Early Saturday morning, Hua Jie clutched the kraft paper bag containing her teacher’s paintings and her own homework, nervously knocking on her teacher’s front door.
It was the first day of class, and she was to meet Shen Jiaru in a formal teacher-student relationship, as well as meet the other students.
Her palms were sweating with anxiety.
When the door opened, Shen Mo, who had probably just woken up not long ago, appeared with some strands of hair sticking up and a face expressing lazy impatience:
“I want tomato and egg noodles, the kind with two eggs.”
Then he pulled her into the kitchen, blocked the door, and eagerly watched her chopping tomatoes.
“… “Hua Jie.
How did she end up chopping tomatoes???
This plot development seems wrong, doesn’t it???!!!!!
What would it look like to the other students studying painting with her???
‘Shen’s little slave came to learn painting too?’ ‘Can a cook also paint?’—She could already imagine the other students making wicked, mocking comments!
Filled with sorrow and anger, she still cooked the noodles for Shen Mo.
The eggs were perfectly round and flat, and the aroma of the egg soup was mouthwatering—not only was it well cooked, but also exceptionally well done.
Shen Mo, holding the bowl, sat at the dining table, too busy eating to talk, thoroughly enjoying it.
He could practically start a live eating show on his phone.
Hua Jie, walking like a zombie, headed towards Shen’s painting studio, relieved that she hadn’t run into any of her classmates during the cooking process.
Suddenly, Shen Mo called out to her, asking indistinctly:
“Why did you run off so quickly after the exam yesterday?”
“I went to the bus station to sketch.” She responded emotionlessly like a noodle-making machine.
“Is that so?” He swallowed the noodles in his mouth and pointed backwards, “The gift on the sofa is for you, to celebrate your successful apprenticeship and reward you for finishing your midterms seriously.”
“Ah?” There was a gift?
“Congratulations on your good midterm results.” Shen Mo took another big bite of his noodles before finding time to reply.
Although he had eaten some dumplings made by his aunt in the morning, he still couldn’t stop slurping his noodles.
“Have the results come out yet?” Hua Jie was stunned.
“No need for them to come out, I know you did well,” Shen Mo said with conviction, without turning his head.
“How can you be so sure?” Hua Jie pouted, she had no confidence in her exam results.
“The students I, Shen Mo, have trained, how could their results be poor?” He took a bite of his poached egg, which was soft, bouncy, and deliciously fragrant. Really tasty.
Why did he find even the poached eggs cooked by Hua Jie exceptionally delicious?
Could it be that her family has some ancestral cooking secrets?
“…” Okay, only a pure and flawless beautiful young man could so naturally and effortlessly use the word ‘train’:
“I hope you’re right.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the young man turned his head impatiently:
“Why haven’t you opened your gift yet?”
He was eagerly waiting to see her surprised and joyful expression.
Why not satisfy the vanity of the gift giver?
“Oh.” Hua Jie hurriedly went to look at the big bag on the sofa.
As she reached into the big bag to pull out the gift, she wondered: What was I supposed to do here today? Why have I forgotten?
Inside the bag was a light pink long down jacket, made of pure duck down, from Bosideng.
The oversized down jacket was surprisingly light and felt soft and thick to the touch, instantly giving a sense of warmth.
The pure white fur collar was smooth and pleasant to touch, making it incredibly comfortable, and she knew just from the thought of it that it would be extremely cozy around her neck.
The puffed sleeves with a row of black buttons and faux lapel decorations added a playful, girly touch.
The slightly cinched waist and broad hem showcased a fresh, youthful silhouette.
Aaaaaah!
It’s too beautiful, isn’t it?
“Did you pick this out?” she asked.
“I went to the store and asked the salesperson for the prettiest one,” Shen Mo put down his chopsticks and turned to look at her.
Seeing her holding the down jacket, clutching it as if she never wanted to let go, his heart gradually felt at ease.
Resting his arm on the table, he watched her lazily after his meal, waiting for her to put it on.
“…” The prettiest, is it also the most expensive?
“I can’t accept such an expensive gift.”
