Chapter 2: Ambushed at Home

  Dongfang Lan got up early and sat in front of the mirror, carefully making herself up. Looking at her slightly powdered self in the mirror, she looked like a blooming flower. Dongfang Lan made a face at her reflection in the mirror and burst out laughing with a "heh".

  Since Wang Long promised to come home and play today, Dongfang Lan had not slept well since last night. Before dawn, she quickly got up and spent more than an hour dressing herself up.

  Watching the young lady dress up so early and walk downstairs, Wang Mama, the nanny, was shocked with her mouth wide open. The broom in her hand accidentally knocked over the trash that had already been packed on the floor.

  Dongfang Lan happily greeted Wang Ma, humming a happy tune as she quickly ran to the gate and stood there looking out. Wang Ma, carrying a trash bag, walked past Dongfang Lan and curiously asked, "Miss, who are you waiting for so early?" Dongfang Lan's face suddenly turned red, and she whispered in disguise, "No, I just thought of coming out early to breathe some fresh air. Staying at home every day during the summer vacation is really suffocating." Wang Ma responded with a skeptical "oh" and walked away carrying the trash bag.

  Dongfang Lan touched her face, which was about to burn with anger, and whispered to herself: "Wang Long, you scoundrel, you promised to come to my house today, why haven't you arrived yet?" She didn't even look at the time now, many people were still sleeping and accompanying Lord Zhou.

  Dongfang Lan stood at the door for more than two hours, waiting for Wang Long. During this time, she scolded Wang Long thousands of times in her heart.

  Watching Wang Long walking towards her in a leisurely manner, Dongfang Lan couldn't help but run over and started pounding on his chest, shouting: "You scoundrel, why are you so late?" Wang Long looked at his watch and said in surprise: "Young lady, it's only 8:30 now, that's considered early." Dongfang Lan continued to pummel Wang Long's chest, saying: "It's still late, I've been waiting for you here for over two hours already!" After finishing her sentence, she immediately realized the huge problem with what she said and her face turned bright red.

  Wang Long looked at Dongfang Lan's bright red face and joked, "What's wrong, young lady? Your face is even redder than the sun this morning." Dongfang Lan suddenly got angry and scolded, "It's all because of you! I don't care, today you have to stay with me for a day." Wang Long smiled and nodded, "Okay, young lady. Since I'm here, I'll play with you all day." Dongfang Lan showed a happy smile and said, "Good that you know your place. Let's go in, my dad is not home today, only me and the nanny, Wang Ma, are at home."

  Wang Long and Dongfang Lan finished the breakfast prepared by Wang's mother. Dongfang Lan said to Wang Long, "Wang Long, today you have to take me to climb the mountain. I've been wanting to go to that Tongzhong Mountain near our home for a long time." Wang's mother called out from beside them, "Miss, that mountain is too steep and dangerous, it's better if you don't go." Dongfang Lan shook her head and said, "No, I must go. With Wang Long here, nothing will happen."

  Wang Long and Dongfang Lan packed their bags, walked for over ten minutes, and arrived at the foot of Tongzhong Mountain. Tongzhong Mountain was named for its bell-like shape, tall and upright. The two people followed the steep mountain slope and embarked on a journey to find their dreams.

  The rugged rock tore apart Dongfang Lan's beautiful skirt, the mountain wind disheveled her hair, and the thorns on the hill pierced her gentle hands and quick feet. Yet all along, Dongfang Lan was still telling Wang Long about the beauty at the mountaintop that had captivated her heart. As they were about to reach the summit, Dongfang Lan finally closed her eyes with a smile in Wang Long's warm embrace. She said she was too tired and asked Wang Long to hold her for a while.

  On the beautiful mountain, the lovely mountain flowers are swaying in the wind, the gentle mountain breeze is blowing against the hem of their clothes, and a clear mountain stream is flowing, nourishing the many creatures on the mountain.

  A romantic and lingering story between the sturdy pine trees and the light white clouds must have also occurred on this mountain, don't you believe? Listen, isn't it the gentle language of love between the pines and the white clouds that is being transmitted through the wind?

  Wang Long and Dongfang Lan stood together on the mountain top, taking in the breathtaking view of nature.

  Until the sun shone with a dazzling golden light that hurt their eyes, they were ready to head home. For the girl, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, it couldn't compare to her own fair skin. If she got sunburned and turned as dark as an African, it would be a loss.

  Back home, Dongfang Lan was already drenched in sweat and frowned at Wang Long: "I'll go take a bath first, you wait for me in the living room." Wang Long nodded and stood in the living room admiring the calligraphy on the wall.

