Chapter 40: Let's End It.

Li Yunxi and Xiao Hui arrived at the lab a few minutes to the allocated time. They both occupied adjacent seats in one side of the room. The working stations were arranged in a way that each station consisted of three seats showing that the students were supposed to work in trios. Most of the working stations were already occupied by either two or three students,all dressed in icy white lab coats.

"Yunxi,can I join you guys?"a male enthusiastic voice asked eagerly.

Li Yunxi turned to face the speaker. Ma Chao stood some centimeters away from him flashing a gummy smile at him. For some unknown reason,Ma Chao had constantly been trying to befriend him. He was always tailing him and sometimes even popping out of nowhere like a damn ghost , waving and flashing hellos at him .

"Yes you can join,"Li Yunxi responded nonchalantly.

"Thank you,"Ma Chao said,his voice laced with excitement.

Ma Chao occupied the remaining seat at the working station which happened to be beside Li Yunxi's. A few minutes later, Professor Luo walked into the lab dressed in a similar lab coat as his students. His books were tucked into his armpits while his hands carried his laptop. He settled on his specified working station which was at the center, directly in front of the students.

Professor Luo gave a brief introduction of what the practical entailed to familiarize them with the task. He passed across the necessary instructions and demonstrated his as a sample. The students after receiving the necessary guidance,started working in their specific working stations.

"Yunxi let's dissect it,"Ma Chao said pointing at the specimen placed at the centre of the table.

*****

Li Yunxi clad in a simple casual outfit consisting of a denim jacket over a T-shirt paired with trousers and casual sneakers. He wasn't going to impress someone or some fashion event so he didn't dwell much on his grooming. He picked his wallet and phone from the nightstand and left the room.

*****

Meanwhile,Su Liang got herself dolled up for her grand date. With the help of her personal designer Wei Nuo,she looked breathtaking. She twirled in front of the full length mirror checking out her outfit. She was donned in a smooth ,deep burgundy silky peplum dress adorned with cap sleeves and a subtle V -neckline. She paired it with black heels,a statement clutch and a shiny pearl necklace around her long slender neck. Her long black silky hair was tied up into a high ponytail.

"Good luck. I think this will change his mind,"Wei Said hopefully.

Emboldened by her beautiful look,Su Liang walked confidently out of their shared apartment. She took a taxi to the venue of the art gallery.

*****

Both inside and outside the magnificently architectured building was bustling with all kinds of people moving around. Su Liang felt a bit intimidated seeing all the people who kept passing by her brushing off their expensive aura against her. She felt a little out of place,like some Cinderella dressed up for the first time to attend a party.

"Miss Su,"a calm male velvety voice called out. Su Liang turned around elegantly, facing the owner of the voice.

"Yunxi-ge,"she muttered shyly and looked down,"How do I look?"

"You look great,"he complimented her making her blush hardly in reaction.

"Thank you. You look great too,"she said barely raising her gaze.

"Should we go inside?"he proposed impatiently.

"Y- Yeah."

They walked inside,side by side,their hands almost touching. Su Liang was dying to hold his hand but was afraid the boy would get angry and maybe spoil their 'date' she had prepared for so long. He had made it clear everytime they met,he didn't have even the least bit interest to explore further with her. In short he wanted to cut her off completely.

Soon the art gallery venue was flooded with art lovers touring around appreciating different paintings while others purchasing them.

*****

"Why didn't you ask Miss Zhu to accompany you? Wouldn't it be the perfect date for the two of you?"Gu Shan whined as his uncle dragged him over the threshold of the art gallery venue's large entrance. When his uncle asked him to meet up on weekend,he didn't expect that would be the kind of activity they would participate in.

"She was busy. Now come on. You're a grown up you should go out often and see the world for yourself,"Ai Jia said in a fatherly manner.

"This place is too crowded,"he complained.

"But you don't complain when we go for concerts."

"Concerts are fun ,"he argued.

"Since we're already here why don't we have a look around?"Ai Jia suggested in a persuasive tone.

Gu Shan finally gave in and let his uncle lead the way around stopping at each painting that caught his uncle's eyes.

"This looks good ,"Ai Jia said looking at a particular painting mounted on the wall directly in front of them.

