She really had a knack

"Sneaking a peek?"

The man deliberately lowered his magnetic voice, its deep timbre burrowing into her ears, tingling and seductive.

Xun Yuan immediately came back to herself and replied softly, "I've always looked openly."

So proud. Her features came vividly, breathtakingly alive as she retorted, a lively charm spilling through.

Zuo Tingyue asked with a low chuckle, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Xun Yuan almost suspected he had installed a surveillance camera in her brain. How did he know she had been thinking about something?

"Wondering when you'll retire."

Xun Yuan said casually, "You're busy working all day. Don't you get tired?"

Zuo Tingyue listened to her nonsense about retirement, a smile spreading across his lips.

"Do you get tired, then?"

"What's there to get tired about?"

Xun Yuan answered without thinking. She had been born in Rome. Her experiences had grown richer afterward: her parents had died, she had gone abroad, and she had weathered several rises and falls and witnessed the warmth and coldness of human relationships. Even now, she still stood at the very tip of the pyramid.

Zuo Tingyue did not answer that question either. It suddenly occurred to Xun Yuan that he might have some suspicions about her background. She had not deliberately hidden her family background or experiences from him, but neither had she volunteered them.

Let things take their course.

Zuo Tingyue wore a shirt, his cuffs still unfastened, and did not look cold at all. Xun Yuan had experienced his heat. His body was warm.

She reached out and grabbed the jacket he had set aside. With a tug and a pull, the entire jacket fell into her hands, and she shook it out and draped it over herself.

His suit jacket carried his scent: cool mint mingled with the feel of thousand-year-old sandalwood, rich and lingering, cold and unforgettable.

Xun Yuan could not sleep anymore. There was still half an hour before the plane landed, and her phone could not connect to the internet in airplane mode. With nothing to do, she watched Zuo Tingyue work. She found paper and a pen somewhere and began sketching, glancing at Zuo Tingyue now and then before lowering her head again, her pen moving swiftly.

When the plane landed in Harbor City, Xun Yuan did not leave with Zuo Tingyue. Before they parted, she handed him the paper, her smile languid and radiant.

"Here, for you."

With that, Xun Yuan left without the slightest reluctance. The woman's departing figure cast a long silhouette in the night. Beneath the dim yellow streetlights, her red dress swayed gracefully, her skin whiter than snow, the ends of her thick hair haloed with light, like an old photograph.

A red dress, the night, lamplight-a beauty like a painting.

Zuo Tingyue lowered his eyes to the paper Xun Yuan had given him before leaving. It was a drawing of him working on the plane, a simple sketch outlined in just a few strokes, yet the artist's skill was evident.

She had focused on his face, even capturing the look in his eyes. The details were handled well, while a few light strokes suggested the background, clean and neat.

She really had a knack.

Zuo Tingyue casually set the paper in the car and headed back to the old family residence.

Xun Yuan went home and rested early, then quickly threw herself into work the next day. She had not finished restoring the artifact. After another solid week of work, during which she also had to handle work emails from abroad, she finally finished restoring the bodhisattva.

Xun Yuan called to notify the client to collect it, arranging to meet at a teahouse.

Xun Yuan brought the artifact to the quiet, elegant teahouse for their appointment, but the person who arrived surprised her somewhat.

A simply dressed elderly man who looked about sixty, healthy and with clear, alert eyes, walked over and sat down in front of her.

Xun Yuan rose politely to greet him. "Hello, are you Mr. Dong?"

"I am. Are you Miss Xun Yuan?"

Xun Yuan smiled. "Please, just call me Xun Yuan."

As soon as Mr. Dong sat down, he asked eagerly, "May I look at the artifact first?"

Xun Yuan nodded. "Of course."

Mr. Dong put on a pair of glasses and carefully examined the extent of the restoration.

Xun Yuan quietly prepared tea beside him, boiling water and slowly rinsing the tea utensils. Her leisurely movements were pleasing to watch, and before long, the fragrance of tea filled the air.

She poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Mr. Dong. By then, he had finished examining the artifact, returned it to its box, and taken off his reading glasses.

"Your craftsmanship is excellent. Would you consider working at the museum?"

Mr. Dong came straight to the point and extended an olive branch. Xun Yuan then learned who he was: a professor at the University of Hong Kong, an honorary museum director, and an accomplished artifact restorer.

"You're too kind, but I'm used to being free and unrestrained. I can't stand restrictions."

Xun Yuan declined tactfully. She had not expected to draw an old scholar here.

"The museum offers excellent pay and benefits. If you have any conditions, you can name them."

Mr. Dong did not want to let Xun Yuan go so easily. Having finally found someone skilled in artifact restoration, he could not bear to give up just like that.

"Mr. Dong, restoring artifacts is my hobby, and it will only ever be a hobby. I don't intend to enter this profession."

Xun Yuan rejected Mr. Dong's proposal decisively. She would never treat artifact restoration as a job.

After Xun Yuan finished speaking, Mr. Dong fell silent for a few moments. He seemed to recognize her resolve and gave up trying to persuade her.

Xun Yuan would never have expected that Mr. Dong would seek her out again later.

The two talked at length about artifact restoration, showing every sign of becoming friends despite their difference in age.

By the time Xun Yuan left the teahouse, dusk was approaching, and the sun was no longer so bright. She drove back toward Repulse Bay, but midway there, she received a call and turned the car around.

The car stopped outside a separate courtyard, said to house an authentic Capital-style restaurant.

The owners' ancestors had moved here, and it was one of the few places in Harbor City serving truly authentic northern cuisine. Xun Yuan had been looking forward to it before arriving; it had been a long time since she had eaten authentic Capital cuisine.

Someone came to lead her to the private dining room as soon as she entered. Xun Yuan had hurried all the way here, leaving her hair a little messy, and she planned to tidy up in the restroom. After asking which room it was, she had the person go ahead.

Xun Yuan tidied her hair in the mirror, pinning up the loose strands, then walked out of the restroom.

As she passed through the corridor, she happened to hear Yun Tang's voice, tinged with exasperation and embarrassed anger.

"Lin Sheng, stop."

Lin Sheng was Special Assistant Lin's name.

Xun Yuan stopped walking. Rather than look toward the voices, she stared at the carpet beneath her feet. Fortunately, the thick carpet here muffled sound, leaving her high heels barely audible.

Lin Sheng's voice was very low. "Don't go on a blind date."

Yun Tang gave a cold laugh, her rebellious streak flaring. Second Miss Yun had been born willful. How could she stomach those words?

"What right do you have to tell me what to do?"

Yun Tang's smile was innocent, but her words seemed barbed, dripping with mockery.

"A one-night stand?"

She enunciated every word clearly.

The moment those words came out, the temperature around them plummeted. Lin Sheng gripped her chin. He disliked hearing her talk that way, and disliked her indifferent attitude even more.

Having heard this much, Xun Yuan was certain it was merely a romantic entanglement between them and quietly walked away. How unseemly. She had not meant to eavesdrop.

Lin Sheng stared at Yun Tang and her stubborn demeanor. The emotions in his eyes shifted from complicated to ordinary, carrying the tolerance and seriousness he would show an ordinary friend.

"Yun Tang, don't talk like that."

Lin Sheng's quiet words fell. He did not keep pestering her, releasing her and walking out.

Yun Tang's pupils contracted for an instant. She leaned against the wall and slowly closed her eyes.