When she was about six years old, Su Qiao visited her grandparents accompanied by her parents.

She held her mother's hand and walked through the front garden, where she saw rockery fountains, winding corridors and pavilions.

The grass and trees are luxuriant in spring and carefully pruned by the gardener. The branches and leaves cover the flowers. There is a stream flowing under the leaves, and the sound of the water is silent and distant.

Su Qiao stopped and squatted by the clear stream, reaching out to fish for the goldfish in the water.

My father warned me gently: "Xiao Qiao, get up. How can you catch fish?"

The young Su Qiao raised his head and said confusedly: "I want to touch their tails."

"This is your grandpa's goldfish," his father whispered. "Xiao Qiao, you have to be polite today."

Six-year-old Su Qiao still doesn't know how to observe words and emotions. But she was infected by her parents' emotions and behaved very cautiously that day. When her cousin's beloved Cane Corso ran over wildly, she was so frightened that her face turned pale and she did not dare to scream.

.

In ancient Roman times, Cane Corso dogs were used to hunt lions. They have sharp teeth, violent personalities, and absolute loyalty to their owners.

Su Qiao felt that the dog wanted to bite her to death.

Her hunch proved correct.

The ferocious dog was close at hand, with its mouth wide open, biting her neck. Her parents were standing by the pavilion, caught off guard, and had no time to save her. She heard her mother's crazy screams, and the light and fluttering sound coming from somewhere.

One sentence: "Langya, come back."

The person who spoke was her cousin.

My cousin's name was Su Zhan, and he was only twelve years old that year.

Su Zhan looked at his cousin as if he were looking at a joke. He spread his legs, sat on the grass, held a dog's tail grass in his mouth, and stroked the vicious dog named "Langya".

With the wolf fang in his hand, he behaved like a rabbit.

And their grandfather was standing behind Lang Ya. He wore a pair of glasses, with slightly white temples, and a straight posture. He said jokingly: "Is Xiao Qiao scared to tears?"

Su Qiao shook his head and nodded again.

Tears rolled down her face, and she didn't know why.

An inexplicable grievance was vented by sudden tears - after all, she was only six years old at the time. She hugged her mother's arm tightly and refused to say hello to her cousin.

Grandpa said: "The children of the Su family are so timid."

Su Qiao's father said: "Dad, this has nothing to do with the child. I haven't been home for seven years. A Zhan has raised a big dog and warmly welcomes our little Qiao. As an uncle, I cannot fail to express my gratitude."

He lit a cigarette by the pavilion. As the fireworks were swirling, a few words from the elders reached Su Qiao's ears.

Grandpa has three sons. Su Qiao’s father is the youngest. His father left home at an early age and started doing business in the township, which grew day by day.

My father was unwilling to merge the company he ran into the family business, and he and his two brothers were full of conflicts. Over time, the intensified conflicts affected the relationship between the two parties, like a fuse, igniting many suspicions.

Su Qiao vaguely remembered that her cousin's dog died not long after.

The cause of death is unknown and no one is looking for it.

Her father taught her: "Xiao Qiao, if a dog bites you and you are lucky enough to escape, even if you can't hurt its owner, you have to pull out its teeth. People are good when they are bullied, and horses are good when others ride on them."

Su Qiao was still frightened: "If next time, my brother lets the dog bite me..."

"First of all, you have no brother. Your mother and I only have one child," the father corrected. "Secondly, if Su Zhan does this again..."

He put out the cigarette butt and shrugged with a smile.

It's a pity that Su Zhan is very talented and is his grandfather's favorite grandson.

Su Qiao and Su Zhan are at odds with each other, and her grandfather's family does not welcome her.

Su Qiao was young at that time and didn't know that when someone hates you, no matter how competitive you are, it will be in vain. It will only look shameless and make people more disgusted.

At the funeral in January this year, Su Zhan looked gloomy from beginning to end. He wore a pure black suit and stood next to the tombstone, like a statue.

When Su Qiao passed by him, the cousin suddenly said: "As you wish, grandpa passed away."

"It should be as you wish," Su Qiao replied, "A member of your family can finally take the position."

——The prerequisite is that he can sit firmly in that position.

The memories come to an end and reality comes one after another.

There was an endless stream of visitors in the gallery. Outside the glass door, Lu Mingyuan had already stopped. He put his hands into his pockets and his eyes fell on Su Qiao.

Su Qiao approached Song Jiaqi and whispered in her ear: "Jiaqi, do me a favor."

Song Jiaqi said: "What's the favor? If I can do it, I will definitely help you."

Su Qiao immediately said: "Okay, listen to me..."

