Chapter 7 We
◎“For example...between us..."◎
The window was half-open, and the pure white gauze curtains swayed in the breeze.
Lin Yujing's eyes flickered as the light shone through the clouds.
She glared at Chen Jingshu reproachfully and shook his hand off her head.
"Why don't you sign up for a sport? The school prepares prizes every year." Chen Jingshu then resumed his sideways posture, propping his head up with one hand as he looked at her. His back was languid and relaxed, as if boneless, leaning against the wall.
Lin Yujing shook her head, "No, I've never been athletic. I might participate in painting or photography competitions at school though."
Chen Jingshu teased her, "I thought Lin, the talented woman, could only paint, but I didn't expect her to have a talent for photography as well."
"It's just the basics," Lin Yujing said. "I only use my phone to get a feel for light and shadow and composition when I'm free. It's more profound than painting; you need to take more photos and practice more."
"I see."
Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu, wondering what he knew, but thinking of the sketching assignment given by the training camp, she asked, "Are you free after school?"
"What, you want to go on a date with your brother? Tell me about it..."
"It's a sketch assignment, and I need a model."
Chen Jingshu lowered his voice and playfully kicked her toe, "What kind of model? I'm a... respectable person!"
Lin Yujing saw through his roguish exterior and realized that beneath it lay a scoundrel's heart.
After several reforms to the unified art examination, the sketching exam only provides the question content, and candidates need to judge the proportions, shapes, and structures of the figures they depict themselves.
Therefore, a lot of practice is needed during the intensive training phase.
Recently, Chen Jingshu has been practicing in the young male stage, and his body proportions and facial features are very suitable for painting.
Most importantly, it's pleasing to the eye.
"I'm just going to sit here and do my homework?" After school, Chen Jingshu followed her to the art studio.
"Okay. It's fine to sit here."
That day, Lin Yujing specially took out a new sketchbook from her drawing bag.
By the time I finished my homework and went home, it was already pitch black.
"Let me see, this is the drawing you made of me."
"This is my homework, you can't see it."
Chen Jingshu didn't mind and walked ahead, scoffing, "Not only is she spoiled, but she's also very stingy."
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Time flies, and it's already a week before National Day.
The monthly exams have just ended, and the National High School Mathematics Olympiad is about to begin.
Pengzhen No.1 Middle School selected 30 candidates, and the school arranged buses to take them to the city to participate in the provincial competition.
Chu Yan: "Brother Jing, I've packed some snacks in your suitcase. Eat them if you get hungry tonight."
Qu Xi: "Brother Jing, we're waiting for your triumphant return."
Chen Jingshu leaned out of the car window, thanked the two, and then looked at Lin Yujing, "With the expedition imminent, does the wife of the General of the North have anything to say?"
Lin Yujing looked up at him. The soft afternoon light illuminated the boy's handsome yet roguish appearance, and he wore a carefree smile.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“Bring the country back!” she said. Then she tiptoed and threw the sketchbook containing only his drawings into the car.
Chen Jingshu quickly flipped through a few pages, chuckling softly, "The boss at home has spoken, so, mission accomplished!"
Lin Yujing raised her hand, and the next moment Chen Jingshu reached out his hand in response. The two gave each other a high five in tacit agreement, as if making a silent vow.
Chu Yan, standing to the side, added, "You two are so sweet!"
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The day Chen Jingshu returned from the competition was also the day before the National Day holiday.
"The results are posted on the school bulletin board!" someone shouted, and everyone rushed downstairs.
Lin Yujing stood in the front row, with Chen Jingshu behind her. He leaned against the railing with one hand, not giving anyone a chance to squeeze past her.
"Chen Jingshu, you're number one again!" she exclaimed excitedly, turning to him with a smile.
"When did your Chen Jingshu ever get second place?" Chu Yan teased. "But Yu Jing, you're amazing too, getting first place in both academic and art subjects."
"Everyone who sees this will say that Jingjing and Jingge are a perfect match!" Qu Xi added.
Standing not far from them, Zeng Yixing, the perennial runner-up, had a face that was dark green.
Everyone did well on the monthly exam.