  Suddenly, Wang Long heard a voice beside him say: "Young man, what do you think of these paintings?" Wang Long turned his head to look and found it was a middle-aged man in his forties. The man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with an air of majesty on his face. Wang Long said: "I think all these paintings are very good, especially the brushwork is particularly free and easy, transcending the mundane... Contemporary Chinese painting creation is worthy of its predecessors and worthy of the times."

  Wang Long relied on his exceptional memory and shared all his previous understanding of calligraphy and painting. The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly as he listened.

  A middle-aged man said to Wang Long, "Young man, my name is Dongfang Hong, what's your name?" Wang Long hastily replied, "Uncle, nice to meet you, I'm Wang Long, a classmate of Dongfang Lan."

  Dong Fang Hong pulled Wang Long to sit on the sofa and said, "Wang Long, I think you have a certain understanding of our country's calligraphy and painting. Why do you say that contemporary Chinese painting creation is not inferior to its predecessors, not inferior to the times? Today's China is prosperous and thriving, artistic creation is free, and artists' lives are happy, it is the best era in history. So, compared with history, let's just talk about modern times - can we be mentioned together? Are we worthy of our predecessors? What will we say to our ancestors?"

  Wang Long nodded and said to Dongfang Hong, "I can understand the profound meaning of your question. My attitude is that I respect both the past and the present. It can be said that whether it's a vertical or horizontal comparison, I have no reservations in saying that the living conditions and creative conditions for contemporary Chinese painters are better than those of any period in Chinese history and most Western countries."

  "Today's China has the largest number of practitioners, the largest number of full-time personnel in art academies, academic research institutions... Especially with the current relaxed and autonomous creative atmosphere, as well as numerous exhibitions, activities, international exchanges, printing and publishing, media publicity, and a booming art market, it is clear that art is thriving. What I call the 'era of shame or pride' refers to whether our works meet the required standards. In my opinion, the overall level should be higher than any period in Chinese history, with an average level surpassing that of Western peers..."

  Wang Long's words made Dongfang Hong have a particularly good impression of him, and Dongfang Hong nodded secretly in his heart. With such a talented person interacting with his daughter, he could also feel at ease. After letting out a long sigh, Dongfang Hong suddenly thought of Irene.

  Dongfang Hong has been feeling extremely irritable and restless lately. Ever since Irene proposed that he help her arrange a series of personnel appointments that would affect national security, Dongfang Hong had refused without hesitation. After that, Irene never appeared by his side again. While missing Irene, Dongfang Hong also felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

  Today's conversation with Wang Long made Dongfang Hong temporarily forget his unhappiness and fully immerse himself in the ocean of art.

  Wang Long and Dongfang Hong talked for over an hour, before Dongfang Lan finally came down after finishing her bath. Wang Long couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart, thinking that girls really are a hassle, even taking a bath takes so long.

  Dongfang Lan sweetly called out "Dad" and leaned against Dongfang Hong's side to listen to the conversation between the two. Dongfang Lan's personality was like that of a carefree boy, completely uninterested in Wang Long and her father's discussion about art. Before long, she fell asleep leaning on Dongfang Hong's body. Wang Long softly said to Dongfang Hong, "She might be tired from hiking today."

  Dongfang Hong nodded and let Wang Long wait for a while downstairs. He gently picked up his daughter and sent her to her own room to sleep.

  After sending his daughter to bed, Dongfang Hong continued downstairs and started discussing the issue of Chinese painting with Wang Long. Wang Long suddenly felt a slight movement upstairs, followed by the sound of a cat meowing outside, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

  Suddenly, a loud scream came from upstairs, and Dongfang Hong and Wang Long rushed to the second floor towards Dongfang Lan's room. Dongfang Hong opened the door to his daughter's bedroom, and what he saw made him furious. Dongfang Lan's nightgown was torn apart, barely covering her private parts, and a jade pendant on her neck sparkled in the sunlight, with a large "噬" character engraved on it. Wang Long only took one glance before noticing that the pendant was crystal clear white.

  Dongfang Lan saw her bedroom door opened by her father, and she quickly pulled over a quilt to cover herself. Dongfang Hong anxiously asked, "What's wrong? Lan?" Dongfang Lan pointed at the window and cried to Dongfang Hong, "Just now, a man in black hit me with his palm and escaped from the window. I only saw his back." Wang Long asked, "Are you hurt?" Dongfang Lan shook her head and said, "I'm also very strange, he hit me with his palm, but it's like nothing happened to me." Wang Long vaguely thought of something, but couldn't quite confirm it yet.

  Dongfang Hong said beside him: "Fortunately, you're not hurt, I was scared to death."

  Dongfang Lan had been frightened out of her sleep and hastily put on her clothes under the quilt before getting up.