Unfortunately, I can’t even be bothered to throw you a bone.”
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