Chapter 98 New Work

"Cousin, did she accept your apology?" His cousin, who was about to go back to her room to rest, saw Ning Xiaoruan standing in the hallway and asked curiously.

Ning Xiaoruan blankly replied, "I don't know."

Seeing the bank card in his hand, his cousin's expression was a little strange: "You're not planning to give her the card as an apology gift, are you?"

"No, I asked her what she liked, and I'll buy it for her."

His cousin's lips twitched; she was speechless. Who asks so directly? "And what did she say?"

"She said she likes my sister. My sister is you, isn't she? How could I dare to use money to buy you? That's practically asking for the moon! I..."

"Wait!" His cousin raised her hand, signaling Ning to stop talking. "Say it exactly what she said."

Ning Xiaoruan blinked. What was wrong with his cousin's face? Was it twitching? But he still repeated Xu Jiaojiao's exact words: "Likes your sister."

"Pfft, hahahahaha..." His cousin completely forgot about being a lady, clutching her stomach and pounding the wall, laughing uncontrollably.

"What's going on?" The Ning couple hadn't even come upstairs when they heard their cousin's uncontrollable laughter, and she was still laughing when they arrived.

"I don't know what's wrong with her either," Ning Xiaoruan shrugged.

The cousin clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she was almost choking. She said, "My cousin just went to apologize to Xu Jiaojiao, asking her what she liked so he could buy it. Then she replied, 'Like your sister!' Haha, this guy thought she really liked his sister, and even told me he couldn't afford it! I can't take it anymore, I need to go laugh some more!" The cousin laughed all the way into her bedroom.

The Ning couple's lips twitched too. This must be a fake son!

"We should never have let you study abroad; it's made you stupid," Ning's father said, heartbroken.

"Stupid? I graduated smoothly, while some of my classmates haven't even graduated yet!" Ning Xiaoruan retorted.

“You haven’t learned any of the foreigners’ cunning, only their thick skin. How are you going to take over your father’s business? If we’re gone, won’t you be eaten alive by those old guys?” The more she talked, the angrier she became. Seeing that her son still hadn’t grasped the situation, Mrs. Ning pulled her husband back to their room.

Ning Xiaoruan watched his parents enter the room in a daze, overhearing their conversation before the door closed.

“Wife, how about we have another one?”

“After we get back, we’ll both go to the hospital for a checkup.”

What happened? Ning Xiaoruan ran upstairs to ask his cousin, whom he always thought was the wisest.

After hearing Ning Xiaoruan’s explanation, Shen Zhining silently looked at him.

What’s wrong? Ning Xiaoruan felt uneasy under his gaze; his cousin’s expression seemed to suggest he was still hopeless.

“Cousin, what are you thinking about?” Ning Xiaoruan asked nervously.

“I’m thinking about the feasibility of giving you a brain transplant.”

“…” Ning Xiaoruan felt a knife to his heart.

"You don't need to write your report anymore."

"Really?" Ning Xiaoruan's eyes lit up. Was her cousin having a change of heart and going to treat him better?

Shen Zhining got up and walked outside. "Follow me."

"Okay." Ning Xiaoruan quickly followed. "Knock knock knock.

"

Hearing the knocking again, Sheng Jiaoyang scratched her hair in annoyance. Suppressing her anger, she went to open the door.

"What is it now..." Seeing Shen Zhining standing at the door, Sheng Jiaoyang shut her mouth.

"He'll be with you from now on." Shen Zhining turned slightly, revealing Ning Xiaoruan following behind.

"What?" Sheng Jiaoyang thought she had misheard.

"He'll be your assistant for a year, at your beck and call."

Ning Xiaoruan was stunned. "Cousin?"

"Can I refuse?" Sheng Jiaoyang blinked, trying to use her cuteness to make Shen Zhining take back such a frightening statement.

"No, fine." Shen Zhining coldly uttered two words.

Feeling inexplicably rejected, Ning Xiaoruan exploded: "Xu Jiaojiao, are you kidding me? It's such a waste of my talent to have a top student like me as your assistant, and you still don't want me?!"

"What can a top student like you do? Just boss me around?" Sheng Jiaoyang said arrogantly, raising his chin.

Ning Xiaoruan was practically going crazy! She grimaced.

Shen Zhining ignored Ning Xiaoruan's expression, glanced at the card in his hand, and said, "If you can't do it, don't even think about unfreezing it. I believe your parents will approve of my decision."

With that, Shen Zhining turned and went upstairs.

Feeling abandoned, Ning Xiaoruan looked sadly at Sheng Jiaoyang, who had his arms crossed, and said, "It's all because of what you said."

"What did I say?" Sheng Jiaoyang raised an eyebrow.

"You said you like my sister, and everyone doesn't think you're strange, but they're acting weird towards me. Yunqian kept laughing when she heard it, my parents said they want to have a second child, and my cousin asked me to be your assistant. What kind of magic does your words have?" Ning Xiaoruan said aggrievedly.

Sheng Jiaoyang chuckled. Ning Erhuo was indeed Ning Erhuo, his silliness was extraordinary!

"What are you laughing at again?" Ning Xiaoruan asked, utterly puzzled.

Sheng Jiaoyang's smile didn't fade. He waved his hand dismissively, like swatting away a mosquito, and said, "Go to sleep. I'll have someone teach you a lesson someday, and you'll understand."

Without waiting for Ning Xiaoruan's reply, Sheng Jiaoyang closed the door.

Because of Ning Xiaoruan's antics, Sheng Jiaoyang's mood improved considerably. She finished the previous painting and then started a completely different one.

Both oil paintings were related to the sea. The first, painted with a lavish style and vibrant colors, depicted a scene brimming with hidden danger and a strong sense of narrative. A ship drifted on the sea, a handsome prince stood on the deck, and in the distance, a beautiful face quietly emerged from the water. She had long, seaweed-like hair, and a small section of silver fishtail protruded from the water behind her—a truly fairytale scene, if one ignored the dark fishing nets extending beneath the ship.

The second painting was entirely different. Against a deep blue background, undulating seaweed trapped a girl. Her eyes were half-closed, with only a few bubbles escaping from her mouth. This should have been particularly oppressive, but looking diagonally to the upper right, an indistinct, fish-like figure swimming towards her appeared like a ray of dawn cleaving through the dark seabed, bringing hope for life.

The former, with its increasingly chilling dark style, exudes a terrifyingly negative emotion beneath its glamorous surface, while the latter, imbued with vitality and hope, conveys an optimistic outlook and a belief that even in dire straits, one can overcome adversity.

Sheng Jiaoyang stood before the two paintings, quietly observing them for a while. She then took a picture of the second painting with her phone and sent it to Gu Zhou. As for the first painting, she didn't intend to give it away; she wanted to keep it as a warning to herself, reminding herself never to be complacent, even if the other party used her charm.

Her message to Gu Zhou consisted of only two words, "Want it?", along with a photo. She received a reply shortly after, Gu Zhou's response even shorter: just one word, "Yes."

Therefore, the next day, Sheng Jiaoyang called Philip to help frame the second painting and pack it up to be delivered to a place specified by Gu Zhou.