Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Lin Xiaofan felt a tightness in his throat. The father in the painting looked much younger than he remembered, but those eyes could never be mistaken—resolute yet gentle, gazing out at the world beyond the canvas.
Zhao Tianming's voice came from the television: "...special thanks to Teacher Zhou Guoan for his masterpiece. This painting was created in 1999, capturing the fervor of that passionate era..." His fingers lightly brushed the frame, "The miner brother depicted in this painting unfortunately passed away, and we will establish a special fund in his name..."
"Bullshit!" Old Zhou roared on the other end of the phone. "That painting was stolen! It depicts your father reporting Zhao Tianming for embezzling disaster compensation funds!"
Lin Xiaofan's mind buzzed. Fragments of memory suddenly pieced together—his father had slipped him a note before he passed: "The evidence is in the painting..." He had thought his father was delirious at the time; now he understood it referred to Old Zhou's artwork!
"Teacher Zhou, what’s special about that painting?" Su Yuqing leaned closer to the microphone and asked.
"The paint..." Old Zhou's voice became muffled, as if someone were interfering with the call. "I used special paint... wrote data on the miner's uniform..." The call abruptly cut off, leaving only a busy signal.
Lin Xiaofan and Su Yuqing exchanged glances. On the television, Zhao Tianming smiled at the camera, his fingers subtly covering the area on the miner's chest.
"We need to get that painting," Lin Xiaofan jumped up. "If what Old Zhou said is true..."
"That's too dangerous," Su Yuqing stopped him. "Zhao Tianming is clearly setting a trap, waiting for you to walk right into it."
Suddenly, a new notification popped up on Lin Xiaofan's system:
[Truth Mission Updated]
[Obtain Original of "Miner's Son"]
[Reward: Lift All Penalties]
[Risk Warning: Extremely High]
Lin Xiaofan turned his phone towards Su Yuqing. "Looks like we have no choice."
Su Yuqing bit her lip, small indentations appearing on her pale skin. She suddenly turned and walked toward the wardrobe, dragging out a black backpack from the bottom. "I’ll go with you." She pulled out a camera with a long lens and two miniature listening devices. "Just some old tools from my days as an investigative journalist."
Lin Xiaofan was taken aback. "Why are you helping me? After I confessed all those things..."
Su Yuqing paused, her gaze falling on scattered photographs. "Because that girl from the fertilizer bag wrote to say you were the kindest person she had ever met." She gave a bitter smile. "Children don’t lie."
Outside, the rain began to fall again, gently tapping against the glass. Lin Xiaofan’s phone lit up with a message from Zhang Hao: "Cousin, President Zhao is holding an appreciation event at a private gallery tomorrow night, invite only for VIPs. 'Miner's Son' will be auctioned live, starting at 5 million."
A second message followed: "I overheard the secretary say there’s something in the painting."
Lin Xiaofan and Su Yuqing exchanged a look. Their plan silently took shape—this would be a dangerous gamble, with stakes not only involving their survival but also uncovering the truth buried twenty years ago.
[System Notification]
[Trust Relationship Restored]
Lin Xiaofan turned off the notifications, his gaze fixed on the paused image on the television. Zhao Tianming's hand rested on his father's chest in the painting, the emerald ring glinting coldly under the spotlight.
"We need to find someone knowledgeable about paintings," Su Yuqing said thoughtfully. "Old Zhou is unreachable right now; we need to find another expert."
Suddenly, Lin Xiaofan recalled someone—the Bakery Owner. During their last casual chat, she mentioned that her ex-husband was an art restorer...
The clock struck three in the morning, and the sound of rain outside grew heavier. Somewhere in this city, Zhao Tianming might be standing in front of that painting, examining the secrets hidden beneath the paint with some special light source. Lin Xiaofan knew that in twenty-four hours, an unavoidable confrontation awaited them.
Comment 0 Comment Count