Two Paintings

In the funeral home, Mo Xuan sat in a chair, his eyes blank. His phone was open to the WeChat chat page, with the top two conversations being Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi.

Mo Xuan had blocked all the Mo family members except Mo Qingqing. He still informed Mo Qingqing about the death of his grandmother, but he didn't expect the Mo family to come, and whether they came or not didn't matter to Mo Xuan.

After all, he and his grandmother, as well as the Mo family, had no connection anymore.

Although he had mentally prepared himself, Mo Xuan hadn't expected that his grandmother would suddenly close her eyes forever.

In extreme emotions, people tend to develop a sense of revenge, and Mo Xuan was no exception. He removed Mo Changshan and Qin Ni's numbers from his blacklist and called them one by one.

Mo Changshan didn't pick up, but just as the call was about to disconnect, Qin Ni answered, her tone somewhat surprised: "Why did you suddenly think of calling me?"

"I want to show you something. Remember to accept my friend request."

Mo Xuan's voice was hoarse, his tone calm, and after saying that, he hung up the phone. Qin Ni was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, a friend request notification popped up.

Mo Xuan sent all the information about Mo Changshan to Qin Ni in one go, then blocked and deleted her contact again.

About ten minutes later, an unfamiliar number called. Mo Xuan hung up and blocked it immediately. He knew it was Qin Ni, who had seen the information and wanted to question him.

But what did it have to do with him? He could have shown her all this earlier, but his grandmother was still alive. Now, the last connection was gone. Since his grandmother was no longer there, they shouldn't have an easy time either.

Mo Xuan didn't need to do much. Just by sending this information, he believed Mo Changshan and Qin Ni would satisfy him.

When Luo Muqi received Mo Xuan's message, she wasn't at the company but at an art exhibition. Although she had studied finance in university, Luo Muqi's greatest talent lay in painting and design.

At the age of 20, Luo Muqi won an international award for a painting she had created herself, which sold for nearly a million.

The painting depicted a young girl pulling two smaller boys and girls, walking along an old street.

Not only was the craftsmanship exquisite, but the painting also conveyed a sense of tranquility and serenity, along with the youthful innocence, joy, and melancholy of the three figures, all vividly brought to life by Luo Muqi's hand.

Dressed in a bright red gown, Luo Muqi stood in front of a painting covered with a white cloth. But at the moment, her mind was entirely focused on the message on her phone.

「My grandmother has passed away...」

"Isn't that... perfect?" Luo Muqi murmured to herself, her eyes filled with suppressed joy and a strange excitement. "Brother, now you have no one to rely on anymore, only us and our daughter..."

Thinking of this, Luo Muqi turned and left, her female assistant hurrying to catch up with her, cautiously asking, "Miss Luo, what about the art exhibition..."

"Oh, you can handle it here."

Luo Muqi casually tossed out a sentence, then quickly left, lifting her dress as she went.

The art exhibition? Compared to Mo Xuan, such things were worthless.

This was the most vulnerable moment for Mo Xuan. Thinking about the possible sadness and fragility Mo Xuan might show, Luo Muqi's lips couldn't help but curve upward.

"Brother, this way, you'll rely on us even more, and you won't leave us..."

The assistant wanted to say something more, but seeing Luo Muqi's strange expression, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She had been with Luo Muqi for a short time and wasn't aware of many things. Luo Muqi's sickly and frenzied demeanor was the first time she had seen it.

Watching her young mistress leave, the assistant could only sigh in resignation. She returned to Luo Muqi's painting, where an anxious staff member approached respectfully, asking, "Is it time to unveil Miss Luo's painting?"

Although the exhibition had just started, other artists had already begun introducing their works, while Luo Muqi had been glued to her phone and had now left altogether.

Yet, they dared not offend this young lady, and the fact that she had agreed to showcase her new work here was already a favor to them.

Not to mention the status of the Luo family in Capital, Luo Muqi herself was a rising star in this circle. Although her works were few, each had been recognized by renowned artists both domestically and internationally.

The assistant also felt helpless and could only nod, saying, "Miss Luo had a sudden matter at the company. I will handle the rest."

With that, the assistant carefully removed the white cloth with the staff, revealing two paintings. But at the sight, both the assistant and the staff were stunned.

Most of Luo Muqi's paintings depicted peaceful afternoons or sunsets, with the protagonists always being a boy and a girl, along with another girl.

But today's two paintings were... eerie. The first showed a girl and a boy under a big tree, but the boy was missing, only the girl and the other girl wearing black dresses. This tree had appeared in Luo Muqi's previous works, but this time, the scene was desolate, with the sky dark. The background street had turned into a wasteland.

The once lush tree had not a single leaf left, and under Luo Muqi's skillful brush, it seemed on the verge of death.

The second painting depicted two women wearing masks and black gowns, one on each side, tightly embracing a man sitting in a chair.

The man's eyes were covered with a black cloth, his mouth covered with a mask, his hands and feet bound with chains that extended and intertwined with the chains of the two women. The background was a vast field of red and white roses.

Even those unfamiliar with art could feel the oppressive atmosphere of these paintings, especially the second one, which exuded a suffocating aura...

At the funeral home, Mo Xuan's phone suddenly rang. It was Mo Changshan's call.

"Well, you finally remembered your old man..."

Before Mo Changshan could finish, Mo Xuan coldly interrupted him: "Grandma has passed away."

On the other end of the line, Mo Changshan fell silent, but Mo Xuan had no interest in saying more. He treated Mo Changshan the same way he had treated Qin Ni, his tone indifferent: "Remember to accept my friend request. I want to show you something."

He sent the information, then blocked and deleted Mo Changshan.

The Mo family was bound to be in turmoil tonight, but what did it have to do with him? With his grandmother gone, Mo Xuan had no obligation to maintain their facade. On the contrary, he wanted to add fuel to the fire.

"Xiao Xuan..."

Luo Shiya's voice, choked with emotion, brought Mo Xuan back to reality from his chaotic thoughts. He turned mechanically, looking at Luo Shiya standing beside him, and suddenly broke down in tears.

He tightly hugged Luo Shiya's waist, his head buried in her embrace, like a child who had lost his home, filled with grief and confusion.

Luo Shiya quietly held Mo Xuan's head, gently stroking his back, her tears falling drop by drop onto his head.

But in her eyes, there was a strange excitement and an unconcealed madness...