Chapter 113: Women Are Made of Water

Emerging from the secret room, Gu Yan gently pulled the door shut.

She stood at the doorway for a while; her heartbeat had not yet fully calmed, and she needed a moment to recover.

Four years of silent attention, long-planned, she really played the part well.

Such a repressed man!

Gu Yan couldn't help but curse inwardly, yet the corners of her mouth curled up.

She took out her phone and dialed Xu Yuan's number.

"Miss, you finally remembered to contact me!" As soon as it connected, Xu Yuan's excited voice came through.

Gu Yan curved her lips, leaning against the corridor wall, looking at the twilight outside the window. The evening on Man Island was very quiet; occasionally, birds swept across the sky, leaving behind one or two crisp cries.

"How was the trip? Did you have fun?"

She had previously gone to Paris to find Shen Yanhui, so she had continued to give Xu Yuan time off and even arranged a European cruise for her. Calculating the time, she should have returned in the last two days.

"It was crazy fun! The Mediterranean is so beautiful, I took a thousand photos in Santorini..."

Gu Yan smiled as she listened to her chatter on.

"As long as you're happy, but now you need to start working."

"Standing by at any time."

Gu Yan chuckled: "Go find someone for me."

Xu Yuan asked: "What kind of person?"

"A glass artist," Gu Yan said. "The kind who can make large-scale installations, European is best, Japan is fine too. Not the kind of mass-production studio, I want a true craftsman."

Xu Yuan asked in confusion: "A glass artist? What are you planning to do?"

"I want to make 'Floating Light Leaping Gold' real."

Xu Yuan was even more puzzled: "Turn a painting into something real?"

Gu Yan: "Not the whole painting, just that layer of light."

She paused and continued: "I want to make an installation, out of glass. When light passes through the glass, it should shatter into the way it looks in 'Floating Light Leaping Gold'. Millions of golden scales, flickering, as if they have a life of their own."

A sharp intake of breath came from Xu Yuan's side.

"That must be so complicated..."

"That's why I'm asking you to find the best," Gu Yan said. "Money is not an issue, what matters is that it can be made."

Xu Yuan took a deep breath.

"Alright, I'll look for one. I know a few curators in Europe, I should be able to ask around."

Hanging up the phone, Gu Yan walked toward the main house.

She already had a rough concept in her mind; once it was made, she would put it in that secret room, it would surely look exceptionally beautiful.

——

Wednesday evening.

Lin Wei sent a message: 【That mysterious buyer has scheduled to come in person to pick up the painting tomorrow at three in the afternoon.】

Gu Yan stared at the screen for a few seconds, her eyes curving.

Gu Yan: 【Tell him I will be there.】

Lin Wei: 【ok】

Lin Wei: 【Seriously, I'm so curious about this person, I wonder if it's a great beauty or a handsome man?】

Gu Yan didn't reply.

She pressed her phone against her chest, rolled halfway across the sofa, and rolled into a warm embrace.

Shen Yanhui was reading documents; he was startled by her bump, his hand shaking, and he looked down at her: "What's wrong?"

Gu Yan tilted her face up, her eyes bright, unable to hide that bit of excitement.

"Nothing."

He looked at her without speaking, his gaze resting on her face. It was very faint, yet it seemed as if he could see through everything.

"Do you have something on tomorrow afternoon?"

She blinked: "How did you know?"

"It's written on your face."

She was stunned for a moment, subconsciously touching her own face, then feeling that the action was too silly, she simply acted spoiled by leaning into his arms: "Then what else is written on my face?"

He lowered his head and examined her carefully for a few seconds.

"It says," he paused, a very faint smile appearing in the depths of his eyes, "that you don't want to tell me."

Gu Yan choked.

Are this man's eyes X-rays?

She sat up from his arms and pretended to be calm while tidying her hair: "It's just something at the art exhibition, Lin Wei asked me to go over."

"Mm."

He responded very faintly, his gaze already back on the document, as if he didn't care much. His slender fingers turned a page, his sapphire cufflinks gleaming under the light.

