CH 132

Chapter 132 – Ending the Tour

This was a wedding with only two people, no witnesses, no relatives or friends, just the two of them, simple and plain, letting the heavens and the earth witness their love, and two small rings sealing their hearts.

Although the wedding was simple, Wei Chen put a lot of thought into it. He had never been a romantic person, but for this wedding, he swallowed his pride and humbly asked in the work group what romance was and what kind of wedding would be acceptable to his partner.

This question led to playful banter among the employees in the group, but after the teasing, they offered him some suggestions.

Combining their advice, Wei Chen began to plan the wedding. Because of their visit to the amusement park, he knew that Chen Li enjoyed the feeling of being high up, so he was determined to let Chen Li experience flying. That’s when he decided on skydiving as part of the wedding event. Wei Chen then started looking for a suitable location to skydive, and conveniently, this season only the Australian continent in the southern hemisphere was suitable.

So Wei Chen brought Chen Li here, and the day before their arrival, he booked a hotel and got two sets of custom-made suits for the wedding from a tailor shop.

Coincidentally, the Sheng family owned a private beach in Australia, and Wei Chen chose this place for the wedding.

It was a wedding without any witnesses, only the two of them were needed. As the night deepened, the salty sea breeze wafted ashore, the moon shone brightly, and the sound of waves echoed.

Wei Chen and Chen Li lay on the beach, gazing at the night sky, listening to the waves, feeling utterly content.

“Achen,” Chen Li turned his head to Wei Chen and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

They had been together from summer to winter, and during these few months, he knew he had changed a lot. Sometimes he couldn’t believe the person he used to be.

Wei Chen turned to look into Chen Li’s eyes and said, “No need to thank me.” He knew what Chen Li was grateful for, but Wei Chen felt it wasn’t enough. His Chen Li deserved to step completely out of the darkness.

“I will continue to take you on trips in the future, to different places around the world, wherever you want to go,” Wei Chen said as he gently held Chen Li’s hand, their fingers intertwined.

The moonlight poured down like water, casting a silvery glow.

This night was indescribably wonderful.

The next morning, Chen Li and Wei Chen boarded a plane back to their home country, ending this tour.

When the plane landed at the capital city’s international airport, it was already evening. As they passed through customs and entered the airport hall, they saw a news report playing on the electronic screen. It was about Chen Li, more precisely, about his entry “Light” for the Dream Cup.

“Light” had caused a sensation as soon as it was exhibited. Everyone who saw it on TV was captivated by it and rushed from all directions to see its true face, to feel the shock and reverence it brought towards life.

Because so many people came to visit “Light,” the Dream Cup finals exhibition had to implement crowd control measures for the first time in its history. Visitors were not just from the country; through foreign media coverage, “Light” had also sparked a wave of enthusiasm overseas.

Perhaps people are divided by race and borders, but art knows no such boundaries. The emotions conveyed by “Light” were spreading through the media to all corners of the world.

Even people on the edge of life, in despair, began to see light, hope, and a desire for life, and reverence for life, all because of “Light.” This painting pulled them back from the brink of death and became their faith. For the sake of this faith, they came to the capital city of China.

All of these were mentioned in the news reports. Before this painting came into the world, no one knew that a single painting could cause such a sensation. When “Light” made its appearance, it triggered an extraordinary phenomenon that ordinary people could hardly imagine, and this phenomenon was destined to continue indefinitely.

Such was the power of “Light.”

As “Light” became known to people all over the world, its author became a highly sought-after painter. Every day, countless people inquired about the artist behind “Light” through the Dream Cup, wanting to purchase other works by the same author.

However, it seemed that the Dream Cup intentionally concealed information about the author. Until now, no matter how influential or powerful someone was, nobody had met the author of “Light,” let alone obtained any of their other works. The author of “Light” became the most mysterious presence in the Dream Cup.

Wei Chen shifted his gaze from the advertisement screen and gently rubbed the head of the most mysterious person, Chen Li, saying, “Li Li, let’s go home.”

“Okay,” Chen Li nodded.

He had also seen the news, and he naturally knew that the painting in the news was his own work. But Chen Li didn’t mind fame or anonymity; he was still Chen Li.

The evening rush hour had passed, and Wei Chen and Chen Li smoothly made their way back home.

As they opened the door, both of them couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Australia was beautiful, but it couldn’t compare to the comfort and peace that home brought. This was their home, the place where they lived together now and in the future.

After a tiring journey, the two of them washed up and went to bed. The night was dark, and they quickly fell into a sound and sweet sleep.

The next day, Wei Chen’s biological clock woke him up promptly. He looked at Chen Li, who was sleeping soundly with their hands intertwined, and then noticed the ring on Chen Li’s finger. The lines on Wei Chen’s face softened bit by bit.

This person is his, his goodness, and everything about him belongs to Wei Chen.

