Truly Dedicated to Art (Lily ABO) - Chapter 2

Xie Yixuan lowered her gaze to the woman resting on her shoulder. She reached out and lifted Yu Shuinao’s face with gentle strength, yet the action itself carried the undeniable authority of someone in power.

The two pairs of eyes met at this intimate distance.

Yu Shuinao’s lashes trembled slightly.

The clouds parted a little, and the moonlight became clear and bright, like slowly flowing clear water—pure and soft. The brows and eyes of the person before her were veiled in a hazy moonlight, resembling a meticulous ink painting.

The surroundings were so quiet that, apart from the sound of the wind brushing through the grass, Yu Shuinao could only hear Xie Yixuan’s light and steady breathing.

“What do you want?” She finally heard the person in front of her speak. The voice was the same cold and clear tone as before, yet it seemed to carry a trace of some other, hard-to-pinpoint emotion.

“I want to act,” Yu Shuinao blurted out.

Xie Yixuan’s brow twitched slightly. Her deep, dark eyes seemed to pierce straight through Yu Shuinao.

“You’re drunk.”

Was this… a rejection?

This was the first time she had made such a request to a stranger. Yu Shuinao didn’t know how to respond to this gentle refusal. Words seemed stuck in her throat. A faint sense of helplessness and confusion passed through her wet, glistening eyes and reached Xie Yixuan.

The fingertips Xie Yixuan had placed on the side of Yu Shuinao’s face were warm. They gently brushed the corner of her eye, paused for a moment, then withdrew.

“You’re drunk,” she repeated softly.

“I’m not drunk, I…”

“I’ll have someone send you back.” Xie Yixuan interrupted her without allowing any argument.

…

Perhaps she really was drunk. Yu Shuinao, feeling dizzy, actually obeyed the woman in front of her. She obediently got into the car Xie Yixuan had arranged, obediently told the driver her address, and nearly tripped over herself when she reached her doorstep.

She let herself collapse onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling with her mind completely blank. She recalled the two “You’re drunk” spoken in different tones, the deep and profound eyes bathed in moonlight, and the warm fingertips that had brushed her eye corner.

Yu Shuinao placed her hand on her forehead and let out a self-mocking laugh.

She had finally set aside her so-called precious pride, only to be rejected.

How embarrassing.

After a long while, she finally remembered to message Meng Zhao to let her know she was safe. She fished out her phone only to find it had run out of battery and shut down. She fumbled around until she found the charger and plugged it in.

As soon as it turned on, she saw more than a dozen missed calls and a pile of unread messages—all the missed calls were from Meng Zhao.

Yu Shuinao quickly called her back.

“Hello…”

“Sis! Where the hell are you?! You’re really my sister! Where are you?!”

“I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. I went home first.”

“You scared me to death, fuck. I was starting to suspect you’d been tricked away by some old pervert. If that really happened, how could I ever face Aunt Song again?” The “Aunt Song” Meng Zhao mentioned was Yu Shuinao’s Omega mother.

“I’m sorry, Zhaozhao… I drank too much afterward and forgot…” Hearing Meng Zhao’s concern made her heart feel warm yet aching.

“Alright, alright. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. Oh, by the way, did you know? I saw that President Xie I mentioned to you later on.”

Yu Shuinao’s heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to suppress her guilt and kept her tone normal. “What about her?”

“It was my first time seeing her in person! She’s way too beautiful, and her presence is incredible—she’s literally dream-lover level.” Meng Zhao grew more excited as she spoke. “Although she looks hard to get along with, the number of capital socialites who want to marry her could line up from the financial district all the way to the back alleys.”

“Is that so…” Yu Shuinao’s mind drifted.

Meng Zhao seemed to notice her distraction. “You’ve had too much to drink, so I won’t keep bothering you. I’ll order you some hangover soup. Drink it and get some sleep early so you don’t wake up with a headache tomorrow. We can talk about everything else later. There’s always a way, right?”

“Okay.”

…

Yu Shuinao was woken up by a phone call. Still groggy, she fumbled for her phone, her brain still in a foggy state.

“Hello?” Her voice carried a hint of morning grumpiness.

“Hello, is this Miss Yu? I’m Lin Xu, President Xie’s personal assistant. President Xie asked me to convey some information regarding your appeal. Are you free today?” The tone was gentle yet formal, and the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

President Xie. Appeal.

The two words together instantly reminded Yu Shuinao of her “appeal” from last night, and she instantly sobered up.

Appeal—what a dignified way to put it.

So last night wasn’t a rejection after all.

“I’m free.”

“Great. At two o’clock this afternoon, the same car that sent you home last night will be waiting downstairs for you.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, she resigned herself to getting out of bed, washing up, and eating a simple sandwich to fill her stomach. As the appointed time approached, she put on light everyday makeup and went downstairs.

The black sedan was already parked downstairs as promised. Yu Shuinao got in and noticed that the driver was a friendly-looking middle-aged woman. When the driver saw Yu Shuinao looking at her, she smiled kindly but only gave a few instructions and didn’t say much else.

When she entered the appointed tearoom, Yu Shuinao spotted the woman in professional attire at a glance.

Lin Xu also noticed Yu Shuinao immediately.

Even though she had worked beside Xie Yixuan for so long and seen countless beauties, and had already seen Yu Shuinao’s photos, Lin Xu still couldn’t help but inwardly marvel the moment she laid eyes on her.

So beautiful.

Yu Shuinao was wearing a cream-white knitted bodycon dress. Her raven-feather-like long hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her brows were like crescent moons. Her eyes weren’t the traditional round almond shape but slightly longer, with tails that tilted upward, giving her gaze a lively yet seductive charm. The corners of her eyes were sharp, and her double eyelids were exquisitely shaped—extending outward from the inner corners in a beautifully smooth fan-like curve. Her nose was delicate and straight. Equally stunning and uniquely charming were her lips—perfect petal-shaped lips with a pronounced cupid’s bow on the upper lip. The lower lip was slightly fuller than the upper, with a subtly protruding lip bead that made them look especially plump and tempting.

Lin Xu maintained her calm, professional expression on the surface. She smiled and handed over the menu. “Miss Yu, what would you like to drink?”

Yu Shuinao shook her head. “Just plain water is fine.”

“Alright. Miss Yu, this is the proposal President Xie has drawn up regarding your appeal. Please take a look and let me know if anything needs to be changed. I will convey your thoughts to President Xie.” Lin Xu pushed a document toward her.

Yu Shuinao took the document. The further she read, the more a faint sour feeling welled up inside her.

It was an extremely standard and generously compensated golden canary contract.

She lowered her eyes, staring blankly.

If her mothers found out that their precious daughter was going to become someone else’s mistress and sell her body for favors, they would be heartbroken, wouldn’t they?

Lin Xu didn’t rush her. She waited quietly for her reply. The wait grew so long that Lin Xu couldn’t help but discreetly glance at her watch. Finally, she heard:

“I have no objections.”