It took Su Huan three days to piece together the paintings of Zhu Da, also known as Bada Shanren. The pieces were so fragmented that it gave her a headache just to put them together. After completing the assembly, she began the restoration process. Through untold hardships, she finally managed to restore the painting to the point where no traces of repair were visible. Once the painting was finished, she was quite satisfied with the ink lotus diagram. The entire painting featured refined and resolute brushwork, a bold and enduring style, a chilly ambiance, and the incorporation of Zen into the art. The composition was simple, yet left a lasting impression. Zhu Da broke away from the painting techniques of his predecessors in terms of conception, composition, and style. He utilized the variations of ink's dryness, wetness, thickness, and lightness, along with the rhythmic strokes, to create the lotus. The lotus stems were round, vigorous, and completed in one go, seemingly swaying in the wind, yet exuding an elegant and charming aura, complementing the lotus leaves that bent and stretched. With the restoration complete, the next step was to find a buyer. She called Shen Yuan and asked, "Which auction house in Kyoto is relatively reliable?" Shen Yuan was surprised, "You've restored such a fragmented painting in such a short time?" "Yes, there's no trace of repair at all." "Oh my God, you're amazing!" Su Huan slightly twisted the corner of her eyebrow and moved the phone a bit farther from her ear. She felt that although Shen Yuan and Shen Huai were siblings, their personalities were quite different; Shen Yuan was too lively. But it was just right for complementing herself, one active and one passive. Shen Yuan said she would make inquiries and then hung up. Not long after, she called back, "I've inquired, the largest auction houses in Kyoto are Zhengrong Auction and Poly Auction, with a success rate of up to 80%. These two major auction houses have accumulated more than half of the high-end collectors in the country. These collectors are high-end individuals with net worths of several billion, even tens of billions." Su Huan asked, "Which one is closer to us?"

"The Zhengrong Auction House is a bit closer to us." Su Huan pondered for a moment, "Then let's go to the Zhengrong Auction House." "Okay, I'll come pick you up." An hour later, Su Huan and Shen Yuan arrived at the Zhengrong Auction House. As the two entered the hall, they saw a long queue. There were at least fifty or sixty people ahead of them, all with their collections from all over the country, here to auction their items. Because before the auction, there was the need for appraisal, verification, and negotiation of the starting bid, the procedures were quite troublesome. Since they had come this far, Su Huan and Shen Yuan also joined the queue in the hall. They queued from morning until noon, and only then did the line decrease by half, leaving both of them with sore legs. Su Huan suggested, "Shall we try another place?" "Let's wait a bit longer. The other place might not be any less crowded," Shen Yuan said, bending down to massage her sore legs. After massaging for a while, she straightened up and stretched. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, pointing towards the elevator ahead, she shouted to Su Huan, "Look, a handsome guy!"

Her voice was not soft. Everyone turned their heads to look at her in unison. But they only glanced at her before shifting their gaze to Su Huan beside her. Because Su Huan was truly too eye-catching. Black hair, red lips, an oval face so fair it seemed to glow, beautiful eyes like autumn waters, moist and tranquil, standing there gracefully and indifferently, as if she had stepped out of a distant ancient painting. Under the public gaze, Su Huan felt a bit embarrassed. She tilted her head to avoid everyone's eyes and looked in the direction Shen Yuan was pointing. The man was indeed handsome. Tall, wearing a stylish black jacket, black trousers, with short-cropped hair, his features handsome and deep, especially those eyes, dark and brooding, carrying a sense of story, striking directly at Su Huan's heart. Su Huan recognized him at a glance. He was the man she had bumped into at the Capital Grand Hotel some days ago. He had eyes very much like A Yao's. Thinking of A Yao, Su Huan began to feel chest tightness, unable to breathe, her heart aching until she gradually curled up into a small ball. She pressed her hand against her chest, frowning deeply. The man seemed to notice them, turned his head and gave a few instructions to someone behind him, then left. Before long, a staff member in a suit and tie came to find Su Huan and said, "Excuse me, are you Miss Su Huan?" Su Huan nodded, "Yes, I am." "Our young master would like to see you." Su Huan was slightly surprised, "I don't know your young master." The staff member looked at the painting she was rolling in her hands, "Aren't you here to auction an ancient painting?" "Yes." "Our young master would like to see the painting in your hands."

