The cat owner was very busy; he was in China one day and had flown to Europe the next.
Ke Xun didn't contact him much, afraid that he would be resting when he sent a message. The consequence of his extreme restraint was that Boss Ke finally personally visited his gym to inspect the work, and spent his idle time every day on the gym equipment.
Wei Dong got off the treadmill, panting heavily: "...This is killing me...Running...is not suitable for us graphic designers..."
Ke Xun put down the barbell: "I recommend a suitable exercise for graphic designers: nudist yoga."
"I know yoga, but what is nudist yoga?" Wei Dong asked, supporting his legs.
"Practice yoga completely naked," Ke Xun said, "pursuing a high degree of harmony between man and nature, conforming to human and natural aesthetics, satisfying your artistic sentiments as a senior graphic designer."
Wei Dong: "Damn…then tell me if the instructor is male or female?"
Ke Xun: "As you wish, let our most feminine Xin sister teach you."
Saying that, he waved to the person standing in the distance with an employee badge on his chest: "Xiao Xin, come here and instruct this customer."
Wei Dong watched as the burly man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a bushy beard, and wearing a tight-fitting shirt swayed his hips as he walked over, his eyes smiling as he kept staring at his boss's chest, before reluctantly glancing at Wei Dong when he got closer: "Does this customer want to build muscle or lose fat?"
Holy crap…Wei Dong almost collapsed to the ground, what the hell was this voice actor's voice that only a pleasant anime male protagonist could have!
"No, no, no, your boss is just joking," Wei Dong waved his hands repeatedly, afraid of getting involved with this beauty. "I'm not from here, I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm leaving tomorrow."
Xiao Xin ignored him upon hearing this, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Ke Xun: "Boss, are you free tonight? A few of us newbies wanted to treat you to dinner."
Wei Dong, watching from the side, felt a chill run down his spine.
Ke Xun pointed at Wei Dong: "I'm seeing him off tonight, so I'm afraid I won't be free. You can invite your Brother Liu; he represents me."
Brother Liu was Ke Xun's buddy; when Ke Xun wasn't at the gym, this place was under Brother Liu's management.
After finally getting rid of Xiao Xin, Wei Dong elbowed Ke Xun in the ribs: "What the hell are the devils you guys hiring?! What's up with that guy?"
"A few of our old employees were poached by other gyms, so Lao Liu hired a few new ones," Ke Xun said nonchalantly, wiping his sweat with a towel. "Don't let Xiao Xin's slightly eccentric behavior fool you, he's incredibly capable."
Wei Dong looked at him meaningfully: "I think this guy's intentions aren't pure. The way he's looking at you is like he's looking at a human vibrator."
Ke Xun denied it three times in a row: "Shut up. I'm not. Don't talk nonsense."
Wei Dong circled him: "By the way, you haven't been acting quite right these past few days. Did something happen that I don't know about?"
Ke Xun walked towards the washing room: "What's wrong with me?"
Wei Dong glanced at him hesitantly: "Well... happy?"
Ke Xun: "When am I not happy, except when I'm getting into the studio?"
"It's different," Wei Dong gestured at his face, "Your current state of happiness is like—you've seen those videos of corgis online, right? When they're happy, their whole fat butt shakes."
"Get lost, where are you gesturing to?" Ke Xun slapped him away, "Hurry up and wash, then come to my house to continue studying those paintings."
Recently, the members of the "Painting Theory" group have already studied all the paintings that are permanently displayed in the Water Flower Art Museum, and have even made notes on the key points. The next thing they need to study is a batch of paintings that will be exhibited in the museum on the day of the painting exhibition.
This batch of paintings comes from the works of sixteen "weirdos" painters from home and abroad. "Weirdos" is a name given to them by ordinary netizens because the ideas in these paintings are very strange and bizarre, varied, extremely imaginative, and even absurd.
"I have a bad feeling," Wei Dong sighed, looking at the bizarre painting on Ke Xun's computer screen. "If we really go into a painting like that, I don't know how we'll be killed."
"Let's make some preparations," Ke Xun said. "Tomorrow is Sunday, you and I are going shopping."
"What are we buying?" Wei Dong asked.
"Cellphones and power banks," Ke Xun said. "Judging from the painting 'Anthropology,' although cell phones are stripped of most of their functions in the painting, they can still be used as grenades in a pinch."
"Even so… how many cellphones are you planning to buy?" Wei Dong asked.
"About ten," Ke Xun said.
"Damn! Even if you have money, you wouldn't spend it like that! Are you crazy? You've definitely been acting strange lately!" Wei Dong exclaimed.
"Are you stupid? I don't buy expensive ones. There are phones for a few hundred yuan everywhere in the electronics market," Ke Xun said. "A friend of mine sells them there, all kinds of small, unknown domestic brands, and their functions are just as good as the big brands. Besides, I don't need many functions in the painting. Lighting, taking pictures, and long battery life are enough."
"...You're amazing." Wei Dong finally had nothing to say.
His best friend had one major... well, it's hard to say whether it's a flaw or a strength, but he was particularly unconventional in his thinking and could apply his knowledge to new situations.
Boss Mu had said before that guns and knives from the outside world, even if they could be brought into the painting, would lose their function or become scrap metal—except for those already in the painting, which goes without saying.
