From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Ye Qingya didn’t expect to bump into Qiao Rulong at the hotel entrance and said casually, "It doesn’t seem necessary now." The two were already divorced and legally had no connection.

Qiao Rulong glanced at the suitcase in Ye Qingya’s hand, "You’re staying here too, let me help you with your luggage."

Ye Qingya said, "I’m not staying here. Chunliang, let’s go." She handed the suitcase to Xu Chunliang. Only after the divorce did she realize this marriage left her with few fond memories. She didn’t want to see Qiao Rulong again or pretend in front of others.

Xu Chunliang smiled at Qiao Rulong, and Qiao Rulong nodded, feeling extremely displeased inside.

Xu Chunliang wouldn’t care about his feelings. He hailed another taxi. Ye Qingya got in and told the driver to drive. As they started off, she saw Qiao Rulong still standing there watching them.

Xu Chunliang said, "What a small world."

Ye Qingya sighed, "It ruins my mood."

Xu Chunliang said, "Why don’t you stay at the Marriott instead?"

Ye Qingya replied, "Anywhere is fine, as long as it’s not here." She really didn’t want to see Qiao Rulong again.

Xu Chunliang gave the driver the location and took Ye Qingya to the Marriott, booking a room for her.

Xu Chunliang returned home at ten in the evening and received a call from Ye Qingya as soon as he entered. Ye Qingya informed him that tomorrow’s art exhibition would also be attended by Wang Jianming’s wife, He Wanying. He Wanying was a graduate school classmate of Ling Hongzhou. She estimated that Wang Jianming might attend and asked if he wanted to accompany her to get acquainted.

Xu Chunliang initially had little interest in meeting this new secretary, but recalling Qiao Rulong’s disgruntled expression today made him suddenly happy. Attending the art exhibition with Ye Qingya was secondary; finding joy in Qiao Rulong’s discomfort was gratifying, especially after he meddled in his relationship with Mei Ru Xue.

The next morning, Xu Chunliang drove the company’s A6 to pick up Ye Qingya.

Ye Qingya hadn’t rested well the previous night, her charming eyes slightly swollen.

Xu Chunliang said, "Didn’t sleep well, did you?"

Ye Qingya replied, "Maybe I’m not used to the new place."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself it was just an excuse. It seemed the divorce wasn’t without impact on Ye Qingya. Qiao Rulong’s betrayal was quite a blow to her.

Ling Hongzhou’s art exhibition was hosted at the Dongzhou City Art Museum. The museum, established five years ago, was known as the open city’s reception hall, intended to carry the function of inheriting and developing local culture. Initially, the plans were grand, and several national esteemed art exhibitions had been held there.

However, due to the local people’s lack of interest in cultural exhibitions, it gradually became a showcase for local cultural celebrities. Later, to boost operations, many spaces were rented out to training institutions.

It now seemed a bit incongruous, with limited influence for hosting painting and calligraphy exhibits.

When Xu Chunliang picked up Ye Qingya, he informed her that he had arranged for several flower baskets to be sent to the venue.

Ye Qingya initially planned to arrange it herself but insisted on paying him back.

They saw numerous flower baskets upon arriving at the art museum entrance. Xu Chunliang recognized familiar names, such as Liang Wenjing, president of Enheng Pharmaceutical, and Xue Meizhen from the TV news department. Surprisingly, even Changxing Hospital’s director, Zhao Feiyang, had sent a basket.

Xu Chunliang mused to himself that Ling Hongzhou was indeed well-connected, knowing many notable figures in Dongzhou, though such people weren’t uncommon in the art world.

Ling Hongzhou, who was talking with several guests at the entrance, saw Ye Qingya and hurried over to greet her, shaking Ye Qingya’s hand, "Qingya, you’ve arrived! You actually booked a hotel yourself; I had it all arranged."

Ye Qingya smiled indifferently, "My brother has things arranged here too."

Ling Hongzhou’s eyes fell on Xu Chunliang. Xu Chunliang also looked at her with a smile. At 43 years old, Ling Hongzhou maintained herself well, looking just over thirty.

Ling Hongzhou extended her hand to Xu Chunliang, "I’ve known Qingya for so many years and didn’t know she had a brother."

Ye Qingya explained, "My brother, Xu Chunliang."

Ling Hongzhou said, "I’ve spent so long in the university campus, not paying attention to the outside world, becoming uninformed."

Xu Chunliang gently shook her hand and let go. Considering he was somewhat of a local celebrity in Dongzhou, it was indeed a bit uninformed not to have heard of him.

At this point, more people arrived, and this time it was Wang Jianming’s wife, He Wanying. She had just been assigned to teach at Zhonghua Mining University, the top university in Dongzhou and the only 211 university in the Jianghai region. Previously, He Wanying was at the Capital City’s campus. She transferred to Dongzhou for the convenience of looking after her husband.

He Wanying, petite in stature and slightly pale, didn’t appear particularly healthy. However, people of her class exuded a different temperament from ordinary folks. As they say, when one is well-read, their air is naturally refined.

Ling Hongzhou called out, "Wanying."

He Wanying smiled at her and greeted, "Qingya, when did you get here?"

The way she greeted her was enough to prove that Ye Qingya had a much more important place in her heart than Ling Hongzhou, and it also showed she knew Ye Qingya would be here beforehand.

