Chapter 63 Third Story Dior's World

I have told many stories in my life, but I will say that this one, which follows, is the most special. What's special is that anyone's life may be in danger after hearing this story. So, I have to remind you - before I tell this story, you can choose whether you really want to listen to it or not.If you choose to listen, you must have the courage to face the danger; and if you feel scared now, please leave immediately, so that you are absolutely safe. How, have you made a choice? I started talking. 【one】 1999, China, Shanghai. A luxurious Alfa Romeo car stopped on a prominent street on the Bund of Shanghai. The driver quickly got out of the car, walked quickly to the back seat of the car, and opened the door.

The man who got out of the car was more eye-catching than his famous car: he was in his thirties, tall, with a handsome and tough face, revealing an extraordinary temperament all over his body. He raised his head, glanced at the signboard of the shop in front of him, waved to the driver, and walked into the gallery called "Monte Fontaine" by himself. This is a gallery with an area of ​​about 200 square meters. The decoration is very tasteful. There are oil paintings of various sizes hanging on the walls, and each painting is marked with a high price.But the man held his head up, turned a blind eye to these exquisite and expensive paintings, and walked straight to the innermost part of the gallery.

The gallery owner, who was sitting on the sofa and reading the newspaper leisurely, noticed this man. He squinted at him for a while, then raised his eyebrows, stood up from the sofa, and greeted the person who came. "The new chairman of Lin's consortium came here in person, which really makes the shop's walls shine." The boss greeted the guests with a smile. The young man looked at the sixty-something elder in front of him, nodded politely, and said, "Hi, I'm Lin Wenyuan." "I don't know what Chairman Lin's visit to my small gallery is for?"

"You are too polite." Lin Wenyuan looked around the gallery, "You call your gallery a 'small shop', and you are really sorry for the name Shanghai No. Fame, isn't it smaller than Lin's consortium?" "The chairman said it." The gallery owner said with a modest smile, "Why do you come here to choose a few paintings?" "yes." "How many do you plan to buy?" "Just one, in the living room of my new home." "Buying a painting is such a trivial matter, why bother you to come to the door in person?" The boss said, "Can you send someone to buy it, or call us to deliver it?"

Lin Wenyuan laughed loudly: "You regard me as a vulgar person. How can you just find someone to replace such an elegant thing as buying a painting? To tell you the truth, I am also a person who loves painting, so of course I have to do it myself. Choose." "However, when you came in just now, you didn't pay attention to the famous paintings on my wall. It seems that you have no interest in paintings." "No, you misunderstood." Lin Wenyuan waved his hand and said, "I know the characteristics of your gallery, the most expensive paintings are usually not displayed outside. Therefore, I am here to ask you to recommend the best one for me. of."

"Do you want the best or the most expensive?" "Does it make any difference?" "How should I put it, painting is not like furniture, the more expensive the better. Sometimes, just because you like a certain painting, it doesn't mean that it will be very valuable; and those expensive paintings are not for everyone. Everyone will like it." "But I guess there's always a reason why those famous paintings by world-class painters are so valuable, right?" The gallery owner blinked: "So, you want to buy an expensive painting?" "Frankly speaking, that's it." Lin Wenyuan said, "I like to collect precious paintings, and I also like to admire the amazed expressions of my friends when they see these famous paintings."

"I see. Well, I think I have a few pictures here that will please you." "Which painters are they?" "Let me think about it, the most expensive paintings...they are works by Picasso, Miró, Duchamp and Dali." "How much are these paintings worth?" "The value of each piece is more than 20 million." "Can I see them?" "Of course, the pictures are locked in my safe—have you decided you want one of them?" "These paintings are the most expensive in this gallery?" "Why, do you think the painting at this price is cheap?"

"I want to buy the most expensive painting." "Well... the most expensive one is a work by Van Gogh." The boss looked embarrassed, "But, I don't want to sell it." "why?" "Because this is the last Van Gogh painting in my gallery. It is a work of Van Gogh in the blue period. It can be regarded as the signature of my gallery, so... please forgive me." "How much is this painting worth?" "Thirty-five million." "It's not too expensive." Lin Wenyuan raised an eyebrow and said. "It's dollars." The boss emphasized.

Lin Wenyuan opened his mouth slightly, and then smiled: "Great, this is the painting I need, please sell it to me, okay?" The boss stroked his chin and thought for a while, then said, "Okay, Chairman Lin, if you really want this painting so much." "Then let's go and see this painting." Lin Wenyuan said eagerly, "This painting should be the most valuable painting in Shanghai, right?" But to his surprise, the gallery owner didn't speak. He moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, and held back. "What?" Lin Wenyuan looked at him, "Which painting is more expensive than this one?"

