HLnovel Chapter 152 Brother Zou Duo, I'm Young and Beautiful
Chapter 152 Brother Zou Duo, I'm Young and Beautiful
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"The church remembers the wedding, the moonlight remembers that night, and the white doves remember the newlyweds looking up as they took flight. The people are no longer there, but these things remain. Whenever someone looks at this painting, they can feel that moment."
Yukimura gazed at the silvery moonlight on the screen, saying nothing, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him. There was no emotion, no awe, just a calm, almost serene feeling, as if he were being gently cradled by something.
After saying all this, Mochizuki Ryo glanced at Yukimura and said mischievously, "I was just making this up. The painter himself probably didn't think that much about it."
Yukimura chuckled at his words, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, his shoulders trembling slightly. "You were so serious just now, and now you're saying it was all nonsense."
"I'm serious."
Wang Yueling shrugged, looking completely innocent. "I was seriously talking nonsense."
"However, I really think the painter deliberately left the people outside the painting so that the viewer could fill them in themselves. Whoever you put in becomes the subject of the painting."
"I don't know if this painting is for sale."
Yukimura paused for a moment upon hearing this, then glanced at him. "You want to buy it?"
"Yes. Not just this one, I also want to buy the 'Homecoming' painting. And that one with the silver lake and golden wheat fields... and the previous snow scene, I want to buy them all."
"...You're buying so many paintings?"
"What's too much?" Mochizuki Ryou tilted her head to look at him, a smile curving her lips. "Seishi, those paintings you like can be hung in your home from now on. This one about the church, I'll hang it there. Nobody's getting in anyone's way."
"Besides, don't you like it? You'll be able to see it anytime."
Yukimura opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back down.
Does he like it? Of course he does.
The colors, light and shadow, and emotions in these paintings all resonated with his aesthetic sense. He was even already considering whether he should try to copy one when he got back.
But he didn't expect that Mochizuki Ryo would notice.
He thought he was looking at a painting, but the person was actually watching him.
"I mean," Yukimura began, his voice a little softer than usual, "you don't need to..."
"Seiichi, don't overthink it."
Wang Yueling interrupted him, her tone relaxed, "I just saw a painting I liked and wanted to buy it."
"Look, these paintings are just for display in art museums, but they're also great to have at home where we can see them every day."
Yukimura glanced at him.
The boy spoke with a very natural expression, as if he wasn't talking about buying paintings, but rather about buying some white radishes today.
His image was reflected in her azure eyes, and the corners of her lips were slightly upturned. The certainty and relaxation that emanated from her very bones made it difficult to even utter a word of refusal.
"Alright then." Yukimura didn't insist any further.
The two people stood in front of the church painting, neither of them moving.
After about half a minute, Mochizuki Ryou suddenly spoke up, "Do you know what moves me most about this painting?"
Yukimura looked back at him and gently shook his head.
"It's clean."
Wang Yueling's voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, "A wedding without people is more moving than a wedding with people. Because those things are not sacred because people are there; they are sacred in themselves. A white dove is a white dove, a petal is a petal, and moonlight is moonlight."
"No one needs to define it."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "I think feelings are like that too. They don't need ceremonies, witnesses, or any earth-shattering events. They're just there quietly, like these paintings. You see them, and you know it."
Yukimura stood there without saying a word, his hands behind his back, his fingertips gently pinching his sleeve.
He understood what Mochizuki Ryou was saying.
It's not about the paintings, it's about them. It's about his feelings for himself, which don't need to be dramatic or grand; they're just there quietly.
He'll understand when he sees it.
Yukimura lowered his eyes, looking at the crease that had been pinched into his sleeve.
He could feel his heart beating faster, each beat pounding against his chest.
He knew that Mochizuki Ryo liked him.
From the first time they met, when the blond boy stood at the rooftop entrance holding white daisies and pale purple irises, looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes, he knew it.
That's not how fans like their idols.
It was a deeper kind of tenderness, a careful and earnest desire to present the whole world to him.
He could sense that Wang Yueling had included him in every future plan.
But there was one thing he couldn't understand.
Why doesn't this person confess their feelings?
Yukimura secretly glanced at Mochizuki Ryo beside him.
The blond boy was intently gazing at the church in the dead of night, his azure eyes reflecting the lamplight, and the lines of his profile were already so handsome.
Based on his understanding of Wang Yueling, he wasn't the kind of person who only dared to engage in ambiguous relationships, nor was he someone who was afraid of being rejected.
He was so confident, even a little arrogant, that he never hid his thoughts.
Then why haven't you said anything yet?
……
The two people stood in front of the painting, neither of them speaking.
Until a laughing voice from the side broke the silence.
"Oh, it seems you really like this painting."
Yukimura turned his head and saw a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old standing next to him, wearing a light gray casual suit.
He was tall and slender, with soft, honey-brown curly hair that clung to his forehead. He wore round-framed glasses, behind which were large eyes that held a gentle, harmless smile.
She looked like a graduate student from an art academy, with a clean and refined demeanor. When she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, which made people unconsciously relax and lower their guard.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
The young man smiled and pointed to the work badge pinned to his chest. "I'm a special guest at this art exhibition. I just happened to be passing by and saw you standing in front of this set of paintings for a long time, so I came over to ask."
When he walked over, his pace was neither fast nor slow, and his posture was very relaxed, as if he were taking a stroll.
But Mochizuki Ryo noticed that his gaze had been moving back and forth between himself and Yukimura ever since he appeared.
That look wasn't one of curiosity, but of observation.
It's like looking at two very interesting specimens.
Irie Kanata.
The name popped into Wang Yueling's mind.