Ye Qingya said, "Yesterday, of course, I had to come to my senior sister’s art exhibition to show my support."

Ling Hongzhou greeted, "It’s too sunny outside, let’s go inside and have a look."

He Wanying said, "You don’t need to accompany us, we can go in by ourselves."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, with such important guests, how could she not accompany them personally? Even though it was their first meeting, he could tell Ling Hongzhou was very sociable.

Due to her background, Ye Qingya rarely interacted with the outside world and lacked understanding of human nature. Some people are adept at using emotions to manipulate others. Looking at the eloquently speaking Ling Hongzhou, Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible that He Wanying came because of Ye Qingya? And was this something Ling Hongzhou intentionally disclosed to her? This is a common tactic in social settings.

Xu Chunliang deliberately slowed his pace, falling behind the three of them.

After seeing just one of Ling Hongzhou’s works, Xu Chunliang concluded that her accomplishments in painting and calligraphy were not as good as her junior sister Ye Qingya’s, and certainly not as good as his own.

He Wanying rarely spoke, focusing intently on appreciating her old classmate’s work, with Ling Hongzhou by her side.

Ye Qingya saw Xu Chunliang standing alone in front of a piece titled "Last Night’s Scattered Rain and Sudden Wind" and came over on her own: "How do you feel about it?"

Xu Chunliang glanced at Ling Hongzhou in the distance, smiled, and said nothing.

Ye Qingya asked, "What do you mean by that smile?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Oil painting!"

Ye Qingya was momentarily stunned. Clearly it was a traditional Chinese painting, so why did he call it an oil painting? But she quickly understood. Xu Chunliang was saying that her senior sister’s painting style was too slick.

Xu Chunliang believed that Ling Hongzhou’s writing and painting reflected her personality—too slick. Someone with such an attitude towards life couldn’t possibly have great accomplishments in art.

Ye Qingya actually agreed with Xu Chunliang’s assessment and whispered, "Don’t say things like that."

Xu Chunliang said, "Fine, her paintings are wonderful, she’s a master of both painting and calligraphy, and her artistic skills are excellent."

Ye Qingya gave him a side glance, unable to stop herself from laughing. Xu Chunliang’s words were indeed cutting. To be honest, her senior sister’s level in painting and calligraphy hadn’t improved much over the years. Remembering the piece by He Shouren she saw at the restaurant last night—despite having no fancy titles and not even being a member of any calligraphy associations—his real skill easily surpassed many masters, and Xu Chunliang was the same.

At that moment, someone entered; it was Qiao Rulong.

Ye Qingya frowned upon seeing Qiao Rulong. Qiao Rulong also felt displeased seeing Ye Qingya with Xu Chunliang. Having seen Ye Qingya outside the hotel yesterday, he had specifically inquired about her. With his abilities, it wasn’t hard to find out the purpose of Ye Qingya’s visit. Originally, after the divorce, they should have stayed out of each other’s business.

But for some reason, Qiao Rulong still ended up coming despite himself.

Ye Qingya didn’t want any interaction with Qiao Rulong. When Ling Hongzhou saw Qiao Rulong arrive, she was quite pleasantly surprised and hurried over with a smile to greet him: "President Qiao, you’ve come too, aren’t you and her quite the pair?"

Ye Qingya felt a bit displeased hearing the phrase "quite the pair"; Ling Hongzhou wasn’t aware of her divorce from Qiao Rulong.

Qiao Rulong also felt disgruntled, thinking Ye Qingya wasn’t here with him, and that they’re no longer a couple, so how could they be considered such a pair? He smiled coolly: "I heard from Qingya about Sister Ling holding an exhibition, and since I’m in Dongzhou, I should naturally come and show support."

Ye Qingya did not give him the courtesy: "I never said that; maybe you heard it from someone else."

Qiao Rulong felt a bit awkward being countered by Ye Qingya. Ling Hongzhou, being clever, smiled and said, "President Qiao, which piece do you like? I’ll give it to you."

Qiao Rulong noticed He Wanying and went over to greet her, with Ling Hongzhou following along.

Xu Chunliang remarked to Ye Qingya, "Your senior sister really knows how to handle things."

Ye Qingya sighed; had she known Qiao Rulong would come at this time, she would’ve definitely avoided it. However, it seemed that Ling Hongzhou didn’t know Qiao Rulong would show up either. Further, Qiao Rulong wasn’t much interested in painting or calligraphy; his purpose for being here today was clearly because of her.

Ye Qingya realized she might be causing trouble for Xu Chunliang and deliberately distanced herself from him, not wanting Qiao Rulong to misunderstand their relationship.

Qiao Rulong seized the opportunity to approach Xu Chunliang: "I never noticed before that you were so good at adapting."

Xu Chunliang said, "That’s because you don’t understand me."

Qiao Rulong nodded, "I heard that Mr. Xu specifically went to the Capital City to plead with my grandfather."

Xu Chunliang chuckled, "President Qiao, I finally understand why Sister Qingya decided to leave you. It wasn’t because you had someone else, nor because you had heart issues, but because your heart is now solely filled with self-interest. To put it bluntly, you’re too narrow-minded now. Not everyone approaches things the way you do. The reason my grandfather went to the Capital City was that he was thinking of me. He would sacrifice his dignity and lower his stance for me, and he could give up everything, even sacrifice his life. Let me ask you, could your grandfather do that?"

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