"Excuse me, what did you do when you went to visit Mr. Asai in Yukiso that day as agreed?"

When Mr. Nishino, who had been busy for a long time, could finally sit down and talk about things, Lin Xiu asked straight to the point about the purpose of Mr. Nishino's visit to Yuki Villa. Updates are the fastest

"Actually, I don't know very much about this, but I know that Mr. Asai asked me to go and discuss some problems with him about Western painting. ”

"So, have you received a similar invitation before?"

"Well, Mr. Asai is a very easy-going person, and he often invites us painters who live at the foot of the mountain to come to him, and he is always very humble to ask us for some knowledge of Western painting. Not only me, but many painters in the neighborhood have received invitations from Mr. Asai!"

"So, what do you usually do when you meet?"

"Well, most of the time, it's in his study to look up some of the collectibles he's just acquired. Although Mr. Asai does not know how to paint, he is willing to let us observe his collection up close, and it is precisely because of this rare opportunity that we moved here from Tokyo, hoping to draw on Mr. Asai's rich collection to broaden our horizons and improve our creative ability. To be honest, if it weren't for Mr. Asai, there would have been a lot of works that we would have had to study at art museums abroad. ”

"Oh...... That's it!"

As soon as Lin Xiu heard this, he thought of the painting called "Love Letter" hanging in the study, and he could basically determine that Koichi Asai invited Nishino to Yukiso, which should be for the sake of that painting.

"Excuse me, have you ever heard that Mr. Asai has a Western painting called 'Love Letter' in his possession?"

"Hmm...... I've heard of this work, and I know that Mr. Asai just recently bought it back from the auction house, but I haven't had a chance to see it in person!"

Nishino replied to Lin Xiuyi without hesitation.

"Mr. Nishino, in fact, I would like to ask you a question, what kind of work do you think this work called "Love Letter" looks like from your professional point of view?"

"Well...... It's a bit complicated to say, after all, painting is actually very subjective in evaluation. The composition of that work, as well as the expression techniques, are remarkable, although I don't know who made it, but it is a rare work, but the most commendable thing about this painting is the expression of the model in the painting, there is always a feeling that people can't figure it out, and this alone is already a stroke of genius......"

While thinking about it, Mr. Nishino explained to Lin Xiuyi, and as he spoke, he also took out a picture album from his bookshelf and found this work to explain to Lin Xiuyi patiently.

Lin Xiuyi listened very carefully, and for him, who didn't know anything about Western painting, he naturally cared about the opinions of professionals.

"Mr. Nishino, you just said that you don't know who made it, is the creator of this "Love Letter" a mystery?"

"Well, as far as I know, no one really knows who made this painting, but I just heard that the first collector of this work brought it back from abroad. However, the collector is said to have drowned. ”

Hearing that Mr. Nishino accidentally mentioned the curse, Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but ask him.

"So, you know about the curse too?"

"Cursed? Maybe it's really an ominous painting? I can't confirm it, but many people in the industry have heard of the name of this work. It is said that all collectors who have owned this work will have misfortune. However, because of this, the fame of this Western painting has grown. Speaking of which, it's really enviable!"

Mr. Nishino shook his head and said with emotion.

"By the way, Mr. Nishino, I have one last question, what kind of person do you think Mr. Asai is?"

"Mr. Asai? He's a collector with a high level of artistic accomplishment, and he's a very good person. Always very polite to those of us who are not well-known. Nowadays, it is rare to meet a collector like Mr. Asai who understands Western paintings. ”

"So...... Did he ever have a problem with anyone, or did you hear of anyone who expressed dissatisfaction with Mr. Asai?"

"This ...... Sorry, I spend most of my time in the studio and don't pay much attention to these things...... So, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you much!"

"Ah...... It's okay, you've answered a lot of questions for us, by the way, Mr. Nishino, if you suddenly remember something important, I mean anything, please feel free to contact me, okay?"

Lin Xiuyi said as he took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to the other party.

"A search lesson, sure enough, you are indeed the police, may I ask what happened to Mr. Asai?"

Mr. Nishino asked Lin Xiuyi curiously, and from the last few questions Lin Xiuyi asked just now, Nishino had roughly guessed Lin Xiuyi's identity.

"I apologize for not being able to disclose this to you, but I hope you don't tell anyone else about today, as doing so would likely be dangerous for Mr. Asai......"

"Uh...... Okay! I'll keep my mouth shut!"

Lin Xiuyi stood up and reminded Mr. Nishino a few more words, and then said goodbye and left here with Yuan Zhizhu.

After leaving Mr. Nishino's residence, Shuichi Hayashi and Minamoto took the road back to Yukiyama Villa again. On the way back, Yuan Zhizhu whispered to Lin Xiuyi:

"It seems that Asai-kun's disappearance really has something to do with that Western painting!"

"Well, it seems that this is true at the moment, and if according to Butler Shibata, that room has not changed since Mr. Asai left, then it is clear that Mr. Asai wanted to invite Mr. Nishino to Yuki Sanso to enjoy the painting together. But why Mr. Asai suddenly left Yukiyama is the next thing we need to investigate. Anyway, we have to go back again and ask Butler Shibata if anything special happened in Yukiyama Resort in the days leading up to Mr. Asai's disappearance. ”

When Lin Xiuyi and Yuan Zhizhu returned to the mountainside where Xiwuzhuang was located from the foot of the mountain again, Lin Xiuyi was already tired and couldn't move. After all, compared to the ease of descending the mountain, it obviously takes more physical effort to go up the mountain.

However, just as Lin Xiuyi was about to walk into the gate of Xiwu Villa, he suddenly grabbed Yuan Zhizhu and asked him in a low voice:

"Ombudsman, may I ask if Mr. Asai has a woman with whom he is in close contact?"