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墨書 Inktalez
Qi Luoling stepped into the elevator and arrived at the twentieth floor. On the far left of the floor, there were two large, shiny glass doors. On the wall to the left of the glass doors, there was a silver rectangular sign with the words "Shanghai Jingyi Creative Design Co., Ltd." written in black in Korean.
At that moment, Qi Luoling realized that Xu Xiaoya's workplace was actually a Korean-funded enterprise.
She couldn't help but take a few more glances at the Korean sign. Ever since she learned that she was of Korean descent, Qi Luoling had subconsciously started paying attention to information related to Korea.
Qi Luoling pushed open the glass doors and walked in, immediately seeing a large open office filled with more than twenty people.
Everyone in the office was seated at their desks, working diligently. The sound of fingers tapping on computer keyboards filled the air, and phones rang continuously. The staff were neatly dressed and hurriedly walked around the office.
Qi Luoling approached the reception desk, where Xu Xiaoya came to greet her.
"Come here, come here." Xu Xiaoya pulled her into her private office and closed the door. "How did your matter go?"
Qi Luoling sighed and said softly, "I didn't even have a chance to look at the medical records, let alone get any results."
Xu Xiaoya glanced at her watch and said, "I have a meeting starting soon. Why don't you sit in my office for a while? After my meeting, we can talk."
Qi Luoling nodded.
At that moment, a young female assistant entered the room. "Manager Xu, they're waiting for you alone in Conference Room One."
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
As Xu Xiaoya left, she patted Qi Luoling on the shoulder, and Qi Luoling smiled.
Watching Xu Xiaoya leave, Qi Luoling slowly surveyed her office.
The air was filled with a faint scent of jasmine perfume, a fragrance Qi Luoling recognized well; it was Xu Xiaoya's favorite Joy brand perfume.
Xu Xiaoya's office is about thirty square meters. In the middle, there is a large desk piled high with documents, a big bunch of pens, a desktop computer, and a teacup. Under the chair, there is a pair of soft-soled blue boat shoes, probably changed into for comfort.
In another corner, the coffee table is cluttered with colorful fashion magazines. On top of the magazines are carelessly placed a coat and a handbag.
Qi Luoling approaches the coffee table and helps tidy up the messy magazines, gently picking up the coat. Upon seeing the label, she realizes it is from Gucci. Such an expensive piece of clothing, Qi Luoling hangs it on the hook behind the door for her.
After everything is organized, Qi Luoling smiles; capable women, like men, also need maids to serve them.
This is Xu Xiaoya's domain, something she fought hard to reclaim with her bare hands and determination; it is unbreakable. The effort she has put in over the years has finally paid off.
At 26 years old, Xu Xiaoya has climbed to this position, which is no easy feat. One wonders how she usually manages such a complex situation.
On the white wall behind the desk hang four large characters written in seal script: "Rarely Confused."
What does her boss think after seeing these four words?
Feeling bored, Qi Luoling picks up a fashion magazine from the coffee table and starts flipping through it.
Before long, voices from outside begin to converge, accompanied by the sound of high heels approaching. Qi Luoling thinks that Xu Xiaoya's meeting must be over.
Sure enough, familiar footsteps stop outside the door; Xu Xiaoya seems to be conversing with a young man.
"President Cui, you're back?"
"Yes, I finished my business and came back. Didn't we arrange to go see the Art Exhibition at three o'clock this afternoon? It's now two o'clock; it's just about time," the young man says in slightly imperfect Mandarin.
"Okay, I just finished my meeting. Let me tidy up a bit, and I'll go with you right away," Xu Xiaoya replies.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work."
"However, you need to wait for me for a moment. I have a friend who has come from afar. I need to arrange her first." Xu Xiaoya pointed to Qiluo Ling, who was sitting on the office sofa, and smiled apologetically.
"It's okay. You go ahead. I'll wait for you."
The young man turned around and politely nodded at Qiluo Ling.
