Chapter 51 Turmoil
Desire arises again.
“If you dare to be with someone else, be prepared for a second marriage.” Chen Jingshu’s expression was roguish and wicked, and Lin Yujing suddenly felt like she was seeing the carefree boy from high school.
But at the same time, she was also provoked by those words, and kicked him in the shin, saying, "Then I'm warning you not to be too bad!"
Her kick was quite forceful; Chen Jingshu's brow furrowed deeply. However, he didn't worry about himself first, but instead limped closer to her, asking, "I was just joking. Are you really angry?"
Lin Yujing ignored him and even turned away from him.
Now it was Chen Jingshu's turn to lose his temper. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to face him, asking, "Are you really planning to marry someone else?"
Lin Yujing rolled her eyes at him, "No!"
She dared not hope to marry him, nor did she intend to marry anyone else, much less get married.
Like duckweed adrift, she had prepared herself for a life of wandering many years ago.
Just then, Qi Woxue came out carrying her handbag. "I should go to the lab now. Are you guys leaving?"
Lin Yujing didn't want to dwell on her feelings with Chen Jingshu any longer, so she immediately replied, "Let's go."
The Hundred Schools Alliance will organize a volunteer team next week to go to Hoh Xil to conduct research and record the upcoming Tibetan antelope migration.
At this time of year, everyone rushes to make sure they have a smooth handover of their studies and careers.
"Let's go then." Although Chen Jingshu was not serious when he was with Lin Yujing, he would subconsciously put on airs when he met people he didn't know well.
On the way to Qi Woxue's biological laboratory, he remained silent, like a driver.
Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue were sitting in the back row, selecting hiking clothes.
“Although I didn’t wear that one from last year very often, I always felt I should have a new one.” Qi Woxue said with a smile, “But you really should buy a new one. It’s the one I gave you when you were in your first year of graduate school.”
Lin Yujing looked at the nearly four-figure price tag and shook her head. "That one is quite warm and has sentimental value, so I won't get a new one for now."
Qi Woxue sighed, "Little girl, you can be more generous to yourself now."
Lin Yujing nudged Qi Woxue with her elbow, signaling her to stop talking.
Subconsciously, she still didn't want the man in the driver's seat to know about her disheveled state.
Just then, the car arrived at the entrance of Qi Woxue's biological laboratory. Lin Yujing watched as she put on her white lab coat and stepped through the electric door until she disappeared from sight.
Then Chen Jingshu's voice immediately came from the front row, "Come sit in the front."
Lin Yujing, carrying her bag, slowly moved to the passenger seat. "I'm fine sitting in the back."
"Only you would dare to use me as your driver." Chen Jingshu glanced at her, then started the car and drove towards her school.
Lin Yujing held her phone, typing in the chat box with Qi Woxue, and muttered, "No way!"
After saying that, she sent the message she had prepared: "Senior sister, don't talk about what happened in Hoh Xil in front of A-Shu."
Qi Woxue must have been busy by then. She didn't receive a reply until the car arrived at the studio building: "Okay, no problem."
Lin Yujing breathed a sigh of relief and got out of the car.
The art studio was empty on the weekend.
Lin Yujing first picked up her painting apron from the wall and put it on. Seeing Chen Jingshu standing there blankly without saying a word, she took the initiative to walk over and say, "Help me tie it."
Chen Jingshu then reacted, first wrapping his arms around her waist, then pinching two thin straps and tying them behind her waist.
"Jingjing, don't wear your old clothes anymore. I'll get you a new set."
Lin Yujing was stunned for a moment before realizing he was talking about what happened in the car. "I have money, but that windbreaker really has sentimental value."
"You should keep it as a memento. I just can't bear to see you suffer even the slightest bit." Chen Jingshu was quite tall, and the scorching breath he exhaled when he spoke felt like it could burn the back of her neck.
Lin Yujing bit her lip. "My life is much better now."
She has a few close friends, and her studies and career are going exceptionally well. Her mother and younger brother, who used to harass her, have disappeared from her world.
Most importantly, Chen Jingshu was by her side.
Although they don't know how much time is left between them, the feeling of being on the run tomorrow is a kind of romance in itself.
“It can be even better,” Chen Jingshu said.
Lin Yujing chuckled softly, stepped forward, and walked straight to her easel, once again attempting to respond with avoidance.
Fortunately, Chen Jingshu didn't press the matter further. He casually picked up a book on landscape appreciation from the bookshelf and sat down at the bar.
Lin Yujing stood in front of the easel, the oil painting frame towering over her.
Yesterday, we received a last-minute notice that the electrical circuit in the art studio building was damaged due to a leak. We were worried that a repairman might come into the studio and dirty the canvases, so everyone covered their paintings with white cloths.
She tiptoed slightly, and as soon as she lifted the white cloth covering the painting, she was so shocked by what she saw that she screamed.
This painting was a commissioned private work I received before the Lunar New Year, to be a birthday celebration painting for an elderly family member.
Lin Yujing spent two days brainstorming ideas to combine the "Blooming Flowers and Wealth" motif with the traditional Chinese myth of offering longevity flowers in her painting.
As a result, the client heard that Huaqing Academy of Fine Arts was most famous for its oil portrait paintings, so she changed the subject from pure landscapes to portrait paintings.
Although Lin Yujing had already drafted the manuscript and applied the base color, she still started a new draft for the sake of making a living.
The kind grandmother wore a light blue Suzhou-embroidered cheongsam, exuding elegance and a scholarly air.
But now, the old lady's eyes, nose, and mouth have been painted with red paint, giving the impression of blood and tears.
