Hard to Escape/In Love with a Counterfeit Tall Rich Handsome Chapter 13.1

When I woke up the next day I felt the effects of my hangover . I had a slight headache, but I could still faintly recall last night’s events . Remembering my shameless behavior, I really felt like I didn’t have the face to go back out in public . Luckily, Yin Li didn’t bring up my misdeeds to poke fun at . Thus, I used the cla.s.sic excuse, “I really drank too much! I can’t remember anything from last night!” to cover my a.s.s .

The newspapers also hadn’t published anything in their gossip sections about how Yin Li had called me his fiancee last night . There was, however, plenty of sensational news about Mo Xing Zhi .

And in the afternoon, this leading man of the celebrity mags managed to squeeze in a call to me in the middle of his packed schedule .

“Yan Xiao! I have good news for you!” His voice was full of excitement but I somehow always misheard it as delirious . “It’s like this! I found some clues about your past ident.i.ty! I’ll come pick you up in a bit and bring you to take a look . You definitely won’t believe it! It really is an uncanny coincidence . ”

After taking a seat in Mo Xing Zhi’s car, I realized that my mind was in a muddle . It was highly likely that I would soon be facing my past, making me feel a bit panicked . Mo Xing Zhi, who was in the drivers seat, sighed, “Ahh, you don’t know how much of a coincidence this was, Yan Xiao . My girlfriend Lilian manages an art gallery . Recently she brought a few reproductions from Europe to exhibit here . It really boggles the mind but lo and behold, one of the models in the paintings looks exactly like you!”

I couldn’t help but laugh . “No way, how could I turn into an artist’s creation, and a European artist at that . That’s too ridiculous . Maybe we just resemble each other . How could it be me?”

However, once I stood in front of that piece, I was shocked beyond words .

In terms of portraiture, it was larger than life . It took up over half of the wall and on it, shockingly enough, was my face . Those features were undeniably mine . In front of that painting, I could no longer joke that it was “just some lookalike . ”

As I looked at that painting I stammered, “But I, I couldn’t have shown this kind of expression . ” Then I dazedly turned to Mo Xing Zhi, as if I had a hope that he’d have a definite answer . Rubbing his chin with two fingers, he was currently looking back and forth between me and the painting . As his gaze moved to and fro, a suspicious expression emerged on his face .

As I looked at that painting I stammered, “But I, I couldn’t have shown this kind of expression . ” Then I dazedly turned to Mo Xing Zhi, as if I had a hope that he’d have a definite answer . Rubbing his chin with two fingers, he was currently looking back and forth between me and the painting . As his gaze moved to and fro, a suspicious expression emerged on his face .

“That face and body is definitely yours . But the facial expression… ,” he shook his head, “You would never make this sort of expression . It really seems out of place . ”

The artist used a very flattering angle and lighting for the piece . The girl in the painting was dressed in a snowy white gown, with a train that meandered down the stairs, cascading beautifully to the floor . She wore a pair of gloves as white as snow, and casually lifted the hem of her dress with one hand . Her limbs were slender and lithe, and her arched neck had a beautiful curve . She looked like a European socialite of old about to descend the red-carpeted staircase to her debutante ball . As for her face, rather than describing her expression, it’d be more apt to say that she lacked one . Her elegant and n.o.ble look held the faint traces of icy aloofness . It was difficult to look away from her . She had a tightly controlled kind of beauty .

Standing before the painting, I felt my blood run cold . This was clearly an identical face to mine, yet there seemed to be a giant gap between us because of her expression and demeanor .

“Or maybe… I think you could have a twin? Or a long lost sister?” Mo Xing Zhi suggested, trying to sound me out . Then he thumped his head . “Let me call Lilian and ask . ”

“Or maybe… I think you could have a twin? Or a long lost sister?” Mo Xing Zhi suggested, trying to sound me out . Then he thumped his head . “Let me call Lilian and ask . ”

While Mo Xing Zhi called Lilian, I stayed behind still staring at the painting before me in disbelief . Maybe I really did have a twin sister, because even if that really was an exact copy of my face, I would never have been able to appear with such an expression and such grand attire .

