Lady

"Tsk."

Sheng Jiashu rolled her eyes at him: "Then just wait for Sheng Zhen to use your Ju Hui to punish you!"

These words drew loud ridicule from Sheng Qijing, who retorted, "What do you mean by 'his' Ju Hui? When did Ju Hui become his?"

He didn't like Ju Hui, and he didn't like her because her name always had Bian Jiaping next to it.

Bian Jiaping is a smart man with a decisive and efficient style. He identifies his goals and takes action, which has been fully demonstrated in the month that Sheng Qijing has been working with him.

He also had to admit that Bian Jiaping had a profound influence on Ju Hui. One was like the wind, and the other was like a wild reed that had been blown by the wind for many years. His characteristics indirectly shaped Ju Hui's current image.

But that's not a reason for him to restrict her.

Bian Jiaping should understand that Ju Hui has been working hard to join the Mo Cun artist-in-residence program; the nude model she is currently working on is based on him, Sheng Qijing, and he has been involved in the model making, guidance, shooting, and modification. In the future, she will also work with him, her boss at Mo Cun.

Sheng Qijing will be Ju Hui's companion, helper, and the first witness to her becoming her.

Therefore, Sheng Qijing equated his importance to Ju Hui with that of Bian Jiaping.

They even drew greater than and exclamation marks.

He will leave a significant mark on Ju Hui's life, without a doubt.

Not long after, Sheng Qijing left Sheng Jiashu's secluded paradise, sniffing his collar; he still reeked of alcohol. It smelled bad, but he was already learning to get used to it.

The potential mutation is like mold that has been secretly nurtured, growing inside a patterned quilt, forgotten by warmth.

Sheng Jiashu dislikes the family's wine business, yet her wholly-owned French restaurant bears the prestigious name "Sheng Family Burgundy"; Sheng Qijing dislikes the Mochun Art Gallery, but if it's where he works with Ju Hui...

So this damp comforter that keeps growing mold and never dries out seems pretty good too.

-

Eligibility for scholarships needs to be reconfirmed each year. If the family situation remains unchanged, the information from last year can be used directly.

When the class monitor sent a notification in the group this year to confirm that "the economic situation has not changed," Ju Hui didn't pay much attention. She sent the confirmation along with everyone else and continued to focus on her creative work.

With the experience gained from the first human model, the second human model was nearing completion, expected to be finished in another two weeks. During this time, Sheng Qijing finished his human model ahead of schedule and submitted his final assignment. Ju Hui's left-hand position was left vacant and was occupied by a freshman the next day.

The boy was tall and thin with good looks. He also planned to create a life-size figure. He was squatting on the ground twisting the iron frame with a very serious expression. He looked up at me.

Ju Hui was caught peeking and felt glared at by him, so she quickly looked away.

"Senior, you have something on your hair..." The boy stood up and walked closer, raising his hand to gently wipe it from her temple. Ju Hui instinctively shrank back.

He took a wet wipe out of his pocket and handed it to her. Ju Hui wiped herself down. There was a hazy dust on the white cotton cloth. She wiped it again, and a strand of hair from her left ear was sticky and wet on her face.

Ju Hui looked at him and confirmed it.

The other person nodded.

Ju Hui closed her eyes, just as she was about to use a wet wipe to clean the edge of the turntable, when a large hand suddenly snatched the item from her hand, moved closer to her, and wiped the other side of her hair.

His cunning eyes swept over her quickly, and with gentle movements, he swiftly wiped away a stray speck of mud: "Senior, you're so pretty, especially your eyebrows."

"Huh?" She was enveloped by him, her voice also lowered, and she covered her forehead to calmly say, "I've always thought I was ugly."

Ju Hui cut her bangs before coming to Ruomei because she didn't like her eyebrows. Now her bangs are long, her forehead is fully exposed, and she looks full and beautiful.

"No, classical beauties all have thin eyebrows. Senior, you should be proud of it." The boy withdrew his hand and threw away the wet wipe.

"Thanks."

After Ju Hui finished speaking, she turned around and met two pairs of "real couples" behind her who were staring in shock.

They've lost; their pink bubble effect is far more pronounced than theirs without them even needing to pretend!

Ju Hui was embarrassed and frowned, mouthing: What?!

"Ju, Hui?"

