Chapter 15 P - Making a Wish

Chu Beiling brushed past Xing Yu, neither of them giving way, and their shoulders collided as they passed each other.

He had only taken a couple of steps when Xing Yu spoke up from behind: "You're injured, you've been wronged, you should prove it to everyone, instead of running away from reality and transferring to Class 12, which wasn't part of the plan."

Chu Beiling stopped at the dormitory entrance, turned around at the same time as Xing Yu, and pounced on him in three quick steps, grabbing his school uniform collar and pushing him against the door.

Chu Beiling's fingers tightened, and her breathing became heavier: "Xing Yu, let me tell you, do you think I'm planning to transfer to Class 12 because of the homeroom teacher's insults this morning? She thinks my grades aren't good enough. I can prove it in the first monthly exam. I'm no worse than anyone else, especially you."

He took a deep breath and said, word by word, "You have no right to define me."

Chu Beiling's voice was terribly hoarse. He felt wronged, unwilling, resentful, and jealous.

He was clearly no worse than Xing Yu, but Ms. Li always felt that he was inferior to Xing Yu, using him as a reference point and a superior role model.

Everything he does is wrong, while everything Xing Yu does is right.

Ms. Li is his mother, and he has to work his hardest to get even a little bit of her attention, something Xing Yu can easily obtain.

Despite being favored by Ms. Li, Xing Yu spoke to him in a condescending tone, saying that he had poor mental fortitude and was running away from things.

On what grounds?

Xing Yu leaned against the door without moving or pushing him away, staring at him expressionlessly.

Being so close, Chu Beiling could see the reddened eyes and somewhat disheveled appearance of Xing Yu in his dark pupils. He jolted, as if electrocuted, and instantly let go, creating distance between himself and Xing Yu.

Xing Yu finally spoke up: "Then please tell everyone that you are no worse than anyone else. Besides, neither I nor anyone else should be influenced by you. Leaving for someone you hate is irresponsible to yourself."

Chu Beiling's lowered cat-like eyes concealed all her emotions: "Heh, of course you're not worth me changing my choices."

Sunlight streamed in unhindered through the gaps in the stairwell.

Under the golden light, Chu Beiling's amber eyes were crystal clear, like glass marbles, exceptionally beautiful.

Xing Yu's gaze lingered on his eyes, his voice as cold and sarcastic as ever: "That would be best."

He stepped forward, leaned slightly and whispered in Chu Beiling's ear: "If you run away, you've already lost."

Chu Beiling reached out to grab him, but Xing Yu stepped back first, his sky-blue school uniform flashing by, leaving him empty-handed.

Large clouds drifted across the sky, obscuring the sun. Xing Yu stood for a short while in the fading light and shadow.

He only turned and went into the dormitory after Chu Beiling's figure disappeared from sight in the stairwell.

In the afternoon art class, the art teacher, wearing sneakers, walked towards them with her head held high.

The person who came in looked to be in her early twenties. She wore bright, bold, and individualistic clothes with retro curly hair. Her features were small and delicate, but she wasn't considered pretty.

But just by looking at their demeanor, you can tell they're art students—quite unconventional, with a strange and decadent air that carries a vitality that is both opposite and yet not incongruous, like a figure from a European oil painting from the 1880s.

"Lin Tingdao, your class's art teacher, for the next three years, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be teaching you sketching, color, and quick sketching all by myself."

Lin Tingdao spoke in a distinctly Wu dialect accent, which was completely inconsistent with his demeanor.

Young, unconventional, and with a gentle tone, she immediately attracted the attention of the art students at that age, and the class became noisy as they all asked about her.

"Don't worry about these questions for now, you'll find out gradually later."

Lin Tingdao didn't waste any words and directly laid out two sets of diagrams, one set of geometric plaster casts and the other set of still life. "For the first class today, let's not start the lesson yet. I want to see what the basic level of our class is like. I don't think anyone has absolutely no basic knowledge, right?"

Most of the students in the class shook their heads.

Lin Tingdao dusted off his hands and said decisively, "Very good, let's start drawing. The two sketching classes will last a total of 90 minutes. Students who are capable can draw two sets. Those who know they won't have enough time can choose either still life or plaster cast. All submissions must be complete."

A few bolder boys tried to strike up a conversation with Lin Tingdao.

