Several painters were discussing enthusiastically over there, and Mu Xingzhi had no intention of stopping them. He even slowly picked up the teacup and took a sip lazily.
"I say!" Su Qingluan quietly moved to the side of Mu Xingzhi's wheelchair and tapped the armrest with her fingers. "After all, they are your subordinates. Why don't you take care of them?"
Mu Xingzhi's face was full of innocence: "They just respect their teacher and want to pay you a tribute because they admire your abilities from the bottom of their hearts. Why should I stop them?"
Su Qingluan glanced at him: This guy definitely did it on purpose.
After spending a long time with Mu Xingzhi, Su Qingluan had a vague feeling that beneath his elegant appearance, there was a mischievous soul that would occasionally emerge. Although in most cases this guy seemed harmless, he could sometimes seem quite malicious.
For example, now, Su Qingluan felt that Mu Xingzhi had definitely noticed her embarrassment, but this guy deliberately stood by and watched just to watch the fun.
They were still discussing the apprenticeship ceremony. Su Qingluan heard that besides offering tea, she also had to kneel down and so on. She quickly waved her hands and shook her head frantically: "I appreciate everyone's kindness, but there is no need for the apprenticeship ceremony, right?!"
Su Qingluan felt like she was shortening her lifespan when a group of elders, who could be her fathers, bowed down to him. In her previous life, she was just a nobody and couldn't accept such a grand gift.
But again, the other party and Su Qingluan were clearly on different wavelengths. After hearing Su Qingluan's words, they revealed expressions of indignation or disappointment and sadness: "Madam Su, are you refusing to forgive us because of our rude words before?"
"Do you still think that our painting skills are too low to be worthy of Madam Su's apprentice?"
Su Qingluan's mind was full of lawsuits. At this time, she heard someone ask, "When you were studying with your painting teacher, didn't you also pay homage to your teacher? Why can't we do the same?"
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed through her mind, like a little student from the Death God. Or rather, she found a way to deceive people.
"Actually, my master is a free-spirited person, so he didn't ask me to do the apprenticeship ceremony."
When Mu Xingzhi heard Su Qingluan's words, he paused in drinking his tea and glanced at Su Qingluan imperceptibly, but no one present noticed, including Su Qingluan herself.
She thought back to the teacher who taught her sketching in her previous life, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly: using the word "free and easy" to describe that person was really being too kind on her part.
To be more precise, that guy was a tongue-stuck complainer. Although he had great painting skills, he was too imaginative and refused to cater to the market according to the client's requirements. So until she died of illness in her previous life, although she was still in contact with this person, she learned that his career had been lukewarm.
As for his daily indiscriminate complaints against all students, they left an indelible shadow on Su Qingluan's young mind.
"Haha, even if I caught a dog and made it crawl, it would look better than your drawing."
"I didn't know your sleeves were used to create shadow effects?"
"This kind of light source can create such fantastic light and shadow effects. Is this sketch actually in the fantasy style?"
...Forget it. Although this guy was one of the few friends who was willing to help her financially after she fell ill, Su Qingluan still felt that the teacher's words were not very good for her blood pressure and heart.
In short, Su Qingluan brought up the "custom" that the "grandmaster" does not accept tea, and said that she also wanted to "comply with the master's teachings" and not pay attention to the external form, as long as the intention is there.
"I didn't realize that the master actually advocated the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi." Someone sighed.
Su Qingluan's face darkened after hearing this: No, it's just that in our era, except for some traditional industries, there was no such thing as "apprenticeship gift".
But she didn't dare to explain anything and could only go along with it and respond with "hmm" and "ah".
After great efforts, Su Qingluan finally gave up the idea of these people asking her to become their apprentices.
After a few people left, Su Qingluan seemed to have lost her soul. She slumped down on a wooden armchair beside her, looking very ungraceful.
However, Su Qingluan no longer cared about her image - she had suffered social failures in front of Mu Xingzhi so many times anyway, so she was not afraid of being bitten by too many lice and was not burdened by too many debts - she just wanted to be quiet.
Mu Xingzhi admired Su Qingluan's blank and dull expression with great interest for a moment, then handed her a cup of hot tea.
Su Qingluan blew on it and took a sip: "Huh? There's honey in it?" Sure enough, sweetness is the taste that can best cure fatigue. The sweet taste slowly flowed down her throat, and Su Qingluan felt as if she was alive again.
"You look very tired, so I asked Song Bo to prepare it just now." Mu Xingzhi smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Song Bo!" Su Qingluan thanked him cheerfully, took another sip of honey water, felt the sweet taste, and squinted her eyes happily.
Ah, the healing effect of this sweet drink under extreme mental fatigue is multiplied.
This feeling is so wonderful. The warm autumn sunshine outside shines in gently, sprinkling on the shoulders, covering the slightly cool air with a layer of warmth. With the slightly sweet honey water in her hands, Su Qingluan just wants to lie on the chair like this and do nothing.
Just when she was feeling so relaxed and at ease, Mu Xingzhi asked casually, "What kind of person is the teacher who taught Qingluan the art of painting?"
Mu Xingzhi's tone was very casual, just like an everyday chat, so it didn't arouse Su Qingluan's vigilance at all. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He has a bad mouth, but he's a good person..."
She was halfway through her words when she suddenly realized: "Su Daya" should have "lost her memory due to a high fever", so people like her should not remember things from the past, including what kind of person the teacher who taught her skills was!
Thoughts raced as Su Qingluan continued, "He's a man of unyielding character, slovenly and carefree—how do you think these adjectives fit the image of a 'relaxed and carefree person'? I don't remember the person who taught me painting, but if it was someone who refused to kneel, I imagine he was that kind of person."
Su Qingluan's heart was pounding with anxiety.
She was not sure whether Mu Xingzhi's question was an intentional test or an unintentional mention. After all, the other party's attitude was too casual and natural, but the timing was perfect - it was a moment when she relaxed after being extremely nervous and had almost no defenses.
It's like he's waiting for the moment when one's psychological defenses are weak and then suddenly asks a heart-piercing question.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
