Almighty painter

Chapter 570 Gift for Eighteen Years Old
Gu Weijing could feel Koko's body trembling slightly under the bath towel, but she didn't say a word.

He held her.

It was as if when I was a child, one morning after a rainstorm, I picked up a little skylark with broken wings from the grass under a big tree in the yard.

The same is true for birds.

Its body, which was originally warmer than his hands, was covered with rain and felt cold.

With his mouth tightly closed, he looked at you stubbornly with his eyes wide open.

Not a single sound.

Only the slightly trembling body beneath the feathers showed that she was still alive.

He had never seen Koko so powerless, so weak, so frightened, and so sad.

They... don't look like Koko anymore.

Uncle Ale said, the world is what you believe it to be.

Of course, this statement has some flavor of chicken soup for the soul theory.

It is hard to say whether faith can bring people better luck.

But people also need to live by faith.

Maybe it’s a lofty ideal, maybe it’s a bright future, maybe it’s pride, maybe it’s self-confidence.

perhaps.

Just like the monk he met in the temple said, all you have to rely on is hope.

He knew that the story he told when he rejected Brother Hao today also hurt the proud Miss Koko, even though that was not his original intention.

No one can be completely solid from head to toe.

Even if it is Koko.

She also has those moments when she is vulnerable and weak.

But no matter how life hurt her, Koko would never cry.

Maybe cried.

But don't show it to him.

She lay in Gu Weijing's arms, her forehead resting on his shoulder and her face hidden behind his back.

"Gu Weijing, I'm so happy that you can come today. You don't know how happy I was when I saw you under the piano."

After a long time, Koko's voice sounded in Gu Weijing's ears.

Slightly mute.

"I think this is a birthday gift from God to me, 18 years old, a once-in-a-lifetime birthday gift. At that moment, I felt I could do something willful and silly, you know? If you hadn't come, I would have slapped Miao Aung Win and then ran away. I wouldn't have kicked him. I was worried that if I really pissed them off, it would end badly."

"When the gunshots rang out, I didn't care. When you got that call, I didn't care either. I was even a little happy. At that moment, I really wanted to take you away. We could go anywhere, walk on the beach, pick out clothes together at the cheap market, drink coffee together in the cabin at night, and put the fireflies we caught on the way home in the glass jar of the old canned fruit next to us, just like stars."

"We wandered together in a strange city, you were a down-and-out painter, and I was a wandering singer on the street. I know you have a very good future, and I know you have someone you love very much, and this fate is unfair to you. But at that moment, this poor imagination made me feel full of tranquil happiness. I even feel a little grateful to Brother Hao, not much, but really a little bit. Because I feel that in that world, no one knows our names. At that moment, I only have you, and you only have me."

Koko behind her pursed her lips.

Yes.

Koko's chin was resting on his shoulder, and Gu Weijing obviously couldn't see any expression on Koko's face.

But he could still imagine it.

Koko was trying hard to keep her clear and bright eyes open, trying not to let the tears in them overflow, and she pursed her lips into a thin line.

Gu Weijing suddenly understood why he always felt that Koko seemed to have eyes on her back.

Because as long as your hearts are close enough, as close as a bath towel, as long as the other person is important enough to you.

Then his or her every smile, every frown, and every blink will naturally flow into your heart.

"You came to save me. I felt so happy in such a bad situation. Am I selfish?" Koko smiled and asked stubbornly, "I feel so mean and cheap when I think about it. I used to dislike Shandenu so much. I thought she was calculating all the time and I wished I could hear her from miles away. But when I was powerless in life, how much better was I than her?"

"If I have to be someone's whore, I'll be yours."

She continued laughing.

Gu Weijing still didn't answer.

He didn't say whether the other person was tea or not, or not to talk like that.

He just held her in silence, patting her back slowly over and over again as if he was coaxing a child.

It's really strange.

Mr. Sloth said that sometimes the cruelest words are said in the most joking tone.

Gu Weijing could not only feel her expression and her trembling heartbeat, but he could also see the sharp sneer on her face behind him that was directed at life and himself.

You can also see the little girl hugging her knees in her heart.

She had braces and her skin was tanned by the sun.

Without shedding tears, she just stared at the world with stubborn eyes.

It was like something had been taken away from her.

No pain.

It's just empty.

Did Koko have the same expression when her mother passed away many years ago?
Gu Weijing thought to himself.

"If you want to cry, just cry for a while. There may be only two of us on this floor, and no one will hear us. Cry."

Gu Weijing hugged the girl and whispered.

“Life is just not easy.”

The girl in his arms stiffened for a moment.

Gu Weijing could feel the stubborn and harsh smile on Koko's face fading away little by little.

Tick.

It was like a teacup that was knocked over on the table, and the water ripples flowed on the edge of the table, piling up there little by little.

