Shen Lingge signed her up for a sketch class. Tonight’s lesson content was about the introduction of drawing tools, drawing posture, and line-drawing methods. After all the little children arrived, the teacher began a simple self-introduction.
On stage was a middle-aged woman around forty years old, center-parted long hair, features delicate and pretty, makeup light and elegant, lips always carrying a smile, and her voice gentle: “Little friends, hello, I am your sketch teacher. My surname is Lin, you can call me Teacher Lin.”
The little friends uniformly: “Hello, Teacher Lin——”
Wen Xian: “……”
She belatedly moved her mouth.
Including Wen Xian, there were altogether ten students in the classroom, two people per table. Wen Xian’s tablemate was a very cold little boy, looking just like a mini version of Shen Lingge.
The reason for saying he was cold was because, when she sat down beside him, the other little friends all cast curious gazes at her, and there were kids asking her how old she was this year.
But this tablemate of Wen Xian’s only lifted his eyelids and coldly swept her a glance, then turned his head and did not move, as if having no interest in her at all.
When Teacher Lin was lecturing on stage, Wen Xian quietly took out the notebook and pen prepared for her by Duoduo, until she saw the pen in her hand, that cold little cub only then glanced at her again.
Wen Xian: “……?”
Perhaps sensing her doubt, her little tablemate took out from his pen pouch a mechanical pencil exactly the same as hers. Just as the teacher on stage spoke about drawing materials: “The value of world-class drawing materials is endless.”
Wen Xian lowered her eyes and glanced at the slender pen in her hand that shimmered with golden light, she softly asked: “Is this pen something special?”
Her tablemate looked at her like looking at an idiot, he kept his small face taut and coldly said: “This mechanical pencil costs twenty thousand, this is gold-plated.”
Wen Xian: “………”
Wen Xian looked at the pen in her hand and swallowed her saliva. Even when she was still the Miss of the Wen family, she had never used such a luxurious pencil. She suddenly recalled Shen Lingge’s words.
If don’t work, how to support her.
Wen Xian felt that these four years, she herself had been quite easy to support, but ever since Shen Lingge appeared, she felt she seemed to have become the moon in the sky again, carefully held in his palm.
The teacher’s voice on the platform continued: “The easel is a tool used to hold the drawing board, divided into tabletop easel, floor-standing foldable metal easel, floor-standing wooden easel, easel-level professional easel…”
Wen Xian somewhat doubted whether these little children could understand, she leaned over to observe her tablemate’s expression, he still had that ‘heaven and earth only I reign supreme‘ expression.
Teacher Lin’s voice was both light and gentle, she already spoke from paper to pen, and then to erasers.
But Wen Xian, in the gentle voice, felt drowsy, the classroom was very quiet, little friends all obediently listened to the teacher’s class, those who didn’t understand would raise their hands to ask the teacher temperature. [asking for teacher’s guidance/explanation, literally “ask teacher temperature”]
Wen Xian worked hard to make herself stay awake.
Hearing until later, she simply picked up the pencil and drew on the paper. Because of her hatred toward Shen Lingge, Wen Xian skillfully drew a potato-face stick figure on the paper, then drew a knife on its belly.
After drawing, she sneakily took out her phone to take a photo. Just as she was about to send it to Shen Lingge, she suddenly heard her expressionless tablemate sneer lightly.
Wen Xian: ?
This class lasted altogether two hours. When Wen Xian got up again, she only felt waist sore and back aching, the little friends all carrying small school bags obediently said goodbye to the teacher.
Wen Xian twisted about a bit, quietly walked up to Teacher Lin and softly said: “Goodbye, Teacher.”
Teacher Lin looked at Wen Xian’s red-faced appearance and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. She bent down and took out from the drawer a purple candy, handed it to Wen Xian: “Little friend, tomorrow also must continue to work hard.”
Wen Xian: “…….”
After Wen Xian walked out of the classroom, she stared at the candy in her palm for a while, suddenly also curved her lips and smiled a little.
But she had not been happy for long when from beside her came a cold snort: “Stupid woman.”
Wen Xian originally did not want to fuss with this little friend, but when he called her stupid she could not endure it: “Little brother, do you understand manners? Even though I am your classmate, I am much older than you, you have to call me jiejie.”
The face-paralyzed little tablemate raised his small face and glanced at her: “Idiot, that teacher before you went up obviously glanced at your clothing style, and before when you took out the pen she also looked at you a few more times, what are you happy about now? Just because of one candy?”
Wen Xian was dazed, wasn’t she just coming to simply learn a bit of drawing, even in an interest class there are class divisions?
He reminded: “I suggest you don’t have private dealings with her. If she asks you for contact information, just refuse her.”
After speaking, the little boy carried his luxury school bag and walked away, leaving her only a very cold-looking back of the head.
Wen Xian let out a faint sigh. She was lying at home just fine, suddenly was informed she had to come to class, and during class she was shocked to find her classmates were all seven- or eight-year-old little kids, and then she was even lectured by a little kid.
She only noticed that teacher’s appearance at the start, afterwards didn’t look at her at all, didn’t expect her face-paralyzed little tablemate’s observation skills to be so sharp. Also didn’t know if he had seriously listened to class.
When Wen Xian looked again at the candy in her hand, she could no longer smile.
Duoduo had been waiting outside all along. Seeing Wen Xian come out, she smiled and asked: “Miss, what did the teacher say in class today?”
