Stars Fall Into The Sea, Love Never Fades Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Obstacles on the eve of the exhibition and hugs late at night

There is only one week left before the exhibition, and all preparations are in full swing.Ah Zhi shuttles between companies, studios and galleries every day, keeping his feet busy.All Qi’s paintings have been transported to the gallery, and Sister Chen is leading the team to organize the exhibition. The position of each painting has been carefully designed to present the best effect.

But at this moment, an accident happened.

That afternoon, Ah Zhi was checking the details of the exhibition at the gallery when he suddenly received a call from Sister Chen. Her tone was full of anxiety: “Mr. Ah, it’s bad! The frames of several paintings have been damaged, and the canvas of one painting has been scratched!”

Ah Zhi’s heart skipped a beat and he immediately drove to the gallery.When he walked into the exhibition hall, he saw several paintings leaning crookedly against the wall, with obvious scratches on the wooden edges of the frames. The scratched painting was Qi’s favorite “Stars Falling on the Horizon” – a long hole was cut in the center of the canvas, right through the junction of the stars and the sea, as if the entire picture was torn apart.

“What’s going on?” Ah Zhi’s voice was full of uncontrollable anger, “Isn’t there surveillance in the exhibition hall? Who did it?”

“The surveillance was destroyed and nothing was captured.” Sister Chen’s face was ugly. “We asked the person on duty and he said that a person who claimed to be an ‘art lover’ came to the exhibition last night. He didn’t notice anything unusual at the time. I didn’t expect it to be like this early this morning.”

Ah Zhi looked at the damaged painting, and his heart hurt as if he had been cut by a knife.These paintings were created by Qi with his life. They were his last gifts to the world. But now they were maliciously damaged. How could he not feel distressed?

“Could they be previous competitors?” the assistant beside him reminded in a low voice, “They lost to us in the project before. Could they be holding a grudge and deliberately sabotaging it?”

Azhi’s eyes turned cold.He thought about the previous project being lost. The competitors were despicable and it was indeed possible to do such a thing.But now there is no evidence, even suspicion is useless.

“First contact the best restorer to see if it can be repaired.” Ah Zhi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. “No matter how much money is spent, the painting must be repaired. The exhibition must be held on time.”

Sister Chen nodded: “I have contacted the most famous restorer in the industry. He said he can come over tonight and try to restore it to its original appearance.”

For the next few hours, Ah Zhi stayed in the gallery, watching the restorer carefully repair the paintings.The restorer said that the damage to the frame is relatively easy to repair, but the scratches on the canvas are difficult to completely eliminate and can only be minimized as much as possible without affecting the overall look and feel.

Ah Zhi stood in front of “Stars Falling on the Horizon”, looking at the faint scratch, and his heart was filled with a sense of powerlessness.He had tried his best to protect Qi’s work, but he still couldn’t do it.

“Qi, I’m sorry.” He whispered into the void beside him, his voice was a little tired, “I still failed to protect your painting, and I still made you feel wronged.”

The smell of cedar around him became heavier, as if Qi was also sad about the damaged painting.Ah Zhi could feel the aura lingering around him, bringing a hint of comfort, but he could not change the facts before him.

I was busy until late at night, and the repair work was basically completed.Ah Zhi dragged his exhausted body back to the villa. As soon as he walked in the door, he couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed on the sofa.The fatigue of the past few days, the pressure of the project, and the obstacles of the exhibition were like mountains, weighing him down.

He didn’t turn on the light, letting the darkness swallow him up.Tears fell silently, soaking the sofa cushions.He thought of Qi’s appearance before his death, the sweet time they spent together, the despair before Qi’s suicide, and his own indifference and selfishness. All his emotions burst out at this moment.

“Qi, I really can’t hold on anymore.” He choked, his voice full of despair, “I worked hard, worked hard to prepare for the exhibition, and tried to take care of my aunt, but why do I still encounter so many difficulties? Am I really useless and can’t even keep the things you left behind?”

He curled up on the sofa, like a lost child, crying helplessly.”I miss you so much, Qi. I want you to come back, I want you to hug me again, and I want you to tell me what I should do.”

The smell of cedar around him became stronger and stronger, as if Qi was getting closer to him.Ah Zhi could feel a faint warmth wrapping around him, as if he was being hugged gently.He stretched out his hand and hugged the void beside him tightly, as if hugging Qi’s body.

“Qi, is it you? You are hugging me, right?” He choked, his voice full of hope.

This time, he felt a clear response – the warmth was getting stronger and stronger, as if Qi’s arms were really surrounding him. Although it was not tangible, he could feel the real tenderness.He could even feel a faint heartbeat, which gradually overlapped with his own.

“Azhi…” Another very soft call came from my ears, with a hint of trembling, “I’m…”

Ah Zhi’s heart was beating wildly, and he couldn’t believe his ears.This time, Qi’s voice was much clearer than before. Although it was still weak, it really echoed in his ears.

“Qi!” He hugged Xukong excitedly, his body trembling violently, “I heard it! I feel you! Don’t leave me, okay? Stay with me forever, okay?”

“I… won’t leave…” Qi’s voice was broken, with a hint of exhaustion, “I’ll stay with you…”

Azhi leaned in Qi’s arms and cried bitterly.This was the first time he truly felt Qi’s presence after Qi left, and the first time he heard his complete response.This embrace that spanned life and death was like a good medicine, healing some of the pain in his heart, but it also made him miss Qi even more.

He held Xukong and talked for a long time, starting from the day they met, to the sweetness when they fell in love, to the regret when they broke up, and finally to the regret after Qi left.He told Qi everything that was on his mind, as if he was making a long overdue confession.

Qi’s soul hugged him tightly, and although it could not speak, it responded to him in its own way – the warmth of the cedar smell always enveloped him, and occasionally there was a weak call, which seemed to comfort him, and seemed to express the same longing.

As day dawned, Ah Zhi gradually fell asleep.He leaned on the sofa with a smile on his face and wet tears still on his face.Qi’s soul still hugged him, his eyes full of love and reluctance.

He knew that his soul could not stay in the world forever and would leave one day.But he couldn’t bear to let Ah Zhi live alone in this world.He could only try his best to spend more time with Ah Zhi in the limited time and give her more comfort and strength.

The early morning sunlight shone into the living room through the cracks in the curtains and fell on Ah Zhi’s face.He slowly opened his eyes, and the warmth and smell of cedar around him still existed, as if Qi was still holding him.

“Qi, good morning.” He said softly, with a gentle smile on his lips.

The smell of cedar beside him swayed slightly, as if Qi was responding to his good morning.

Azhi stood up and stretched.Although I didn’t sleep all night, I felt full of strength.He knows that there is still a lot to do for the art exhibition, and there are still many difficulties to face in the future.But he is no longer afraid, no longer desperate, because he knows that Qi will always be with him, within three meters, guarding him forever.

He walked to the window and opened the curtains.Sunlight poured into the living room, lighting up the entire room.A new day has begun, and the art exhibition will be held as scheduled.With Qi’s love and companionship, he will face everything bravely, make this painting exhibition perfect, fulfill Qi’s wish, and complete his own atonement.