Almighty painter

Chapter 672: The Painting of Breaking Through the Realm (IV)

"You always seem very polite. It's a pity that if you didn't call and force Gu Wei to come, you would appear to be really very polite."

Koko's eyes fell on the middle-aged man and she hummed.

She heard the entire conversation between Chen Shenglin and Gu Weijing outside the door.

Boss Chen probably didn't take the little girl's slightly sarcastic words seriously.

He shook his head slightly.

"I have never liked your father. He is just an ordinary one among the countless bureaucrats I have seen who are ambitious but incompetent. He got to a high position because of luck, but his ability could not support his ambition, so he fell. He rose rapidly and fell suddenly. Isn't this the fate of a political speculator?"

"He wants to reach the pinnacle of power in one fell swoop. When he takes that step, he must have the courage and awareness to fall to the bottom. He deserves it."

"I never had any sympathy for Officer Dan, nor any reason to like him."

Chen Shenglin set his eyes on Koko.

"But that doesn't stop me from actually admiring you."

"He does things neatly and quickly. He goes after what he wants bravely and speaks out loudly about who he likes. He is never afraid of anyone and never feels inferior to anyone... He is awesome!"

"It really suits my taste."

Chen Shenglin smiled.

It was not a chuckle, but a loud, hearty laugh, as if he had seen something that made him extremely happy.

"like me."

He pointed at the photos of him riding a bus that the informant had taken on the table, and looked at the girl holding a cat beside him, "Since you found me with these photos, then in exchange, I'll show you some photos as well."

Chen Shenglin opened the drawer under the desk.

He took out a stack of photos stapled together with paper clips from a file box in the drawer and handed it to Gu Weijing.

Gu Weijing took the photo album.

He flipped through them one by one.

The contents of these photos are very diverse and the backgrounds of the photos are different.

There are photos of a girl sitting in the back seat of a Toyota SUV, blowing bubbles; there are photos of her running on the green path on campus; there are photos of her in a shopping mall, with a straw in her mouth and her head tilted to look at the counter; there are also photos of her wearing a dance costume, walking out of the practice room...

The protagonist in each photo——

All of them are Koko.

Gu Weijing's eyes looked a little ugly.

In the drawer of a gangster boss's desk, there was a stack of photos of a police officer's daughter.

The reason behind this is certainly not because Koko is cute.

The result of Dan Minming's hard work for so long was just two or three photos of Chen Shenglin in the Xihe Guild Hall.

Officer Kedan knew that his informant was using a telephoto lens and trying his best to take a picture of Chen Shenglin from a distance.

His own daughter had been completely exposed to other people's cameras almost every day for the past few months?
In school, on the street, in the mall, on the road...

Koko was happily holding a cup of milk tea and carrying dancing shoes, going home after dancing. In the crowd passing by her, there were pairs of cold eyes staring at her back, quietly pressing the shutter?
Something was quietly pointed at her, it could be a camera or a gun.

The finger that can press the shutter button can of course also easily pull the trigger.

Gu Weijing turned to the last page of photos.

This is a photo taken from a high altitude looking down.

In the crab-colored sunset, Koko in the photo is facing away from the sun, frowning, and throwing the tennis ball in her hand high up.

Gu Weijing took a step back and took a deep breath.

turn out to be--

It was no coincidence that he met Chen Shenglin in an international school.

Chen Shenglin didn't go there for Gu Weijing at all.

But it's for Koko.

"I said, either cooperate with me or your family will be destroyed. No one is impeccable. I can always find a suitable way to bid."

Chen Shenglin looked at the girl with a smile.

"Have you ever thought about what offer I made to Officer Dan that he couldn't refuse?"

Koko frowned and looked back at the other person quietly, like an irritated kitten.

Gu Weijing sighed softly.

Hao has already prepared an irresistible price for Officer Dan, who is planning to investigate him.

The bargaining chip he was going to put on the table was not money, nor was it any black material on the police inspector - it was the other party's daughter, Koko.

Chen Shenglin always smiled at them and always looked elegant and easy-going. He was so easy-going that if they didn't remind themselves repeatedly in their hearts, they would always forget that he was a gangster.

The way the underworld quotes their money certainly doesn't always involve writing checks with a string of zeros.

Or.

They rarely use money to bribe others, they often use more violent, darker, and bloodier bidding methods.

Since Brother Hao was able to kidnap Gu Lin to threaten Gu Weijing.

Then in order to force Dan Minming to be obedient, he could naturally kidnap the other party's daughter, or... do something worse.

"I can sell anything except my daughter." - Gu Weijing remembered that night again, when Koko's father raised his glass to him with red eyes and begged.

Yes.

From the very beginning, Chen Shenglin easily found the most vicious, fiercest, and most direct bidding method.

If he could control Koko, he would be strangling the lifeblood of the police inspector.

Officer Yidan cares about Koko.

How dare he continue to disobey, and how dare he continue to deal with Brother Hao?
This transnational joint investigation case against him ended long ago as Chen Shenglin cut off the source of the problem.

however.

For some reason, Chen Shenglin didn't do that.

"You would not have returned home safely that day. My original plan was to teach your father a lesson through you. But when I saw Miss Koko loudly say, Gu Weijing, I like you, and then turned away without mercy, I suddenly changed my mind."

Chen Shenglin seemed to be reminiscing.

He said absentmindedly.

"That's great. Who is Sakai Katsuko? If I like someone, do I need your consent? And who are you, Gu Weijing? If I like you, do I need your consent as well?"

"I love this energy in you. Whether I am facing people standing in the mud or people living in the palace, I am still myself. Who I want to love or who I want to hate is my own business."

"I hate your dad. But I admire you, your courage, and your pride. At that moment, I felt like I saw my former self, and I..."

Chen Shenglin coughed lightly.

"I haven't felt this young in a long, long time. A brave and proud little girl always moves people."

"So I gave the order to withdraw all the personnel and then turned around and left."

That evening.

As Chen Shenglin turned to leave the tennis court fence, he told Mrs. Sakai, "It's my fault for interrupting such a scene. There's nothing more important that should disturb the golden moments of young people."

The blonde aunt thought he was talking about her daughter and Gu Weijing.

The object of Chen Shenglin's emotion was actually mainly Koko.

"It's not like I only have one way to make your father fail. Attacking you is just the simplest one."

Chen Shenglin chuckled.

"If he wants to investigate me, then go ahead. If he wants to step on me to get to the throne of power, then go ahead. There are so many people who want to climb to the top by stepping on my corpse. When I was born, I had nothing, but when I was forty, I became the owner of this club worth $2 million."

"Many people have misunderstood one thing. I am not just a tool for others to launder money. I have always been the most ferocious beast in this power duel and the smartest player in the money game. How can those who have come to this point by relying on family background and good luck win against me? Do they rely on Buddha's blessing?"

Chen Shenglin looked at the Buddha statue in front of him.

From the moment you walk in.

He always showed his gentle side in front of Gu Weijing and Koko.

Even when he mentioned causing others to have their families broken up, there was only a moment of power that was inadvertently revealed, as if the wind had blown away a corner of his veil, and his overall tone was still elegant and calm.

He reads scriptures, he chants Buddha's name, and he burns incense.

He never tires of explaining things to the children.

He is as "good" as a devout monk in a temple.

But this moment.

The look in Chen Shenglin's eyes when he looked at the Buddha statue made Gu Weijing shudder... Even though it was only a side profile, Gu Weijing believed that what he saw at that moment was definitely not the look a devout monk should have.

That was more than just the look a devout monk should have.

Chen Shenglin looked like a ghost crawling out of hell.

He stared directly at the golden body of the Buddha, with contempt, provocation, and disdainful indifference in his eyes.

It was as if he was the god, and the one on the shrine was just a mortal puppet.

"With the blessing of Buddha?"

When he said this, the middle-aged entrepreneur who had a Thai Buddhist scripture at hand and burned two incense sticks whenever he had nothing to do disappeared. The person standing in front of Gu Weijing was the owner of Xihe Club. Between his eyebrows, there was a kind of frivolousness of wantonly controlling the life and death of others.

The sturdy man standing by the wall with his hands hanging down lowered his head even more.

Gu Weijing knows.

Why is Baldy afraid of Brother Hao?

The other person had tattoos and painted arms, and was licking his lips. He stared at Koko with obscene eyes and said harsh words.

But Brother Hao only needed a look to overwhelm all the other party's efforts to make himself look ferocious.

Maybe bald people are really vicious.

