Chapter 26
After getting home, Yu Nianyi went back to her studio. The work on the board was still there, only a little more complete now.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to the exquisite pastries on the dining table; the composed, courteous atmosphere between Xi Yu and Chen Shuo still seemed to linger before her eyes. Yu Nianyi’s expression grew unusually serious, and for some reason, a trace of urgency welled up inside her.
She enlarged Xi Yu’s photo and pinned it to the easel beside her, then picked up a fine detailing brush and continued working on the painting.
Outside, the sky had deepened to a dark blue. Snow had started to fall, drifting down slowly before settling just as slowly. Many students who had finished class gathered around the food stalls, talking and laughing; the air was thick with the smell of barbecue drifting over from nearby.
Yu Nianyi paid it no mind. Her eyes stayed fixed on the figures in the painting. Beneath the heavy shadows, that dark silhouette stood in a corner; the blurred face seemed to be gradually sharpening, but even then she could only just make out the outline of the features.
After a long while, the snowfall grew heavier, flakes falling again and again from the sky. The smell of food slowly scattered into the wind and snow, and the sound of people’s laughter faded away bit by bit as well.
Ding-a-ling——
Yu Nianyi rolled over and pulled the blanket over her face, letting the alarm ring for half an hour. It was only at 7:40 that she finally got up.
She had an early class today. After a hurried wash, she put on a mask, dark circles still under her eyes, and headed straight out.
Who would have thought Zhang Min was already seated in the classroom? The moment Yu Nianyi pushed the door open, more than a dozen pairs of eyes in the room turned toward the entrance at once. Zhang Min gave an “oh,” then looked at Yu Nianyi, who seemed a little flustered. “What were you doing last night? Didn’t get much rest? Your dark circles are huge.”
Yu Nianyi smiled awkwardly and hurried to her seat. “Sorry, Teacher Zhang. I just did some random painting last night and went to bed late.”
Zhang Min smiled. She knew Yu Nianyi well; the two of them often discussed compositional problems after class. Yu Nianyi was eager to learn, very patient, and had a style all her own when she painted. Zhang Min still valued her quite a bit, so she didn’t make things difficult for her. She only said, “Don’t let it happen again.”
Yu Nianyi let out a breath of relief in her heart, silently glad she’d gotten through it.
Behind the easel, Yang Shuyu poked her head out. Her gentle eyes rested quietly on Yu Nianyi; only after Zhang Min reached her side did she withdraw her gaze.
As usual, Zhang Min began walking around the classroom, scanning each student’s work in turn. In a soft voice, she said, “Once we finish these students, it’ll almost be finals. Our final assignment is a figure painting. Each student may choose the subject freely, and the finished work will be graded and displayed at the exhibition for the whole school to see..."
“I hope everyone takes it seriously. This piece will affect your grade point average, so you absolutely cannot slack off!”
Yu Nianyi lay across her easel, yawning nonstop. Her eyes heavy, she painted while glancing at the classmates in the middle of the room, nearly dozing off several times.
At last, class ended, and she slowly packed up her tools.
Yang Shuyu came over and looked at the dark circles beneath Yu Nianyi’s eyes. In a gentle voice, she asked, “Nianyi, are you okay?”
Yu Nianyi steadied herself on the easel as she stood up and cleared her throat. “I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Are you still painting those works now? Have you already done a new one?” Yang Shuyu naturally moved to Yu Nianyi’s side and tilted her head to ask.
Yu Nianyi gave a hum. “I’ve already finished it.”
Yang Shuyu’s eyes lit up. “Is it a landscape too? I remember the ones you painted before were really beautiful. Can I go take a look at what you painted this time?”
Yu Nianyi paused mid-step and felt a little more awake. She met Yang Shuyu’s eyes. “Sure. I took a photo; you can help me see how it turned out.”
She casually opened her phone, tapped the newest photo, and held the screen toward Yang Shuyu’s face.
Yang Shuyu’s gaze fell on the screen, studying it carefully. After a few seconds, it fixed on the lower-right corner. Her eyes trembled faintly; after a long while, she asked, “Who is she?”
Yu Nianyi tipped her chin up slightly. “Xi Yao’s sister, Xi Yu.”
Yang Shuyu bit her lip, the words seeming to squeeze out through her teeth. “...Xi Yu?”
“Mm. We met a while ago.”
Yang Shuyu didn’t look any further. Clutching her bag, she felt a sting in her nose. “...I remember you only paint landscapes.”
Yu Nianyi put her phone back into her pocket. “I suddenly wanted to try painting a person. Teacher Zhang’s assignment is a figure study too, so I should practice.”
