Chapter 67 - Where the heart goes, the light goes

At the future exhibition site where prosperity and noise interweave, Xia Liuli wore a long dress full of brilliance, like the most dazzling star in the night. She had just briefly exchanged the process of today's competition with Zhao Ti, and indirectly inquired about the details of the contestants. Knowing that the opponents were all unknown, she couldn't help but curl up a confident smile at the corner of her mouth, as if victory was just around the corner. "Zhao Ti, I'll go touch up my makeup first, see you later." Xia Liuli opened her red lips lightly, leaving a beautiful figure, and left gracefully. Zhao Ti's words echoed in her heart-when the results of the competition were announced, Si Shenxing would personally present the award to the champion. This information was like a shot of adrenaline, making Xia Liuli's desire stronger. Although she had some complaints about Si Shenxing's preference for Xia Zhuozhuo, it did not prevent her from wanting to shine in front of Si Shenxing. After all, in this world full of interests and calculations, being favored by Si Shenxing undoubtedly means having the key to a higher class. Xia Liuli dressed up carefully in the bathroom. She was so beautiful in the mirror, and every detail revealed traces of careful carving. She secretly calculated in her heart that if she could catch Si Shenxing's eye, Du Haoran might be an alternative. The indifference and rejection of the Du family made her full of uncertainty about the future. The Si family was completely different. Chairman Si was in poor health and his wife had passed away. Once she married into the Si family, she would become the mistress of the family and enjoy supreme honor and freedom. However, these beautiful fantasies were limited to the bottom of her heart. Xia Liuli knew that the road ahead was long and full of unknowns. But she believed that as long as she dared to try, there would always be gains. When she finally finished dressing up and walked out of the bathroom, she accidentally missed the key moment when Xia Zhuozhuo announced his identity. What surprised her even more was that Zhao Ti, whom she regarded as relying on, was actually Xia Zhuozhuo's disciple. Xia Liuli shuttled through the crowd, looking for Du Haoran and Zhao Ti, but found nothing. In desperation, she decided to look for Xu Linxi. However, in the huge exhibition hall, she couldn't even find Xu Linxi's trace, and her brows could not help but frown slightly. "Xu Linxi, where did you go?" She muttered to herself, then took out her mobile phone from her bag and dialed Xu Linxi's number. But the cold rejection sound came from the other end of the phone, which made Xia Liuli feel unhappy. But she did not give up. After waiting for a while, she called again. This time, the call was finally connected. "Hello, Linxi, what's wrong with you? Why don't you answer my call?" Xia Liuli's tone was full of dissatisfaction and confusion. However, Xu Linxi on the other end of the phone asked back with obvious anger: "Why did you call me?!" Xia Liuli was stunned, then suppressed her dissatisfaction and tried to ask the reason: "Linxi, did you misunderstand me? What happened?" Xu Linxi's voice sounded on the other end of the phone, with anger that could not be concealed: "How dare you ask me? Why did you hide from me that Xia Zhuozhuo has a talent for painting?" Xia Liuli felt an inexplicable irritation in her heart when she heard it. She responded calmly: "Linxi, did you make a mistake? How could she, a girl from the countryside, have such a talent?" But after thinking about it, she suddenly realized something and asked tentatively: "Did she tell you?" Xu Linxi's answer was short and powerful: "Nonsense!" Xia Liuli sneered and said firmly: "This Xia Zhuozhuo is full of lies, don't believe a word she says. You just need to believe me." Xu Linxi on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, with mixed feelings in his heart. She suddenly realized that Xia Liuli might not know Xia Zhuozhuo's true identity - the internationally renowned Chinese painter Jiang Shan. She asked tentatively: "Why do you think she is lying?" Xia Liuli's tone was a little disdainful: "Because this is not the first time she has lied. Last week, she lied that she was a master, and what happened? It was just a coincidence that Mr. Du's condition improved." Xu Linxi listened to Xia Liuli's words, and a complex emotion surged in her heart. She suddenly felt that Xia Liuli was both ridiculous and pitiful. She opened her mouth and wanted to explain something, but finally swallowed her words back. She knew that even if she explained, Xia Liuli might not believe it. Moreover, if it weren't for Xia Liuli's misleading, she would not have lost face at the exhibition, and it would not have affected the family's business with S Group. "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. I have something urgent to do, so I'll go back first." Xu Linxi said, and hung up the phone directly. Xia Liuli looked at the call interface that was suddenly hung up, and her dissatisfaction reached its peak. She didn't understand why Xu Linxi would treat her like this? Was it because she was no longer the glorious daughter of the Xia family? Xia Liuli took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She opened the album on her phone, which was full of Xia Zhuozhuo's paintings that she had taken when she went to the Xia family to borrow a suitcase. She knew that today's competition was free play, and the only restriction was that she had to draw ink paintings. Xia Zhuozhuo was best at ink painting, so she only needed to pick one and remember it in her mind, and then copy it. On the other side, Xia Zhuozhuo was led by Si Shenxing to the conference hall. Si Shenxing looked at her profile from time to time, and an indescribable emotion surged in his heart. Her beauty was impeccable, and every angle seemed like a carefully crafted work of art. From the initial interest in her because she looked like "Bai Yueguang", to later witnessing her medical skills and kung fu and looking at her with admiration, to now knowing that she was actually the painter Jiangshan he admired the most, Si Shenxing's feelings for her became more and more complicated and profound. "How many more surprises does she have waiting for me to discover?" Si Shenxing thought to himself. He knew that Xia Zhuozhuo was like a treasure, and every time he dug, he could find new treasures. And he was looking forward to exploring more unknown areas with her in the future. At the same time, Xia Liuli was quietly selecting paintings to copy in a corner of the exhibition hall. There was a firm light in her eyes, as if she had foreseen the moment when she stood on the podium to accept the award from Si Shenxing. However, she didn't know that the wheel of fate was turning quietly, and everything would change because of Xia Zhuozhuo's true identity... Xia Zhuozhuo had always maintained an indescribable indifference to him, especially after the Guwu Hall incident, the resistance was even more obvious. He was puzzled, but he never showed any impatience, but instead had a strong desire to melt her defenses. As the person in power of S Group, he never needed to flatter others, but now, facing how to win her favor, he was at a loss. In the end, I could only muster up the courage to clumsily confide my true feelings: "Your paintings always touch the softest part of my heart."