At the brightly lit charity exhibition, Xia Liuli's eyes could not help but fix on a tall, straight, and handsome man - Si Shenxing. His presence, like a light that could not be ignored, eclipsed everything around him. However, for Xia Liuli, such a man was always an unattainable dream. Recalling that Si Shenxing stood on Xia Zhuozhuo's side at the welcoming banquet, Xia Liuli's eyes dimmed a little. She didn't understand why Si Shenxing suddenly had a good impression of Xia Zhuozhuo. Was it just because of the entanglement and ties between the families? She didn't want to attract Si Shenxing's attention, and she didn't want him to recall the embarrassment of that night. Just as she was feeling mixed emotions, Master Zhao's voice broke her thoughts: "Liuli, I'll take you to meet today's organizer." Xia Liuli wanted to refuse, but then she thought that the Xia family and the Si family had always had contacts, and perhaps this was an opportunity for her to get to know Si Shenxing more deeply, and even change his opinion of her. So she nodded and forced a smile. Her friend saw this and wanted to follow, but Master Zhao didn't mention her, so she had to find an excuse awkwardly: "Liuli, you go, I'll just take a look." Xia Liuli responded softly, and followed Master Zhao's footsteps, secretly thinking about the next move in her heart. Si Shenxing was standing in front of an ink painting called "Cold River Moon", with a deep and focused look. The upper left corner of the painting is marked with the author's name - Jiangshan. Jiangshan, a mysterious master of Chinese painting, has a unique style and magnificent momentum. It is generally believed that only men can create such a grand work. Si Shenxing has always had a special liking for Master Jiangshan's works, and even spent a high price to buy all of his paintings at the auction. And this "Cold River Moon" is his favorite. Looking at the name on the painting, Si Shenxing's mind suddenly emerged with the handwriting of Xia Zhuozhuo when she was at the Du family. The brushwork was somewhat similar to Jiangshan's paintings. He shook his head in self-mockery, laughing at himself for being crazy and thinking of Xia Zhuozhuo. They had only known each other for a few days, why did he care so much about her? He didn't dare to delve into it, let alone imagine that if the white moonlight in his heart was not Xia Zhuozhuo after the surveillance video was repaired, how should he face this sudden emotion? Just as he was thinking about it, Master Zhao's voice sounded behind him: "Shenxing." Si Shenxing turned around, and his eyes cooled down instantly when he touched Xia Liuli beside Master Zhao. He asked coldly, "What is this?" Master Zhao did not notice the coldness in Si Shenxing's eyes. He smiled and introduced, "This is a painting by my master Jiang Shan. Do you like it?" Si Shenxing was stunned, then looked at the painting behind him and asked in surprise, "Is Jiang Shan your master?" Master Zhao smiled and nodded, his eyes full of admiration. When he mentioned Jiang Shan, his eyes flashed, as if he was telling a legendary story. However, he quickly remembered the purpose of this trip and introduced Xia Liuli to Si Shenxing, "This is a little girl I met in a Chinese painting competition. She is very talented. Today I specially asked her to come back to participate in the competition." Xia Liuli tried to squeeze out a smile that she thought was the most charming, and greeted Si Shenxing, "Mr. Si." She thought that even if Si Shenxing had a grudge against her because of that incident, he would not give Master Zhao face. After all, Master Zhao's position in the Chinese painting world is very important. However, she was wrong. Si Shenxing ignored her and said to Master Zhao: "Master Zhao, I know you value talents. But sometimes, we still need to open our eyes a little." Xia Liuli's smile froze on her face, and she couldn't believe her ears. Master Zhao next to her was also stunned, looking at Si Shenxing in confusion. Without waiting for Master Zhao to ask in detail, Si Shenxing said: "I still have something to do, Master Zhao, please do as you please." After that, he walked straight past Xia Liuli and walked towards the door. Xia Liuli looked at his back, feeling mixed emotions. She didn't understand why Si Shenxing was so indifferent to her? At this moment, she received a message from Xia Zhuozhuo, informing her that she had arrived at the exhibition. Xia Liuli felt even worse, she knew that Si Shenxing was so cold because of Xia Zhuozhuo. Master Zhao watched Si Shenxing leave, frowning at Xia Liuli: "Liuli, do you have a grudge against Shenxing?" He had never seen Si Shenxing treat someone like this. Even when facing strangers, Si Shenxing would maintain basic courtesy. But today, his attitude towards Xia Liuli was unacceptable. Xia Liuli lowered her head, showing an innocent expression: "We didn't have a grudge. It's just because... my sister." She hesitated to speak, as if she had a hard time. "Your sister?" Master Zhao asked in confusion. Xia Liuli nodded gently, tears rolling in her eyes: "You should also know my life experience, right? Mr. Si and my sister are very close. But she hates me very much, maybe it's because of Mr. Si that she doesn't like me." Master Zhao frowned even more when he heard this. He did hear about Xia Liuli's life experience, and he also knew that the Xia family drove her out because they found the real daughter. He couldn't understand why Xia Zhuozhuo hated Xia Liuli, after all, adoption was not something Xia Liuli could decide. "It wasn't your idea to adopt you. You were just a child at that time. How could she hate you for this? This is too petty!" Master Zhao said indignantly. Xia Liuli smiled bitterly: "You don't have to be angry about this. I have accepted the reality. After leaving home, I can support myself." Her words were a bit strong and helpless, which made people feel pity. However, Xia Liuli secretly thought about how to change the status quo. She knew that if she wanted to leave a good impression in Si Shenxing's heart, she had to start with herself. She began to study Chinese painting techniques more diligently, hoping to stand out in the next competition and attract Si Shenxing's attention. At the same time, Si Shenxing couldn't calm down for a long time after leaving the exhibition. He recalled Xia Liuli's helpless and strong eyes, and an inexplicable emotion surged in his heart. He began to reflect on whether his attitude was too indifferent? Did he ignore Xia Liuli's existence because of his good impression of Xia Zhuozhuo? He knew that he could not control his feelings for Xia Zhuozhuo, but he did not want to hurt the innocent Xia Liuli. So he decided to adjust his mentality and look at Xia Liuli with a more fair and objective attitude. In the following days, Si Shenxing began to pay attention to Xia Liuli's dynamics intentionally or unintentionally. He found that she was indeed very talented in Chinese painting and had a very tenacious character. These discoveries gradually changed his view of Xia Liuli and even began to have a good impression of her. However, all this was seen by Xia Zhuozhuo. She was jealous that Xia Liuli could attract Si Shenxing's attention, and she was even more afraid that she would snatch Si Shenxing's heart. So she began to target Xia Liuli everywhere, trying to destroy her image in Si Shenxing's heart. But Xia Liuli did not back down, but instead strengthened her beliefs. She knew that only through her own efforts and talents could she truly win Si Shenxing's respect and love. So she practiced Chinese painting skills more diligently and constantly improved her strength. Finally, in an important Chinese painting competition, Xia Liuli stood out with her outstanding performance and won unanimous praise from the judges and the audience. Si Shenxing also witnessed her growth and transformation on the spot, and his affection for her became even deeper. However, just as their relationship was gradually heating up, an unexpected truth surfaced... Zhao Ti looked at the tenacious little girl with pity, but he knew that family affairs were difficult to deal with and it was inconvenient for him to get involved. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Liuli, would you like to be my disciple?" Xia Liuli was shocked and surprised. How could she have expected that her expedient measure would unexpectedly gain this unexpected master-disciple relationship.
