Jiang Yu and Xu Ruyi turned back before they even stepped out of the school gate. Under Xu Ruyi’s desk, aside from books, there was a pile of random snacks – raisins, dried mango, sweet potato chips. She held them up and asked Jiang Yu,
“Do you want some?”
Jiang Yu shook her head, declining her offer. “I just ate. I can’t eat anything else right now. You go ahead.”
As she spoke, she twirled the coloured pencil in her hand and casually sketched a few scattered raisins on paper. At a glance, they looked just like real raisins – wrinkled and sweet-looking.
Xu Ruyi cupped her face and admired the drawing, praising, “Jiang Yu, your drawings are amazing. I really think you’re perfect for illustrating The Ladle Chronicles. If Xia An knew about you, she would definitely choose you as the artist for The Ladle Chronicles.”
But knowing that Jiang Yu had no interest in drawing manhua, Xu Ruyi couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of regret.
Jiang Yu chuckled and asked, “Is The Ladle Chronicles really that good? You seem to like it a lot.”
Xu Ruyi thought for a moment before saying, “Xia An is a top-tier author with great writing skills. The way she describes food in her book makes it sound absolutely delicious. I really love it.”
Of course, she wasn’t particularly interested in the romance in the book. What intrigued her was the food – it was exactly to her taste. As she pondered, Xu Ruyi picked up her phone and scrolled through the comments under Wanwu Publishing’s posts.
The artist for The Ladle Chronicles turned out to be a complete newbie, which made everyone suspicious. Fans speculated whether this person had connections to get such an opportunity. As discussions grew, the fans became more agitated, demanding that Wanwu Publishing reveal the artist’s identity.
But Wanwu Publishing remained silent.
“Who exactly is this new artist…” Xu Ruyi mumbled.
If the new artist had decent skills, The Ladle Chronicles could be a stepping stone for them. But if their artwork was mediocre, once their identity was exposed, they would be bombarded by angry fans.
–
That evening, during peak internet traffic hours, Jiang Yu finished dinner and casually painted a watercolour of Mu Family’s soup dumplings. The colours were vivid – the soup inside the dumpling oozed out invitingly, making the entire painting seem to exude the rich aroma of meat and dough.
Jiang Yu examined her work and was quite satisfied.
Now that she was gradually catching up with her studies, she had more time for drawing. Besides the piece with Liangshan heroes for Shen Zhiwei, she occasionally painted gouache and watercolour works, as well as a starry night scene. Even so, her schedule still felt tight.
After taking a photo of the painting, she uploaded it to Weibo and casually scrolled through the comments. Her Weibo account now had a few thousand followers – not comparable to big-name artists, but impressive for a newcomer. Most importantly, her followers were real, active fans rather than bots, which was a rare achievement.
[Mu Family’s soup dumplings! OMG, I love them! They’re so flavourful and never greasy. Every type is delicious… Wait, is the artist based in S Province?]
[S Province? I’m from S Province too! I can’t believe I live in the same place as my favourite artist!]
[Everyone’s talking about where she’s from, but I’m different – I just want to commission a piece from her. If I save 500 yuan a month, in a year, I’ll be able to afford it!]
[I love her art style – so delicate and soothing, yet so clean. It’s a shame she’s not taking commissions right now. Q_Q]
Jiang Yu had gained some recognition and more people were reaching out to commission her work. However, since she hadn’t finished Shen Zhiwei’s Liangshan Heroes piece yet, she had to decline new commissions for the time being.
Lying on the couch, she scrolled through the comments before tossing her phone aside. She stretched and then walked over to her desk, taking out her art supplies to continue working on the Liangshan heroes piece.
She worked quickly and by now, half of the Liangshan heroes illustration was complete. In about two more months, it would be fully finished.
At the same time, under Wanwu Publishing’s official Weibo post, a fan left a comment:
“The new artist you’re all wondering about is [A Fleeting Dream]. Don’t ask how I know – just call me Lei Feng!”
[A Fleeting Dream]? Who was that?
The fans of The Ladle Chronicles were puzzled. Almost no one had heard of this name before. Only a few fans who overlapped with [A Fleeting Dream]’s followers excitedly confirmed:
[A Fleeting Dream?! OMG, my dream is coming true! My favourite writer and favourite artist are finally collaborating! I’m so hyped – [A Fleeting Dream] is perfect for The Ladle Chronicles!]
[[A Fleeting Dream] is my absolute favourite artist! I love her work, especially the way she draws food!]
But soon, scepticism arose from other fans:
[A newbie artist? How good could their work even be? Are you guys paid shills hyping them up?]
Seeing this, a few fans became frustrated – what they were saying was completely true!