"Eternal Whispers by Elara Moonshadow , "Gu Shan read out the English writing at the bottom of the painting.

"Elara Moonshadow is her pseudonym. I've seen some of her interviews before."

Eternal Whispers was a mesmerizing piece of art that captured the essence of a dreamlike forest. The painting depicted a serene woodland scene bathed in the soft, ethereal light of dawn. Tall, ancient trees with gnarled branches reaching skyward, their leaves a delicate tapestry of shimmering blues and greens. A gentle mist wove through the forest floor, giving the entire scene a magical, almost otherworldly quality.

At the heart of the painting, a lone deer stood gracefully, its eyes reflecting the wisdom and mystery of the forest. Surrounding the deer, fireflies danced like tiny stars, casting a warm, golden glow that contrasted beautifully with the cool tones of the foliage. The painting was imbued with a sense of tranquility and wonder, inviting viewers to lose themselves in the quiet beauty of nature.

"As expected of my favourite painter. Her work often features mystical themes and serene natural landscapes.The paintings usually have soft, luminous hues that evoke a sense of enchantment. Her brushwork is delicate and precise, giving her paintings a dreamlike quality that transports viewers to a world of imagination and beauty,"Ai Jia bragged smiling dreamily.

"I didn't know you know this much about art,"Gu Shan said ,his eyes still fixed on the painting.

"Let's have a look at that side they're lesser people there ,"Su Liang suggested pointing in the direction.

Li Yunxi reluctantly agreed and both of them walked towards the first painting on that side which happened to be the same Eternal Whispers. Ai Jia and Gu Shan sensing the two figures standing behind them turned around to face them.

"Yunxi?"Ai Jia called out in surprise.

Gu Shan glanced at the two simultaneously,his expression growing darker.There stood the two people he wanted to revenge on so badly.

"Doctor Ai,"Li Yunxi bowed politely.

"Who is this beautiful miss beside you?"

"Hello, I am Su Liang,"she introduced herself smiling brightly and Gu Shan rolled his eyes at that.

"Uncle, I'll go look at other paintings I'll see you later,"Gu Shan said quickly and left from there.

Gu Shan was too angry to restrain himself from lashing out at the two. They were what he considered as betrayal. He just needed some space to cool down and pump out the raging feelings building up inside him. He only went back an hour later when his uncle informed him they were supposed to leave. But his day was ruined further when his uncle offered to let Li Yunxi and Su Liang tag along to have lunch together at a restaurant. He couldn't blame his uncle because he was completely clueless about the situation.

The drive to the restaurant was a thirty minute one but to Gu Shan it was the longest ride ever. He kept sighing in exasperation from time to time. Ai Jia kept chatting with Su Liang along the way praising how beautiful she was and congratulating Li Yunxi for being lucky to have such a beautiful girl in his life. Gu Shan had never revealed full details about his girlfriend to his uncle before. Ai Jia only knew his nephew had a girlfriend and nothing more. If only he knew that Su Liang was his nephew's girlfriend who had cheated on him with the guy beside him,he would have thrown the two of them out of his car. However,right now in his eyes, they were Li Yunxi the young man he was mesmerized by and his beautiful ,innocent looking girlfriend to be Su Liang.

Immediately they arrived at the restaurant they settled at one of the tables and ordered their meals. Gu Shan took a few bites of his food and excused himself. He went to the washroom to hide his emotions and only intended to walk out of there when they would leave the restaurant. What he didn't expect was that Li Yunxi would come to look for him at the washroom. He was relentlessly washing his hands and looking at his reflection in the mirror when he saw the reflection of an approaching figure in the mirror. He felt his insides rise and burn with rage but he refrained himself from confronting the guy.

"Can we talk?"Li Yunxi requested gently.

"There's nothing to talk about,"he replied curtly.

"Can you at least hear me out?"Li Yunxi pleaded.

"You don't have to explain yourself. I've already decided. Whatever we have between us let's end it,"he said with emphasis and finality.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's not be casual flings anymore. Let's go back to being strangers who have nothing to do with each other,"he concluded shaking his hands vigorously to get rid of the excess water and walked away ,not sparing Li Yunxi another glance.