Stars Fall Into The Sea, Love Never Fades Chapter 10

Chapter 10 The Lost Painting and Mother’s Forgiveness

The countdown to preparations for the art exhibition began, and A Zhi devoted almost all his spare time to it.After get off work every day, he spent time in the temporarily rented studio, sorting out Qi’s paintings, checking exhibition procedures, and communicating promotional details. He was often busy until late at night.Qilin’s soul was always within three meters of him, and its cedar-scented breath was sometimes calm and sometimes brisk, as if encouraging him or worrying that he was overtired.

That night, Ah Zhi was framing a painting called “Stars Falling on the Sea Horizon” – this painting is Qi’s favorite work. In the painting, stars fall into the sea, glowing with sparkling waves. There is also a tiny inscription with the word “Zhi” hidden in the corner.Azhi’s fingertips stroked the edge of the canvas and suddenly paused.He remembered that Qi once said that there was a photo of the two of them in the sketchbook of this painting, which was taken when they were traveling at the beach. Qi said that the photo and the painting should be exhibited together, “let the stars and the sea witness our love.”

He quickly dug through the cardboard box where the draft notebooks were stored, and took out the notebooks inside to read them one by one.Qi has more than a dozen draft books, and each page is filled with sketches, color drawings, and occasional short sentences written casually. The words between the lines are full of love for life and longing for him.But after going through the entire box of drafts, Ah Zhi never found the group photo.

“How could it not be?” He muttered to himself, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead.He remembered clearly that Qi sandwiched the photo in the thickest draft book with a dark blue cover, but now the middle layer of the draft book was empty.He went through all the paintings and cardboard boxes again, and even squatted on the ground to check every corner of the studio, not even missing the dust, but the photo seemed to disappear out of thin air.

My heart seemed to be clenched tightly by a hand, and the feeling of suffocation came over me instantly.Ah Zhi leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, his eyes full of panic.This photo is of great significance to Qi, and it is also one of his obsessions for the art exhibition. Now that the photo is missing, how can he live up to Qi’s wish?

“Qi, I’m sorry, I lost the photo.” He whispered into the void, his voice trembling uncontrollably, “I am so useless that I can’t even keep the things you cherish…”

The smell of cedar around him became heavier, as if Qi was also sad about the lost photos.Ah Zhi could feel the breath hovering around him, with a hint of imperceptible comfort, but the self-blame in his heart was getting heavier and heavier.He remembered that in the past, Qi always kept the photos of the two of them carefully, but he often threw them aside casually, and even felt that “a grown man does not need to do such pretentious things.”Thinking about it now, those details that he ignored were all filled with Qi’s deep love.

In the early hours of the morning, Ah Zhi dragged his exhausted body back to the villa.He didn’t turn on the light and sat in the dark living room, thinking over and over in his mind where the photo might appear.Suddenly, he remembered that there was a single photo of Qi hanging on the wall of the living room of Qi’s mother’s house. There seemed to be a small photo frame next to the photo. He didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. Could it be that Qi had left the photo to his mother?

This thought instantly gave him hope.Early the next morning, he didn’t go to the company and drove directly to Qi’s mother’s house.When she knocked on the door, Qi’s mother was preparing breakfast. Seeing his tired appearance, a trace of surprise appeared on her face.

“Auntie, I’m sorry to bother you.” Azhi’s voice was a little urgent. “I would like to ask, did Xiaoqi leave you a photo of us? It was taken at the beach. I was wearing a white T-shirt and he was leaning on my shoulder.”

Qi’s mother paused for a moment, a complex emotion flashing through her eyes.She turned around and walked into the bedroom, and came out a moment later holding a small wooden photo frame.The photo frame was a bit old, and the edges were worn and shiny. Inside was the photo taken at the beach – Azhi in the photo was smiling openly, Qi’s cheek was pressed against his shoulder, his eyes were curved into crescents, and the sun shone on the two of them, making it dazzlingly warm.

“Xiao Qi gave this to me before he left.” Qi’s mother’s voice was hoarse. “He said that this was his favorite photo and asked me to keep it safe for him. He also said that if you think of him in the future, you might come and ask for this photo.”

Ah Zhi took the photo frame, his fingertips touched the cold glass, and tears burst out instantly.Qi was smiling so happily in the photo, but he never imagined that this happiness would be shattered by his own hands.He choked and said, “Auntie, thank you… This photo is very important to me. I want to put it in the exhibition to fulfill Xiao Qi’s wish.”

Qi’s mother looked at him and sighed softly: “Azhi, I know you feel bad, and I also know that you are doing a lot for Xiao Qi. I did blame you before, but seeing you like this now, I know you really love Xiao Qi.” She reached out and patted A Zhi on the shoulder. “Take this photo. Xiao Qi will also be happy if he sees everything you do for him.”

“Auntie…” Ah Zhi’s tears fell even harder. This was the first time Qi’s mother took the initiative to touch him after Qi left. This belated understanding moved him more than any comfort.

“Silly boy, why are you crying?” Qi’s mother’s eyes were also red. “Xiao Qi always said that you were a hard-spoken and soft-hearted person, but you just didn’t know how to express yourself. He never blamed you. Even when they broke up, he was still making excuses for you, saying that you were just too busy at work.”

Ah Zhi held the photo frame, his body shaking violently.He finally understood that Qi’s love had never changed. Even if he was hurt by him, even if he fell into despair, this love would never fade.And he didn’t know how to cherish it until he lost it. This regret will accompany him throughout his life.

When we left Qi’s mother’s house, the sun was just right.Ah Zhi carefully placed the photo frame on the passenger seat, as if he was afraid of disturbing Qi in the photo.He could feel the smell of cedar around him becoming particularly gentle, as if Qi was smiling and saying “Thank you” to him.

“Qi, we found the photo.” He said softly, with a tearful smile on his lips, “In the exhibition, I will put it in the most conspicuous position, so that everyone can see that we were so in love.”

As the car drove under the sun, Ah Zhi felt both the joy of regaining what was lost and the heavy guilt in his heart.He knew that this photo was not only part of the exhibition, but also a witness to his journey of redemption.With this love and guilt, he will hold the art exhibition successfully and tell Qi’s story to more people.