Romance

Besides attending the same school, You Jing's mother was also his professor and was interested in cultivating him. Therefore, whether at school or during training, the two of them always had frequent opportunities to run into each other.

That day, she was taking a class at his house. Professor Sun was also working as a stage designer for a drama and was busy with a video conference. You Jing took the opportunity to sneak her out.

Ye Yuanyin was like a doll at the mercy of others. She wore the most beautiful clothes and put on the most beautiful makeup. She was completely transformed, like a fairy descending to earth.

You Jing looked at her, suppressed his amazement, and said harshly, "You are just trying to imitate someone else."

Ye Yuanyin saw her own torn soul through the gorgeous clothes that did not belong to her. The cold wind blew in, and her calves in her high heels were cramping.

Ancheng's most famous art complex is called "Da Qianwanxiang". One floor is open as a separate gallery, which displays the famous masterpieces of all the top artists in the city's art world. It is known as the right place for artists.

You Jing took Ye Yuanyin in, and she devoured every painting greedily.

He let her out of his grasp, leaning against the display case and staring at her slender figure as she walked away.

A group of playboys in the circle came over and pushed him away from this place that should not be desecrated.

Zheng Yi asked him, "Want to go to 'Night Color' tonight? I've got some singing and dancing trainees with me, and they've got some great bodies."

You Jing, holding a cigarette in his mouth, said calmly, "I don't want to go."

Zheng Yi's nonchalant words squeaked out from between his teeth: "Have you really changed? Tired of the big meals? Want to try some porridge and vegetables?"

"Hehehe." Several men laughed ambiguously.

You Jingxu kicked them and said, "You know nothing!"

Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, then decided he had to say something. "Hey, Chen Yan'an is back."

You Jing's heart sank and his expression changed instantly.

Zheng Yi added, "He's right inside, accompanying his childhood sweetheart to the exhibition."

"Zhang Siling?" You Jing sneered. "A new woodcarving artist? How could she bear to come back from abroad? I'll go meet them."

You Jing, hands in his trouser pockets, walked inside with his long legs and saw two people standing in front of a painting, chatting quietly. Zhang Siling, his face beaming, stretched out his arms and gestured vigorously, while Chen Di'an shook his head, not agreeing.

You Jing looked at him, whom he hadn't contacted for a long time, with mixed emotions in his heart. He called out anxiously, "Zhang Siling."

Zhang Siling turned around and shouted with a stern face, "How dare you not call me sister?" Then he smiled brightly and pulled Chen Dian'an towards him, "Master Painter You, what brings you here?"

Sediment Ang opened her hand, remained still, and looked very unhappy.

Zhang Siling complained, "You two, don't do this."

You Jing's gaze suddenly passed over them, and there were only two or three people between them. He saw someone chatting up his "little Dong Shi". The strange man's eyes fell on her with a natural masculine gaze, and You Jing became anxious.

"Oh shit!"

He swept past with the wind. Zhang Siling only had time to call out "You Jing" before he saw someone behind him being knocked to the ground by his punch. There was screaming and chaos all around. A girl shouted, "Stop fighting! Watch out! You're squeezing people!"

Yan Dian turned around in surprise, and met Ye Yuanyin's panicked gaze - the kind of panic that came from a man who had made a mistake and caused the boat to lose its way but was eager to dock.

Zheng Yi led his men in, one on each side, and separated You Jing and the man.

The strange man wiped the bloody corner of his mouth and roared viciously, "You mad dog, you bite people without saying a word, what the hell did I do to you!"

You Jing's face was gloomy, and the corners of his mouth were bruised. He was even more ruthless. "I'm crazier than you think. I'm sending you to the hospital right now, believe it or not!"

He reached out and pulled Ye Yuanyin into his arms, holding her shoulders tightly, ignoring her timid struggle.

Yan Xi'an looked up and saw that she looked like she wished she could be hit by a car as soon as she left the house - he had not expected that her choice would be so heavy.

You Jing wanted to take her away, and Chen Dian leaned over and said something to Zhang Siling.

