Lady

The phone rang again.

"Hello, Dad."

"Why aren't you answering the phone?"

Sheng Zhen's voice was cold and hard, and Sheng Qijing lowered his eyes and remained silent.

There wasn't much small talk on the other end of the line. He gave me a restaurant address, mentioned that he needed to drink, and told me not to drive before hanging up.

Sheng Qijing, who had just taken half a step inside, closed the courtyard gate again, turned his back, and walked towards the garage of the house across the street.

A commotion erupted as Sheng Qijing's car headlights swept across the loft.

A long white light suddenly fell into the room, flashing on Ju Hui's night vision glasses. She squatted there, her senses jolted back to reality by the light.

She looked up at the window; there was no moon.

Ju Hui twisted her neck, rested for a moment, and then continued to refine the details...

the next day.

Pei Yao was busy with the final work of dismantling the exhibition. Thanks to Sheng Qijing's advertising, the Speed ​​Plastic Exhibition made a profit instead of a loss after only one night of exhibition.

He sorted out the money, added some of his own to make it a round number, and transferred it all to Greybell as a donation.

After finishing, Pei Yao immediately called Sheng Qijing. He had been staying in the loft during the charity exhibition, but Sheng was flying to Shanghai tonight, so he needed to return the key to him.

I called, but no one answered.

Sheng Qijing did not accept the call until he was about to leave.

Helpless, Pei Yao packed his luggage and left the key in the entryway.

This trip back to Shanghai wasn't arranged by Sheng Qijing; it was Pei Yao's own initiative. Yun Aonan didn't plan to return to Ruobei before the start of the semester, and as her "boyfriend," he felt it was his duty to accompany her.

However, why was he the only one who returned to Shanghai?

It was because Yun Aonan secretly ran away while he was busy. She was extremely irresponsible and loved to avoid problems.

In the evening, Pei Yao took the headphones Yun Aonan had left at the gallery and headed to the airport. In the taxi, he received a WeChat voice message from Ju Hui.

Traffic flowed back and forth on the cross-river bridge. A strong wind rushed into the car window, and the driver, with his keen eye, helped to close it, but Ju Hui's voice was still weak.

"Senior, Sister Huiling suddenly talked to me today, wanting me to stay at Mochen as her assistant."

Pei Yao's brows relaxed. "Congratulations, you've been recognized."

"Thanks."

"...But I'm still a little hesitant. I don't know why, but Senior You told me to run quickly."

"Senior, do you recommend I continue? Will it get busier after I become a full-time employee? What are the salary and benefits like...?"

Ju Hui was a little tired. She was drawing sketches when she received the call from Hui Ling. The large table was littered with a jumble of finished and unfinished drawings, covered with dense guide lines, making it look chaotic. But if you pointed to any one of them, Ju Hui could tell you which version it was.

During the phone call, Ju Hui didn't promise anything about Hui Ling, saying she needed to think about it. After hanging up, she still didn't feel particularly fortunate.

However, looking back, she realized that although she wasn't very busy in the past month, she learned a lot, and the 3D software on the computer provided by the gallery was a yearly subscription, so she didn't have to pay for it.

Hearing her concerns, Pei Yao pondered for two seconds, "I heard you always leave as soon as the museum closes, and sometimes even earlier. Are you going back to school or busy with something?"

Ju Hui choked for a moment, never expecting him to ask that, and her face flushed instantly. The matter was now kept secret; she resolutely refused to discuss her study abroad application, and remained vague about what she was going to do.

Pei Yao chuckled, "It's okay, there are plenty of curatorial assistants. You won't be very busy, but you won't be as relaxed as you are now either."

"As for the salary and benefits... I don't know," Pei Yao said. "Because I'm learning for free, I have to pay out of my own pocket to have the opportunity to learn."

Ju Hui was stunned by these words.

The mundane daily life at the gallery made her almost forget that Mochen was an S-level platform in the hearts of Ruomei students, and that the original internship opportunity was also arranged by Sheng Qijing. No one would not want to have her kind of luck.

“Of course, if you have important things to do, it’s best to refuse Greybell.” Pei Yao nodded. “It should be great.”

After hanging up the phone, Ju Hui stared blankly at Sheng Qijing's portrait in the corner.

After a while, she stood up and took a picture of the sketch on the table and the name "Sheng Qijing".

