Trafford's Trading Club

Urey felt a headache.

He thought this probably because of the the way he drank last night... Recently his alcohol dependence increased.

He didnʼt open his eyes but just gently pressed his forehead, sniffing the dull and even foul smell around him.

The low salary in the art gallery and the large monthly expenses on pigments, brushes, papers and others items forced him have to live in this stuffy and dark basement.

”Oh my God, Iʼll be late!”

Looking up at the alarm by his bed, Urey hurriedly climbed up, casually looked for some clothes to wear on the floor.

These clothes were thrown on the ground like garbage... A single man may lived like this, and so would a single and poor man.

He finally found some not-that-smelly clothes and put it on before opening the basement door.

”One newspaper, one coffee and a sandwich, the total is...”

”Here you are.”

Urey had breakfast as usual when he got on the bus to the art gallery. He felt a little glad because there was still some seats available on the bus now.

”... The stolen ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ has been put on display today, and the art gallery has reopened.”

Urey was surprised to see this headline news when he opened the newspaper. But the contents completely made him feel that he was in another world after waking up.

The date of the newspaper was today.

He subconsciously bit his lips... Well, he felt pain, so it shouldnʼt be a dream.

However.

As a staff in this art gallery... even just an outer wall cleaner. Why didnʼt he know ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ had been stolen?

And... it happened many days ago?

”What the hell!”

Urey kept his temper and read the newspaper contents--- ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ was stolen by a famous politician in this city.

The police obtained some clues and immediately found the stolen painting in the house of the politician. However, method of theft was not reported.

Later, the police took away this politician, but he was rescued in the process of ʼthe deliveryʼ. After that, the escaped politician and the gangsters broke into a suburb manor, leading to conflicts with the owner.

The lord of the manor killed three people in self-defense, including the politician, Efim. And the stolen painting was returned to the art gallery, officially reopening to visitors today.

”What the hell...”

Urey thought the newspaper was spouting nonsense... So many things had happened, but he didnʼt have any impression.

The slightly dizziness made him feel that he forgot many things, perhaps due to him over drinking.

But this reason couldnʼt explain why one could forget the things that happened before the got drunk.

He unconsciously continued to press his forehead.

He still felt dizzy and uncomfortable even though the bus had arrived at the station. Nevertheless, Urey saw more tourists than ever at the gallery gate, who were waiting for the reopening.

”Is all the content in the newspaper true?”

Urey muttered and looked at the time, he found he was late for work... Thus, he had to do what he often did--- Entering a sewer outside of the art gallery street.

He found this tunnel by chance when he did the cleaning. It led to one place inside the gallery, but the exit had long since been blocked.

After that, he had never been caught for being late for work.

Now the art gallery was opened.

The tremendous amount of tourists poured into the gallery, causing Urey, who didnʼt even change into his work clothes, to hide at one side.

”Urey! Youʼre here again!”

Urey heard someone was calling him--- he was a staff here, and his name was... he forgot it. Anyway, he didnʼt pay any more attention to him.

”Ah... Iʼm going to change my clothes. But look.” Urey pointed to the guests, ”I have nowhere to go. But I really came on time. Iʼm already here.”

But this staff quietly said, ”I donʼt care if youʼre late or not and nobody will! But, hadnʼt you forgot that you have been dismissed for some time?!”

”What?”

”I said you have been dismissed! Urey, if you come in from the front door, we wonʼt care! But if you sneak in like this next time, we will call the police!” The staff sternly said, ”Now, go away! Donʼt damage our friendship.”

”Say it clearly! Who was dismissed? I still came to work yesterday! Why dismissed me?” Urey rushed to him.

The staff stepped back with dislike, ”What a smell...How much did you drink? Please walk on the street after you clear your head!”

”Explain it!”

The staff now waved his hand, and two security personnel immediately came to catch Urey from both sides, dragging him out of the art gallery.

”Let me go! Let me go!!”

Urey was hardly pushed in front of the art gallery. One of the security guards said, ”Go away, donʼt let me see you again! You always stand in front of those famous paintings every time, do you think you are really an artist? Who will look at your rubbish paintings! ”

”What did you say?”

”If you donʼt leave, we will have to take action!”

Two securities held their heads high at the same time. Urey was winced and angrily spat, ”You lay off workers illegally! Iʼll lodge a complain to the labor department! Just wait! Bah!”

Urey took a deep breath, turned around and left with hatred.

Before he went out from the art gallery, Urey unconsciously looked back, and then looked at the newspaper he bought in the morning.

