Fang Fei left her contact information and joined the "Jinhua Lun" WeChat group before leaving. The remaining group stayed at a nearby hotel for the night and had a farewell dinner together the next morning.
After dinner, they sat for a while, mainly because Shao Ling had many questions to ask.
"So now it seems that the coordinates of all the art museums where the paintings you visited are located, when connected, look like a T and a triangle?" Shao Ling asked thoughtfully, looking at the coordinate map saved on Ke Xun's phone.
"The angular shape at the back can be seen as a triangle, or as the left vertical line and the right diagonal line in the middle of the letter 'N' or 'M'," Qin Ci said. "But I'm more inclined to see it as the letter N or M."
"So it seems that the coordinates we used to enter the painting are based on the shape of these letters," Shao Ling pondered. "Could these letters be some kind of hint?"
"We've discussed this before," Qin Ci said. "We think there are two possibilities. First, these letters formed by the coordinates of all the art museums will eventually form a sentence like a code or clue, and this sentence may be the key to unlocking the truth behind this whole incredible thing. Second, the letters formed by these coordinates are very likely a huge signature."
Shao Ling was suddenly startled and immediately focused his gaze back on the screen of his phone. He stared at it carefully for a while before saying, "If this is a signature, have you looked for any painter whose signature starts with the letter T?"
"There are so many painters throughout history, both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign. It's not easy to find one, is it?" Luo Yu exclaimed in surprise.
"At least we can rule out ancient Chinese painters," Shao Ling said. "Only foreign painters or contemporary Chinese painters would use English letters as their signature. This name starting with T could be an English word or an abbreviation of a name. We should investigate the names of painters from different countries. Painters whose names don't start with T can be ignored, and then we can use the process of elimination to filter them…"
"This is probably an enormous amount of work," Qin Ci shook his head slightly. "You know, among the paintings we've included are works by unknown artists, or even those whose skills aren't particularly good. If we include artists of that caliber, I think it would take several years to finish investigating."
Shao Ling thought for a while and asked, "So, among all the artists whose paintings we've included, are there any commonalities or other connections between them?"
"Absolutely none," Huan Weidong answered him. "We even tried to check the genealogies of these painters—we checked all the ones we could find, and there was no connection."
"They might only have one thing in common," Ke Xun said, "They're all Chinese."
Shao Ling's eyes flashed: "Does this kind of thing happen abroad?"
"No." This time, it was Mu Yiran who answered him. "I had people keep a close eye out, and I even went to several art museums that were said to have had paranormal events, but in the end, they were all confirmed to be completely unrelated to the painting incident. This only happened in this country." "
Then let's just investigate domestic painters." Shao Ling was unwilling to give up on his method. "And, have you contacted the contemporary painters of those paintings that were previously involved?"
"Xiao Mu tried to contact them, but unfortunately, they have all passed away." Qin Ci said.
"This might be the second commonality among these people." Ke Xun shrugged.
Shao Ling frowned, realizing that the whole incident was so utterly clueless, happening without reason, progressing without cause, without result, just continuing indefinitely? Just like that, without end?
Then what's the point of struggling to live like this?
Seemingly sensing the suppressed confusion and agitation in his eyes, Mu Yiran said, "I believe everything has a cause and effect. This couldn't have happened without a reason, so there's no need to feel lost. Let's brainstorm and eventually find a clue."
Shao Ling smiled, "You're right, I was a little impatient."
"That's normal. After all, you've only gone through one painting, so it's normal to be eager to get out of this situation," Ke Xun said. "Unlike us, we've endured so many paintings, we're already numb. Look at us guys, we're eating, sleeping, working, and playing as usual, nothing's affected. You can try jumping straight to our stage."
"I'll try." Shao Ling regained his composure, composed himself, and then looked at Mu Yiran, "So, what kind of investigation are you conducting on this matter?"
"First, we need to know whether this only started happening this year, or if it had been going on for a while," Mu Yiran said, immediately drawing Shao Ling's attention. "The first painting that Dr. Qin and I worked on was in early May this year. The other eleven people who worked on the painting at the same time were all doing it for the first time, so we have no way of knowing if there were any other paintings before that. If there were, then the letters formed by the coordinates we have now probably can't be considered to start with 'T'.
"Therefore, I think finding the starting time of this event will give us more clues, so this question is crucial. We've been working on this separately for some time now."
"Dr. Qin's classmates are scattered across hospitals in various cities, and he's currently contacting them, trying to find out about strange and unusual events in their cities through casual conversations. You see, rumors about these kinds of things are quite common in hospitals, and those who are depicted in these paintings often fall ill, go insane, or get injured in the real world because of them. Hospitals are the main place to find out about these people and events.
Haowen and Weidong are responsible for collecting and inquiring about related rumors online, while Kexun and I are responsible for consulting relevant books, print media, and conducting on-site investigations. But this isn't something that can be done quickly; so far, we haven't found anything useful."
"If you and Luo Jin have any connections that you can use, I hope you can join us. I'll also contact Fang Fei."
