Chapter 48 Wasn't it supposed to be about marriage?

"Get up, I'll take you to class."

Lin Yi lay face down on the bed, fast asleep.

Shen Beidao's voice rang in his ears, and his little buttocks subconsciously twitched.

It triggered a stress response.

Lin Yi groggily opened one eye, his vision blurry as he focused on Shen Beidao, who was dressed neatly. He leaned down to look at Shen Beidao's face and said, "..."

He protested vaguely, "How did you know I had class... I don't remember having class this morning."

Shen Beidao straightened up, picked up Lin Yi's phone from the bedside table, unlocked it, opened the call log, and turned the screen towards him:

“Your advisor called you half an hour ago. I answered for you. He asked why you didn’t go to the exhibition hall.”

"Exhibition hall?"

Lin Yi blinked, then sat up abruptly. "Oh no! I've messed things up! Today's the first day of the creative exhibition!!"

Lin Yi jumped off the bed, not even caring that he was still wearing the thing from yesterday on his wrist, and hurriedly put on his clothes.

On the way, Lin Yi realized he still had the "culprit" from last night with him, and angrily left it in the car.

This creative exhibition is a commercial project between the National Academy of Fine Arts and a domestic brand bag brand "Wan Dan Dan". The exhibition is designed with the theme of "Welcoming the Year of the Horse" and preparations began half a month in advance.

Lin Yi's mentor was in charge of the overall planning of the second-floor exhibition hall and assigned the design task of one of the sections to Lin Yi.

So he bought eight horse sculptures of different shapes and used acrylic paint in the style of ink painting to create eight very stylish "ink ponies".

These works served as photo spots during the exhibition, attracting visitors and increasing brand exposure.

The banner on the first floor reads:

National Academy of Fine Arts x Wan Dan Dan co-branded backpack series

Shen Beidao is currently going through the handover process after leaving his job, so he has fewer classes scheduled.

He drove Lin Yi, who kept muttering "Oh no, I'm going to get scolded," straight to a temporary showroom in a high-end shopping mall in the city.

Half an hour later, we arrived at our destination.

Lin Yi rushed in to apologize and explain to his mentor.

Shen Beidao did not follow and disturb them, but wandered around the second-floor exhibition hall alone.

There were already quite a few visitors in the exhibition hall, mostly young people, taking photos and posing with the various creative exhibits.

He quickly located the section featuring Lin Yi's works.

Eight ponies are placed on an antique-style wooden platform, with an impressionistic landscape backdrop behind them.

Looking at Lin Yi, Shen Beidao could see that he really had a talent for this. These things must have been written by him during his time at school, yet the results were still quite good.

He took out his phone, included the eight ponies and the backdrop in the frame, took several photos, and finally left a photo of his husband and the artwork together.

A slightly hesitant female voice came from the side: "Excuse me... are you the creator of these works?"

Shen Beidao looked up and saw a stylishly dressed girl looking at him expectantly.

He shook his head, and was about to turn around and call Lin Yi over, but found that Lin Yi was still chatting with his mentor not far away. The mentor had a serious expression and his hands were occasionally moving.

Lin Yi nodded repeatedly, appearing to be humbly accepting instruction, but in reality, he seemed to be daydreaming.

“I am not the creator.” Shen Beidao turned around and smiled politely at the girl. “However, do you have any questions? Perhaps I can pass them on to the author for you.”

The girl's eyes lit up: "I especially love this purple one. I was thinking that since the Year of the Horse is coming soon, I'd like to display it at home as an art piece. I wonder if the artist would be willing to sell it?"

Her words attracted the attention of two other visitors who were taking pictures nearby.

A boy wearing glasses leaned closer to take a look and pointed to the red pony with the most ink: "Was this hand-painted? The texture looks really good."

“It’s hand-painted,” Shen Beidao explained gently. “It’s painted with acrylic paint, so it won’t easily come off.”

"Can I buy it? I'd really like to collect this red one," the bespectacled boy asked.

People gradually gathered around, forming a circle around Shen Beidao.

He didn't know when it started, but Lin Yi had quietly slipped up behind him.

He was pressed against his back, his voice low and filled with rage as he asked through gritted teeth, "I've only been away from you for five minutes, and you're already flirting with other women, huh?"

He pinched the soft flesh at the base of Shen Beidao's thigh.

Despite the pain, Shen Beidao turned her head to look at him and whispered, "It's ten minutes."

"Are you a creator?" the girl who had just inquired about selling asked as Lin Yi approached.

Lin Yi immediately released his grip on Shen Beidao's hand and stood up straight: "Yes, that's me. May I ask what's the matter?"

"We are interested in buying this pony..."

Lin Yi's first thought was "not to sell".