Mo Xing Zhi hung up the phone and said with a rare seriousness, “Lilian said that the artist didn’t actually just paint this one portrait . He has a whole studio full of paintings of this woman, when Lilian saw it, she was stupefied . The painting exhibited here is just an  authorized reproduction and the artist keeps the real one in his possession . Oh, and the artist is a Chinese expat with French citizenship . Lilian only knows that his name is Louis, and apparently his Chinese surname is Li . ”

I felt a bit helpless . “I’ll go back and ask Yin Li about it . Perhaps I have a complicated life story . With some effort, maybe I can even discover a sister . ”

Mo Xing Zhi glanced at me . “Yan Xiao, I feel that there’s something off about this . It’s best for now that you don’t tell Yin Li everything . Lilian said that the artist told her the woman in the painting is someone he loves deeply, who has been missing for 14 months already . It’s like she has entirely vanished from France into thin air . ” Then he took a deep breath . “If I remember correctly, it’s been more or less over a year since your car accident, right? And your French, it doesn’t even have an accent . ”

Mo Xing Zhi’s gaze seemed to penetrate right through me . I suddenly felt a chill run down my back . I’d always felt like I had left behind something, and now it seemed to come closer and closer . But where I had once longed for what I’d lost, I now grew fearful, hoping that the time to face them would never come .

Mo Xing Zhi glanced at me . “Yan Xiao, I feel that there’s something off about this . It’s best for now that you don’t tell Yin Li everything . Lilian said that the artist told her the woman in the painting is someone he loves deeply, who has been missing for 14 months already . It’s like she has entirely vanished from France into thin air . ” Then he took a deep breath . “If I remember correctly, it’s been more or less over a year since your car accident, right? And your French, it doesn’t even have an accent . ”

Mo Xing Zhi’s gaze seemed to penetrate right through me . I suddenly felt a chill run down my back . I’d always felt like I had left behind something, and now it seemed to come closer and closer . But where I had once longed for what I’d lost, I now grew fearful, hoping that the time to face them would never come .

“I can ask Lilian to get you in touch with the artist . I think it’d be very worthwhile for the two of you to meet and have a chat . ”

I forced a stiff smile . “No need, no need . There’s no way that person is me . ” Then I hastily fumbled for something to check the time . “Let’s just call it a day now . Thanks for bringing me here . I still have cla.s.s later so I’ll leave first . ”

Under his scrutinizing gaze, I bolted .

When I woke up the next day I felt the effects of my hangover . I had a slight headache, but I could still faintly recall last night’s events . Remembering my shameless behavior, I really felt like I didn’t have the face to go back out in public . Luckily, Yin Li didn’t bring up my misdeeds to poke fun at . Thus, I used the cla.s.sic excuse, “I really drank too much! I can’t remember anything from last night!” to cover my a.s.s

The newspapers also hadn’t published anything in their gossip sections about how Yin Li had called me his fiancee last night . There was, however, plenty of sensational news about Mo Xing Zhi

And in the afternoon, this leading man of the celebrity mags managed to squeeze in a call to me in the middle of his packed schedule

“Yan Xiao! I have good news for you!” His voice was full of excitement but I somehow always misheard it as delirious . “It’s like this! I found some clues about your past ident.i.ty! I’ll come pick you up in a bit and bring you to take a look . You definitely won’t believe it! It really is an uncanny coincidence . ”.

After taking a seat in Mo Xing Zhi’s car, I realized that my mind was in a muddle . It was highly likely that I would soon be facing my past, making me feel a bit panicked . Mo Xing Zhi, who was in the drivers seat, sighed, “Ahh, you don’t know how much of a coincidence this was, Yan Xiao . My girlfriend Lilian manages an art gallery . Recently she brought a few reproductions from Europe to exhibit here . It really boggles the mind but lo and behold, one of the models in the paintings looks exactly like you!”.

