Three days later. Shen Yuan called excitedly and said, 'Sister Huan, Sister Huan, good news, good news! After evaluation by all the experts on site, it has been unanimously decided that you will be the successor to continue the painting of Wang Meng's 'Seclusion Picture' from the 'Four Great Masters of the Yuan Dynasty'. Are you happy?' Su Huan responded indifferently with a soft 'Hmm', 'When does it start?' Shen Yuan was stunned, 'Is that all your reaction?' Su Huan slightly raised an eyebrow, 'Then what reaction should I have?' Shen Yuan raised her voice, 'Do you know? You have successfully defeated eighteen master copyists summoned from all over the country. Each of those eighteen masters is outstanding, the cream of the crop in their local museums, and they are all over forty or fifty years old. You are only twenty-three and have beaten so many masters. Shouldn't you be jumping for joy, clapping your hands, and celebrating wildly?' Su Huan let out a dry laugh twice, 'Is this okay?' Hearing her perfunctory laughter, Shen Yuan was exasperated, 'Your left hand is still in the recovery phase, won't it affect the continuation of the painting?' 'It's fine, I use my right hand more. However, you'll need to find someone to grind the ink for me; I can't use ready-made ink, as it will bleed and affect the mounting effect.' 'Alright, just tell me what you need, and I'll talk to our curator. I might as well help you grind the ink myself.' 'Okay.'

After the hidden retreat painting was fully restored and colored, it was Su Huan's turn to take over the brush. She worked with extreme dedication, once she sat down and picked up the brush, she would immerse herself completely, indifferent to the surroundings, as if in meditation, often forgetting to eat. Shen Yuan dared not remind her. Because what was being restored was a cultural relic over seven hundred years old, just one piece, irreplaceable. Any disturbance to her could lead to a mistake in the painting, ruining the artwork. Thus, a cultural relic restorer is also known as a surgeon who saves the life of cultural relics, and cannot afford any errors. Ten days later, Su Huan finished her part. The brushwork, painting technique, charm, and freehand style all perfectly matched the original artist, Wang Meng. A group of old experts, holding magnifying glasses, scrutinized the painting for half a day but couldn't find a single flaw. It must be said, Su Huan's work was both beautiful and efficient; what others might take months to complete, she did in ten days. Most people in the industry, even in their lifetime, could not reach her level. Effort determines the lower limit, talent determines the upper limit. With both talent and diligence, plus the guidance of her grandfather, known as a saint of cultural relic restoration, who taught her by hand, one could not help but admire her. An cheerful old expert gave Su Huan a thumbs up, praising endlessly, saying that Su Wenmai had taught a good apprentice, who surpassed the master. Several experts who cherished talent went further, jointly nominating and applying for Su Huan to be awarded a "Cultural Relic Restoration Expert" certificate. The museum also specially appointed her as a visiting researcher at the Kyoto Museum. Next, the restored painting was handed over to the framing department for mounting. Su Huan and the old experts went to attend the celebration banquet. Though called a celebration banquet, it was essentially a farewell meal together. During the meal, a few white-haired old experts asked Su Huan if she had a boyfriend, eager to introduce their grandsons or grandnephews to her. Before Su Huan could speak, the old men started arguing among themselves, each praising their own grandson. Some were so eager that they called their grandsons on the spot, telling them to hurry over. Su Huan was a bit embarrassed by their cacophony. Shen Yuan quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "With Su Huan's beauty, she must already have a boyfriend. Thank you all for your kindness and love for her."

