Chapter 20 Chapter 20 How about we make a bet

The venue of the auction is scheduled to be in the grand ballroom on the second floor of the famous Lijing Hotel in City G. When Ji Ting arrived, it was still a while before the official start at 8:00 in the morning, but many people were already seated on the auction floor, and they kept coming in. Many of the visitors were familiar faces on TV. At the beginning, Ji Ting thought that such a celebrity-gathered auction site would be a vanity fair with the utmost flamboyance. What he did not expect was that most of the invitees who came They are all quite low-key, and even after they are seated, they just exchange their opinions on the subject matter they like in a low voice with the acquaintances around them. Obviously, after three days of preview, this auction has successfully attracted the attention of these big customers , Many people came prepared.

The auction house treated the guests who held the letter very politely. Under their guidance, Ji Ting chose a relatively middle seat and sat down. The waiting time was not too long. With the soft ringing of the bell, the auction officially started. The buzzing scene quickly quieted down. The master of ceremonies of the auction house first gave a brief introduction to the main paintings of this auction, and at the same time introduced some well-known painters who attended this auction to everyone present. Ji Ting saw that one A painter with a reserved and noble expression stood up and bowed slightly to pay tribute, but couldn't help being disappointed again and again, there was no peace inside.

Usually, there will be no outstanding works in the first half of the auction, but it is just going through the motions, and it will not attract much attention. Ji Ting is not very interested in the works of other painters, and he passed away in anxiety and disappointment all morning.There was only a 40-minute break at noon, and the auction house prepared simple but delicate lunches and refreshments for the visitors. Ji Ting saw many people around him eating something in a hurry with mineral water. , at this time, it is rare to be patient, like children waiting for their favorite toys. Zhi'an's reputation has grown in the past few years, but in the final analysis, she is still famous and still young, so Ji Ting also knows that she will never be the finale, so soon after the afternoon auction started, Ji Ting heard the voice on the stage. The auctioneer said to everyone in the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen, what will be sent next are three works by Ms. Gu Zhian, a young female oil painter who has risen rapidly in the domestic oil painting field in recent years. Ms. Gu's paintings were sold in the Hong Kong Christie’s high-quality auctions were held at high prices, and the style and artistic value of her works were widely reported by domestic mainstream art media. Today, these three oil paintings are her favorite and selected works, all of which are well-known. It is an excellent work. Before the auction starts, please allow me to insert a little tidbit. I think everyone will understand, because today we are very honored to have Miss Gu Zhian come to the auction site. Miss Gu... ..."

Ji Ting heard the buzzing conversation around him again, but what did it have to do with him?He just wanted to see her. When she came out from behind the stage, the whirling voice in Ji Ting's head overwhelmed the suddenly louder voices of conversation around him. He lowered his head and saw his knuckles turned white from pinching the arm of the table and chair. She was still the same, standing nonchalantly on the stage where everyone was watching, smiling with the corners of her mouth curled up, as if she was standing on the grass behind her own house.If it is necessary to talk about change, a few years have taken away the youthfulness and rebellion in Gu Zhian's eyes, the madness is still there, but more of it is looking forward to it.Standing there, she was like a painting, and it was no wonder that the organizers came up with such a method, so that most people's eyes were attracted to her.

The timing of the entire auction was quite tight, and the auctioneer didn't talk too much nonsense. After a brief introduction, he looked at Zhi'an with a smile on his face, "Miss Gu, what we really want to know is that as an outstanding young oil painter in China , what do you think is the key charm of your works being widely favored by people inside and outside the industry?" Zhi An narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the auctioneer with a bright smile, "It's very simple. Among the women who paint in China, those who are more beautiful than me are not as good as me, and those who are better than me are not as beautiful as me, that's all."

The audience burst into laughter, and the young auctioneer couldn't help but laugh, "Miss Gu is indeed quite individual as rumored, so how do you personally evaluate the three works put up for auction today?" She thought about this question, "Among the three works, I think the technique is more mature, and there are some I personally like." "So, can you tell me which one is your favorite?" Zhi An relaxedly shrugged, "I don't think this issue is important right now." "Well, the first thing we see now is Miss Gu Zhian's cubist style oil painting "Spring Day". The starting price is 80,000 RMB, and each bid is 5,000 RMB. Now the auction begins..."

