Chapter: A Stunning Rise
1626 Words
Su Hua felt a swirl of emotions in her heart and had no idea how to respond.
She slowly turned her head and looked at Gu Beixian.
He didn’t smile often, but when he did, it was breathtaking—like ten miles of spring breeze. His dark eyes were bright and clear, shimmering like a sea of stars.
He was about to reunite with the woman he loved. He must be truly happy.
Su Hua also smiled—a smile born from a completely shattered heart.
“I wish you happiness too.”
With that, she turned and got into the car.
The moment the door closed, tears streamed down uncontrollably. The fresh wound mixed with old pain, and the ache made her curl in on herself.
The driver loaded her suitcase into the trunk, got into the car, and started the engine.
Watching the car speed away, the smile on Gu Beixian’s lips froze, and the light in his eyes slowly dimmed.
Back at the Su residence—
Dragging her suitcase behind her, Su Hua stepped inside.
Seeing her swollen eyes and the suitcase in her hand, Su Peilan was shocked. “Daughter, what happened?”
Su Hua lowered her head as she changed shoes and forced a calm tone. “Mom, I’m moving back.”
Su Peilan shot up from the sofa. “You’re separating from Gu Beixian?”
“Mm. His ex-girlfriend came back.”
At that, Su Peilan instantly exploded.
“Three years ago when he got into that car accident, the doctor said he’d be in a wheelchair for life, and that ex of his just ran off! You were the one who stayed—taking him everywhere, in and out of the country, searching for treatment. You massaged his legs, helped with rehab, took care of him day and night like a nanny! And now that he can walk and run again, that woman comes back? Does she have no shame? And him! He actually dumped you for that heartless woman? Is he blind?!”
Su Hua bent over, took the check from her suitcase, and handed it to her. “He gave me this as compensation.”
Peilan stared at the long string of zeros—and her eyes widened instantly.
She counted.
One… followed by eight zeros!
Her expression softened a little. “It’s not about the money. Having money doesn’t give him the right to treat you like this!”
Su Hua lowered her gaze. “Lots of men give nothing when they divorce, even trying to take advantage of the woman. Some even kill their wives to avoid splitting assets. Compared to that… Gu Beixian isn’t the worst.”
“But can you swallow this humiliation?”
Su Hua gave a weary smile. “What else can I do? Throw a tantrum? Threaten to hang myself? Making a scene won’t change anything. His heart isn’t with me. Forcing him is pointless—and impossible. Mom, I’m tired. I want to sleep.”
“Go, go.” Peilan watched her with aching pity.
This child was too easy, too sensible—so sensible it hurt.
Su Hua went to the bedroom.
And slept for two whole days and nights.
Peilan kept checking on her, leaning close to feel her breath in fear.
In truth, Su Hua barely slept. Her body simply refused to move. She wasn’t hungry, her limbs were weak, and it felt like a huge piece of her heart had been torn away.
It hurt as though the sky had fallen.
On the third day, she forced herself out of bed.
After washing up, she called Gu Beixian. “Is the divorce agreement ready? When are we going to file the papers?”
After a moment of silence, he said, “I’m on a business trip. We’ll talk when I’m back.”
“Okay. I’m going to work now. Call me ahead of time when you’re back.”
“You found a job already? Where?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“At an antique shop. They’ve been calling me for a while.”
“Don’t overwork yourself. If you’re short on money, tell me,” he said, voice low and gentle, as soft as moonlight—dangerously comforting.
A sharp ache pierced Su Hua’s heart. She forced distance into her voice. “I won’t. Thank you.”
After breakfast, she took a taxi to Gu Bao Zhai.
She was greeted by the young boss, Shen Huai.
He wore a light-blue shirt and khaki trousers, tall and slender, with a clean, gentle elegance like warm jade.
After introducing her to the staff downstairs, he brought her upstairs to meet the shop’s senior appraiser, Cui Shousheng.
“Master Cui, this is Su Hua—the heir to the ‘Restoration Saint’ Master Su’s craft. She specializes in repairing ancient calligraphy and paintings. She’ll be our restoration artist from now on. If you’re unsure about anything, feel free to consult her.”