But the difference between him and this middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses is simply the difference between "ugly appearance" and "possessed by an evil spirit".

"I am the most ferocious beast in this power duel arena." - Brother Hao said this and then proved it... with just a look.

Chen Shenglin stared at the Buddha statue for three full seconds.

then.

Slowly, the disdain and contempt in his expression gradually subsided. It was like a waterfall pouring down and flowing back into the spring. "Even if we don't play the underworld's tricks, playing the political game will only be a little more troublesome."

He lowered his head, clasped his hands together, and spoke softly.

"I do not care."

When he raised his head again, Chen Shenglin's eyes were filled with a faint smile again.

"So, Koko, you came to me today with the things in this file bag. I didn't scare you or threaten you. I just told you the truth, and the truth is--"

"I do not care."

Boss Chen shrugged and looked at his men standing in the corner.

"He was right in one thing. When your father was still in office, he had these materials in his hands, and he played political games with me. He never played me. He is just a small traffic policeman now. How much use can these materials have?"

"Of course you can send these things to the media, but which media dares to publish them? Well, even if some media do publish them, how much significance will it have in the current situation?"

"I'm going to be a member of parliament soon. I can totally say that it was my competitors who threw mud at me. What's the use of those transfer records? Just check them slowly. Photos? What's a blurry photo? The court will use it as evidence. Don't take it for granted. Even if I admit that it was me in the car, as an entrepreneur, it's normal for me to go to a well-known local lunch club, right? As for the witness testimonies..."

"I say the same thing. Koko, you have to understand. It didn't work when your father was still in office. Now... do you think those people who appeared in the court are here to accuse me of being Brother Hao? Or are they here to change their testimony and accuse your father of fabricating testimony?"

Chen Shenglin's gaze fell on Koko's face.

His voice was gentle and low, as if a caring uncle was talking to his niece.

"If you really want to, you can try to send them all out. I won't lie to you. The materials in your hands are completely waste paper. After all, I have always been a low-key person. It is not a good thing for the public media to link the names of Chen Shenglin and Haoge together."

"It helps, but only a little bit."

"It's a bit troublesome for me--"

The man smiled.

"But I don't care."

Koko held Awang in her arms, raised her chin, and stared at Chen Shenglin closely.

The reason she stared at Chen Shenglin was not because she didn't believe what he said was true.

No.

She believed that every word Chen Shenglin said was true.

Koko was only threatening verbally when she said that she would make Chen Shenglin all over the news and ruin his reputation.

She is a smart girl.

Although a smart girl has never opened a file bag, she knows very well that the things in the file bag cannot be a magic sword that can cut off the other person's head once it is pulled out.

If there is such a thing in the world.

Her father had long ago drawn his imperial sword and became a respected anti-gang hero. Could she still be forced to cry in the study, reciting something like "After this life, I will enter the city of Nirvana", and prepare to pull out a pistol and shoot herself in the head?

Since his father drew a pistol instead of a sword.

Well, that just means one thing.

The Imperial Sword never existed, and the contents of the bag were at most equivalent to a piece of chewed gum.

The meaning of my father giving her the documents and asking her to take them out when necessary was never to mean that I have a sword in my hand and will chop the other party if he doesn't obey.

But saying——

We are a piece of chewing gum. Please, please don't step on it. Your leather shoes are so valuable and beautiful. Please don't step on them. It's not worth it if they are damaged.

Koko actually knew it in her heart.

She came without even frowning.

Will it be useful if I come?

Koko didn't realize that this was all she could do.

Because if there is anyone in this world who can help him, it is himself.

So she's coming.

If Chen Shenglin told her gently like he was doing now, the things in the file bag were of some use, but he didn't care.

So what do we do now?
Koko doesn’t know.

So Koko raised her head and stared at Chen Shenglin with burning eyes.

Because apart from this look, she didn't know what else she could do.

She didn't want to bow her head.

Lowering her head represents her powerlessness towards life.

Late at night in that homestay, when she hugged Gu Weijing and cried, she had already experienced a time when she felt helpless about life.

She didn't want to look this vulnerable a second time.

There is a person who is willing to stand under the scorching sun week after week just to pray to the Buddha for strength, peace and happiness.

and so.

Even if life was going to crush them like a tsunami, she would stand beside him, not crying or making a fuss, but staring at the tsunami firmly.

