CHAPTER 772: CHAPTER 772

The art exhibition was extremely prestigious, not only featuring many paintings from well-known contemporary artists both domestic and foreign, but also some famous and valuable works for people to appreciate, including Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, indicative of its high-caliber.

Wandering around the exhibition hall aimlessly, Xu Qianli had no interest in looking at those paintings and was consistently eyeing the female guests, trying to find Xiao Wu and Xiao Mei.

Tsk tsk, this woman’s chest is really quite something, almost bursting through her clothes, and that woman’s butt is really perky...

After looking around, he saw quite a few women with pretty faces and good figures, truly the gathering place of high society. Many companions of the guests were top-notch beauties.

But he didn’t spot Xiao Wu or Xiao Mei and had no idea where they might be.

They had said they were accompanying someone to the exhibition, but where were they, where did they go?

"Xu Qianli, can you stop staring at those women with your lecherous eyes? You haven’t seen how people are looking at you. I feel embarrassed just being around you."

Bai Muqing couldn’t help but complain.

Attending an art exhibition was a refined activity.

Regardless of whether others were genuinely refined or just pretending, at least they looked the part.

But you, Xu Qianli, come to an art exhibition and completely ignore the artworks. Your lecherous eyes roam over the women with big chests and perky behinds, as if you wish to strip them with your gaze.

This guy really has no shame. Bai Muqing felt embarrassed just being with her.

Xu Qianli said, "I’m looking for someone, aren’t I? How can I find them if I don’t look at people? If you feel you lose face by following me around, just wander on your own. If you like any painting, I’ll buy it for you."

Bai Muqing said, "What if I take a liking to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, would you buy that for me too?"

"I’ll buy it! If you fancy the sun in the sky, I’ll buy it for you too, since you are going to be the mother of my future children," Xu Qianli readily promised, even giving Bai Muqing a wink.

"Hmph, no morals! I can’t be bothered with you anymore."

She rolled her eyes at Xu Qianli and strode off.

No sooner had she walked a few steps than a blond, blue-eyed man rushed over, speaking in less than fluent Mandarin as he eagerly tried to strike up a conversation, "My fair lady, my name is Lawrence, delighted to make your acquaintance. May I have the honor of asking you to appraise my artwork?"

"Scram!"

Bai Muqing gave a one-word reply, full of menace.

The blond, blue-eyed guy was so frightened that he shuddered, turned tail, and ran, managing to fall over in his haste, ending up in an awkward heap on the ground.

Xu Qianli gave a thumbs up. True to the reputation as the first master of the younger generation, the disposition was powerful – scaring someone into falling with just a word, impressive.

Bai Muqing couldn’t be bothered with Xu Qianli and turned away.

After that, no one else approached her to strike up a conversation.

Now alone, Xu Qianli, unable to find Xiao Wu or Xiao Mei, decided to take out his phone to try and get in touch to see where they might be.

"Do you like new modernist figure paintings, you know, the kind that specifically depict nude Western women? If you’re interested, I can recommend a few. They’re definitely not inferior to those busty and perky girls your thieving eyes have been wandering over."

An unfamiliar woman’s voice suddenly sounded beside Xu Qianli.

Glancing sideways, Xu Qianli saw a woman around thirty-something, with ordinary looks, appearing beside him.

He was sure he’d never seen her before, but for some reason, she seemed strangely familiar, almost as if he’d known her in the past.

Surveying her again, Xu Qianli’s gaze focused on the woman’s eyes.

Though she appeared quite ordinary, her eyes were truly beautiful: big, round, bright, and expressive—exactly like Xiao Wu’s and Xiao Mei’s eyes.

Xu Qianli lowered his voice, "Xiao Wu?"

Xiao Wu nodded slightly and gave a silencing look, then pulled Xu Qianli to another place. They quickly arrived in front of a painting that didn’t seem worth a second glance. "Master, don’t ask anything. Just pretend you like this painting very much and buy it. When I have time later, I’ll explain it to you."

After leaving that message, Xiao Wu quickly left and disappeared into the crowd.

Xu Qianli was utterly confused.

What was this all about?

No wonder he hadn’t found Xiao Wu and Xiao Mei earlier. They knew the Disguise Technique, and they’d used it pretty well; she really did look like a different person.

As for the painting, what was so special about it?

Landscape paintings—Xu Qianli understood a little about those.

As for oil paintings, he really wasn’t much of an expert.

But the painting before him was indeed well done.

Not that the craftsmanship was exceptional, but the subject of the painting was appealing. It depicted a woman, draped in sheer fabric, lying naked on a bed, her figure splayed in all its glory.

It wasn’t clear whether it was painted from a model or just imagined, but the woman in the painting indeed had a stunning figure and very fair skin. Except for the most crucial three parts covered by leaves, the rest was completely exposed, quite a sight for sore eyes.

As he observed, Xu Qianli noticed the introduction of the artist and the price near the edge of the painting.

The artist was named Helen, with no detailed introduction—probably just an obscure, lesser-known painter.

As for the price, it somewhat surprised Xu Qianli.

A million!

A painting by an unknown artist selling for a million? She had some nerve to price it like that!

Just randomly painting something and charging a million—why don’t you just rob someone?

But since Xiao Wu had told him to buy the painting, there must be a deeper reason behind it. Even if the painting cost a billion, he still had to buy it.

Making up his mind, Xu Qianli waved over a staff member and tossed them a card, "I’ll take this painting."

"Sir, are you joking?" The staff member asked in surprise, pointing to the painting, "This was painted by an unknown artist, and it can’t be said that the craftsmanship is that great. Spending so much money on it is really not worth it. Our gallery does honest business; we can’t deceive our customers. If you want to collect artwork, there are many similar works over there with high collection value, far exceeding this one."

The staff member, being an honest person, immediately offered his advice.

A woman wearing a mask and sunglasses also spoke up, "Exactly, this painting isn’t worth a million no matter how you look at it. Not to speak of a million, it’s actually not even worth ten thousand. You’ll suffer a loss buying it. Better buy something else; don’t go for this painting—it’s a bad deal."

Xu Qianli said, "I’m willing to. I just like this painting. Is that any of your business?"

The woman asked, "But what about this painting do you like? Is it the composition, the craftsmanship, or did you perceive some thought the artist wanted to express?"

"I’m not interested in the craftsmanship or anything else. I just purely like the woman’s body in the painting. It looks great, and I want to buy it to add some enjoyment at home. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Xu Qianli answered irritably. I’m just buying a painting, and I can afford it—why is this woman nagging so much?

Wait, who was this woman anyway? Why did she look somewhat familiar?

It couldn’t be, could it? Was it Xiao Mei in disguise?