She stared at his profile for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned in.

"Shen Yanhui."

"Mm?"

"I'm going to meet the mysterious buyer who has been buying my paintings for four years tomorrow."

Shen Yanhui still had no reaction: "Mm."

Gu Yan curled her lip inwardly.

Hmph, keep pretending.

Gu Yan said deliberately, "I think he is my talent scout; without him, there would be no Yan today. If I had met him first, I suppose there wouldn't be any room for you."

Shen Yanhui finally put down the document, his eyes narrowing slightly, his expression dangerous.

Gu Yan did not back down; she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in close to his face, so close that their breaths intertwined.

She continued innocently, "Do you think he's handsome? The fact that he likes my paintings shows his taste must be quite good, so he must also be..."

"Mmph..." Her chattering little mouth was blocked, and her words turned into a soft moan.

Shen Yanhui gripped the back of her neck, pressing her entire body into his embrace. His tongue tip pried open her lips and teeth in an instant, swept across her palate, and entangled with her tongue.

Gu Yan's breathing became chaotic from the kiss, her hands braced against his chest, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer.

He took the opportunity to press her into the sofa.

The leather sofa was slightly cool; her back pressed against it, and she couldn't help but tremble slightly. Immediately after, his body covered hers.

Having kissed enough, he finally released her lips, his forehead resting against hers.

"Continue."

She gasped for air, her eyes misty, yet she still refused to yield: "Say... say what?"

"Say whether he's handsome."

She blinked, fearlessly continuing to tease him: "I think he should be quite handsome, otherwise why would he like my—"

Before she could finish, his kiss fell once more.

This time, it was no longer a simple kiss.

His hand reached into the hem of her clothes, his palm pressing against her waist with a slight chill. She couldn't help but shrink back, but he held her in place.

"What are you hiding from?"

"It's cold..."

He let out a low laugh, but his palm began to wander. From her waist, it moved upward to cover her softness.

Having just bathed, she was wearing nothing under her nightgown.

Her breathing became ragged.

"Shen Yanhui..."

"Hmm."

"You, you don't..."

He looked up at her; her cheeks were flushed, her eyes veiled in a mist of moisture, and her lips were reddened from his kisses. Clearly the one being bullied, she was still being stubborn.

"Don't what?"

She opened her mouth, unable to speak.

His hand had already slid down, reaching into the hem of her skirt to hook the thin layer of fabric.

She subconsciously pressed her legs together.

He stopped and looked at her: "Do it yourself, or should I help you?"

Gu Yan glared at him.

Shen Yanhui waited patiently.

In the end, she was the one who gave in, lifting her waist slightly to let him remove that piece of obstructive fabric.

She let out a muffled groan.

"What are you made of?" he said, lowering his head to whisper in her ear.

She finally couldn't help it and raised her hand to strike him. He let her strike him, continuing with single-minded focus until her movements lost their strength and she could only clutch his shirt, her knuckles turning white.

Gu Yan heard the sound of him undoing his belt.

Then, she couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, her nails digging into his shoulders.

He stopped, waiting for her to adjust.

Her lips could no longer hold back, and soft, fragmented moans spilled out, like a kitten crying.

It was unknown how much time had passed when Gu Yan opened her eyes, looking at him blankly.

He was looking down, his gaze so direct and focused that she could feel exactly where his eyes were landing.

Her face burned instantly: "You... don't look..."

Shen Yanhui couldn't help but close his eyes and tilt his head back, the veins in his neck bulging as he gasped aloud.

After a long while, he opened his eyes. He leaned down and kissed the young woman's lips, a smile in his eyes: "So my gaze makes you feel this much."

Gu Yan: "..."

"Shen Yanhui!!"

She raised her hands to push him, wanting to escape from beneath him. He remained motionless, instead pulling her up.

She fell into his arms.

Shen Yanhui lowered his head and laughed in her ear: "Don't be nervous."

Gu Yan bit him.