I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Finished Her Painting

Yin Jiehao had originally assumed that this luxury apartment unit was simply a secondary property provided to her by the Jiang family as private lodging. After all, given her status as their blood daughter, it would not have been unusual for them to arrange high-end accommodations for her convenience.

Yet, judging by her cold words, the Jiang family was completely in the dark regarding her living situation.

He also easily picked up on the sharp, underlying threat woven into her warning. Qiao Meixia was explicitly telling him to keep his mouth shut and refrain from leaking her private address to her family.

Yin Jiehao could not help but reflect on the vicious high-society rumours he had picked up over the past few days.

So the rumours were completely accurate. The Jiang family truly did not give a damn about this long-lost biological daughter, with the sole exception of their eldest son, Jiang Suhan.

Otherwise, why would Qiao Meixia go to such drastic lengths to hide her true living address from her own flesh and blood?

”I understand. You don’t need to worry about me running my mouth.” Yin Jiehao assured her with a serious nod, indicating that he would keep her secret safe.

Qiao Meixia offered him a subtle nod of acknowledgement before turning around and stepping back into the waiting elevator cabin.

The doors hummed shut, severing their interaction completely.

Once the lift delivered her back up to her private floor, Qiao Meixia walked inside her apartment, set the paper bag on the dining table, and unboxed her meal. She finished her lunch cleanly and efficiently. Once done, she cleared the table, washed her hands, and marched straight back into her home studio. She had rested enough, and her masterwork was still waiting to be finished.

Picking up her palette and brushes, Qiao Meixia dove right back into her painting. Stroke by stroke, the breathtaking scenery on the canvas grew richer and more vivid. The colours blended seamlessly together under her deft movements, and the sweeping landscape practically came to life beneath her touch. She was completely lost in the creative flow, blocking out all outside noise and awareness.

Finally, right as the digital clock struck midnight, Qiao Meixia placed her finest detail brush onto the rack. The painting was officially complete.

Stepping back a few paces, she crossed her arms and critically evaluated the finished piece.

The sweeping natural landscape rendered across the heavy canvas was utterly mesmerising. The subtle play of light and shadow, the intricate textural details of the terrain, and the raw, atmospheric depth made the entire scene feel vibrant and remarkably real. Anyone standing before it would find it nearly impossible to pull their eyes away.

Qiao Meixia nodded in quiet, thorough approval. She was immensely pleased with the final outcome. The artwork had turned out precisely as she had envisioned, easily meeting her high standards for commercial release.

After admiring the piece for a few moments longer, Qiao Meixia suddenly recalled the high-profile collector who had recently submitted a private request through her intermediary, desperately seeking a custom painting capturing the majestic essence of Huishan Mountain.

She made a mental note to take a trip down to Huishan Country sometime next week. Since the anonymous buyer had expressed a deep desire to view the famous mountain through her specific artistic lens, she would go scout the location in person to gather fresh inspiration for the commissioned piece.

With her upcoming schedule settled in her mind, Qiao Meixia stretched her stiff muscles before heading back into her master bedroom. Stripping out of her paint-dusted clothes, she walked into the master bathroom, opting to take a long, luxurious bath rather than a quick shower. She filled the deep porcelain tub with warm water, pouring in a generous splash of fragrant bath oils and bubbles before stepping in.

The warm, soothing water enveloped her body, instantly melting away the deep physical tension built up in her shoulders and lower back. Leaning her head back against the cushioned rim, she closed her eyes, surrendering completely to the blissful sensation. It was impossibly relaxing.

After some time had passed, she slowly blinked her eyes open, feeling completely rejuvenated. However, she quickly realised that she had inadvertently drifted off to sleep right in the tub.

Qiao Meixia checked the time on her waterproof watch and let out a small breath of relief upon seeing that only thirty minutes had elapsed. Fortunately, she had not been asleep for too long.

Stepping out of the tub, she thoroughly rinsed off, dried herself with a plush towel, and slipped into comfortable silk pyjamas. Even though she had spent considerable energy painting, her stomach did not feel empty, and she lacked any craving for a late-night snack.

....

The following morning, Qiao Meixia reached out to her private art dealer to arrange for the collection and commercial auction of her newly completed masterpiece. She did not have to wait long at all before the transport team arrived at her luxury apartment building to retrieve the artwork. She was already thoroughly acquainted with the senior representative overseeing the pickup, so there was zero need for awkward formal introductions.

The lead representative was an experienced art courier named Erik.

”Miss Qiao, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Erik greeted her with a warm, respectful smile as she met him in the ground-floor lobby.

”Hmm.” Qiao Meixia acknowledged softly.

Erik had long grown accustomed to Qiao Meixia’s ultra-concise, introverted personality, so he did not pay her brief response any mind. He knew all too well that she was a young woman of exceptionally few words, and he had learned long ago never to take her quiet demeanour personally.

”So, where is the piece currently stored?” Erik asked, gesturing to the heavy padded transport crates his team was carrying.

”Upstairs.” Qiao Meixia answered flatly.

”Why did you bother coming all the way down to the lobby to meet us? You could have just granted us entry and let us head upstairs on our own.” Erik remarked, wondering why she had taken the trouble to meet them at the front entrance.

”You can’t get up there on your own, though.” Qiao Meixia replied in her usual matter-of-fact tone.

”Eh? Why not?” Erik asked, looking mildly confused.

Without uttering a word of explanation, Qiao Meixia stepped toward the private elevator bank and tapped her encrypted keycard against the scanner interface. Holding up the black security card, she let him view the glowing green clearance light.

”You don’t have one of these.” Qiao Meixia showed the keycard.

”Ah... Right!” Erik instantly caught on, laughing sheepishly.

Without that high-level security card, he and his transport crew would not be able to access her private residential floor via the elevator. Even if they attempted to take the emergency stairwell, they would still find themselves completely locked out at the heavy security fire doors without her card clearance.

Only after Qiao Meixia swiped them through could the team proceed up to her floor.

The group followed her into the lift and up to her private apartment. Stepping out onto her floor, Qiao Meixia unlocked her front door and gestured for them to follow her inside.

”The painting is in that room. You can take care of it.” Qiao Meixia said, pointing toward the studio door at the end of the hallway.

Erik and his transport team stepped into the sunlit painting room. The very moment their eyes landed on the massive finished canvas resting on the easel, every single man froze in absolute awe.

”Grand... Simply breathtaking! Yet another undeniable masterpiece from Master M!” Erik praised loudly, unable to contain his intense admiration. ”He truly is a once-in-a-generation artistic genius!”

”That’s right.”

”So beautiful.”

The transport crew members nodded emphatically alongside him, thoroughly mesmerised by the sheer depth of the landscape and the artist’s godlike ability to breathe vivid life into oil and canvas.

”Miss Qiao, please pass along my highest compliments and deepest respects to Master M when you next speak with him. It is always an absolute honour to handle his work.” Erik said with complete sincerity.

Qiao Meixia simply gave a small, neutral nod.

Erik had absolutely zero inkling that the legendary ”Master M” he endlessly praised and idolised was standing right in front of his face.

In his mind, he firmly believed that Qiao Meixia was merely a private assistant or custodian hired by Master M to manage his residential studio space and handle the logistics of his confidential sales. Furthermore, Erik was utterly convinced that Master M was a reclusive, eccentric male artist, likely a middle-aged master painter who suffered from severe social anxiety and refused to interact with the outside world directly.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***