Su Hua's heart was a tumultuous mix of emotions, unsure of how to respond.

She slowly turned her head to look at Gu Beixian.

He rarely smiled, but when he did, it was truly captivating, as if a gentle spring breeze caressed for miles, his eyes black and clear, twinkling like stars and the vast sea.

He must be overjoyed, about to be with his beloved.

Su Hua also smiled, the kind of smile that comes after a heart has been shattered.

"I wish you happiness too," she said, then turned to get into the car.

As soon as the car door closed, tears streamed down her face, new wounds on top of old pains, so intense she just wanted to curl up.

The driver lifted the suitcase into the trunk, got into the car, and started the engine.

Watching the car speed away, the smile on Gu Beixian's lips stiffened, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

***

Returning to the Su residence.

Su Hua dragged her suitcase inside.

Su Peilan saw her swollen eyes and the suitcase in her hand, and was shocked, "My girl, what happened to you?"

Su Hua bent down to change her shoes, feigning calm, "Mom, I'm moving back in."

Su Peilan sprang up from the sofa, "Are you and Gu Beixian separating?"

"Yes, his ex-girlfriend has returned."

Upon hearing this, Su Peilan exploded with anger,

"Three years ago, when Gu Beixian had a car accident and the doctors said he'd be wheelchair-bound for life, that ex-girlfriend of his abandoned him!

It was you who accompanied him, seeking medical advice at home and abroad, massaging his legs, helping with his rehabilitation, caring for him day and night like a nanny!

Goodness, now that he can walk and jump, she comes back, shameless!

And Gu Beixian, for such a heartless woman, he actually cast you aside!

Is he blind?"

Su Hua bent down to take a check from her suitcase and handed it to her mother, "This is his compensation."

Su Peilan stared at the string of zeros on the check, her eyes widening.

Counting them, there were a full eight zeros!

Her expression softened slightly, "It's not about the money, can he just bully people because he has money?"

Su Hua lowered her eyelids and spoke softly, "How many couples divorce, and the man doesn't give a penny, even scheming against the woman. Some men, to avoid splitting assets, even kill their wives. Compared to that, Gu Beixian is decent."

"But can you really swallow this insult?"

Su Hua gave a bitter smile, "What else can I do, cry, make a scene, threaten to hang myself? Would that be of any use? It's useless. His heart isn't with me, there's no point in forcing him to stay, and I can't make him. Mom, I'm tired, I want to sleep for a bit."

"Go ahead," Su Peilan said, looking at her daughter with heartache, sighing.

This child was too easy-going, so much so that it was heart-wrenching.

Su Hua turned and went to the bedroom.

She slept for two days and nights.

Su Peilan was so scared that she would occasionally come in to check her breathing.

In fact, Su Hua wasn't really asleep; she just didn't want to move, didn't feel hungry, her body was sore and weak, her heart as if missing a large piece.

It felt as if the sky had fallen, unbearable.

***

On the third day, Su Hua struggled to get up.

After washing up, she called Gu Beixian, "Is the divorce agreement ready? When shall we go through the procedures?"

Gu Beixian was silent for a moment, "I'm on a business trip, let's talk when I get back."

"Okay, I'm off to work, call me in advance when you want to go."

"You found a job so quickly? Where?" he asked with concern.

"At an antique shop, they've been calling me for a while to come over."

"Don't push yourself too hard, let me know if you're short on money," he said, his voice low and gentle, as if laced with moonlight, tempting one to cling to it.

Su Hua felt a pang in her heart and distantly replied, "I'm not short, thank you."

After breakfast, Su Hua took a taxi to the Ancient Treasure Studio antique shop.

She was received by the shop's young manager, Shen Huai.

Dressed in a light blue shirt and khaki pants, he was tall and slender, with a clean and gentle demeanor, as if carved from jade.

After introducing Su Hua to the staff downstairs, Shen Huai took her upstairs to meet the shop's senior appraiser, Cui Shousheng.

"Elder Cui, this is the successor to the 'Restoration Saint' Master Su, Su Hua, skilled in restoring ancient paintings and calligraphy. From now on, she will be our cultural relic restorer. If you have any uncertainties, you can consult with her."

Cui Shousheng, nearly sixty, looked at Su Hua through his reading glasses.

A twenty-something girl, a cultural relic restorer?

At her age, he was still an apprentice.

Yet the young manager praised her so highly, even telling him to consult with her!