Sitting under the stage, Ji Ting quietly watched the bidding cards around her rise and fall one after another, and there was always a faint smile on the corner of her mouth.He knew very well that the invitation to Zhi An was just a gimmick specially created by the organizer, but such a gimmick was undoubtedly a shrewd arrangement. There were many painters who were more famous than Zhi An at this auction and whose works were worth much more than hers. After all, most of the buyers here are men, how many of them involuntarily raise their cards under her half-smile gaze?The first painting was finally hammered at RMB 340,000.In the collection field, domestic contemporary oil paintings are not favored. For a newcomer like Zhian, even if he is in the limelight, the price per square foot of his works is only about 10,000 yuan. It is amazing that a painting of left and right sizes can fetch such a price.

The bidder for this painting was a young-looking man with straight eyebrows and well-dressed clothes. Obviously, he was nothing more than a rich man or a young talent. The auctioneer congratulated him, and he looked at Zhi An and smiled. So complacent, Zhi An still smiled lazily, his eyes drifted away, and he couldn't tell what he was thinking. The second portrait was won by a rich middle-aged man at a price of 3.65 million yuan, which has surpassed the previous bidding price of a middle-aged academic male painter who has been immersed in oil painting for many years and is not well-known. .

When the third painting was taken out, many experts present were surprised to find that compared with the two works just now, the brushwork in this painting is obviously much younger, and the composition is also quite strange. It is the sky at dusk looking up from the ground, and the use of tones is not brilliant.Although the technique of the two paintings just now is not perfect, at least it can make people feel that she is full of talent. In comparison, this work named "My Dawn" is much paler, and it makes people feel that she is full of talent. It is puzzling, because anyone with a little common sense can see that from the perspective of the orientation of the picture and the sun setting, it should definitely be before sunset rather than early morning.

Yes, no one understood but him, only him.From the moment the painting was displayed, Ji Ting felt the blood in his body rushing upwards. He will never forget that evening when 17-year-old Ji Ting and 14-year-old Gu Zhi lay quietly side by side on the campus On the grass in the corner, watching the sunset sinking to the west bit by bit, the night enveloped them silently and softly.On that day, the old banyan tree around me also bore purple-black fruits in the same way, and the unknown bird returned slowly in the afterglow of the setting sun, and the cloud was also coated with a circle of red in the very light purple. Gu Zhian became a real girl for the first time, and she ran away in shame and anger under the boy's clumsy care...Thirteen years later, she said that it was her dawn.

