Chapter 40

Xi Yu’s shirt wasn’t a pure, oppressive black. It was a dark, dusky shade with a hint of warmth to it, like the ink spreading through water in the ceramic dish Xi Yao used for her paints.

In Yu Nianyi’s eyes, black came in many shades; she had long been used to recognizing and distinguishing subtle differences in color.

But no matter the shade, black still felt a little stifling to her. People always said it was elegant and high-end, but it still wasn’t her favorite. After seeing every color on a painter’s palette, she had long since become devoted to the endless changes created by one color colliding with another.

So when she chose clothes, black was always the last option.

And yet, after staring at Xi Yu for so long, she found it hard to imagine Xi Yu in bright colors at all. Yu Nianyi knew her imagination was fairly rich, but nothing would form in her mind.

Her gaze drifted slightly downward to Xi Yu’s neatly folded cuffs. Her arms were pale and strong, her hands loosely crossed.

The light from outside the window fell across them, casting beautiful shadows and making Xi Yu’s hands look even clearer, more distinct.

Yu Nianyi’s eyes kept returning there, to the raised joints of her fingers, to her neatly trimmed nails, which were especially round and neat, with a faint pink tint.

During the years she spent studying painting for the art exam, the endless assignments every day had already filled her mind, as if they had left deep marks that could never be erased. Over time, paying attention to other people’s build and appearance had almost become a habit.

How shadows changed under different lighting; how folds in clothing layered under different movements; the characteristics and shape of people’s hands.

It had all become almost instinctive.

On their very first meeting, Xi Yu’s hands had left a deep impression.

It was no exaggeration to say that Xi Yu had very standard hands, the kind with especially long fingers. If they were used in a hand cream commercial, they wouldn’t look out of place at all.

Even though their interlaced position blocked part of her knuckles, it didn’t stop people from seeing how slender her fingers were, or how refined and pretty her nails looked.

Yu Nianyi flexed her wrist, looked up, then lowered her head again; she repeated it over and over until the outline of the hands was fixed.

She raised her eyes and looked at Xi Yu’s face again.

Xi Yu was still sitting very upright, her posture unchanged, meeting Yu Nianyi’s gaze without looking away.

“Xi Yu-jie, you’ve worked hard. Have some water,” Yu Nianyi said, setting her brush into the bucket on the floor as if she were about to head for the door.

Xi Yu simply picked up her phone and glanced at it before saying, “No need. I can start anytime.”

Yu Nianyi nodded and said nothing more.

While painting, Yu Nianyi didn’t have much of the flirtatious atmosphere one might have with another person. Instead, she looked rather serious, no longer bothering with any extra ambiguous thoughts. Her mind was full of her own image. Even with Xi Yu, at first she had only felt a little restless, then quickly settled down.

She walked out into the living room, glanced at the tea on the coffee table; the liquid had already run low. After thinking for a moment, she unconsciously went to the refrigerator and took out a carton of orange juice for herself.

Passing the two cups on the coffee table, she looked at them for a while, then went back into the kitchen to boil water. Once it came to a full rolling boil, she poured Xi Yu a cup and brought it in.

There wasn’t any extra place in the studio to set down a cup, so Yu Nianyi made a quick circuit around the room and finally carried a stool from the living room to place beside the sofa before setting the teacup down.

Xi Yu glanced at the orange juice in Yu Nianyi’s hand, then said, “Thank you.”

“It should be me thanking Xi Yu-jie for making time to help me,” Yu Nianyi said, her face once again breaking into that sweet, almost sticky smile. As she walked back, she unscrewed the orange juice cap and took a big gulp.

The figure, features, and posture were basically fixed; next came the coloring.

By then, the light outside had nearly reached sunset, leaving only the faintest wash of gray-pink on the horizon. In the dim glow, the person on the sofa seemed to blend into that afterglow; her fair skin took on a faint pinkness, and even her lips looked more vividly red.

