Rebirth and Conquest

The cramped storage room was dark and cluttered, exuding a stale atmosphere. In the corner was a wooden bed, the bedding of which was no longer recognizable. Opposite the bed were a table and a stool, the only two pieces of furniture in the room.

Chen Yan and Han Danqing walked in one after the other. The strong, pungent smell made Chen Yan frown. Yesterday, after he had discussed the art exhibition with the painter, he said he wanted to visit the painter's place. The painter was initially hesitant, but Chen Yan insisted, so today, they appeared here.

"Have you always lived here, sir?" Chen Yan asked, trying to appear calm. There was hardly any room to put his feet down in the room, so Chen Yan had to walk to the wooden plank that could be called a bed and sit down.

Han Danqing grunted and said, "The landlady's storage room is temporarily vacant, so she let me stay here for free. Please sit for a while, and I'll see if there's any hot water left." He walked to the table, picked up the kettle, and shook it, but there was no water inside.

"No need, sir, I'm not thirsty," Chen Yan said. Who would have thought that this future master of calligraphy and painting would be in such a pitiful state at this moment? It truly is as the saying goes, "A sword's sharpness comes from honing, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold." Chen Yan thought to himself.

Han Danqing sat down on the stool next to the table, and neither of them spoke, creating a momentary silence.

After a while, Chen Yan spoke again, "I think the lighting in your room isn't very good. I happen to have a house in the suburbs. If you'd like, you can come and stay there."

"This, this is terrible—"

“Sir, please don’t be so quick to refuse.” Chen Yan immediately interrupted Han Danqing. “Anyway, no one lives in my house, so it will just sit empty if you don’t go. If you really feel bad about it,” he paused for a moment and then said with a smile, “you can use your calligraphy and paintings to pay the rent.”

*******

Two days later, Han Danqing left the storage room. Before leaving, Chen Yan came with him to pack his things. Actually, there wasn't much to pack. After looking around, they only took a few paintings.

As they were leaving, they ran into someone, the landlady Han Danqing had mentioned. The landlady was about fifty years old, short and plump. When she saw Chen Yan and the others, she greeted them with a smile and asked very warmly, "Mr. Han, are you leaving already?"

"Thank you for taking care of me during this time," Han Danqing said politely as he took his leave.

"No need to thank me, no need to thank me. We're neighbors, helping each other is only right." The landlady waved her hand. As she said this, she glanced at Chen Yan next to her, and then a meaningless look appeared in her smiling eyes, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't say it.

Chen Yan then left with Han Danqing.

The house Chen Yan arranged for Han Danqing was in the suburbs, far from the city. There were hardly any buildings there. The house stood out abruptly in a large green area, giving it a truly secluded and otherworldly feel.

The house has three rooms in total. The largest one can be used as an art studio, and the others are used as living quarters.

Han Danqing was very satisfied with this place. It had good lighting and was quiet, making it the perfect spot to concentrate on his painting. He wasn't one to worry about daily necessities, so he had no concept of the value of such a place. In Han Danqing's view, building a house in this practically deserted area shouldn't cost much, so he felt quite at ease living there. Little did he know, Chen Yan had spent more money on this place than on a building in the city. Not only this house, but the entire surrounding area had been leased by Chen Yan, all to create an undisturbed environment for him.

After Han Danqing settled in, Chen Yan planned to buy him some materials, such as paper or paint. However, when it came time to buy them, Chen Yan was a little worried. She didn't know much about painting and could only pick the most expensive items. In the end, she simply gave up.

Then Chen Yan went to He Yichen's place. He needed someone knowledgeable in this area to make arrangements for Han Danqing, whether it was Han Danqing's art exhibition or his future development.

After arriving at the company, Chen Yan went straight to He Yichen's office. When she arrived at the office door, she pushed it open and went inside. However, once inside, Chen Yan was stunned, and her expression turned very ugly.

He Yichen was in his office, along with his assistant, but they weren't working. He Yichen was lounging in his chair, while his assistant was squatting in front of him, his face pressed against his crotch. What they were up to was obvious.

He Yichen was taken aback when Chen Yan suddenly barged in, but he quickly recovered and composed himself. He stood up, gave a dry laugh, and asked, "Boss, what brings you here?"

