Chapter 2
As soon as Jian Sheng got off the high-speed train, a notification came to his WeChat.
The husky accepted her WeChat request.
She didn't send any messages to inquire for the time being, and put the notification aside.
Jian Zihua's death didn't actually affect her much; the sadness she felt seemed much less than the painful memories he brought. He Ying's comment that she was a cold-blooded animal might not be entirely wrong.
She's now completely focused on her future, and nothing He Ying or these nominal relatives say can affect her anymore.
She is 25 years old this year, graduated two years ago, and works as a teacher at an art institution in Xiqi, Linjiang. She also owns a bookstore, and has her own accounts and some channels to make her works known to the world as much as possible.
The only headache is that my work always seems to be missing something.
Changyu Art Institution Center.
She gazed at the painting she had just finished adding, and with the final touch, she illuminated the streetlamp, instantly brightening the entire scene. But the painting felt too oppressive, its overall tone dark, the sky a deep blue with a touch of purple at the horizon, the road cold and desolate, with only that one lamp lighting up the surroundings.
"Hey, this way please."
"So it seems you do have a foundation, Miss. Don't worry, our teaching resources are top-notch, and there's absolutely no chance of any fraud..."
"The teacher I'm introducing to you is a real gem in our organization!"
A series of fawning voices greeted them at the entrance, neither too loud nor too soft, suggesting they were heading towards the art studio.
At this moment, apart from a few easels and plaster materials, only Jian Sheng was sitting in the studio, and it was very quiet.
Less than a minute later, the studio door opened from the outside in, and the owner personally led two people into the studio.
Jian Sheng wanted to stand up and give up his seat, but he froze for a moment when he saw who it was.
My eyes felt like they had been touched by something irritating, and bitter tears welled up in my eyes.
My impression of Chen Zhoujing is that he has short hair on the sides and slightly longer hair in front, which is clean and neat. His wild, dark eyebrows are long and narrow, which, combined with his black eyes, make him look flamboyant and wild.
At this moment, the man before me had grown his hair longer and his face had become thinner. His wildness, etched into his very bones, carried a maturity honed by the passage of time. His demeanor was gentle, but his eyes were icy cold.
The coldness made Jian Sheng feel unfamiliar.
Jian Sheng never expected to run into Chen Zhoujing here, and the girl next to him...
Her raised hand remained suspended in mid-air, her palm and the back of her hand covered in dried paint. He did not respond, and her hand stood awkwardly in the air.
"Oh, Ms. Jian, are you free right now?" The boss smiled and walked towards Jian Sheng. As he got closer, he covered his mouth and whispered, "I'll bring you a student. See if he's suitable. If not, no pressure."
After the boss finished speaking, he stepped back and introduced Chen Zhoujing and the girl to Jian Sheng.
It turns out that Chen Zhoujing knew her boss.
Jian Sheng looked away from him.
She asked Xu Mai a few simple questions about her background and goals, and then explained her teaching methods and requirements in detail, just like she would with other students during regular admissions.
The only sound in the room was Jian Sheng's cool voice, occasionally interspersed with Xu Mai's responses, and they chatted for half an hour.
It wasn't until Xu Mai thanked her that she took the opportunity of teaching to go and see the girl.
Her voice was soft and gentle, and she spoke with humility and politeness. When she smiled, she had dimples on both sides, and she was beautiful and lovely.
Jian Sheng felt a pang of sadness and an instinctive urge to avoid the situation.
Only after understanding her completely did I dare to think about Chen Zhoujing on the side.
The person who influenced her youth.
I haven't seen him in a long time, five years, a full five years. He went abroad after that incident, and since then, Chen Zhoujing seems to have completely disappeared from Jian Sheng's world.
Feeling the familiar gaze on her back, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions—a mix of joy after a long separation and embarrassment at having painful memories reopened.
The entire course introduction was delivered under their watchful eyes, without any verbal exchange between the two.
Jian Sheng leaned against the door frame, watching the two people chatting happily outside. After a long while, a sweet voice rang out behind her, shattering the countless guesses and fantasies in her heart.
Xu Mai patted her on the shoulder and told her that the test drawing was finished.
Soon, in just half an hour, Xu Mai had completed the task given to him by Jian Sheng.
She picked up the beautiful vase with white chrysanthemums in it. It didn't seem like she had no foundation; she was quite talented. Although it was a copy, it had its own style.
