The auction ended. Xia Qingxue, busy with subsequent matters, met Huo Rou and said, "Your man is so rich!"
Xia Qingxue's look of admiration and envy was more than obvious.
Huo Rou watched her retreating back and thought to herself, As if your account doesn't have this much money.
What's there to envy? She sells her flowers and finds a job, and it's not bad either. Huo Rou thought and slid her phone to send a message.
In the evening, when Qin Ningyi drove Huo Rou home, he also placed the mountain carving into Huo Rou's living room.
An An looked at the "Huo Rou" on the bookshelf with great satisfaction, walking back and forth, looking at it from afar and up close for a long time.
Huo Rou felt increasingly creeped out the more she looked. Having a sculpture of herself placed here, watching herself, what was that supposed to be? On her phone, Qiao Yushan finally replied.
[Yushan: Master! You finally showed up! I was in the studio just now. Ah, there's so much work this year. After paying my respects to you for the New Year, I've been busy until now. But you didn't reply to any of the many messages I sent you.]
[ARou: Reply to you? Do you know what portrait rights are?]
[Yushan: I know, what's wrong?]
[Yushan: Oh right, Master, one of my works sold for a very high price today! There are so many rich people nowadays. I'll come to pay my respects to you when I'm free at the end of the year.]
[ARou: The rich person you're talking about is An An's father.]
[Yushan: Ah! Master, then you've...]
Huo Rou took a picture of the "Flower Fairy" displayed in her home and sent it to Qiao Yushan.
[Yushan: Master, I, I, I was wrong!]
Qiao Yushan really didn't expect that Huo Rou, who was skilled but never cared about the jade carving industry, would be able to see his work.
Especially a work created secretly using her face!
He could already imagine the unsettling smile that would appear on Huo Rou's usually expressionless face.
A video call came through. Qiao Yushan sat upright in front of the camera. As soon as Huo Rou answered, he bowed ninety degrees, "Master, I was wrong!"
Huo Rou smiled at him, her voice gentle, "What were you wrong about?"
"I, I, I should have told you," Qiao Yushan said with a fawning smile.
Huo Rou was furious, "If I had known, would I have let you carve it? Xiao Shan, your courage is truly..."
"Oh, Master, I knew you wouldn't let me carve it, that's why I didn't tell you."
Qiao Yushan's deliberate transgression was too obvious. He smiled fawningly while also trying to explain himself.
"Besides, I originally wanted to carve a Guanyin, but this material was so good that I got excited and only realized it looked like you when it was almost finished."
"I am Guanyin?" Huo Rou's smile at this moment might seem sweet to others, but to Qiao Yushan, it was a sign of anger.
He looked at the mountain carving behind Huo Rou and shamelessly said, "It's going to be placed in your home anyway, Master, so what's the big deal?"
He finally had a flash of inspiration and changed the subject, "Master, you said An An's father bought it? Bought it as a gift for you? Has An An found his father?"
Hearing his name, An An ran over and looked at Qiao Yushan in the camera, happily responding, "Yes, Uncle Xiao Shan, An An has found his father."
Qiao Yushan was also very happy to see An An, "Little An An, long time no see, how have you been?"
"I'm doing great, Uncle Xiao Shan. I've found my dad and started school," An An replied obediently. "By the way, Uncle Xiao Shan, why is Mommy angry with you?"
He wasn't greeting An An just to get the conversation back on track. Qiao Yushan glanced at Huo Rou beside him and said gently, "An An, help me persuade your mother. I just said she was beautiful, more beautiful than Guanyin, and she got angry."
"Mommy, Uncle Xiao Shan is right. You are beautiful, more beautiful than anything!" An An said very seriously to Huo Rou. He would not allow his mother to lack confidence.
Huo Rou was at a loss for what to do with these two. Every time Qiao Yushan came over, he would take An An out to play in the mountains, making her angry, and then they would help each other out of trouble.
"You two play by yourselves!" Huo Rou put down her phone and returned to her room to wash up with An An.
"Uncle Xiao Shan, you should try not to make Mommy angry," An An advised, though he didn't quite understand the reason.
"I won't," Qiao Yushan replied obediently.
"An An, what's your dad like? Is he handsome?" Qiao Yushan asked gossipingly. "How does he compare to me?"
"My dad is as handsome as An An, and much, much more handsome than Uncle Xiao Shan," An An said enthusiastically, talking about Qin Ningyi.
They chatted for a while. As they were about to hang up, An An reminded him again, "Uncle Xiao Shan, you be good, don't make Mommy angry. We'll play together again during New Year's."
"Okay," Qiao Yushan nodded with a smile.
After the call ended, he looked at the small pendant in his hand, and the smile on his lips faded.
On the small pendant, intricate techniques were used to carve a human figure. It was unfinished, but one could already faintly discern Huo Rou's likeness.
Qiao Yushan looked at the information from the auction house on his phone. Fifteen million, and that was just a piece he had practiced on...
He put away the pendant and returned to bed, lost in thought as he gazed at the night outside the window.
Meanwhile, as soon as An An hung up with Qiao Yushan, he received a call from someone named Lee.
"Mommy, there's a phone call!" An An called out to Huo Rou.
Huo Rou was in the bathroom. Hearing An An, she replied from inside, "Take it for me."
An An walked to Huo Rou's door and answered the phone.
"Miss Huo, are you selling everything? When would be convenient? Our people can come anytime." The other party was clearly very excited.
"Hello, I am Huo Rou's son. Please wait a moment, I'll ask my mother for you."
An An replied to the person on the other end of the line and then turned to the bedroom and asked, "Mommy, an uncle with the contact name 'lee' called. He's asking if you're selling everything and when it would be convenient for them to arrange for people to come."
"Tomorrow."
"Hello, my mother says tomorrow." An An relayed the message truthfully.
The person on the other side laughed happily, "Okay, okay, please tell your mother that we'll be waiting at your door tomorrow."
"Okay, goodbye, uncle."
The phone call ended. An An was a little curious, and when Huo Rou came out of the bathroom, he asked.
"Mommy, what are we selling?"