He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

"I'm going there right now! I'm leaving right now!"

Upon hearing He Muqing's agreement, Yu Mobai was so excited he almost jumped out of his chair; the words practically spilled out.

Without waiting for He Muqing to exchange a few more pleasantries, he hung up the phone and turned to take down the painting "Solitary Angler on a Cold River" from the wall.

He brought over a ladder and climbed up it carefully, moving cautiously as if afraid of damaging the picture frame, even holding his breath.

After taking the painting down, he carefully disassembled the frame, removed the painting itself, and slowly unfolded it on the clean desk.

After carefully inspecting it again, confirming that the painting was intact, without creases or mold, and in the same condition as new, I was finally relieved.

Then, with extremely gentle movements, he rolled up the painting, making sure it was rolled neatly, as if afraid of damaging the paper if he rolled it too tightly.

He then gently tied it with a special painting rope, carefully stuffed it into the painting tube he carried with him, and screwed the lid on tightly before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

He turned around, picked up his car keys and wallet from the table, put his bank card in his pocket, and hurriedly walked out.

His wife heard the noise and poked her head out of the bedroom, asking, "Where are you rushing off to? Dinner's almost ready."

"I'm not eating anymore, I have something very important to take care of!"

Yu Mobai didn't even turn his head. He left a sentence and went out the door, slamming the door shut behind him. His footsteps were as fast as the wind.

Driving on the road, Yu Mobai had never been in such a hurry in his entire life.

He's getting on in years, and he's always driven carefully, never speeding, and even waits patiently at red lights. But today was different.

I pressed the accelerator harder than usual, and when I encountered a red light, those few dozen seconds of waiting felt like an eternity.

His mind was filled with the painting "Lotus and Fish Playing," the image from the photo on his phone swirling in his head.

The lifelike swimming fish, the gracefully swaying lotus leaves, the delicate and vibrant lotus flowers, and the dragonfly perched on the edge of the lotus leaf, seemingly about to take flight at any moment, all seemed to be swaying right before his eyes.

He had only one thought in his mind: hurry, hurry, for fear that if he was even a step late, something would go wrong and he would miss out on the painting.

After finally arriving at the entrance of Yulantang Gallery, he slammed on the brakes, pulled out the car keys, grabbed the two paint tubes from the passenger seat, locked the car, and practically ran into the gallery.

He Muqing had already informed the receptionist and was waiting for him there. Seeing him rush in like this, she couldn't help but smile and greet him.

"President Yu, you're really fast! I hung up the phone less than half an hour ago and you've already arrived. It seems you really couldn't wait a moment longer."

"Of course! Good things don't wait for anyone. If you're a step too late, someone else might snatch it away. I can't afford to delay."

Yu Mobai replied with a smile, but his eyes kept glancing into the gallery, his mind completely focused on the painting, and he had no intention of exchanging pleasantries.

He Muqing understood his thoughts and, without saying anything more, led him directly to the VIP room inside:

"President Yu, please come in. The painting is in the VIP room. Let me make you a cup of tea, and we can look at it at our leisure."

Upon entering the VIP room, He Muqing invited him to sit on the sofa and then went to the tea table next to her to make tea.

But Yu Mobai had no interest in drinking tea. The moment his bottom touched the sofa, he couldn't sit still any longer and immediately asked:

"Manager He, stop making tea, where's the painting? Let me see it first!"

Seeing his impatient look, He Muqing couldn't help but smile. She stopped insisting on making tea and turned to walk to the wall of the VIP room.

A framed painting was hanging on the wall; it was none other than the "Lotus and Fish Playing" painting that he had been longing for.

Yu Mobai almost immediately jumped up from the sofa and rushed to the painting, his eyes fixed on it, his steps halting.

Previously, he had only looked at a small photo on his phone, and after looking at it dozens of times, he was already amazed by it.

But now, standing in front of the real thing, he truly realized just how powerful the painting was; a photograph couldn't even capture a tenth of its essence.

The brushstrokes in the entire painting are fluent and unrestrained, without any unnecessary strokes. The composition is also well-balanced, with one stroke more or one stroke less making it feel empty.

The lotus leaves in front of me, some lying flat on the water, some held high, the ink varying in shades and the wetness and dryness perfectly captured the veins and curling posture of the lotus leaves, making them seem as if they were alive.

The lotus flowers peek out from among the layers of lotus leaves, their petals tinged with a faint red, so delicate they seem real, as if a gentle touch would cause them to drip water.

Under the lotus leaves, several carp swam in the water, each with a different posture, yet all were lifelike.

One was swimming forward with its tail swishing, the luster of its scales seemingly shining through; another suddenly turned around, flicking its tail, very agile.

There was another one floating slightly upwards, its mouth slightly open, as if it had noticed the movement on the surface of the water. Its vitality was so strong that it seemed as if it was about to swim out of the painting.

The water surface was lightly tinted with ink, yet it still managed to create layers of ripples, as if one could see the water flowing.

The faint mountain shadows in the distance and the few reeds dotting the foreground—with just a few simple strokes, the artistic conception of the whole painting is deepened, becoming more and more interesting the more you appreciate it.

But the most amazing thing is the tiny dragonfly on the edge of the lotus leaf.

It's so small that you can't even spot it at a glance unless you look closely.

But once you see it, you can't take your eyes off it.

The dragonfly is so small, yet the patterns on its wings are clearly visible, and its transparent texture is rendered with exquisite detail. Its slender body...

The way it perched on the lotus leaf was so light and graceful that you almost felt it would flap its wings and fly out of the painting if it just took a slightly louder breath.

Yu Mobai stood in front of the painting, leaning slightly forward, staring at it intently for a full five minutes without uttering a single word.

She felt as if she were nailed to the spot, even her breathing was extremely soft, for fear of disturbing the fish in the painting or blowing away the dragonfly that was perched there.

He Muqing stood quietly to the side, not saying a word. She had seen many collectors look at good paintings, but it was rare to see someone like Yu Mobai, who was so captivated by a single glance.

After a long while, Yu Mobai finally let out a long, deep breath, as if he wanted to expel all the shock in his heart.

He turned to look at He Muqing, his voice trembling slightly.

"Manager He, this painting... is so much better than the photograph, so much better!"