Song Lian took Su Zhiyi to the art gallery of St. Desmond Academy.
On the walls on both sides of the gallery hung excellent paintings by students of St. Desmond Academy.
Song Lian stopped with Su Zhiyi in front of a painting. He looked up to admire the painting on the wall, a rare look of loss appearing in his gentle eyes.
"Zhiyi, do you still remember this painting?"
He asked Su Zhiyi, his tone filled with boundless affection and lingering emotion, carrying deep nostalgia and regret.
Su Zhiyi also looked at the painting on the wall.
The painting was an oil painting with soft colors that were perfectly matched.
It depicted a girl in a garden, wearing a white sleeveless long dress, sitting on a wooden bench. The holy and beautiful sunlight bathed her like a waterfall, and bright flowers and tender green leaves enveloped her like a newborn kitten.
The girl was more eye-catching than the bright flowers, the green grass, and the brilliant light.
The girl's slightly curly chestnut hair spread over her snow-white shoulders, gilded with a soft golden edge by the falling golden light. She held a bouquet of roses in her hands, her eyes slightly lowered, revealing a gentle smile, like the elegant and noble goddess in ancient Greek legends.
The painting was very solid in execution, showing the painter's skill.
It's just... why did it look a bit familiar?
She stared at the painting, and the face of the girl in the painting gradually became clear in her eyes.
Wasn't this her?
Su Zhiyi said, "It looks very familiar. It's me, right?"
"Huh... you remember. I'm very happy." Song Lian breathed a sigh of relief. A trace of a smile finally appeared on his face, but the smile was a bit forced. "This painting was done by me two years ago, and the person in the painting is you."
With Song Lian's reminder, Su Zhiyi vaguely recalled a memory from two years ago from her memory...
When she was sixteen, on an ordinary, quiet afternoon, she went to Song Lian's house as a guest.
Song Lian's house had a large, beautiful garden.
That afternoon, Song Lian and she had spent the entire afternoon in the garden. She was delighted to see the roses at Song Lian's house and picked several branches.
Song Lian saw her picking flowers in the garden and suddenly wanted to paint a picture of her.
She held the roses, sitting in the garden, while Song Lian sat behind the canvas, carefully depicting every flower and every blade of grass in the garden, as well as her, surrounded by the plants.
The girl in the painting was her; the garden in the painting was the garden at Song Lian's house.
It's just... the brushstrokes of this painting were very fresh. Could the paint of a painting from two years ago look this fresh?
"I still remember that your garden was very beautiful, with many roses planted. My favorite flower is the rose." Su Zhiyi said a few polite words. "If I have the chance, I'd love to go to your garden again to see your roses."
"I know you like roses, so the flowers in my garden now are still roses." Song Lian was also polite with her, and while being polite, he didn't forget to take another dig at Si Yanjing. "It's just that there probably won't be a chance in the future. That person of yours... is too controlling."
"I'm a bit worried about you, worried that your life in the future might be too hard."
Song Lian's tone didn't sound unusual; it was just the tone of a friend concerned.
"Actually, Yan... Si Yanjing is quite good to me."
Out of caution, Su Zhiyi still addressed Si Yanjing by his full name in front of Song Lian.
"Some people, you know their face but not their heart." Song Lian said in a serious tone. "He's showing you his best side now, but that doesn't mean he'll always be like that, forever like that. Everyone has a dark side."
Realizing that his words had crossed the line, he smiled apologetically. "Sorry... I seem to have said something I shouldn't have."
Was this guy introducing himself?
Su Zhiyi's inner eye roll almost hit the ceiling.
On the surface, she still pretended to listen attentively. After Song Lian finished, she responded, "Mm, thank you for your concern!"
Song Lian obviously didn't want to keep the topic on Si Yanjing. He naturally switched the subject to him and Su Zhiyi.
Compared to Si Yanjing, he was more concerned about Su Zhiyi.
Song Lian said, "Zhiyi, you still remember my invitation to the art exhibition last month, right?"
Su Zhiyi nodded. "I remember."
Song Lian continued, "Although he might not be willing to agree to you going to the art exhibition with me, it's just a private exhibition by a friend of mine. I want to go to the exhibition with you as a friend, then have dinner, and finally put a full stop to our past relationship."
Every word he spoke was sincere and earnest, with no hint of falsehood.
"If he has to restrict you even in this, then I can only say he's really not a suitable person."
Put a full stop to their relationship?
Su Zhiyi's tender red lips parted slightly, a glimmer of surprise flashing in her eyes. She blinked like a bewildered fawn.
"Oh, don't misunderstand." Song Lian saw Su Zhiyi's confusion and explained for her. "We'll still be friends from now on, just friends."
"I won't cut off contact with you because of someone else. After all, I was the one who came first. But now, the person standing by your side is him. I deeply regret that."
"But while I regret, I also think of you. I think, as long as you are happy and joyful for the rest of your life, then I am willing to step aside for him."
"I don't want you to worry because of me."
"Becoming friends is the only concession I can make."
Now Su Zhiyi understood Song Lian's meaning.