Jiang Yu drew quickly and skillfully, finishing the pencil sketch before the afternoon classes even started.
The regular A4 paper bought from the school’s convenience store now bore the image of a round, glutinous rice ball-like girl in deep black pencil strokes.
Xu Ruyi’s chubbiness was endearing, her large eyes twinkling and her skin fair and smooth – an enviable milky complexion. To Jiang Yu, she resembled a round, white milk cat, exuding an air of innocent clumsiness.
In the drawing, Xu Ruyi was eating a snack with her head lowered, her cheeks puffed like a hamster storing food. Her jet-black hair was neatly combed, revealing a smooth forehead. Beside her, the window let in sunlight, enveloping her in a gentle glow, making her look unbelievably adorable.
“This is me? It’s amazing! I’m going to frame it as soon as I get home!” Xu Ruyi beamed as she held the drawing, her happiness unmistakable.
Seeing how much she loved it, Jiang Yu also felt pleased.
–
Jiang Yu found the afternoon lessons confusing. After so many years, her high school knowledge had long since faded. The numbers looked familiar, but she barely recognised any of them.
Jiang Yu: “…”
For the first time, she felt completely illiterate.
With a sigh, she absentmindedly sketched a blooming peony on her textbook.
Xu Ruyi noticed and asked, “Jiang Yu, why are you sighing? My mom always says sighing too much will drive away good luck. You should smile more – then good things will come!”
Jiang Yu replied, “I just realised that the words in the textbook all recognise me, but I don’t recognise them. Looks like I’ll have to start over from the beginning.”
In her past life, she had always been exceptional – whether in art or academics, she consistently ranked among the top in her class. Now, having turned younger, she had to relearn everything from scratch.
–
After school, Jiang Yu took her textbooks home and started reviewing them from the very beginning. They covered the basics and after going through them, she finally felt a bit more confident – at least she could recognise chemical and physics symbols again.
Her life gradually settled into a peaceful routine. Besides studying, she would spread out paper on her drawing board and sketch whatever caught her eye – a leaf, a flower, even the entrance of the school cafeteria. Anything was fair game.
Xu Ruyi remarked, “Your life sounds so romantic and carefree…”
But Jiang Yu didn’t find it particularly carefree. These habits had been ingrained in her from her past life, as natural to her as eating and drinking.
–
Lu Mingyu had spent the night out partying, only to return home and hear the housekeeper mention a package for him.
“A package? What is it?” he asked.
The housekeeper shook her head, unsure of the contents. “It’s quite a large box.”
Lu Mingyu nodded and, reeking of alcohol, headed toward the living room.
The housekeeper called after him, “Third Young Master, the Eldest Young Master came back yesterday. He’s in the living room now.”
Hearing this, Lu Mingyu’s face immediately turned bitter. He tensed up, already contemplating whether he should turn around and go out again – maybe come back once his brother had left.
But before he could make his escape, a cold voice called out from inside, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Lu Mingyu: “…”
He turned around reluctantly and saw his older brother standing at the entrance of the living room, his sharp, icy gaze fixed on him.
With an awkward chuckle, Lu Mingyu tried to sound casual. “Heh… Big Brother, long time no see!”
Lu Mingshen turned and walked inside, throwing out a single command: “Come in.”
Lu Mingyu’s expression crumpled as he followed into the living room, looking as if he were walking to his doom.
“Big Brother, don’t you have any missions lately?” Sitting beside his brother made him feel like he was on pins and needles, so he braved a question.
Lu Mingshen finished reading his newspaper, set it aside and replied, “There haven’t been any major assignments in the military recently, so I have time to spend with you and strengthen our brotherly bond. Aren’t you happy?”
Lu Mingyu forced out two laughs. “Of course… I’m happy… so happy…”
Happy, my ass.
His brother was five years older than him. When they were kids, their parents were always busy, so he had practically been raised by Lu Mingshen. But despite being only twenty-five, his brother was a total disciplinarian –
Serious. Stern. No-nonsense. Merciless.
That was how Lu Mingyu saw him. And honestly, he was terrified of him. Seeing his brother now made him feel like a mouse facing a cat.
“Where were you last night?” Lu Mingshen’s sharp eyes swept over him. “You reek of alcohol. What kind of impression do you think you’re giving? And I heard from Auntie that you haven’t been going to school either. What, do you find studying too easy? Want to come train with me in the military instead?”
Before he could finish, Lu Mingyu had already snapped to attention like a soldier facing execution. “N-no! Studying is great! I’ll go to school tomorrow!”
His eyes darted around the room and landed on a large yellow package sitting on the floor.
“Hey, where did this package come from? Why is it just sitting here?”
He walked over and, mid-sentence, noticed the recipient’s name. It was addressed to him.