Yang Shuyu stopped abruptly. Her eyes were red as she stared at Yu Nianyi’s back, her sobs seeming to dissolve into the wind. “Nianyi, do you like her?”
Yu Nianyi didn’t turn around. Her voice was light, almost drifting. “Yeah.”
Yang Shuyu looked at her in disbelief, her gentle brows slowly knotting together. “...So fast? We only broke up not long ago... How could you...”
Yu Nianyi turned back, hands in her pockets, and looked quietly at Yang Shuyu’s face. “Not long ago? I think it’s been a long time.”
Yang Shuyu drew in a shaky breath. The cold wind cut sharply into her sleeves, the pain in her flesh and bones almost bone-deep. She suddenly turned her head and looked at the crowd on the road; the tears gathering in her eyes finally couldn’t be held back any longer, slipping down and falling through the air.
“You stayed up late last night. Go back and get some rest.”
“You go first.”
Students nearby kept glancing over, cautiously sizing up the two girls standing there.
Yu Nianyi gave a hum and walked away.
No one understood Yang Shuyu’s gaze on her better than Yu Nianyi did. They had looked at each other like this many times during the days when they liked each other. Yang Shuyu was slower than she was, more enduring when it came to feelings, but they were already over.
She didn’t mind telling Yang Shuyu her position in advance.
If she didn’t like someone, then she didn’t like them. Yu Nianyi had always faced her feelings directly; she never dragged them out.
-
Yu Nianyi sent Xi Yu her work and asked when she would be free this week, saying she wanted to give the painting to her.
Xi Yu seemed very busy these past two days. Yu Nianyi sent the message at noon, and it wasn’t until evening that she replied.
[Xi Yu: The painting is very appealing. Very beautiful.]
Yu Nianyi looked down at the line of text Xi Yu had sent. Xi Yu never seemed stingy with praise for paintings, yet when it came to matters of feeling, she was unusually reserved.
Still, it didn’t stop her from being perfectly pleased.
Yu Nianyi curved her lips; another message popped up on the screen.
[Xi Yu: I’m free this Saturday.]
Yu Nianyi pressed the voice-message button, her lips close to the screen, and habitually lifted a smile. “Okay. I’ve already figured out what we’re going to eat, so see you then.”
[Xi Yu: Mm. If you have anything you like to eat, send it over; I’ll have Jiang Chen make a reservation.]
Yu Nianyi leaned back against the sofa, the smile at the corner of her mouth impossible to hide. “How could I do that? I already said I’m treating this time, so Sister Xi Yu mustn’t fight me for it!”
“You’ve worked hard. You don’t need to worry about this kind of thing.”
The other side didn’t reply again. After Yu Nianyi finished washing up and was preparing to start work on Luo Yiran’s portrait, her phone finally rang once, the screen lighting up in an instant.
[Xi Yu: Mm, hardworking.]
Yu Nianyi smiled as she looked at it, then set the phone aside and kept sketching.
Over the next few days, Yu Nianyi went with Xi Yao to Xu Ruoyan’s studio. Since they wanted to surprise Luo Yiran, Luo Yiran knew nothing about it.
Xi Yao’s cup had already taken shape; it was a tall-stemmed cup with a distinctive style. She had used Luo Yiran’s favorite color, blue, as her reference, and was now transitioning the body of the cup into ocean ripples, the color shifting from pale to deep blue, especially beautiful.
After three failed attempts, Yu Nianyi had finally become fairly skilled at throwing and shaping; the practice over these past few days had not been in vain after all.
“What’s going on with you and Yang Shuyu?” Xi Yao sat beside Yu Nianyi, eyes on the cup in her hands as she asked casually.
Yu Nianyi sat not far away. The clay on the wheel had only just been hollowed into a small hole; her hands hovered in midair as she stared at the steadily spinning wheel. “What do you mean, what’s going on?”
Xi Yao clicked her tongue and glanced at Yu Nianyi. “Don’t think I didn’t see the look Yang Shuyu gave you just now. Did you two fight?”
“No.” Yu Nianyi pressed both thumbs into the hole in the clay, one on each hand; the opening visibly widened.
“No fight? Then why was she watching us leave school the whole way?” Xi Yao shot her another look. “I felt awkward just walking next to you.”
Yu Nianyi let go, her hands suspended in the air. “It’s fine. Nothing serious.”
Seeing that Yu Nianyi refused to say more, Xi Yao didn’t ask again and lowered her head to keep working.
The two of them stayed busy until eleven before they finally packed everything up and went home.