Xi Yu was sitting facing the window. Almost instinctively, she narrowed her eyes slightly, as if the light were too bright, then slowly opened them again.

Yu Nianyi drew the curtains shut with one sweep, painted a little longer, and finally checked the whole picture over once more. Then she put down her brush, curved her lips, and smiled. “We can stop here. Xi Yu-jie, you’ve worked hard.”

She walked over to Xi Yu. “To thank Xi Yu-jie for your help, how about I treat you to dinner? There’s a restaurant that’s actually really good; it’s the one where we first met. It’s definitely known for being delicious, and it’ll surely suit Xi Yu-jie’s taste.”

Xi Yu used the sofa for support as she stood, bent down to pick up the cup in front of her, took a sip, and then said, “No. I have something to do.”

Yu Nianyi nodded, glancing at the phone screen on the side as it lit up again, and asked naturally and directly, “Is it that person from last time?”

Xi Yu lowered her gaze, looking at Yu Nianyi’s side profile.

Yu Nianyi had already casually tied up her long hair; a somewhat messy low ponytail hung at the back of her head, with a few unruly strands at her temples, neither short nor long, falling loose around her face.

“That person?” Xi Yu asked.

Yu Nianyi’s brows knit together. She didn’t look at Xi Yu’s face; instead, she tightened her grip on the empty orange juice carton, which let out a puff of air as if it were leaking. “The one from the last exhibition; the one the gallery sister said you brought for the first time.”

Her tone was especially familiar, with a hint of sulking complaint. Just a moment ago, they had been host and guest, painter and model; now, something else, something beyond those roles, seemed to have slipped in.

Xi Yu quietly watched Yu Nianyi’s awkward expression, so unlike the person who had been completely immersed in painting just now.

Her eyes flicked to the orange juice carton in Yu Nianyi’s hand, already crumpled into a sorry shape, and she replied in a steady, casual voice, “No. It’s company business.”

Yu Nianyi gave an oh, loosening her grip a little, and for a moment didn’t know how to answer. After a pause, she said, “Then Xi Yu-jie should go handle your business first.”

Xi Yu hummed in acknowledgment, glanced at the easel by the window, then turned and walked toward the living room.

Yu Nianyi followed her out and put on her own coat. When she looked up again, she met Xi Yu’s eyes and said, “I’ll see Xi Yu-jie out.”

Xi Yu looked at Yu Nianyi’s half-open coat, one hand resting on the doorknob, and didn’t open the door right away.

The sky, which had still held a faint gray-pink moments ago, was now completely dark. Snow suddenly began to fall, and within seconds it grew dense enough to see clearly.

Xi Yu stood where she was. “Put your coat on properly.”

Yu Nianyi pressed her lips together, looked down at her coat, and fastened the buttons. Only then did Xi Yu open the door.

The instant the door opened, the motion-sensor light in the corridor switched on. Its dim yellow glow fell over both of them and illuminated the gray stairs beneath their feet.

That was how old residential buildings were: the stairway was narrow, with weathered gray-white walls on the left, occasionally plastered with ads for pipe repair and air-conditioning service; on the right was a dark green railing with peeling paint. No matter which side you brushed against, you were bound to pick up some dust.

When two adults walked together, their sleeves were bound to bump now and then; beneath the click-clack of footsteps came the soft rustle of fabric rubbing together.

Yu Nianyi liked to walk with her hands in her pockets and moved quickly. Aside from painting, she wasn’t a patient person in daily life.

Xi Yu was completely different. Perhaps because she took large steps, she always moved in an orderly, unhurried way; like when she ate, she was very proper and composed.

Yu Nianyi turned her head to study Xi Yu’s profile, reining in her thoughts. Her hands hung naturally at her sides; from time to time, the backs of her hands would brush Xi Yu’s sleeve, and even through the air she seemed able to feel the strong warmth beneath that cuff.