"No," said the gallery owner, "among ordinary paintings, this one is the most expensive." "Ordinary paintings?" Lin Wenyuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have any special paintings here?" "Forget it, Chairman, just pretend I didn't say it." The boss tried his best to hide his unnaturalness, "Let's go and see that Van Gogh painting." "Wait," Lin Wenyuan's curiosity was aroused, "Is there another painting that is like a rare treasure, more precious than this Van Gogh painting? So you are reluctant to take it out?"

The boss was silent for a moment, and said: "Yes, I do have a painting that is unique in the world, but its price is probably unacceptable even for a person of your status." "Oh?" Lin Wenyuan became interested, "Tell me, how much is this painting worth?" The boss carefully stretched out his finger and compared a number. "What, you mean, need..." The boss nodded. Lin Wenyuan narrowed his eyes and looked at the gallery owner in his sixties for a while, and said, "To be honest, even at this price, I can afford it—but I don't understand why I have to buy a private How about buying a painting with the money from the plane? What is the origin of this painting, and can it be worth so much money?" "You mean, who painted this painting?" "Of course, as far as I know, the value of the masterpieces of the most famous painters in the world cannot reach the figure you just mentioned." "So, it is not the work of a famous artist." The boss said in a mysterious tone. "Then I really don't understand. If it's not a work of a famous artist, why is the price still such an astronomical figure?" "As I said earlier, this is the only painting in the world." "I think that any hand-painted painting in the world should be unique." "No, Chairman Lin, you have misunderstood me." The boss said, "I said it is unique, not because of its picture; but because there are some special things about this painting." "Then tell me, what's so special about it?" Lin Wenyuan became interested. "I told you, you probably wouldn't believe it." "That's not necessarily the case." Lin Wenyuan smiled and said, "Although I am not old, I have seen quite a few strange things." The boss pursed his lips and said, "The special thing about this painting is that anyone who sees it may die." Lin Wenyuan froze for a moment, he stared into the gallery owner's eyes: "Are you kidding me?" "No, chairman, you don't know me." The gallery owner shrugged. "I'm not a joker—especially when it comes to business." Lin Wenyuan buried his head in thought for a while, then raised his head and said: "When I was studying abroad at Columbia University, I heard such strange things: some painters poured their own resentment and dissatisfaction into their works, causing the viewers to feel some kind of pain. A curse—but I don't believe any of these superstitions." "No, no, no, Chairman." The gallery owner shook his head and said, "You're totally mistaken. It's not like that at all. It has nothing to do with curses or superstition." "That is how the matter?" "Well, how should I put it... Let me explain more clearly. If you just look at this painting, you will be fine, but if you know its name at the same time, you won't live long." Lin Wenyuan looked at the owner of the gallery with suspicion: "How do you want me to believe such a strange thing?" "President Lin, since you are so interested in this painting, how about it—" said the owner of the gallery, "I will tell you a story about the origin of this painting." 【two】 In 1960, in an ordinary family in Houston, USA, a boy with brown hair and blue eyes was born. The little boy looks smart and well-behaved, revealing a spirit all over his body.The child's parents loved this gift from God so much that they gave him a beautiful name: Dior. Soon, surprises began to appear frequently around Dior's parents-they were surprised to find that Dior Jr. turned out to be a once-in-a-century genius! When he was half a year old, Dior was able to call his parents and even grandparents accurately and clearly; in less than ten months, he could run and play on the ground; when he was one year old, he could add and subtract within one hundred Little Dior couldn't be stumped any longer.Even more surprising: Dior has an incredible talent and comprehension for painting.At the age of four, he was able to pick up an oil paintbrush and create amazing paintings one after