Wei Chen leaned down and gently kissed Chen Li’s forehead, silently saying “good morning.”

Just as Wei Chen was about to take his hand out of Chen Li’s hold and get up to wash up, Chen Li was awakened by Wei Chen’s movement. He opened his eyes drowsily and looked at Wei Chen with confusion.

“Sleep a little longer, there’s still time,” Wei Chen said gently, rubbing Chen Li’s head.

Chen Li was indeed not fully awake. After hearing Wei Chen’s words, he turned over and went back to sleep.

When Chen Li was fully awake, the kitchen already wafted with a pleasant aroma. Chen Li got up from bed, his disheveled hair sticking up as usual. He put on his slippers and walked into the bathroom. When he came out, Wei Chen had already set breakfast on the table.

After finishing breakfast, Wei Chen dropped Chen Li off at school and then headed to the company himself. As soon as Chen Li entered the classroom, his classmates all turned their attention to him. Perhaps others didn’t know who the author of “Light” was, but they did.

The fiery gazes made Chen Li feel somewhat uncomfortable and scared. He stopped at the entrance of the classroom, turned around, and left.

His classmates looked at each other. “Did we scare him?” one of them asked.

“Seems like it,” another responded.

“Our gazes just now were too intense,” one of them reflected. “He’s still the same Chen Li,” the last one sighed.

Yes, he was still the same Chen Li – somewhat withdrawn, afraid of contact with others. Even if his work had shaken the world, even if tomorrow he might become a world-renowned painter, he was still the same Chen Li, unchanged.

So, why did they treat him differently? Now they scared people away.

*

Today, Wei Chen returned to work after taking leave and coincidentally attended the end-of-month meeting. But when he entered the meeting room, many people’s eyes were fixated on him. These glances were subtle because they were reevaluating Wei Chen.

Of course, they weren’t evaluating Wei Chen’s abilities; they were scrutinizing his background. They were puzzled because there were so many people coming forward to debunk rumors about him, even official media like the People’s Daily. Moreover, it was all voluntary.

What was Wei Chen’s background? Was it the same as what he had presented on the surface, or was it even more unfathomable?

After this incident, Wei Chen’s identity seemed to be veiled, making it hard to see through and understand. When they wanted to act, they naturally became more hesitant.

Wei Chen paid no attention to these glances. He calmly took his seat and nodded to the Chairman, Sheng Jiaqi, who was sitting at the front.

When the time came, the meeting began. This morning’s meeting didn’t have any specific focus; they were casually discussing various matters. Wei Chen remained silent throughout until the meeting concluded.

As soon as Sheng Jiaqi declared the meeting adjourned, the top management who attended the meeting hadn’t left yet when the Discipline Inspection Commission of Changfeng Group entered the office and walked straight toward one of the directors.

This director was the one who had insisted during the previous meeting that Wei Chen should step down.

“Based on a report from the masses, Director Liu, there are suspicions of your involvement in soliciting pr*stitution. Come with us for investigation,” the Discipline Inspection Commission said and without hesitation escorted Director Liu out of the office.

The whole office was in an uproar. Director Liu’s lecherous tendencies were well-known throughout the company. He had taken advantage of many female employees, and it wasn’t a secret. However, those were consensual matters, and no one would stop him.

But no one had expected Director Liu to be so audacious as to go and solicit pr*stitutes!

Truly, it was the boldness that ruined him. Until Director Liu was taken out of the office, the commotion in the office hadn’t settled down. Even then, the Chairman didn’t pay attention to it and left the office.

However, before leaving, he glanced at Zhou Tongpeng’s expression, which didn’t look very good.

After Chairman Sheng left, Wei Chen and Zhuge Feng also left together. The office was still noisy, and it was quite lively.

Zhou Tongpeng left the office with a dark expression. Previously, he had initiated investigations against Wei Chen due to the “threat” he felt from him. He even added the power of public opinion to it. But who would have thought that not only did he fail to bring Wei Chen down, but now, as soon as Wei Chen returned, one of his directors was taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Was there no connection between all of this? Who would believe that!

Were there no tricks up Wei Chen’s sleeve? Were there no Chairman Sheng and Zhuge Feng’s indulgence in this matter?

Zhou Tongpeng felt like there was a lump of anger in his chest. His face turned reddish due to this pent-up frustration. When he returned to the office, he couldn’t hold back and kicked the office table.

‘Wei Chen, oh Wei Chen! You have some tricks up your sleeve. If I let you stay in Changfeng Group, my surname won’t be Zhou!’

Meanwhile, in the meeting room, after the initial shock, the others in attendance began to comprehend what had happened. This was undoubtedly Wei Chen’s doing! Didn’t Zhou Tongpeng want to remove Wei Chen? Now that Wei Chen had returned, he took down one of Zhou Tongpeng’s key members, silently and without a trace!

People couldn’t help but shudder at the thought!