In the afternoon, Qin Ningyi took An'an to the courtyard where the art exhibition was held.
Since the paintings Xia Qingxue was exhibiting this time were all landscape and floral works from her Chinese ink painting series, the organizers had specially chosen this place with a Suzhou garden charm for the exhibition.
Upon entering the gate, a path paved with pebbles wound its way through the grounds, a perfect example of a secluded, winding path.
The exhibition was scheduled to start in the evening. The owner of the courtyard, also Qin Ningyi's business partner, hosted a refined banquet in conjunction with the exhibition, inviting prominent figures.
The banquet was held indoors, with the paintings displayed outside. An'an was captivated, "Dad, is Godmother's painting beautiful?"
"Mm." Qin Ningyi wasn't particularly interested in such matters and had never studied art. This time, however, he was also amazed by the paintings.
An'an walked along the eaves, and Qin Ningyi finally relaxed, seeing his son's smile return.
Manager Zhao, the partner, came out of the house and was also surprised to see Qin Ningyi. He had sent the invitation out of courtesy, but he knew Qin Ningyi never attended art exhibitions, let alone the banquets associated with them.
"Mr. Qin?" Manager Zhao's tone involuntarily rose quite a bit. "It really is you! You've honored us with your presence!"
Other managers were also surprised to see Qin Ningyi. Manager Zhao invited Qin Ningyi inside to chat.
An'an didn't want to go in; he just wanted to stay outside. Qin Ningyi cautioned him to be careful and not to go near the pond.
An'an nodded and obediently continued looking at the paintings. Qin Ningyi walked towards Manager Zhao, intending to go in, say a few words, and then come back out.
Manager Zhao looked at the child, who resembled Qin Ningyi so much, with surprise. "Mr. Qin, when did you get married? Your child is already this big?"
Qin Ningyi gave a distant smile and didn't elaborate. Manager Zhao didn't press the matter.
The Qin family had developed very rapidly, especially after Qin Ningyi took over, reaching the number one position in Yuchang City. Upon seeing Qin Ningyi, everyone gathered around to chat.
He was momentarily unable to extricate himself.
Outside, An'an was looking at paintings alone and unknowingly wandered to the edge of the pond.
There were stone pillars around the pond, with paintings displayed on them.
An'an remembered Qin Ningyi's instructions and didn't go too close to the water's edge, keeping a watchful distance.
Beside him, Tang Zhenzhen was chatting with a few socialites, holding her handbag.
"I heard Qin Ningyi is here," a girl in a pink dress giggled flirtatiously. "Shall we go take a look?"
"He's been pulled into the banquet to talk. Do you dare to go in?" another retorted disdainfully. "Those are all company presidents. Only Sister Zhao can go in, right?"
She looked at the woman in the white dress in the middle. "Isn't that right, Sister Zhao?"
The woman addressed as Sister Zhao nodded proudly. Her eyes flicked to Tang Zhenzhen. "If you ask me, Zhenzhen is quite something. You went after his company, and in the end, not only did you not get a few words with Qin Ningyi, but you were also kicked out."
Everyone laughed. Sister Zhao curled her lips and said disdainfully, "I'm sorry, that's just how I talk. Zhenzhen, please don't mind."
Her apology was so perfunctory that Tang Zhenzhen could barely contain her temper. If it weren't for the fact that her family's company now needed these people's help without the Qin Group's orders, she would have left long ago. Before, when Tang Mei Company supplied fabrics to the Qin Group for clothing production, these people wouldn't have dared to joke with her like this.
"Exactly, Tang Zhenzhen. You just left Qin's like that? You're not pursuing him anymore?" the girl in the pink dress taunted. "Stop daydreaming. Is it your turn?"
Tang Zhenzhen forced a smile and looked around, pretending to admire the paintings, and didn't reply.
As she looked, she saw An'an, who was looking at a painting by the pillars by the pond.
It was him who had made her a laughingstock.
Not only did she lose the Qin Group's order, but she was also scolded by her family, lost her job, and had to go home to help out.
Looking at An'an's innocent profile, a spark of anger ignited within her.
At this moment, the people beside her continued to casually gossip about her embarrassing moments, completely disregarding her presence.
The fire in her heart burned even hotter.
"You all go ahead. My foot is hurting, I need to rest for a bit," Tang Zhenzhen said to the others with a forced smile.
Hearing her words, the others assumed Tang Zhenzhen was ashamed and didn't want to walk with them anymore. They sneered and left together.
It was almost dark. A summer evening breeze blew, streetlights flickered on, and a shadow approached An'an.
An'an sensed a shadow looming over him and turned back cautiously.
"An'an, you can come to places like this alone. Can you even understand any of it?" Tang Zhenzhen stood over An'an with her arms crossed.
She appeared arrogant, but in reality, she had repeatedly checked that no one else was around and Qin Ningyi was nowhere in sight before daring to approach.
"You've seen the paintings I've drawn, Auntie. Haven't you done enough bad things?" An'an had a very bad impression of Tang Zhenzhen. It was one thing to like his father, but she also tried to cling to him and wrongly accused him. Such an aunt was truly a failure.
When An'an mentioned that incident, Tang Zhenzhen became even more furious. "It's all your fault! If you hadn't said those things, Brother Qin wouldn't have treated me like this. If it weren't for you, I'd still be at the Qin Group, still a designer. It's all your fault!"
Tang Zhenzhen seemed to have gone mad. "It's all your fault! To be so cruel at such a young age. This time, I'll teach you a good lesson and let you know what happens when you meddle in other people's business!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Zhenzhen strode forward and forcefully pushed An'an.
Splash—
The sound of water falling rang out. An'an hadn't expected Tang Zhenzhen to dare to push him directly into the pond. He had anticipated her ill intentions, but he thought she would only try to hit him.
An'an had actually been prepared. In a fight, he might not lose in terms of skill, especially since he was fast.
But he never expected Tang Zhenzhen to push him into the water.
The pond water was murky and green, submerging An'an's head. An'an struggled in the water, trying to call for help, but as soon as he opened his mouth, water rushed in, making it impossible to speak.
He couldn't swim.
He heard Tang Zhenzhen's laughter. An'an sank in the water, held his breath, and forced himself to calm down.
With the occasional flailing of his arms, he could bring his head above water. An'an thought he would try to gasp for air whenever he surfaced.
His small body thrashed in the water. An'an felt as if a long, long time had passed. Before he could surface again, he was losing strength.
Splash—
A loud splash echoed, and the surroundings began to stir.
"A child has fallen into the water!"
"Where? Someone who can swim, hurry and save them!"
"Someone has already jumped in to save them! Hey? Why... why is the water turning red?!"