Scratching his head, he muttered, “I don’t remember ordering anything online…”
“Aunt Lan, bring me a knife! I’m opening my package!”
The package was quite large and securely wrapped. Judging by the shape, it seemed to be a wooden panel of some sort. As he opened it, he found the wooden board wrapped in a layer of white paper, tightly sealed.
Lu Mingyu had completely forgotten about ordering a painting. As he unwrapped the package, he muttered, “What is this? Could it be a fan sending me a photo?”
Pulling away the outer paper, the contents gradually revealed themselves – it was a painting of a beauty. The woman in the painting lay on her side, delicately stirring the water with her slender fingers. Ripples spread across the pond, reflecting her image.
Sunlight filtered through the background, casting golden rays, with trees and flowers surrounding her, enhancing the scene’s beauty. Yet, compared to the central figure, the surroundings seemed to fade in significance.
“A real beauty…” Lu Mingyu couldn’t help but whistle, only to receive an icy glare from his elder brother.
He chuckled awkwardly, thick-skinned enough to hold up the painting for his brother to see. “I bought this online. Didn’t expect it to look even better in person.”
The painting wasn’t strictly realistic, but it exuded an undeniable charm – her posture, the allure in her gaze and the subtle gracefulness that radiated sophistication rather than vulgarity.
As the saying goes, true beauty lies in the bones, not just the skin. And this painting captured exactly that – beauty in its essence.
“This artist, [A Fleeting Dream], really has some skill,” Lu Mingyu remarked, holding the painting like a treasured possession.
His elder brother, Lu Mingshen, glanced at it briefly. To him, it was just a person, some trees and a few flowers. But he had to admit – it was indeed quite pleasing to the eye.
Lu Mingyu pouted. “This is called art, brother. Do you even understand aesthetics?”
Lu Mingshen smirked coldly. “Tomorrow, you’re coming with me for military training. Since you appreciate art so much, you should also learn about the art of being a soldier.”
Lu Mingyu: “No, brother! I was wrong!”
Lu Mingshen remained unmoved, though he couldn’t help but sneak another glance at the painting.
– The woman in the painting was undeniably stunning.
Despite being dragged to military training and worked to the bone, Lu Mingyu still found time to mess around online. His resilience even earned the admiration of his older brother.
“Brother, you’re old. You just don’t understand the world of us young people,” Lu Mingyu quipped.
That earned him a chilling smile from his brother.
The next day, after grueling training, he collapsed like a dead dog.
“This is abuse of power! Unbelievable!” he muttered.
Still, he took out his phone and posted a picture of the painting on Weibo. He liked it so much that he had already taken down the so-called ‘postmodern art’ on his wall and replaced it with this masterpiece.
Jiang Yu’s phone camera wasn’t great, but Lu Mingyu’s was practically on par with a professional camera. The photo he took captured the full beauty of the painting – the woman’s charm seemed to spill out of the screen, mesmerising all who saw it.
[This painting is stunning! I never thought I’d be seduced by a piece of artwork.]
[Oh my god, the way she looks at you – it’s captivating! I can feel my heart racing.]
[Her eyes, her expression – this painting is absolutely breathtaking!]
As soon as the picture hit the internet, countless people were enthralled. Who would have thought a mere painting could be this alluring? The beauty of the artwork transcended the medium, reaching out to stir emotions in the viewers.
This painting was simply too stunning.
Jiang Yu’s Weibo was flooded with comments. People were in awe, showering her with praise.
Talented individuals never lacked admirers.
When she opened her app, her phone lagged from the sheer volume of notifications. It nearly crashed, but after a while, it managed to recover.
Scrolling through her messages, she wasn’t surprised.
Even though the painting wasn’t hyper-realistic, it still conveyed the elegance and charm of its subject. That was her skill – to amplify a character’s appeal through the details.
Among the messages, several people requested commissions, all asking for character portraits. Some even requested… less appropriate artworks.
Jiang Yu: “…”
She accepted three commissions, negotiating the details with the clients and securing deposits.
One particular commission stood out. The client, whose Weibo handle was [Liangshan], wanted an entire set of 108 Water Margin heroes, each with unique details and expressions.
[T/N: Liangshan is the mountain fortress of the 108 outlaws in Water Margin (also known as Outlaws of the Marsh), one of the great classics of Chinese literature.]
[I’ve always wanted a complete set of Water Margin heroes, but I could never find an artist whose work felt right. Your painting captured the essence of the character so well – I believe you can bring all 108 heroes to life!]
Since each of the 108 characters needed to be distinct, the price naturally reflected the complexity. Jiang Yu set her base price at 300,000 yuan – a significant amount. Discussing such a deal online wasn’t exactly reassuring, so she decided to arrange an in-person meeting before fully committing.
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