another—these works surprised all the painting teachers and even the great painters.After seeing a work created by Dior when he was four and a half years old, an old painter in his fifties kept his mouth shut for five minutes in surprise, and excitedly announced to everyone present: "This child is the most beautiful child in human history." Great drawing genius!" The only thing that made the young parents a little uneasy was another of Dior's obsessions—that was just too different. Children of the same age as Dior are always clamoring for their parents to take them to playgrounds, zoos, or toy towns, but these places full of childishness seem to have no attraction for Dior.There is only one place Dio likes to go, as long as his parents are free, he will ask them to take him there—— Christian church. Dior went to church with his parents for the first time when he was two years old.Since then, he has asked his parents to take him two or three times almost every week.At first, Dior's father thought that his son liked to come to church purely for fun.But soon, he discovered that things were not that simple. Once, the pastor of the church told the people about the life story of Jesus Christ again after praying. When it was said that Jesus was betrayed by his disciple Judas and was finally crucified and executed, Dio’s father accidentally looked at him. His son glanced at him, his eyes widened in surprise. Dio, who was only two years old, burst into tears, with a sad and painful expression. He sat silently, trying to control his emotions—it seemed that the pastor’s narration aroused some of his memories—the whole scene made him feel Dio's father was dumbfounded.He didn't understand how a child who was only two years old could have such a great reaction and resonance to these things. The father gently touched his son with his crutch, pointed to the priest on the podium, and asked, "Dior, can you understand what the story he told meant?" Dio slowly turned his head and answered something that surprised his father even more. "No, Dad, what he told...wasn't a story," he said, tear-stained. Dio's father was stunned for a while, and asked softly, "How do you know what he said...I mean, what do you use to judge?" "Dad, I don't want to say it." Dio lowered his head sadly.That day, he did not speak again. Later, Dior's parents discovered that as long as their son heard anything about the crucifixion of Jesus, he would always show a dejected expression. The expression was real and sad, not like what a child of a few years old should have. . Dio's parents were unbelievable for a long time.Later, they figured it out, Dior was originally a genius who was once in a hundred years-geniuses always have some things different from ordinary people, which is not surprising.And, apart from that, everything else about Dior is normal.So, they gradually got used to this different child. In this way, Dior grew up until he was five years old. 【three】 One morning, five-and-a-half-year-old Dior went to the street with his father to buy food.After buying two bags of food at a nearby supermarket, they headed home across another busy street. As soon as they turned the corner, Dio and his father stopped at the same time.They found that hundreds of people had gathered on this street, and they all looked up at the roof of a building, pointing upwards with their hands. Dio and his father approached the crowd and followed their gazes upwards—the building was about twelve stories high, and on the edge of the top floor stood a woman about thirty years old with disheveled hair and a dull look. Looking at the people downstairs.At this time, several police cars appeared in the crowd. Dio's father knew what was going to happen here, he took his son's hand and said, "Dio, let's get out of here." "But, that aunt is standing in such a dangerous place, what is she going to do..." Before Dior finished asking, someone in the crowd exclaimed: "Oh my God! She really jumped off!" Before Dio and his father had time to react, they heard a "bang", and the woman's body fell straight down, just falling less than five meters away from Dio. A piece of bloody red appeared in front of Dio's eyes, and he remained motionless, as if he had been frightened silly. Dio's father yelled, and hurried forward to cover his son's eyes, picked him up, jumped into a taxi, and left this terrible place. When he got home, the father