"It was a very pleasant collaboration with Teacher Sixteen. Teacher Sixteen gave me a lot of new ideas, which can be said to have influenced my future works in a certain way."
The woman's voice was gentle and soft, and she showed no stage fright in front of the many cameras set up in front of her.
She answered the reporter's questions with a smile, her chubby little round face just like that.
"Wow, I didn't expect Teacher Sixteen to be so important in Teacher Lan's eyes." The reporter who asked the question couldn't hide her smile, then turned the microphone to Lu Shizhen beside her and asked the same question as before, "So, what does Teacher Sixteen think of Teacher Lan?"
Whether it was because of the many cameras in front of her or Lan's surprising answer that she had never heard from her before, Lu Shizhen seemed a little embarrassed, even socially awkward.
She scratched her nose and gave a perfectly standard, official answer, which was taken directly from the questions Xu Shiyue had prepared for her the day before: "Lan is a great cartoonist, and I look forward to her future works."
As soon as those words were spoken, the previously quiet screen was instantly flooded with numerous comments, a string of words in various colors, like a grand celebration.
Can I interpret this as Teacher Sixteen being shy?
[Ahhh! What a heartwarming confession scene!]
[If I heard correctly, Lan said that Sixteen had a profound influence on her! Doesn't that mean that every painting I create from now on will remind me of you?! Ahhhhhh!]
[What was supposed to be a live-streamed promotional event turned into a wedding announcement.]
[I hereby declare Sixteen Waves locked up; I've swallowed the key.]
...
The barrage of comments almost completely obscured the background, making the interviewer's voice seem weaker.
The slightly tilted flat screen reflected the receding roadside trees outside the window, and in the intermittent light and shadow, a pair of calm eyes narrowed slightly.
This was a live-streamed meet-and-greet organized by Lu Shizhen's publishing house to promote her upcoming new comic.
In recent years, with the soaring popularity of Lillian, Lu Shizhen has taken her comic career to new heights with her unique art style and intricately plotted storylines.
Recently, Lu Shizhen finished the final chapter of the Wildfire arc and was on hiatus when Editor-in-Chief Chen encouraged her to participate in an event organized by the publishing house, where she collaborated with another recently popular comic artist, Lan, to create a special chapter that connects two worlds.
Lu Shizhen had read Lan's comics; the art style and plot were both quite good, but as a newcomer, they were still a bit lacking in refinement.
Thinking that this would also help her mentor younger colleagues, Lu Shizhen gladly accepted the event. It was also because of this collaboration that Lu Shizhen has been spending a lot of time with Lan lately.
There were far fewer comments than before. Lan's harmless smiling face appeared and disappeared on the screen, and she explained the general plot of the comic she was working on with Lu Shizhen in a clear voice.
He was generous, considerate, and even helped Lu Shizhen with many tricky questions.
Xu Shiyue gently raised her arm from the armrest of the chair and propped up her chin.
When Lu Shizhen was about to collaborate with Lan, she told Xu Shiyue about it. Xu Shiyue had also read Lan's Weibo posts, especially those from before she had made a name for herself.
Compared to his current reserved demeanor, this artist's posts on Weibo before he became a big star were quite enthusiastic.
She regards Lu Shizhen's paintings as masterpieces and often posts on Weibo to express her admiration for Lu Shizhen. She even revealed that she was inspired by Lu Shizhen's paintings on Weibo and decided to take the art exam and embark on this path.
Such words are full of youthful vigor, yet they are no less poignant than two celebrities standing on stage, one telling the other that they grew up watching Mr. XX's shows, which evokes a sense of melancholy.
The tides chase the moon, and the first wave is easily washed ashore by the next.
Xu Shiyue frowned slightly.
She was extremely dissatisfied with the thought that had suddenly popped into her head, and then another comment, very obvious and glaring, floated into her view: "[Sisters, I'm going all in! I'm near the venue right now. Sorry, I'm pushing, but I'm going to be watching Shiliu Lan today!]"
[Keep it up, ladies!]
[Take more group photos! We need group photos!]
The driver skillfully steered towards the underground parking lot, but just as he was about to change lanes, he heard Xu Shiyue's voice from the back seat: "Not going to the underground parking lot."
The driver paused for a moment, then Xu Shiyue continued, "Go directly to the entrance of the venue."
The clouds obscured the spring sun, darkening the world by a degree.
Xu Shiyue's voice sounded much lower than usual. The driver didn't dare to question it and nodded, returning to the straight lane: "Okay, Miss."
The live broadcast ended after the host and reporters asked a few more questions. The whole broadcast was great in terms of both atmosphere and viewership. In addition to waving goodbye to Lu Shizhen and Lan, the comments section was filled with reluctance to part, even though the broadcast lasted half an hour longer than originally scheduled.
For this reason, Lu Shizhen left in a great hurry.
She knew Xu Shiyue must have been waiting for her long ago, and not wanting to keep her waiting any longer, Lu Shizhen walked with a brisk pace.
