After Transmigrating as the Northeast CEO's Pampered Little Husband - Chapter 82

The security guard, whose hand had been seized by Xi Chuanbai, was startled. His reflex was to shout curses and defend himself, but instead, he felt a flash of white light before his eyes, as if he had been transported back to the summer, he was eighteen, seeing his beautiful first love standing right in front of him.

“Oh? Is there something you need, my dear?” the guard asked blankly, his eyes wide and unfocused as he stared at Xi Chuanbai.

Xi Chuanbai, under the influence of the maximum-power halo, sighed in relief. He quickly stated his requirement to enter the backstage area and finally received permission.

[You activated the Halo at too high a power level. Do not do that again, or we will be in great danger due to energy depletion!] The Strategy System warned harshly in Xi Chuanbai’s mind. The sudden draining of energy left it is trembling, but it had no choice but to comply to get backstage and complete the plan. It could only issue a warning.

Xi Chuanbai, disgruntled, nodded carelessly. He bypassed the still-dazed guard and entered the backstage area, quickly searching the dimly lit, small storage room. The canvases in the storage room were wrapped in dark red velvet cloth, with numbered labels affixed to the top-right corner.

Xi Chuanbai, having learned the serial number of the painting he needed to tamper with, quickly scanned the labels and found his target. Gu Jiaoyang’s painting was placed towards the back, indicating that his work was recognised by many and would be displayed and auctioned alongside the well-known figures from various academies.

Xi Chuanbai clenched the ink bottle in his hand and approached the canvas draped in red cloth, his eyes dark. He pulled back the velvet cloth, revealing an oil painting of a field with wild flowers and a vast, bright sky in the distance. He had to admit that the painting truly evoked a sense of hope and joy upon first glance.

Xi Chuanbai reluctantly acknowledged that Gu Jiaoyang did possess some genuine artistic talent. He uncapped the bottle in his hand. The liquid wasn’t meant to be splashed onto the painting; he intended to modify the artwork.

“System, apply the Hypnosis Halo to my brush.”

This is the last time! After this usage, you cannot activate it again for at least a week! I warn you, it had better succeed, or without energy acquisition, I will quickly enter hibernation, and you won’t have an easy time either!

“I know! As long as the painting is modified, it should hold up for a while. Hurry up and stop talking nonsense!”

The ink in the open bottle wasn’t the usual deep black, but a diluted silver-grey. Xi Chuanbai pulled a flat brush from his pocket, dipped it in the ink, and quickly brushed it over the entire painting. Instantly, the bright sky became overcast, and the whole picture transformed into a depressing, sullen field foreshadowing a coming storm. After completing this step, Xi Chuanbai gave a cold laugh, recovered the red velvet cloth, used paper to soak up the ink from the flat brush, and let out a long breath before leaving the storage room.

The guard at the door was still staring blankly. Perhaps because the Halo energy was too strong, he was near a mental breakdown, and a slight froth was gathering at the corners of his mouth.

As soon as Xi Chuanbai moved out of the surveillance camera’s view, the guard violently twitched and woke up from the Halo’s influence. However, his head was throbbing with severe pain. He could only lean against the door, breathing heavily, his face ashen. The surveillance camera only showed the guard suddenly becoming ill, with no other person visible.

Xi Chuanbai left the storage area and returned to the auction hall. As a popular figure in his class, he was immediately greeted by classmates. He naturally sat down in his seat, behaving as if he had merely taken a brief bathroom break, quickly integrating back into the conversation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the next piece we are auctioning is titled Spring Field, created by Classmate Gu Jiaoyang from the Oil Painting Department of the Art Academy. This artwork…”

The familiar name appeared, and both Dai Gucan and Gu Jiaoyang looked up at the auction stage. As the red velvet cloth was unveiled, the painting was revealed under the spotlight.

“That’s wrong,” Gu Jiaoyang said, scanning the painting and immediately spotting the problem. The gloomy scene was vastly different from the bright, colourful painting he had submitted. It looked like it had been washed over with dirty brush water, the colours dull, misty, and extremely unpleasant.

The audience, however, showed little reaction. For auction attendees and art observers, this charity auction featured everything from grey, misty paintings to abstract aliens. Many simply bid based on the host’s description.

After all, art appreciation is highly subjective and private for both the creator and the admirer. People merely felt a vague sense of respect for the unknown. A painting titled Spring Field sounded bright and sunny, but the artwork itself was grey and misty perhaps the artist was using this artistic expression to convey some deep emotional theme, they thought.