But if you are unwilling to lower your head and stare at the other person with a stubborn face, what’s the point?

Koko still doesn’t know.

Koko really hated this feeling, and she also hated Chen Shenglin's calm, gentle expression. It even made Koko feel more discouraged than the cold and vicious look in the bald man's eyes when he stared at her just now.

Life is not a TV show.

In TV dramas, justice always triumphs over evil, and good guys can always escape from the hands of bad guys.

As long as they tried their best, as long as they were aware enough, as long as they did everything they could.

Then.

The plane will land in the final scene, the bomb will stop at the last second, and the big bad guy will be knocked down with one last punch from the righteous side.

When the BGM sounds, no matter how desperate the situation is, or how unlikely the miracle is, there will be a turning point to a bright future.

There is a magic brush Ma Liang in the dark.

At the last moment when the protagonist is at the end of his rope, it will draw a ladder on the edge of the cliff and a small boat in the waves. Even if the world is destroyed, it will draw them two wings that can fly to heaven.

Leaving behind a painting that breaks through the boundaries.

And life is like this, even if you try really hard, even if you are proud and brave, even if you have done everything you can think of.

But life is just calm, looking at you gently, telling you with its eyes——

"Hey, I don't care."

Gu Weijing took a step forward and stood in front of Koko.

Chen Shenglin looked at Gu Weijing with a smile.

"Mr. Gu, the content of our transaction remains the same. You can live in Xihe Hall for the next few days. I am waiting for you to draw a picture for me."

Gu Weijing didn’t say it was good, nor did he say it was bad.

He just stared into Chen Shenglin's eyes calmly.

Gu Weijing seemed to be trying to find out which one of the Chen Shenglin in front of him and the Hao brother who just showed his heroic nature for a moment was closer to the real other person. He also seemed to want to see through the pair of equally calm eyes opposite him -

"Whether it's Chen Shenglin or Brother Hao...Sir, what do you care about?"
-
"Time: 2023.6.27 midnight"

"Time remaining until departure of flight to Singapore: +93 hours, 29 minutes and 16 seconds"

Xihe Guild Hall is quiet and deserted at night.

Gu Weijing was holding a sketchpad and walking in the huge hall that seemed to have no end, his eyes fixed on the original wall.

When Brother Hao bought the club, he spent a full 10 million US dollars, which was enough to buy the most luxurious building in Beverly Hills. It was equivalent to % of Yangon’s GDP that year.

It was only when Gu Weijing was strolling in the guild hall that he realized how huge it was.

The various roads, buildings, rockery and pavilions inside seem like a small walled world cut out along the river in the city of Yangon.

Except for the shuttle bus.

The club even has a helipad and space for small aircraft.

Chen Shenglin did not strictly restrict his freedom in life, and even assigned a personal butler to meet all his needs in life.

From wanting a sketchpad to wanting to take a plane and fly around Yangon to see the night view and the sea.

It’s okay.

However, the latter requires advance reservation.

It’s not that Chen Shenglin was worried about the fuel money for the plane, or that he was worried that Gu Weijing would escape on the plane.

But the situation is tense now, and the plane needs to make corresponding coordination with the Air Force in advance before taking off. He is worried that he will be chased and shot down by the MiG-29 or the air defense missiles deployed in the surrounding areas.

Gu Weijing did not make any excessive demands.

He simply asked his personal butler for a sketchpad and then sent him away. The butler left obediently, and it seemed that he had no intention of monitoring him at all.

It actually doesn’t matter whether the guild hall has walls or whether there are people following and monitoring it.

Just like the taxi driver who stopped his car briefly in front of the guild hall and then ran away as if escaping - the invisible wall may not exist, but the tangible boundary lies in everyone's heart.

Unless permission is given.

He couldn't leave.

Even if the plane could take off and fly towards the sea, it would fly very far, very far, far enough that it could see the brightly lit city border of Singapore.

But when it falls, it will still fall into the Xihe Guild Hall.

Just like domestic pigeons seem to be able to fly in the sky like other birds, but that is just an illusion of "freedom".

It will eventually fall back into its original cage.

Gu Weijing knew this.

Chen Shenglin also knew it.

Koko didn't go home either. She held the cat and walked beside Gu Weijing, with a distance between them.

The light from the moon and street lamps made their shadows very long.

Then they intertwine and overlap with each other.

(End of this chapter)