She smiled slightly and said, "The last five students to finish will clean up the palettes of the other students in the class after today's color class. Of course, the students who painted two sets don't need to."

Simple and straightforward, no explanation needed. A group of art students, genuinely afraid of washing their palettes, quickly set up their easels and started painting, not daring to utter a single word.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, the leaves swayed gently, and the light and shadow fell lightly and delicately on Xing Yu's school uniform. As he posed, his well-defined hands and the bulging blue veins on his taut arms appeared almost transparent in the sunlight, looking fragile and easily broken.

Art students can't help but admire perfect lighting and structure.

Just an hour ago, the two were at loggerheads, but Chu Beiling couldn't help but glance at Xing Yu a few more times.

He looked at it from top to bottom, left to right, but couldn't find a single flaw. It was even more perfect than Michelangelo's David sculpture.

Not allowing drawing is a terrible waste; even with clothes on, the obvious muscle definition is still visible. Why not take them off?

Chu Beiling stopped herself in time, preventing herself from continuing to strip him naked.

Their relationship was terrible, and Xing Yu had said that he would tear up any painting he made.

It wasn't that he was afraid of him; Young Master Chu held grudges and had always wanted to settle accounts with Xing Yu for tearing up his painting. The reason he didn't paint it was simply because he was genuinely heartbroken that the painting would be torn up, so he had to forcibly suppress his desire to paint Xing Yu.

Lin Tingdao tapped Chu Beiling's drawing board, "Why are you looking at Xing Yu? Do you have his hand, or is it that your lighting angles are the same and can be used as a reference?"

“The angle and lighting will definitely be different, but if Picasso were sitting in my lap, I would definitely become the modern-day Van Gogh.” Chu Beiling smiled and accepted the answer, revealing two clean little tiger teeth.

Lin Tingdao wasn't one to back down either: "I don't know if Picasso would sit in your lap, but I do know that Xing Yu definitely wouldn't sit in your lap to paint." He glanced at Xing Yu beside him: "Right, Xing Yu?"

Xing Yu lost focus and didn't control his strength, breaking the long, fragile 2B pencil on the drawing. He clicked his tongue and picked up a new pencil.

The boys laughed boldly and unrestrainedly, while the girls laughed shyly, and several of them looked over at the two of them.

Xing Yu sat in Chu Beiling's lap and painted. The scene was so beautiful that they dared not imagine it, yet they were filled with anticipation.

The scorching afternoon sun made Young Master Chu's fair face turn bright red.

It's all Xing Yu's fault. If he hadn't torn up that painting, he wouldn't have been so preoccupied with wanting to paint Xing Yu after the argument, acting as if he cared about him so much.

Lin Tingdao's smile melted across his face: "What's wrong? You have a problem with that? If you're not satisfied, when we do the human figure modeling, I'll arrange for you to sit in Xing Yu's lap, in the middle of the classroom, as a reference for everyone. Is that alright?"

Li Dong, always eager for drama, said, "Teacher Lin, I have no objection. Please make the arrangements quickly and don't let them off the hook."

Someone took the lead, and the rest of the class, eager for a good show, joined in the commotion. My voice, "I have no objection," echoed throughout the classroom.

Some were even bolder, suggesting that they strip the two naked to see the muscle structure, making it easier to draw and remember.

Lin Tingdao patted the drawing board: "What's all the commotion? Start drawing now. Whoever makes a sound will sit in the middle of the classroom for the other students to reference during the figure drawing class, and they are not allowed to move for four hours."

Lin Tingdao's precise timing immediately silenced the class.

For sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys and girls, it is an age when they are active and can't sit still. It is already awkward to sit in the middle of the classroom and be a reference for the class, but to not be allowed to move for four hours is simply modern-day torture.

Lin Tingdao, like a wandering ghost, would linger behind her classmates, watching them closely. If she happened to give a compliment that she was satisfied with, she would leave.

There were more than a dozen students in Class 13 who, like Xu Tunan, chose art classes because they thought the art exams would be easy. They only drew for the exams and their basic skills were generally lacking, which Xu Tunan paid special attention to. Xu Tunan, in particular, was a disaster.

Xu Tunan: "Teacher Lin, please don't stand behind me all the time~ It's a bit chilly."