The sound of her fingers tapping on the keyboard filled the air as Lu Shizhen sent the message to Xu Shiyue before even proofreading it: 【Finally over! Did you wait too long? During my livestream, all I could think about was vegetarian hotpot. How about we go get some hotpot later?】
After pausing for a moment, Lu Shizhen felt that simply sending a sentence wasn't enough to express her sincerity, so she selected and sent Yuanzi's emojis to Xu Shiyue: [[Dog pleading.jpg], [Dog being affectionate.jpg]]
Lu Shizhen was looking for an animated GIF of the glutinous rice balls she had made yesterday rolling around when a hurried voice called out from behind her: "Teacher Sixteen!"
It is Lan.
Lu Shizhen was a little surprised that she would catch up. She thought she had forgotten to do something, so she quickly turned around and asked, "Lan, what happened?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Lan seemed to have been chasing after you all the way, and was a little out of breath. "Why are you walking so fast, Teacher Sixteen? I called you several times from behind."
Lu Shizhen was taken aback upon hearing this.
She was so focused on Xu Shiyue and sending her messages that she didn't notice any other sounds.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you." Lu Shizhen smiled apologetically at Lan, then asked, "Is there something you need from me?"
"Our cooperation ends today. May I treat you to hot pot?" Lan rubbed her hands together, looking a little embarrassed. "Consider it our last dinner."
Lu Shizhen smiled upon hearing this, not because the woman had mentioned what she wanted to eat, but because she was amused by what the woman said: "I always say things that are shocking and outrageous. The Last Supper is not a good omen."
"Come on, come on." As if pressing on, Lan threw out an even more tempting offer to Lu Shizhen, "I know Teacher Sixteen doesn't like crowds, just the two of us, I guarantee you'll eat to your heart's content, and I also have something to think about..."
"sixteen."
Just as Lan was hesitantly indicating that she had something to say to Lu Shizhen, a voice interrupted her.
Not far away, a woman in a light brown trench coat stood at the entrance of the hall. The spring sunshine outside streamed into the hall, outlining her tall and imposing figure.
Xu Shiyue stood not far away with her hands in her pockets, waiting for Lu Shizhen to walk towards her.
Lu Shizhen did not disappoint Xu Shiyue or keep her waiting long.
Her face lit up with a smile almost the instant she heard Xu Shiyue call her name, and she declined Lan's invitation without hesitation: "No, my girlfriend is here to pick me up."
She said it so easily and effortlessly, her raised tone filled with her novelty.
As soon as she finished speaking, her footsteps, which had just stopped, began to tap again on the corridor floor tiles. Lu Shizhen jogged lightly toward Xu Shiyue.
Then, while running, he waved to Lan, seemingly unintentionally, and added, "Well, I'll be going now. Next time, I'll bring my girlfriend to dinner with you, and it'll be on me."
The shadows that almost bumped into each other in the corridor were now just one. Lan watched Lu Shizhen's retreating figure, feeling both envious and disappointed.
She had sensed before that Lu Shizhen seemed to have a girlfriend, but Lu Shizhen was someone who wouldn't tolerate idle chatter when she was creating comics, and she always clocked in and out of the studio on time. After working together for almost half a month, Lan had learned a lot of drawing skills from her, but she knew absolutely nothing about her personal life.
Now Lan thought, there was no need for her to cling to that last sliver of hope.
She's the best at capturing images; just from a glimpse of his back, she knew that Teacher Sixteen really liked his girlfriend, or more accurately, that Teacher Sixteen loved his girlfriend very much.
Bathed in sunlight, Lu Shizhen ran quickly to Xu Shiyue's side, calling her name in a clear, crisp voice: "Shiyue!"
She was somewhat surprised that Xu Shiyue had suddenly appeared here, and then asked, "Don't you usually wait in the underground parking lot? Why did you drive here today?"
"I want to see you soon." Xu Shiyue tidied Lu Shizhen's messy hair and walked out with her side by side.
“Look, we’ve only been apart for less than half a day.” Naturally, Lu Shizhen said, taking Xu Shiyue’s hand.
With that, the two of them went outside.
The midday sun shone through the porch and landed right on Xu Shiyue's face, as gentle and real as Lu Shizhen's hand holding hers, instantly evaporating all the emotions she was too ashamed to express.
Xu Shiyue glanced down at their clasped hands and replied, "But that's enough."
Lu Shizhen looked at Xu Shiyue and teased from behind the doorpost, "So clingy."
"Yes," Xu Shiyue admitted very directly.
Cars drove away from the parking lot in front of the building, their reflections in the sunlight somewhat dazzling and unsettling.
Xu Shiyue seemed to notice something, stopped in her tracks, and leaned against the doorpost. Lu Shizhen was caught off guard, and Xu Shiyue pulled her arm around her waist.
His deep black eyes were filled with bright sunlight as he smiled at Lu Shizhen and said, "Sixteenth Teacher, would you like some gossip? There are paparazzi lurking around here."
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