Chapter 66

With a rustling sound, a sketch unfolded in front of Li Xu. It was an A4-sized pencil drawing, a portrait of a person. A girl with long hair draped over her shoulders leaned against the head of the bed, covered by a blanket, her body half-naked, quietly looking out the window. Although it was only in black and white, the sketch accurately captured the girl's beautiful profile and her lazy expression. There were not just one but several such sketches, all portraits of the same person. Some showed her half-naked, others fully dressed, some in a hotel, and others in a field. In addition to the sketches, there was a stack of photos, all of the same woman. They included close-ups, full-body shots, and various expressions—smiling, happy, melancholic, and more, all captured with great precision. Especially the photo of her reaching out to brush the hair from her ear in the wind, with an expression that was both playful and slightly provocative, was frozen in time, a beauty that would make any man's heart race. Li Xu sighed softly, placed the sketches and photos on the table, and gazed at them without a word. The sketches were drawn by him, and the photos were taken by him as well. Although they were not masterpieces, they were technically quite accomplished. As mentioned before, with his background, he could always get top-notch professionals in the industry to give him one-on-one tutoring. And as long as he was serious about learning, he could always pick up something. The heroine in the sketches and photos was naturally Isabelle Adjani. These were all drawn and taken two years ago when they met in Provence. The words Li Xu spoke in the garden that afternoon had a performative aspect, but most of them were sincere. It was indeed a beautiful memory. When he met her, he recognized her immediately, given his past experience working for an entertainment website. He then approached her, using the techniques his father had taught him, which he had already mastered. Besides, Isabelle was stunningly beautiful. They chatted about art, literature, and history, finding common ground. Isabelle confided in him, and he complained about his family environment. Eventually, things progressed naturally. French women are indeed romantic and passionate, and French female intellectuals even more so. Isabelle had come to clear her head after a quarrel with her live-in boyfriend, and Li Xu had not tasted meat for a long time. It was like dry wood meeting a raging fire. During those few short days, they were as sweet as honey, a taste Li Xu had never experienced before. His initial intentions of seduction were long forgotten. When they parted in Paris, he quickly calmed down and sent Isabelle off with great courtesy. However, for the next half month, he felt listless and had a heavy feeling in his chest. This was the first time he had felt this way in both his past and present life, making him extra cautious in front of his mother, fearing that he might be caught and held accountable. Later, as he mentioned that afternoon, he put Isabelle's sketches, photos, and contact information in a box and stored it away, not paying any attention to her news. "I'm usually busy with movies," Isabelle said when he asked for her contact information, her meaning clear. After the women like Deng Lijun, Yamaguchi Momoe, and Yoshinaga Sayuri fell into his hands one by one, Isabelle's image gradually faded. But who would have thought that he would suddenly be informed that she was carrying his child and had already given birth, with the baby already a few months old. No wonder he had lost his composure and ordered the car to stop, eager to get to a phone booth to confirm with his father. "Really..." Li Xu sighed again, "I wonder if I'll have to carry this burden in the future." Then the clock on the wall chimed, and he looked at the time—it was already 9 PM. He shrugged, tidied up the sketches and photos, and walked out of the study. He then saw Isabelle coming from the front. She paused when she noticed him, then averted her gaze and walked past him. "Is Anna asleep?" Li Xu asked. The woman paused as she passed him, then replied in a stiff tone, "Yes, she's asleep." She then walked to a room, opened the door, and slammed it shut. Li Xu shook his head and looked in the direction she had come from, seeing the white nanny, Pauline, who had come with Isabelle, emerge from the nursery and close the door. "Mr. Li," she greeted him somewhat awkwardly. "Is the little one sleeping well?" Li Xu asked. "Very well, except for the initial period, Anna's sleep has been good," Pauline replied. "Thank you for your care. Rest now. I'll have other servants take over; some of them have experience," Li