“What’s the matter?” Dai Gucan reacted immediately to his darling’s words. Gu Jiaoyang had painted this oil painting at home, so Dai Gucan knew what it looked like. His first thought was that the artist had added some special post-production effect, but hearing his darling’s comment, he realised something was amiss.

“The painting has been altered,” Gu Jiaoyang frowned. Under the table, his hand resting on his knee moved slightly. The spiritual energy, like a tiny spark, flashed, and he instantly looked enlightened. Xi Chuanbai, you really are a persistent pest.

“How could such a mistake happen at such a large auction?” Dai Gucan was both surprised and angry. The university was not some obscure institution; as one of the country’s top academies, the Brilliant Auction was a gathering of high society.

The error of a destroyed painting, especially one targeting his precious partner, was intolerable to the CEO. The problem either lay backstage or with an insider in the organising committee. Dai Gucan said no more, immediately pulling out his phone to contact his trusted associates to investigate the matter.

The art pieces at the auction sold quickly. The quality of the works increased towards the end, leading to swift bidding after the auctioneer’s brief introduction. Gu Jiaoyang’s painting, after its short display, was successfully purchased by a young lady.

Gu Jiaoyang frowned, looking at the successful bidder and seeing a look in her eyes that suggested she was being drawn by something external. The tampering with the painting clearly involved Xi Chuanbai and his Virus System, but the purpose remained unclear. Gu Jiaoyang didn’t immediately understand why Xi Chuanbai had chosen to tamper with this specific painting.

However, Gu Jiaoyang soon got his answer.

Across the room, seeing the painting successfully sold, Xi Chuanbai sighed in relief. The artwork, infused with a hypnotic effect, had a time limit. Xi Chuanbai had applied the Halo to the brush to use the special ink to draw a specific pattern on the canvas.

This pattern, combined with the hypnotic effect, would serve a particular purpose, and Xi Chuanbai’s goal was specifically to ensure that the lady purchased it. Now that the plan was successful, Xi Chuanbai raised his wine glass and smiled sinisterly towards Gu Jiaoyang’s direction.

Gu Jiaoyang caught his gaze, rolled his eyes, and turned away.

Seeing this, Xi Chuanbai almost lost the smile on his face, nearly crushing the stem of the champagne glass in his hand. That damned fellow! Let’s see how long you can remain so smug! But thinking of his grand plan, he gave a hum of satisfaction.

Dai Gucan, sitting behind Gu Jiaoyang, clearly saw his darling’s brief skirmish with the annoying pest opposite. He frowned at Xi Chuanbai, as if watching a cockroach frantically waving its antennae in provocation. It was time to teach the man a lesson.

Although he was initially confident that his precious partner could deal with such a person like a cat playing with a mouse, his darling was too kind. He clearly needed some off-stage assistance to punish the insolent pest.

Dai Gucan quickly judged that Xi Chuanbai was the culprit behind the tampering. He immediately ordered his special assistant to investigate Xi Chuanbai and prepare a grand ‘gift’ for him. Annoying people should stay in the corner they belong to.

“Just a little clown,” Dai Gucan murmured, leaning down and rubbing his nose against Gu Jiaoyang’s ear.

Gu Jiaoyang’s ear tickled from the sound and the warmth of his breath, and he turned his head to glare at him. His CEO boyfriend was a good boyfriend, but he could be a bit clingy and overly affectionate sometimes.

“It’s fine. Although I can’t quite figure out what he’s planning yet, I’ve checked, and the situation is still controllable. It won’t have any major impact on anyone else.”

Gu Jiaoyang turned back to say. This was why he hadn’t intervened immediately. He and the Monitoring System had been trying to find a way to deal with the two world-breaking elements, but the Virus System was too cautious. Now that the opponent was finally making a move and showing his hand, they could use this opportunity to see if they could capture him in one fell swoop.

Judging by the strange fluctuations on the painting, the Virus System had clearly used up a significant amount of energy to power the Halo again, making it the perfect time for a counter-attack.

We sound like the villains now, Gu Jiaoyang thought, stroking his chin with a villainous smile.

Dai Gucan was so taken by his darling’s cool smile that he quickly leaned over and kissed his cheek, earning a playful kick from the little lamb’s foot under the table.

“You head back after the auction finishes. I’ll go and meet them.” Gu Jiaoyang directed. He still had work to do on the mountain plots he’d leased, and he planned to temporarily focus his energy on dealing with Xi Chuanbai and the Virus System. It was better for Dai Gucan, the supporting male lead, to stay away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Dai Gucan nodded, a dark glint flashing in his eyes, looking perfectly obedient to his wife’s plan.

The two of them exchanged an unspoken understanding with a squeeze of the hand.

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