"ah?"

Ju Hui looked at the boy again and found that he was staring at the shoulder straps on the back of her apron.

The dark blue canvas apron is made of a stiff material and is a free uniform that Ruomei distributed to the students. Ju Hui's apron has never been lost, and she has her name handwritten on it.

"Hello." The boy smiled. "My name is Xu Siran. I studied abroad for a year before and just transferred to the sculpture department as a freshman."

"Really!" Ju Hui's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing "international student." "Which country were you in before?"

The two chatted for a long time. Xu Siran had secretly returned to China while studying in the United States. She was a year older than Ju Hui and should have been a sophomore according to credit transfer. Xu Siran looked into Ju Hui's eyes and joked, "If I had known I would be taking classes with you, I definitely wouldn't have taken a gap year."

Xu Siran didn't want to start earning credits as soon as she returned to China. Staying in her first year was also to rest for a year and think carefully about what she wanted to do in the future. She might even change her major later.

Ju Hui listened intently to his story of transferring schools; it was captivating from beginning to end, perfectly embodying the philosophy of "seize the day." This was a principle Bian Jiaping had taught her, after all, no one knows if tomorrow will be the end of their life, and the two were remarkably similar in their attitudes towards life.

However, their actions are completely contradictory and extreme.

Xu Siran adheres to his principles, fearlessly investing everything in Interesting Loans; Bian Jiaping, on the other hand, is convinced that his Interesting Bank has gone bankrupt, and everything that remains is his everything.

During the final week of the second human body project, it rained heavily for several days in the north. Dampness and cold wind seeped into the window, so Pei Yao moved away from that window, leaving only Ju Hui and Xu Siran to keep them company.

The wind was exceptionally strong that day. Ju Hui's umbrella was soaked to death on her way to the workshop. When she was about to return to her apartment that night, she realized for the first time how far the workshop was from the school gate.

Xu Siran quietly stayed beside her doing his homework. He glanced at the broken umbrella stand on the windowsill and only asked her if she wanted to come along, since he also lived off-campus.

Outside the umbrella, the rain poured down; inside, it nourished everything silently.

The rain, accompanied by a strong wind, forced the two closer together. As they approached the gate, Xu Siran pulled Ju Hui into her arms and ran a few steps.

Ju Hui didn't think about anything else; in this situation, if she were taller than Xu Siran, she would definitely pull him closer. However, just as she stepped out of the school gate, she looked up and was met with Jia Ping's admiring smile through the car window.

Who is this?

As he closed the door, the raindrops falling like pearls on a plate outside the car gradually subsided. Bian Jiaping handed a towel to Ju Hui in the back seat, making no attempt to hide the ambiguous smirk in his words.

“The junior student in the workshop also lives off-campus, so I'll give him a ride.” Ju Hui took the bag. “Is there only one?”

“I only offer single-person service.” Bian Jiaping turned on the GPS service and looked at the boys through the rearview mirror. “You can share one.”

"No need, it's alright." Xu Siran went to the hotel, took off her coat and used it as a towel to dry herself and even wipe her shoes. She didn't move around, play on her phone, or get the car dirty, appearing overly polite.

Ju Hui leaned against the car window, wondering where this inexplicable tension was coming from...

The red light came on, and Bian Jiaping stepped on the brakes and slowly stopped. Xu Siran's hotel was at the next intersection. He relaxed and looked at the rearview mirror, and unexpectedly, their eyes met.

"Excuse me, are you her boyfriend?"

Bian Jiaping found his eyes frighteningly large.

"Why are you asking that too?" Ju Hui reacted quickly, her impression of Xu Siran plummeting. Feeling sticky and impatient, she said, "That's a boring question. We're not..."

"Oh, that's good." Xu Siran visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "A few days ago, I told my roommates that I wanted to pursue you, and they sent me a photo of you and... this handsome guy on a date at the art museum."

“…What?” Ju Hui turned her head.

I want to pursue you.

"What group photo?"

With a light touch of the accelerator, Bian Jiaping shifted into second gear and leisurely propped his head up behind the back of the seat. Luckily, he hadn't sent a driver to pick up Ju Hui tonight, otherwise it would have been a real shame to miss such a hasty confession.

"Are the photos still there?"