Lin Tingdao glanced at the nameplate on Xu Tunan's body, pointed to the apple on the screen, and said with a smile, "Xu Tunan, would you like to eat this apple?"

The class burst into laughter, and Xu Tunan's heart skipped a beat at the sound of it. He muttered a few words like a mosquito.

Lin Tingdao: "What did you say? I can't hear you! Speak louder!"

Xu Tunan was drenched in sweat: "This, this is inedible."

“Yes, it’s inedible, so it needs to be redrawn!” Lin Tingdao’s smile deepened, and his tone became gentler as he reached out and pointed to the apple on top.

The whole class chuckled softly, afraid to laugh too loudly for fear of being targeted and teased. They could only manage a series of honking sounds.

Xu Tunan hurriedly reached out to erase the apple with an eraser, but Lin Tingdao stopped him, clapped his hands, and interrupted the other students in the class who were drawing: "Whether you are drawing plaster casts or still life, you have already started to add shading. If you can avoid using the eraser extensively, then don't be lazy and use a pen to rub the paper to create shadows, otherwise your paintings will look very dirty, which will affect your scores in the art exam. Students who have this habit, start changing it now."

"Get up." Lin Tingdao patted Xu Tunan, then called over a few students in the class who had a weaker foundation, and asked them to come behind him so he could demonstrate and explain the painting.

After the sketching class, they started applying color, which they did directly.

They didn't stop until dusk transitioned into night, and the sky slowly tinged from orange-red to a melancholy deep blue.

"Everyone can hand in their dry drawing paper now. Those that aren't dry can be left on the classroom floor until the class representative comes to collect them."

Lin Tingdao looked at Chu Beiling: "Chu Beiling, art class representative, come and collect it before evening self-study. My office is on the fourth floor, and the table by the window is mine."

Chu Beiling agreed.

After leaving the art school, Lin Tingdao took out the buckets and palettes that had been soiled with paint to clean them one by one, and then came back to tidy up his painting tools.

Chu Beiling took off his colorful white T-shirt, revealing his pristine white school uniform. He closed the paint box, picked up the bucket and palette, and prepared to wash them.

As he passed by Xing Yu, he couldn't help but glance at him.

Art students are practically crawling out of a junkyard after class; if their clothes and hands aren't a complete mess, they're considered not serious about drawing.

Everyone around, including Chu Beiling, was a big tabby cat.

Xing Yu, on the other hand, was completely untouched by the color. Apart from some pencil dust on the skin on the side of his ulna, he looked clean and refreshed.

It is particularly inhumane.

Clean and refreshed, Xing Yu was using a scraper to scrape out the mixed paint that had just been messed up. He then wiped the white plastic stains off the edges of the paint box with a wet wipe and finally sprayed a thin layer of water on it before stopping.

Chu Beiling truly admired him; he had maintained this level of dedication for ten years, and even had the patience to clean the paint box after each painting session.

He only has the patience to care for colors during the first two days after receiving new paints; the rest of the time he just mixes them and that's it.

Xing Yu closed the paint box and looked up at him: "What's up?"

Chu Beiling glanced down at the spotless paint box: "If Ruan Dao uses your paint box to make sample paintings a few times, you'll behave yourself."

Lin Tingdao's first lesson, delivered in a soft tone but with the harshest words, left a deep impression on them, earning him this nickname after class.

"Oh, I thought you meant to say about letting me sit on your lap," Xing Yu blurted out abruptly.

Chu Beiling was stunned for half a second: "Are you crazy?"

Xing Yu stood up, glanced at him, and began packing his toolbox: "So don't drag me into this."

Chu Beiling: "I'm really fed up. I didn't even bring this up, so what's the point of you causing me trouble?"

Xing Yu: "If I don't look for you, who else should I look for?"

Chu Beiling was also unhappy about being associated with Xing Yu: "According to your calculations, you'd better compensate me for my emotional distress!"

After a moment's thought, Xing Yu nodded: "It does look a bit abnormal, so you can contact me anytime if you need anything."

After saying that, he picked up his toolbox and disappeared into the American church.

Chu Beiling: "..."

That's it.

The two spent a week in a state of constant bickering. Throughout her life, Chu Beiling had always been well-liked, both at school and in the art studio, but the only person she couldn't get along with was Xing Yu.

