The Obsessive Beauty’s White Moonlight - Chapter 17

Qi Ning stared coldly at the vibrating phone, making no move until the call timed out. Two minutes later, the same number called again.

After a moment of silence, Qi Ning finally picked up the phone. She walked to the kitchen and tapped on the glass door. “Niannian, you have a call.”

Su Niannian, who was currently busy stuffing a hidden red date into a dumpling, jumped. “!”

With her hands covered in flour, she didn’t want to touch the device. She trotted over to Qi Ning and said, “Put it on speaker for me, would you?”

She spoke with her usual natural tone, having clearly forgotten all about the “cold war” she was supposedly having with the doctor. Seeing that Su Niannian didn’t show any particular emotion toward the number, Qi Ning’s mood lightened considerably.

The moment the call connected, a frantic voice burst through: “Miss Su! I heard you were attacked recently! Are you alright?”

Su Niannian blinked, confused. Who is this?

Before she could ask, the person on the other end caught on, it wasn’t the first or second time Su Niannian had been forgetful about people. “It’s me! Your manager!”

A memory of a figure in thick black-rimmed glasses finally surfaced in Su Niannian’s mind. “Ah, I’m fine,” she replied sluggishly. “Is something wrong?”

“Your exhibition here in the city is this Sunday! I’m calling to ask how your preparations are going.”

Su Niannian: “…”

Crap.

Exhibition? Ever since she met Qi Ning, she hadn’t so much as touched a paintbrush. She had been too busy indulging in leisure and play with her, completely forgetting she actually had a career.

The prolonged silence led the manager to a terrifying realization. “Don’t tell me you haven’t painted anything yet.”

The publicity for this exhibition was unprecedented, with a grand charity gala scheduled to follow. High society figures from all walks of life were expected to attend. If they had to reschedule now. The manager felt her vision go dark; she didn’t even dare to follow that train of thought.

“I’ve painted,” Su Niannian said. These two words stopped the manager from reaching for an oxygen tank. “I just haven’t finished the main feature yet.”

The theme she had set for this exhibition was “Desire.” She had been working on the centerpiece the day she was attacked, but after waking from her coma, her inspiration had vanished. She couldn’t find the thread to continue that specific piece.

Better than having nothing but old works to show, the manager consoled herself. “Do you need me to look up some reference materials for you?” she asked, flipping through her files.

Halfway through, she heard a strange noise from the other end.

It was Su Niannian’s voice, but it lacked its usual icy detachment: “What are you doing!”

The manager froze. Was that a flirtatious scolding? Did Su Niannian just make that sound?

Before she could process it, another woman’s voice chuckled. “You have flour on your face.”

A woman’s voice? Probably a friend. Wait, since when did Miss Su make such close friends in just a few days?

“You can’t eat raw flour! You, you should have just wiped it off, why did you have to!”

“Force of habit,” the gentle voice replied, sounding exceptionally skilled at coaxing someone. “Don’t be mad, Niannian.”

“Niannian”?

The manager’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. She remembered vividly that at a previous exhibition, a wealthy heir tried to act familiar by using that nickname. Su Niannian hadn’t just ignored him; she had blacklisted him from all her future events.

Why does this phone call feel so thick with the scent of romance?

The manager’s inner gossip-monger was roaring for more, but the pair stopped talking. Following a rustle of fabric, the call was abruptly disconnected. Staring at the dial tone, the manager didn’t regain her senses for a long time.

“Really no movie tonight?”

“No.”

“No games either?”

“No.”

“Then I suppose it’s time to start painting.”

“Waaaah.”

Su Niannian looked piteously at her sketches, her face the picture of misery. Her happy life of slacking off was over! Painting when inspired and painting for a deadline were two entirely different beasts.

Besides, there were so many temptations: the newly released movie, the game’s new map update, the kitten waiting for head pats, and Qi Ning, who could accompany her through all of it. Wait, scratch that last one!

Qi Ning rested her chin in her hand, watching the colorful play of emotions on the girl’s face with a beautiful curve to her lips. Niannian has definitely become more cheerful lately.

After a while, Qi Ning poked the “salted fish” sprawled on the sofa. “If you’re really stuck, why not talk to me?”

Su Niannian moved the cushion covering her face and stared. “…”

“I am a psychiatrist, after all. Perhaps I can help you sort through your emotions and find that spark.”

Su Niannian felt a bit swayed. After a moment’s hesitation, she sat up. “The theme of the exhibition is ‘Desire’.”

“‘Desire’?” Qi Ning’s interest was piqued. “Can I see the other pieces you’ve prepared?”

Su Niannian usually hated showing unreleased work, but the thought of Qi Ning seeing them filled her with a flutter of excitement.

She led Qi Ning to the studio in the attic. Before moving into the villa, she’d had her recent works moved here. Aside from the brushes and paints, the most prominent items were the canvases veiled in black cloth.

“It’s been a while since I created these. I can’t quite recall my state of mind at the time,” Su Niannian said, pulling the cloth off the central piece.

Qi Ning froze.

A somber sky, clouds so heavy they were almost black, a scorched wasteland of grass, and a stream bed parched into stones and sand. Su Niannian painted this lifeless scene?

Though Su Niannian often used bluntness to hide her feelings, Qi Ning was certain her essence was pure, innocent, and full of a longing for beauty—like a little sun. The personality reflected in this painting didn’t resemble Su Niannian at all. If anything, it looked like Qi Ning herself.

While Qi Ning was lost in thought, Su Niannian frowned slightly. “It’s called Before the Rain. I finished it last month.”

“Are you unhappy with it?”

“No,” Su Niannian paused, her tone wavering. “Maybe my state of mind has changed? I feel like it doesn’t look like something I would paint anymore.”

Qi Ning looked at her. Su Niannian’s expression was solemn, even a little sad? Was she being affected by the very emotions she had poured into the canvas?

Qi Ning lowered her eyes, her voice tinged with a faint hope. “Then use your new state of mind to create. Isn’t that how artistic breakthroughs happen?”

Su Niannian blinked, stunned. Then, as if hit by a sudden bolt of lightning, she fixed her gaze unblinkingly on the painting. A minute later, she moved.

With a few deft strokes, new sprouts began to push through the scorched earth. A few water-slicked pebbles appeared in the stream. The once-oppressive scene was suddenly injected with a surge of vibrant life.

Finishing, Su Niannian turned to Qi Ning with a smile. “Does it look good?”

In that instant, Qi Ning forgot how to make a sound. She stared at Su Niannian, feeling that the girl was more radiant than the sun itself.

It was the first time she had seen Su Niannian smile like that.

Unable to help herself, Qi Ning reached out, took Su Niannian’s hand, and pressed her lips against hers.