Meanwhile, fans of The Ladle Chronicles quickly found Jiang Yu’s Weibo account under the name [A Fleeting Dream]. After scrolling through her posts, they gradually realised – hey, this artist is actually pretty good.
Jiang Yu rarely posted any personal comments on Weibo. Her feed was almost entirely filled with images of her artwork, taken with her phone and uploaded without much text.
As they scrolled, all they saw were beautiful illustrations – paintings in gouache, pencil sketches, watercolour, oil painting and even traditional Chinese ink painting. Each piece was so well done that it was nearly impossible to find any flaws.
At first, fans of The Ladle Chronicles came with a critical mindset, but after seeing the quality of the artwork, their heated emotions calmed. They had to admit – [A Fleeting Dream]’s work was indeed impressive.
[This [A Fleeting Dream]… actually seems pretty well-suited for The Ladle Chronicles.] someone commented. Seeing this, others quietly agreed.
Art is something that speaks for itself – either you have the skill, or you don’t. As they examined [A Fleeting Dream]’s work, they realised they couldn’t find any faults. The more they looked, the better it seemed.
However, the tone of the comments soon shifted.
[What’s so great about this? The style is plain and unremarkable, lacking any real detail. Honestly, it looks rough and hastily made.]
[Besides, do you really think one person can master so many different styles? I bet [A Fleeting Dream] isn’t an individual artist but a whole team!]
[These don’t even look like paintings! They look like edited photographs – who can paint something that realistic?]
[Gouache, traditional ink, watercolour, oil painting… Seriously? No way a single person is good at all of these! If [A Fleeting Dream] is actually real, I’ll eat my keyboard!]
[I’m telling you, there’s something shady going on. There’s no way a rookie artist would get chosen for The Ladle Chronicles unless there was some backroom deal involved.]
[As a longtime fan of Xia An, I always thought she had integrity and respected her work. But now… I’m disappointed. I can’t believe she’d go along with this.]
At first, the comments were relatively peaceful. The fans of The Ladle Chronicles had accepted that [A Fleeting Dream] was actually good. But soon, as if out of nowhere, trolls and doubters started flooding in, changing the entire tone of the discussion.
More and more people began expressing their disappointment, claiming that [A Fleeting Dream] was unworthy of The Ladle Chronicles.
Jiang Yu’s fans, initially unaware of the situation, were caught off guard. But when they saw their favourite artist being attacked, they couldn’t just stand by.
[No way! Our big shot is insanely talented. Just look at her work and you’ll see!]
[You people just refuse to believe that someone can be this skilled. Our big shot’s paintings look real – so what? That’s just talent!]
[All of her paintings have a similar artistic feel – clearly, they’re by the same person. Some people are just that talented. She is a genius!]
Her fans defended her passionately, but their efforts were met with even harsher mockery from the trolls.
[Yeah, right. Have you personally seen her paint? What if she just takes photos, edits them and passes them off as paintings?]
[Choosing this artist for The Ladle Chronicles is a total joke. There are so many better artists out there.]
[There are tons of artists better than [A Fleeting Dream]. If you ask me, something shady definitely went on behind the scenes.]
As the saying goes, where there are fans, there will be haters.
Jiang Yu’s Weibo account had gained a significant following in a short period, but along with the fans came a wave of doubters. Many people simply refused to believe that her paintings were real because they looked too lifelike – almost more vivid than actual photographs.
Some insisted that [A Fleeting Dream] wasn’t a single person but a group of artists working under one name.
And then there were those who outright dismissed her, saying she didn’t deserve to work on The Ladle Chronicles at all.
Jiang Yu’s fans were utterly bewildered by the chaos in the comment section. She was just a rookie illustrator on Weibo with a modest following – she didn’t engage in drama and her fans were relatively laid-back. How could they possibly fight against this sudden flood of hate?
They tried their best to argue, but the trolls overwhelmed them. Soon, they were losing ground, struggling to respond.
Among Jiang Yu’s fans, Xiang Weiwei was particularly furious. Seeing all the hateful comments, she clenched her phone so tightly she nearly crushed it. With the speed of someone who had been playing piano for twenty-five years, she furiously typed out responses, countering every attack from the haters.
[What does The Ladle Chronicles even have to do with my idol? You guys must be lost – this isn’t the right place for your nonsense!]
Still fuming, Xiang Weiwei grabbed a bag of fried dough twists and started angrily munching on them, imagining she was chewing up the haters instead.
While Weibo was drowning in chaos, Jiang Yu remained completely unaware – until Shen Zhiwei called her.
“…Jiang Yu, check your Weibo. Things are a mess right now.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yu froze in confusion.
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