He suddenly froze; wasn't this the woman he had seen in the lobby downstairs? When he first laid eyes on her, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before. He tried hard to recall, attempting to dredge up fragments of memories that had been lost in the river of time, but he still failed and ultimately could not remember where he had seen her.
At that moment, there seemed to be something indescribable about her that strongly attracted him, and the Young Man found himself unconsciously walking slowly toward her.
When Qiluo Ling smiled at him, the Young Man appeared quite handsome, with a typical Korean small face, fair skin, single eyelids, small eyes, and thin lips.
"President Cui, let me introduce you. This is my childhood friend Qiluo Ling, and this is my Boss Choi Jae-sun," Xu Xiaoya introduced politely.
"Hello." He extended his hand as if they were long-time friends.
Qiluo Ling reached out her right hand and politely shook his hand.
His hand was warm, broad in the palm with distinct knuckles.
"Miss Qi, have we met somewhere before?" Choi Jae-sun asked tentatively.
"President Cui, your way of flirting with beautiful women is already outdated." Before Qiluo Ling could speak, the articulate Xu Xiaoya playfully chimed in.
Choi Jae-sun hurriedly defended himself: "No, no, I'm speaking the truth."
Xu Xiaoya laughed heartily and said, "I didn't expect our President Cui to be so sincere."
Feeling teased like this made Qiluo Ling quite embarrassed, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Let's get down to business, Qiluo Ling. I originally planned to take you for a walk at the Bund this afternoon, but look, President Cui has assigned me work again, and we are about to attend the Art Exhibition. I'll first take you back to my house and give you the key." Xu Xiaoya said as she pulled out the key from her handbag and handed it to her.
"I have nothing to do anyway, so why don't I join you guys at the Art Exhibition?" Qiluo Ling said with a smile.
"Alright then, you can come with us," Xu Xiaoya nodded.
Xu Xiaoya and Choi Jae-sun each drove their own cars on the way to the Art Exhibition.
Choi Jae-sun drove faster than Xu Xiaoya, and since she encountered some traffic along the way, Xu Xiaoya fell far behind her.
On the road, Qiluo Ling shared with Xu Xiaoya the difficulties she faced in checking her Medical Record at the hospital.
Xu Xiaoya thought for a moment and said, "Don't be discouraged. I'll think of a way and pull some strings."
Qiluo Ling nodded.
"You guys are fashion designers; why would you go to an Art Exhibition?" Qiluo Ling changed the topic.
Xu Xiaoya smiled slightly and said, "Famous paintings are an important source of inspiration for fashion design."
Xu Xiaoya glanced at Qiluo Ling's long dress adorned with large Sunflowers and said, "The pattern of your dress is inspired by Van Gogh's famous work 'Sunflowers.'"
Then she pointed to her own flowing blue-and-white skirt and said, "You see, the pattern of my short skirt is inspired by this Japanese Ukiyo-e artwork. However, I've made new designs that combine the white waves with blue for a fresher look."
"So which artist's work are you going to see today?" Qiluo Ling asked curiously.
"Picasso. You must have heard of this famous painter," Xu Xiaoya replied, gripping the steering wheel and looking ahead.
"I've only heard of him but don't know much about him since I'm not an art major," Qiluo Ling said shyly.
"Picasso was a Spanish painter and sculptor. He is also considered the founder of modern art and a major representative of Western modernist painting. He triggered a revolutionary breakthrough in the history of Western modern art, leading to the birth of the Cubism movement. Today's Art Exhibition features his classic works," Xu Xiaoya said enthusiastically.
An hour later, they arrived at the Shanghai Art Museum.
In recent years, Shanghai, with its rich modern urban cultural heritage, has become an international metropolis. The fusion of Jiangnan's traditions and the cultures brought in by immigrants has gradually formed a unique Haipai culture. At the same time, it has been hosting an increasing number of international art events. The Shanghai Art Museum frequently holds world-class Art Exhibition activities.
Upon entering the exhibition hall, the two women silenced their phones, a basic respect for art and those who appreciate it.
