Xu Ruantang left the watch repair shop and went into the bookstore.
There weren't many people in the bookstore at this time.
When she entered, she asked the owner about the approximate location of the design-related professional books and followed the direction the owner pointed.
As you pass by rows of bookshelves, you can see students sitting on the floor from time to time.
They should all be from the art academy across the street.
Everyone tacitly held their books and read quietly.
This was the largest bookstore in the area. Xu Ruantang searched for a long time in the professional books section, flipping through many books, but still couldn't find what she wanted.
Most of them are teaching books; what she wants are design examples from this era, which are not easy to find.
Xu Ruantang glanced at the entrance of the bookstore.
If she could get into the school library, she might be able to find what she's looking for.
In retrospect, it was a foolish decision to decline Li Shuyang's auditing spot because I was too busy with work.
Xu Ruantang stood on tiptoe and put the book back in its original place.
As she turned to leave, she was blocked by the man standing opposite her.
"Excuse me, could you please move aside?"
Xu Ruantang said softly, looking up at the person opposite her, a hint of surprise and excitement flashing in her eyes.
"You're here to read books too?"
With a gentle smile, Li Shuyang pointed towards the door and said, "Shall we talk outside?"
Xu Ruantang nodded.
As soon as she stepped out, before Li Shuyang could even speak, she went straight to the point: "Um, could you do me a favor?"
Li Shuyang was stunned for a moment.
Xu Ruantang thought he was reluctant, so she quickly continued, "Shall I treat you to dinner?"
She doesn't really like to bother others. She always prefers to solve things herself, even if it costs more money or time and energy, rather than asking for help.
I guess it's because I've been used to being independent since I was a child.
Li Shuyang was tall and wore a white polyester shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway. A bright smile gradually spread across his face.
"Third sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite with me, just say it."
Now that she had spoken, Xu Ruantang stopped being coy and told him what she had been doing recently.
She brought her sketches with her when she went out today, and showed them to Li Shuyang.
"Besides watching TV, reading newspapers, and seeing murals and shop designs on the street, the only other way I can think of is through school."
The internet truly is the greatest invention of our time; with a simple tap of a finger, a wealth of information is readily available.
Unlike now, where you can run yourself ragged just to find something.
Li Shuyang held Xu Ruantang's drawing, his well-defined fingers gently tapping the characters on it.
"Third Sister-in-law, actually your promotional posters are also very good, but they are too artistic."
Putting aside practicality, the idea is quite imaginative.
Xu Ruantang is a type of person the dean often talks about—a lucky person born to do this job.
For those who study art, the worst thing is to lack imagination.
Imagination is the original driving force of all creation.
Her paintings feature bold colors and flowing, expressive lines, making them suitable for connoisseurs.
However, when used in the advertising of a dessert shop, it only seems exaggerated and incomprehensible.
Xu Ruantang frowned slightly, "What's the difference between your 'too artistic' comment and our boss's 'too avant-garde' comment?"
This is similar to asking her to paint a colorful black.
Li Shuyang chuckled softly, "Third Sister-in-law, do you have time? If you do, I'll take you to the school and find some real-world examples to compare with, and you'll understand."
Xu Ruantang nodded quickly, "We have time, let's go."
"Teacher Li, why did you come out? I've been looking for you inside for ages."
A male voice came from behind. Xu Ruantang turned around and saw a bespectacled, refined-looking man walking towards them.
The man was also holding a stack of books.
Upon seeing Xu Ruantang beside Li Shuyang, the man's expression changed slightly. "Teacher Li, who is this?"
Students often come to Li Shuyang at school, and every few days Teacher Li receives love letters.
Everyone was used to it, and the man thought it was just another one.
However, the girl in front of him was unfamiliar. Logically speaking, someone as beautiful as her should be very famous in the academy.
He had no recollection of it at all.
I guess they're from the foreign language department.
"My friend."
Li Shuyang's ears turned slightly red as he turned to look at Xu Ruantang.
He didn't reveal her specific identity, and Xu Ruantang didn't think much of it, assuming he was afraid that people at the school would find out he was the son of a military commander.
Li Shuyang introduced Xu Ruantang: "This is my colleague, Teacher Yang Weidong."
"Teacher Yang, I'm taking my friend back to school to help her find some materials."
The male teacher named Yang Weidong was taken aback at first, but then quickly realized what was happening and his gaze swept over Xu Ruantang.
"Okay, let's go back together then."
The three walked into the school together, with Li Shuyang deliberately standing between the two, separating Yang Weidong and Xu Ruantang.
Even so, Yang Weidong still asked a lot of questions along the way.
For example, what kind of friend is Xu Ruantang to Li Shuyang, and what does she come to ask Li Shuyang?
I heard that Xu Ruantang is also a designer, so I offered to help her take a look at her drawings.
He spoke skillfully, without being bluntly aggressive, but Xu Ruantang still felt uncomfortable.
I always felt that this person was very interested in things related to Li Shuyang.
Looking into her eyes, I couldn't help but feel a hint of hostility.
Having dealt with people like Chen Ji for a long time, Xu Ruantang has developed a strong ability to perceive micro-expressions.
Before Xu Ruantang could speak, Yang Weidong's questions were all politely deflected by Li Shuyang.
Li Shuyang first took Xu Ruantang to the teachers' office, and Yang Weidong followed them in.
They are an office.
Li Shuyang walked to a workstation, pulled over a stool, and said to Xu Ruantang, "Ruantang, please sit down first, I'll pour you a glass of water."
Xu Ruantang sat down. "No need, don't bother, I'm not thirsty."
She wanted to borrow Li Shuyang's things to study, but was afraid he wouldn't agree, so she had to sit down first.
Li Shuyang's workstation was filled with books and notebooks, but everything was arranged very neatly, with the books placed in the corners in order from largest to smallest.
The desktop was spotless, which was something Xu Ruantang hadn't expected.
She had assumed these young men were the type who only cared about themselves, their faces shiny with sheep droppings.
Li Shuyang was standing by the table, casually picked up one of the books from the stack, glanced at it, and handed it to Xu Ruantang, "You should be able to use this. Take a look first, I'll be right back."
After he finished speaking, he took two water glasses and went out.
Xu Ruantang had no choice but to pick up the book and start reading.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be not a book at all.
Instead, it was something Li Shuyang had compiled himself, including clippings from magazines, photographs, and hand-drawn illustrations.
Among them are many award-winning designs from design competitions.
Xu Ruantang immediately sat up straight.
This booklet, spanning five or six years, was probably collected little by little by Li Shuyang.
It's absolutely a treasure.
Just as Xu Ruantang was about to take a serious look, Yang Weidong, who was in the corner of the office, stood up and walked towards her unhurriedly.
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