Chapter 62 P-Key

The result of this high-profile behavior was that Chu Beiling was called to Wang Caiyan's office and criticized, and then punished with a 1,500-word self-criticism, which had to be submitted to the office before the end of the school day.

Chu Beiling stared at the blank paper, not writing for a long time. His soul was about to leave his body, and he was just short of turning into a groundhog and screaming.

Apology letter, apology letter—

How do I write this? How am I supposed to write this?

After studying for so many years, his grades weren't top-notch, but they were passable. He never broke school rules or regulations, and he never even caused any minor trouble. He was just an ordinary, law-abiding student.

Unless his grades drop, teachers generally won't pay attention to him.

Not to mention a self-criticism letter, which I'd never even heard of.

I don't know what Ms. Li and Wang Caiyan talked about, but she kept staring at him and magnified every little thing, and started to punish him.

Chu Beiling scratched her head in frustration, just about to ask Baidu how to write a self-criticism, when Xing Yu glanced at her sideways.

The moment their eyes met, Young Master Chu had a sudden inspiration. He slammed a blank sheet of paper on Xing Yu's desk and then smiled ingratiatingly, "Brother Yu, please, please help me write a self-criticism. I'm really bad at writing, I can't write it~ I can't write it."

Xing Yu raised an eyebrow, giving him no chance whatsoever: "You got 120 in Chinese, and you're telling me your writing isn't good?"

"That only proves that I have a strong comprehension ability, what does it have to do with my writing skills?" Chu Beiling reached out and pointed to the colorful cards that were already in the tin box, and nodded seriously: "Look, this bunch of blessings, I found them on Weibo."

Xing Yu: "..."

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Chu Beiling suppressed a laugh and continued, "Although the blessing was copied, my heart is sincere." He stretched out his hand in front of Xing Yu: "Look, my hands are so blistered from making lily of the valley flowers this week, I can't write anything."

Chu Beiling pouted, looking quite aggrieved, and said, "I can't write a single thing."

Xing Yu lowered his eyes. His hands were clean and white, with nothing on them except for the calluses from years of holding paintbrushes.

He raised his hand and gently patted Chu Beiling's hand: "Writing a self-criticism doesn't require literary skills, just write it, okay~"

Young Master Chu started to get angry and resorted to blatant extortion, asking, "Don't you love me anymore?"

Xing Yu's dark pupils trembled. He opened his mouth, but Chu Beiling covered it with her hand: "Don't speak. You just don't love me anymore."

"..." Xing Yu reached out and grabbed his mischievous hand: "Are you sure I can get away with writing a self-criticism for you?!"

Chu Beiling blinked, her amber eyes sparkling with obvious excitement: "Others can't, but you can. Besides, there's not much difference between our names."

Both his and Xing Yu's calligraphy are close to running script, the former being more agile and the latter having stronger strokes. The two have obvious differences in their calligraphic styles, but Xing Yu can imitate them. He focuses on writing in his style, and although it can't be exactly the same, it's about 80-90% similar.

You can't see it at all unless you look closely.

Xing Yu: "You're really something!"

Young Master Chu chuckled ingratiatingly, "Brother Yu, I really can't write this. Please, please help me, okay?!"

"You think I wrote it?!" Xing Yu lifted his eyelids.

Chu Beiling raised her chin: "I'm sticking to you. I'm determined to break this porcelain. You'd better deal with it."

Xing Yu put down his charcoal pencil and sketchbook, then switched to a ballpoint pen: "Don't try to stage an accident again. No amount of money will be enough to compensate you."

Despite his complaints, Xing Yu still picked up his pen and began writing a self-criticism in Chu Beiling's handwriting, since there was nothing he could do about it.

However, he had never written a self-criticism before, so he had to consult the esteemed Baidu to search for a template.

Having just found someone restless nearby, he started acting up again, taking advantage of her kindness: "If you're out of money, then you can pawn yourself to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Beiling's heart trembled for some reason. It was like red wine going down his throat, burning all the way to his stomach, and then the heat spread to his limbs and bones, making his whole body slightly hot and putting him into a brief state of tipsiness.

However, this feeling vanished in an instant. Young Master Chu didn't think much of it and stared straight at Xing Yu, waiting for his answer.

"Shut up." Xing Yu interrupted him promptly. "Otherwise, write it yourself."

Chu Beiling was unhappy for a moment, but this unhappiness didn't last long.

He obediently shut his mouth, then leaned over to look at Xing Yu writing his self-criticism: "How could this be?"