Walking into the Picasso exhibition hall, there was an introduction at the entrance about Picasso's life and artistic achievements. They then dispersed to admire the works, agreeing to meet at the entrance after their individual tours.
Qiluo Ling walked into the exhibition hall, surrounded by hanging paintings by Picasso and sculptures placed in various corners. Each piece had descriptions in both Chinese and English beneath it.
Perhaps as an outsider, Qi Luoling always read the descriptions first before appreciating the visual aspects of the works. Since there were many pieces, it was unrealistic to examine each one closely, especially for someone who did not understand art.
Thus, Qi Luoling quickly browsed through most of the works in the museum before taking her time to appreciate those that interested her.
Not far away, a girl dressed in formal attire was smiling as she explained to her visitors, with some unrelated people gathering around to listen to her introduction about Picasso.
Qiluo Ling occasionally leaned closer to hear the girl's explanations, though she felt somewhat embarrassed about eavesdropping.
She carefully admired many of Picasso's classic works, such as "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," "Woman Before a Mirror," "Three Musicians," "Portrait of Dora Maar," "Bottle, Glass and Violin," "Guernica," "Dove of Peace," and "Bust of a Man with Hat."
Finally, Qiluo Ling arrived in front of a painting called "Guernica." She carefully read the accompanying Chinese description: The oil painting "Guernica" is a significant masterpiece created by Picasso in the 1930s with great influence and historical significance. The canvas depicts the scene of the German air force's brutal bombing of the small Spanish town of Guernica in 1937, condemning the inhumane atrocities of fascist warfare.
On the right side of this painting, a woman is seen falling from a burning house with her hand raised; another woman rushes toward the center of the painting dragging her deformed leg; on the left side is a mother with her dead child; on the ground lies a soldier's corpse, one broken hand gripping a broken sword beside which grows a blooming flower. The composition centers around a standing bull looking up and a screaming horse.
The nearby Young Girl guide was explaining: "In 1937, the small town of Guernica in Spain was leveled by German fascist air forces. Upon hearing this news, Picasso was extremely outraged and painted 'Guernica' for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris World Fair as a strong protest against fascist atrocities. Picasso infused symbolic war tragedy into blue tones; that light blue and light gray contrast against black represents justice at its peak, encapsulating all meanings of brutality, pain, and despair. This painting combines elements of Cubism and Surrealism to express suffering, martyrdom, and bestiality."
Suddenly, Qi Luoling felt extremely uncomfortable; her chest tightened, followed by her heart racing suddenly. Breathing became increasingly difficult as the images of women, children, soldiers, and bulls rippled like water patterns before gradually blurring.
She began to hallucinate, the scene before her gradually fading away, while another image slowly became clear.
In the emerging scene, a young Jewish man playing "Devil's Sorrow" sat sorrowfully on a piano bench. However, he was not playing the piano; instead, he furrowed his brow as if worried about something. Several people stood around him, staring blankly without speaking.
Finally, the young Jewish man sighed and said, "Now the Japanese have established a 'Jewish Refugee Zone' in Hongkou District. Will the Japanese next establish concentration camps like those in Nazi Germany and then kill us all?"
Then the scene switched again, transforming into a bloody spectacle of Nazis in Germany brutally slaughtering Jews, until the world fell into a death-like darkness...
Qiluo Ling felt an overwhelming fear; she realized that she was starting to hallucinate again.
She wanted to close her eyes to calm herself. But even with her eyes shut, the hallucinations did not disappear; instead, they surged through her body and mind, with familiar images appearing repeatedly.
What was happening? Time seemed to flow backward as if she had entered a time tunnel.
Her waking rationality made her aware that she was still standing in the Picasso Exhibition Hall. Her brain forced her to open her eyes, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not open them.
Finally, she had to summon all her willpower to force herself to open her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, Qiluo Ling was astonished to find that the world before her was spinning. Everything around her was a blur; her body lost its balance and she fell backward...
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