The sketch she drew today was the most satisfying one she had ever made. The finished product had never appeared so clearly in her mind before, which even gave her a sense of confidence that as long as she put her ideas into practice, she could succeed in applying to Khio.

Ju Hui attributed the rapid progress to the thirty minutes last night.

Ju Hui stared intently at the photo album, pausing on this photo that looked like she was trying very hard, her fingertip hovering over the delete button.

"Don't delete it." Her instructor appeared from behind, staring at her phone. "This lighting and shadow is good; it can be included in your portfolio."

The portfolio emphasizes both the finished product and the process; the plaster cast built from countless sketches is what the teacher wanted to see. Ju Hui looked conflicted, saying that the one with someone else's portrait wasn't good, and took a few more pictures, but the teacher said the first one was still the best.

Ju Hui had no choice but to agree.

"Having guided students for so many years, I can tell from a sketch whether someone can get an offer." The teacher pulled her to sit down and nodded affirmatively, "Xiao Ju, your current level of completion is even higher than before the revision."

To avoid making the giant installation as abstract as the human body, Ju Hui gave up on putting too much effort into it and chose to make an ordinary chair that could be tripped over, so that it could interact better with the human body.

"Didn't you say the day before yesterday that you wanted to find models to start your own business?" The teacher smiled. "Get ready, I won't keep you any longer. Remember to let me know when you get an offer."

Ju Hui hugged her and left in a hurry, holding the half-dried stucco head, and boarded the bus to 798.

The bus was facing the setting sun, going in the opposite direction from the student's home; she was going to the studio to find Sheng Qijing.

She had just called a student's parent at the train station to ask for leave tonight, and sure enough, the parent complained that she had taken two days off in a row.

Ju Hui lowered her head and apologized. The bus swayed back and forth, and although the portrait was clearly wrapped in a cloth, Ju Hui felt that her chest was wet.

"Honestly, we don't even know if they're teaching well or not, yet they have to be begged to come every day..."

As she listened, she thought to herself that she was taking an hourly wage from parents that even students from top universities wouldn't pay attention to, that she couldn't possibly save any money, and that she was playing with art that only the rich could play with, like a complete fool.

"Forget it, don't come again," the parent said. "You have to cherish the opportunity in Ruobei, understand?"

Ju Hui hummed in agreement, and a distant breeze blew in as the phone call ended.

That was really refreshing.

A northerly wind blew in, entering the studio's only window, then stopped, startling Pu Yin. The wind brought her back to her senses; summer vacation was almost over, but it was still a long way from getting cooler…

Pu Yin turned around and saw that Sheng Qijing, who had been rummaging through something since she arrived, had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but the wind did not touch him.

"What are you looking for...?"

Before Pu Yin could finish speaking, Sheng Qijing interrupted her without turning around, saying, "If you don't have enough kiln firewood in the shop, hurry up and buy some more. Don't contact me again next time and I'll open the shop for you."

Pu Yin paused for a second, "What a temper! Did I do something to you?"

Sheng Qijing ignored her, and Pu Yin frowned repeatedly, then scoffed.

"Next time I'll ask Ju Hui to open the door—oh wait, I mean, you made her leave in a huff!"

She turned around, and with a bang, the door slammed shut. Sheng Qijing squatted on the spot, rubbing his temples with two fingers.

He seems to be losing control of his emotions more and more.

In fact, Pu Yin's description is quite accurate. Sheng Qiji is not as good-tempered as his classmates described. On the contrary, he is more impulsive and less docile towards those he is closest to.

His older sister understands him but can't stand him. The two used to live in the house together, but she has now moved to Shanghai.

The Pu family is one of Sheng family wineries' major clients. Sheng Qijing never makes her angry, but now he'll probably have to personally compensate her for the electric kiln.

As Sheng Qijing was thinking this, he heard the sound of a door opening behind him. He turned around and saw Ju Hui standing in the doorway.

She was carrying bags and packages, and the wind had messed up her hair, but she didn't fix it. She just stood there and shook her hair, her features delicate and cute. For a moment, she looked like the female lead in "Léon: The Professional".

I just walked into his house so suddenly.

Sheng Qijing stood up.

Ju Hui supported the base with her left hand, bounced up using her lower back, walked quickly from the doorway to the tool table, put the things down, turned around and called to him.

"Senior."

"what?"

