Jiang Yu was a breath of fresh air among the art students, a rarity among them. Since they had to study two subjects, most students focused on one, as trying to excel in both often meant mastering neither. However, Jiang Yu was an exception. She had excellent academic performance and her talent for painting was extraordinarily high. She was the kind of person people described as ‘born for this’, displaying remarkable artistic talent as soon as she picked up a brush.
Before becoming an art student, Jiang Yu already had strong academic results. Balancing both disciplines was no easy feat for her either. But what choice did she have? As an orphan taken in by Grandma Jiang, studying seemed to be her only way forward. After discovering painting, it became even more important to her and she couldn’t let go of either subject.
Of course, Jiang Yu never found it difficult. That was just how she was in her past life and even now, at thirty years old in this life, nothing had changed. She was never one to complain about fate.
With a total score exceeding 700, Jiang Yu ranked second among all second-year students in the school. The first place went to Xu Ruyi. The fact that the top two ranks were occupied by students from the same desk group made others look at them differently. This exam had been particularly difficult, yet these two still managed to score over 700, how were others supposed to survive?
Especially Jiang Yu. As an art student, her academic scores were still better than theirs. If she had these grades, why did she even bother studying art? With such a score, she could easily get into a top university without needing to pursue fine arts.
Many students were resentful and felt immense pressure. Those in Jiang Yu’s class were slightly better off, but students from other classes held a deep grudge against her. After all, being academically outperformed by an art student was humiliating. But what could they do? They simply couldn’t match her scores.
During the midterm grade announcement, the homeroom teacher praised Jiang Yu repeatedly, making her feel embarrassed. “You should all learn from Jiang Yu. She not only excels in painting but also works hard in academics, achieving outstanding results in both. Her success is due to her relentless effort.”
A classmate jokingly shouted, “Teacher, Jiang Yu isn’t human! How can we compete with her? It’s impossible!”
The classroom erupted in laughter. The homeroom teacher shot the student an exasperated look and said, “How do you know if you don’t even try? You sleep in class and don’t do your homework. Do you think you can score high without putting in effort?”
When Jiang Yu first chose to pursue fine arts, her homeroom teacher had been reluctant. With her grades, she was clearly a candidate for a top university. Studying art seemed like a waste of her academic potential. However, since Jiang Yu was determined, the teacher had to respect her choice. Still, she hadn’t expected Jiang Yu to excel in both areas simultaneously.
Beyond natural talent, her achievements were undoubtedly the result of hard work.
The homeroom teacher was in an exceptionally good mood after the grade announcement. Even in the teachers’ office, she couldn’t stop smiling.
At that moment, a newly arrived senior-year math teacher asked, “I heard that the second-highest score in your grade this time was achieved by an art student? Teacher Hu, is that student from your class?”
The other second-year homeroom teachers: “…”
This was so heartbreaking.
Teacher Hu, still smiling, replied, “Yes, Jiang Yu has always performed well.”
The other homeroom teachers clenched their fists, silently vowing to push their students harder. They couldn’t let Jiang Yu keep overshadowing them. Weren’t they ashamed, being beaten by an art student?
The students, however, had already resigned themselves to their fate. “Shame? We’ve gotten used to it. It’s not like I’m the only one losing.”
Despite their frustration, Jiang Yu’s presence motivated the second-year students. If an art student could achieve such high grades, how could they accept being outperformed? As a result, the study atmosphere across the grade became increasingly intense. When Jiang Yu’s grades had dropped temporarily, some students had felt relieved. But now that she had climbed back up, they were once again filled with suppressed frustration.
Still, they had to admit, Jiang Yu was truly incredible. A fine arts student who also excelled academically? That was simply inhuman!
That afternoon, Jiang Yu went to the art studio. The moment she stepped in, Teacher Shen rushed in energetically. Seeing Jiang Yu, her eyes lit up. “Jiang Yu! Perfect timing, I was just about to go find you. Come with me to the airport.”
Completely confused, Jiang Yu let herself be pulled along and asked, “Shijie, who are we picking up at the airport?”
Teacher Shen threw out a single sentence: “Master just arrived from B City. The plane is landing soon, we’ll get there just in time.”
Jiang Yu was stunned.
As Teacher Shen’s voice faded, murmurs spread across the studio. One of the other instructors clapped his hands to regain everyone’s attention. “Teacher Shen is busy, so I’ll be teaching today’s class. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
Meanwhile, Ji Lan turned to Yu Bing and whispered, “Did you hear that? Jiang Yu called Teacher Shen ‘shijie‘… Why is that?”
