007

I rented a small house near the Qingshan Cemetery in the suburbs to use as my studio.

The place was filled with works from various stages of my career. Since becoming a sculpture designer, I had almost no personal social life. Apart from revolving around Yang Xue, all my time was devoted to my Sculpture business.

I enjoyed being alone, meditating and thinking. Sometimes I could sit for an entire day without moving.

I wasn't sure if it was a lingering effect from the past.

But being surrounded by sculptures felt like being with old friends, comforting my wounded soul.

Before marrying Yang Xue, I had always lived in my studio.

But Yang Xue never cared about my work or my feelings. She only saw me as a substitution for Mu Chen.

Now that Mu Chen had returned, they were in love and affection.

It was time for me to let go and return to the life I was meant to live.

Three years of effort had turned into illusion.

My sleep quality improved in the studio. I no longer had to wake up early to make breakfast for Yang Xue, no longer had to worry late into the night about her coming home late.

And I no longer had to see Yang Xue and her first love keep in touch.

But my body felt cold.

Maybe it was because the weather was heavy and cold at the foot of the mountain. I was covered in thick blankets, but my body kept trembling. Images of a certain figure kept flashing in my mind.

Without Yang Xue's face, I felt lost at first.

The discomfort, the supression, the pain—countless negative emotions surged in my heart, and my spirit nearly collapse.

It felt like I had fallen back into the hell. Looking up, a sliver of light shone above, but below was endless darkness.

I struggled toward the light, but my feet were stuck in the muddy swamp, unable to break free.

I spent the night like this, and it was the best sleep I'd had without Yang Xue by my side.

It gave me a lot of confidence.

Before meeting Yang Xue, I couldn't sleep at all. The missing and pain torture me until I'm neither human nor ghost, and I even thought about jumping into the water to end my life.

You could say it was Yang Xue's appearance, that face, that's the redemption I finally received.

That was also why, for three years, I was willing to endure her torture.

Everything was moving in a better direction.

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a warm glow on the sculptures. As I opened the door, a graceful figure emerged from the golden mist, walking toward me.

For a moment, it felt like I was seeing a spirit from the mountains. My heart trembled.

She looked like a beauty who had stepped out of a traditional landscape painting, dreamy and ethereal. It wasn't until she stood right in front of me that I truly took notice.

She had a delicate and stunning face, paired with an elegant, gentle figure. When she smiled, two sweet dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Like a spring breeze brushing past, her presence brought a sense of comfort and warmth, as if she could heal a wounded soul in an instant.

She didn't speak, just quietly observed me.

Our eyes met, and from hers, I saw a pure pursuit of art, an almost otherworldly detachment from worldly desires and prejudices.

I couldn't remember the last time I had seen such pure eyes—perhaps only in sculptures.

[Guess who I am?]

The moment she spoke, a shiver ran through me. I immediately recognized her—surprised and delighted to realize that she was my collaborator, President Su.

We had only ever spoken on the phone, never through video calls or in person.

Last night, before bed, she mentioned coming over for a meeting today and asked for my address.

I never expected her to show up in person. Feeling a little nervous, I rubbed my hands together.

But thankfully, President Su didn't seem to mind the simplicity of my studio.

I led her around, introducing my works one by one. At first, I was tense, but soon, our conversation became lively and effortless.

She was like a spring breeze, nourishing my parched soul.

Like sunlight, illuminating the darkness within.

Before I knew it, it was already noon. After seeing my works, President Su's eyes lit up. She sighed, saying that if we had met earlier, my studio would likely be filled with awards by now.

I decided to take her to the city for lunch since my studio was too modest and lacked proper ingredients.

I hesitated for a moment, but her sincere gaze made me nod instinctively.

The moment I saw her, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to follow her lead.

It wasn't about desire between a man and a woman—it was a resonance of souls.

President Su was a busy person and couldn't stay long, so she hoped to chat more on the way to the airport.

Since there was still some time before her flight, we chose a high-end restaurant.

But the moment we sat down, we ran into the last people I wanted to see.

Yang Xue and Mu Chen were sitting by the window, holding hands, smiling blissfully.

But the moment Yang Xue saw me, she let go as if electrocuted. Just as she was about to put on her usual arrogant expression, she caught sight of President Su beside me.

Her face instantly turned pale.