He suddenly crumpled the newspaper into a mass and forcefully threw it to the art gallery gate, shouting, ”Listen! One day, Iʼll hang my paintings in it!”

…

”Itʼs OK, Oh... Well, the job is OK now, donʼt worry, Iʼm in good health. Girlfriend? No plans recently. Yes, I know, Mum.”

Maybe because he hadnʼt communicated with his parents in a long time.

Urey stood alone at an old building, quietly listening to his motherʼs nagging, ”... Well, thatʼs all, Iʼm going to work. Mum, I love you.”

Urey put the phone into his belt... He said he would go to the labor department to sue the art gallery, but in fact it was just a waste of time.

Heʼd better to look for a new job as soon as possible... he hadnʼt paid rent this month yet.

The sky of Moscow was so refreshing, just like the first time he came here... At that time he did have a dream.

After spending all the money he took from home but with nobody paying for his works, he could only live by drawing portraits on streets.

He almost died of frost half a year ago, when it snowed.

He put his hands in the pocket, aimlessly walking in the street. He didnʼt think about why he was dismissed... What he needed to think was how to live in the future.

”People canʼt live on dreams.”

Urey didnʼt remember who said this... Maybe he was not talented. Only his impulsion was supporting the so-called dream.

And now, he had to have a thorough consideration under the situation of necessities of life…It was time to giving up his dream.

”Here is...”

He didnʼt know how he walked here. Urey stopped... Perhaps he focused on thinking, so he came to this place again.

Urey stood at the old building with red bricks for a long time and silently looked at a distorted city pattern on the mottled wall.

He felt sort it quite ridiculous... How did he persist in drawing here at that time in such a cold winter?

But he had an impulsion to draw the last lines he gave up before... Today, he was free anyway.

So Urey found a stone on the ground, walking to the wall and closing his eyes.

After a while, he started to draw white lines on the wall with the edge of the stone.

It was almost done when he gave up... So now it didnʼt take him too much time... But he still used quite a while.

”It seems... something is missing. ”

A low voice suddenly came out from his back. Urey unconsciously turned around and found a man behind him.

With a peaked cap, a mask and a sports suit... Probably one of the morning joggers. But Urey felt that it was a familiar face, ”You are…?”

The mask of the morning jogger slightly twitched as if the person smiled, ”Do you have a dream?”

”Dream?” Urey was surprised.

The morning jogger said, ”Ah, you forgot it. Last winter I asked you why didnʼt you burn the charcoal in your hand to get some warmth on such a cold day.”

Urey recalled the memory, and complicatedly laughed, ”Now, I think Iʼll burn the charcoal in my hand.”

The morning jogger gaped, then he nodded and softly said, ”If so, itʼs really a pity.”

Urey shrugged and looked up at the huge graffiti, lightly saying, ”Not really, anyway, no one will like it.”

”OK, go ahead.” The morning jogger politely said.

Urey unconsciously nodded; and when he turned about, Urey asked, ”Wait, can you do me a favor?”

”What can I do for you, sir?”

Urey felt his voice to be a little cold but he didnʼt care too much, ”Could you hold me up?”

”Hold you up?”

…

”Yes, turn left a little bit, more, all right, right here! Hold on!Iʼll be done right away!”

Under the old wall, Urey was riding on his shoulder, so that he could reach a higher position.

He fished out some paint tubes out from his clothes. It was his habit to take some on him... He squeezed all a tube of color out, and applied it on the top left corner of the graffiti with his fingers.

Lemon yellow.

A circle... A sun.

A bright yellow sun was on the twisted city. The black and the sunlight looked very weird... But after putting Urey down, the morning jogger stared at it for a long time.

He suddenly whispered, ”Sir, I think you are wrong saying that nobody will like it. For example, I like it very much. I feel that I finally waited to see the end of it.”

Urey laughed, ”You are a strange man.”

He shook his head, ”So much for today. Iʼm going to find a new job. Or, I wouldnʼt even have charcoal next time... Good bye, Iʼm glad to meet you again.”

”Can I know your name, sir?”

”Urey, my name is Urey.”

”Do you like painting?”

Urey was silent for a moment and shook his head, ”I am not very clear now.”

The morning jogger suddenly opened his clothes, and took out a pen, ”Give me your hand.”

He wrote a telephone number on Ureyʼs palm and said, ”I have a friend who also likes drawing, you can have a discussion. Oh, I suggest you to learn from him. Well... Tell him that his old friend Vladimirovich of his Jiu-jitsu class recommends you.”

”Jiu-jitsu?”

”Hope to see your work in the future.” The morning jogger quietly said, ”Mr. Urey.”

