Professor Li was hospitalized due to illness, so the afternoon featured two consecutive art classes. Professor Li had often used art class periods for math lessons in the past, and no one expected the tables to be turned now.
The whole class was thrilled upon confirmation from the art teacher, cheering boisterously and filling the classroom with noise.
The art teacher standing on the podium, Ruan Hongbo, was a relatively thin young man around 1.72 meters tall, wearing glasses and looking refined and scholarly. He had recently graduated from university and was rumored to be an overseas Chinese.
Campus gossip claimed that Ruan Hongbo was a devoted pursuer of “Big Dairy Cow” (a nickname for Curvy Teacher Gu Qingying) and that he had used connections to transfer to Class 5 of Grade 10 as the art teacher.
Many students confirmed on the school forum that they often saw Ruan Hongbo cozying up to Gu Qingying at school. Photos of the two occasionally appearing together were posted as evidence.
“Everyone, settle down!”
Ruan Hongbo had returned to China to teach right after graduating from university. His personality, heavily influenced by his time abroad, was outgoing and cheerful, and he didnβt put on a teacherβs airs.
Once the students quieted down, Ruan Hongbo said with a smile, “Itβs been a long time since Iβve seen you all. When I heard about this, did it occur to you that I might be even more excited than you are?”
His humorous remark sparked waves of laughter in the classroom. A bold student teased, “Mr. Ruan, arenβt you afraid weβll tell Professor Li what you said?”
“Hahaβ¦ yeah!”
“Whatβs there to be afraid of? Professor Li took several of my art classes before. Iβd almost forgotten we even had art class.”
When the classroom grew quiet again, Ruan Hongbo explained with a smile, “The midterm exams were approaching, and Professor Li used the art class time to help everyone perform better. He worked himself sick due to overwork. If any of you have time this Sunday, you could visit him in the hospital.”
“Alright, for todayβs two art classes, Iβll assign your project.” Ruan Hongbo turned and wrote a line on the blackboard: “Create a paintingβno restrictions on subject matter.”
Ruan Hongbo adjusted his glasses and explained, “Some clever students might ask, ‘Mr. Ruan, since there are no restrictions, can I just draw an egg and turn it in?'”
“Heh⦔
Ruan Hongbo laughed first, followed by bursts of cheerful laughter from the students below the podium. Even Yang Haoran, sitting in the classroom, chuckled.
His impression of Mr. Ruan was actually quite good. This humorous art teacher didnβt put on airs, making it hard to dislike him.
Even though he knew Ruan Hongbo was pursuing their homeroom teacher, Gu Qingying, Yang Haoran felt nothing but envy rather than resentment. He understood the saying, “Fair ladies are fit for gentlemen,” all too well.
He just wondered if Mr. Ruan would succeed in winning over Gu Qingying, that exceptionally curvaceous beauty.
The thought left Yang Haoran with a sour feeling in his heart. To encounter such a beauty yet be unable to embrace herβwhat a pity.
With his mother and sister at home, Xiao Shaowan at school, the transfer student Ji Youxi, Wei Mingβs mother Aunt He, and that seductive Aunt Shen, his energy was already stretched thin. He couldnβt afford to attract more women.
He hadnβt even fully “cooked” what was in his own potβhow could he have the energy to look outside?
On the podium, Ruan Hongbo was unaware of the young manβs troubles, just as others were unaware of his.
“Students, you can even draw a circle and hand it in, let alone an egg,” Ruan Hongbo said with a smile. “You have two classes. Art class is meant to help you relax and relieve academic pressure, so I have no strict requirementsβjust a suggestion.”
“I hope you all try your best to complete a painting. It doesnβt matter what you drawβpaint what you want. Remember, painting is also a way to relax and soothe your emotionsβ¦ In ancient times, refined scholars expressed their feelings through landscapesβ¦ they⦔
Ruan Hongbo was good in every way, but he had one flaw: he tended to be long-winded.
After Ruan Hongboβs lengthy speech, many students in the classroom buried themselves in their drawings, with very little whispering. No one wanted to be laughed at for actually turning in a circle or an egg.
With no restrictions or requirements, even Yang Haoran, who had once been an outcast and a poor student, felt the urge to draw something. He hadnβt decided what to draw yetβhe just felt an itch to create.