Everyone is talking about this weird painting, who cares about a man with his head down and tears? When Ji Ting raised his head with a nonchalant face, the bidding price of "My Dawn" had already been raised to 280,000. Without hesitation, he raised his bidding card for the first time.Amidst the auctioneer's bids, the auction was still going on. When the bidding price exceeded 300,000, there were only three people who still refused to let go. At 320,000, the rich middle-aged man laughed and shook his head. After all, he is a shrewd person, knowing that no matter how fascinating Gu Zhian is, this immature work is not worth the price. In this way, only the man and Ji Ting are still obsessed with the ownership of the painting. When the auctioneer called for 350,000 for the first time, there was an uproar in the audience. Many people began to look at the two men. One was smiling all the time, while the other was expressionless. From the first time she raised the card, she watched all this with cold eyes, as if it was a game that had nothing to do with her. When the cards in his hand fell down and the auctioneer bid 340,000, Ji Ting didn't think about anything.He was born in a scholarly family, never worried about chaimi, and earned a lot of money after working, but he knew that he was not a rich man, and compared to the people present, he was even more ridiculous, but he knew better that the painting— —he had to get it. At 375,000, the man also turned his head and looked at him curiously. Just as he was about to continue raising his hand, a staff member walked up to the man and whispered something in his ear. The man turned his head again. , This time there was surprise in his eyes, and then he sat where he was, and there was no more movement. "One time for 375 thousand, two times for 375 thousand, three times for 375 thousand. Congratulations to this gentleman for winning this painting "My Dawn" by Ms. Gu Zhi'an." When hearing these words, Ji Ting slightly closed his eyes and let out a long breath. After he signed the "Confirmation of Auction Transaction" at the rear under the guidance of the staff, everything was still going on in the brightly lit auction site, and Zhi'an had disappeared. "Sir, your procedures have been completed. Please transfer the price and handling fee of the subject matter to the designated account within seven days. We will personally send you the relevant bills and the subject matter you bought after the settlement. What else is there?" Need help?" "I want to know, the author of this painting - Gu Zhi'an, where is she now?" "Miss Gu? She just left." When Ji Ting walked out of the hotel gate, he realized that it was raining so hard outside. It was obviously in the afternoon, and the torrential rain made the world miserable. He was standing at the exit in front of the lobby, and water droplets were already splashing on his face continuously.The attentive waiter held an umbrella for him, "Sir, do you want to go out, I can call a car for you." He wanted to leave, but where should he go? "Thank you." He smiled at the young waiter, and then walked out. The waiter with the umbrella didn't catch up with him, and he was soaked almost instantly.A silver-gray sports car passed by him rapidly, and the water splashed by the wheels splashed all over him. He took a few steps forward, then stopped, watching the car getting smaller and smaller in sight, and then Completely swallowed in the rain. He stood in the rain without moving, and the rain blurred his vision, so he could ignore the eyes of the vehicles and pedestrians around him, which was like looking at a madman. He only waited in one direction, although there was nothing but the ground There is nothing in the rain. When the silver-gray point slowly became clear, and then docked next to him again, he began to believe that it was an illusion.The car window was rolled down, and the people inside looked at him quietly through the rain.From childhood to adulthood, he always had clean clothes and a restrained appearance. Even she had never seen him in such a state of embarrassment. There was no place on his body where water was not dripping, only his eyes were still clean and clear.Just the night before she left, these eyes were still close at hand looking down on her, and she still remembered that the fan-like long eyelashes brushed her cheek lightly, itching, with the temperature of his breath. "The island has always been there," he said at the time. She actually believed it. "You've heard of Atlantis, Zhi'an. The largest island in ancient times, it sank mysteriously in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean overnight. It's been on the bottom of the sea for thousands of years, and all civilizations can disappear, but it's forever It won't turn into sea water." "It doesn't make sense." She sent him to the hotel where he was staying, "Go back and continue to be a good boy. By the way, give me your account number, and I will transfer the money for that painting to your account later." He didn't tell her that he couldn't go back. "I will not return that painting to you, "My Dawn", that memory is not just yours." Zhian laughed infinitely sarcastically. "I used to think that you didn't believe me. It turns out that you don't believe in yourself at all. If you don't believe that you can be happy." Ji Ting was rarely sharp. "Get out of the car." Regardless of the heavy rain outside the car, she leaned