Lady
Ju Hui shivered at the cold figure in the corridor and asked, "Why are you here?"
She stared intently at the source of the cold air. It must be very cold outside; the mist, a mixture of hot and cold air, seemed to emanate from him, as unreal as a dream.
After a long while, Sheng Qijing's gaze shifted downwards and landed on her security chain.
"Open the door."
In that instant, even the strongest morning grumpiness vanished. Ju Hui's heart raced, and the rapidly surging dopamine grabbed her arm, slammed the door shut, pulled the security chain, and the door was pulled open completely.
Ju Hui took a step forward and walked into his arms.
Her feet were half-planted on the hard floor. The brown wooden corridor was empty, and the fireworks in the distance were hidden behind the airtight walls, unknown to anyone.
Sheng Qijing was taken aback by the hug.
Ju Hui felt it was too late.
"hiss……"
Ju Hui breathed softly in his arms.
"I was sleeping when I suddenly stood up, and my legs went numb." Ju Hui used his chest for support to prop herself up, then quickly pulled back, staggering just as she had said.
Ju Hui silently put away the index finger that had been sticking out of his heart. The wound throbbed with pain, the pain that had accumulated over an hour since she had just woken up.
She accidentally brushed her wound against his collar.
It hurt a lot, but pain is what brings clarity. Ju Hui felt a peace she hadn't felt in days. She stood still, staring intently at Sheng Qijing, who seemed to have a clear understanding of her thoughts.
“The internet is indeed unreliable; you’re much more enthusiastic in real life,” Sheng Qijing sighed, glancing at the room behind her. “It’s been so long since we last met; why are you drowning your sorrows in alcohol?”
"It's rice wine brewed by the shop manager herself; I only drank half a cup."
Ju Hui belatedly realized that the room was filled with the aroma of glutinous rice that she couldn't smell. She raised her hand and gripped the doorknob tightly, using her body to block out the white patch of darkness on the floor.
However, in his view, she was just as exposed as the door.
Sheng Qijing let out a long "Oh," and asked, "Is it good?"
"Well enough."
"Then the remaining half cup is..."
The red thread that Ju Hui accidentally exposed was grabbed by Sheng Qijing, who wouldn't let go and even pulled it twice.
Adults should understand each other implicitly at night.
"I plan to throw it away."
Ju Hui meant no offense, "It's been sitting by my bedside for a long time."
An ambiguous atmosphere arose and then quickly cooled; Ju Hui maintained a cold expression, keeping the respect due to the creditor in check. Things were alright now; Ju Hui had only accidentally hugged him, so it seemed she could control her desires.
"Why are you here?" Ju Hui asked him again.
"Who knows? I accidentally fell asleep on the high-speed train, and when I opened my eyes, I was here."
"Oh." Ju Hui nodded.
"What, you don't think I came here because of you, do you?"
Ju Hui shook her head: "No, I was thinking that it's possible that you took the high-speed train and even got off at the station, and then knocked on my room door at this guesthouse in Sanbao Village, Jingdezhen..."
"So you really think so?"
Sheng Qijing lazily raised his eyes, and suddenly produced an orange-yellow ointment in his hand, about the size of a finger, with the label Neosporin on the packaging. He shrugged.
Give me your hand.
The injured finger, hanging towards the ground, was in excruciating pain. Ju Hui held her breath, and her heart, which had just been filled, began to leak air again.
Ju Hui tried to fill the hole with cotton and sheet metal, but it was no use. The soft knife that had pierced her was right there; she should have grabbed it and gone inside.
"Ding!"
Sheng Qijing felt a "falling object" from a high altitude; the cold sheet of metal slipped down her unusually hot index finger and into her palm.
“I was called by Pu Yin. She said you asked Xu Siran to come and keep you company.” He took a half step back, as if he was about to leave at any moment. “Don’t worry, if you have any new developments, I won’t bother you anymore.”
-
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone took a break. In the work group, Master Li sent photos of the bamboo charcoal that had just been delivered. Box after box filled a large area, like Ju Hui who had been lying in bed all day.