While a phone wouldn't degenerate into scrap metal in the painting, it would only have a few functions that were barely useful. As a result, ever since the last painting revealed that a phone battery could be used as a bomb, his best friend immediately seized this advantage, or rather, the painting's bug, not overlooking any detail that could add an extra layer of self-protection, and made thorough preparations.
Wei Dong suddenly realized that Ke Xun's growth and maturity in entering the painting was astonishingly rapid.
No… it should be said that after his parents left him, Ke Xun had actually matured almost instantly. However, in front of his friends, he still used his carefree, nonchalant, and playful demeanor to mask the intense pain of growing up. When he returned to this empty house where he was alone, the somber and withdrawn version of himself was the true, transformed version of himself.
Hmm… but… Wei Dong thought, thankfully, this kid met Mu Yiran.
His current happiness was genuine, and Wei Dong, as his childhood friend and brother, could see it.
Wei Dong also hoped that his good brother could recover from the negative impact of their family tragedy as soon as possible, but Wei Dong dared not think about it, dared not think about what Ke Xun would do if one day he and Mu Yiran faced a life-or-death separation in the painting…
Rapid growth, once is enough.
After reaching the limit of growth, only decay and death await.
City E is notoriously rainy, and when Ke Xun and Wei Dong arrived, a moderate downpour was pouring down relentlessly.
Ke Xun was carrying a very flashy rainbow umbrella, and a shoulder bag slung across his body. Besides a change of clothes, the bag contained ten generic cell phones and several power banks.
"This hotel's something else," Wei Dong said, dramatically collapsing onto the large mattress of the Crystal Swan Hotel's deluxe suite. "You booked this? You've got too much money on your hands, haven't you?"
"Damn it, I let you eat and stay for free and you still have so much nonsense to spout," Ke Xun kicked him. "Get up, your room is next door, this one is mine."
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Wei Dong sat up in shock. "You booked two rooms?! Isn't there two beds in this room? Why do you need one room for each person? Can you refund one room and give me the money? I'd even sleep on the floor if you wanted me to!"
"Get lost, stop talking nonsense, go back to your room," Ke Xun took out his phone. "The other bed in your room is for Hao Wen'er, his train arrives at 5:30."
"Then what about the other bed in your room?" Wei Dong glanced at him. "Don't tell me it's for the big boss... Holy crap! No way? You two... what's going on?! What's going on?!"
"Nothing going on, stop talking nonsense, let's go." Ke Xun sent a message in "Jin Hua Lun".
Corgi: We've arrived, @ZHW, @Jian Dan Qin Xin, you two remember the hotel address, right? The room numbers are 1503 and 1504. We'll have dinner together when you arrive.
ZHW: I just got on the bus.
Jiandan Qinxin: Okay.
Jiandan Qinxin: Has anyone contacted Li Yaqing?
Corgi: I called her. She's on the bus to E City.
Weifeng Mang: This girl is quite brave. After what happened with the last painting, she still dared to come to this one.
Corgi: ...Didn't I tell you? She calls me about ten times a day, crying for half an hour each time, and then asking me what to do for the next half hour.
Weifeng Mang: What else can she do... Either die inside the painting or die outside. If she doesn't go into the painting, she'll definitely die. If she goes into the painting, she might live. She has to try her best... Corgi
: So she's here now. Can we put down our phones and talk?
Weifeng Mang: ...No wonder it felt so awkward.
Ke Xun: "Get back to your room right now."
Wei Dong: "What? It's only 3 PM, not bedtime. What are you doing locked in your room? You're disgusting."
Ke Xun: "...I'm alone at home too. What can't I do at home?! Go back to your room, or stay in the same bed with me."
Wei Dong: "...Damn! So that's it! You're afraid I'll dirty your idol's bed! Holy crap, I know you now, you womanizer! From now on, we're done! I'm going back to my room! Call me when it's time to eat!"
Saying that, he went to his room next door.
Zhu Haowen and Qin Ci arrived one after another. Around 6:30 PM, Ke Xun went downstairs and met Mu Yiran at the hotel entrance.
It had only been ten days since they last saw each other, but seeing each other again felt like waiting for a thousand lifetimes.
Ke Xun couldn't control his lips, letting them curve into a smile. It was like a ray of golden sunlight shining through the overwhelming rain, attracting the attention of several girls at the hotel reception who kept stealing glances at him; some even secretly took photos with their phones.
Mu Yiran was still dressed in a suit and tie, only his hair was longer than when they first met, stylishly pulled back, making him appear even more aloof and extraordinary. The moment he stepped into the hotel lobby, he attracted the attention of a large group of staff and guests, interspersed with a few soft exclamations of admiration from the opposite sex.
Ke Xun took the black umbrella from his hand and reached for the business travel bag, but Mu Yiran pressed his arm down: "No need."
The two entered the elevator, where there were only the two of them and an elevator operator
"15th floor," Ke Xun told the operator, standing side-by-side with Mu Yiran in the middle of the elevator car.
They had been side-by-side countless times in paintings before, but this time was different from all the previous ones.
Ke Xun heard the strong beating of his own chest, looked up at the gleaming elevator door, and saw his and Mu Yiran's figures clearly reflected in it.
Ke Xun smiled at their reflec
tions, then his hand, hanging by his side, moved, raising two fingers to gently pinch Mu Yiran's fingers, which were dangling beside him.
He truly liked him.