found that his son's expression was still dull. He poured a glass of warm water for his son to drink, stroked his head worriedly, and asked, "Is it better? Dior." There was no reaction on Dio's face, he didn't say a word, his eyes stared straight ahead. "It's terrible! It's really terrible..." the father muttered profusely in sweat, "Poor child...only five years old, to see such a terrible scene!" After about ten minutes, Dio slowly raised his head, looked at his father, and asked, "She's dead, isn't she?" Father was stunned, he didn't know how to answer. "Why would she do that?" Dio asked again. "Let's leave it alone, kid, shall we? Let's forget about it!" "No, Dad. Tell me, why did she do that?" "I have no idea." "There is always a reason for her to do this." "...I think she may be broke, of course, it may be a relationship problem... But, you see, it is impossible for us to know the real reason. Because there may be many reasons for her to do this... Dio, can we not talk about this?" Dio lowered his head, with sadness and confusion on his brows.After a while, he raised his head and asked, "She...is in pain, isn't she?" Father shivered: "Dio, I really don't know." "It must be! She is in pain, that's why she wants to escape the pain." Dio said loudly, "Dad, do you know why she is in pain?" "Because she is human," said the father, "as long as she is human, there will be pain." Dio looked into his father's eyes, and after a while, he lowered his head and murmured in a dim voice: "Is that so..." After that, Dio didn't speak any more.The father shook his head and sighed, leaving his son. Dio quietly walked into his room and locked the door.That day, he hardly left his hut except for eating. The night passed. The next morning, the father went to Dior's room and woke his son up.When he opened the door, he was taken aback - Dio hadn't slept at all, his eyes were red, obviously staying up all night.Dior, oil paintbrush in hand, is applying paint to a large canvas. The father stepped forward in surprise and asked, "Dior, you didn't sleep? Could it be...you painted all night?" Immediately afterwards, my father discovered something even more shocking to him.He glanced at the almost completed oil painting in front of Dior, and shouted: "My God! What is this! What are you painting?" Dio hurriedly took the painting off the easel, carried the painting on his back, and said with a panicked look: "Oops, Dad, you saw this painting!" "I saw this painting... so what?" the father asked puzzledly, "What the hell are you painting? It's really scary and weird, why... I feel chills all over after seeing it? " "Because of this painting... humans cannot see it, otherwise, they may die." "What did you say?" Dio looked at his father seriously: "Dad, you promise me one thing, never ask mom what the name of this painting is. And you must never let mom see this painting!" "What do you mean? Why can't I know the name of this painting? Then how did your mother know?" "Last night, my mother came to my room and saw me preparing painting tools, and asked me what painting I was going to paint, so I told her the name of the painting, but I hadn't started painting at that time, so she was not in danger. " "Dangerous?" Father frowned, becoming more and more puzzled, "What are you talking about? I don't understand at all." "Father, remember, this painting is not for ordinary people to see. If a person sees this painting and at the same time knows the name of this painting, he probably won't live long." "A mortal? Are you not a mortal? You have seen this painting now, and of course you know its name..." "Yes, I am also a mortal now." Dio lowered his head, with a bit of sadness, "So, I..." "Okay, Dior!" My father said angrily with a serious expression on his face, "Stop saying such strange words! Also, you are not allowed to draw such weird pictures again, otherwise I will confiscate your painting tools. You stay in your room today and you are not allowed to go anywhere!" After saying this, the father turned around angrily, slammed the door and left. All morning, Dio stayed quietly in his little room - so his father thought. 