At this moment, a small figure dashed inside with a dog following after him. The little boy and the dog hurtled towards him. Gong Yexiao caught the little fellow in his arms. Chai Chai leapt onto the sofa and placed its head on Gong Yexiao's shoulder.
Gong Yexiao reached out to give Chai Chai a pat. He then looked at the little boy's face which was layered in a sheen of sweat. It seemed that the little fellow had a great time playing. "Daddy, Chai Chai is so cute! I love him."
Chai Chai whined with excitement. At this time, Old Master Gong came in while being supported on the hand by the steward. Chai Chai jumped off the sofa to welcome the old master.
"This kid is too energetic. At my age, I'm unable to keep up with him." Seeing the lively boy, Old Master Gong came to the realization that he was now too old to even move about like him.
"Xiao Ze, would you like to have dinner with great-grandpa this evening? Daddy has some matters to attend to. I'll pick you up later tonight. " Gong Yexiao spoke to his son.
Blinking his big eyes, the little boy nodded obediently. "Alright. Daddy, you'll need to bring mommy home too, okay?"
The corners of Gong Yexiao's mouth turned upwards. "Alright."
Old Master Gong furrowed his brows. It seemed that this child stuck close to his mother.
In the next hour, Old Master Gong went to take a nap while Gong Yexiao took the little fellow to a nearby playground to play. This was an affluent neighborhood. Gong Yexiao brought along his bodyguards and had a good time with the little boy.
It was probably because the kid was just three years old that he was so active. The little boy was full of zest as he played on the slide with five other kids.
Cheng Liyue was busy in the office for quite a while. She glanced up and saw that it was already five. She still had to get herself ready for the event at six. Walking to Linda's office, she rapped on the door and proceeded to ask, "Linda jie, can I leave work first?"
"Are you going to the event now?"
"En. I'll be going over now. "
"Dressed like that?"
"Uh… yeah."
"It's easy for people to mistake you for a waitress if you're going like that. Let's go. I'm heading out and I just so happen to know the owner of a boutique. We'll go and rent you a dress." Linda gently told her.
Cheng Liyue rarely attended events such as this. She wasn't aware that there was a dress code. When Linda had stepped out of her office, Cheng Liyue gave Linda a hug and laughed. "Linda jie, you're so nice to me. How could I ever repay you?"
"Come up with the best design — that will be the best reward for me." Linda chuckled and left the company together with Cheng Liyue.
The boutique that Linda mentioned was located in a mall not far from the company. Although the boutique wasn't very large, the evening gowns inside were gorgeous. Renting one would cost at least a thousand. But Cheng Liyue felt that it would be worth the money spent because the experience gained from tonight's event was something that could not be bought with money.
Creativity was essential to her work as a designer — even the slightest trace of inspiration was invaluable as it could lead to the inception of a masterpiece.
Linda selected a royal blue spaghetti strap evening gown for Cheng Liyue. Cheng Liyue felt it awkward to wear such a revealing dress. After putting it on, she was stunned by the result.
"Wow! Miss, you have such an amazing figure and your skin is so fair. Not just any one can work this dress." The boutique owner said with admiration.
Although the V-neck dress was not too revealing in the front, she found the back of the dress which had a mid-back, criss cross design, a little bit overwhelming.
"Let the owner help you out with your hairdo. I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem." Linda was somewhat envious — how wonderful was it to be young again.
"Yes, we'll doll you up for the evening. We provide additional services for our regular customers." The boutique owner said shrewdly.
Biting her lip, Cheng Liyue agreed. The boutique owner had Cheng Liyue's long, black hair blown out into loose waves and curled her fringe to frame her face perfectly — giving her an elegant and alluring look.
With her hair and makeup done, the boutique owner could not help but praise Cheng Liyue. "Miss, you are much more beautiful than the celebrities I've seen!"
This caused Cheng Liyue to look abashed. Over the last few years, she had never paid particular attention to her looks since she enjoyed most of her time with her son, passing the days with the little boy in contentment.
"Alright, I'll take you to the event venue. You can return the dress in three days' time. My friend has agreed to send you home after the event." Linda informed her.
Cheng Liyue was touched at Linda's forethought.
Cheng Liyue arrived at the venue at around ten to six. Although this might be considered a simple event in Gong Yexiao's eyes, to an average person like her, this was a grand event.
Cheng Liyue showed her invite at the entrance and stepped into the impressive golden hall where many paintings were displayed. Cheng Liyue glanced at the waiter's black and white attire and noticed that the rest of the female guests were dressed in beautiful, elegant evening gowns while holding champagne flutes as they admired the paintings.
She really had to thank Linda for the heads-up, otherwise she would have showed up in her suit and be mistaken for a waiter.
"Miss, what would you like to drink?" A young waitress approached her and asked.
"Champagne. Thanks."Cheng Liyue gave her a smile.
With the champagne flute in her hand, Cheng Liyue wandered towards the paintings and began to study each piece. She relished the moment as she felt a rush of inspiration.
While Cheng Liyue was looking at the paintings, she was oblivious to the fact that she had attracted the gazes of several men. There were a few photographers who aimed their camera lens at her and had taken pictures of her gorgeous and graceful figure. And there were some men who were waiting for the opportunity to chat her up.
Admiring these paintings was a source of enjoyment for some. But for an artist, enjoyment could be derived from admiring just about any object of beauty. Cheng Liyue's beauty called to them.
Cheng Liyue was studying a painting when a tall and handsome young man walked over to her and gave a comment on the painting, "A distinct feature of this painting is that there seems to be a sort of fluidity between the compatible and the incompatible tones. It appears that the painter is an uninhibited person."
Cheng Liyue casually replied, "It's one of FèiLiè Luó's earlier paintings. His artistic ingenuity is simply extraordinary."
When the man saw that she had responded, he was delighted. "It seems that you have quite an understanding of paintings."
"It's somewhat related to my job. That's probably why I pay extra attention to them." Cheng Liyue smiled.
"It so happens that I'm not too good at it. I wonder if you'll let me accompany you around to study them." The man wanted to get to know her further.
At this moment, a cold, masculine voice rang out from behind them. "She's with me."