Xing Yu glanced at him: "Even the blessings you sent me were found online, so why can't you write a letter of apology!"

Chu Beiling: "I really didn't expect that."

Xing Yu directly exposed him: "You didn't expect it, you just didn't want to write these 1,500 words at all, you were too lazy to even copy them."

Chu Beiling chuckled a few times, then reached out and tapped his lips: "Shh~ Don't say it out loud."

Xing Yu warned helplessly, "If there's another instance of staged accident, I'll call the traffic police directly."

Chu Beiling looked at him with a hurt expression: "This is clearly a case of 'you in me, and me in you,' we are inseparable. How could you call the traffic police? You should have called a pastor to witness our love..."

For some reason, he suddenly felt something was wrong, and his rambling mouth came to a stop in time, changing his tone: "Witness our friendship."

God the hell called a pastor to witness friendship? How could he even say that? Xing Yu almost had a heart attack from being speechless.

Take a moment to calm down —

He lowered his head and began copying Chu Beiling's self-criticism, then changed the events described to make it more appropriate for the situation.

They're going out for dinner together tonight to celebrate Xing Yu's birthday.

During the last class in the afternoon, Lin Tingdao entered the classroom precisely at the moment the bell rang and Professor Lu walked out.

According to Xigao's tradition, every December, the second-year art students go to the training base to learn and experience training life in advance. While experiencing it, they also learn about the level of art students from other schools, so that they can have a better understanding of their own level and avoid becoming complacent.

Before they set off, Lin Tingdao specifically emphasized to them: "Tomorrow we will be heading to the training base with Class 12 to begin a 45-day closed training camp. At the training base, the requirements will be even higher and stricter than at school. You need to fully understand the joint entrance examination rules and your own level."

"More importantly, I hope that through this training camp you will figure out whether you want to pursue art. If not, and you feel that you can't stand this kind of high-intensity training, take advantage of the fact that the progress of the art class and the academic class is now on par, and quickly transfer to the academic class to study for the regular college entrance examination. Because by the time you reach your senior year of high school, the intensity of your training will only be stronger and you will be busier than this training camp."

For students who have thought it through, whether they simply consider art as a hobby and plan to enter university as art students, or who insist on pursuing the path of art, you need to make a choice. I hope you think it through in advance whether you will take the joint entrance examination or the art college entrance examination. These two options are different. The joint entrance examination only tests sketching, color, and quick sketching. You can also choose to go to a comprehensive university.

Different art colleges have different entrance exams and majors, and the subjects they require also vary. Especially for students who have decided to pursue an art career, you must think carefully and specialize in one subject. Otherwise, if you haphazardly try different things, you will only have three months to catch up on your academic subjects and improve your grades after the joint entrance exams and college entrance exams. You will be overwhelmed.

Students who are confident in their academic subjects can choose to give it a try, giving themselves more options. However, you will also work harder and spend more money than others.

Go home this week and discuss with your parents what to do. Do you understand?

Everyone: "Understood."

Lin Tingdao repeatedly emphasized: "Art is never a shortcut. It is something that you may not be able to achieve even if you spend your whole life on it. You can improve your academic performance in a short time, but you can't do that in art. Art students will be busier in their senior year than academic students. Most of the students who choose to take the college entrance exam will not be in school. So you must think carefully about what you want to do in the future before making a choice. Don't think I'm being long-winded."

She pointed at Xu Tunan: "Especially you, don't be fooled, think it through. I hope that when you come back from the training camp, you will also feel that you studied art just to make the college entrance examination easier."

Xu Tunan: "..."

"Finally, I want to emphasize one more thing to you: your behavior at the training base is so abstract that it's okay if you cry while hugging a toilet or want to drink the toilet water..."

Before Lin Tingdao could finish speaking, a chorus of disgusted exclamations erupted from the class: "Ugh—"

"Don't be shy. You'll be in complete isolation for 45 days, from morning till night, until the end. You'll see once you try it. But my point is that no matter how abstract your actions are, your drawings absolutely cannot be abstract."

"Did you hear me clearly?" Lin Tingdao said, word by word, "Painting, absolutely, cannot be abstract."

Xu Tunan asked curiously, "Teacher, during your training, did anyone exhibit abstract behavior? How was it abstract?"

Lin Tingdao laughed: "Does it count as treating cockroaches like idols and giving daily reports and confessions of love?"

Everyone looked disgusted: "..."

Lin Tingdao laughed out loud: "I hope you guys can be a little more normal."