【Four】 A few hours later, when it was time for lunch, the father came to his son's room again and opened the door. Dio lay flat on the bed, seemingly sleeping.His eyes were closed, and he slept in an odd position—hands clasped in front of his chest. The father walked in front of the bed and called his son's name a few times, but Dio didn't respond. The father pushed his son, and as soon as he touched Dio's body, he yelled loudly. Dio's whole body was cold, and his hands and feet were stiff.The father tremblingly put his right hand in front of his son's nose. After this attempt, my father felt his brain explode, his legs became weak, and he knelt down. Dio had stopped breathing. "Dior, Dior! Oh my god, son, what's wrong with you!" the father shouted hoarsely while hugging Dior's body. The mother rushed over and heard that her son was not breathing and passed out on the spot. Ten minutes later, the ambulance drove the doctor to Dio's home. After the doctor made a diagnosis, he regretfully told Dio's parents that their son had died two hours ago. "Impossible! My God! My son!" Dio's mother frantically grabbed the doctor's clothes and cried faintly. "He was fine in the morning, how could he die suddenly!" "My son...how did he die?" the father asked, holding back his grief. The doctor looked embarrassed and shook his head in confusion: "To be honest, we have never encountered such a strange thing. Your son...has no trauma...and we didn't find him during the examination just now. Suffering from any disease that can be fatal. All signs look like..." "Like what?" Dad asked quickly. "I know it's absurd to say that, but..." said the doctor, after a moment's hesitation, "it looks like he died of natural causes." "Natural death? You mean... dying?" Dio's father couldn't believe it. "Sorry, that's how it looks...of course, it's not necessarily accurate. With your permission, we will take your son's body to the hospital for a further autopsy..." "You're crazy!" At this moment, Dior's mother rushed over and yelled at the doctor, "You quacks! My son is only five years old, and he is healthier and more lively than any child of his age! You think he will die of Go to bed at the end of your life..." Before she finished speaking, she cried again and passed out. "My son... can't be taken away by you. I want to hold a funeral for him." After saying this, the tears in his father's eyes finally fell. The five-year-old gifted child died strangely for no reason, which caused quite a shock in the local area.People have speculated about the cause of Dior's death. Reporters from newspapers, magazines and TV stations tried to interview Dior's parents through various channels, but the couple refused to say a word in front of any media. The afternoon after Dior's burial, Dior's parents returned home exhausted. After sitting silently in the living room for twenty minutes, Dior's mother got up from the sofa and walked to the door of her son's former room. "What are you doing?" the husband asked his wife. "I packed up all the things in Dior's room. In the days to come, I won't be able to face every thing he used. I won't be able to bear it." After finishing speaking, she pushed open the door. At this moment, Dior's father suddenly remembered something, and he shouted: "Wait, don't go in!" The wife turned her head and looked at her husband: "Why?" Dio's father thought for a while and asked, "The night before Dio died, did you go to his room once?" "...Yes." Dior's mother thought for a while, "What's wrong?" "He was preparing a painting, wasn't he?" "Oh," Dio's mother showed a weary and painful expression, "what's the point of saying this now?" "No! Recall carefully, was he preparing to paint an oil painting that night? Moreover, he also told you the name of that painting, right?" "...Yes, he told me that he was going to draw a picture called..." "Don't say it!" Dio's father shouted, "Don't say the name of that painting!" "Why?" His wife looked at him puzzled. Dior's father didn't answer, he rushed into his son's room ahead of his wife, found the oil painting he had only seen once, wrapped it tightly with old newspapers, and stuffed it into the back of the storage room . What the husband did surprised his wife, and she asked in confusion, "What are you doing? Why do you care so much about this painting?" Dior's father turned his head sweating profusely, and said to his wife word by word: "Remember, never look at this painting." 