Xu nodded politely. "Yes, Mr. Li," Pauline responded submissively. After dismissing the nanny, Li Xu stood at the nursery door for a moment but ultimately did not go in. Although he wanted to, he had no experience and feared waking the baby, which would only cause more trouble. At first, when he learned he had an illegitimate daughter, his motivation was simply to reclaim what was his, not letting others take it away. But when he held Anna and she laughed, the role of father seemed to be activated. He actually resisted the label of father, as it always came with responsibilities and obligations. But now, this label had been suddenly attached to him, and... he didn't really oppose it. "Of course, I don't have to change diapers or stay up all night. I just need to play with her and see her cute face; I wouldn't oppose it," Li Xu said to himself, taking off his jacket and tossing it aside as he stood in front of a full-length mirror. But the little one was really adorable, and just looking at her photos made him like her. Holding her made him even more attached. Her chubby little face, her bright blue eyes inherited from her mother, and her babbling and bubble-blowing... So, besides being a real-life celebrity aspiration, could he now play a real-life princess game? After washing up and turning off the lights, Li Xu lay in bed, and Isabelle's beautiful face floated in his mind. He tapped his head and sighed softly. Although dealing with a female intellectual, especially a French one, was challenging, he could have done better today. The problem was that he had little time to prepare and couldn't think of a more tactful approach, so he had to be direct. As mentioned before, his words had a performative aspect, but a large part was sincere. When she stood in front of him and took off her sunglasses, the image he had suppressed in his heart suddenly burst forth, filling his body and making him... very uncomfortable. Yes, uncomfortable, the kind of "why not me" discomfort. It was hard to describe the feeling. Love? Their relationship wasn't deep, and even if they still had some lingering feelings, it was for that encounter. Desire? This was obvious; Isabelle Adjani's charm and beauty were unparalleled in the 1970s and 1980s. But that wasn't all, Li Xu knew it wasn't. So, what was the extra part? It was a headache. But at least one thing was clear: when he said, "I don't care if we both die," he was... a bit excited. And if it really happened, he would do it. It was strange, but he was sure he would. "Damn, am I starting to become a pervert?!" Li Xu was shocked, his hands behind his head. "Though I'm already on the path of the devil, I should still be a highbrow and cold devil, right? How can I become a pervert, and will it feel like a predetermined fate?" After a moment of jumping thoughts, he tapped his head and finally fell asleep, sleeping until morning as if those chaotic thoughts hadn't disturbed him. After staying at the villa in the Paris suburbs for two more days, Isabelle barely spoke to Li Xu and was even colder, only smiling when playing with her daughter. Then, Li Xu took them to London, where his father, hearing that he had settled things, eagerly wanted to see his granddaughter. "Wait, Anna, wait, don't grab that, hey, that's important paperwork!" Old Edward waved his hands by the desk, while Anna-Belle happily crawled around, pushing everything in her way. Li Xu watched his father and granddaughter interact with a smile, not offering any help, as it wasn't often he saw his father flustered, even if he was half-pretending. After a while, he picked up his daughter, who had cleared the desk: "Okay, Anna, it's time for you to sleep now." "Ya! Ya!" The little one patted her father's shoulder, seemingly unwilling to be carried away, but her small arms and legs couldn't resist, and her grandfather looked relieved. She pouted as she was carried out of the study and handed to the nanny outside. "How does it feel to be a grandfather?" After closing the door and watching his father tidy up the desk, Li Xu stood there with his arms crossed and asked. "I can't believe I'm already a grandfather," Old Edward sighed, tidying up a bit and then stopping. When he had placed Anna-Belle on the desk, he had removed the lamp, ink bottle, and other fragile items, so although it was messy, it was easy to clean up. He did a bit, and the rest could be left to the servants. "It's like when I became a father," his father continued. "Forget it, you've known for so long, and you still feel 'unbelievable'?" Li Xu rolled his eyes, still upset about the secrecy. His father smiled and asked, "What about you, Second Generation, how does it feel to be a father?"