The Painting

"What are you doing?" asked Emma, ​​almost laughing. She found it funny to see Haoran standing in front of her with his hand about to knock but the door had been opened, so his hand flew in the air.

"I was about to knock on the door, but you already opened it. It must be fate," voiced Haoran in a happy tone. "Are you feeling better?"

Emma nodded. "I'm fine. You're very thoughtful for sending food to my room."

"That's nothing," Haoran said. He waited for Emma to close the door then walked with her to the elevator. When they arrived in the lobby, Haoran asked if Emma would prefer to take a taxi or walk while enjoying the atmosphere of Paris in the summer. "The weather is perfect."

"Let's just walk," Emma nodded. Haoran liked Emma's choice because his face immediately beamed. He really liked the girl, and walking together in the city of love with such fine weather was a delightful thing.

Soon, after the sun had set, the atmosphere became more beautiful and romantic, making the feelings of everyone under the sky filled with warmth and a feeling of pleasure.

"What do you think of Paris so far?" Haoran asked. His hands in his pockets.

"Very crowded," Emma answered with a shrug. "But the city is charming."

"Do you think you used to live in this city?" Haoran asked again. "Do you remember anything while walking around the city?"

Emma shook her head. "Unfortunately, no."

They went toward Mr. Neville's place without saying much. The surrounding scenery was too beautiful to miss out by chatting. Twenty minutes later, Haoran and Emma arrived at Pont Neuf and immediately headed to Mr. Neville's kiosk, which was crowded by visitors.

"Good evening, Sir. We've come to get the painting," Haoran greeted kindly after he had broken through the crowd that had gathered in front of Mr. Neville's kiosk. For a moment, he was stunned. He had seen what made the people gather.

Apparently, the painting of Emma's parents was displayed in front of Mr. Neville's shop. He was drying it in the sun so the paint would dry quickly, but the picture of the two beautiful humans on canvas attracted the attention of passersby.

Arreya and Kaoshin did have unusual appearances.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked in surprise when she saw Haoran pause. She joined the crowd and then stopped right next to Haoran. "Oh..."

Even though they were her parents, Emma was also fascinated just like everyone else. Unconsciously, tears slowly streamed down her cheeks as Emma approached the painting and touched her mother's face.

The paint was already dry and Arreya's face looked very lively, making Emma feel like she's looking at the reflection of her own face in the mirror. Her hand then turned to Kaoshin and felt her father's cheek.

She really missed them and hoped that one day she could touch them in person.

The people who were admiring the painting saw the pretty girl, with a bun of platinum hair above her head, come and touch the painting, immediately noticed Emma. They started whispering about her. Many were surprised to see Emma's appearance because they had thought the picture in the painting was an imaginary fantasy figure.

But seeing a girl who looked very similar to the woman in the painting, they could tell that Emma was the inspiration of the woman's face. Then, what about the man in the painting? Was he a real person too? So they wondered.

Haoran knew that Emma disliked attracting people's attention. He hurried over to Mr. Neville and asked him to quickly wrap up the painting so they could take it home.

"Ah, well, I'll wrap it up for you," Mr. Neville said with a smile. "Are you satisfied with the results?"

"Very satisfied," Haoran nodded while smiling back. He had seen Emma's reaction and felt he had found the answer. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Young man."

After Mr. Neville took the painting to wrap it up, the people in front of the kiosk now turned to Emma and stared at her like she's some sort of circus star. That made her feel annoyed. Fortunately, she didn't need to endure it for long because five minutes later, Mr. Neville handed the bag containing the painting to Haoran.

Emma and Haoran thanked him politely and hurried away from there. When Emma and the painting had disappeared, the visitors of Mr. Neville's shop began to disperse. It was a good timing too because Mr. Neville closed his shop and went home after.