Luo Jin raised his hand: "Brother-in-law, I can join your and my brother's group. I don't have a job, I'm always traveling around, I have tons of free time, I can go months without going home! Brother, I'd even like to stay at your place, really!"
Ke Xun: "…You can do it, but I can't! Don't you want your girlfriend anymore?"
Luo Jin: "My girlfriend said that two people can't always be together, they'll get tired of each other after a while. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so she told me not to hang around in front of her all the time. Why was I always out and about before?" "She'll be gone for two or three months straight, and she's always the one kicking me out."
Ke Xun: "...I don't really understand heterosexual love. Anyway, don't crowd into my house. I finally get to enjoy some alone time with my partner, and I'll kill anyone who comes."
Luo Yi: "Yoooo—"
Ke Xun: "...Yo you carrot head, I'll call you on WeChat if anything comes up, just wait patiently at home."
Shao Ling said, "I can also find someone to handle this, and even use the guise of a writing contest in our publications and public accounts to gather information."
Wei Dong: "May I ask what this big shot does?"
"I work at Wenxin Group." Shao Ling only briefly introduced his job.
Wenxin Group is one of the most famous literary operators in China, with both online platforms and print media publications, a huge audience, and a high interaction feedback rate.
If Shao Ling can use his position to gather information, it would be a powerful boost to the participants.
"Let's leave it at that for now," Shao Ling said, standing up. "I have to catch my flight today. Please keep in touch and share any updates in the group chat."
After seeing Shao Ling off, everyone said their goodbyes and went home.
Finally, only Ke Xun, Mu Yiran, and Wei Dong remained in the hotel.
Ke Xun turned to look at Mu Yiran, a big smile spreading across his face: "Then, shall we go home too?"
Mu Yiran smiled gently in return: "Okay, let's go home."
Wei Dong, standing beside him: ...Who am I? Why am I standing here? Why am I suddenly being fed dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)?
They arrived home that afternoon. This time, Mu Yiran brought a whole suitcase. Watching Ke Xun, like a joyful, large dog, drag his suitcase straight into the bedroom, Mu Yiran's lips couldn't help but curve into a slight smile.
"I think we need to get some furniture," Ke Xun said, standing with his hands on his hips in the living room, looking around his empty house and starting to complain about everything. "The walls are too white, how about we change the color? How about a sophisticated gray? A tranquil blue? Or a garish Barbie pink? Let's get a proper sofa in the living room and a small home theater? Let's put a whole wall of bookshelves in the study for your books, and get a desk. We can move my computer desk to the guest room, since it's empty anyway. Oh, and I saw a coffee machine I liked online, I'll order it right now…"
"Ke Xun," Mu Yiran raised his hand, hooking his chin to make him face him, "This is your home, and it will be my home too. Our home needs to bear our marks, not just my preferences. What you like, I will like too."
Ke Xun looked into his eyes, then licked his lips after a long while, his voice low and deep, "What I like, you like too? Then…" As he spoke, he put his arm around Mu Yiran's waist, leading him slowly backward until they reached the study. Suddenly, he tripped and pushed him down onto the computer desk. "I like this." Ke Xun pressed down, his face close to Mu Yiran's, gently nibbling his ear and roaming over him.
He heard Mu Yiran's voice softly in his ear, like a sigh or a light breath, with a soft, seductive quality that stirred his heart.
He didn't die in the painting, but he would die here. Ke Xun thought, his soul reeling.
Mu Yiran reached out and covered the ends of his hair at the back of his neck. Ke Xun thought to himself, "Why does he like this spot so much? Touching and rubbing it is one thing, but he even pulls it, making my whole body go numb from my cervical spine to my tailbone.
" ...
The computer desk is a good thing. Maybe we should discuss leaving it in the study.
...
When Wei Dong called, Ke Xun was throwing the keyboard, which had met its untimely end, into the trash can.
Wei Dong: "What's up?"
Ke Xun: "Rest."
Wei Dong: "Afterwards?"
Ke Xun: "Spit it out, or I'm hanging up."
Wei Dong: "Don't be so formal with me, we know each other perfectly well. Um, didn't you say you wanted to buy furniture? My uncle's at the store tomorrow, if you go there you can just go directly to him, he'll give you the bottom price."
Ke Xun: "Okay. By the way... what brand of keyboard is the most durable?"
Wei Dong: "Is your keyboard broken? Do you like mechanical keyboards? They're super high-quality, especially when you press the keys, the click-clack mechanical sound is really exciting. ...Where is he? Hello? Talk to me!"
Ke Xun: "Hmm... I was just imagining, but it does feel pretty exciting."
"Right!" Wei Dong continued rambling on the phone, but Ke Xun's thoughts had already drifted away. Mu Yiran sat in front of the French windows, drinking a steaming cup of instant coffee. Outside the window, the city was full of fallen leaves in late autumn, and the golden-red afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto his beige sweater, giving it a fuzzy, warm glow.