Chapter 2: Make a splash
Su Huai's heart was filled with a medley of emotions, unsure of how to respond.
She slowly turned her head, looking at Gu Beixian.
He seldom smiled, but when he did, it was truly charming. It was like a gentle breeze of spring, with eyes dark and clear, shimmering like the vast starry sky and the ocean.
He would soon be with his beloved, and he must be very happy.
Su Huai smiled too, a smile that came after a broken heart. "I also wish you happiness." After saying this, she turned and got into the car.
As the car door closed, tears gushed down, a mixture of new wounds and old pains. It hurt so much that she just wanted to curl up.
The driver lifted the suitcase into the trunk, got into the car, and started the engine.
Watching the car speed away, the smile on Gu Beixian's lips froze in place, and the light in his eyes dimmed bit by bit.
Back at Su's home, Su Huai pulled the suitcase inside.
Seeing her swollen eyes and the suitcase in her hand, Su Peilan was greatly surprised. "Daughter, what's happening to you?"
Su Huai lowered her head to change shoes, feigning calmness. "I'm moving back."
Su Peilan suddenly stood up from the sofa. "Are you separating from Gu Beixian?"
"Yes, his ex-girlfriend has returned."
Su Peilan, upon hearing this, was furious. "Three years ago, Gu Beixian had a car accident, and the doctor said he would be wheelchair-bound for life. His ex-girlfriend abandoned him and ran away! It was you who accompanied him, seeking medical advice domestically and internationally, massaging his legs, taking care of him day and night like a nurse! Now that he can walk and jump, that woman returns. How shameless! As for Gu Beixian, for such an unfeeling and heartless woman, he actually let you go! Is he blind?"
Su Huai bent down and took a check from the suitcase, handing it to her. "This is the compensation he gave."
Su Peilan stared at the long string of zeros on the check, her eyes widening. Counting, there were eight zeros at the end!
"This isn't about money. Can they bully people just because they have money?" Su Peilan's expression softened slightly.
Su Huai, with lowered eyelids, said softly, "In how many divorces, the man doesn't give a penny and even plots against the woman. Some men, to avoid splitting their assets, even kill their wives. Compared to that, Gu Beixian is considered decent."
"But can you swallow this pride?" Su Peilan asked.
Su Huai smiled bitterly, "Otherwise, what? Cry, make a scene, or hang myself? It's not useful. His heart is not with me, forcing him to stay is pointless and impossible. Mom, I'm tired and want to rest for a while."
"Go ahead." Su Peilan looked at her with aching eyes and sighed.
This child was too easygoing, making people feel heartbroken.
Su Huai turned and went into the bedroom.
This sleep lasted for two days and two nights.
Scared, Su Peilan came in from time to time to check her breathing.
In fact, Su Huai didn't sleep much; she just didn't want to move. She didn't feel hungry either, her body was weak, and her heart seemed to be missing a large piece, making her feel as if the sky had collapsed.
On the third day, she struggled to get up.
After cleaning up, she called Gu Beixian. "Is the divorce agreement ready? When are we going to handle the formalities?"
Gu Beixian remained silent for a moment and said, "I'm on a business trip, let's talk about it when I get back."
"Okay, I'll go to work now. Call me in advance when you return."
"So soon you found a job? Where is it?" His tone was concerned.
"At an antique shop. They have been calling me to come over."
"Don't overwork yourself. If you need money, tell me." His voice was low and gentle, like moonlight, enticing.
Su Huai felt a pain in her heart and said distantly, "I don't need it, thank you."
After breakfast, Su Huai took a taxi to Antique Treasures.
The one receiving her was the young master of the shop, Shen Huai.
Wearing a light blue shirt and khaki trousers, tall and elegant, with a clean and gentle temperament.
After introducing Su Huai to the people downstairs, Shen Huai took her upstairs to meet the senior appraisal expert of the shop, Cui Shousheng.
"Cui Lao, this is Su Huai, the successor of 'Master of Restoration' Su Lao. Su Huai specializes in restoring ancient books and paintings. In the future, she will be our shop's cultural relic restoration expert. If you have any uncertainties, you can consult her."
Cui Shousheng, almost sixty years old, looked at Su Huai through his reading glasses.
A girl in her twenties, claiming to be a cultural relic restoration expert?
In his time, he was still an apprentice. The young master praised her so much, even asking him to consult her when needed!