Then it very slowly broke through the constraints of tension and fell into the empty air.

She is crying.

The fair girl in his arms and the dark little girl in his heart were both crying.

The first tear was pulled very long by gravity.

Falling time.

It also seemed to be as long as a lifetime.

In Zhang Ailing's novel "The Golden Lock", it is said that "the loneliness and coldness of human beings are like the slow night leaks - one drop, one drop... one watch, two watches... one year, two years, a hundred years, so long, this lonely moment."

Gu Weijing understood what this feeling was.

Tears fell on the bed.

It should have disappeared silently.

Gu Weijing heard a sound like crystal pearls falling on sharp rocks and shattering. He heard it in his ears and in his heart.

The second drop.

The third drop.

It started as a trickle, then became rampant.

……

"sorry Sorry sorry."

I don’t know why Koko kept sobbing and saying sorry.

Maybe he was apologizing to Gu Weijing, or maybe he was apologizing to himself in his heart.

Or maybe both.

"Thank you for coming today. I'm very happy, but actually... I don't want to see you in this kind of situation. Even if I would rather see Miao Angwen, I don't want to see you. I -"

I hope I will always be proud and strong in your heart.

So, I don't like you seeing me playing piano for people in a strip bar, and I don't like you seeing me in that silly bar dress.

I hope I will always be proud and strong in your heart.

So, I don’t like to cause you trouble, and I don’t like you to see me running away helplessly.

I hope I will always be proud and strong in your heart.

and so.

I don't like taking your money. I hate that you treat me as someone who needs pity, just like the money you gave to those kids in the orphanage to buy toys.

I am no worse than Ms. Sandeno, and I am no worse than Katsuko Sakai.

I am no worse than anyone else in the world.

I want to be able to look you in the eye with a smile forever, not because I have to smile at you because I got $100,000 from you. I don't want to feel inferior in my heart.

Although I know you don't care about this, I do, I care very much.

I also hate it when people mistake me for a prostitute at the night market, even though I know that my outfit is indeed a bit strange and the old man probably has no ill intentions.

He just wanted to make this deal.

……

Koko has always been such a proud person.

But in the face of life, pride becomes insignificant.

"What can I do? What can I do? Gu Weijing, I really don't know what to do. My aunt is going to have a baby, and the family has debts to pay off. What else can I do? I have no other choice. I can't find another job. No one cares if you work hard or try your best. I tried to be a clerk, but they either didn't hire me or wanted to sleep with me."

"I just wanted to go shopping and ask you to pick out two pieces of clothing for me, but that old man looked at me like I was a whore. What can I do? I know he really thought that, and he still wanted to give me a discount. I can slap Miao Angwen, but do I have to slap an old man who wants to give me a discount? Even if I slap him, do I have to slap everyone in the world who looks at me like that?"

"But I'm still wearing that ridiculous red dress. Gu Weijing, I'm scared. I'm scared that one day I won't be able to hold on any longer. When I heard you tell me that story, I was really scared. I was so scared that that would be my future."

Koko couldn't stop sobbing.

"Would my mother know that her daughter would one day be treated as a prostitute?"

"Why is it so difficult? Why is it so difficult? Life..."

“Why is it so difficult?”

"But I have to hold on, otherwise what will happen to my aunt? What will happen to my father? They are not strong people. If I am not strong enough, what will happen? Gu Weijing, I am really tired."

Koko lay on Gu Weijing's shoulder, the first time in her memory at this coming-of-age ceremony when she was 18 years old.

howling.
-
The mottled moon outside the window looked like a lychee eaten by insects, peeled clean and hanging naked in the air, its sweetness mixed with a fragile sourness.

Gu Weijing felt that the girl in his arms was like such a lychee.

He hugged her with the towel.

She showed him her heart.

Gu Weijing said nothing, no sympathy, no comfort. He just held her silently, feeling her weakness, her pain, and her tiredness.

a long time.

Koko's crying gradually subsided.

She lay in Gu Weijing's arms, her body only twitching occasionally.

Gu Weijing could feel that his collar was wet with the other person's tears. The woman's body in his arms had been covered for so long that it slowly became warmer.

Life is like this.

It's difficult and painful.

But if you vent your vulnerability, you will always be able to hold on a little longer.

The coldness in my heart was cried out, and the fire in my body slowly began to burn.

"Thank you, Gu Weijing, thank you for listening to me for so long." Koko said in his ear.

"Not crying anymore?" Gu Weijing asked.

"Don't turn your head." Koko pressed his neck with her hand. "You're crying like a cat. It's not pretty."

"Thank you for not pitying me."

"how could be?"

Gu Weijing smiled and said, "Now that you've finished speaking, let me tell you. Miss Koko, why do you need me to pity you?"