"I told you not to come, fine... now you've been waiting for so long and you're getting impatient, always with that sour face." Xu Mai said impatiently.
"It would be better if you picked me up after I'm done, and we went out to eat together," she added.
Two sentences made Jian Sheng swallow the words she wanted to say.
She didn't look up. Chen Zhou had changed a lot. His usually smiling face had become very indifferent, without a trace of a smile, which added a sense of distance to his aura.
Jian Sheng automatically categorized the subtle atmosphere between the two as a lovers' quarrel. This bittersweet feeling made her realize that over the years, her affection for Chen Zhoujing had only grown stronger.
"Let's argue when we get back," Chen Zhou said, suppressing Xu Mai's dissatisfaction.
Xu Mai didn't say anything, glared at him, and silently moved to the side.
"What does the teacher think?" Chen Zhou asked in surprise.
This was said to Jian Sheng; it was the first thing he said to her after they reunited.
This deep, familiar voice had pulled her out of the deep sea time and time again, and now it appeared in her ear, calm and emotionless.
Jian Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth, nodded, and after a long while opened his slightly hoarse voice: "You're good, very talented."
She couldn't say anything more.
"Will you come to class next week?"
"Hmm." The boss talked to the two of them about the rest of the conversation.
*
After getting off the bus, Chen Zhoujing stood at the entrance of the institution and smoked two cigarettes to calm himself down, but he still felt a dull ache in his chest. Xu Mai slapped his shoulder, and he came to his senses. He looked at the sign of Changyu Art Institution, and a strong soreness instantly enveloped him.
I've imagined our reunion countless times, but this is the first time I've thought of the place where she paints.
The emotions that had been sealed away in his mind filled his thoughts, and he figured that with the passage of time, he no longer cared.
In reality, he was going crazy with worry.
After that incident, he was convinced that there was no future for them, and he didn't want to hold her back because of this rift. But he never expected that Jian Zihua would die.
Clinging to his last remaining hope, he returned to China overnight, hoping to see her in Jeju, but he dared not take that step.
It wasn't until Xu Mai asked him to introduce her to a painting teacher that things changed.
He instantly thought of her at the institution.
"Are you going up or not, bro?" Xu Mai stood at the door with his hands on his hips.
"Hesitant and reluctant, yet he insisted on coming to see me off."
Chen Zhou exhaled a puff of smoke, extinguished the half-burnt cigarette in his hand, threw it into the trash can by the door, and slowly followed into the institution. Soon after, Li Zhun ran out, pulling up his pants.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Mr. Chen, I have an upset stomach. I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly."
Li Zhun rubbed his hands together, bent down, and invited the two of them up with a beaming smile.
The main building of the institution has two floors, and the four buildings are scattered and connected by a bridge on the second floor. The white walls are simply decorated, and famous paintings hang on both sides of the corridor.
Chen Zhou was startled as Li Zhun's delicate voice kept echoing in his right ear. His thoughts drifted away, and he felt a strange mix of emotions, but he pretended to be calm on the surface.
Further inside, you'll find students' original paintings, and in the central exhibition hall, award-winning works from past competitions are displayed.
His gaze unconsciously searched for something in those paintings.
After walking for a short while, Li Zhun opened a door.
A graceful and beautiful figure appeared in his sight, the most striking feature being her long, beautiful, jet-black hair.
His world seemed to freeze at that moment, and the sounds around him became blurred.
The sunlight outside the glass window was bright, pouring onto her hair. She turned around, and her face became much more lively. She no longer looked as lifeless as before, but instead had a touch of gentleness. Her short, ear-length hair had grown long, reaching her waist, a look he had never seen before.
He used to treat her like a brother, without any sense of propriety, when she had short hair. Now, she has a different feel to her.
Chen Zhou was stunned for a moment, his expression blank for a instant, and he forgot to respond to her greeting.
The awkwardness that followed was somewhat eased by Lee Joon's introductions.
Her paintings have improved a lot, and it's no wonder that collectors in the art world like them; there are few painters in China with such talent.
Chen Zhoujing leaned against the storage cabinet behind her, her gaze sweeping over Jian Sheng. She was still as serious as ever about everything she did. It was undeniable that Jian Sheng's life would have been better without Jian Zihua.
He stared at her back, his eyes unfathomable, his hand unconsciously reaching into his pocket.
I relapsed into smoking these past two days after trying to quit for a long time, ugh.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Zhun stepped forward and offered a cigarette, speaking in a low voice.