…

”It turned out heʼs a rich man.”

Urey glanced at the phone number on his palm, until watched the morning jogger got on a black car... The driver was too strong, wasnʼt he?

He should be a bodyguard?

Urey thought about this, and dialed the phone.

”Hello, this is Repin Academy of Fine Arts. Iʼm professor Apu Rem. What can I do for you?”

Urey unconsciously patted his face... Repin Academy of Fine Arts... The former Royal Art School... Apu Rem... He was the authority of the art circles!

”Vladimirovich... Vladimirovich... Jiu-jitsu?” Ureyʼs heart was wildly beating in a sudden, ”Oh my god... He!!! I actually, actually rode... on his shoulder!!”

Urey suddenly turned around and looked at the graffiti on the wall.

He felt he might be blessed by good fortune.

”Hello? Hello? Is anyone in?”

”Ah... Hello, Yes! Yes! Iʼm in! This is Urey. Professor Apu Rem, Iʼm sorry to call you. Well, thereʼs a man...”

…

…

Luo Qiu was quietly reading the contents on the scroll.

”First, let Mr. Urey forget everything about you and Efim, and restore his memory before he met you before. Done.”

”Second, give him a chance to pursue his dream... Done.”

”Third, let Mr. Urey have twenty-five years more of lifespan... Well, sorry, Miss Anna. Mr. Urey had done business with us before this, and the transaction fee of your soul is not enough to buy his soul, even 25 years of lifespan will be a limit.”

Gently rolling up the scroll, Luo Qiu looked at Anna with smile and lightly said in the house, which originally belonged to Oleg and was now housing Luo Qiu, ”Could I ask Miss Anna if the above is in line with your request?”

”Yes.” Anna gently nodded.

She looked very calm.

At the moment, she slowly closed her eyes, and knew what would be going on next.

Death... The soul would belong to the other party. She didnʼt know what the soul was like but she knew death.

After waiting for a while, Anna didnʼt feel anything wrong with herself.

This made her doubtfully open her eyes.

”Miss Anna, Iʼm curious about something.”

Luo Qiu softly asked, ”You said Efim and the curator plotted together to steal ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ with a fading pigment. And... The curator quietly painted this special pigment on the real painting when carrying out routine maintenance, and then hung the painting up again. This special pigment changed two times, from appearing until disappearing. ”

”Well...” Luo Qiu smiled, ”It would appear normal when hung, but after being shone with a special light, a color would appear, changing the whole painting into having the same color as the frame, making it look like the real painting disappeared. Later, someone would merely need to mysteriously take down the ʼblank paintingʼ after the police inquiry...”

Anna lightly said, ”What are you trying to say?”

”Nothing.” Boss Luo walked out a few steps, coming to the sitting room.

There was an easel; he opened the painting canvas on it and one ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ came into her sight.

”Did you get it out from the art gallery?”

”No. It is not the second ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ hanging in the art gallery by Mr. Urey… It is the first one that Miss Anna sold in the auction.”

”Thatʼs impossible, it was destroyed by Urey!”

”Well, I got it back, and then slightly repaired it.” Luo Qiu stretched his hand to slowly sweep over the painting; he looked at Annaʼs eyes, ”I found something very interesting in the process of repairing it. The issue of the paint that I said.”

When the color of the painting slowly dissolved into a mass of stains, it seemed to be washed out by something.

ʼThe Nameless Maidenʼ had disappeared.

There only left another woman with a smile on it... Her eyes were moving and smile was charming.

”Urey...”

Anna covered her trembling hands on her mouth, staring at its original appearance.

When a tear slid down, she gently said with a choked voice.

”Thank you...for loving me.”

A little color was slowly spread out between the black and white, one which was not bright or large.

But it was enough to be fascinated and quietly appreciated by Boss Luo.

…

The light ball of the soul slowly floated out from Annaʼs forehead, like a floating dandelion; and finally it fell on Luo Qiuʼs palms.

Its gloss was converging little by little.

”Itʼs above average.”

The servant girl smiled while waiting in silence, and quietly said, ”Congratulations.”

Luo Qiuʼs mood seemed to be good. He smiled, lifting the painting from the easel and carefully looked at it, ”Go back, we can find a place to hang it up.”

”Yes.” Miss Maid softly replied, and added, ”But itʼs a pity that Urey lost all of the memories, before giving it a name.”

”Give it a name?” Luo Qiu was stunned, then chuckled, ”Hasnʼt it be already named? Look, whoʼs the girl in the painting?”

So the painting had a name.

It was ʼAnnaʼ.