He agreed outwardly but was inwardly unconvinced!

Once Shen Huai left, he asked Su Hua, "Little Su, how many years have you been in this field?"

Su Hua smiled faintly, "Over a decade."

Cui Shousheng was incredulous, "How old are you this year?"

"Twenty-three."

Cui Shousheng thought, the young girl isn't old but sure can boast, just wait until she's proven wrong!

In this line of work, it's real skill that counts, not just talking big!

As they were talking, a clerk came up to call for help.

Su Hua and Cui Shousheng went downstairs.

A man in his thirties was holding an old and dirty ancient painting, asking if it could be restored.

Cui Shousheng glanced at it.

That couldn't even be called a painting anymore, a blackened mess, torn and crumpled, full of wormholes.

Such damage, only a top restorer in the country might have a chance.

He looked at Su Hua with schadenfreude, "Little Su, everyone's watching you, don't disappoint them."

Su Hua approached, examined the painting carefully, and told the customer, "It can be restored."

The customer was overjoyed, "Who will do it? How long will it take?"

"Me, three days."

"You?" The customer eyed the youthful and radiant Su Hua with skepticism.

"This is an authentic piece by Wang Jian, one of the 'Four Kings' from the late Ming dynasties and early Qing dynasties! It's worth millions at auction, don't ruin it!"

Everyone looked at Su Hua with doubt, three days?

That seemed too audacious.

Cui Shousheng clicked his tongue, twirling his mustache, "Little Su, it's good for young people to be fearless, but you must also know your limits. If you ruin this for the customer, it's our Ancient Treasure Studio's reputation on the line. For such damage, even top restorers wouldn't dare claim they could fix it in three days. It takes them months or even years to restore a painting."

His implication was clear: don't overestimate yourself!

Su Hua spoke firmly, "Three days is enough. If I ruin it, I'll compensate double the market price."

The customer, who had wanted to get it restored for auction, was thrilled at the prospect and immediately agreed, "Words are no proof, let's sign a contract."

"Sure."

After estimating the price and signing the contract, Su Hua took the ancient painting to the upstairs restoration room.

She pushed open the door.

Inside were two large red wooden tables, nearly as tall as a person.

With all the restoration tools like brush pens, hoof knives, woolen towels, goat hair brushes, and rice paper at the ready.

The main processes of ancient painting and calligraphy restoration are "washing, detaching, patching, and completing."

Su Hua had someone boil a pot of water, and with a brush pen soaked in hot water, she began to rinse the ancient painting.

Each stroke was careful and deliberate.

She had to wash away the stains without letting the water damage the fragile fibers of the ancient paper.

Easy to say, but hard to do.

Fortunately, she had been restoring ancient paintings with her grandfather since she was young, and she was adept at it.

Gu Beixian's grandparents were also fond of collecting antiques, and in the past two years, she had almost exclusively handled the restoration of their ancient paintings and calligraphy.

Not to mention a painting of this condition, she had restored even older and more severely damaged ones.

With time pressing, Su Hua was busy non-stop for the next few days.

Being busy was good.

Being busy, she could temporarily forget about Gu Beixian.

Even the sadness was diluted.

***

Three days later, the customer came to pick up the painting.

Su Hua brought the restored painting downstairs.

The customer, stunned by the transformation, exclaimed, "Is this the painting I brought in? You didn't switch it, did you?"

Cui Shousheng, the store manager, and the clerks all came over, equally astonished.

The painting depicted undulating mountains, steep and rugged peaks, with lush, lifelike trees amidst them.

Was this the same ragged, torn, and indistinguishable painting?

Su Hua calmly said, "You can use instruments to verify its authenticity."

After the verification, the customer gave Su Hua a thumbs up, paid, and left with the painting, satisfied.

Word spread quickly, and soon the entire antique street knew that Ancient Treasure Studio had a new, young, and beautiful ancient painting restorer.

Barely in her twenties, yet her skills were comparable to those of a national master restorer!

***

In the evening.

Gu Beixian called, "My car is parked in front of your shop, come out."

Hearing the familiar voice, Su Hua's heart throbbed painfully.

She glanced at her watch and said softly, "It's getting dark, we won't make it to the Civil Affairs Bureau now, shall we go tomorrow morning?"

To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com.

Gu Beixian paused for a moment, "It's my grandmother who wants to see us, she says it's very important."

---

Proofreader&Editor: Howard Wong