The veteran experts expressed their regret in succession and then asked, 'Whose kid is this, to be so fortunate?' Su Huan certainly couldn't reveal Gu Beixian's name, so she just laughed it off and dodged the question. In the past, Su Huan didn't like to deal with these old experts. She never participated in their gatherings. But today, she found that these old experts were actually quite lovable, as playful as children, each of them mischievously charming. After the meal, a reporter came to interview. Due to her connection with the Gu family, Su Huan was not convenient to appear on camera, nor did she want her background to be deeply scrutinized, so she politely declined, giving the opportunity to those adorable old experts. In the meantime, Shen Yuanfei dragged her to the antique market, claiming to be looking for a bargain. In times of chaos, gold is precious; in prosperous times, antiques are treasured. Nowadays, in a peaceful and prosperous era, antiques are being speculated on fervently, and bargains are not easy to find. Good items are expensive, and the cheap ones are mostly crafts or fakes. The antique business is too deep and murky. After visiting several shops, they found nothing. Finally, they arrived at an antique shop that was decorated in an antique style, quite imposing. Su Huan looked around and finally her gaze settled on a transparent vacuum box, inside which were a pile of old, fragmented paper pieces, the largest of which was only as big as a child's palm, so broken that their original shape could not be recognized. Seeing her staring at it, Shen Yuanfei curiously asked the clerk, 'How much is this?' The clerk held up two fingers, 'Two hundred thousand.' Shen Yuanfei's eyes widened, 'These broken paper pieces for two hundred thousand? You really dare to ask for that price, why don't you go rob a bank?' The clerk wasn't annoyed, smilingly saying, 'This is a ink lotus painting by Zhu Da, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, which was not well preserved during the war of chaos.'

“If it's intact, it would be worth at least tens of millions. If you don't believe me, just take some time to look it up online.” Shen Yuan curled her lips, “But this painting of yours is too fragmented; it's not even worth two hundred thousand.” The clerk knew the score as clear as day. When they acquired it, they spent two thousand yuan on it and took it to Su Wenmai, the best ancient painting restoration expert in the country, but he passed away from stomach cancer. No one else could help; they all said it was too fragmented to even piece together. It was just taking up space here, and they had to dust it every day. The boss had given the word; sell it for money. The clerk's eyes twitched, and he said, “Then you make an offer.” Shen Yuan glanced at Su Huan, saw that she was interested in buying it, knew she could fix it, and held up one finger, “One hundred.” Su Huan almost laughed out loud. She really dared to bargain. Fortunately, this was a civilized society; in the past, such bargaining could have gotten her beaten. The clerk got annoyed and said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, “Do you think this is waste paper? Even if it were waste paper, it's from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and it could still sell for eight or ten thousand.” “Don't fool me; eight or ten thousand for a piece, that would be intact ancient rice paper. What you have here is just scraps, not even good enough for patching up old paintings. How about this, I'll give you one thousand yuan, and if it's more, we're leaving,” Shen Yuan said, pulling Su Huan's hand and heading for the door. The clerk followed behind, shouting, “Ten thousand, take it for ten thousand!” “One thousand, not a penny more!” Shen Yuan bargained without looking back. As the two were about to leave the door, the clerk was utterly confused and shouted, “Take it for one thousand then.”

Su Huan deftly turned back, swiped her card to pay, signed the contract, and left with the shredded paper fragments. She returned to Riyue Bay.

She went to her study and began piecing together the painting. Fearing that Aunt Liu or the cleaning lady might barge in and blow the paper fragments away with a gust of wind, she hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the study door.

When Gu Beixian returned, he saw no trace of her. He approached the study, saw the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, and knew she was working. He gently pushed the door open a crack.

He saw Su Huan sitting at the desk, her head down, intently piecing together the painting. The orange light cast upon her pure and exquisite little face made her seem as if in meditation.

This tranquil atmosphere turned the entire study into a monastery, silent and serene, with ancient scrolls and green lamps, making one reluctant to disturb.

Gu Beixian quietly closed the door and left.

Su Huan worked until the middle of the night before stopping. She looked at the clock on the wall; it was one in the morning. She put down the painting, left the study, and locked it.

Not wanting to disturb Gu Beixian, she went to the bathroom to wash up with light steps, then went to sleep in the guest room.

But the next morning, when she woke up, she opened her eyes to find Gu Beixian lying beside her, gazing down at her.

Su Huan was very surprised. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the man's clear, handsome, and elegant face, asking, "Why did you also come to sleep in the guest room?"

Gu Beixian loosely embraced her, his index finger gently touching her cherry-red lips, "I was afraid you would dream about me in the middle of the night, and if you couldn't find me, you would cry." This was so warm.

Su Huan felt a piercing sweetness in her heart, warmed by him.

Her eyes curved into smiles as she leaned in, cupped his face, and started kissing him—his forehead, his eyes, then the tip of his nose, leaving her breathless.

She kissed that handsome face until it was covered in saliva.