Read Chapter 11: — THE WOMAN HE COULD NOT READ

Mufeng did resign, at least for a time.

He returned to painting and spent long hours at Cimo Hall, the old Qiu family residence where Qiu Bin's grandfather, Qiu Zanchen, still practised calligraphy every morning.

The old master read Mufeng's mood through his brushwork.

"You are trying too hard to look free," he said.

"I thought freedom was my natural talent."

"So do birds until they meet glass."

Mufeng disliked the metaphor because it was accurate.

Yonghe offered him an exhibition at Qinghe Gallery. The show succeeded beyond his expectations. Critics praised his landscapes and calligraphy. Two senior artists attended at Yonghe's invitation, giving his young career the credibility that talent alone had not yet earned.

He should have been happy.

Instead he became suspicious of her.

A wealthy buyer, Chang Jianqing, commissioned several paintings in a style influenced by Zhang Daqian. The money was excellent. The work itself was challenging enough to interest Mufeng.

Then, during a visit to Chang's house, Mufeng found Yonghe's phone beneath a sofa cushion.

She knew Chang.

She had not mentioned it.

Soon afterward Mufeng heard rumours that forged modern Chinese paintings were entering the market through private collectors and small galleries. A friend warned him that Qinghe Gallery might be connected.

Mufeng rejected the accusation in public.

Privately, he began checking the paintings he had sold.

One of his works had been altered and circulated as a supposed Zhang Daqian original.

His stomach turned.

Forging a master he revered was bad enough. Discovering that his own hand had been used to make the fraud possible felt like a violation.

He confronted his father after learning that Li Mingtao had also delivered one of Mufeng's paintings to an intermediary for cash.

Mingtao looked devastated.

"I thought I was helping you sell paintings."

The scheme had exploited everyone—Mingtao's pride in his son, Mufeng's ambition, and the trust of collectors.

Then Yonghe vanished.

Her staff said she was travelling.

Wu Siqin, an art dealer who had known her for years, said something different.

"She's missing."

Mufeng's suspicion collapsed into fear.