Chapter 57: Throwing Away the Painting

  Tian Nu's face stiffened, and her tone of voice was also unusual: "I haven't learned much, I think I'll go back to my room first," she said, standing up from the sofa.

  Mu Ao Yun had been silent all along, but he had been paying attention to Tian Nuan Yu's facial expressions.

  He had noticed that from the moment he saw Mu Yu Xin's painting board in her hand when she entered the door, Tian Nuan Yu's expression was somewhat unusual, and now her face couldn't hide her unwillingness to continue this topic.

  He remembered that Tian Nuanyu's resume had many special skills listed, but painting was not one of them.

  Mu Yu Xing wasn't exaggerating, with just a few strokes on the paper, she had sketched out a delicate and lively portrait of herself.

  Mu Yuexin's mother was a painter, and Mu Ao Yun had a good eye for painting. He could tell that Tian Nuanyu's painting skills were not ordinary.

  But now Tian Nuanyu seems to be deliberately avoiding the topic of painting, Mu Ao Yun guessed that she must have her own secrets.

  "Xin'er, how could you look at Miss Tian's things without her consent? Return the sketchbook to Miss Tian immediately," Mu Ao Yun rebuked with a stern face.

  Tian Nuanyu's answer did not dispel Mu Yuexin's curiosity, but after being scolded by Mu Yaoyun, she didn't dare to ask any more questions and reluctantly closed the painting book with a pout.

  Just as the album was about to be closed, she suddenly glanced at the last one. Her eyes lit up and she reopened the album to turn to the last page, then exclaimed: "Wow! Dad, look, this painting is you!"

  Mu Ao Yun's gaze also fell on the painting, and when he saw the image on the paper clearly, he couldn't help but pause slightly.

  The person painted on the paper was indeed him, with only a few strokes, yet extremely vivid. However, the him in the painting didn't have his usual serious and profound demeanor, but instead had a smile at the corners of his mouth and eyes, even he himself thought that the him in the painting looked very warm and gentle.

  Tian Nuanyu's face slightly flushed, her whole face was full of embarrassment. This was the one she drew casually after taking care of Mu Ao Yun when he was sick. After finishing it, she was about to throw it into the trash can, but later hesitated and inserted it on the last page of her sketchbook. If Mu Yu Xing hadn't flipped through it today, she would have forgotten about this drawing.

  Tian Nuoyu was at a loss for words, when suddenly Mu Ao Yun said in a low voice: "Xin'er, return the painting to Miss Tian. Now you can go practice your piano."

  Mu Yu Xing reluctantly closed her painting book, stood up and handed the book to Tian Nuan Yu, then walked towards the piano.

  "Miss Tian, why don't you go back to your room and get some rest?" Mu Ao Yun's tone suddenly became gentle.

  "Alright, I'll go upstairs," Tian Nuanyu had been thinking of leaving as soon as possible, Mu Ao's words were exactly what she wanted to hear, and after finishing speaking, she quickly turned around and went upstairs.

  Mo Ao Yun glanced at Tian Nuan Yu's back and also stood up, stepping into the study again.

  Back in her room, Tian Nuoyu flipped to the last page of the painting book and pulled out that portrait of Mu Ao Yun. She took a glance at it before crumpling up the paper and throwing it into the trash can.

  She now regrets that day, wondering why she would inexplicably draw Mu Ao Yun and didn't even throw away the drawing paper.

  She knew that seeing her secretly drawing Mu Ao Yun, and she had just escaped like a thief with a guilty conscience, perhaps Mu Ao Yun would also have misunderstood thoughts. Mu Yu Xing must think that she has "ulterior motives" towards Mu Ao Yun. If Mu Yu Xing came to question her, even if she found excuses to explain, Mu Yu Xing might not believe her again.

  She thought again and decided to let them think what they want, after all, it's still unknown whether she can stay here tomorrow or not.

  She took out Mu Yu Xin's portrait from the painting book again and tore it up, throwing it into the trash can.

  The album is now clean, with only pictures of her mother and father. She flips through the album from start to finish, one page at a time, and most of the pictures in it are still of her mother.

  As she flipped through the paintings, her mother's smile seemed to come alive in front of her. Tian Nuoyu involuntarily reached out to touch it, but her fingers only lightly touched the cool painting paper. Her heart suddenly ached and a sorrowful expression appeared on her face.

  She put the album on the bed, took out the old phone from the bedside table and lit up the screen. Her mother's smile appeared in front of her eyes. She opened the photo album and flipped through the photos again. These photos she looked at every day, had long been deeply imprinted in her mind, but every time she looked at them, her heart was filled with warmth, yet full of sorrow.

  She raised her head and glanced at the painting book on the bed, got up and walked to the window, looking westward with a somewhat melancholy gaze.

  The charming sunset has long since dissipated, the arrival of night draped a layer of black veil over the sky, and the world was shrouded in a dull, lightless black fog.

  The time after her mother left, her world was as dull and dark as this. The only thing she did was hold a brush and paint non-stop, day and night, without eating or drinking.

  In the past, if someone asked: What is your ideal? She would definitely say with absolute certainty that she wanted to be a painter in the future.

  This ideal is hers as well as her mother's.