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The date was set at a restaurant near Nickel Street. It was not far from Qiluo Ling's apartment, which was the only area she was familiar with.
Qiluo Ling walked out of her apartment and took a ten-minute stroll to the restaurant. The restaurant was located on a quiet path not far from Nickel Street. The lush trees along the road added elegance to the restaurant, which was a brick-red building.
As Qiluo Ling stepped into the restaurant, she was greeted by an antique decor style, with walls made of red bricks, maroon tables and chairs, and tall metal candlesticks. White candles on the wall shelves burned brightly, their red flames flickering gently in the air. Colorful paintings adorned the walls, framed in ornate designs featuring flowers and exaggerated humorous characters, as well as charming landscapes.
Before long, Liu Shiran, dressed in a red coat, appeared at the café entrance with a tall foreign man. Qiluo Ling stood up and waved to them. The two approached her one after the other.
"Long time no see! I missed you!" Liu Shiran stepped forward and gave Qiluo Ling a warm hug.
"I missed you too," Qiluo Ling replied with a smile.
"Let me introduce you; this is my friend Miss Qiluo Ling, and this is my boyfriend Jacques," Liu Shiran teased, winking at Qiluo Ling.
Qiluo Ling was taken aback for a moment but quickly regained her composure. Liu Shiran's love life seemed so fickle, appearing and disappearing in an instant; Qiluo Ling even doubted whether Liu Shiran's feelings had ever truly existed.
"Hello, Miss Qi, nice to meet you!" Mr. Jacques extended his right hand politely. They shook hands lightly before taking their seats.
Qiluo Ling glanced at Jacques; he was under thirty years old, with dark brown long hair, dark skin, and black eyes. Besides having an artistic aura, his features were not particularly striking.
At that moment, the waiter approached them. The three picked up the menus and ordered roasted lamb chops, roasted chicken, and red vegetable soup. Following the waiter's suggestion, they ordered a bottle of red wine.
"How long have you known each other?" Qiluo Ling asked with a smile.
"Not even a week. When I first saw him, I felt like we were old friends reuniting after a long separation," Liu Shiran said sweetly as she looked at Jacques. Jacques nodded and affectionately embraced her.
Suddenly, Liu Shiran seemed to remember something and opened her handbag to search for something.
"By the way, I almost forgot; I have a gift for you."
After speaking, Liu Shiran took out a pink gift box and handed it to Qiluo Ling.
"Thank you, you are too kind."
Qiluo Ling opened the gift box, untied the bow on top, and lifted the lid. Inside was a light purple hairpin adorned with deep blue agate, sparkling beautifully.
"I wonder if you like it?"
"Thank you, I really like it. The hairpin is beautiful, and your taste is excellent," Qiluo Ling praised.
"I can't choose gifts; this one was picked by Jacques. After all, he is an artist, so his aesthetic sense is quite unique."
"May I ask what kind of art Mr. Jacques is involved in?" Qiluo Ling asked curiously.
"Jacques studied fine arts before, but now he works at a museum preparing for exhibitions."
"What kind of work does he do?"
"Mainly collecting and organizing information on classical historical paintings."
Just then, the waiter interrupted their conversation, bringing roasted lamb chops, roasted chicken, and red vegetable soup to the table, along with a bottle of red wine which he poured into elegant wine glasses.
During the meal, Qiluo Ling asked Jacques detailed questions about styles of painting, famous museums, and locations of private galleries along with their main collections. Jacques patiently answered each question.
"Miss Qi, do you enjoy painting now?" Liu Shiran asked in confusion.
"Yes, I am a bit interested now," Qiluo Ling replied.
The three of them had finished their meal, and the waiter cleared the dishes and brought out dessert.
"Mr. Jacques, is your work usually busy?" Qiluo Ling asked.
"Now that the preparations for the museum exhibition are nearing completion, there are hardly any particularly important matters. Recently, I've just been handling some trivial tasks," Jacques replied.
"Then I would like to ask you for a favor," Qiluo Ling said, having thought a lot about it and trying to maintain a calm tone.
"What is it?" Jacques and Liu Shiran both asked in surprise, putting down their desserts and looking at her intently.
"I hope Mr. Jacques can take me to visit private galleries or museums in the city. In other words, I hope Mr. Jacques can be my guide. Of course, I will pay for your services."
Mr. Jacques fell silent for a moment and then said, "You understand this so well and still want to pay me to be your guide. Perhaps your interest goes beyond just a love for painting?"
"Yes, my real purpose is to find a painting," Qiluo Ling thought for a moment and said.
"I can actually help with that. You don't even need to go to galleries or museums; as long as you can tell me the name of the painting and the author, I can find out which collector has it from the online database of artworks. Can you tell me whose work you are looking for? What is the name of the painting?"
"I don't know whose work it is, nor do I know the name of the painting."
Jacques exchanged puzzled glances with Liu Shiran and then said, "Since you don't know the name of the painting or the artist, how can you be sure you're looking for a painting? Isn't that contradictory? Isn't that a paradox?"
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