He agreed on the surface but was very dissatisfied in his heart!
When Shen Huai left, he asked Su Huai, "Xiao Su, how many years have you been in this profession at such a young age?"
Su Huai smiled faintly, "Over ten years."
Cui Shousheng couldn't believe it, "How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-three."
Cui Shousheng thought, "This young lady is not very old, yet quite capable of boasting. Let's see if she can live up to it!"
In this profession, one relies on genuine skills; merely relying on eloquence is insufficient.
While saying this, a staff member from downstairs came up to invite someone.
Su Huai and Cui Shousheng descended the stairs.
They encountered a man in his thirties holding a dirty, old antique painting, inquiring if it could be restored.
Cui Shousheng cast his eyes over the painting, which was far from being considered as such. It was dark, tattered, wrinkled, and riddled with wormholes.
For damages of this extent, only top-tier restoration experts in the country could have some confidence.
Cui Shousheng looked at Su Huai with a smirk and said, "Little Su, everyone is watching you. Don't disappoint them."
Su Huai walked over, carefully examining the painting. She said to the customer, "It can be restored."
Upon hearing this, the customer was delighted. "Who will do the restoration, and how long will it take?"
"I will. It will take three days."
"You?" The customer scrutinized Su Huai, a girl in her twenties, with skepticism. "This is an authentic work by Wang Jian, one of the 'Four Wangs' from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties! Its auction price starts at millions. Don't ruin it for me!"
Others also looked at Su Huai with doubtful eyes. Three days? That seemed too ambitious.
Cui Shousheng smirked, playing with his beard. "Little Su, you young people are bold, which is good, but you also need to know your limits. If you ruin this for the customer, it will damage the reputation of our Antique Treasures. Even top restoration experts wouldn't dare claim they could fix it in three days. It takes them months or even years to restore a piece like this."
Implying: Don't overestimate your capabilities!
Su Huai spoke firmly, "Three days is sufficient. If I damage it, I will compensate double the market value."
The customer, wanting to restore the painting for auction, immediately agreed, "Words alone are not enough; let's sign a contract."
"Agreed."
After estimating the price and signing the contract, Su Huai took the antique painting to the upstairs restoration room.
She pushed open the door.
Inside were two semi-tall solid red wooden tables, equipped with various restoration tools such as brushes, sheepskin knives, sheepskin towels, sheep hair brushes, and rice paper.
The restoration of ancient books and paintings mainly involves four processes: washing, revealing, patching, and completion.
Su Huai instructed someone to boil a pot of hot water. Using a brush dipped in hot water, she began carefully washing the antique painting.
Each stroke was meticulous, aiming to clean the stains without causing harm to the fragile paper fibers of the artwork.
It might sound simple, but in practice, it was challenging.
Fortunately, she had been restoring ancient paintings with her grandfather since childhood, becoming adept at such tasks.
Grandparents of Gu Beixian also loved collecting antiques. Over the past two years, she had almost exclusively taken over the restoration work of their ancient books and paintings.
Not to mention paintings of this level, she had restored even older and more damaged ones.
With time running out, Su Huai was busy for the next few days.
Being occupied had its merits; it allowed her to temporarily forget about Gu Beixian, diluting even the sadness.
Three days later, the customer came to collect the painting.
Su Huai brought the restored antique painting to the first floor.
The customer, looking at the now completely transformed painting, was astonished. "Is this the painting I brought? Haven't you switched it out?"
Cui Shousheng, the manager, and the staff were also shocked.
The mountainous landscape depicted in the painting was now undulating, with steep and precipitous peaks, lush greenery in the mountains, vividly brought to life.
Was this the same painting that was previously a ragged, indecipherable piece?
Su Huai said calmly, "We can verify its authenticity with instruments."
After the verification, the customer gave Su Huai a thumbs up and left, satisfied with the painting.
Word spread like wildfire. The entire antique street knew that Antique Treasures had a young and beautiful antique painting restoration expert, only in her early twenties but with skills comparable to a national-level restoration master!
In the evening, Gu Beixian called, "My car is parked in front of your shop. Come out."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Su Huai's heart throbbed with pain.
She glanced at her watch and whispered, "It's getting dark now. Going to the Civil Affairs Bureau is too late. Can we go tomorrow morning?"
Gu Beixian fell silent for a moment. "Grandma wants to see us, saying it's something very important."
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