Chapter 89 P - Study Tour

At the end of April, the rain that had been falling for almost half a year finally stopped, and the sky cleared up, with temperatures rising considerably.

The student in the front row opened the window, and a gentle spring breeze immediately rushed into the classroom, repeatedly lifting the drawing paper. Chu Beiling quickly reached out and used a paperweight to hold down one corner.

He withdrew his hand, and his elbow bumped into Xing Yu's arm.

Chu Beiling glanced at Xing Yu guiltily.

As the weather gets warmer, he pulls his long sleeves down to his elbows, revealing his strong, muscular arms. In the sunlight, his skin seems to be pierced, and the clearly visible veins throb.

Noticing Xing Yu's gaze about to fall upon him, Chu Beiling abruptly looked away, lowering his eyes to stare at the drawing paper.

In the past few months, they haven't deliberately avoided each other, but they're not as close, relaxed, and uninhibited as they were before the training camp.

There's always a taboo line between them—this indescribable feeling makes even simple actions seem ambiguous and alluring.

It completely threw his mind into chaos.

Chu Beiling was fidgeting with the malleable rubber in a state of frustration when suddenly something hit his foot, followed by a metallic thud. He looked down and saw it was a utility knife.

Recognizing that it was Xing Yu's utility knife, Chu Beiling bent down to pick it up, and at the same time, Xing Yu also bent down.

The two bent over at the same time, their fingertips touching. Perhaps afraid that he would be uncomfortable, Xing Yu quickly let go of his hand, straightened up, and put some distance between them.

An unintentional touch, like a feather brushing past, tickled Chu Beiling's heart again, making it feel itchy and a little uncomfortable.

Chu Beiling handed the utility knife to Xing Yu. He glanced down at it, then looked at the table, his meaning clear: place it on the table.

Xing Yu remained silent, so Chu Beiling pretended not to know.

They remained in a stalemate, silent, not knowing how much time had passed—perhaps a few seconds, or perhaps a minute or two.

"Thank you." Xing Yu's well-defined fingers brushed past Chu Beiling's fingertips as he took the utility knife back.

Ke Jincheng, the loudspeaker, came into the classroom again with his latest news: "I just came out of the office and heard the teachers discussing the cities for study tours during the May Day holiday."

Forty-odd heads looked over at the same time, asking in a chaotic chorus, "Are there some cities?"

Ke Jincheng: "It is said to be Harbin, Luoyang, Suzhou, Wuhan, and Xi'an."

Someone asked, "Corgi, are you sure?"

Ke Jincheng boasted, "When I, Ke Jincheng, take action, I'm worth two men. I'm honest and reliable."

Every May Day, the art department organizes sketching and study trips for first and second-year high school students.

Even if they're not specifically going out to play, being able to temporarily escape the campus to travel and study is much happier for a bunch of mischievous monkeys locked up in school than staying in school.

From the moment they found out, a lively discussion broke out in the class. Xu Tunan from the neighboring group came over and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Li Dong complained, "It's not like you can just go whenever you want."

Xu Tunan retorted: "Can't I even dream about something?!"

Chu Beiling: "It's fine if we don't go to Suzhou."

Suzhou is most likely the place to paint Suzhou gardens. The landscapes of Suzhou and Hangzhou are quite similar. He and his school often organize painting sessions of gardens and landscapes in the surrounding area.

Having a rare opportunity, Chu Beiling wanted to visit other cities, preferably those further north, such as Harbin or Xi'an.

Summer: "I don't want to go to Suzhou either."

Xu Tunan casually asked around and got similar opinions: he wanted to go somewhere further away, preferably to the north. It was a pity that it was late spring and he couldn't see snow, otherwise the north would have received more votes.

However, no matter how much the class discusses it, it's useless; the destination is decided by drawing lots by the art teachers of each class.

I wonder which city Lin Tingdao will draw for their class.

They didn't have to wait long. In the evening, during art class, Lin Tingdao came over to announce their class's final city.

Everyone looked at him expectantly. Lin Tingdao glanced at the group of mischievous monkeys who were eagerly waiting for him and said, "Don't look at me, look at the paintings in your hands. Draw your paintings and just listen to what I say."

Once everyone turned around and their gazes were refocused on their easels, Lin Tingdao solemnly announced: "This May Day holiday, for five days and four nights, we will go to Suzhou to sketch and paint the Suzhou gardens."

