Don’t Ignite It chapter 15

Rejection

The next day, Xia Yu returned to his villa with Xu Zhan.

A few days later, Lu Zhao called him again, asking if he had any free time, but Xia Yu refused.

“I’ve been quite busy lately,” Xia Yu said casually, while he stared at the arrangement of artworks in the gallery. “I have gallery-related matters to attend to, so I can’t make it. Please don’t look for me in the coming few days.”

His gallery was currently hosting an exhibition, and he was busy every day, receiving guests, mingling with people, and introducing his exhibits with a smile. By the end of the day, his face would ache.

He paused for a moment and joked, “If you’re feeling lonely, you can find someone else. I don’t mind, really.”

But Lu Zhao remained silent.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and Xia Yu could hear his breathing.

However, in the end, Lu Zhao only said, “I understand. I’ll wait for you.”

After hanging up the phone, Xia Yu stared at the framed painting in front of him for a while.

He was currently hosting a joint exhibition featuring two artists he had been collaborating with for a long time: Chu Ziyi and Jiang Ti.

The exhibition was very successful. To complement Chu Ziyi’s expertise in floral watercolors, they had deliberately selected floral themes from their artworks, transforming the gallery into a tranquil garden. The soft, dim lighting cast shadows of people and flowers, blending them into one.

As for Jiang Ti, it was hard to pinpoint his specialty. His style was as unpredictable as he was.

However, there was a small section in the corner of the exhibition that was partitioned off and not open to the public. Only those who happened to walk in and take a detour could see it. Inside, there was only one painting hung on the wall.

The painting featured deep shades of blue, with varying intensities interweaving like raging waves converging into an endless sea.

This painting was created by Xia Yu himself.

It was the only time he had painted, after Lu Zhao had taken time off to accompany him on a trip abroad.

Once, he had intended to propose to Lu Zhao with this painting.

Now, he had displayed this cherished artwork to see if anyone would buy it.

Perhaps, Xia Yu thought as he looked at the painting, making Lu Zhao his lover was a way to release his pent-up frustration.

He had already won Lu Zhao over, putting an end to the hopeless crush from three years ago.

Maybe it was time to let Lu Zhao go and also give himself some peace.

For the next half month, Xia Yu continued to reject Lu Zhao’s requests to meet, making it clear that he was being deliberately distant.

Lu Zhao couldn’t fail to notice, but his patience had grown exponentially compared to before. Even though Xia Yu’s tone was filled with weariness and even annoyance, he didn’t mind. He would just tell Xia Yu that they could meet next time.

Xia Yu was at a loss.

Fortunately, a few days later, Lu Zhao had to go on a business trip and became too busy to bother him, which relieved Xia Yu.

Time flew by, and nearly half a month had passed.

Xia Yu’s exhibition was successfully concluded, but none of his paintings sold. To be precise, no one had discovered the hidden painting behind the partition.

For some reason, Xia Yu felt a tinge of regret mixed with relief.

On the day the exhibition ended, Xia Yu, along with the gallery staff and the two exhibiting artists, went to a bar to celebrate.

Chu Ziyi was a girl, and Jiang Ti was a young man. Both of them were relatively young in the art world. Xia Yu had discovered Chu Ziyi in school and had taken her under his wing. As for Jiang Ti, he was introduced by Xia Yu’s brother, so he was familiar with both of them.

Despite being a year older than Xia Yu’s brother, Jiang Ti was not particularly mature in character, and he looked quite young, even dressing in a hoodie, which could easily make him pass for a college student.

Seeing Xia Yu smoking, Jiang Ti took the cigarette from him and extinguished it casually.

Xia Yu was displeased. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Ti gave him a sideways glance. “Smoke less; too much will shorten your life.”

Xia Yu rolled his eyes.

He really couldn’t stand it. Why did all of his brother’s friends have the same attitude, always itching to lecture him?

Even Lu Zhao, back in the day, had called himself a sex buddy but still cared about small things like whether he was blow-drying his hair.

Chu Ziyi, on the other hand, smiled inexplicably, tousling her wavy hair. She laughed without reason, and Xia Yu ignored her, continuing his phone call.

Jiang Ti then asked curiously, “Who are you calling?”

“Xu Zhan,” Xia Yu replied without looking up. “Just asking if he can make it.”

Jiang Ti sneered, “Your husband probably doesn’t like these kinds of occasions, right?”

Xia Yu said, “It’s fine; he’s just introverted. But if I invite him, he usually agrees.”

A few seconds after making the call, Xu Zhan picked up. After understanding Xia Yu’s intention, he hesitated for a moment but agreed.

“But I can only stay for a while. I have another appointment later.”

Xia Yu smiled knowingly. “That’s fine, that’s fine. No problem.”

Chu Ziyi, who was nearby, clapped her hands. “Great! I want to meet Professor Xu too; he’s my type.”

Jiang Ti sneered, “You have too many ‘types’?”

Chu Ziyi didn’t mind and said to Xia Yu, “Boss Xia, you’re also my type.”

Xia Yu laughed at her. “You’re too much. Why are you interested in a married couple?.”

However, Xia Yu couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Ti. Sure enough, Jiang Ti seemed distracted and wasn’t engaging in their conversation.

Xia Yu silently chuckled to himself.

Jiang Ti had hung out with him and Xu Zhan several times, but Xia Yu had noticed that whenever Xu Zhan was mentioned, Jiang Ti would appear uncomfortable.

This made him suspect whether Jiang Ti might have feelings for Xu Zhan.

However, he had no evidence to support this suspicion.

Jiang Ti didn’t exhibit any particular behavior, and he rarely interacted with Xu Zhan. Xia Yu had almost forgotten about this matter.

But after witnessing Jiang Ti’s recent behavior, it had resurfaced in his mind.

It couldn’t be true, could it? Xia Yu wondered to himself.