Good upbringing made it difficult for her to casually accept gifts from others, and growing up in a modest household made her feel quite pressured by the sight of such expensive-looking gifts.
“…” Shen Mo had been waiting a while for her to try on the down jacket when he suddenly heard this and abruptly stood up, grabbed the jacket, and headed for the door.
“What are you doing?” she raised an eyebrow.
“If you don’t want it, I’ll throw it away.” He said stubbornly.
Hua Jie quickly lunged forward, grabbed his arm, and snatched back the down jacket, glaring at him fiercely.
“What are you doing? You won’t wear it, if not throw it away, should I wear it?” He turned his head, leaned against the door, hands in his pockets, looking at her unhappily.
“Who says I won’t wear it?” She glared at him while slipping the down jacket on.
It’s warm, but so comfortable!
It feels light, seemingly thin, but exceptionally warm.
Wrapped in the down jacket, she felt like she was in her mother’s gentle and warm embrace.
Her neck surrounded by the fur collar felt like the softest, most tender caress.
Ah, what kind of divine down jacket is this?
It’s so much better than the bulky cotton jacket she used to wear.
And, it feels even more comfortable than anything she’s worn in the future.
She looked up, momentarily forgetting his earlier threat to throw away the down jacket, and asked him a bit sheepishly:
“Does it look good?”
“…” Shen Mo looked at the girl, her small face cradled by the fur collar, looking particularly adorable with its tiny, pink blush.
He couldn’t help but reach out to straighten her collar, his fingertips gently brushing her chin, the soft, smooth touch nearly melting his heart.
She was as soft and delicate as a baby, seemingly so fragile that she might break with just a touch.
He pushed her in front of the full-length mirror in the first-floor cloakroom, letting her see for herself.
“I really look pretty.” She hugged herself and the jacket, her face flushing with delight, though it might also have been from the indoor heater and the down jacket.
“It’s my good taste in clothes,” Shen Mo said lazily, standing at the doorway with his arms crossed.
Hua Jie turned around in front of the mirror, admiring herself carefully, until she couldn’t bear the heat any longer and took off the down jacket.
It was too hot; what if she sweated and made the down jacket smell?
“Thank you,” Hua Jie turned around, feeling somewhat guilty.
This jacket must have cost thousands, and thousands in the year 2000 were not cheap.
“Just consider it thanks for the earmuffs you gave me,” he said as he turned and walked out of the cloakroom first.
With his back to her, he stretched his lips into a broad smile, which he quickly moderated when she caught up.
Hua Jie neatly hung the down jacket on a coat rack in the living room, then turned to clear up the dishes.
Shen Mo reached out to stop her, “I’ll do it, you go to class.”
“Ah!” Hua Jie suddenly remembered that she was here for class!
Looking at her watch, she who had arrived half an hour early was now only five minutes early.
“Thank you for the gift.” She picked up the kraft paper bag and her backpack with the drawing board on the table.
“You deserve it.” Shen Mo faced the dishes on the table, pulling a paper towel to wipe up some spilled soup, his face wrinkling in distaste.
Hua Jie took a few steps, then suddenly remembered something, turned around, and kicked him lightly on the heel before turning to run.
“?!” Shen Mo turned around and glared angrily.
“Punishing you for wanting to throw away the down jacket at the drop of a hat,” said Hua Jie, already standing at the door of the studio, knocking lightly.
“…” The young man pursed his lips and picked up the dishes to head to the kitchen, marking the first time in his life he had cleared the table.
Hua Jie stood at the door, heard Shen Jiaru’s response from inside the studio, and then stepped through the door.
“Greetings, Teacher Shen,” she said as she closed the door behind her, suddenly hearing the sound of dishes shattering to the ground.
Uh—
When Hua Jie entered the studio, there were already two students seated, one male and one female.
Shen Jiaru was sitting at the inner desk reading a book. The male student appeared about the same age as Shen Mo, with plush short hair styled in a guai guai hu fashion, which did nothing to make him look obedient. His face naturally carried a rebellious, troublesome aura.