The moment he finished speaking, a chorus of groans erupted in the classroom.

Lin Tingdao was amused by them: "What are you yelling about? There's heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Isn't Suzhou good enough? It's also close by."

Xu Tunan complained, "Teacher Lin, your luck is really bad. Last year it was Nanjing, this year it's Suzhou. There's no fun for the seniors in the second half of the year. Can't you go somewhere farther away like the other classes? We're sick of drawing the gardens in Jiangnan."

Lin Tingdao raised his hand and pressed it against his easel, scanning it around: "You've vomited up the paintings of Jiangnan gardens?!"

The group nodded vigorously.

"Okay." Lin Tingdao nodded: "You choose a city and see how many kilometers it is from Hangzhou. Our class will submit that many still life paintings made entirely of glass or stainless steel. Those who can paint well should paint more, and those who can't should paint less. Once we have submitted them all, I will talk to the teacher of that class and see if we can exchange them. I'm easy to talk to, right? I definitely won't let you paint until you're sick of it."

Lin Tingdao knows how to treat people differently depending on their status.

The other four cities are all more than 700 kilometers away from Wuhan, the closest of which is the other four.

Not to mention cities further north, with hundreds or even thousands of paintings, all made of highly transparent, reflective materials that could kill you.

The whole class was as quiet as a chicken for half an hour.

They then retreated, transforming into screaming chickens, their cries echoing incessantly, refusing the triple scream.

"No, no, no, Suzhou is very nice, I think it smells wonderful."

"Never mind, let's go with the Suzhou gardens then."

"I also think Suzhou gardens are acceptable."

"I suddenly realized that Suzhou gardens are quite nice. If you're in your comfort zone, you shouldn't challenge yourself."

"I choose to take my dog's life."

...

Even just one colorless, reflective material in a still life is enough to drive them crazy; imagine the sheer awfulness of it all!

Under the oppressive force of still life made entirely of glass, a group of art students, trembling with fear at the sight of glass and stainless steel objects, chose to embrace the Suzhou gardens with enthusiasm.

Without a second thought.

Lin Tingdao said, "No one has any objections, so we don't want to change it, right?"

"We're not changing it." A bunch of people shook their heads vigorously, reluctantly agreeing.

Lin Tingdao looked regretful. "What a pity. I really wanted to train you guys. In that case, let's do it next time."

"Ah—" Everyone looked at him in disbelief: "Teacher, are you serious?"

Lin Tingdao laughed: "It depends on your performance."

Then, in a very good mood, he went out to inspect and supervise, standing in the shadows to observe, and occasionally picking out a few students to tease them.

Xu Tunan, in particular, is a key figure of interest to Lin Tingdao.

Lin Tingdao pointed at Xu Tunan's drawing board: "Tutu~" She narrowed her eyes: "Your paintings are getting closer and closer to art, but further and further away from people."

Xu Tunan: "Could Teacher Lin help me revise it?"

Lin Tingdao: "If you want me to make changes, then it's basically a redraw."

"..." Xu Tunan felt heartbroken, clutched his chest, and slumped his head on the drawing board.

"Get up." Lin Tingdao patted him.

Despite the playful banter, Lin Tingdao patiently guided and restrained the unrestrained Xu Tunan, urging him to respect painting techniques and refrain from wildly imaginative creations.

After instructing Xu Tunan, Lin Tingdao said to him, "Xu Tunan, you don't have much time left. You can have ideas, but don't have too many. Just draw honestly."

With the joint entrance exam in December and the art college entrance exams next March, they really don't have much time left.

Chu Beiling stopped her wrist, which was moving rapidly across the paper, and turned to Xing Yu beside her, suddenly asking, "Xing Yu, what are your thoughts on applying to the Academy of Fine Arts?"

Xing Yu: "What do you mean?"

Chu Beiling: "Exams, I mean exams. If you just follow the routine, what's the difference between that and an assembly line? You'll easily get trapped in that mindset, and over time you might lose your creativity or self-expression. Of course, it's definitely not right to go to Siberia to improve your basic skills like Hu Tutu did."

