Jack Morgan neither admitted nor denied it, and jumped off the chair to go play games.

　　Adam Wright arrived with a client at two in the afternoon, and this client was an acquaintance. He saw Eric Clark and asked, "When did you get here?"

　　The young girl said, "He got here even earlier than I did, came before we even opened. I said I'd call you, but he said no need."

　　Adam Wright said to the client, "Wait for me a moment."

　　He waved at Eric Clark, and the two of them walked through the small door toward the studio. He asked Eric Clark what kind of painting he wanted.

　　Eric Clark said, "As long as it's painted by you, something softer. That little rascal is too fierce."

　　Adam Wright let him pick for himself, and Eric Clark immediately took a liking to an oil painting. The painting had a dark color palette, mainly gray tones, and the main subject was a lake, overgrown with weeds, desolate and rundown.

　　"Is this one okay?"

　　Adam Wright took it down and handed it to him: "Take it."

　　Eric Clark left as soon as he got the painting. The young girl said that even by nightfall, Adam Wright might not be done with this job, so there was no need for Eric Clark to wait.

　　On the way home, Eric Clark kept mulling over what Jack Morgan had said, how certain he sounded when he said he didn't stand a chance.

　　No chance? That was actually kind of discouraging to hear. Eric Clark smiled, but if he really just gave up and admitted defeat, then he wouldn't be himself.

Chapter 9

　　Jack Morgan wasn't just talking nonsense; it was simply that he'd spent so many years around Adam Wright that he knew him well. Eric Clark's attitude made it obvious, even to the blind, that he was interested in Adam Wright, and he didn't even try to hide it. There were actually quite a few people like that—sometimes clients who came for tattoos would get hung up on how handsome Adam Wright was, but nothing ever really came of it.

　　Eric Clark wasn't an annoying person, and he was pretty sensible. Every time he came, he didn't say much and never interrupted their work. Intellectuals really were different; even after just a few encounters, you could tell he was cultured.

　　Later, Eric Clark came by a few more times, usually on weekends. He never made an appointment in advance—he just showed up whenever he felt like it, regardless of whether Adam Wright was there or not. If Adam Wright was there, he'd chat with him for a bit; if not, he'd talk to Jack Morgan and Ryan Turner. Ryan Turner was the young girl who did manicures at the front; she actually liked Eric Clark and was happy to chat with him.

　　Over time, he got to know everyone pretty well, and met the other tattoo artists too, except for a couple who had recently gone abroad to study and wouldn't be back until next year. The shop had two computers, one for Jack Morgan and one for the guy who went abroad. Eric Clark had thought one of them belonged to Adam Wright.

　　Jack Morgan laughed and said, "No way. My big bro is like some kind of sage—he barely even looks at his phone, let alone plays games."

　　At the time, Eric Clark glanced at Adam Wright, who was in the back, tattooing someone—a full sleeve, which was a lot of work.

　　Eric Clark asked Jack Morgan, "So what does he usually do?"

　　"Just tattoos, paints, and if he has free time, he makes stuff." Jack Morgan looked up from his phone, glanced at Eric Clark, and gave a crooked smile. "Or he spends time brushing off admirers."

　　Eric Clark laughed at that, raising his eyebrows in a joking way. "How does he brush them off?"

　　"He just ignores them," Jack Morgan looked back down at his phone, still smiling. "If someone sits there, he goes off to paint. If people talk to him, he doesn't respond."

　　Eric Clark could tell Jack Morgan was saying this for his benefit, but he didn't take it to heart. Eric Clark just kept smiling. He was pretty close with Jack Morgan; the kid could be pretty funny sometimes. Eric Clark also knew that Adam Wright sometimes seemed to avoid him, but he didn't really mind and just kept chatting with Jack Morgan.

　　Chasing someone—if you got them right away, where's the fun in that? No sense of accomplishment. Teacher Xiao was already prepared for a long campaign; he was determined to win this person over.

　　That day, Eric Clark didn't actually say much to Adam Wright; Adam Wright was busy tattooing and barely moved. The guy getting tattooed even took several naps, but Adam Wright stayed in the same position the whole time. Just watching made Eric Clark's back feel stiff and his neck ache.

　　"Are you guys always like this?" Eric Clark asked Jack Morgan. "Just head down all day?"

　　Jack Morgan chuckled, "All day? Sometimes a big job takes dozens of hours. When it's done, your whole body cracks and pops, feels like you're about to fall apart."

　　Eric Clark frowned and shook his head. "That's not good."

　　"You're worried about my big bro, aren't you?" Jack Morgan shot him a sideways glance, smiling. "You don't have to worry. My big bro doesn't rush jobs—never more than eight hours at a time. And when he's done, someone gives him a massage. His bones are in good shape."

　　Eric Clark looked at Adam Wright a couple more times, frowning but saying nothing. After sitting for a while, he left.

　　Jack Morgan couldn't keep his mouth shut for a second. As soon as Eric Clark left, he sidled up to Adam Wright and kept talking, grinning as he asked, "Bro, you're acting different this time, huh? You heard him just now, right? He was worried about you, tsk."

　　Adam Wright ignored him, grabbed him by the neck, and pushed him aside.

　　Jack Morgan stuck close again. "Why don't you just make things clear? Dragging it out isn't like you."

　　Adam Wright lowered his eyelids and glanced at him. "What are you trying to say?"

　　"I'm just saying, this one's actually your type, isn't he?" Jack Morgan chewed his gum and blew a small bubble. "You like them mature and sensible, don't you?"