But before he could even open his mouth, his mentor walked over with a beaming smile and took over the conversation:

"You're interested in buying? Welcome, welcome!"

The instructor was enthusiastic, explaining, "Here's the situation: our exhibition is a collaboration with the trendy Chinese brand 'Wan Dan Dan' downstairs. According to the agreement, if you want to purchase any of the artworks on display, you first need to spend at least 500 yuan at the brand's store downstairs before you can choose your desired items."

Lin Yi: "???"

He looked at his tutor with a bewildered expression and whispered, "Teacher? Aren't we just exhibiting and not selling?"

The mentor gave him a reassuring look and continued smiling at the interested customers:

"These ponies are all limited edition creations, each with a unique number and creative meaning, making them highly collectible."

"You can go downstairs and look at the bags first, then come back up when you've chosen."

"That's great! I've just found one I like."

The girl nodded immediately, pointing to the purple pony, "Then you must save this for me, I'll be right up."

“No problem!” the tutor readily agreed. “Lin Yi, go downstairs with the guests and come back up later.”

Lin Yi had no choice but to follow his mentor's instructions. He glanced at Shen Beidao and gestured for him to wait for him in the rest area.

It's best to be honest.

After Lin Yi and the customer went downstairs, the mentor breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Shen Beidao with a familiar smile, and patted him on the shoulder: "You're Lin Yi's brother, right?"

"No wonder you looked familiar earlier, your eyebrows and eyes are quite similar."

Shen Beidao: "..."

He was at a loss for how to correct the misunderstanding, so he could only maintain a polite smile, neither admitting nor denying it.

"Come sit here."

The mentor led him to the rest area on one side of the exhibition hall, "Perfect timing, let's talk about Lin Yi's study abroad in Japan."

Shen Beidao paused slightly, thinking he had misheard: "Studying abroad?"

The two sat down on a low sofa in the rest area.

The tutor poured himself a cup of tea from his thermos and took a sip: "What's going on? I've been urging him to submit his application for studying abroad since last month, and two weeks have passed with no progress whatsoever."

"He doesn't reply to emails, and he pretends not to know when I ask him on WeChat. Does your family not approve of him going out?"

He looked Shen Beidao up and down. "From what I know, Lin Yi's family should be well-off, right? They shouldn't have any problem paying for his living expenses during his studies abroad, right? Besides, studying abroad is tuition-free."

Lin Yi never mentioned this matter.

Shen Beidao readily accepted the title of "older brother" and nodded: "Yes, he... hasn't had a chance to tell his family in detail yet. Could you tell me more about it?"

"I see!" The tutor put down his teacup. "This is a 2+2 exchange program between our college and several top art universities in Japan."

“Originally, students in this major planned to study abroad in their junior year. Lin Yi’s academic performance was outstanding, and he also took Japanese as an elective, which was passable for simple communication. He was the person I highly recommended.”

"After you go there, tuition will be waived, but you will need to participate in some commercial projects of the partner universities. It is a work-study program. Although it is a bit hard, it can greatly improve your skills."

"Moreover, Japan has a mature animation and design industry, and its aesthetic education system is different from ours. Studying there for two years will help him broaden his horizons."

Shen Beidao listened quietly. So, Lin Yi agreed, otherwise his mentor wouldn't have recommended him in the first place.

"What are Lin Yi's own thoughts now? Has he told you?" Shen Beidao asked.

The professor shrugged: "Your family doesn't know, and we professors know even less."

“I thought it was because his family didn’t approve. He was so enthusiastic when we talked about it before, and he even looked up a lot of information about the schools there himself. Now when I ask him, he’s stammering…”

...

Shen Beidao and his mentor exchanged WeChat contacts.

The tutor sent him an electronic version of the study abroad application form, along with several PDFs of school introductions.

[Advisor: Have your family talk to Lin Yi. The application deadline is fast approaching, so please get back to me as soon as possible.]

Shen Beidao: [Okay, thank you.]

He didn't wait for Lin Yi in the exhibition hall. Instead, he went to a print shop in the mall, printed two copies of the application form, and then returned to his car to wait.

About half an hour later, Lin Yi climbed into the car carrying a branded shopping bag. "Guess what? It actually sold! That girl was really straightforward. She bought a bag and paid for the Pony too. I was going to give my mentor two hundred, but he told me to keep it for myself."

"You're quite respectful of your teachers, sharing a similar personality with them."

Lin Yi said smugly, "That's right! After all, he's been mentoring me for several years! He deserves some benefits."

Lin Yi fastened his seatbelt and turned his head to see the paper next to him. "What is this? Let me see... Did some clueless person write you another love letter?"