"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, I'm taking good care of you. Ms. Jian is also very ambitious; she's really enjoying life now and has even opened a bookstore. You can visit her bookstore sometime, maybe bump into her and grab a coffee or two—it'll be so pleasant..."
Li Zhun had been standing next to Chen Zhoujing for a while. He wasn't blind; he could tell what President Chen meant.
He spent a lot of money investing in his small organization, and all he left was a sentence: help take care of Teacher Jian's mood, and don't worry about anything else.
Li Zhun remembers it clearly: the organization was already struggling to stay afloat and facing bankruptcy when a Mr. Chen invested and a genius painter, Teacher Jian, moved in, directly helping it take off. The two of them were like living bodhisattvas to him.
Chen Zhou glanced at Li Zhun in surprise, picked up his cigarette, and clicked his tongue.
Li Zhun blinked, still smiling, and asked, "What are your orders, President Chen?"
"Address," Chen Zhoujing hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Okay, okay, I'll send it to you right away. It's actually very close, just near her house, one traffic light past the Yunhui Shopping Mall." Li Zhun took out his phone and quickly sent him the location.
In fact, his flattery was quite accurate; the organization was about to produce its second genius.
"Let's go back." Chen Zhoujing nodded slightly and called out to Xu Mai, who was grinning at Jian Sheng.
"Coming, coming, what's the rush?" Xu Mai added Jian Sheng's contact information and turned to walk towards Chen Zhoujing.
"President Chen isn't staying for lunch, it's lunchtime." Li Zhun glanced at Jian Sheng and asked another question.
"No, boss," Jian Sheng said first.
She looked at the two figures turning around and slowly said, "There are some things to do at the bookstore."
Jian Sheng smiled, his expression calm. Chen Zhou gritted his teeth; the distance between them felt as vast as the Milky Way.
"Let's go." He grabbed Xu Mai's sleeve and dragged him outside.
"Brother!" Xu Mai said angrily, "I really don't know how you've survived all these years. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend. You're not gentle at all. How can you treat people like this?"
Chen Zhoujing ignored her words and silently lowered the sleeve in his hand.
The two walked to the entrance of the institution.
Li Zhun called out from behind, "President Chen, come often! See you next week, Miss Xiaomai."
Chen Zhou nodded in surprise and opened the passenger door to let Xu Mai in.
He took her downstairs and smoked a cigarette in his car. The smoke swirled in front of his eyes, obscuring half of his face and burying his melancholy. He didn't stop until he finished the second cigarette.
The car slowly drove out of the residential area.
*
When Li Zhun returned, he saw Jian Sheng still sitting in the studio painting.
He leaned against the door and asked, "Is everything alright at Teacher Jian's bookstore again?"
Jian Sheng was startled, then turned around and smiled, "I said it's resolved."
"Shall we go for lunch?" Li Zhun extended an invitation. "It's already noon. I've already taken up quite a bit of your time. You still have classes tonight."
“It’s okay, you go eat…” Jian Sheng glanced at the painting on the easel, “I haven’t finished preparing my lesson yet.”
Li Zhun didn't make things difficult for her, just told her to eat on time, and then left.
Jian sighed, picked up her paintbrush, dipped it a few times in the paint box, then stirred it on the palette paper. She raised her hand, intending to paint on the paper...
"There's probably no chance..." He already has a girlfriend.
step...
Two steps...
The sound of leather shoes came from behind her. Jian Sheng fell silent. When the figure behind her got closer, she smiled and put her pen on the paper: "Boss, I'm not hungry right now. Go eat by yourself."
There was no response.
Jian Sheng frowned, put down her paintbrush and palette, and turned around.
Two pairs of eyes met, their gazes shifting, one filled with surprise, the other with suppressed fervor.
“Chen...Chen Zhoujing.” Jian Sheng was stunned; she hadn’t expected Chen Zhoujing to come back.
"You..." Chen Zhoujing's voice was a little low, "It's been a long time."
"Long time no see." Jian Sheng smiled at him, her eyebrows raised, her beautiful eyes shining brightly, making Chen Zhou's burning heart boil, and he suddenly wanted to back away.
I feel like mud in a dark, damp place now, crawling in the sewers every day, and I no longer have the same mindset as before.
"You... need something at the bookstore? Shall I take you there?" Chen Zhou asked in surprise.
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