“What did you think about the exhibition that day?” Xi Yu asked suddenly.

Yu Nianyi froze for a moment, not quite understanding Xi Yu’s meaning. She praised it a few times. “Even though he isn’t in the same major as me, Teacher An’s work is unquestionably excellent. His technique is very mature, and it’s been deeply loved by many art enthusiasts.”

“Besides, being able to hold an exhibition in that gallery already says a lot about his strength. Compared with that, I still have a lot of room to grow.”

Xi Yu hummed softly, her eyes resting quietly on the person beside her. “Your work is good too.”

Yu Nianyi’s lips curved into a smile, her brows carrying an unmistakable pride. “If Xi Yu-jie says that, I’m going to get conceited.”

Xi Yu withdrew her gaze, stepped down the last stair, then turned to face Yu Nianyi.

Yu Nianyi instinctively stopped and looked at her.

“Just see me off here. No need to come any farther.”

Xi Yu stood beneath the open eaves, with the falling snow behind her growing heavier and heavier, swirling constantly in the wind.

The waves of curls down Xi Yu’s back were blown up repeatedly, while stray strands kept drifting in front of her face and occasionally obscuring her calm eyes and brows.

Yu Nianyi nodded, opened the umbrella, and held it over Xi Yu’s head. Xi Yu took it and thanked her.

After watching Xi Yu get into the car, Yu Nianyi finally turned and walked back inside.

-

On Monday morning, Yu Nianyi went to the classroom. A few students were already there, chatting and laughing as they painted with their easels set up.

The final assignment before the exam allowed for a great deal of freedom; there was no requirement to arrive at eight in the morning. They only needed to submit a perfect piece within the allotted time.

Some students came to the classroom for convenience, and also because they wanted a painting atmosphere; they were used to coming here, and sometimes they could even observe other students’ work.

Yu Nianyi had come to pack up her things and also to buy some supplies she needed from the art store.

She hadn’t expected that, even though she wasn’t particularly late, she would still see Yang Shuyu sitting at her usual place, quietly painting.

When someone saw Yu Nianyi arrive, they greeted her familiarly and casually said, “Yang Shuyu drew you so well. We were just saying how much she captured your vibe; we all wanted the real person to come take a look. Come here quickly!”

Yang Shuyu looked at Yu Nianyi through the gap in the easel, her eyes clear and limpid, still the same as always.

Yu Nianyi smiled, picked up her things, and walked straight over to Yang Shuyu’s side.

Yang Shuyu remained seated, completely still; only her brush no longer moved across the canvas. The people around them, however, all gathered in.

There were only a little over twenty people in the class. Needlessly to say, the whole matter between Yu Nianyi and Yang Shuyu had already spread among them. Everyone was quite accepting of this sort of thing, and they also liked the occasional dose of dog food.

These past few days, the atmosphere between the two had changed completely, so naturally people had noticed. But in a classroom where everyone saw each other all the time, there would always be interactions; besides, people liked gossip. It was just in their nature.

Yu Nianyi lowered her eyes and looked at the version of herself in the painting.

An expected scene.

The photo had been chosen by Yu Nianyi herself, so the final effect naturally wouldn’t differ much.

Yang Shuyu had her own painting habits, and Yu Nianyi only needed one glance to see them. The likeness to the real person was indeed strong, and she sincerely praised it. “Amazing.”

Yang Shuyu didn’t speak. Her face was turned away from Yu Nianyi, so Yu Nianyi couldn’t see her expression.

“You all work so fast. I should hurry back and paint too,” Yu Nianyi said, shifting her gaze away from the canvas and laughing exaggeratedly. “You’re all way too intense; you’re basically masters...”

As soon as she finished speaking, a burst of laughter and commotion rose up at once. The students laughed in waves, saying Yu Nianyi was the most intense one of all.

After leaving the classroom, Yu Nianyi headed straight for the art supply store.