Wen Xian secretly hid the candy in her palm. After getting in the car, she naggingly talked about the teacher’s class content, and even showed Duoduo the drawing she drew during class of Shen Lingge.
Duoduo said calmly: “If you send it to sir, sir will definitely be very happy.”
Wen Xian pouted: “Duoduo, my tablemate is a very cold little boy, a bit like Gege.”
Duoduo was somewhat surprised to hear it. Although she saw many little friends come out at the door, she thought Wen Xian’s class should be an adult class. She tentatively asked: “Miss, how old are your classmates?”
Wen Xian resentfully said: “All only seven or eight years old.”
Duoduo: “……”
Speaking of this, Wen Xian angrily took out her phone. She clack clack clack sent Shen Lingge a message. First she sent him the drawing she specially created for him during class.
[Wen Xian: Picture]
[Wen Xian: You died.]
When Shen Lingge received the message, he was at a banquet. His fingers held a glass of champagne, his gaze indifferent as he listened to the people beside him speak, from beginning to end showing no expression.
Until the phone in his pocket vibrated once.
Normally when Shen Lingge attended banquets, he would not bring a phone. His own phone was with Assistant Xiao Song. At this time, what was in his pocket was the phone Wen Xian bought for him.
Wen Xian was the only contact on this phone.
He casually put down the wine glass in his hand, but as soon as he moved, the few people beside him all stopped talking. Shen Lingge lifted his gaze to signal them to continue, then the scene returned to normal.
And he opened the chat window with Wen Xian.
[Shen Lingge: ?]
[Shen Lingge: I am stick figure again?]
[Wen Xian: Ah ah ah what kind of class did you find!]
[Shen Lingge: What happened?]
[Wen Xian: My classmates are all seven- or eight-year-old little kids ah ah ah ah ah, only I am an adult! Only me!!!]
[Shen Lingge: .]
[Shen Lingge: You are also my little friend.]
[Wen Xian: ………]
[Wen Xian: I’m going home to sleep, goodbye.]
Shen Lingge slightly furrowed his brows. Thinking of what he had said to the housekeeper, he knew it was the housekeeper who misunderstood, but now he felt this was fine as well—at least there was no need to worry about Wen Xian being bullied by little kids.
In the car.
Duoduo watched with eyes wide open as Wen Xian threw her phone to the side, then her whole face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She lowered her head with her face flushed.
Duoduo: “Miss, what’s wrong with you?”
Wen Xian: “Don’t mind me for now!”
Duoduo: “…Alright.”
…
Qin family.
Qin Zan closed the fountain pen in his hand. He somewhat dazedly looked at the heavy night scene outside. Tonight there was neither moon nor stars in the sky, only large swathes of clouds dyed ink-black by the night.
In the afternoon, he had received a message from his assistant—Wen Xian refused Benoy’s job offer.
In this battle, Shen Lingge and he were in equal positions. Wen Xian did not know the people behind the Shen family, nor did she know the people behind Benoy, but she still chose the Shen family.
Qin Zan did not know whether Shen Lingge would say anything to Wen Xian, but he had still lost.
When he came back at night to handle rumors in the circle about Wen Xian, he was also informed that those people had all been warned by their families. No one dared to mention Wen Xian’s private life anymore.
Shen Lingge’s movements were much faster than he had imagined.
Qin Zan’s expression slightly darkened, almost blending into the night.
—
When Shen Lingge returned to the Shen residence, it was already close to eleven o’clock at night. He had drunk quite a bit of wine today. In his usually clear and cold black eyes, there was now a trace of darkness.
The housekeeper had prepared sobering tea in advance. Shen Lingge only drank a few sips before going upstairs.
Compared to the Wen family, the entire Shen residence was very quiet. The servants all knew he liked quiet, no one came back to disturb him.
Shen Lingge sat down on the single sofa. He casually loosened his tie and tossed it aside. On his cold white side profile, there was a hint of fatigue. His breathing was slightly heavy, the smell of alcohol spreading.
Clearly, except for his own breathing, there was no other sound here, but Shen Lingge felt that Wen Xian was still beside him, Wen Xianxian was still circling around his feet.
He seemed to have forgotten what time it was now, taking out his phone and directly calling her on video.
The first video call went unanswered. Shen Lingge called a second time.
This time she picked up. The little girl seemed to have just finished bathing and blowing her hair. She was wearing a nightdress, black hair falling over her fair shoulders, her cheeks flushed pink. She was calling him.
She adjusted her posture: “Gege, why are you still wearing a suit, just got home?”
Shen Lingge stared at her on the screen for a long time before hoarsely responding: “Mm, just got home.”
Wen Xian leaned in a little closer, she asked suspiciously: “Didn’t you drink alcohol?”
Shen Lingge’s black eyes did not blink as he looked at her: “Mm, drank alcohol.”
Wen Xian’s little face immediately fell, she softly muttered: “Actually, it’s okay even if you don’t make money, I can not spend money, I don’t want you to work so hard.”
Shen Lingge only felt dryness in his throat. He wanted to say something but couldn’t speak it out. He wanted to tell her it’s not hard, wanted to tell her he wanted her to live the best life, wanted to tell her he was a little tired.
But none of these did he say.
Shen Lingge just looked at Wen Xian, black eyes obscure and unclear, and in a low voice said: “A little bit miss you.”