Chapter 23: chapter 22
The neighbor, Brother, lives next door to her house.
The day she left the Jones family, the neighbor's brother didn't come to see her off, but quietly made an appointment with her.
"If you are unhappy in City A and want to come to me, then go to a place called Central Town. My brother will wait for you there."
Twelve-year-old Crystal was very innocent, and she really believed it.
But then she looked through the map and found out where in the huge country there was a place called Central Town?
It was just her brother's words to comfort her.
Crystal put aside the sad thoughts, walked around the town, and found an art gallery with ease.
Crystal was also surprised that there was an art gallery in a small place like Central Town.
Crystal pushed open the glass door, and a warm aroma hit her face. The smell was very familiar, with a faint scent of grass and wood, which was the unique fragrance of scrolls and drawing papers. The small painting studio was not large, and the walls were covered with white floral wallpaper. There were many paintings hanging randomly. When Crystal entered, there was a creak from the wooden door, and a girl came down from the second floor.
"Are you going to buy a painting? Just take a look. It's a big sale today. One painting is 50% off, and two paintings are at 20% off."
The words "artwork" and "big sale" put together make people feel a little embarrassed. Crystal smiled.
"I'll just take a look."
"Is this...water lily?"
An oil painting is a copy of a masterpiece by Mr. George, a well-known Chinese painter. Floating on the dark green water like agate stone, the floating water lilies are undulating. The budding water lilies appear somewhat weakened due to damage from the drizzle.
The artist who created the copy is very skilled at painting, but the tone is too somber.
"It seems to be called water lily. Boss, please don't sleep. Can you tell the guests about it?"
The girl complained, and then Crystal realized that there was someone sitting on the first floor.
A man was sitting in front of the counter wearing a dark green sweater, his neck tilted back, looking very chic, his face covered with a fan, the bright safety light in the gallery was on, and one of his wrists was exposed. Outside, the brightness is dazzling and Crystal's heart trembled inexplicably.
A fat orange cat squatted beside the man's hand. It was as sleepy and stocky as its owner. The girl shooed it away a few times,
"If you don't get up, you won't have any money to buy cat food for the fat cat this month."
"This cat is indeed quite fat," Crystal commented in her heart.
"It's okay, just take a look."
No matter how much she tried to persuade him, the man had no intention of getting up. Instead, he slept soundly on his side.
The two of them maintained a tacit silence, and neither of them paid attention to each other. Crystal looked at the painting for a while and felt that it was almost time to go back and get her luggage. Seeing that she couldn't reach the boss, the girl jumped up and down anxiously. She sighed and sent Crystal to the door. Unfortunately, it started to rain for some reason when she went out.
The girl called out from behind, "Hey, why don't you stay now, wait until the rain stops before leaving."
"It's okay, it's not raining very hard, it doesn't matter if you get wet."
The rain that she encountered a few days ago was heavier and colder than today. Did she still go back in the rain?
With this thought in mind, Crystal walked outside the house.
Perhaps because the terrain of Central Town is relatively high, a light rain is much colder than in City B. Crystal tried her best to walk under the eaves, but her clothes were still soaked by the rain, and the cold feeling was uncomfortable. She ran to take a taxi on the side of the road, and when she turned around, she bumped into someone.
Crystal was stunned for a moment, and an umbrella covered her head. It was a slender hand, but the joints were a pink shade. In a hurry, Crystal was holding the man's hand.
A pair of eyes caught her sight.
They were a pair of light green eyes. If you look closely, you will feel that they are extraordinarily bright. Such beautiful green pupils are rare in the world, and Crystal has only seen them in one person.
...Brandon?
With a face very similar to Brandon's, she stood there as if she were hooked. The man naturally handed the umbrella to her, and before she could react, a coat was draped over her body.
The scent of grass and woods filled the air, and she no longer felt cold in an instant.
Crystal held her breath and noticed that the man was also observing her.
"Central Town is located in a remote area. Even if it rains lightly, you can still get sick if you don't hold an umbrella."
"Are you... Brother Nick?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone