TLDMDTBS Chapter 38

Chapter 38

In the amusement park, there were four different styles of roller coasters. Han Xiaolin and his group chose to try all the most thrilling attractions. After tiring themselves out, they went to a nearby restaurant for a meal.

Just after a couple of bites, Qin Shan pulled out his phone and opened the live stream of the Han embroidery event, stubbornly hoping that Zizhang Senior Sister, despite her illness, would somehow manage to come to the event.

It turned out, Cheng Zizhang was not that remarkable.

She was resting comfortably in the hospital, so there was no reason for her to put herself through the trouble of coming and risking reopening her wounds, especially since her mother was there to ensure everything was fine.

Qin Shan stared at the screen with disappointment and sighed deeply, “Sigh, it really looks like she isn’t coming…”

“What are you doing?” Han Xiaolin leaned over, gnawing on a chicken leg. “Oh, are you still watching the live stream? I told you, Senior Sister won’t come because of her appendicitis. You really refuse to believe it until you’re on the Yellow River, huh?”

Qin Shan felt regretful, “It’s meaningless. I’ll turn it off.”

“Wait a minute,” Han Xiaolin thought for a moment and raised his hand to stop Qin Shan. “Just let it play. It’s quite uncomfortable to eat without the TV. Listening to something is better than nothing.”

Li Yu chimed in, “Yeah, since it’s already on, we might as well keep watching. It’s a good chance to appreciate the art.”

Seeing both of them saying this, Qin Shan nodded, “Alright.”

He took out a stand from his bag, set up the phone, and placed it in front of the table. The other two dragged their chairs closer and all watched the live stream while eating.

The event had just officially started. On the screen, Teacher Cheng Yunxiu was introducing the attending guests and their works one by one, elegant and graceful in manner and tone.

The three men in front of the screen couldn’t help but smile.

“Teacher Cheng and Senior Sister really look alike, it’s like they were carved from the same mold, their aura is just so good…”

“Can they not? They are mother and daughter!”

“Not to mention, this fine work really looks good, the colors are so rich. Is that bird a phoenix or a mandarin duck?”

“Must be a phoenix, right? Aren’t mandarin ducks always in pairs?”

The entire event hall was decorated in an ancient style, and many of the works that Teacher Cheng Yunxiu showed the audience were famous pieces from the last few decades, many of which had to be borrowed from museums or collectors from various places.

The three were initially listening casually but gradually became captivated, forgetting to move their chopsticks.

It wasn’t until the master’s appraisal came to an end and it was time for the disciples to showcase their works that Qin Shan finally focused back on his food.

Han Xiaolin, with a chicken bone in his mouth, stared at the screen and mumbled, “Now that the masters are done, is it time to see Ji Ruan’s piece?”

Qin Shan immediately raised his head, “Is it?!!”

Li Yu also approached, “Which piece?”

The screen still showed a unfamiliar young girl presenting her work, while her teacher smiled in appreciation beside her.

Han Xiaolin didn’t understand the art; to him, the girl’s piece looked quite beautiful, but he couldn’t see any difference from the masters’ works showcased previously.

Qin Shan was very excited, “Aha! I just saw Teacher Cheng in the back! It’ll definitely be time for the piece that Ji Ruan and Senior Sister worked on soon! I might not see Senior Sister’s beautiful face, but looking at their work can still evoke some feelings!”

Han Xiaolin: “……”

Li Yu: “……”

They truly didn’t quite understand this sort of fanboy mentality.

As the camera shifted, a tall and thin boy took the microphone from the girl’s hand, self-introducing himself as Teacher Cheng Yunxiu’s disciple.

Qin Shan frowned, “Who is he? Does Teacher Cheng have such a disciple?”

Li Yu nodded, “Your eyes are only on Senior Sister! He really is Teacher Cheng’s disciple, named Lin Qing.”

Qin Shan was surprised, “How do you know that?”

“He’s from the fine arts academy as well, we often bump into each other in the same building, though he’s two years older, so we are not too familiar.”

As Li Yu spoke, he seemed to remember something: “By the way, during the school anniversary earlier this year, he also showcased a winter scene piece. However, back then, everyone was too busy watching Ji Ruan and their painting in the corridor, so hardly anyone paid attention.”

“Oh…” Qin Shan pondered, “So his skill level must be average then.”

Han Xiaolin laughed, elbowing him, “We outsiders shouldn’t casually say things, be careful of getting beaten up.”

“—This piece is named ‘A Corner of the Courtyard,’ inspired by the pear orchard behind the North Square of Jing Da…” On the screen, Lin Qing began to introduce the piece in a warm voice, appearing elegant and refined.

“Senior Sister Cheng Zizhang and I spent nearly a month completing this work together. The brick wall of the pond is embroidered using dark blue silk thread mixed with silver thread to better represent the beauty of the mist surrounding the bricks after the rain…”

The three listened intently. Lin Qing spoke for a long while but, until he finished, with applause surrounding him, they didn’t hear Ji Ruan’s name mentioned even once.

Han Xiaolin frowned.

Qin Shan was puzzled, “What’s he doing? What does that mean? Isn’t this the piece Ji Ruan and Senior Sister did together? Even if it was just to help, he should at least mention Ji Ruan a little, otherwise, people might think he did it all himself…”

“It shouldn’t be…” Li Yu pouted, “He clearly stated which part was made by Senior Sister! By this logic, the rest must all be his own work, doesn’t that mean he’s replacing Ji Ruan’s part? Their circle is quite sensitive about this.”

Han Xiaolin spat out a chicken bone, crossing his arms, “Which circle isn’t sensitive about that? Isn’t this theft?”

Li Yu shook his head, “They especially abhor that, because there isn’t much money to be made in Han embroidery and it’s not about the money for them. They painstakingly do this tough work just to pass on the craft, and reputation is everything, almost the basis for their existence. It must be clear who did what, even a single thread needs to be accounted for.”

Li Yu whispered, “I heard a rumor before, don’t know if it’s true, but apparently someone was kicked out for doing something like this during a small competition, and this industry will never recognize them again.”

Qin Shan was shocked, “Seriously?! Does he dare to do something like that? Besides, everyone will have a slightly different skill when working on this kind of thing, just like us writing; how can Teacher Cheng not notice after teaching him for so many years? Isn’t that easy to find out?”

“Exactly,” Li Yu also found it perplexing, looking at Han Xiaolin, “Do you think they have another piece? Maybe this really is only what he did with Senior Sister?”

Han Xiaolin rubbed his chin in thought, saying, “No, no… they only submitted one piece this time, I remember Ji Ruan told me that.”

Li Yu scratched his head, “Then that’s strange, but today is just a small event and not a competition, perhaps even if he got caught, he wouldn’t be removed?”

“But it doesn’t make sense. It’s not a competition and there’s no prize, so there’s no need to take that risk. What’s in it for him?” Qin Shan simply didn’t understand.

Han Xiaolin leaned closer to the screen, observing carefully. Suddenly, he exclaimed, “It’s definitely Ji Ruan! I’m sure Ji Ruan did that part… look here—”

The camera zoomed in on the piece displayed on stage. Han Xiaolin took a screenshot and enlarged it, switching the live stream to a smaller window and pointing at his phone, saying, “Those trees on the far right are all plum trees, red plums!”

Qin Shan saw it right away; those plum blossoms were quite eye-catching: “True, but so what?”

Han Xiaolin flipped the live stream back to full screen, saying, “Ji Ruan complained to me before that the piece was originally going to feature pear trees, but he accidentally poked himself and a drop of blood fell on it, so he had to temporarily change it to red plums.”

“He even mentioned that the work almost got ruined because of that drop of blood; I remember it very clearly!”

In the live stream, an audience member raised her hand to ask a question, capturing the attention of the three.

The questioner was a cute-looking girl who blushed from excitement when Lin Qing picked her.

“Hello, Senior Lin Qing, I’m a first-year student from the finance department, I especially love your piece…” The girl nervously adjusted her bangs as she spoke.

Lin Qing smiled warmly, “Thank you, junior sister. Don’t be nervous, take your time—could someone from the staff please bring her a glass of water?”

Qin Shan rolled his eyes: “This kid sure knows how to put on an act.”

The girl’s face turned even redder due to Lin Qing’s considerate gesture, stammering, “T-thank you, Senior! I just want to say, although I don’t understand Han embroidery, any person with normal aesthetic sense would love your piece… especially those last plum blossoms, I really love them!”

A fleeting glint of emotion passed through Lin Qing’s eyes but disappeared so quickly that one couldn’t grasp what it was. He half-jokingly replied, “Oh, you only like the plum blossoms. Don’t you like anything else?”

The girl seemed taken aback by his question, stunned for a moment, then immediately waved her hands, “N-no, I like everything, they’re all beautiful! But I personally really like the plum blossoms. They look so lifelike, did you really embroider them, Senior?”

Lin Qing’s smile faded slightly; he lowered his head to discreetly press his lips together, raising his head again to look at the girl with a smile, without giving a clear answer.

However, the girl unconsciously took his behavior as tacit approval, covering her mouth in excitement, “You’re amazing, Senior! — By the way, I have another question. Can I ask you?”

Lin Qing, in a gentlemanly manner, raised his hand: “Please go ahead.”

“It’s just… didn’t you say just now that the inspiration came from our school’s pear orchard?” The girl smiled shyly, “But why would you embroider plum blossoms in the pear orchard? I’m sorry if my question seems a bit silly…”

Lin Qing’s smile momentarily froze.

— It was originally supposed to be a pear tree.

Their piece was meant to feature pear trees; the sketch clearly illustrated pear flowers!

Due to Ji Ruan’s intervention, this was the first time Lin Qing had seen it in its complete form today, and he had directly overlooked this detail.

He bit his lip while staring at the plum blossoms, his fingers gripping the microphone turned faintly white.

Qin Shan slapped the table, “Great question! That’s our finance department’s girl! A real hit!”

Han Xiaolin laughed, “Finding inspiration from a pear orchard to embroider plum blossoms—hahaha, he’s truly something!”

Lin Qing remained silent for a long while, just gazing at those plum trees, and the audience began to murmur among themselves.

The girl heard some not-so-pleasant speculations from the crowd and furrowed her brow, interrupting eagerly, “Senior…”

Lin Qing came back to his senses, glanced at the girl, then swept his gaze around the audience filled with varied expressions. His tightened grip relaxed, and he revealed a gentle smile:

“You must be a freshman, right?”

“Ah?… Yes, yes it is. What’s wrong?” The sudden shift in topic left the girl looking bewildered.

Lin Qing chuckled softly, surveying the audience for a while before leisurely saying, “It seems like many in the audience are also freshmen, so let me just clarify.”

Qin Shan was exasperated, “What’s he going to clarify?”

But Lin Qing took his time to sip water: “In the past, there were also plum trees in the pear orchard; there were actually two planted deep inside. By the time you juniors entered school, they had all been transplanted to the plum garden, which is why you didn’t know.”

“—Originally, we wanted to embroider pear trees, but perhaps out of nostalgia, we accidentally embroidered the wrong thing and decided to embrace the mistake and change it to plum blossoms instead. If everyone doesn’t believe me, they can just ask credible seniors; they’ll surely know.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a more enthusiastic discussion erupted among the audience.

“Is that really how it is? There were indeed some?”

“There really were. A few years ago there were indeed a few plum trees at the back of the pear orchard, he’s actually telling the truth.”

“After all, he’s an artist; he wouldn’t lie about this…”

Lin Qing quietly listened to the changing atmosphere in the audience as he lowered his head, a subtle smile appearing on his lips.

The girl instantly sighed in relief, excitedly saying, “Thank you for the clarification, Senior, I knew there must be some reason!”

She sat back down, looking proud that she didn’t doubt her trustworthy source.

“Wow…” Li Yu was stunned, “Is this really possible? Are freshmen supposed to be like this?”

Han Xiaolin frowned, crossing his arms, “Wow, I underestimated this brat; his mental resilience is pretty good.”

Qin Shan was anxious, “Oh no! We can’t just let him get away with this! Why isn’t Teacher Cheng doing anything? Doesn’t someone of her level see through this? Hurry and expose this brat’s tricks!”

Just then, a soft, delicate laughter echoed, “—What are you guys watching? Why are you all looking so angry?”

Everyone looked up, and sure enough, it was Ji Ruan arriving back from his date with Gu Xiuyi, holding a large bouquet of flowers and smiling.

Han Xiaolin couldn’t help but facepalm.

Ji Ruan could be quite childish at times, fond of fluffy little things, loved flowers, and loved to laugh. The little purple pom-poms Gu Xiuyi chose for him were still bobbing on his head.

Holding a huge bouquet and looking like a silly little sweet, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes sparkled.

Uncertain about what they had done, Gu Xiuyi looked radiant, his black coat covered in the purple fluff from Ji Ruan’s sweater. Judging by the amount, it seemed he had to have rolled over at least twice with it; the battle looked quite fierce.

“Ah! You finally returned, ancestor,” Qin Shan exclaimed dramatically, looking like the emperor who was anxiously waiting for the eunuchs: “Still smiling? Do you know you were robbed while you were gone? And you still dare to smile?!”

“What? What happened?” Ji Ruan had just finished eating and had not checked his phone at all.

Without further ado, everyone squeezed aside to leave the center position open for Ji Ruan and Gu Xiuyi.

Ji Ruan carefully placed the flowers to the side and sat in the middle, noticing they were watching the live stream of the Han embroidery event, all of them looking red-faced with anger.

Han Xiaolin pointed at the screen, “That’s Lin Qing; you recognize him, right? That plum blossom piece is embroiderd by you, right?”

Ji Ruan nodded, “Mhm.”

Han Xiaolin chuckled wildly, “This brat actually claimed he did it himself! He’s impersonating you!”

Ji Ruan gasped, “Really…”

“Not just that,” Qin Shan added, “Someone just questioned why he would embroider plum blossoms in a pear orchard, and this brat bluffed his way out of it! Now everyone is praising him, they’re furious!”

Li Yu frowned, “But what I find most strange is Teacher Cheng; why hasn’t she said anything? You can clearly see personal style in embroidery, right?”

Ji Ruan looked at Li Yu, smiling, “Mhm, you’re right.”

Qin Shan slammed his thigh, “Then what was that all about?”

Six pairs of eyes were focused on Ji Ruan, but he fell silent.

Everyone shifted their gaze to Gu Xiuyi, whose expression was indifferent.

But he always looked that way; it didn’t matter what was going on in his mind; everyone knew not to expect any insights from his face, and they turned their attention back to Ji Ruan.

Yet Ji Ruan rested his chin on his hand, appearing particularly gentle as he looked at the screen, seemingly unfazed by the current situation, not even the slightest hint of surprise, the smile on his lips unchanged from the beginning.

In the brightly lit and soft restaurant, Ji Ruan looked gentle and radiant, as if he was watching not Lin Qing’s annoying face but something soothing in a slow-paced show.

Han Xiaolin, unable to contain himself, asked Ji Ruan, “What are you thinking? Aren’t you angry at all?”

Ji Ruan turned his head, the blush around his eyes adding to his gentleness: “I’ll wait and see.”

Back in the hospital, he deliberately didn’t tell Lin Qing that he had helped embroider part of Cheng Zizhang’s piece, curious if a situation like this would arise. Now that it had, of course, he wasn’t surprised.

As the protagonists spoke, no matter how anxious the others felt, they could only restrain their emotions and settle down alongside Ji Ruan.

On screen, Lin Qing finished his introduction and was about to hand the microphone to the next girl when, in a last-minute take, Cheng Yunxiu suddenly spoke up, “Wait a minute.”

Lin Qing turned around.

Cheng Yunxiu smiled, “I have a question to ask as well; is that okay?”

Qin Shan tightened his fists, “Is Teacher Cheng finally going to flex her muscles!”

Everyone saw the moment Lin Qing visibly froze, and then he managed a forced smile, “Of course, please go ahead, Teacher.”

Although Cheng Yunxiu possessed a soft elegance, her every move revealed a subtle pressure that demanded respect, exemplifying everyone’s demeanor.

In this aspect, Cheng Zizhang really resembled her. Ji Ruan unconsciously smiled, feeling they were much like his mother and sister, both possessing that strength—something Lin Qing could never learn.

Perhaps because of the teacher’s imposing presence, Lin Qing no longer appeared so at ease as before, standing somewhat awkwardly next to Cheng Yunxiu.

Cheng Yunxiu pointed to a cluster of plum blossoms and looked at Lin Qing, “Why do the colors of these flowers appear darker than the others?”

The smile on Ji Ruan’s face deepened instantly.

Although everyone was unclear about the backstory, they could tell from Ji Ruan’s expression that Teacher Cheng had hit the nail on the head and all perked up.

“Oxidation?” Gu Xiuyi said, folding his arms.

The usually stoic Gu Xiuyi finally spoke for the first time since arriving.

Li Yu, thinking in full art student mode, said, “Isn’t it to create a light and shadow effect using light and dark color differences?”

Qin Shan, who studied science like Gu Xiuyi, thought along the same lines: “It’s because the blood darkens when it oxidizes. That’s our precious Ji Ruan’s Rh-negative A-type blood!”

Li Yu argued back, “True, but you should open your eyes wide and see, Ji Ruan’s Rh-negative A-type blood is only a drop, but the flowers have several! Clearly intended to create a light and shadow effect!”

“Not so, Li Yu, we can’t say it like that; let’s be scientific! Look—”

“Oh, alright, alright,” Ji Ruan laughed, stepping in to mediate, “There’s no need to argue. You’re all right.”

His voice was soft, and the little pom-pom on his head made him appear particularly cuddly, leading the two to feel embarrassed and drop the fervor, sitting calmly back down.

Ji Ruan cupped his face, looking innocent, pointing to the screen, “Don’t rush, let’s see what Lin Qing has to say.”

But Lin Qing was stuck and couldn’t utter a word.

He stood frozen on stage, resembling a stalled video, to the extent that Qin Shan even tapped his phone, thinking it was his poor connection.

Until they saw that everyone else on stage was moving, did they fully realize he had genuinely been stumped.

Han Xiaolin clicked his tongue, “Not… this simple knowledge point, I know it as a total amateur, does he really need to think so long?”

Qin Shan nodded, “Maybe he’s just an idiot.”

Ji Ruan was unsure whether Lin Qing was foolish, but he was well aware that Lin Qing’s mental resilience was quite weak.

Just as Han Xiaolin said, Lin Qing couldn’t possibly not know such a simple knowledge point, yet in front of the crowd, with the stern teacher before him, his heart felt weak and he must have been dazed.

With everyone anxious, how could he think straight?

Time ticked away, and the silence on stage began to annoy the audience, whispers gradually growing into murmurs of doubt.

As Lin Qing’s breathing became unusually rapid enough to be noticed on camera, Cheng Yunxiu spoke softly:

“I would guess there was a little accident at the time, like maybe he pricked his finger and dropped a drop of blood on it, but once it dried, it darkened—”

She pointed at a neighboring branch, “So, he embroidered a few more similarly dark plums and stitched a branch in a partially obscured way to make it look like the front branch was casting shade over the back one.”

“And as for why it’s one branch rather than the entire tree…” Cheng Yunxiu chuckled light-heartedly, “Maybe there just wasn’t enough time? Though it’s a clever approach, leaving such a gap also holds a certain charm.”

She guessed correctly, and Ji Ruan’s eyes brightened. Teacher Cheng articulated that he was pressed for time to only embroider one branch instead of the whole tree perfectly.

For an instant, he even wondered if Cheng Zizhang had already told her, but thinking back to Cheng Zizhang just having undergone surgery, and the teacher only being able to visit her once, it was clear this couldn’t be the case.

When Ji Ruan woke from anesthesia, his mind and tongue would not have been completely clear. He understood this state too well; Cheng Zizhang wouldn’t be able to relay the facts to her mother during that time.