Chu Yan may seem carefree, but his grades have always been consistently above the first-tier university cutoff. If Qu Xi puts in a little more effort, getting into one of the top eight art academies should be no problem at all.
"It's so rare for National Day to coincide with Mid-Autumn Festival, giving us a total of eight days off. But just because we're in our final year of high school, they're cutting it down to five days. Is that reasonable?" However, some are happy while others are sad; those with poor grades are having their holidays shortened.
On the way home, Qu Xi said that her parents wanted to take her on a trip and asked other people how they planned their holidays.
Chu Yan complained that she had to go to the hair salon to have her mother's new hair color displayed as a sample.
Lin Yujing recalled the last time she accompanied Chen Jingshu to the hospital to get medicine for Chen Xuan, and she inadvertently glanced at her ID card and saw that her birthday was in mid-October. "I'm going to the park to draw quick portraits for tourists. Aunt Chen Xuan's birthday is coming up, and I want to give her a gift."
Although her purpose in coming here was not pure, she experienced unprecedented maternal love during this month because of Chen Xuan.
Every meal was a hearty, hot meal; every time I came home from evening self-study, someone would be there with the lights on, waiting for me.
It's as if the sun shines on the earth, and even the wild grass receives the light it sows.
Chen Jingshu seemed slightly surprised, "My mom doesn't care about these things..."
"Chen Jingshu, you don't understand," she wanted to make amends for her selfishness.
It's like thinking that if you ask Chen Jingshu for a promise that allows you to lie, you can be a female liar with peace of mind.
-
Even in October, the lingering heat of late summer remains rampant.
As a well-established coastal tourist city, Pengbin Bay Bathing Beach Park consistently ranks among the most popular tourist destinations during holidays.
"Are you thirsty?" The two sat under the pavilion all day, and even though Chen Jingshu kept fanning her, she still couldn't cool off. "I'll go buy you a cold drink."
"I want bottled water," Lin Yujing said, looking up.
Chen Jingshu had her shoulder bag hanging around his neck. The midday sun was so intense that it made him frown slightly, and even with sunglasses on, it still felt glaring.
Before leaving, he made sure to take off her woven straw hat and wipe her sweat with a tissue before heading towards the scenic area's service hall.
"Young lady, your boyfriend is really handsome. He must be from the North, he looks to be at least 1.9 meters tall." A tourist waiting for her to paint under the pavilion started chatting with her out of boredom. "You're pretty too, just like a magazine star, but you look more like a Southerner."
Lin Yujing smiled politely and explained, "Auntie, we are classmates."
"Trust me, young lady, I have a good eye for people." When older women see a young man they like, they love to play matchmaker. "That boy is handsome and has a bright future. He won't go astray because of his success. You two can stay together and grow old together."
After a day in the sun, Lin Yujing was already very irritable, and these words were like feeding her a bitter pill.
It was bitter and astringent, and I couldn't spit it out.
She could only manage a forced laugh, replying awkwardly, "He's wearing sunglasses, yet you can see his future."
"So you're a young girl, you need to look at people carefully."
Lin Yujing nodded and handed over the finished painting, saying, "Auntie, consider this painting a gift from me."
This was her last customer. She planned to pack up her painting box and go home after Chen Jingshu returned.
"Beautiful lady, can you still draw?" A rough male voice drifted down from above. Lin Yujing looked up and saw that the man looked fierce.
Zeng Yixing from their class was also there.
"Sorry, I'm done for the day." Zeng Yixing had always been at odds with Chen Jingshu, and now she was clearly trying to cause trouble by bringing people over. She wanted to earn more money for a few more days and didn't want to be disrupted or cause trouble for Chen Jingshu.
"That beautiful lady is so disrespectful; she managed to draw so many people just now."
“Brother Cheng Xiang, she’s Chen Jingshu’s girlfriend, that’s why she won’t draw for you.”
Lin Yujing took a deep breath, her bottom line crossed by Zeng Yixing's behavior, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Zeng Yixing, are you some kind of troublemaker? Or do you have conjunctivitis in your family?"