Of course, Xing Yu didn't want to associate with them either. He had a cold, indifferent face that treated everyone the same, as if to say, "Don't mess with me."

But when it comes to him, Xing Yu always says something unexpected that's infuriating, which makes Chu Beiling furious, and the two start bickering back and forth.

Every time, Chu Beiling suffered a crushing defeat.

After finally getting through the week, a group of students who had been locked up for a week were no different from those released from a cage. Without saying a word, they packed their bags and headed straight to the school gate, saying goodbye to each other and promising to see each other on Sunday.

He and Xing Yu can only see each other when they go home; how tragic.

However, Uncle Zhao had something come up today and couldn't pick them up, so they had to take the subway home by themselves.

Chu Beiling was so happy she wanted to set off firecrackers to celebrate; being away from Xing Yu was something to be happy about no matter what.

On Friday afternoons, during art class, they have to finish their drawings before they can leave. Chu Beiling is the class representative, so she can only leave the school after everyone has finished and all the drawings have been collected. That's why the campus is now sparsely populated.

Chu Beiling had just packed her schoolbag and was about to head to her dormitory when Li Dong called out to her, "Chu Fanfan, come with me to Lingyin Temple tomorrow. The jasmine flowers around there are in bloom, so we can go sketching."

Chu Beiling stopped and turned around: "Okay."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tunan immediately joined in: "Me too, me too."

Looking at Xing Yu, who had been watching them from a distance, she took the initiative to invite him: "Xing Yu, are you coming or not?"

Xing Yu: "I'm not going."

Chu Beiling had already guessed: "Knowing he won't go, why are you still asking?" He waved his hand: "I'm leaving, see you tomorrow."

Xu Tunan actually knew that Xing Yu was unlikely to go, but seeing that Xing Yu kept looking at them, he thought that Xing Yu wanted to go but was too embarrassed to ask, so he asked.

Of course, it was also a deliberate invitation from him, hoping to ease the tension between the two.

The next morning, the three met at the entrance of Feilai Peak Scenic Area and spent the morning there. Before leaving, Li Dong asked them to accompany her into Lingyin Temple.

Grandma is sick, and Li Dong plans to pray for her safety.

Xu Tunan absolutely refused to go in: "I'm not going. Don't you know that once you enter Lingyin Temple, you're widowed for three years? You can go if you want. I still want to date!"

Li Dong and Chu Beiling exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

Li Dong said bluntly, "Buddha helps those with righteous relationships and cuts off those with wicked ones. If you're single, it means you won't be able to date for the next three years. Maybe you'll have some psychological comfort if you go to jail and live alone for three years."

Chu Beiling raised an eyebrow and asked gossipily, "Who have you taken a fancy to? Who do you want to date?"

"No matter what you say, I'm not going in." Li Dong had something to ask for, so it wasn't on his mind. Xu Tunan looked at Chu Beiling beside him, "Aren't you worried at all?"

Chu Beiling shrugged, fearless: "My girlfriend is an artist, and we love each other dearly and will never be apart."

Xu Tunan scoffed, ultimately unwilling to go in, and waited outside while Li Dong and Chu Beiling swiped their citizen cards to enter the temple.

Li Dong entered the main hall, but Chu Beiling didn't follow, finding it too crowded.

After Li Dong came out, he handed him a red prayer ribbon: "Here, this is for you. Since you're here, write your wish down. Don't waste it!"

Chu Beiling took it, somewhat curious: "Can wishes really come true?"

“I don’t know if it will work, but I hope it will.” Li Dong clasped her hands together, holding the prayer ribbon, and made a sincere wish. After she finished, she lowered her head and wrote her wish on the prayer ribbon.

Chu Beiling stared at the prayer ribbon, stumped; he didn't know what to write.

Ms. Li doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas, she only believes in herself, so he can't ask the gods or Buddhas to let her look at him more.

The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and suddenly the image of Xing Yu flashed through Chu Beiling's mind.

He gritted his teeth and wrote on it: "Xing Yu disappears on the spot."

"Kong—" The heavy sound of the bell resounded through the sky.

As the chanting of Buddhist hymns descended from the heavens, Chu Beiling's soul trembled, and the pen he was holding fell to the ground, rolled down the steps, and disappeared into the crowd.