Similarly intimidating, Shen Mo seemed much more aloof and detached compared to him.
The male student seemed restless and extroverted, as if he might start shouting at someone for no reason at any moment.
The other female student seemed a bit older than herself, dressed very elegantly in a white cashmere sweater and a knee-length plaid wool skirt, paired with a pair of black leather boots.
In this era and at this age, wearing long skirts and leather boots was absolutely avant-garde, a true fashion pioneer with a goddess vibe.
The young lady was also very beautiful, with a long, clean ponytail, delicate features, and an air of unapproachable nobility, but indeed, she was beautiful.
The two classmates sat one in the east corner and the other in the south corner, not near each other, both displaying ‘strangers keep out’ expressions.
Inside the room, there were several small desks and platforms with various complex still life setups, and strangely, the two students had chosen the spots farthest from each other.
As if they were enemies.
Hua Jie initially wanted to greet her fellow local classmates, but both just glanced at her briefly before returning to their drawing, clearly full of hostility and wariness towards her.
Xenophobic? Scornful of the newcomer?
Silently, she found the two drawing boards she had used to practice mounting paper at the teacher’s house the week before last and opted to sit in front of a still life setup in the farthest western corner.
Both of her previous paper mounting practices had been successful, with the two pieces of Arches paper neatly attached to the drawing boards.
She first propped one board against the wall, then started arranging her drawing materials.
Then Hua Jie began to wonder, should she first submit her homework to the teacher?
Or should she quietly start drawing?
She wasn’t sure what Shen Jiaru had planned for her today. Maybe it would be better to ask?
But would he be displeased if she interrupted his reading?
The long-absent social pressure surged in her heart, and she irritably scratched her head.
Her gaze hesitated as it drifted around the studio, and by chance, she noticed that the drawing board in front of the male student didn’t hold a still life draft, but rather a beautifully completed gouache landscape. Although he faced the still life setup, it seemed he was only revising or reviewing his own previous painting.
Hua Jie took a closer look and had to admit, it was a very beautiful gouache life painting.
Although he omitted many details, the expressiveness of light and shadow was very strong, and the handling of the dark areas conveyed a sense of deep, mysterious, and eerie atmosphere.
Being able to turn a gouache landscape painting into something that feels like a horror movie poster is quite impressive.
Especially at this age, it must be said that he is a genius.
She then turned her gaze towards the female classmate. Although there wasn’t a completed excellent painting on her board, a board behind her held a gouache portrait.
Ah, she could already paint portraits in gouache, and very well at that.
The depiction of muscle anatomy was very solid, unlike many girls who focus too much on the facial features when drawing portraits. This gouache portrait had a strong sense of overall coherence, showing that the young lady had an excellent foundation.
Both classmates were very strong.
And her, just a beginner in watercolor painting, new and bewildered.
As a newcomer, it’s not easy to integrate into a new environment, and the feeling of isolation can make one nervous and timid.
She still remembered her last life, when she left home to go to university, and the teachers occasionally responded to local students in dialect.
Back then, she wanted to ask the teachers to speak Mandarin countless times, but timidity and hesitation prevented her from ever really voicing her thoughts during her university years.
Even when encountering difficulties in painting, she dared not seek help from teachers or classmates.
Too feeble.
Frowning, Hua Jie looked up at the two local students in the studio. Living her life over, she would not make the same mistakes again.
Where she needed to speak up, she would no longer hold back.
Even if it meant breaking things down and disrupting the existing peace to rebuild the rules and environment, she was willing to do it.
She was to study under Teacher Shen for at least three years, and she wanted respect and to make this a comfortable and happy place for herself.
After all, how could the environment for painting be anything but pleasant?
“And, stop painting on smaller canvases, paint on a larger one.”
“Teacher!” Qian Chong was stunned.
Shen Jiaru huffed and ignored him, then picked up Fang Shaojun’s painting.
He looked at it for a while, nodded slightly, first saying, “As expected, Fang Shaojun is the most consistent,” then flipped the painting over, “Fang Shaojun, you start.”