Nearly sixty years old, Cui peered at her through his reading glasses.
A girl barely in her twenties—how could she call herself a restoration artist?
At her age, he was still an apprentice.
Yet the young boss praised her to the skies? Even asked him to consult her?
He agreed politely on the surface, but inwardly he was unconvinced.
As soon as Shen Huai left, he asked, “Little Su, you’re so young. How many years have you worked in this field?”
Su Hua smiled lightly. “More than ten years.”
Cui nearly choked. “How old are you again?”
“Twenty-three.”
Cui snorted inwardly.
So the little girl could boast, huh?
He’d wait for her to embarrass herself.
In this line of work, only real skill mattered. Pretty words meant nothing.
Just then, an employee came up saying a customer needed help.
Su Hua and Cui went downstairs.
A man in his thirties was holding a filthy, damaged ancient painting and asked if it could be restored.
Cui gave it a glance.
That hardly still counted as a painting—dark, torn, wrinkled, full of wormholes.
Only a top national-level restorer might have some chance.
Cui shot Su Hua a gloating look. “Little Su, everyone’s watching. Don’t let them down now.”
Su Hua stepped forward, carefully examined the painting, and told the customer, “It can be restored.”
The customer lit up. “Who’s restoring it? How long will it take?”
“Me. Three days.”
“You?”
He looked her up and down—young, pretty, clearly doubting.
“This is an authentic work by Wang Jian, one of the ‘Four Wangs’ of the late Ming and early Qing! It’s worth millions at auction! Don’t ruin it!”
Everyone stared at Su Hua skeptically. Three days?
Was she crazy?
Cui clicked his tongue and stroked his beard.
“Little Su, it’s good to be fearless when you’re young, but you must know your limits. If you damage this, it’ll ruin Gu Bao Zhai’s reputation. Even top restorers wouldn’t dare promise three days. They take months, even years!”
In other words: Don’t overestimate yourself.
Su Hua’s tone was firm. “Three days. If I ruin it, I’ll compensate double the market value.”
The customer, planning to auction the painting anyway, immediately agreed. “Words mean nothing—let’s sign a contract.”
“Okay.”
After pricing it, they signed the contract, and Su Hua carried the painting upstairs.
Inside the restoration room—
Two tall redwood tables stood in the center.
All the tools were ready: hake brushes, hoof knives, lamb-gut towels, calligraphy brushes, xuan paper.
Ancient painting restoration required four main steps: washing, uncovering, mounting, and repairing.
Su Hua had them boil water and began washing the painting with a hake brush dipped in hot water.
Every stroke had to be careful—strong enough to wash away the grime, but gentle enough not to damage the fragile fibers of the centuries-old paper.
Easy in theory, hard in practice.
But she had been doing this since childhood under her grandfather’s guidance. It was second nature to her.
Besides, the Gu family elders loved antiques, and she had handled nearly all their painting repairs these past years.
She had repaired pieces far older and more damaged than this.
Time was tight, so for the next few days Su Hua barely looked up.
Being busy was good.
Being busy meant she could forget Gu Beixian for a while.
Even her sadness faded.
Three days later, the customer returned.
Su Hua brought the restored painting downstairs.
The customer was stunned. “Is this the same painting I brought? You didn’t switch it, right?”
Cui, the manager, and the staff gathered around as well—and gasped.
Mountains rose in rolling layers, peaks steep and majestic, trees lush and vivid.
Was this the same rag-like, torn, dirty painting from before?
Su Hua said calmly, “You can verify the authenticity with equipment.”
After the test, the customer gave her a thumbs-up, paid, and left satisfied.
From that day on, word spread quickly.
The entire Antique Street learned that Gu Bao Zhai had a new, young, beautiful restorer.
Barely in her twenties, yet her skill rivaled national masters.
Evening.
Gu Beixian called.
“My car is parked in front of your shop. Come out.”
Hearing his familiar voice, Su Hua’s heart twisted with pain.
She checked the time and said softly, “It’ll be dark soon. There’s no time to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Let’s do it tomorrow morning.”
A pause.
Then Gu Beixian said, “Grandma wants to see us. She said it’s something important.”
- Writer