Su Huan and Shen Yuan followed the staff, taking the elevator to their young director's office. The office was very large, decorated with an antique charm. On the east wall hung a ink bamboo painting by Zheng Banqiao, backed by large floor-to-ceiling windows. Their young director sat in a black leather chair. He looked very young, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, handsome, neat, and wearing a black jacket, which seemed a bit out of place with the antique decor. The young director was the man they saw in the hall earlier, the one whose eyes were strikingly similar to A Yao's. Su Huan was stunned. Up close, the man's eyes looked even more like A Yao's, identical in every way. But it was only the eyes that were similar; the nose, face shape, skin color, and height were all different. In her memory, A Yao was a fair and slender youth, as beautiful as if he had stepped out of a comic. The man before her had a darker complexion, a robust and powerful frame, short-cropped hair, and deep, angular facial features. All the masculine characteristics were very evident. He was a handsome and sharp mature man. Shen Yuan's eyes began to shine again, and she whispered in admiration, "Such a young, handsome, and stylish young director." The man stood up from his chair and walked towards them with long strides. Su Huan stood there quietly and motionlessly, staring straight into his eyes. Those eyes were like a key that unlocked her painful memories; once opened, they were filled with layers of untouchable pain. The man approached her, extending his right hand and said politely, "Hello, Miss Su, my name is Gu Jingyao."

Upon hearing the name 'Yao', Su Huan paused for a moment, subconsciously glancing at the hand he extended. His fingers were long and powerful, with a thin layer of calluses on both sides of his right index finger. It was the hand of someone who had held a gun for years. Seeing that Su Huan stood there motionless, Shen Yuan tapped her arm and said, 'Su Huan, hurry up and shake hands with him.' Only then did Su Huan reach out to shake his hand. They shook hands for a long time. Longer than the usual duration for a handshake. Ever since Su Huan saw Gu Jingyao's eyes, her mind had been in a daze, absent-minded, not realizing that the handshake had lasted too long. It wasn't until Shen Yuan coughed and said, 'Su Huan, open the painting quickly and show it to Mr. Gu,' that Su Huan realized her gaffe and hastily withdrew her hand from his. Gu Jingyao reached out to take her painting, his eyelashes lifting slightly as he glanced at her left hand that had been caught in a door. Such beautiful fingers now bore scars, and the nails were still black and purple, not fully grown out. His gaze turned cold, and he took the painting, unfolding it calmly, carefully examining the image and the paper, then looking at the several red seals on it, and said, 'This is an authentic work by Bada Shanren. How much do you plan to sell it for?' Shen Yuan hurriedly said, 'I looked it up online, the ink lotus painting by Bada Shanren, Zhu Da, has sold for over ten million in previous years.' Gu Jingyao ignored her and asked Su Huan again, 'How much do you plan to sell it for?' Su Huan's complexion was pale, slightly distracted, and she said absent-mindedly, 'Whatever.' Gu Jingyao placed the painting on the table and said indifferently, 'I'll offer twelve million, and I'll buy this painting.' Su Huan was extremely surprised, 'You want to buy it?'

Gu Jinyao let out a soft 'hmm,' saying, 'My father has a keen interest in collecting paintings by Bada Shanren, and he is precisely missing one of the ink lotuses.' Seeing that he was serious, Su Huan perked up and said, 'This painting is severely damaged; I have restored it, so there's no need to pay such a high price.' Whether it has been restored or not can be verified with an instrument. Su Huan didn't want to hide it, nor could she. Gu Jinyao looked down at her, his expression unchanged as he said, 'Money can't buy what I like, so let's make it twelve million, shall we? Cash or bank transfer?' Su Huan was silent for a moment, then said, 'Either is fine.' 'Give me your account number, and I'll have finance transfer the money to you.' Su Huan hadn't expected him to be so decisive and hesitated, 'Aren't you going to call in an expert to authenticate it?' Gu Jinyao glanced at the painting on the table, his tone very certain, 'The ink lotus of Bada Shanren is unparalleled in artistry, a true masterpiece. It's difficult for ordinary people to replicate. Even if they do, they can only mimic the form, not the spirit. This painting has both form and spirit, clearly genuine at first glance. The several seals on it are also authentic; I trust my own judgment.' Su Huan wanted to say something more. Shen Yuan touched her hand, signaling her not to speak further. So Su Huan gave her bank account number. The other party must have activated the real-time large-sum transfer service, for after signing the contract, Su Huan received a notification of twelve million entering her account. Everything proceeded too smoothly, and Su Huan felt a bit unreal, dazed as if in a dream. After thanking Gu Jinyao, she took the contract and left with Shen Yuan. As they walked out the door, she heard the man call out from behind, 'Su Huan.' That 'Su Huan' seemed to be filled with deep emotion. Somehow, Su Huan's eyes suddenly filled with a thin layer of tears.