Zhang Siling nodded, took a few quick steps and stopped You Jing who was trying to take Ye Yuanyin away by force.

"Sister," she said warmly, handed her a Band-Aid, pointed to the back of her ankle and said, "You're bleeding here. Does it hurt?"

Ye Yuanyin felt warm in his heart and took it with trembling hands.

You Jing snatched it from her hand, knelt on the ground, and half-knelt to check her ankle. Sure enough, he saw that at the junction of her heel and slender calf, her fair skin was rubbed and broken due to the friction of the high heels, and there were bright red stains.

You Jing blew gently on the wound and tore off a Band-Aid to put it on her.

Ye Yuanyin avoided his touch and looked up at Chen Di'an who was not far away.

He stood there with his clear and distant gaze, reminding her of everything she loved about her hometown, as if her restless soul had found a place to rest.

Chen Di'an nodded slightly at her with reserved elegance.

Ye Yuanyin quickly avoided the gaze.

The kindness he gave was so extravagant that she only needed a little.

*

After the snow, the moon hangs alone in the sky, sighing silently.

Ye Yuanyin closed his eyes and lived in peace with the silence.

The rocking chair was still rocking. Chen Yan stood upstairs, opened a window and quietly watched the people in the yard downstairs.

He thought that even though she hid back in the countryside, she still liked the heavy choices.

The next day, Ye Yuan sent Wang Yaya to school and asked about Xiao Ruan's situation.

"Not good," Yaya said, gesturing at her wrist. "Sister, I can only tell you that she asked me to borrow an eraser a few days ago, and I saw she made a new scratch on it."

Ye Yuanyin's heart sank, and he asked again, "Does Teacher Hu know?"

"I don't know," Yaya said with a sad face, "I dare not say."

Ye Yuanyin tightened her little hand and said, "You should also be careful not to get hurt. I'll pick you up after school this afternoon."

"Um."

After sending the child back, she found Secretary Ma was there when she entered the door. She greeted him and went straight to her room without even looking at Chen Dian'an.

Secretary Ma noticed that the boss rarely raised his eyelids, his eyes followed her for two or three seconds, and then slowly lowered his gaze. Secretary Ma, who was always observing the boss's words and expressions, understood that the two of them were arguing.

The sound of Grandma's intermittent coughing came from the kitchen. Chen Dian put down the tablet in his hand and asked Secretary Ma, "Did you buy the medicine?"

"I bought it."

"Remember to send it to Aunt Long later."

"Okay, boss."

During lunch, there were several knocks on Ye Yuanyin's door. She walked over and opened it a crack, and was surprised to find that it was Chen Yan standing outside.

She asked with a cold face: "Is there something wrong?"

"Aunt Long asked me to call you to help."

"No." She simply replied and tried to close the door with both hands.

Chen Dian quickly stretched out his hand to block the door.

He peeked at her through the crack in the door, a smile on his face, and said to the person inside in a good-natured manner: "You didn't eat last night, and you didn't eat this morning either. Do you want to starve yourself to death?"

Ye Yuanyin said stiffly with a stern face, "Never mind me."

"I don't want to care, but if you die, I still have to divide half of my property."

She was so angry that she said after a long while, "That's why I asked you to sign the divorce application!"

Chen Yan stared at her, the corners of his mouth suddenly curved, his eyes fixed on her face with a playful expression. He said slowly, "Why are you so angry? I didn't say anything, did I?"

Ye Yuanyin still didn't want to pay attention to him.

A-ma returned to the main hall and saw that no one was there. She turned around and stood in the yard again, shouting towards the second floor, "A-Yin, you are being lazy again. Why don't you come and help me?"

Sediment raised an eyebrow and whispered, "See you got scolded? I told you to get out a long time ago."

"Go away." Ye Yuanyin said to him angrily and walked past him out.

Chen Yan smiled and shook his head, then followed her downstairs.

Ye Yuan felt that the coarse cloth clothes he usually wore at home were a hindrance when he was working, so he tied up his wide sleeves with his arm loops, revealing a section of his white forearm.

