1122 Of Course I Recognize
He remembered.
The first time he saw the painting on Susheri Street was the day she had lost money at Paradise.
Other than him and Ronai that day, there must have been other people who had also taken a fancy to that painting. So, when he went to ask about it, the shop owner had not even raised his head as he rejected him very smoothly and straightforwardly.
Of course, it had been at her request that the shop owner had not wanted to sell it.
The next afternoon, he had gone again, but the painting had already been bought.
Now that he thought about it, she must have needed money urgently after that night, so she had chosen to sell the painting the next day.
He had been a step too late and missed the opportunity.
However, ultimately… the main cause of this incident was him.
Ronai had obviously not expected Shen Li to answer so frankly. He was stunned for a moment, but then he laughed.
“But, if Mr. Lu also took a fancy to that painting at that time, the price he offered was probably not low, right?”
Shen Li was silent for a few seconds.
“I knew that you wanted to buy it, so I wanted to give that painting to you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Li suddenly felt a chill at the back of her head. It was an intense gaze that seemed to fall upon her.
She silently looked away.
However, this was the truth.
When she first came to Leland, art museums were everywhere, and there were countless people who carried their canvases on their backs.
She had drawn that painting on a whim.
Moreover, because Leland was Ronai’s hometown, she had deliberately imitated his style at that time.
After she was done, she had intending on leaving it for Li Yan to be a part of the decor in his shop. After all, it was a big canvas and it would be troublesome to bring it back to China.
Who would have known that the car would flip that night and she would end up saddled with a huge debt?
By that time, she had no choice but to sell the painting.
There were many people who had wanted to buy that painting that day. She had stayed in the shop for an hour and met five or six people who had come to make offers.
She had eventually become impatient and left. As she was leaving, she had spotted Ronai.
Later on, Li Yan had mentioned that she had chosen Ronai without any hesitation.
In reality, Ronai had not been the highest bidder that day. It was because she admired him so greatly that she thought it would be good if he were the one to buy the painting.
Who would have known that Lu Huaiyu would be there that day?
Hearing this, Lu Huaiyu touched the tip of his tongue to his upper palate and laughed bitterly.
Alright.
It turned out that the young girl had made the choice herself.
Ronai’s gaze swept over the two of them, and he could roughly guess what was going on. He could not help but laugh.
“In that case, I really have to thank Ah Li. However, if Mr. Lu still insists on it, since Ah Li is here, you can ask her for her opinion.”
Ask her?
She had just personally admitted that she had sold the painting to Ronai. How could he ask for it again?
Besides, ultimately, she had sold the painting because of him…
Lu Huaiyu finally said, “No need. Since it was Ah Li who sold the painting to you, let’s just let the matter rest.”
Shen Li coughed.
Ronai smiled and said, “That’s good. I would like to thank Mr. Lu for his generosity.
Lu Huaiyu tilted his head and exhaled lightly.
It was rare for him to encounter such a situation where he was on the losing end, but he could not say anything.
After all, he was the one who provoked this little devil first.
When Ella heard this, he finally asked hopefully, “So the artist of this painting is here! Shen Li, do you have any other paintings that you’ve kept away? I’d like to buy one, and I’m happy to discuss the price!”
Before Shen Li could speak, she felt Lu Huaiyu looking over with a faint smile.
She paused and shook her head. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing else.”
“Ah? No more?” Ella looked disappointed. “You haven’t drawn anything in the past three years under this identity?”
“No,” Shen Li shook her head again.
When she last left Leland, she had already made preparations to cut off all ties with this place.
Besides, she had not come back ever since then so even if she had painted, her work would not appear here.
Seeing this, Ella could only regretfully give up.
“Then… I’ll have to wait till you produce the next painting.”
Shen Li had already developed a psychological trauma about selling her paintings.
So she paused before finally only said “yes.”
“By the way, what does the string of letters behind the painting mean?” Ronai asked.
The painting had been with him for three years, yet he could not figure out what the string of letters meant.
Just as Shen Li was about to speak, she suddenly thought of something and looked at Lu Huaiyu.
Lu Huaiyu paused for a moment.
“That’s her name.”
Everyone, including Ronai, was stunned, and their eyes were filled with confusion.
Lu Huaiyu looked into her eyes and said in a deep voice, “MGYUB is the word ‘Li’ from the Cangjie input method in China.”
At this point, this matter had finally come to an end.
Ronai managed to keep the painting and found out that the artist of the painting was Shen Li. He also found out that she had learned his painting style and deliberately left the painting for him. His mood could not have been better.
But it was hard to say if any others were in such a good mood.
After visiting the gallery and attending a family dinner, it was already seven o ‘clock in the evening by the time Shen Li and Lu Huaiyu returned to the hotel.
Lu Huaiyu sent her to her room but did not leave.
Seeming to have a hunch, Shen Li swiped her card to enter.
Lu Huaiyu followed him in and turned on the lights with a “snap.”
Shen Li turned around.
Lu Huaiyu was leaning against the wall and looking at her.
She thought for a moment and asked, “When did Second Brother find out?”
Ronai and the others had all thought that Lu Huaiyu must have known about her identity long ago, but in actual fact, she had never mentioned it.
When he said that it was her painting today, he had been so certain.
Lu Huaiyu’s brows raised slightly.
“It was on the day I found out you were Tree’s Shadow.”
“What?” Shen Li was stunned.
The art styles of Tree’s Shadow and this work were clearly completely different. Anyone who saw them would not think that they were the same person.
Otherwise, Ronai would not have failed to guess her identity even after so long.
But why had he…
Lu Huaiyu suddenly laughed.
He bent down and leaned forward, closing the distance between the two in an instant.
He had helped her intercept a few glasses of wine earlier, so at this time, she could still faintly smell the smell of alcohol. It was mixed with his hot breath, making her feel intoxicated.
He lowered his voice slightly and dragged out the last syllable, revealing a natural languidness.
“Of course I can recognize your painting.”