Dew Turns White from This Night

Chapter 19

The day after Huaian flew to Cuba, it rained in City G, a dense, net-like rain.

120 Building, 90th floor. The office of the President of the Art Inquiry Society.

At this moment, several managers were gathered outside the office, some frowning, others visibly agitated, their expressions uneasy.

"Linda, what's going on?" Finally, someone couldn't hold back and asked.

Linda, known for her cool intelligence as the chief secretary, also furrowed her brow.

"Everyone, inside, the red storm warning signal is currently in effect, with the potential to turn black." She shrugged, giving a conclusion with a touch of humor.

However, the executives looked troubled, sighing without the leisure to appreciate her wit. They needed to report some matters to him, but it was said that he had come back in the morning and coldly slammed the door shut. Now, they couldn't go in or back out; even the oldest veterans dared not act rashly.

A small, trembling hand was raised.

"Sister Linda, should we still deliver the president's coffee?"

Linda smiled, raising an eyebrow, "Deliver! Of course, we must! Even if it's not what the president wants, the executives need someone to take coffee inside. Someone has to know what's going on in there."

Secretary Xiao Huang sighed deeply, steeled herself, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The man's deep, magnetic voice came through, pleasant yet carrying a tenfold chill.

Xiao Huang entered the vast office, where papers were scattered all over the floor. A tall figure in a dark gray Armani suit stood with his back to the window, his presence both commanding and intimidating.

She was trembling with fear as she tried to step over the scattered papers, but Gu Ye Bai's indifferent voice warned, "Don't step on them."

She complied quickly, but couldn't help her curiosity, glancing at the papers, only to see one with a photo stuck on it. The photo showed a girl, not particularly beautiful but somewhat pretty, with light brows like leaves or a crescent moon, and a slight smile on her lips, full of life.

She was bewildered; using a photo with documents should have been something more presentable, but this one was all frayed at the edges, as if it had been cherished for years.

Her heart raced with curiosity, but Gu Ye Bai's deep voice cut her off.

"Get out."

The door closed again, sealing away all mystery and ambiguity.

Gu Ye Bai's eyes grew even darker.

Time. Good. Very good. Yan, so you are within my grasp after all.

His sharp eyes fell on the scattered files on the ground, the result of a million-dollar effort.

One night was enough to fill in all the gaps from those four years of blankness. Those four years, he didn't care about, but once he did, he felt a strong urge to kill her with his own hands.

He thought he had gone mad. When he saw the address where she lived in those documents, his heart felt like it had been crushed. A rent of 200 a month in the cheapest, darkest, most chaotic part of City G.

Outside the building, the rain intensified, darkening the sky. On the opposite building, a large clock was visible, right next to the small coffee shop named "Time." His eyes locked it into the darkness. Yan, since you reject the paradise I carefully built for you, then let's descend into hell together.

The clock struck exactly 12.

The coffee in the distiller was too strong to reflect the time on the wall clock.

At 10 in the morning at "Time." The sudden rain brought more customers to the shop.

Zhang Lei didn't stay hidden in the back; he came out to help. The melancholic blues music, the sound of Xiaodi joking with customers, filled every corner of the shop, occasionally punctuated by the sound of Youyan breaking dishes.

She seemed particularly clumsy, still breaking dishes after a month. Xiaodi had once asked him privately why he kept someone so inept. He had said casually that these "accidents" would be deducted from Youyan's salary. He wasn't a kind-hearted man; he was clear-cut in business. Yet, he also thought she was genuinely a bit clumsy.

However, last night when he took her home and saw where she lived, he hadn't expected such a decent girl to live there. It was City G's notorious slum, dirty and sinful.

She had earnestly and cheerfully bowed to him in thanks for the escort. Watching her navigate the potholes of the alley with familiarity, his heart ached slightly.

He was a composed man. In one night, his emotions had lost control twice: once for the dense sorrow on her face when she said Big Brother Chi was dead, which quickly dissipated; and once for her thin yet determined silhouette.

He gave a self-deprecating smile, not having time to ponder further as his thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of crying from inside the shop. Looking over, he saw a young girl covering her face, sobbing, while her companion tried to comfort her to no avail.

Everyone in the shop turned their curious gazes toward them.

Youyan frowned and walked over, quietly asking the girl's companion.

"In less than two hours, it's time for her interview, but her artwork got completely soaked," the round-faced girl whispered, also on the verge of tears.

Many people gave sympathetic looks but quickly lost interest. The world is cold; when it comes to others' troubles, it's just a spectacle.

Xiaodi pouted, "Little sister, let me treat you to a cappuccino, lots of milk, don't cry, okay?"

"But she went through so much hardship and passed many interviews to get this interview opportunity at that company."

"Where is she going for the interview? What time?" Xiaodi frowned.

"The Art Inquiry Society, at 12."

Youyan was stunned, her hand loosened, and the tray almost fell, but Xiaodi glared at her and caught it just in time.

He whistled, laughing, "Your friend is impressive; that company is notoriously hard to get into. And what a strange society, noon interviews, not even giving people time to eat."

The girl who had been hanging her head suddenly looked up, tears streaming, "I started learning to paint at ten, worked so hard for years, while others played, I was only thinking about how to improve my skills. Four years ago, after seeing President Gu's paintings, I've always wanted to work at the Art Inquiry Society he oversees. This piece was personally selected by him, who would have thought it would be ruined like this..."

"Her mother just had surgery, and her whole family is hoping for this. She wanted to take this design position as a gift for her mother." The companion beside her was now crying out of urgency.

"Are you students from G University?" Youyan was taken aback.

The two girls, not thinking of anything else, just nodded.

"Can I see the painting?" Youyan asked softly.

Xiaodi snorted, "Why meddle? Do you know how to look at it?"

The girl also looked at her with suspicion. Youyan felt a bit embarrassed, lowering her head. The girl, feeling that even though she was just a waitress and might not understand art, appreciated the kindness, nodded through her tears, and tremblingly pulled out a scroll from behind. Youyan carefully wiped her hands on her apron before accepting it.