Hua Fengchen also stood up, wiped his mouth with his finger, his face was calm, even more composed than He Yichen.

"You can go out now," He Yichen said, and Hua Fengchen walked out.

Chen Yan walked towards the desk. "Mr. He, can we talk business now?"

"Of course, of course," He Yichen replied with a smile, his expression returning to normal.

"Mr. He is truly fearless, not even locking the door." Chen Yan said casually. She had originally wanted to discuss Han Danqing's matter with He Yichen, but now she changed her mind. After talking to He Yichen about other things, she left the office.

After leaving the office, Hua Fengchen waited outside. Chen Yan glanced at him, but Hua Fengchen remained calm and simply said, "Understand Chen."

The next day, Chen Yan went to the group's headquarters in B City and met with Di Wenjin.

Chen Yan wanted Di Wenjin to assign someone from the company to specifically handle Han Danqing's affairs. Upon hearing this, Di Wenjin hesitated and asked, "Young Master Chen, do you really think this person is worth investing in?"

In fact, Di Wenjin had always known about Han Danqing. Chen Yan had told him long ago that he wanted to set up an art company to deal in so-called high-class art products. Han Danqing was the first artist Chen Yan wanted to invest in. Of course, Han Danqing was nothing yet, but Chen Yan had extraordinary confidence in him. Moreover, the house that Chen Yan arranged for Han Danqing was actually taken from Di Wenjin. Originally, the land was intended for real estate investment, but Chen Yan took it and built that house.

"Mr. Di, please make the arrangements first. We'll only know if it's worth it after we try," Chen Yan said.

“Alright.” Di Wenjin nodded. He wasn’t an expert in painting either, but since Chen Yan had already said so, he couldn’t object anymore. However, he couldn’t think of anyone in the company who would be suitable for the job, so he recommended someone from outside to Chen Yan.

This person was a classmate of Di Wenjin when she studied abroad. According to Di Wenjin, this classmate was exceptionally outstanding. He came from an artistic family, with both his parents involved in the arts. Moreover, he himself was very interested in this field. He was not only very cultured and refined, but also had an outstanding appearance. Di Wenjin even became a little excited when talking about this person.

Seeing how well Di Wenjin spoke, Chen Yan couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. So she arranged to meet that alumnus with Di Wenjin at a restaurant.

However, upon seeing this person, Chen Yan was taken aback. This person was none other than He Yichen's 'ex-boyfriend' Neil. Chen Yan admitted that Neil was indeed very good-looking, but she couldn't see any artistic flair about him.

When Neil saw Di Wenjin and the others, he walked over to them. "Wenjin, Mr. Chen," Neil greeted them with a smile and sat down opposite them.

"Neil?" Di Wenjin looked somewhat surprised when she saw Neil.

“It’s me. What’s wrong? Is it because I look a little strange to you?” Neil asked with a smile.

"No, no, it's just that you've changed so much."

"It's been so long, it's understandable that things have changed. By the way, what brings you here?"

When Neil asked, Chen Yan directly told him about the art company and wanted to invite him to join the company. However, Neil refused outright, saying, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Chen, but I feel more comfortable running a bar. I'm afraid I can't be of much help with your company."

Chen Yan just smiled and didn't press the matter further. After saying a few more things, the group parted ways.

On the way back, Di Wenjin and Chen Yan sat in the car together. Di Wenjin said with some emotion, "I didn't expect him to have changed so much. He wasn't like this back then."

Chen Yan asked with a smile, "What was he like before?"

Di Wenjin paused for a moment, then said with a hint of reminiscence, "Back in school, he was truly spirited and radiant. His temperament and appearance exuded elegance and nobility, captivating many men and women. He also had a nickname, the 'Sophisticated Prince,' which meant that his elegance was tinged with a touch of roguishness, a truly charming aura."

A suave prince? Chen Yan curled the corners of his lips. He certainly had a roguish air about him, but I couldn't see any elegance in him.

After returning home, Chen Yan went to Han Danqing's place. During this time, Wen Mu had been staying at home because of his mother's illness and had hardly come to school. Chen Yan didn't want to stay in the apartment alone, so she moved to Han Danqing's place.

...