【Fives】 At this point in the story, the gallery owner stopped. Lin Wenyuan stared at him with a complicated expression. After a while, he asked, "What happened next?" "Later, Dior's parents did something they regretted." "You mean, they all eventually saw the painting and knew its name?" "No," said the gallery owner, shaking his head. "They're being more cautious about this than we thought—they got someone to do the experiment." "do experiments?" "They invited a friend to the house, first Dior's father showed him the painting, and then Dior's mother told him the name of the painting, and it turned out—" "What was the result? Did that person really die after seeing the painting?" Lin Wenyuan leaned forward, showing great interest. "yes." Lin Wenyuan pursed his lips: "How did you die?" The gallerist shrugged. "Then I don't know—in fact, that's all I know." Lin Wenyuan put his hand on his chin and thought for a while, then said, "You don't mean to tell me that this terrible painting is in your gallery right now?" The gallery owner smiled faintly: "You don't believe it, do you?" "I really don't believe it." Lin Wenyuan raised an eyebrow, "Unless, you can show me this painting right now." "Chairman Lin, do you really want to see it?" "Yes." Lin Wenyuan said with certainty. "Alright then." The gallery owner stood up, "Wait a minute, I'll go get it right away." After finishing speaking, he turned around and opened the door of the innermost cabin, and walked in. A few minutes later, the gallery owner came out with an oil painting wrapped in thick kraft paper, and he put the painting on the coffee table in front of Lin Wenyuan. "Is this the one?" Lin Wenyuan looked at the small oil painting, raised his head and asked. The gallery owner nodded and began to remove the kraft paper covering the painting. After a while, the true face of the painting was revealed to Lin Wenyuan. Lin Wenyuan just touched this painting, and immediately screamed: "My God! What kind of painting is this! It's terrible!" After three or four seconds, the gallery owner quickly wrapped the painting again with kraft paper, as if he was afraid that others would take a second look.Lin Wenyuan's cry attracted the attention of several other customers in the gallery. They all looked over here, and the boss hurriedly put the painting back into the small room. It had been several minutes since the owner of the gallery came out of the hut, but Lin Wenyuan was still sweating profusely, with a face full of shock. "How about it, chairman, do you know how amazing this painting is?" the gallery owner whispered. Lin Wenyuan bit his lips tightly and remained silent, his expression looked a little embarrassed, as if he had lost something. A few minutes later, he breathed out and said, "This painting is indeed eerie. I have never seen such a frightening and depressing painting." "Chairman, do you believe me now?" To the surprise of the gallery owner, Lin Wenyuan raised his head after hearing these words, still with a skeptical expression. "This painting is indeed unusual, I admit it." Lin Wenyuan said, "But you said that as long as people who have seen it know the name of this painting, they will inevitably die. Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?" "About this, I can't confirm it to you. Obviously, I don't know the name of this painting—but I know that someone once paid the price of life to prove whether this legend is true— —Of course, Chairman Lin, it is impossible for you to do this, because you are a smart person and know how to cherish your precious life." After saying this, the gallery owner made a "please" gesture: "Okay, let's forget about this and go see that Van Gogh painting!" Lin Wenyuan sat on the sofa without moving. He felt that he was being provoked. After a few seconds, he slowly raised his head and said, "Okay, let me verify whether this legend is true or not." "Chairman, are you kidding me?" The gallery owner said with a smile. "I don't like joking." Lin Wenyuan said, "If your story is true, then Dior's parents should live in Houston, USA, and as long as I find Dior's mother, I can ask the name of this painting. What name, it's not difficult." "However, it has been more than 30 years since the incident, and Dior's parents may not be alive, nor may they still live in Houston." "As long as this matter is true, someone will definitely know some clues. In this case, it will not be difficult to find the Dior family." The owner of the gallery looked at Lin Wenyuan and said, "Chairman, why do you have to prove the truth of this matter? Is it just out of curiosity?" Lin Wenyuan shook