She put the prepared porridge on the table, turned around and took buns from the steamer. Her ivory-colored hands were busy and nimble, and everything looked very organized.

Chen Di'an saw that her fair and well-proportioned left wrist was wrapped with an old silver bracelet. Sometimes she felt that the bracelet was in the way and would push it up, but as she moved busy, the bracelet would soon fall off again.

He was obsessed with the rise and fall of the bracelet and couldn't help staring at her for a long time...

There was now some movement at the dinner table, and Grandma began to thank Dian Jing'an, "I can't help coughing every spring. I'm so sorry for bothering you to buy medicine for me."

"You're welcome. I've received more care."

Ye Yuanyin lowered his head and continued to eat his meal.

"Ayin," his mother called him, "I've got the drawing board out for you. If you continue to neglect it like this, you'll be ruined."

She paused holding the bowl and said awkwardly, "I know. I can draw."

Yan Chen glanced at her. According to her mother's words, she decided not to return to Ancheng, so she probably didn't tell the truth to her family.

After taking a nap, Zhizhi sat on the steps in the yard again in the evening, still holding a small branch and drawing symbols on the ground that they could not understand.

The years in the mountains are quiet and peaceful. Chen Yan, with nothing to do, taps the table rhythmically with his right hand, seemingly enjoying this hard-earned leisure time.

The easel in the yard was abandoned.

Ye Yuanyin leaned back and tried to hang a quilt on the clothesline in the yard. But after several attempts, she failed, and a look of frustration appeared on her originally calm face.

Sediment stood up to help.

“I’ll do it!!”

Zheng Youshan rushed in from the front door in a hurry, his slightly dark square face still drenched in sweat. He wiped it off a few times and pulled the quilt from her hand without saying a word.

Zheng Youshan had great strength in his hands, and the moment he put the quilt up, it seemed as if the sky began to shake.

Chen Yan thought that the man's intention to abduct her was too obvious, but the woman didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Chen Yanan spoke up and asked calmly, "Xiao Ye, what is Zhizhi drawing?"

Ye Yuanyin said without turning his head: "Stars."

It was so perfunctory.

Zheng Youshan almost laughed out loud. So what if he was a capitalist? He still couldn't match his charm. He smiled gloatingly and said attentively, "Ayin, let's go. I'll go with you to the village school to pick up Yaya."

"Need not."

Her rejection was so clear that Zheng Youshan could hear his own heart breaking.

He was afraid that the man would laugh at him as he laughed at him, so he turned around with a guilty conscience and saw that Chen Dian was still lying leisurely on the chair in the yard, holding a book in his hand and reading intently, without even raising his head.

Zheng Youshan suspected that he was being ignored doubly by them.

*

It was past six o'clock, but neither the person who went to pick up the child nor the person who was picked up had returned.

The moon quietly climbed halfway up the mountain. Chen Yanan looked at the sky and said to Aunt Long, who was about to heat up the food, "I'll go take a look."

Aunt Long also felt something was wrong and urged him to leave quickly.

At that time, the village primary school had already locked its doors. Teacher Hu lived in the village committee compound. When he heard Dian Di'an explain his purpose, he was frightened and broke out in a sweat. Although the villagers were simple and honest and would not do anything harmful to others, there were still a few second-rate people in the village who would do stupid things when drunk. Could it be that they had some bad intentions towards Ye Yuanyin?

"Let's go and look for it together!"

Teacher Hu didn't even have time to eat. Thinking about the children who played well with Wang Yaya, she took Dian Yan to the village women's director first.

Huang Jiaying, the women's director, and her family of three were having dinner around a small round table. After understanding the purpose of the visit, she quickly asked her son, "Where's Yaya? Did you see the Long family's sister after school?"

The child stammered, "It seems like—I went to send Xiao Ruan off. After school, Yaya refused to leave with me, and only told me after I asked her urgently."

Xiao Ruan? Si Dian'an still remembered her as the granddaughter of the "Rival Zhuge" from the mountain.