While she was talking to Song Jiaqi, Lu Mingyuan followed the tourists in.

He went to the bar only to realize that he didn't bring his wallet, so he had to go back to the gallery and go to the lounge to get his things.

But Su Qiao caught his attention.

Lu Mingyuan followed his suspicion and walked to Su Qiao. As expected, she pulled his sleeve and introduced to Song Jiaqi: "This is Lu Mingyuan, the creator of the exhibit in Hall 1."

She originally just pulled on his sleeve. Later, she simply held his wrist and gently rubbed him with her fingertips.

Song Jiaqi's eyes suddenly became clear.

It was the first time that Lu Mingyuan was held by someone like this. He was not used to it. There is a safe distance between people. Su Qiao repeatedly broke the convention and had no self-awareness.

Su Qiao looked at Lu Mingyuan and said without changing her expression: "She is Song Jiaqi, and she is also one of the clients of our law firm. I just learned some news, you must be very interested..."

Before Lu Mingyuan could answer, Su Qiao spoke first: "Ms. Song's father is the chairman of the investment group, and he sponsored this exhibition."

Song Jiaqi did not deny it.

She nodded with a smile.

Song Jiaqi's mother had left the area long ago. The noble lady took a fancy to a landscape painting. She praised the author's excellent skills and chatted with Jiang Xiuqi.

On this side, Su Qiao lied: "I recommended your works to Miss Song's father. You don't mind, right, Lu Mingyuan?"

Lu Mingyuan gave a rare reply: "Thank you."

Su Qiao almost thought she heard wrongly.

Lu Mingyuan added: "What is the total transaction volume of this bidding? I want to return this money to your father in the future."

Song Jiaqi carried her bag with both hands and said gracefully: "Mr. Lu, no matter who the investor is or how much money he spent, he sincerely wants more people to see your work. You deserve to be treated like this."

The reason why Song Jiaqi was willing to lie to Su Qiao was because Su Qiao said that she admired this young, handsome and talented artist. As the investor behind the exhibition, Su Qiao was worried that this financial relationship would affect her and Lu Mingyuan.

emotional development.

Su Qiao spoke sincerely, and Song Jiaqi believed it.

She also found the reason for Su Qiao's simple dress.

Unlike Su Qiao, Song Jiaqi has never been involved in business competition. Her world is incompatible with Su Qiao, but she herself cannot feel it.

Before the exhibition ended, Lu Mingyuan went to the lounge to get his wallet. Then he left the gallery again and walked to a nearby bar. Su Qiao followed him closely, like a tail that couldn't be shaken off.

The sign of the bar is not eye-catching. There is a stone staircase leading from the door. The stairs lead to the bottom. The bar is built underground. Perhaps because it is not late at night, the music at this time is melodious and pleasant, not intense.

Su Qiao pulled Lu Mingyuan and said, "I'll buy you a drink."

Lu Mingyuan refused in a roundabout way: "I just went back to the gallery to get my wallet."

Su Qiao pretended not to understand: "Do you like rum? There are many kinds of cocktails here..."

They were sitting in an inconspicuous corner. The chairs and backrests were all dark red. The oval chandelier hung from the ceiling, emitting a seemingly bright but actually dim light.

There is also an exquisite candlestick on the table with a burning candle inside. The candle is about two centimeters high, short in shape, and its light dances. When Lu Mingyuan lowers his head, the candlelight shines in his eyes.

Su Qiao put her chin in her hands, stared at him, and sighed softly.

Lu Mingyuan asked: "Do you want a cocktail?"

Su Qiao nodded: "Yes."

She acted like a novice: "Cocktails must taste better than wine."

Lu Mingyuan neither confirmed nor denied. He said: "My introduction is all nonsense. Try it yourself."

Su Qiao casually ordered a cup with the most complicated name.

She quickly felt proud of her choice. As soon as she took a sip, the aroma of agave, the stimulation of ice cubes, and the sweet and spicy taste of wine filled her lips and teeth.

"It's so special," Su Qiao said concisely, "I like it."

She picked up the wine glass and said again: "I like you too..."

Lu Mingyuan put down the vodka in his hand.

Su Qiao added softly: "Your works. Especially that statue, the base is a pyramid-shaped structure. I squatted next to it and studied... every detail has been carved by you."

She held the straw in her mouth and looked down. Her eyelashes were thick and curled, like curved butterfly wings. Her skin was very white, with a pink lining, which was even more obvious in the light. The skylight did not enter the underground bar, and she looked like a flower without a single flower.

Thorny rose.

Lu Mingyuan thought of Lin Hao's words.
To be continued...