The student sitting behind craned his neck to see Jing Nian’s drawing, squeezing forward persistently. Hua Jie simply moved further to the side to give the curious students enough space.
The student behind then put down his pen, pushed away his own desk, and stood between Hua Jie and Jing Nian, focused on watching Jing Nian draw.
“Really beautiful.”
“Really impressive.”
Seeing that the art teacher didn’t intervene, other students also quietly gathered to watch Jing Nian draw.
Some came to see the drawing, while some boys, clearly with intentions clear as day, came just to get close to Bian Ying.
The students crowded around Jing Nian and Bian Ying, pushing Hua Jie further out of the circle, out of sight.
She didn’t mind, and as it got too crowded, she moved even further out and continued to draw casually, ponder her thoughts, and worry about her studies with a frown—
Ah, she wanted to get into Tsinghua University!
To become a university topper, find a super cool job after graduation, and earn a big sum of money without having to flatter anyone… Oh, how she wished.
Just as she was lost in her daydreams, a sudden high-pitched scream right next to her ear made her shudder.
Her hand twitched, and a deep 1 cm line appeared on Little Swallow’s garment.
“…” She looked up in shock, staring at the face of the female classmate who had leaned over her desk.
???
The female student was still staring excitedly at the painting on the desk, exclaiming:
“Xiao Yanzi! Oh my! She’s come to life!”
At the end of 1998, “My Fair Princess” premiered nationwide, quickly sweeping across the country.
In that era, without many platforms and satellite TV stations competing for ratings, “My Fair Princess” became an overwhelming sensation, dominating screens everywhere. Almost everyone knew Xiao Yanzi, and children were especially crazy about her.
This female student was a super fan of Xiao Yanzi. She originally came to look at Jing Nian’s paintings, but accidentally noticed that Hua Jie seemed to be drawing Xiao Yanzi and peeked at the painting.
She couldn’t take her eyes off it. The character on the 16-sheet paper was vivid and lifelike, as if smiling at her with a clever charm.
Her sudden, exaggerated exclamation drew the attention of the entire class—whether they were painting at their desks or gathered around Jing Nian, including Jing Nian, Bian Ying, and the art teacher, they all turned their heads in unison.
Hua Jie suddenly became the center of attention.
Holding her mechanical pencil, she froze awkwardly.
Uh…
The female student continued with her extravagant praises uncontrollably: “It’s so beautiful! Oh my! It’s divine!”
The students’ attention swiftly shifted to Hua Jie’s drawing.
The art teacher pushed aside a boy’s head to get a better look at Hua Jie’s desk.
It was easy for the students initially gathered around Jing Nian to turn and gather around Hua Jie.
To those who didn’t understand art, a likeness was sufficient, and they might not realize how good Hua Jie’s drawing was. However, Jing Nian’s work provided a convenient comparison.
They had thought Jing Nian’s drawing was pretty good, but now, seeing Hua Jie’s Xiao Yanzi—
Wow! The resemblance, the three-dimensionality of the character, and the overall beauty were clearly superior.
Without comparison, there’s no harm.
The students’ admiration and appreciation quickly shifted. In the presence of a true master, everything else seemed trivial.
Amidst the whispering of the students, the bell rang for the end of class. The art teacher took one more look at Hua Jie’s painting before turning to say:
“Class leader, collect the drawings and bring them to my office later.”
“Yes,” the temporary class leader stood up and called out loudly as he stepped out of his seat:
“Don’t go yet, everyone. Hand in your drawings first.”
“Hua Jie,” the art teacher glanced at the name on Hua Jie’s notebook, and then turned to Jing Nian: “And you too.”
Then she called another slightly plump female student, “Come with me to the office.”
“…” Hua Jie had a vague idea of what the art teacher intended to do but obediently got up and followed out.
Jing Nian, annoyed, slapped his paintbrush down on the desk, turned, and glared fiercely at Hua Jie’s drawing on the desk, then glanced at the several classmates gathered around it.