Lin Yujing knew that this wasn't aimed at the clients, but at her.
The blank spaces on the canvas were covered with insulting words such as "gold digger," "vixen," and "a kept, healing-type great painter" written in the same color paint.
Lin Yujing first felt angry, as if flames were burning in her chest.
Then I felt ashamed, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Actually, she had seen these words online before, which is why she didn't pay attention to them no matter how popular they became online.
But now, with the truth laid bare before her, on a commercial draft she had spent a long time drawing, the pent-up frustration in her heart was suddenly released.
Chen Jingshu rushed to her immediately, and frowned upon seeing the painting. "There should be surveillance cameras here. You can call the police directly."
Although Lin Yujing was angry and sad, she remained rational and knew what the most urgent task was to do first. "There was no problem when I came to cover the painting yesterday. Someone must have taken advantage of the leaking electrical circuit to maliciously destroy the painting."
This person is most likely also a student at her school, and may even be in this art studio.
They dared to destroy the paintings so maliciously because they knew the studio building would be without power and no one could prove their innocence.
"The most urgent task is to repair it, and it's best not to make a big fuss about this." After all, the birthday painting has been destroyed like this, and if the perpetrator cannot be found, the client will only consider her the primary culprit.
"Can you redraw it in time?" Although Chen Jingshu didn't understand art, he could guess how complicated it was because Lin Yujing had been busy with this one thing for the past two months.
"There's no time to fix it, so I can only do a second round of repairs." Fortunately, oil painting is different from traditional Chinese painting; it places more emphasis on rich color variations and the realistic three-dimensionality created by brushstrokes. "I plan to spend the next few days in the studio."
Chen Jingshu wasn't concerned about being ignored; rather, he was worried that the person would see Lin Yujing repair the painting again and then make a second move.
The painting is a small matter, but if Lin Yujing is harmed, that would be a big deal.
“Jingjing, instead of repairing it here, why don’t you come to my place?” The bedroom he prepared for her was equipped with a separate studio and study, and the various master-level paints and brushes were worth more than the fee for this painting. “In case that person doesn’t give up, you can’t stay here every day afterward.”
Lin Yujing slumped onto the stool, watching her painstakingly created artwork being destroyed, feeling a profound sense of powerlessness.
The only consolation was that Chen Jingshu was by her side, providing her with a pillar of support even in her most helpless moments.
"Then I'll pack up. I'll probably be staying at your place for the next few days." Putting aside any selfish motives, what Chen Jingshu said was indeed the best solution at the moment.
After hurriedly packing the picture frames, Lin Yujing told Qi Woxue the whole story on the way to Wanxiang Courtyard.
She added, "Senior, I won't be going back to the dorm for the next four days."
Qi Woxue first berated the thief who ruined the painting, then replied: "Just focus on fixing it; I'll take care of things at school."
...
It has been more than a month since Lin Yujing last visited Wanxiang Courtyard.
Later, Chen Jingshu made several invitations, but she deliberately avoided those overly ambiguous private moments between the two of them.
To my surprise, she stepped back into the quaint courtyard because of work.
"Have dinner first, then you can get back to work?" Lin Yujing entered the room and headed towards the bedroom with the painting in her arms. Chen Jingshu followed closely behind, his eyes filled with an undeniable desire for affection.
Lin Yujing thought to herself, "He's just pretending to want to eat; he probably really wants to eat her."
So she reached out and pushed him, saying, "There's no time to lose. I need to focus on fixing the painting these next few days."
Chen Jingshu sighed, but still didn't forget to prepare a nourishing light meal for her.
Lin Yujing is the type of person who becomes extremely engrossed in her work.
She first carefully scraped away the excess paint with a spatula, then used a large paintbrush to mix a deep red color to cover the blood-like color.
The painting combines the elderly woman with the elegant and luxurious peony, using a style that integrates people and scenery.
After she finished sketching the outline, she looked up and realized it was already three in the morning.
Chen Jingshu leaned against her bedside, seemingly asleep, while the bowl of steaming soup noodles she remembered was now lumped together.
Lin Yujing rubbed her neck and got up, walking to the bedside and gently patting Chen Jingshu, "I'm done with my work, you can go to sleep now."
Chen Jingshu rubbed his eyes and was about to pull her hand and roll her into bed when Lin Yujing pulled back, saying, "I haven't washed up yet."
She was in such a hurry that she forgot to bring her apron.
Now my clothes and hands are covered in oil paint.
"Then go quickly, I'll wait for you to come back."
Lin Yujing originally intended for them to sleep in separate rooms, and she was also afraid that if he kept making a fuss, he would become aroused again.
So when she came out of the bathroom after changing into her pajamas and saw that Chen Jingshu had fallen asleep again, she breathed a sigh of relief and carefully climbed over him.
No sooner had she covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes than she felt Chen Jingshu hug her from behind.
A hot palm gently caressed and rubbed her lower abdomen, while kisses rained down on her earlobes and the back of her neck.
Lin Yujing, her breath coming in short gasps in the deep night, felt the waves stirred by the fingers.
She wanted to refuse, but her body wouldn't let him go.
"Ah Shu, it's late." She said softly, her tone rising and falling like the tides. "Aren't you sleepy?"
Chen Jingshu grabbed her waist and turned her over, finally bringing the two face to face.
The next moment, a passionate and urgent kiss landed on her lips, the sucking sound stirring their emotions.
Lin Yujing felt the air thin from the passionate kiss. She tried to push him away, but Chen Jingshu restrained her hand, interlocking their fingers and pressing them against the edge of her hair.
"Jingjing, you have no idea how much I've suffered these past month."
A note from the author:
good evening!
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