On stage, after Teacher Cheng Yunxiu finished explaining for Lin Qing, she suddenly nonchalantly asked:

“Did I get it right?”

But her gaze was not on Lin Qing; she looked past Lin Qing’s ear directly into the camera.

The cameraman was sharp and immediately zoomed in on her.

Ji Ruan watched keenly, and when their eyes met, an abrupt connection sparked, as if a huge stone had plunged into water from a height, causing ripples—after submerging, only faint arcs remained.

Ji Ruan felt an overwhelming exhilaration; a radiant smile broke out on his face as he took a hearty sip of milk tea.

Lin Qing was now completely panicking, barely noticing Cheng Yunxiu’s expression as he heard her question. He repeatedly nodded, “Yes, yes! Teacher, you’re right!”

Cheng Yunxiu shifted her gaze back to Lin Qing, her smile hinting at something deeper: “You can’t even articulate your own work? Do you need me to help you?”

Her eyes were warm yet held a scrutinizing intensity that was staring him down. The implication was almost bold and naked. Even Lin Qing, no matter how foolish, could see the meaning behind it.

He froze entirely, feeling as if he lost the ability to breathe, cold sweat streaming down his face.

Thud—

The microphone in Lin Qing’s hand fell to the floor with a thud, the speakers emitted sharp feedback, causing the audience to cover their ears and complain, and chaos erupted.

In that moment, Lin Qing clearly realized that Teacher Cheng, instead of exposing him publicly, had already given him a way out.

“Damn, that feels so good!” Qin Shan stood up, slapping his thigh: “Look at how scared that brat is! This is so satisfying for me!”

Gu Xiuyi handed Ji Ruan a tissue, letting him wipe away the milk tea residue from his lips, gently stating, “So, that Teacher Cheng figured out that those plum blossoms are neither Lin Qing’s nor Cheng Zizhang’s work, but belong to a third person?”

Ji Ruan pressed a tissue to his lips, his eyes sparkling with mirth: “Yeah, I believe so.”

Li Yu frowned, “But I still don’t quite understand. Each of you has your own embroidery style, wouldn’t Lin Qing recognize that? Why would he dare to pass off others’ work as his?”

Ji Ruan smiled lightly: “It probably resembles Senior Sister’s technique enough yet feels different enough that he thought no one would suspect.”

“…What do you mean?”

Ji Ruan took another sip of milk tea, leisurely explaining, “I was initially only helping. In order to make the overall piece more cohesive, I consciously aimed to align with Senior Sister’s needle techniques. However, I couldn’t make it too similar because of time constraints. So, technically, if one were to argue, that part could hold for Lin Qing’s techniques, too.”

He looked at Li Yu, “Lin Qing’s and Senior Sister’s styles are similar to begin with. He probably never considered a third person had worked on this—he might think, even if he were suspected, it would just be back-and-forth bickering between him and Senior Sister. Maybe Teacher would even believe him because she’s concerned about being accused of favoritism since Senior Sister is her biological daughter!”

“Damn… that’s so cunning!”

Ji Ruan smiled, blinking innocently, “That’s just my personal guess.”

He instinctively licked off the milk tea residue lingering on his lips.

Gu Xiuyi noticed the gaze of the three men across from Ji Ruan fixating on his lips.

“……”

He straightened up, abandoning his earlier easygoing posture, his back finally leaving the chair’s support. He took a napkin and covered Ji Ruan’s mouth with an assertive but gentle manner.

“—Huh?” Ji Ruan looked up, startled.

Gu Xiuyi’s expression was unchanged as he elegantly folded the napkin and accurately dabbed at Ji Ruan’s lips, “You got some on you again, wipe it off.”

“Oh~~~!” The crowd despaired, covering their eyes.

In public, being wiped down like that made Ji Ruan’s ears heat up, yet his body momentarily froze in place.

Until the phone rang, he hurriedly pushed Gu Xiuyi away.

— A call from Cheng Zizhang.

Ji Ruan waited a moment, allowing the caller ID to flash on the screen, then finally pressed the answer button under everyone’s curious gaze, his voice as usual:

“Hello, Senior?”