Introduction

Yu-Li is a long-time overseas art dealer who returns to his hometown to handle a funeral. When he is preparing to leave again, he happens upon a familiar oil painting in a small exhibit in his hotel. The composition and style of the oceanic scene it depicts are almost identical to those of a painting whose creator passed away a dozen years ago. He resolves to uncover the anonymous painter’s identity and decides to stay a few extra days. After a laborious search, he discovers that the artist is Xiu-Mei, a young woman who works at the hotel. Yu-Li is amazed by her mature painting skills and her talents at such a young age. He also finds out that she is locked in a forbidden love affair with a married professor, who works at the university and has become famous. Yu-Li wants to find out the reason why Xiu-Mei was able to paint a work so similar to the other painting. He intends to focus on cultivating Xiu-Mei's artistic talents and overlooks the forbidden love affair she is trapped in. However, when the two gradually become acquainted, Yu-Li realizes that this is not the first time he has met Xiu-Mei. He first encountered her while she was a young child, and he was a college student. He was even close to her now-deceased mother.