The goalkeeper of the U17 training camp's No. 3 field, a mentally strong player, is good at using acting skills to confuse opponents and is known as the "actor on the field".
He had read this person's information and knew his playing style, technical characteristics, and psychological habits.
But this was the first time I'd ever met him in person.
The other person was a bit taller than he had imagined, and had broader shoulders. But his face was indeed very harmless, and when he smiled, it was impossible to feel any sense of defensiveness.
Wang Yueling felt a little helpless.
There are quite a few familiar faces at this art exhibition. I've already seen several familiar sports equipment vendors and event organizers, and then I ran into the Echizen father and son. Now even the U17 players are here.
Who's actually at this art exhibition?!
Why are they all here?
"Irie-senpai," Mochizuki Ryo spoke first, his tone very calm.
Kanata Irie's eyes lit up, and his smile deepened. "Oh my, you know me? I'm truly flattered. But... please don't call me Irie-senpai, just call me Kanata-nii. It sounds more friendly that way."
Wang Yueling's lips twitched, but she didn't respond to that.
"I've heard of him. Kanata Irie, the goalkeeper for pitch number 3 in the U17 team. I've heard a lot about him."
Kanata Irie tilted his head, the lenses of his round-framed glasses reflecting the light. "You even know I'm from Court 3. It seems Taneshima was right. You really know a lot about the people in our training camp."
He didn't press Mochizuki Ryo about how she knew all this, but turned her gaze to Yukimura, smiling as she extended her hand.
"Hello, I'm Kanata Irie. You must be Yukimura from Rikkai University?"
Yukimura nodded slightly, a polite smile on his lips, and shook his hand gently. "Hello, Irie-senpai."
"Oh dear, I told you not to call me 'senpai,' I'm not that much older than you." Kanata Irie blinked, released her hand, and looked innocent and playful. "Just call me Kanata-nii. It makes me seem younger and prettier. Got it?"
Mochizuki Ryo coughed softly. Yukimura also paused for a moment, but quickly regained his gentle expression and did not respond.
Seeing that neither of them responded, Kanata Irie wasn't embarrassed. She smiled, withdrew her hand, and looked back at the painting. "You like this painting?"
"Hmm." Wang Yueling nodded, her azure eyes lingering on the church painting for a moment.
"This one," Kanata Irie said, taking a step forward and looking up at the painting with a special emotion in her voice. "This painting depicts a church in a small town in southern France. The painter lived there for three years, sitting in front of the church every evening to watch the changing light. He painted this series of paintings the year he got married, as a gift to his beloved."
"A gift for your loved one?" Yukimura repeated.
"Yes. His lover is Japanese, a retired professional tennis player." As Kanata Irie said this, her eyes behind her glasses curved slightly, and her gaze drifted lightly between Ryo Mochizuki and Yukimura. "She's also male."
When he said "also," he emphasized the last syllable slightly.
Mochizuki Ryo noticed, but didn't respond. Yukimura also noticed, but similarly didn't respond.
Seeing that neither of them reacted, Kanata Irie smiled and continued, "This series of paintings is called 'Presence and Absence.' The artist himself said that he painted weddings, but he didn't want to paint the specific people and events. He felt that the most touching part of a wedding is not the ceremony itself, but what happens after the ceremony."
After listening, Mochizuki Ryo remained silent for a few seconds, then softly uttered a sentence in French, "C'est beau." (Very beautiful.)
Kanata Irie tilted her head to look at him. "You speak French?"
"Yes. I grew up in France."
"No wonder," Kanata Irie replied with a smile. "Your French accent is very authentic, not like someone who learned it later."
Yukimura stood to the side, quietly listening to the two chatting. His gaze lingered on the paintings for a moment, then inadvertently fell on Mochizuki Ryo's profile.
The other person was discussing the technical details of the painting with Kanata Irie, using very professional terminology but speaking in a very casual tone.
"The painter used many layers of thin paint when dealing with white. The base color is light blue, the middle layer is mixed with a little grayish purple, and the top layer is pure white, so the white looks very transparent, yet it is also very heavy."
Kanata Irie listened attentively, nodding occasionally and adding a word or two now and then. But his gaze kept shifting between him and Yukimura, a meaningful smile curving his lips.
"You two have a really good relationship."
Mochizuki Ryo glanced at Yukimura, then turned back, her azure eyes calm. "Yes, of course."
Kanata Irie smiled and didn't press the matter further. Changing the subject, she said, "By the way, were you just asking if these paintings were for sale?"
Wang Yueling nodded.
"As far as I know, this painter is not the kind of person who would easily sell his works. He mostly keeps his paintings for his own collection and rarely circulates them to the public."
"Especially this set of 'Presence and Absence,' he himself said that it was a gift for his lover and would not be sold."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yueling frowned slightly.
"but……"
Kanata Irie drew out the last syllable of his sentence, a sly glint in his eyes behind his glasses. "I know the organizer of this exhibition, that French collector. If you really want to participate, I can help introduce you."
Wang Yueling looked at him. "You know the organizers?"
"Yes." Kanata Irie nodded casually. "The French collector of this art exhibition is a very special person to my uncle. My uncle used to be a professional tennis player, and I've known him for many years."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Yukimura, then at Mochizuki Ryo, and a meaningful smile curved his lips. "Moreover, I heard that this collector is also very familiar with your father."
Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You even know that?"
"Of course." Kanata Irie shrugged. "I've done my homework on the networks of relationships among you wealthy families."
Mochizuki Ryou looked at him for two seconds and then teased, "Irie-senpai, you're really suited to be a spy."
"Oh dear, what kind of talk is that?"
Kanata Irie smiled and waved his hand, "I'm just a tennis player who happens to be interested in interpersonal relationships."