over and opened the door. Ji Ting looked at her patiently, without moving.She became angry for no reason, and pushed him hard, "I'll tell you to get out of the car." He still sat there silently, allowing her to push and push violently, and then when she was weak, he hugged her tightly.His body was still very wet, through the thin fabric, the wetness was quickly passed to her, just like all their memories, damp, sticky, and entangled. The phone in the pocket of his trousers vibrated between the two of them who were sticking to each other. He groped to pick it up. Liu Jilin’s voice on the other end of the phone was extremely tired, “Zhi Yi went to the hospital again, she couldn’t swallow anything for several days, hello Go in, spit it out again." "You know, I can't help her." "No one can help her." He hung up the phone, unable to hide his sadness.Zhi An struggled out of his arms, and leaned heavily on the back of the driver's seat, "Zhi Yi... is there something wrong with her?" He nodded, not wanting to lie to her, "She has been in poor health, and now she is getting weaker and weaker. If she refuses to let her go, no one can do anything about it." After his voice fell, he felt Zhi An's hand resting on his In his hand, she never took the initiative to hold him. "I know Atlantis. No one can prove its existence so far. Since it sank, it might as well melt into the sea forever." He understood what she meant, slowly took her hand away, and sneered, "No one has the right to arrange how I should live, not even you. She put her hands on the steering wheel and focused on the wipers in front of her eyes. After a long time, she heard the sound of him opening the car door. Before he left, she said, "Take me to see her." It was the afternoon of the next day when they returned to the hospital where Zhiyi was admitted. This is also the place where Ji Ting worked. When Zhian pushed open the door of the ward, he felt her trembling. I have never been to my hometown, and I have never seen Zhiyi and all her family members.He tried to hold her other hand tightly, but she took it away calmly, alienated, and this was the only expression she gave him along the way. "I think I'll stay with her alone." Zhi'an said. There was no one else in the room except Zhiyi who was on a drip hanging on the bed. For some reason, Zhian also felt relieved. She walked over lightly, sat beside Zhiyi, looked at the person on the bed, and fell down. She took a breath, even in the late night when she said goodbye nine years ago, the Zhiyi in Zhi An's eyes did not shock her as much as at this moment. A flower that blooms but withers suddenly.Zhi'an inexplicably remembered another withered face on the hospital bed. The unspeakable fear made her feel like falling into the ice cellar. Why did everyone leave like this in front of her?Even Zhiyi, who once gave her the only family affection, was not spared? Her fingers lightly touched the back of Zhiyi's skinny hand full of tubes, she retracted quickly, and slowly grabbed the white sheet beside her hand.No one made a sound, only Zhiyi's light to inaudible breathing was left in the ward. Zhiyi still woke up. They were not born to the same mother, but for many years, they have always regarded each other as the closest people connected by flesh and blood, and that feeling seems to be innate. "Who?" Zhiyi asked weakly. Zhian didn't answer. "Zhi An, is that you?" Zhi Yi slightly opened her eyes and smiled, "I dreamed of you again. Tell me, how many years have we not seen each other?" Cold water drops hit Zhiyi's hand, she closed her eyes, opened them again after a while, instinctively groped with one hand, and touched the other hand with a slight movement. Zhi Yi suddenly grasped that hand tightly, tears seeped from the corners of her exhausted eyes, both of them were speechless, finally, Zhi Yi's silent sobs gradually turned into sobs, she seemed to hear Zhi An's inaudible cry sigh. "He still found you." Zhi Yi tugged at the corner of her lips, as if she wanted to burst into a smile, but she failed after all.After she finished saying this, she noticed that the hand she was holding shrank back, and immediately grasped it tightly. "Zhi'an, don't go." Zhiyi who had been ill for a while did not know where the strength came from. "Zhi'an, whether we are twin sisters or not, you are my only sister. You have been a lonely child since childhood. I didn't understand why before, but I always hoped that my care would make you happier. How much have you left? I've been thinking about it for so many years. If I say I don't love you, I don't believe it myself. However, at that moment just now, I wished that I only saw you in a dream. Am I being selfish. " "Don't worry, I just want to come back to see you, if you're fine, I'll go." These were the first words Zhi An said in the ward. Zhiyi shook her head lightly on the pillow, "It's useless, Zhi'an. Do you think he will stay when you leave? He won't. Besides, even if others stay, their hearts will follow you. It's like you're not there I have never seen him smile happily. We are sisters, we grew up together, you are prettier than me, smarter than me, braver than me, better than me in everything, I don’t care. When you were young, you I like to fight with me for everything. My mother bought me a lollipop and gave you one, but you didn’t want it. You insisted on mine. When we went to primary school, my father gave us each a schoolbag. Mine was