The Bowl of Seven Emotions

Between the black waters of the southwest, lies the wilderness of Duguang. Houji was buried here, transforming into a marsh. Within the marsh, there is a stone, and within the stone, there is blood. This is the Returning Heart Stone. Possessing it brings peace and health.

—Returning Heart Stone

As April approached, plants sprouted, and clusters of winter jasmine bloomed, dyeing the city with even more vibrant colors.

Tang Susu was very idle, almost bored.

After more than half a year of working, she decided to give herself a long break, so she wrote a leave application. When Secretary Wu received the application, he looked unwell. He'd heard of winter break, summer break, and annual leave, but never spring break.

Have I been left behind by the times, or have you been abducted by aliens?

Tang Susu understood his expression but had no intention of withdrawing this bizarre leave application.

What made him even more distraught was that the boss actually approved it! Not only did he approve a month's leave, but it was also paid.

You two are showing off your affection like this, have you considered my feelings as the one eating the dog food? Secretary Wu, feeling like he had been force-fed a stomach full of dog food, sent off the light-footed Tang Susu, only to be turned around and enslaved to the point of near-death by his suddenly workaholic boss.

Tang Susu, of course, couldn't understand his misery. She was nestled at home, experiencing the drowsiness of spring.

She napped from one o'clock to three in the afternoon. The sun outside was still shining brightly, and the two potted Phalaenopsis orchids on the windowsill were in full bloom. She stretched and rolled off the sofa.

Sitting on the soft carpet beneath the sofa, she picked up Gou Dan, who was watching a drama on the coffee table, and shook it until it started to protest with its paws, then threw it back.

Sigh, as expected, after spending every day together, feelings fade. Even Gou Dan doesn't love me anymore.

Tang Susu rested her chin in her hands and sighed sadly.

After spacing out for a while, she deeply felt that she couldn't continue being so decadent. Since the holiday started, she hadn't left the house for a week! If she didn't go out soon, she and Gou Dan would both face a food shortage crisis.

After tidying up a bit, she intended to take Gou Dan out, but it was watching a crucial moment in its drama and refused to go. Tang Susu had to go out alone.

The plants in the residential complex had turned green at some point. Walking in the warm sunlight, she narrowed her eyes comfortably, enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

"Susu—"

Tang Susu was strolling along when she heard someone call her. Looking towards the sound, she unexpectedly saw Bai Mian.

"Why are you here?" She hurried forward in surprise.

Bai Mian not only arrived unexpectedly but also carried two large bags. She could vaguely see the meat and vegetables inside, and even potato chips and wafers.

"Didn't you tell me you were starving to death, so I brought you some food?" Bai Mian asked with a confused expression.

Tang Susu gritted her teeth inwardly, Gou Dan! I'll stew you when I get back.

"Cough, no, I was just surprised you came so quickly." Taking one of the large bags from Bai Mian, her shopping plans were forced to be aborted, and the two turned to go upstairs.

"There's nothing to do at the company. Oh, right, there's an exhibition of ancient-style jewelry recently. Don't you like that kind of stuff? Do you want to go?"

The corner of Tang Susu's mouth twitched. "Don't you usually dislike this kind of thing? Why did you suddenly think of going to an exhibition?"

"It's because of the designer. I met her in France. She was a somewhat famous jewelry designer back then. Who knew that after returning to China, she switched to designing ancient jewelry?" As she spoke, she couldn't help but frown. "It feels a bit strange."

Hearing her say this, Tang Susu also became curious. To be able to make a name for oneself in a place like France required exceptional talent. Even if the designer particularly liked ancient styles, it shouldn't have led to such a drastic change.

"Isn't she holding an exhibition? The transition should be quite successful, right?" she couldn't help but ask.

"She's somewhat famous in certain niche circles, but how many people do you think are willing to pay for ornaments that are completely impractical and can only be used as decorations at home?"

From a business perspective, to forgo a bright and open path and squeeze onto a narrow, winding one, this designer must be crazy.

If it weren't for her acquaintance with the designer and Susu's interest, she would never go to such an exhibition.

The elevator arrived, and they stopped talking about this topic, simply agreeing to go together this weekend.

Although Bai Mian said she wasn't busy, in reality, after only ten minutes at Tang Susu's place, her phone rang one after another.

Her orange juice was interrupted three times before she finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to end her time off and return to the company to waste her life.

Tang Susu took advantage of this time to bake a few chicken wings for her to take back, slightly soothing her wounded soul.

With Bai Mian's food rescue, Tang Susu continued her decadent life until the day they agreed on, finally crawling out of the house.

Bai Mian was still in a sharp business suit, while Tang Susu wore light-colored casual clothes, a warm yellow loose coat, and a ponytail, making Bai Mian look ten years older.

How can we happily go together dressed like this?

Bai Mian angrily rummaged through Tang Susu's wardrobe and pulled out a black and white monster sweatshirt, put on jeans, and then a baseball cap.

Good, now we both look young, we're even.

As they drove, Bai Mian started to regret it and couldn't help but chatter to Tang Susu, "How am I supposed to meet people like this? My image is completely ruined." She then looked down at the grinning little monster on her chest and said seriously, "I think your aesthetic needs improvement."

"Shut up, someone who only wears business suits has no right to talk about aesthetics."

With one sentence, Tang Susu KO'd Bai Mian and finally gained a moment of peace.

The designer's exhibition hall was located in a small, Republic-era Western-style building. When they arrived, they saw a few cars scattered in the parking lot outside, which didn't look like many people had come to visit.

They exchanged glances and walked towards the building.

The small building was decorated with retro wood. On the antique shelves were complete sets of head ornaments, and on the glass shelves hung turquoise-studded waistbands. In unnoticed corners, there were glimpses of glittering, twisted silver bracelets.

There weren't many visitors; at a glance, there were only a dozen or so people.

There were a few young girls in Hanfu, staring mesmerized at the gold head ornaments on the antique shelf with their companions.

At a glance, Tang Susu could sense the unseen designer's talent. Not to mention the degree of restoration, the visual appeal alone was definitely high enough.

She even wanted to buy a set to take home for her collection.

Bai Mian just casually glanced around with her, not showing any particular surprise. Tang Susu knew in her heart that she had no interest in these things.

After carefully looking at each piece of jewelry, it took more than half an hour. What she found strange was that after so long, the designer hadn't appeared.

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