The group photo was taken at the art museum. Ju Hui didn't take a photo with Bian Jiaping that day, so it was taken secretly. And at that time, apart from Sheng Qijing, there didn't seem to be any acquaintances around...

Xu Siran nodded, opened WeChat, and sat closer. Ju Hui stared at the screen, but all she saw was a WeChat QR code.

He laughed matter-of-factly: "Wouldn't it be clearer if I forwarded it to you, senior?"

"We've arrived." Bian Jiaping stopped the car.

After a brief pause in front of the hotel, Xu Siran opened her umbrella and stepped into the rainy night. The hotel was brightly lit, and the long-term rental price must be quite high. Bian Jiaping had a good impression of Xu Siran so far.

After driving for a night, Bian Jiaping gestured for her to sit in the front. The car started again, and Ju Hui stared at the photos Xu Siran had sent, zooming in and out.

In the photo, she stands with Bian Jiaping in front of "The Painter" with her head tilted back. The various figures behind them are completely out of focus, but one figure in black puts Ju Hui at ease.

It was Sheng Qijing. He was standing at the back of the crowd, his face clearly visible. The image was out of focus, blurring his vision so much that only black feathers were visible, but it was clear that he was looking at her.

My tense nerves relaxed instantly, and I put the photo aside, along with Xu Siran's pointless WeChat message.

Life is unpredictable and repetitive. The second human body was completed, but an unexpected event occurred at this most opportune moment.

Ju Hui was reported for misconduct, and her scholarship was revoked.

The reason is that she was wearing a full Chanel outfit in the photo of her at the exhibition.

Ju Hui, who is a "special person" (a person with special status), is not on the list of recipients of the scholarship, but she is listed first on Teacher Ma Wen's recent phone call list, ready to receive psychological counseling at any time.

The scholarship application period lasts three days, and a cunning and informative post was published on the gossip forum on the first day.

"Enjoy the weekend like a rich girl, with surprise photos of boyfriends from both on and off campus together!"

Ju Hui was amused by the headline.

When will Ruomei give the paparazzi award to the mysterious netizens on the gossip wall? Ju Hui scrolled down, and everyone was puzzled at first, then suddenly realized that the words were ambiguous and unclear, without mentioning Ju Hui or the names of her boyfriends.

Requesting resources!

Requesting resources!

Finally, surrounded by admirers, someone couldn't resist posting a blurry photo from an exhibition that had been forwarded multiple times. Chanel's double C logo had been replaced with Under Armour's, and Sheng Qijing, who was circled, looked like a long pixelated bar.

Ju Hui reacted quickly, immediately taking a screenshot of the photo. Just as she was about to report it, the post disappeared instantly. When Ju Hui searched for the poster again, the interface was completely blank.

This user has been banned from posting for fifteen days.

-

Ju Hui has no intention of spending time proving her innocence and getting her scholarship back. Since Teacher Ma Wen has accepted the whistleblower's story, she can use that as an excuse to say she's too busy if she receives another call from him in the future.

It's a win-win situation for both her and the whistleblower, which is great.

Ju Hui had thought so, but on her way back to the workshop, she began to doubt whether she had really made a mistake.

Adorned with luxury goods and spending leisure time visiting art exhibitions—is this something a student from a disadvantaged background should be doing?

But that dress was a birthday gift from Bian Jiaping, and it was also the most appropriate outfit she had chosen to wear to see "The Painter," nothing more.

Ju Hui stopped at the entrance of the workshop, her heart filled with doubts stuck in her throat.

That evening, Ju Hui didn't show up at the sculpture workshop, and Xu Siran didn't hand over the two weekend concert tickets. The collaboration between the gallery and the hotel was about to be finalized, and Sheng Qijing was having dinner with Bian Jiaping.

Sheng Qijing expressed his gratitude to Bian Jiaping for not telling Ju Huimo who Mo Chen was. The man opposite him adjusted his glasses, gave an impolite "hmm," and smiled, but his eyes remained sharp and scrutinizing.

"That's what you should do," Sheng Qijing said with a smile.

He was just being polite. If Bian Jiaping were smart, he wouldn't have made such a big fuss about it. Sheng Qijing smiled, picked up his water glass without looking at him, and his phone vibrated beside him.

"It's me."

Ju Hui's voice came from beside my ear.

Is it convenient to make a phone call now?