his head and said: "Three reasons. First, if this painting is really as magical as you said, it will definitely be a rare treasure - no matter how expensive the price is, I must collect it; second , I really want to gamble with you whether this legend is true or not; the third—" He stopped, walked over to the gallery owner, and whispered, "I don't like people lying to me." After the owner of the gallery met Lin Wenyuan's eyes for a moment, the old man said: "Chairman, with all due respect, if this legend is true, you may die after hearing its name. At that time—you How do you bet with me to win or lose?" "It's very simple. Let's set up a letter: If I lose—that is, if I really die after learning the name of this painting, then you can go to the Lin's Consortium to get five Tens of millions of dollars." "Okay, chairman, I'll play with you." The boss said with a smile, "If you go to the United States and find that there is no such thing, or it didn't happen after you inquired about the name of the painting. If there is any unexpected situation, then I will pay you fifty million U.S. dollars." "Okay." Lin Wenyuan said, "Do you have paper and pen here?" Ten minutes later, they signed this strange betting contract in duplicate.Lin Wenyuan put the contract in his coat pocket, stood up, and prepared to leave the gallery. The boss sent him to the door of the gallery. "If there is no accident, we will know the result of this gamble in a week." Lin Wenyuan said, "One last question, how did you get this painting?" "I'm sorry, Chairman—commercial confidentiality." The gallery owner said mysteriously. 【six】 Lin Wenyuan is a person who handles things swiftly and swiftly. In just two days, he arrived in Houston, USA. Lin Wenyuan believes that it is not difficult to investigate what he wants to know.Having worked in the mall for more than ten years, he understands that the truth that "money can turn the wheel" is applicable anywhere in the world. And things went even better than expected.On the third day after arriving in the United States, Lin Wenyuan found a record of this incident from the archives of a large hospital in Houston. Sure enough, 34 years ago, a five-year-old boy named Dior died for no reason in his own home in the community.The "cause of death" item in the hospital file was filled with "unknown cause". Lin Wenyuan's heart beat wildly, he decided that this was the "Dior" he was looking for.It is a pity that there is no record of Dior's parents in the hospital files, only the address of Dior's home: 53 Wisconsin Avenue. After leaving the hospital, Lin Wenyuan hailed a taxi and went straight to Dior's home 34 years ago - although he couldn't guarantee whether Dior's family still lived there. Forty minutes later, Lin Wenyuan stood at the door of a second-floor suite on Wisconsin Avenue, with "No. 53" written on the door plate. Lin Wenyuan adjusted the collar of his shirt and rang the doorbell. Half a minute later, the door opened, and a young girl with short brown hair appeared in front of Lin Wenyuan. She opened the door halfway, wondering about the strange man in front of her. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" the young girl asked. (For the convenience of presentation, all English dialogues are expressed in Chinese.) "I'm sorry," Lin Wenyuan said, "I want to ask, is there an old couple living here?" The young girl shook her head: "Sir, you probably found the wrong one." Lin Wenyuan's heart sank, but he still asked persistently, "Then can you tell me who lives here now?" "Only Mrs. Helen and I live here, sir, what else do you want?" Hearing "Mrs. Helen", Lin Wenyuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "How old is Mrs. Helen?" "She's a 59-year-old lady." Lin Wenyuan tried his best to suppress his excitement and said, "Can I see her?" "I'm afraid not." The young girl said, "Mrs. Helen's legs are paralyzed, so it's inconvenient to see guests. Besides, she doesn't like to see guests." "I'm sorry, please tell Mrs. Helen, I have something important to do and I have to see her, so... please." The brunette girl hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, wait for me for a while." After finishing speaking, she closed the door and walked in. Five minutes later, the girl opened the door again, and said to Lin Wenyuan who was waiting at the door: "Sir, I'm sorry, I asked Mrs. Helen, and she said she didn't want to