Chapter 2789: Portrait
"What are you looking at?" The young man seemed unsatisfied, and when he saw Gong Ying staring at him, he immediately picked a fight. "This is District 022, not a place where you outer zone players can do whatever you want!"
Gong Ying shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just looking around. My eyes are on my face—you can't exactly gouge them out, can you?"
The young man laughed in anger upon hearing this. "Who do you think you are? What's so special about gouging out your eyes?"
This was practically a declaration of war. The cynical air around Gong Ying instantly vanished, replaced by a fierce killing intent. Every player present could feel that in that very moment, they had been enveloped by a strange trait power.
"Young Master!" A player following behind the young man quickly stepped forward and said to him, "We're here on business. The master instructed us not to cause trouble outside."
"Cause trouble?" The young man was displeased. "Am I the one causing trouble? It's clearly trouble coming to me!"
The player paused briefly, then added, "The master's instructions are more important."
Only then did the young man reluctantly leave. Before going, he glared at Xu Huo and the others and emphasized to the remaining players, "Don't let them into Whale Garden. If they try to force their way in, report them to the Enforcement Team."
The few players naturally nodded in agreement, but after the young man left, they didn't really stand guard strictly. Instead, they positioned themselves at a moderate distance to watch the Whale Garden entrance, not interfering with Xu Huo and the others' actions.
Gong Ying went over and rang the doorbell. Ms. Ruo let them in.
Only one teacup was set on the table. Her mood was also poor, and she kept stroking the head of the little dog in her arms, pulling out quite a bit of fur.
"Mr. Xu has prepared quite a few gifts for you this time," Gong Ying said outright.
This person really never changed his ways.
Gong Ying gave Xu Huo an apologetic smile and then stepped back.
Xu Huo placed all the selected gifts on the coffee table. "I noticed you have few books and accessories here, so I just picked some from a gift shop. It's fine if you don't like them."
Ms. Ruo lowered her eyes. "I've received many gifts before—unique gems, rare and sought-after manuscripts, and even someone who wanted to give me a country."
"That's different," Xu Huo said calmly. "Heavy gifts come with heavy demands. I have no demands."
Ms. Ruo let out a soft laugh. "Liar."
But she still accepted the gifts and proactively brought out the sketchbook and brush. "Didn't you want to paint me? Give it a try."
The three of them moved to the garden. Ms. Ruo didn't need to hold a fixed pose; she just had to sip her tea as usual and chat with Gong Ying.
Xu Huo observed her expressions and painted eight portraits in a row.
Watching the sheets of paper in his hand pile up one after another, Gong Ying, who had been waiting for a long time, finally couldn't hold back and leaned in to say, "Even if your painting skills aren't great, you don't need to scrap that many sheets..."
Before she could finish, she picked up a few of the drawings and said in confusion, "Aren't these pretty good? But why are you painting so many of the same pose?"
Ms. Ruo raised her hand, and the drawings floated over to her. She looked through them one by one, then clapped her hands and laughed heartily. "You really did paint them."
Ms. Ruo finally became a bit more serious. "You haven't finished yet. Keep painting."
Xu Huo's brush didn't stop.
After Ms. Ruo's attitude shifted, even Gong Ying could tell something was off. Almost every few moments, her demeanor would show obvious changes. Unlike someone who suddenly stops smiling, her entire aura transformed—one second she was gentle and tender, and the next she turned gloomy and sullen, even the fine lines of her expression altering.
Gong Ying wisely chose not to speak again and just sat quietly behind them, watching.
Finally, after Xu Huo finished the fourteenth portrait, he stopped.
Ms. Ruo was very satisfied after looking at them and said she would find a proper place to store this gift. Then she added, "Can you help me paint the face of my lifesaver?"
Xu Huo knew she had switched to the personality unaware of the truth. After a moment's thought, he agreed.
Based on her description, he made many revisions, but in the end, none of them produced a definitive face. Sometimes the face looked like Ms. Ruo herself, sometimes like a man with mismatched features, or a younger version of Ms. Ruo. Her memory was skewed, so she repeatedly overturned her own descriptions. It wasn't until much later that those faces overlapped into a single image of a resolute-looking Ms. Ruo.
She appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, far less beautiful than now, with two scars running across most of her face.
Ms. Ruo stroked the drawing and let out a long sigh after a long while. "So that's what she looked like. I had forgotten her appearance."
"The brain isn't as forgetful as people imagine," Xu Huo said. "She has always been in your memory."
Gong Ying's gaze darted between the two of them. The current situation was clearly beyond her understanding.
Ms. Ruo was lost in her own emotions. "She said she wanted to settle down here, so I came. I guess she knew she couldn't make it herself, so she entrusted her wish to me."
"I wonder if she's been happy these past ten years, and whether Lake City is the kind of place she dreamed of."
She murmured to herself, then clutched the drawing and walked into the house.
Xu Huo didn't follow her in but instead called Gong Ying to leave.
Only after they walked out of Whale Garden did Gong Ying ask, "Is she really a split personality?"
"Didn't you see it for yourself?" Xu Huo said. "And quite a few split personalities at that."
Gong Ying showed a pained expression. "To have so many personalities emerge, I can't imagine how much she must have suffered before. At least now she's had a few good years."
Good years didn't quite fit. If Ms. Ruo's heart were truly at peace, she wouldn't have multiple personalities switching so frequently. Only when someone can't bear the impact of reality and emotions would they need other personalities to take over. She might have been a resilient strong person originally, but that doesn't mean she could reconcile with herself.
Gong Ying sighed a couple of times and then looked troubled. "With so many personalities, what kind of thing would she truly treasure?"
"Ask her tomorrow," Xu Huo said. "Maybe if she's happy, she'll give you one."
Gong Ying laughed. "You're really joking."
She fell silent again, then after a moment said, "Why does Ms. Ruo like Lake City so much?"
"To be honest, the living conditions for outer zone players in District 022 aren't great—high costs, many restrictions, and you have to guard against being sent to Punishment City as expendable material. Why would she choose this place? Is there some compelling reason?"
Her gaze turned to Xu Huo, who paused. "You're asking me?"
"You're the professional; I'm just an amateur. You could tell she has over a dozen personalities, so you should be able to guess a bit, right?"
Xu Huo suddenly stopped walking. By now, the sky had darkened. There were many plants near Whale Garden, and the chirping of insects was constant. A small bug wobbled past their eyes, its faint glow flickering softly before quickly disappearing into the bushes.
"Maybe she just saw a particularly beautiful view at a particularly special moment."