"In my heart, Koko is the coolest. She is cool in school and outside of school. She is cool when she sings, dances, plays tennis, and plays the piano today. She is even cool when she hits people."

"How could you become a prostitute? No one can treat you like a prostitute, not even in life. You are the strongest person I have ever met, proud and handsome. Whether you were a cheerleader or in the bar today, you have not changed a bit. You are different from those who do things for money, for freedom, or for getting something for nothing. Even if you play the piano in a bar, you are not compromising with life and desires. You will always face challenges head-on."

Gu Weijing said calmly: "In my heart, Miss Kokoo will always be cool."

"Really?" Koko whispered in his ear.

"Really, lying is a puppy."

"Well, we have a deal. Liars are puppies."

Koko smiled softly.

It's very different from the forced laughter just now.

She smiled gently.

"That money, the check I wrote... I'm sorry, it's my fault that I didn't explain it clearly." Gu Weijing pointed to the large guaranteed check from Bank of China under the lamp under the table.

"It was my fault."

"This is not pity or charity, this is help, people should be equal. I am not brave enough to give charity to Miss Koko. Wouldn't that mean I am tired of living?"

Gu Weijing made a joke.

"It's just that Miss Kokoo has protected me so many times in the past, you have to give me a chance and protect the big sister, right? Otherwise, I would be too self-deprecating. Please, Miss Kokoo, give me a little face." Gu Weijing asked.

puff.

Koko hummed twice behind him.

"Think about it. Okay, little brother Gu, I'll give you this favor."

She sniffed and spoke softly.

"One hundred thousand dollars is a gift, I have to give it."

"You have to pay back the money. Ten years, twenty years, a hundred years. If you can't pay it back, your son will pay it back. If your son can't pay it back, your grandson will pay it back. Anyway, don't try to get away with it. Do you think I won't charge high interest?"

Gu Weijing also showed his ruthless face, "As we are friends, I won't charge you too much interest, just $10,000. Hehehe, if you can pay it back in one year, the interest rate will be almost 10%, which is much higher than the regular bank loan. Isn't that so heartless? Ha, Miss Koko, you still have time to escape now."

"You can borrow it if you want. Once it's in my pocket, it's my money. You can't take it away."

Koko said softly, "Just now I said I would give myself to you to pay off the debt, but you didn't want it. It turns out you want the interest."

"Who made me so obsessed with money? Besides, this is called value investing. I believe that people like Koko can reach great heights no matter what they do, whether it's studying, singing, dancing, or anything else, as long as she wants to. It would be unfair for such a cool girl not to succeed. By then, Koko will continue to protect me, and I will not only make money, but also receive favors. Wouldn't that be a huge profit? You want to run away after a hundred days? No way. We have to be friends for life. Remember to sign the note later."

"Okay, I won't run away. I'll write an IOU. We'll be lifelong friends. The one who's lying is a puppy." Koko repeated slowly.

The girl rubbed the boy's cheek with her face like a cat.

Gu Weijing could feel the soft, creamy skin sliding across his temples.

There is one thing you are right about.

Koko's skin is indeed good.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you, Gu Weijing."

"I told you."

"Then say it again." Koko said.

thank you.

Thank you for being willing to listen to me cry and for taking care of my self-esteem in every possible way. You didn't say I didn't have to pay it back or gave me a symbolic amount of one dollar or something.

"Well, happy birthday, Koko."

"I told you."

"I'll say it again, actually... that iPhone is a gift from Shengzi to you."

"Ok?"

Koko's voice trembled.

Gu Weijing hesitated for a moment and then loosened his arms.

He pulled the schoolbag aside, opened the compartment, and took out the small silk bag that he had not taken out in the car just now.

The moment Koko saw the small bag, she felt as if she was struck by lightning.

"Time is a bit tight. According to the rules, you have to be in the top 50 believers for three consecutive weeks to get a consecrated bracelet. It's too late. But when I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda a few days ago, I met a very interesting monk who had some power. I think I convinced him to agree to queue for two weeks first, and then I will queue for three weeks. The Bodhisattva will bless me reluctantly."

"Get on the bus first, and buy the ticket later."

Gu Weijing opened the small silk belt, revealing a Buddhist bead tied with a red string.

"I wish Miss Kokoo good health, happiness, and staying cool forever. May she be as peaceful and happy as a sunflower."

Koko stretched out her arms.

She covered her mouth with her other hand, seeming to be crying and laughing.

A pair of eyes like the water of a peach blossom pond, full of tenderness.

She has received all kinds of birthday gifts in her life.

There are very expensive imported motorcycles, various bags, jewelry, pianos, and even Van Cleef & Arpels earrings.

Some were given by stepmothers, some by girls, and some by young masters.

But after my mother died.

This was the first time that someone was willing to stand under the scorching sun for weeks just to pray to the Buddha for her peace and happiness.

(End of this chapter)