red. , yours is blue, you obviously hate red, but you must change it with me, I will give you anything, but..." "Yes, you depend on me for everything. That's because you have everything, so you can say no. I can exchange your schoolbag and grab your lollipop, but I can't grab your most enviable thing. I don't have a mother, and my father doesn't love me, even if I'm better than you in everything, what's the point, they don't love me." Zhi'an didn't know why she said this, after so many years, she thought she had already don't care anymore.Obviously just wanted to come back to see Zhiyi, but Zhiyi's few words easily touched the most painful place in her heart. "You have Ji Ting who loves you like this. The thing I most desire to have is within your fingertips. If you don't like it, you can fly away. What about me? Have you ever tried the feeling of being in the dark forever, unable to see everything around you, no matter how beautiful it is Things are colorless and temperatureless, have you ever tried that kind of despair! No, right? Your world is too vast, and you can live an extremely wonderful life. It’s just a pity that you don’t have him, but I don’t have him, it’s just the last bit of hope Not anymore. Why did you come back, Gu Zhian? Do you know that I wish this world would be without you!" Zhiyi cried aloud, she is a kind person by nature, this is something she never thought she would say, but every day and night, these grievances are simmering in her heart, tormenting her, now, she finally cries Shouting to her sister, I wish there were no you in the world.After she finished speaking, her tears dried up, and she felt an illusion of relief. She had never been so relaxed like this moment. For a long time, Zhi'an didn't say a word, as if he had merged with the silent air around him. "I never argued with you about him!" Zhi An finally broke his hand from Zhi Yi's palm, feeling unprecedentedly tired. "As long as you want, you can grow old forever, but people are not objects, and I can't make decisions for him." "Zhi An, don't be so sure, what I want is not your 'let', you also know Ji Ting, even if you want to go with him, he may not be able to leave everything behind and leave with you." Feeling sad, Zhi Yi suddenly smiled, "Why don't we make a bet." ... There was a sound of footsteps and a messy conversation outside the door. After a while, Wang Fan and Gu Weizhen opened the door and walked in. Ji Ting followed in, only seeing Zhiyi with half-dried tears and Zhian with an unpredictable expression . "Zhi'an, you're back? What's the matter with you?" Gu Weizhen couldn't tell what it was like to see his little daughter after a long absence. Maybe there was joy, but there was too much embarrassment mixed in, and at this moment surprised. Zhi An glanced at him, and passed by without saying anything.Wang Fan, who walked quickly to Zhiyi's bed, saw Zhiyi who was crying so much, she immediately gritted her teeth and called out to those who had already walked to the door, "Gu Zhi'an, what do you want to let them go?" ?” Zhi An's hand gripped the doorknob, took a breath, and then retracted his hand, "You're right, why should I let them go." Wang Fan turned pale with anger, "You can hate us, Zhiyi has nothing to do with you, you have already made her invisible, since you left, why did you come back?" Zhi'an looked at the silent Gu Weizhen, how ridiculous all this was. "I just hate you, so what?" "You hate us? We raised you anyway. What about your biological mother? She doesn't even look at you! You are young now, but because of your beauty, men are all around you, but don't get too complacent too early , Wang Ming was the same as you back then, and in the end, there was no one to die!" Wang Fan embraced Zhi Yi, and after speaking to Zhi An, he turned to Ji Ting, "You just get confused, this person on the hospital bed, When I was young, I kept saying that I would take care of her for the rest of my life, and that’s all. Now you don’t even want your parents because of a vixen-like woman. Do you know that your father is so angry that his high blood pressure relapses, and your mother cries at home every day. , if you have the ability, follow her and see what will happen to her?" Zhi An pulled the door forcefully, and for the first time, she even forgot to turn the doorknob. She said to Ji Ting who was stunned: "What she said makes sense, that's fine, I'll give you two ways, or don't be confused anymore, Stay and live your life well, or you throw away all of these and follow me, never come back, and see what happens to you in the end!" Without waiting for his answer, she hurried downstairs alone. When she walked out of the hospital gate, Zhi'an looked up at the sky, afraid that she would cry. The sun was about to set, and it was another dusk, and behind the dusk was the long night.The one she was waiting for might catch up, maybe not. Zhian stopped and closed his eyes, as if he had returned to that day many years ago. The setting sun was also round like this. The girl who woke up from her dream after a nap squatted alone in her secret corner, watching with tears. The night came slowly, and then she heard a voice saying: "With me by your side, you don't have to be afraid of anything." Only then did she realize that she was walking so hastily just now because she didn't dare to look back, afraid of looking back suddenly, and never looking back. Not as good as the boy he was back then.