Chapter 1636: Returning with Hope

However, a few years have passed, but the taste of the food has not changed.

That familiar taste even made Jiang Motian relax unconsciously.

Gradually, she also chatted with Wei Yangyang about her experiences over these past few years.

When Wei Yangyang heard that she was preparing an Art Studio, she immediately patted her chest and said, "I do interior design now; whatever effect you want, I can arrange it for you!"

Jiang Motian smiled and replied, "I don't intend to do any design. An Art Studio, after all, ends up being a mess inside no matter how you use it, and besides, it's already almost ready."

"It's already almost ready? Hey, you are still as efficient as ever when doing things."

"It's my brother who is efficient; he's basically the one handling everything."

Hmm, speaking of Li Xingyan...

Wei Yangyang thought of something.

She leaned forward and said mysteriously, "I have a sister who had her heart broken by your brother, and she still hasn't recovered even now!"

"My brother? Which one, Jiang Mobai?"

At the mention of breaking a woman's heart, Jiang Motian subconsciously shifted the blame onto Jiang Mobai.

After all, this guy has a long list of prior offenses.

But Wei Yangyang denied it and said, "No, it's Li Xingyan!"

This name made Jiang Motian raise her eyebrows, and she muttered, "He doesn't really get close to women, so how could he break anyone's heart?"

"Hey, you don't understand. It's precisely because he doesn't get close and keeps everyone at arm's length that it's even more hurtful."

So, the other party felt that they had lost face?

Jiang Motian was a bit confused.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "The other party should know what kind of personality my brother has, so why would they still try to get close?"

"Because..." Wei Yangyang lowered her voice, acting all cryptic, "The more of a 'high-mountain flower' with such a strong aura of asceticism he is, the more people want to pluck him!"

Uh...

Asceticism?

A high-mountain flower?

Who are you talking about, Li Xingyan?

Jiang Motian connected these two things...

She shivered directly.

Seeing her like this, Wei Yangyang said, "You definitely don't understand; your brother isn't cold or aloof toward you at all, he's practically at your beck and call."

After saying that, she rested her chin on her palm and added, "I don't really understand either; after all, your brother is so fierce that my legs go weak whenever I see him, and I don't dare to think of anything else at all."

"Since you can't figure it out, then don't think about it. Let's eat."

That's a good suggestion.

Wei Yangyang took the fried meatball handed over by Jiang Motian and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth.

After chewing, she suddenly thought of something: "By the way, since you're back, I think you should take a look at this."

As she spoke, Wei Yangyang looked something up on her phone and handed it to Jiang Motian.

Jiang Motian looked down and asked, "A Painting Competition?"

"Yeah, do you want to participate?"

Jiang Motian didn't seem interested and shook her head.

But Wei Yangyang leaned over and lobbied, "The first-place work will be exhibited at the Dublin Art Gallery!"

Jiang Motian's expression changed slightly because of this sentence.

Wei Yangyang had been staring at Jiang Motian, so she naturally saw the change in her expression.

This made Wei Yangyang raise an eyebrow and ask, "Well, are you tempted now?"

She was indeed tempted.

Jiang Motian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Forward the registration information to me; I need to see if I meet the registration requirements."

"You can rest assured about that; there is no threshold for this competition."

"If there's no threshold, the requirements will be even higher instead."

Hmm... that's true, too.

But in the great waves washing away the sand, those with real ability will certainly remain.

Wei Yangyang looked up at Jiang Motian and said, "You will definitely win first place!"

Jiang Motian was only participating with the mindset of giving it a try.

Hearing Wei Yangyang's words, she couldn't help but ask with a smile, "You have that much confidence in me?"

"Of course. Although we lost touch during the years you were abroad, I still know that you've won awards and held art exhibitions."

"Where did you hear that from?"

Wei Yangyang's lips moved, but she didn't make a sound.

Jiang Motian came up with the "answer" herself instead, saying, "You must have run into my family and heard it from them."

Wei Yangyang neither denied nor confirmed this answer.

She just rolled her eyes around, and she was eating her food absent-mindedly.

Jiang Motian didn't pay much attention to her, but instead looked down at the competition information.

This competition had a theme.

The theme was—Hope.

The scope covered by these two words was very broad, and it could be big or small; it all depended on the contestant's own perception.

And Jiang Motian's perception...

She pursed her lips and lowered her eyes.

Wei Yangyang then said, "I think this competition was tailor-made specifically for you!"

"Why?"

"Aren't you returning to the country this time carrying hope?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Motian smiled but did not respond.

……

Ever since they reunited, Wei Yangyang had become a frequent visitor to Jiang Motian's Art Studio.

Sometimes she would help deliver things.

Other times she would come to chat with Jiang Motian.

She never came empty-handed; art books, snacks, or even green plants—whatever came to mind, she would bring.

Looking at the increasingly crowded Art Studio, Jiang Motian couldn't help but say, "If you come a few more times, I won't have any place left to stand."

"Oh, it's not that exaggerated," Wei Yangyang said, staring at the courtyard for a moment, "Your courtyard is quite empty; should I get you a rocking chair next time?"

Jiang Motian quickly stopped her: "I have other uses for the courtyard, no need, thank you!"

"Oh, alright then."

Wei Yangyang didn't mention the rocking chair again.

But her gaze remained fixed on the courtyard, seemingly calculating what else she could bring over.

Jiang Motian didn't want her to keep calculating, so she spoke up to change the subject: "Isn't your work busy right now?"

"Not busy at all. It's my own family's company anyway, so I just slip out when I have nothing to do."

Jiang Motian felt that this kind of work attitude was wrong.

She said, "If you like this job, you should do it seriously and not waste time."

"I do like my job. I only left to come find you after I finished what I was supposed to do."

However...

Wei Yangyang's eyes darted, and she said to Jiang Motian with a smile, "But I like being with you even more. Do you need an assistant here? Let me be your assistant!"

To get Jiang Motian to agree, Wei Yangyang leaned her cheek in, blinking her eyes with a hopeful expression.

Unfortunately, Jiang Motian did not soften her heart because of this.

She reached out and poked Wei Yangyang's forehead, pushing her away.

Then, she said with a serious face, "You are no longer the person you used to be; you don't need to follow me around all the time."

During her student days, Wei Yangyang was very timid and was always being bullied.

Jiang Motian couldn't stand it, so she stood up for Wei Yangyang.

Through this back and forth, Jiang Motian became incredibly tall and imposing in Wei Yangyang's eyes.

Wei Yangyang was even willing to follow Jiang Motian around, helping her run errands and do chores.

At the beginning, Jiang Motian didn't really like hanging out with this little girl who would get teary-eyed at the drop of a hat.

She felt she was too fragile.

But later, an incident changed her perspective on Wei Yangyang.

That time, the school organized a hike.