Xing Yu took out past entrance exam papers and examples from the Academy of Fine Arts from his painting bag: "Students who are admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts all have one thing in common: they are very creative. But these creative ideas are not random and unrestrained, and they do not ignore the basics. All the high-scoring papers over the years have been tested on their modeling ability, basic painting skills, control of the picture, appropriate self-expression, and, more importantly, the ability to think independently about the artwork."

Lin Tingdao probably heard Xing Yu's words and said to them, "Yes, art is a marathon, but exams are hurdles. Don't discuss artistic choices and life philosophies before you've crossed the hurdles. Any questions or things you want to explore are things you should consider after you've crossed the hurdles. You two have been spoiled and have too many ideas. Please, no matter how many ideas you have, restrain yourselves for now and accept the reality of the world, okay?"

Chu Beiling skillfully twirled the pencil in his hand, drawing until it became distorted. Occasionally, he would fall into conflicting emotions and brief moments of confusion.

They need to pass the exams, so they must abide by the rules of the game; other issues are not something to consider at this stage.

He's obsessed with drawing.

Because Lin Tingdao was going to be on leave for the next few days, she specifically instructed before get out of class ended today: "Ms. Ye from Class 12 will be teaching art classes a few days before May Day. Don't cause any trouble. If you do anything reckless, you'll be richly rewarded when I get back."

They were afraid that Lin Tingdao would come up with some new tricks to deal with them.

Everyone obediently replied, "Yes, teacher."

Lin Tingdao said, "The same old rules apply. When going out for sketching and study tours, don't bring too much luggage. It's best if two people share one suitcase. Make sure to bring all your art supplies. Even if you get lost or your luggage is lost, you can't leave without your art supplies. The class representative and class monitor will supervise this."

After she finished speaking, she said, "Then see you on May Day."

Before setting off on the study tour, Xue Ziang submitted a list of names. The study tour was mainly voluntary, and all 42 students in his class were present.

The other classes at Xigao High School had their study tours scheduled for a different time than them during the May Day holiday, so they packed up and went home, leaving only a group of art students behind to depart for the high-speed rail station the next day to go to their respective cities.

When they go out to sketch for extended periods, they need to bring all their tools.

Chu Beiling pulled out a drawing board bag from under the bed, sealed the paints with plastic wrap, and stuffed them into the bag along with the paintbrushes, drawing board, easel, drawing tube, and extendable stool.

Ke Jincheng patted his nearly 20-pound bag and glanced at the paint box that he couldn't fit into his easel bag: "Those who know us are art students, but those who don't might think we're fleeing a disaster."

Turning to Xu Tunan on the opposite bed: "Hu Tutu, take your suitcase, your big one."

Xu Tunan hesitated and did not agree for the time being.

Ke Jincheng was somewhat hurt: "What, you're not willing?"

Xu Tunan glanced in the direction of Chu Beiling and Xing Yu. He wondered if he was just imagining things, but the relationship between the two of them had been a bit strange these past few months. They would just brush him off without saying anything when he asked.

Xu Tunan was a little worried that the two of them might fight if they shared a suitcase and stayed together.

Ke Jincheng followed his gaze and leaned closer to Xu Tunan: "You're worried about them? Don't worry, let the young couple handle things themselves. Why are you being such a third wheel?"

Xu Tunan may be a bit of a fool, but he wouldn't stand for anyone making jokes about Chu Beiling and Xing Yu: "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you afraid they'll kill you? Even if they don't kill you, I'll kill you if you keep talking nonsense."

"Let them resolve their own conflicts. It's a dark and windy night, and it's easier for a lone man and woman, no, a lone man and woman, to resolve conflicts. Besides, they used one last year too, so don't worry about it."

Ke Jincheng asked, "Where is your suitcase?"

Xu Tunan thought about it and agreed: "In the wardrobe."

"Okay." Ke Jincheng appeared in the closet, dragged out the suitcase, spread it on the ground, and began to pack his clothes.

Ni Wenxuan and Xue Ziang had only a casual relationship with the other four, so they didn't have much to talk about and couldn't connect with each other. The two of them decided to team up directly and share a suitcase.

Seeing that the others had already started packing their clothes into their suitcases, Xing Yu said to Chu Beiling, "If you're not used to being alone with me, I'll go ask around in other dorm rooms so you can share a suitcase with other people and live together."

Chu Beiling quickly said, "No, we'll go together."