For a moment, the students didn't know if Lin Tingdao was teasing them or seriously playing with abstract concepts.

Xu Tunan became interested and looked at her expectantly: "Teacher, do you have any abstract behaviors?"

"Yes, my mental state was quite good during the training camp," Lin Tingdao readily admitted.

Xu Tunan not only became interested, but also even more curious: "So what is it!?"

Lin Tingdao smiled at the group of curious faces, revealing two dimples: "Want to know? I'll tell you when you get back from the training camp."

Xu Tunan protested, "No, teacher, tell me now. You've already piqued my interest."

Lin Tingdao's eyes crinkled: "That's the right thing to do. I hope you can maintain this enthusiasm after the training camp ends."

"..." Xu Tunan clutched his aching heart.

Lin Tingdao began to instruct: "You must return to school before noon on Sunday, which is tomorrow, tomorrow. By 1 p.m., pack your luggage and drawing tools and wait for the bus to arrive at the school's science and technology building playground. Class representatives and class monitors must count the number of people and make sure that everyone has brought all their drawing tools before you can put people on the bus. If even one toolbox is missing, you will be held responsible."

Chu Beiling and Xue Ziang replied in unison, "Yes, teacher."

“But I guess no one would leave without a toolbox that’s so important to them,” Lin Tingdao said, glancing at Xu Tunan. “Right, Xu Tunan?”

Xu Tunan spoke up for himself: "I only forgot once last Friday afternoon when I went out sketching."

Lin Tingdao chuckled: "You want to do it a few more times? You might as well just forget about yourself."

Xu Tunan fell silent. Lin Tingdao turned and walked away, but came back after a few steps: "By the way, prepare more materials, especially white ink and erasers. Although the training base sells them, they are not very good and are more expensive than those sold outside. You may not be used to using them."

That was truly the end of it; Lin Tingdao never returned.

A group of people started packing their things to go home. Although they were supposed to be back by noon tomorrow, no one wanted to stay at school for even a second longer.

They planned to have a birthday dinner with Xing Yu that night, but they had to go back to school before noon the next day. The five boys and girls decided to drop off their luggage at Chu Beiling's house in Zhanlongkou first, and then head out to celebrate the birthday. They decided not to go home and just stay out all night.

Seeing Xing Yu continue walking uphill, Xu Tunan called out to him, "Hey, Xing Yu, where are you going?"

Chu Beiling: "He went back to his own home."

Xu Tunan was surprised: "You live so close by."

"What else?" Chu Beiling shrugged and went inside.

Xu Tunan was truly surprised. He couldn't believe that the two of them, who used to be at odds with each other in their first year of high school, were now so close that they could practically share a pair of pants.

I never expected that the two of them would be neighbors living on different floors.

"Your house is way too cluttered." Xu Tunan glanced at the cello standing next to his bookshelf and walked over. "You practice that too?"

As Chu Beiling changed into her slippers, she saw Xu Tunan's hand about to touch the cello and immediately shouted to stop him: "Don't touch it."

Xu Tunan flinched in fright, and Chu Beiling quickly stepped forward and pulled him away: "You can touch anything in this house, but not this."

Li Dong said with a meaningful tone, "It's really strange that Xing Yu's cello, which he treasures so much, is kept here by you, Chu Fanfan."

"Xing Yu's?" Xu Tunan's heart skipped a beat.

Chu Beiling: "Otherwise what?"

Xu Tunan looked at Chu Beiling gratefully: "No wonder you tried to stop me, thanks~"

If Xing Yu found out that he had touched his things, he would probably tear him to pieces on the spot and throw him into West Lake to feed the fish.

Shengxia nudged Chu Beiling's arm: "Fanfan, you haven't answered Tangtang's question yet."

For some reason, Chu Beiling didn't really want to answer the question, so she changed the subject directly: "I find it strange~ Why didn't you respond when Sheng Xia called you Tangtang, but you got angry as soon as we called you Tangtang?"

Li Dong grabbed the blue chubby doll from the sofa and threw it into his arms: "Shut up, don't call me that."

Chu Beiling put the blue robot back on the sofa and scoffed, "What a character."

"I'm all better now, are you all better?" Xing Yu asked as he walked in.

Xu Tunan was startled again, patting his chest as he turned around to look at him: "Xing Yu, are you a ghost? How come you walk so quietly? And how did you get in?" He stretched his neck to look at the door: "I remember closing the door when I came in."

Chu Beiling: "Oh, he has a key to my house."

Others: "..."