"You woman, how can you speak so rudely?" Cheng Xiang suddenly stood up. "I think I need to teach you a lesson today on how to speak properly when you're out in public."
Seeing Cheng Xiang approaching her, Lin Yujing reached into her pencil case and took out a utility knife, ready to defend herself at any time.
"Cheng Xiang, try touching her." The familiar, deep, and ruthless voice was like hail falling from the sky in summer, possessing an oppressive and lethal force.
"Brother Jing is here too." Cheng Xiang's tone was humble, but his expression was dismissive. "It's just a girl, what's wrong with brothers having some fun?"
Chen Jingshu touched his cheek with the tip of his tongue and stood directly in front of Lin Yujing, like a silent but solid mountain.
"Play around? What kind of son plays around with his mother?" Chen Jingshu said with a nonchalant expression, lazily tilting his head and slowly unscrewing the cap of Lin Yujing's mineral water bottle. "If you don't want to be stripped naked and tied to a tree by your dad and whipped with a belt, you'd better get lost."
These words undoubtedly struck a chord with Cheng Xiang's darkest memory: "You fucking bastard, everyone knows you're a bastard. You want your dad to beat you up? Do you even have a dad?"
The two were on the verge of a fight, seemingly about to come to blows at any moment.
Lin Yujing saw the police patrolling in the distance and shouted, "Police officers, there are some thugs causing trouble here!"
Seeing the police looking at them, Lin Yujing said to Zeng Yixing, "He's just a hoodlum who doesn't know the law. You should know that disturbing the peace is a criminal offense, punishable by at least five years and up to ten. By then, you might not even be able to stay in second place anymore."
Zeng Yixing then grabbed Cheng Xiang and made a hasty escape before the police arrived.
"You know quite a lot, young lady." Chen Jingshu hooked her woven straw hat with his finger.
Lin Yujing looked up and stared at him for a long time, but she couldn't see any other emotions on his face. "I'm also telling you. Cheng Xiang is a thug. If you win a fight with him, you'll end up in jail; if you lose, you'll end up in the hospital. It's not worth it."
"Okay." Chen Jingshu went to get her the iced drink he was carrying. "I'll listen to whatever you say, okay?"
The two tacitly agreed not to mention Cheng Xiang's words.
Lin Yujing pursed her lips, then suddenly smiled, her eyes crinkling. "You're unusually obedient today."
"Is this unusual? Isn't it said that if you listen to...listen to what people say, you'll get promoted and make a fortune!"
"I've only ever heard the saying, 'Promotion brings wealth, wife dies.'"
As Chen Jingshu packed up her easel, he teased her, "Don't worry, I can live to be a hundred for my wife, even if it means not getting promoted or making a fortune."
On their way home, the two sat on a bus that circled the sea.
The sea breeze blew through the car window, carrying the dampness unique to youth.
Lin Yujing sat by the window, stealing glances at Chen Jingshu through the reflection in the glass. "I just met an auntie who said you have a handsome and dignified appearance and that you will definitely have a bright future."
"Really?" Chen Jingshu turned his head, his gaze falling directly on her profile. "Then you'd better stick close to me and don't get lost. When I have a bright future, I'll give you mountains of gold and silver, and you'll enjoy endless riches and glory."
"You're exaggerating, Chen Jingshu. If that day really comes..." Lin Yujing didn't turn her head from beginning to end, as if she was avoiding something. Perhaps it was his sincerity, or perhaps it was her own, "Give me a courtyard house. I heard that you can't buy one even if you have money."
"No problem, I'll build it for you right now with bricks, and I'll give it to you!"
"Who wants something on the ground? I want something that flies in the sky!"
Chen Jingshu smiled and reached out, pinching her chin with his thumb and forefinger, turning her towards him.
When their eyes met, a clear light and shadow flickered in his eyes, carrying a seductive allure. "Besides saying I have a bright future, did that auntie say anything else?"
"for example?"
"For example...between us..."
A note from the author:
Mohe Dance Hall
Singer: Young Master Chen
[Straightforward][Closer][Restraint][Looking at each other][Holding the microphone][The evening star is like your eyes, killing and setting fires, you said nothing, the wild wind disturbs me...]
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