His gaze seemed as if he wanted to tear up Hua Jie’s drawing and beat up the classmates who were praising her.
But he could do nothing; taking a deep breath, he finally stormed out of the classroom, frustrated.
The noisy chatter of his classmates lingered behind him, haunting him until he turned the corner and the noise finally faded.
…
In Classroom 17 of the first-year high school, the girl who first noticed Hua Jie’s drawing slapped away the temporary class leader’s hand, stopping him from taking Hua Jie’s drawing. She loudly said:
“The teacher has already seen Hua Jie’s drawing; no need to take it, go collect the others’.”
“The teacher said to collect all.” The temporary class leader was displeased.
“If the teacher gets upset, I’ll take responsibility,” the girl took it upon herself. Seeing that the temporary class leader was still hesitating, she pushed him on the arm, “Go collect the others’ quickly, class is starting soon.”
After sending off the temporary class leader, she carefully picked up Hua Jie’s drawing and turned to the onlooking classmates:
“It’s so beautiful, even prettier than the stickers I bought, and it’s a 16-sheet sketch too, it could be framed. I already have Xiao Yanzi’s book cover, erasers, notebooks…”
“I have Xiao Yanzi’s photo displayed on my desk at home, but none are as unique as this sketch,” another girl added eagerly, leaning in with a desirous look.
“Let me see the drawing too.”
“Let me look a bit more~”
“What’s the name of the student who drew this?”
“It’s Hua Jie.”
“Which Jie is that?”
“This one~” A student picked up a new textbook from Hua Jie’s desk to show the others.
Thus, Hua Jie became the first person in the class whose name was remembered by all her classmates.
…
…
In the first-year high school office, when the teacher Liang Ping saw her students being called to the office, she anxiously asked:
“What’s wrong with them?”
“Nothing, they drew very well; I brought them here to talk,” the art teacher said.
“That’s good,” Liang Ping said, having just finished marking the math test papers from the first subject of the morning. She casually asked, “What are their names?”
It was the first day of school, and Liang Ping hadn’t yet gotten to know all her students.
“Hua Jie.”
“Jing Nian.”
“Zhao Xiaohong.”
“…Hmm.” Liang Ping had no particular recollection of the math scores of Jing Nian and Zhao Xiaohong, but Hua Jie… she definitely remembered!
Her gaze lingered on Hua Jie’s face for a moment longer, drawn to the girl’s beauty and charm, despite…
The art teacher called the three students to her desk, sipping water from a thermos, and asked:
“All of you are studying fine arts, right?”
“Yes,” the three responded in unison.
“Planning to take the art college entrance exams?” the art teacher continued.
“Yes.” This time, only Jing Nian and Zhao Xiaohong responded.
The art teacher didn’t notice Hua Jie’s silence; she had already assumed that Hua Jie, with her strong foundation, was bound to take the art exam, and continued:
“The school has an art studio. You can skip the evening self-study sessions and go there to paint. I will be there to provide guidance and help you correct your work.”
“Also, if you have any questions related to the college entrance exam or fine arts, feel free to ask me in my office.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
“Alright, our class art representative will be Hua Jie,” the art teacher said with a smile, full of appreciation in her gaze.
Jing Nian lowered his head; he had been the art class representative since elementary school… He clenched his fists tighter, his resentment growing deeper.
After making her appointments, the art teacher turned back to Liang Ping, who was standing at her desk:
“Hua Jie’s drawing skills are exceptional, especially her sketching.”
“…That’s good,” Liang Ping pursed her lips, thinking about that math score…
Well, one doesn’t need high academic scores to study art. With three years of diligent study, there should still be a chance.
Hua Jie gave a polite smile to the class teacher and turned to look at the art teacher, starting somewhat awkwardly:
“Teacher—”
“Yes?” The art teacher smiled and raised an eyebrow, unaware she was about to be refused.
“…I might not be able to be the art class representative.” Hua Jie smiled apologetically, and under the art teacher’s surprised gaze, she earnestly said:
“Teacher, I don’t want to study art; I want to pursue a different career in the future.”