As Yang Haoran was pondering what to draw, he suddenly noticed his deskmate, Ji Youxi, taking out a full set of colored pencils. The box was filled with vibrant colors and various small tools.
Yang Haoranβs mind stirred, and his hand suddenly reached out, resting on Ji Youxiβs smooth, delicate hand. Ji Youxiβs brows slightly furrowed, and a ripple of emotion crossed her calm face.
“Youxi, I didnβt bring any colored pencils. Lend me one.”
Yang Haoranβs touch was brief, feigning innocence as he instead took a colored pencil from the box beside Ji Youxiβs hand.
To quickly close the distance between a man and a woman, physical contact was essentialβa fact Yang Haoran understood well.
A faint smile graced Ji Youxiβs exquisite, flawless face as she looked at her deskmateβs composed expression and said, “I borrowed a pen from you last time. You can just take what you need without asking.”
Seeing that Ji Youxi didnβt seem angry, Yang Haoran asked cheerfully, “Youxi, what are you planning to draw?”
“Birds,” Ji Youxi uttered a single word with her red lips.
“Birds?” Yang Haoran was puzzled.
“A pair of white birds soaring over the blue sea. Below, thereβs a small island with two figures on it,” Ji Youxi said softly.
Just from her description, Yang Haoran could imagine the beauty of the scene. He asked curiously, “Youxi, have you studied painting?”
Ji Youxi nodded. “Just a little.”
Her stunning face remained calm and composed, but the confidence in her eyes was unmistakable. Yang Haoran found it hard to believe she only knew “a little”βmore like “a lot”!
Searching for something to say, Yang Haoran asked awkwardly, “Youxi, what did you think of what I wrote to you last time?”
A trace of confusion flickered in Ji Youxiβs starry, beautiful eyes. She blinked and looked at him strangely. “What did you write?”
The smile on Yang Haoranβs face froze instantly, and a sense of disappointment welled up inside him. But he quickly suppressed it and feigned nonchalance. “Itβs nothing. If you forgot, itβs fine.”
Their brief conversation ended there. Yang Haoran didnβt notice the faint, almost imperceptible smile on Ji Youxiβs serene face, as though she was holding back laughter.
With the borrowed colored pencil, Yang Haoran began doodling on his drawing paper. Halfway through, Wei Ming, sitting behind him, grew curious about what he was drawing so intently and leaned over to sneak a peek.
A single glance made Wei Ming, the secretly perverted guy, burst into laughter. The surrounding classmates turned to look. Suppressing his laughter, Wei Ming patted Yang Haoran on the back and asked, “Haoran, what are you drawing?”
Even Ji Youxi, who had been focused on her drawing, was disturbed by Wei Mingβs reaction. She glanced at Yang Haoranβs paper and couldnβt help but let out a sweet, amused laugh.
The nearby classmates, hearing Wei Mingβs comment, curiously leaned over to see Yang Haoranβs drawing and also burst into laughter.
Yang Haoranβs face flushed with embarrassment. He glared at Wei Ming resentfully and retorted, “Do you even understand abstract art?”
“Isnβt this an ape-man?” Wei Ming said, stifling his laughter. “And a female ape-man, at that!”
Yang Haoran already regretted drawing it, but now he had to brazen it out. “Pfftβ¦ Xiao Ming, you just donβt get it. Iβm replicating the masterpiece The Vitε£ζ― by Woodrow Carmen, an abstract artist born in Italy in 1468. Have you even seen that painting?”
Yang Haoranβs tone was full of disdain as he looked down on Wei Ming. Hearing him speak so authoritatively, Wei Ming, Ji Youxi, and the nearby students hesitated slightly.
They wondered if they had misunderstood Yang Haoran. After all, some works by foreign masters were indeed highly abstract, requiring a certain level of aesthetic appreciation to understand.
Wei Ming scratched his head and said apologetically, “Haoranβ¦ I really havenβt seen it.”
Yang Haoran wasnβt about to let Wei Ming off the hook. He lectured him, “Woodrow Carmen was a contemporary of Da Vinci and a foundational figure in early abstract art. His style was free-spirited and unconventional, characterized by the distorted, abstract rotation and recombination of real objectsβ¦ The inspiration for The Vitε£ζ― came from a⦔