CH 36.2

Chapter 36.2 – Precursors to Conflict

A pair of warm hands covered Chen Li’s slightly cold hands, Wei Chen lowered his head and said softly in Chen Li’s ear: “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter if you can’t draw me, how long have we known each other now? When you can draw me later, I’ll let you draw me every day, okay?”

As Wei Chen’s low and gentle voice got into Chen Li’s ears, Chen Li’s tightly clenched hand slowly loosened. He turned and looked at Wei Chen, his eyes were still blank, but Wei Chen could understand the meaning in his eyes.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind. My family’s Li Li is so powerful, you will definitely paint me perfectly in the future.” After speaking, Wei Chen stretched out his hand and rubbed Chen Li’s hair, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

Chen Li didn’t look away, but raised his hand, and his cold fingers fell on Wei Chen’s face, gently and somewhat shyly, tracing Wei Chen’s facial features, as if to engrave Wei Chen’s face firmly in his mind.

When the somewhat cold fingers stopped on his face, Wei Chen only felt that the cold touch was transmitted from his face to his heart, and his whole heart began to beat uncontrollably hard. Chen Li’s hand seemed to have magic power. Obviously, the touch was cold, but Wei Chen felt a flame rising all over his body.

”Li Li…” Wei Chen’s voice was low and hoarse. He covered Chen Li’s hand and used all his strength to say, “Shall we go down for breakfast first? After breakfast, I will take you to the shop we went to yesterday.”

Chen Li stared at Wei Chen for a long time before putting his hand down.

While Wei Chen breathed a sigh of relief, he held Chen Li’s hand and led Chen Li downstairs.

The servant had already prepared breakfast. When Chen Li and Wei Chen came down, Wei Zhenxiong, Fang Yun, and Wei Wei were both at the table, talking and laughing. Wei Yan smilingly interjected a few words, and was pestered by Wei Wei to tell him what he had seen during the tour.

Wei Yan talked nonstop, making Wei Wei dazed.

Until Wei Chen led Chen Li to sit down at the dining table, the laughter at the dining table stopped abruptly. Only Wei Yan still had a smile on his face, and he greeted Chen Li with a smile.

Chen Li naturally didn’t respond, and sat blankly, only under Wei Chen’s coaxing did he eat breakfast little by little.

Wei Yan didn’t feel embarrassed either, and turned around to talk to Wei Chen, “Ah Chen, are you planning to enter the Wei branch when you go to the capital this time?”

“No.” Wei Chen told Chen Li to drink the porridge before answering Wei Yan’s words.

“Where do you plan to go if you don’t enter Wei’s?” Wei Yan was a little surprised and couldn’t help asking.

“Changfeng.” Except for Chen Li, Wei Chen had limited words for everyone. He would always answer with few words, and would never add another word if could help it.

Wei Yan smiled and asked no more, and went to tease Wei Wei again.

Wei Wei was probably scared by Wei Chen yesterday. At this moment, Wei Wei was still a little scared and sat honestly in his seat and lowered his head to eat.

Wei Zhenxiong and Fang Yun completely ignored Wei Chen as if they hadn’t seen Wei Chen. Even if they heard that Wei Chen didn’t choose Wei’s, they didn’t give any response.

After breakfast, except for Chen Li who was in a daze, everyone else had their own thoughts.

Chen Li only ate a second bite after swallowing it completely. It looked like he was chewing slowly, but in fact, it was not slow. He quickly finished the breakfast in front of him without speaking and looked at Wei Chen.

Even if there were strangers present now, Chen Li didn’t have any vigilance or timidity in his eyes. It was probably because Wei Chen helped him vent yesterday.

Wei Chen noticed this change sensitively, and his mood which had just sunk slightly rose again. When he looked at Chen Li, his eyes were full of smiles and an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

*

Taking advantage of the early morning heat, Wei Chen took Chen Li to the Freewheeling again. It was probably because it was Saturday that there were more customers in the shop than yesterday, either looking at the materials or at the paintings on the wall.

Perhaps it was a coincidence or perhaps he had predicted that Chen Li would come again today, but Zhuge Yu was still in the store today, and when he saw Chen Li and Wei Chen enter, he wanted to welcome them, but he was pulled back by the person beside him.

“That’s the young man you’re interested in, why does he look so dull?” The person who spoke used authentic British English, with long white hair tied behind him casually. He was tall and muscular. If no one said it, no one would have thought that this foreigner was the internationally renowned painter Sylvester. After all, except for the ponytail tied behind his head, this person didn’t look like he had anything to do with art at all.

“That’s right,” Zhuge Yu admitted generously, still looking proud, as if he had already accepted Chen Li as his student.

“Then I’m really curious, what kind of talent does this young man have that can make you so fond of him,” Sylvester rubbed his chin and said.

“I don’t want you to see it,” Zhuge Yu refused with a stern face.

Sylvester was stunned and asked, “Why?”

Zhuge Yu: “I hate you.”

Sylvester laughed loudly, “Are you afraid that I will rob you if I see the talent of that young man? You still haven’t taken him under your tutelage, right?”

Zhuge Yu raised the corner of his mouth, and stuffed a lollipop into Sylvester’s open mouth, “Lick your lollipop.” It was obvious that Sylvester stepped on his sore foot.

Sylvester took out the lollipop and let out a cheap smile, “Seeing how nervous you are, I wasn’t interested at first, but now I’m more interested.”

Zhuge Yu couldn’t wait to tear the cheap smile from that rough face, and said angrily: “This is my shop, you are not welcome.”

“I also have a stake in it, this is also my shop,” Sylvester said with a smile, licked a lollipop, and was about to get up to meet the young man Zhuge Yu really liked.

During the conversation between the two of them, there was a conflict in Wei Chen and Chen Li’s side that was about to erupt.