Master Li messaged her privately, sending her the list of students who had signed up for the second cohort. The number of students had doubled compared to the first cohort, including a British couple, Ida and Gerald, whom she would be in charge of.
Ju Hui agreed and opened the list. Sheng Qijing and Xu Siran were standing side by side inside.
Deep Space briefly responded to her. Sheng Qijing moved into the room next to hers. Ju Hui, who was flying shakily, briefly landed. The coolness from her fingertips was like the soft hair she accidentally touched on her pillow, a place that was cracking and healing.
The next day at work, Xu Siran noticed her healed hand first.
Ju Hui was giving a private lecture on theoretical knowledge to the British couple in the small classroom next door. Her index finger was pointing at the blackboard, and the light shone through the crack in the door into Xu Siran's eyes. He stared at it for a while, and in his daze, he met Sheng Qijing's gaze.
"Listen carefully in class."
Sheng Qijing smiled and mouthed the words.
Sheng Qijing sat at the door of the small classroom. Xu Siran no longer had any feelings for Ju Hui, but she still couldn't bring herself to like this senior.
It might be related to Sheng Qijing's undisguised hostility. Xu Siran briefly met his gaze, returned a smile, and looked away.
This senior student seems unaware that Ju Hui is going to study abroad.
This knowledge was easy for them to grasp. He had already drawn a draft of the earthen kiln on the draft paper, depicting a bird trapped in a gilded cage trying to escape.
His designs had to be both meaningful and technically impressive. The students' artistic talents were already evident in the first day's drafts. Xu Siran didn't aim for quantity, only to immediately outshine Sheng Qijing, making him feel ashamed to call him his junior...
"So cute!"
The two girls looked at Sheng Qijing's sketchbook and said.
"Is that a yawning kitten?"
"Um."
"We were worried you'd studied drawing because you looked so confident. Thank goodness, we're relieved you only did something simple. And you, classmate, what did you draw...?"
Cheng Wen and Li Anya are childhood friends. One studies law and the other studies Chinese language. Their understanding of painting is limited to the currently popular Secret Garden. When they came over and saw that their classmates could create this masterpiece of interwoven red and black, they were so shocked that they were speechless.
"Wow... No wonder he's Teacher Ju's junior, his drawing is really good." Sheng Qijing also came over to peek and admire.
Cheng Wen realized what was happening and said, "Oh, you're Ju Hui's junior, so Teacher Pu is your senior too."
Li Anya: "Oh my god, no wonder there are so many handsome men and beautiful women here. This has reinforced my stereotypes about art academies."
The spacious classroom was surrounded by students who had come after hearing the commotion, forming a cramped circle with Xu Siran at the center. He pointed at Sheng Qijing, about to retort, when Pu Yin clapped her hands outside the circle.
"Go back and draw your diagrams."
The crowd dispersed, and Pu Yin tilted her head as she walked over to look at his drawing. Xu Siran immediately blushed and hurriedly reached out to cover the manuscript paper. Pu Yin clicked her tongue at him.
Pu Yin bent down and stood behind him. "Don't let others know that Sheng Qijing knows us, otherwise Xiao Hui won't be able to get her commission. It's two hundred per person."
Xu Siran asked in confusion, "Shouldn't you only pay extra if someone refers you through an acquaintance?"
"Acquaintances aren't important; the key is having zero experience in clay sculpting. That's when you get a bigger teaching subsidy." Pu Yin pointed to a spot in the sketchbook and poked it twice. "Master Li is too stingy; he won't let me eat and stay for free. I have to become a teacher to pay off his debts..."
Xu Siran remained silent. At this moment, Ju Hui came out of the small classroom, and Sheng Qijing happened to raise his hand, indicating that he had a question.
She went over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Sheng Qijing: "Here..."
Sheng Qijing's phone lit up on the corner of the table.
Unfortunately, Ju Hui also saw the contact person who sent the message—Sheng Zhen.