I couldn’t help but laugh . “No way, how could I turn into an artist’s creation, and a European artist at that . That’s too ridiculous . Maybe we just resemble each other . How could it be me?”.

However, once I stood in front of that piece, I was shocked beyond words

In terms of portraiture, it was larger than life . It took up over half of the wall and on it, shockingly enough, was my face . Those features were undeniably mine . In front of that painting, I could no longer joke that it was “just some lookalike . ”.

As I looked at that painting I stammered, “But I, I couldn’t have shown this kind of expression . ” Then I dazedly turned to Mo Xing Zhi, as if I had a hope that he’d have a definite answer . Rubbing his chin with two fingers, he was currently looking back and forth between me and the painting . As his gaze moved to and fro, a suspicious expression emerged on his face

“That face and body is definitely yours . But the facial expression… ,” he shook his head, “You would never make this sort of expression . It really seems out of place . ”.

The artist used a very flattering angle and lighting for the piece . The girl in the painting was dressed in a snowy white gown, with a train that meandered down the stairs, cascading beautifully to the floor . She wore a pair of gloves as white as snow, and casually lifted the hem of her dress with one hand . Her limbs were slender and lithe, and her arched neck had a beautiful curve . She looked like a European socialite of old about to descend the red-carpeted staircase to her debutante ball . As for her face, rather than describing her expression, it’d be more apt to say that she lacked one . Her elegant and n.o.ble look held the faint traces of icy aloofness . It was difficult to look away from her . She had a tightly controlled kind of beauty

Standing before the painting, I felt my blood run cold . This was clearly an identical face to mine, yet there seemed to be a giant gap between us because of her expression and demeanor

“Or maybe… I think you could have a twin? Or a long lost sister?” Mo Xing Zhi suggested, trying to sound me out . Then he thumped his head . “Let me call Lilian and ask . ”.

While Mo Xing Zhi called Lilian, I stayed behind still staring at the painting before me in disbelief . Maybe I really did have a twin sister, because even if that really was an exact copy of my face, I would never have been able to appear with such an expression and such grand attire

Mo Xing Zhi hung up the phone and said with a rare seriousness, “Lilian said that the artist didn’t actually just paint this one portrait . He has a whole studio full of paintings of this woman, when Lilian saw it, she was stupefied . The painting exhibited here is just an  authorized reproduction and the artist keeps the real one in his possession . Oh, and the artist is a Chinese expat with French citizenship . Lilian only knows that his name is Louis, and apparently his Chinese surname is Li . ”.

I felt a bit helpless . “I’ll go back and ask Yin Li about it . Perhaps I have a complicated life story . With some effort, maybe I can even discover a sister . ”.

Mo Xing Zhi glanced at me . “Yan Xiao, I feel that there’s something off about this . It’s best for now that you don’t tell Yin Li everything . Lilian said that the artist told her the woman in the painting is someone he loves deeply, who has been missing for 14 months already . It’s like she has entirely vanished from France into thin air . ” Then he took a deep breath . “If I remember correctly, it’s been more or less over a year since your car accident, right? And your French, it doesn’t even have an accent . ”.

Mo Xing Zhi’s gaze seemed to penetrate right through me . I suddenly felt a chill run down my back . I’d always felt like I had left behind something, and now it seemed to come closer and closer . But where I had once longed for what I’d lost, I now grew fearful, hoping that the time to face them would never come

“I can ask Lilian to get you in touch with the artist . I think it’d be very worthwhile for the two of you to meet and have a chat . ”.

I forced a stiff smile . “No need, no need . There’s no way that person is me . ” Then I hastily fumbled for something to check the time . “Let’s just call it a day now . Thanks for bringing me here . I still have cla.s.s later so I’ll leave first . ”.

Under his scrutinizing gaze, I bolted