He lowered his head and patted the dust off his clothes with both hands.

Ju Hui's cheeks flushed. The road to the loft was as dark as going back to school. She jogged over, her adrenaline making her speak faster.

"Today, Sister Huiling said she wanted me to be promoted to a full-time position and continue as her assistant, and I agreed."

"Yeah, that's good." Sheng Qijing lowered his head and carefully patted the dust off his hands. "Congratulations."

Ju Hui said thank you and moved closer: "It was my senior who gave me this opportunity."

Sheng Qijing had nowhere else to take pictures. He looked up and met Ju Hui's ardent gaze. This emotion was no longer gratitude; everyone could tell she had something important to say.

"The day my senior drove me back to school, I talked a lot in the car." Her eyes were clear as she waited for Sheng Qijing to recall the details of that night.

She walked closer and closer, looked up and asked with a smile, "Do you remember?"

"I remember, so what?"

Sheng Qijing turned his head away.

Ju Hui's laughter at this moment was inexplicable, like she was drunk. Laughing at the wrong time naturally leads people to speculate and make wild guesses.

She reached out and pulled his hand away. He didn't resist, just like last night. She traced his palm with her index finger and said, "No."

“Senior, I was your quick-sculpting partner last night.” Ju Hui released him and took a half step back. “I would like to invite you to be my experimental model.”

Seeing Sheng Qijing's brows furrow, Ju Hui explained, "I've wanted to invite you for a long time. I want to do abstract anatomy, and you have a great physique that gives me a lot of inspiration for exaggerated muscle definition..."

“I’ll only look, I won’t touch.” The more Ju Hui explained, the uglier his face became. “I can pay you an hourly rate, how much do you think is reasonable?”

“You’re quite wealthy, Ju Hui.”

After a moment of silence, Sheng Qijing uttered these words.

He walked to the workbench, stopped, and reached out to unfold the wad of linen wrapped around the "potted plant".

"Is 400 okay?" Ju Hui followed up, the price making her wince. "I've been working as a private tutor outside of school for the past six months, and my hourly rate has only increased to 150. 400 is already much higher than the market rate."

Sheng Qijing turned his back to her and stared at the profile picture for a long time.

"So, you leave school at night to tutor?" Sheng Qijing turned around. "The guy who accompanied you to see 'The Painter' was only showing up at the school gate every night to take you to class?"

Sheng Qijing's words stunned her. She hadn't expected him to know that she would be leaving school. His tone was also much calmer than usual, as if there was a chance.

"Ju Hui." He squinted, drawing out the word, "Is it or isn't it?"

Ju Hui smiled and nodded.

"Who is he to you? Your boyfriend?"

Ju Hui shook her head and said no.

He then asked, "Is he an uncle, an older brother, or a friend?"

When he mentioned friends, Ju Hui hesitated for a second before saying, "I guess so."

Sheng Qijing nodded, accepting her explanation for the time being.

"Senior, about the modeling..."

“Sure,” Sheng Qijing said with a smile. “I’m easy to talk to. It’s just that you just agreed to let Huiling be your assistant…”

Ju Hui immediately said that she had just quit her tutoring job and had time every night.

"You're free tonight, but I never said I was."

"Oh? When do you have time, senior?"

"From 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM." Sheng Qijing lifted his eyelids. "I don't have time any later."

"...Okay, got it."

"When will I start work?" Sheng Qijing smiled, took a step back, and half-sat on the tool table, revealing his face completely behind him, which startled Ju Hui.

She was in such a rush that on the bus, while holding the portrait, she pressed his nose in by a centimeter. Ju Hui quickly apologized.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

I walked to the table, picked up the spray bottle, and began to fix the problem.

"Can you stop apologizing all the time?" he whispered.

Although it was flattened, the portrait was still perfect. Ju Hui's abilities were remarkable, and the basic skills she had built up during the training period were fully demonstrated here. What she did had already exceeded Sheng Qijing's expectations.

Sheng Qijing smiled, then suddenly took Ju Hui's left hand, gently placed her fingertips on the bridge of his nose, and stroked it.

"Forget about the hourly wage." Sheng Qijing's eyes reflected Ju Hui, who looked at him with her mouth slightly open. "I just need you to help me out occasionally."

"What kind of help?"

Ju Hui blinked, her fingertips following his hand to her brow.