They had all heard Teacher Shen’s last words, how did she suddenly become Jiang Yu’s senior? Did that mean they were from the same generation under the same mentor?
“What? How does that make sense?” Ji Lan frowned, tossing her pen into the pen holder. “No wonder Teacher Shen favours Jiang Yu so much! Even when she skips the studio, no one says anything. Turns out, they’re fellow apprentices! The teacher is clearly biased toward Jiang Yu.”
Yu Bing remained silent, her expression blank as she held her pen midair without moving.
She knew exactly why Jiang Yu had called Teacher Shen ‘shijie’. In fact, that was the entire reason she had come to the studio. But hearing it confirmed, she wasn’t surprised, only bitterly resigned.
So, Jiang Yu really had become the old master’s student.
But why?
Why her?
In what way was Yu Bing inferior to Jiang Yu?
A mix of jealousy and resentment flickered in Yu Bing’s eyes.
Teacher Shen drove Jiang Yu to the airport. As Jiang Yu fastened her seatbelt, she asked, “Why did Master come so quickly?”
Keeping her eyes on the road, Teacher Shen answered, “Isn’t it because of you? Ever since he saw your talent, he couldn’t wait to come over. I just told him two days ago that the house was ready and today he’s already flying over. He only remembered to call me right before he boarded the plane. He’s already so old, yet he still acts so recklessly, didn’t even give me a heads-up. Luckily, I had everything sorted out. The house was rented and cleaned right away and I’ve kept the windows open for ventilation. It’s ready for him to move in now.”
She continued to chatter on the way, making it clear that she had a lot of complaints about the old man’s unannounced arrival.
Jiang Yu remained silent, feeling a bit nervous about the upcoming meeting. Although she had been video chatting with Master recently, it was never the same as meeting in person. Now, she was about to meet him face-to-face, a respected senior she deeply admired. No matter how calm she was, she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.
Teacher Shen’s car arrived at the airport just before the plane landed. She glanced at her watch and said, “Perfect timing! The plane lands in ten minutes. My timing was just right. Come on, let’s wait at the arrival gate.”
They were in luck, the flight wasn’t delayed today. By 5:30, people were already coming out of the gate.
Checking her phone, Teacher Shen said, “Master said they’re coming out now…”
Moments after she spoke, they spotted a group of seven or eight people emerging from the arrival gate. At the center was an elderly man dressed in a red Tang suit, his complexion rosy and full of energy. Without a doubt, this was the person they had come to pick up, Master Cui.
“Master, over here!” Teacher Shen waved, making sure the old man saw them. The group quickly reunited.
As soon as she walked up, she couldn’t help but complain, “If you were coming, why didn’t you tell me earlier? You suddenly called from the airport asking me to pick you up, I had no time to prepare at all.”
Master Cui glanced at her and said, “I’m just learning from you young people. Isn’t life supposed to be about spontaneous trips?”
Teacher Shen: “…”
Old man, you really keep up with the trends!
The old man pointed to the man beside him and said, “Don’t worry, I didn’t come alone. With Mingshen around, my safety is guaranteed.”
“Hello, Shen jie!”
Lu Mingshen stood with a straight posture, exuding a strong military presence. His demeanor was serious and disciplined and with his tall stature, he gave off an overwhelming sense of authority. For someone as petite as Teacher Shen, facing him felt particularly intimidating.
She awkwardly adjusted her stance and said, “H-hello, Major General Lu.”
Lu Mingshen nodded at her before shifting his gaze to Jiang Yu, observing her for a moment. “So this is the old master’s new student…”
Hearing this, Master Cui nodded enthusiastically. Looking at Jiang Yu with kind eyes, he said, “That’s right, this is my new disciple. I already thought she was a pretty girl in our video calls, but now that I see her in person, wow, she really is a beauty! I almost thought she was using a beauty filter in the video!”
Jiang Yu: “…”
Teacher Shen couldn’t help but ask, “You actually know about beauty filters?”
Master Cui smugly replied, “You think us old folks don’t understand you young people? I don’t just know about beauty filters, I also know about skin smoothing! You guys overdo it so much that your eyebrows and noses disappear. I don’t see what’s so good about that.”
Everyone: “…”
With this lighthearted exchange, Jiang Yu started to feel more at ease. The old man’s personality was just as lively as in their video calls, making her feel instantly at home. Her nervousness disappeared completely.
“Master!” she called out immediately.
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