He reached out to take it, and Shen Beidao didn't stop him.

The smile on Lin Yi's face froze the moment he saw the title.

Application Form for the National Academy of Fine Arts and Japan - University Student Exchange Program

"...Who gave it to you?" Lin Yi didn't dare to look at Shen Beidao.

Shen Beidao did not answer his question, but just looked at him.

Lin Yi felt flustered under his gaze: "Oh... I know, if I go, we'll be separated for a long time... You'll definitely miss me, right? So... so I never intended to go, really."

His voice trailed off: "Anyway, things are pretty good back home. Our school isn't bad either, and it'll be easy to find a job after graduation..."

"Lin Yi." Shen Beidao interrupted him. He was neither angry nor blaming, but said in a serious tone, "There is no conflict between love, studies, and hobbies."

"Why isn't there any conflict anymore?!"

Lin Yi seemed to have been touched on a sensitive spot, and with a childlike stubbornness, he said, "If I go to Japan, we'll be separated for at least two years!"

"Two years! More than 700 days! I could only watch you through a screen every day! There were so many flies, butterflies, and bees around you all along!"

"If I leave, I'll be far away from the emperor's reach, and who knows what might happen? By the time I come back, my boyfriend might have been stolen away. I finally found such a great boyfriend, and I'm definitely not going to let anyone else have him!"

He spoke quickly and urgently, his eyes reddening. He just wanted to be with Shen Beidao, what was wrong with that?

Shen Beidao said seriously, "Then we can get married abroad and you can go study abroad. Wouldn't you feel more secure that way?"

"..." Lin Yi was stunned.

Shen Beidao sighed softly: "If I hadn't discovered it, you really would have given up..."

"Great...great idea!!" Lin Yi suddenly leaned closer to Shen Beidao. "So when are we going? What do we need to prepare? Passport? Visa? Do we need a medical check-up too?!"

He excitedly shook Chen Beidao's arm, only to find that the other man did not show the smile of approval he expected. Instead, his eyes were deeper, carrying a complex emotion that he could not understand.

It seems he's just saying it, and doesn't really intend to go.

Shen Beidao raised his hand and gently stroked his cheek. "Lin Yi," he said softly, soothingly, "is your dream still to become a cartoonist?"

Lin Yi was taken aback by the question. Wasn't the conversation about marriage? Why is it bringing this up again?

He was a little impatient: "Yes, that's right..."

"So, which is more important, this dream or me?" Shen Beidao continued to ask.

"It's you, of course it's you!"

Lin Yi reached out and hugged Shen Beidao's neck. If there hadn't been a partition in the car, he probably would have sat directly on the other's lap to emphasize his determination: "I really, really love you, Shen Beidao. I don't want to leave you, not even for a day!"

"Long-distance relationships are too painful. You can't see or touch each other, and you can only stare at a cold, impersonal phone... What should I do if I miss you? What if you get sick or feel unwell one day and there's no one to take care of you? Just thinking about it makes me feel unbearable."

"Besides, won't you miss me if I leave?" Lin Yi blinked. "Really won't you?"

Shen Beidao felt a burning sensation from this passionate confession, yet also a subtle pang of pain.

"Lin Yi, listen to me. The time you have to learn in your life is only a few precious years. The foundation you lay during this time may determine how far you can go in the future."

"No one is worth giving up what you love so easily."

“But I don’t think it’s about giving up. Life abroad isn’t good either… I’m not used to living there.”

"Won't you care if you have regrets later?"

Shen Beidao spoke in a consultative tone: "...In high school, you gave up your favorite major and the opportunity to pursue further studies. If you do the same now, it's not a sacrifice for love, but a missed opportunity to have more choices."

Lin Yi remained silent.

Silence means disagreement.

He felt that he could improve his drawing skills on a daily basis if he liked it, and there was no need to go out for further studies.

Lin Yi buried his face in the crook of his neck unhappily, his breath warm and damp against his skin.

Shen Beidao knew he couldn't persuade him, so he gently stroked his back, as if to soothe him: "If, in this relationship, someone has to make sacrifices in some aspects, that person should be me, not you."

Lin Yi suddenly raised his head: "Are you going to threaten to kill yourself?"

He thought of some melodramatic plot twists.

Shen Beidao smiled helplessly and ruffled his hair: "What are you thinking about?"

He cupped Lin Yi's face in his hands and said, word by word:

"What I mean is, I'm about to resign, and it will take time for the company in China to start operating, so if you decide to study in Japan..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "How about I accompany you as your study companion?"

Lin Yi's eyes widened instantly, reflecting Shen Beidao's gentle face.

He seemed stunned by this huge surprise, remaining speechless for several seconds before cautiously asking, "...Really?"