see any guests, so..." She spread her hands and acted helplessly. pose. Lin Wenyuan didn't expect that things that have progressed so smoothly here would hit a wall here. He wanted to say something more, but he was very clear about the laws of the United States - if the host didn't want to see the guests, he couldn't force them into the house. "Sir, if you don't mind, I'll..." The brunette girl was about to close the door. "Wait," Lin Wenyuan suddenly remembered something, and he said to the girl, "Please tell Mrs. Helen again that I want to find Dior." "Dior? There is no such person here." "Please! Please tell Mrs. Helen what you said. If she still doesn't want to see me, I will leave immediately." "...Okay." The brunette girl turned and entered the room again. 几分钟后，女孩带着一脸困惑的表情回来了，她从头到脚仔细地打量了蔺文远一番，自言自语地说：“还真是奇怪了。” “怎么？” “知道吗？海伦夫人已经有将近十年没见过来访的客人了，但是，她刚才听到我转述的那句话后，竟然提出想见见你。” 蔺文远一阵激动，他知道，自己找对人了。 “先生，请跟我来吧。”女孩将门完全打开，做了一个“请”的姿势。 在这幢豪华洋房的客厅，蔺文远终于见到了做在轮椅上的海伦夫人，这是一个满头银发的老太太，面容比她的实际年龄显得更苍老一些，她的衣着素净而端庄，给人一种有着良好素养的感觉。 蔺文远坐下来后，褐发女孩给他倒了一杯水，放到他的面前。这时，海伦太太对女孩说：“格温妮斯，你先回自己的房间去吧。” “是的，海伦太太。”女孩说完后向二楼走去。 女孩走后，海伦太太用审视的目光上下打量了蔺文远一会儿，开口道：“年轻人，我不喜欢兜圈子——你坦白告诉我，你是怎么认识迪奥的。” “我当然可以告诉，海伦太太。”蔺文远说，“但是在那之前，您能先回答我一个问题吗——你是不是迪奥的母亲？” 海伦太太的脸部肌肉明显地抽搐了一下，过了一会儿，她缓缓地说：“是的，可是……已经三十四年了，我身边的人几乎都忘了这件事。现在，已经没几个人知道我曾有过一个叫'迪奥'的儿子——你是怎么知道的？” “海伦太太，这件事说来话长，让我从头告诉你吧。” 接下来，蔺文远把在“梦特芳丹”画廊的经历原原本本地告诉了老太太，包括他和店老板打的赌，以及他是怎么找到这里来的。 听的过程中，海伦太太始终保持着平静的神情——蔺文远无法判断她在想什么。 “整个事情就是这样。”半小时后，蔺文远叙述完毕。 海伦太太长长地吐了口气，喃喃自语道：“原来是这样，你到这里来，就是想知道我儿子画的那张画叫什么名字……那么好吧，我告诉你——” 蔺文远不禁紧张起来。 “听好了，年轻人。”海伦太太说，“你在中国听到的那个故事是千真万确的，而我，也确实知道那张画的名字——可是，我不会告诉你。” "why?" “因为我说了，这件事是真的——你已经看过了那张画，现在要是再知道了那张画叫什么名字，你就活不了了。我不能眼睁睁地看着你去死——再说明白点儿吧，你和我无怨无仇，我不想杀了你。” “可是，海伦太太，我千里迢迢来到美国，就是为了证实这件事啊！” “用你的生命来证实？”海伦太太一脸严肃地说，“年轻人，你正值风华正茂，是该做一番事业的时候，却冒着生命危险和别人打这种无聊的赌，这对你来说有什么意义？” “生命危险？海伦太太，您言过其实了吧？我不认为知道一幅画的名字对我来说会有什么危险。” 海伦太太摇着头说：“你不相信我说的话？” “……抱歉。” “好吧！”海伦太太有些生气地说，“随便你相不相信，反正我不打算告诉你，没有别的事，你就请回吧！” 说完，她转动轮椅，准备离开客厅了。 “等等，海伦太太！”蔺文远着急起来，“您真的不告诉我？” 老妇人没有再理他，她冲楼上喊道：“格温妮斯！” 蔺文远尴尬地站在原地，他没有想到自己的美国之行竟然会卡在这最后一个节骨眼上，现在老太太下了逐客令，他没有理由再厚着脸皮呆在这里了。 蔺文远怀着沮丧的心情准备离开，突然，他想起了什么，猛地回过头来。 “我明白了。”他对海伦太太说，“我知道这是怎么回事了！” 海伦太太皱起眉头看他。 “这根本就是一个骗局，对不对？”蔺文远说。 "What did you say?" “我猜，34年前迪奥的死根本就不是我知道的那么回事，和那幅'画'一点儿关系也没有！” 海伦太太眯起眼睛望他：“你到底想说什么？” “如果我没猜错的话，迪奥死于某种不能说出口的原因，而你和迪奥的父亲为了掩饰儿子死亡的真相，编造了一个诡异的故事，让所有人望而却步，不敢去打听迪奥死亡的真正原因，对吗？” 听完蔺文远这段话，海伦太太满脸涨得通红，她显得既惊讶又愤怒，甚至试图从轮椅上站起来，她颤抖着声音：“你……你说什么！” “你不愿意告诉我这幅画叫什么名字，就是因为我一旦知道了画的名字，却又并没发生什么事的话，你们的谎言就被揭穿了，所以，你才坚持不说，对吗？” “你……你……”海伦太太气得全身发抖，“你真的要逼我说出来……那好吧。这都是你自找的……我告诉你吧，这幅画的名字就叫'迪奥的世界'！” “迪奥的世界？这就是那幅画的名字？这么简单？”一切发生得太快了，蔺文远有些没回过神来。 突然，蔺文远的脑海里惊现出一些画面，那张画仿佛在一瞬间跳到了他眼前，蔺文远喃喃自语道：“迪奥的……世界，世界……” 他一边自言自语，一边慢慢从沙发上站了起来，一颗豆大的汗珠从他的额头滑落下来，他惊恐地睁大了眼睛。 “天哪……世界……，原来是这样……”他说完这最后的一句话，突然“啊”地尖叫一声，双手抱着头，发疯似的冲出房间，向门外的大街冲去。 这时，一辆双层公共汽车从街道的左侧驶来，蔺文远径直冲到公车面前，司机根本来不及煞车。 一声闷响，公车停了下来。 车内的乘客一片惊叫，一位老人探出头看见车窗外的情景后，当即休克过去。 从蔺文远得知画的名字到他丧生车下，只有不到10秒钟的时间。 整个过程，海伦太太紧闭着双眼，仿佛这时她早就预料到的结果。 【seven】 住在威斯康星大道53号的老妇人推动着轮椅，缓慢地移动到客厅的茶几旁，她颤微微地拿起电话，拨通一个号码。 十几秒钟后，电话里传出一个老男人的声音：“你好，请问找谁？” “是我。”老妇人说。 “……是你，海伦？” “这么多年没跟我联系，你已经忘了我吧。” “怎么会呢，海伦。” “我猜，你知道我为什么要跟你打电话吧？” “……是的，你会打电话来，说明那个人已经去过你那儿了。” “不只是来过，他刚才已经死了，和十年前来过的那个人几乎是一样的死法。” 电话那头沉默了一会儿，老男人说：“你把那幅画的名字告诉他了？” “我本来不想说，但他用激将法来故意惹我生气，我没有控制住，就告诉了他。” "……yes?" “卢平，这次你赚了多少？一亿美元？或者更多？” “海伦，别说得那么难听，别把我说成那样。这次不是我主动的，是那个年轻人非得和我赌一把不可。” “哼，”海伦冷笑一声，“又是赌，十年前，你就跟一个富翁赌，把他骗到我这儿来，结果他死后，你得到了一个画廊——我猜这次你又想得到些新东西了，对吗？” “海伦，我说了，这次是他非得要……” “好了，我不想管这些，我只想问，你还想杀多少人？或者说，你还想让我杀多少人？” “海伦，能别说那个字眼吗？” “那你要我怎么说？” “海伦，你要知道，当初我要是不那么做的话，在中国根本就无法立足，那样的话，我又怎么每年跟你寄钱来？” “听着，卢平，我不需要你寄钱来，特别是用这种途径得来的钱，自从迪奥死后，你就带着那幅画回了你的老家上海，你把我一个人留在美国……” “海伦，你知道我为什么要这样做，我害怕你会哪一天在无意中看到那张画。” “恐怕，你更担心的是我会在无意中讲出那张画的名字吧？”海伦太太冷笑着说，“我们的儿子做梦也想不到他的父亲会利用他生命中的最后一张画来发财！” “够了，海伦。”电话那头的男人有些厌烦起来，“我不想再听你说这些了。” “是的，够了，我也觉得够了。我刚才想通了，我要结束这一切，我不能让你再亵渎那幅画，再玷污我们可怜的儿子。” 电话那边的男人有些紧张起来：“海伦，你要干什么？” “我告诉你，那幅画的名字叫……” “不！”老男人大吼一声，猛地挂断电话。 “天哪，她疯了！”画廊老板放下电话后，从衣服口袋里掏出一张手帕，擦拭着脸上的汗水，“她居然想告诉我那张画的名字，她想杀了我！” 过了一会儿，他平静了些，走到他那豪华住宅的阳台上，深呼吸一口，仍为刚才的惊险而心有余悸。 就在这时，客厅里的电话铃声再一次响起，画廊老板像惊弓之鸟般抖动了一下，然后厌恶地看着电话。 电话铃响了几秒钟后，他猛然想起了什么，张大了嘴巴，低吟一声：“我的天哪！”然后发疯般地朝电话机跑去。 但已经晚了，没等他跑过来，那个有自动留言功能的电话机里已经传出了海伦绝望而无奈的声音：“那张画叫'迪奥的世界'！” 这句话就像一道闪电击中了画廊老板，他在电话机前停了下来，双眼发直，接着，他发出一声低沉的、似哭非笑的呻吟：“原来……是这样，世界……那就是，迪奥的世界……” 说完这些话，他神情呆滞地走回阳台，这一次，他站在了阳台的围栏上，这里是19楼。 坠落的时候，那张和蔺文远签订的单据从他身上飞了出来，飘在空中，像一只白色的鸟。 与此同时，大洋彼岸的海伦也在一声枪响中结束了自己的生命。 故事讲到这里就结束了。 我之前说过，这是一个特殊的故事，原因就是——你听完这个故事，就等于知道了那张画的名字。当然，你并没有看过画，所以暂时还是安全的。 但那张画仍然还在这个世界上——所以，如果有一天，你看到一张怪异的画，可千万不要联想到“迪奥的世界”这个名字。 祝大家做个好梦。 (End of the first part)