The note and his quick movement of laying the phone down were like a bolt of lightning; Ju Hui instantly understood that this person was her father.
Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, a day that should be spent with family. Ju Hui guessed that her father had come to confront her.
Ju Hui asked curiously, "Do your parents know you're here?"
Sheng Qijing looked up: "Do adults need parental consent to enroll in extracurricular classes?"
"Teacher Ju."
Students were shouting beside her. Ju Hui knew that Sheng Qijing was more capable than her. She patted his shoulder, her fingertips brushing against the skin inside his sweater collar, and left.
Sheng Qijing saw everything. Was Ju Hui secretly taking advantage of him? Did her shoulder relax a centimeter after she left?
She must be very worried that he really will stop bothering her.
After all, this period of time might be her last chance to touch him, so she must have planned a lot.
Ju Hui was nervous from the moment she walked over. She stood to the right of Sheng Qijing, a position that was quite significant.
They both had their right hand as their dominant hand. Whenever he pointed to the draft and said he didn't understand something, she would extend her right arm, her forearm brushing against his chin, and use her healed fingertips to touch the places he had rubbed, playing the role of a knowledgeable teaching assistant.
Even at the very end, knowing that the student on the left would definitely need clarification, she would pat his right shoulder with her right hand after he was called away, using the excuse of leaving to distract her from her obvious, snow-white caress, which was essentially taking advantage of him.
Sheng Qijing chuckled inwardly.
Ju Hui was timid as a mouse.
"Weng—"
The sudden vibrations on the table interrupted Sheng Qijing's thoughts.
-
"Many of the artists who submitted their ink-wash paintings this year are your classmates, Ruomei. I have sent the list to your email. Please take a look when you have time, Mr. Sheng."
"Okay, I understand."
Sheng Qijing was on the phone outside the classroom. Sheng Zhen's assistant would usually call before Sheng Zhen did, and Sheng Zhen would only call personally if he didn't answer.
This habit is no exception on the second day of the Lunar New Year. An assistant who has been by Sheng Zhen's side for many years will eventually grow buttons in his discipline, becoming a microwave oven with plugs controlled by him.
Sheng Qijing didn't want to hear Sheng Zhen's voice, so he answered the phone as soon as it rang.
"President Sheng knows that you and Ms. Ju Hui are currently in Jingdezhen. He asked me to tell you that the board of directors has decided to officially transfer Laorun Winery to your sister Sheng Jiashu's name this July. As for Mochun, it has been making frequent mistakes due to your relationship issues, but the management rights still remain with President Sheng, and the focus of future activities will be shifted to Shanghai."
The assistant choked on his own words and continued, "...If you want to return to Ruobei, you need to live in Shanghai for at least five years, and we'll discuss it further once the board of directors agrees."
"Okay, is there anything else?"
Sheng Zhen's assistant was taken aback. This resolution was just made by the board of directors before the new year. With such a huge change, it was too fast for Sheng Qijing to accept it.
His task was to provoke Sheng Qijing into personally calling and questioning President Sheng. Sheng Qijing's tone was flat; the machine received an incorrect instruction and didn't know how to proceed.
"Then... could you please give President Sheng a call?"
"You tell me, and I still have to call him?"
"Yes."
Sheng Qijing disliked that Sheng Zhen was wasting his time, so after hanging up, he dealt with the red notifications on WeChat for a while, ordered a tight-fitting black turtleneck sweater, and after finishing everything, he opened his contacts, found Sheng Zhen, and called him.
Silence fell on both sides.
Sheng Zhen didn't get to hear his son scold him.
"What do you want?"
Sheng Zhen sarcastically asked him, "You're not going home? Are you with Boss Bian's sister?"
“They are not related by blood.” Sheng Qijing’s words were icy.
"Yes, yes." Sheng Zhen, having achieved his goal, smiled and asked him, "How is your relationship with Miss Ju? I mentioned her at the board meeting, and everyone thought highly of you two. It seems I misjudged you..."
Sheng Qijing was silent for a moment, then asked, "My mother said the same thing?"
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