Mixed Chapter 14
byGood night, see you tomorrow
Outside the Cultural Center, Chi Nuan transferred 3,500 yuan of the 5,000 yuan prize money she received from the competition organizers to Chi Sangzhi, keeping 1,500 yuan for her living expenses next month.
Just as she put down her phone, Chen Zhiyu’s stomach loudly proclaimed its hunger with a series of rumbling sounds.
“Chi Nuannuan, let’s go grab something to eat.”
“Okay, what do you want?”
“Hotpot!” Chen Zhiyu had already made up her mind and was just waiting for Chi Nuan to ask.
/
The hotpot was bubbling and steaming.
Chen Zhiyu couldn’t wait to drop a plate of beef into the pot, but her mouth wasn’t idle either.
“Chi Nuannuan, it just occurred to me—when we were leaving the center, I saw someone whose profile looked exactly like Teacher Song!”
Chi Nuan paused, her hand holding her chopsticks still. “Really? But she told me she had an art exhibition event to attend today.”
“Then maybe I saw wrong.” Chen Zhiyu didn’t dwell on it.
Meanwhile, Song Shixue returned home.
She set up her easel in the study and prepared the necessary tools for oil painting. Then, she began sketching the outline on the canvas with a pencil.
Once the sketch was complete, the mystery of the painting was finally revealed—it was Chi Nuan holding the trophy.
Song Shixue used her most proficient method to capture the selfie Chi Nuan had sent her.
While the figures in Song Shixue’s paintings were not as realistic as those of the realist school, they possessed her unique style. She loved depicting people’s eyes, expressing a sense of story through them, and she favored using cool tones to convey emotion.
As a result, most people felt like crying the moment they saw Song Shixue’s artwork, yet they couldn’t help but marvel at her handling of the scene’s emotion.
When coloring this painting, the palette remained predominantly the cool tones she usually employed.
But Chi Nuan’s eyes were the sole exception, painted in warm orange-yellow hues.
Perhaps it was because Chi Nuan, this ray of light, had finally shone into Song Shixue’s gray life.
If Song Shixue had to define a color for Chi Nuan during their first class.
It would definitely be—warm orange-yellow.
/
At eight in the evening, Chi Nuan sat at her desk in the dorm and sent a message to Song Shixue.
“Teacher Song, are you done with your work?”
“Mhm, I’m done.”
Seeing the message was almost instantly replied to, Chi Nuan’s heart immediately blossomed with joy.
“I was eating with my friend tonight, and she said she saw someone who looked like you. So, did Teacher Song come to the Cultural Center to see me this afternoon?”
Song Shixue felt a sudden, inexplicable panic on the other end of the phone, and the hog-bristle brush in her hand clattered to the floor.
“Your friend must have been mistaken. I didn’t finish until seven.”
Even though Chi Nuan thought it was unlikely, having the message confirmed still left her with a feeling of dashed hope.
“Hahahaha, I knew it probably wasn’t you. It’s getting late, good night, Teacher Song.”
“Mhm, good night.”
Chi Nuan had forgotten where she had heard it before, but the pinyin breakdown of “wan an” (good night) sounded similar to “wo ai ni” (I love you).
So, whenever she finished chatting with Song Shixue at night, she would end with “wan an.”
“Ugh, this is so annoying! It’s been so many days since I last saw Song Shixue!” Chi Nuan felt as if countless ants were crawling inside her heart.
If this continued, Chi Nuan was truly going to suffer from lovesickness, and unrequited lovesickness at that!
She rested her right cheek flat on the desk, her arm dangling below as if boneless.
What was Song Shixue doing right now?
/
Seeing that the painting of Chi Nuan on the canvas was mostly complete, Song Shixue stretched her neck and shoulders, stood up, grabbed her lighter and cigarette case, and walked out onto the balcony.
She was wearing gray-white silk pajamas, her elbows resting on the railing. Through the partially undone buttons, a glimpse of her fair and perfect chest could be seen.
Strands of hair fluttered freely with the rhythm of the evening breeze as she took another drag from her cigarette.
Tonight, there were stars.
Subconsciously, she tapped into her chat interface with Chi Nuan, looking at the glowing figure standing on the stage in the chat background—she was like a star too.
It seemed… it had been a long time since she had met the little black husky alone.
It could only be said that the two of them were truly connected telepathically. Song Shixue was just thinking about Chi Nuan, and the very next second, a message popped up.
“Teacher Song, can I come to your house for dinner tomorrow?”
This sentence instantly added a layer of surprise to Song Shixue’s icy expression.
She thought, “How is it that this little black husky’s words are always unexpected?”
Seeing that the other party hadn’t replied for a long time, Chi Nuan added, “I go home for dinner every weekend, but no one is home tomorrow, so please take pity on poor me, Teacher Song!”
“Last weekend she was with me in Rongcheng, and this week she tells me she has to go home for dinner every weekend?” Song Shixue felt helpless.
This little black husky couldn’t even come up with a proper excuse.
Although Song Shixue inwardly teased Chi Nuan a few times, a faint smile hung on her face.
“Mhm, you can.”
Chi Nuan had initially expected Song Shixue to refuse her, and she had already planned what to say next, but she agreed so easily?!
She jumped up from her chair, letting out joyful squeals. This action caught the attention of the other three people in the dorm, who wondered if she had lost her mind.
Chen Zhiyu looked confused. “Chi Nuannuan, what are you doing! You scared all three of us, you know!”
“Sorry, I was just reading a novel and got to the climax, so I got a little excited.”
Chi Nuan’s tone was apologetic, but her mouth was practically stretched to her ears.
Feeling energized, she no longer sat gloomily in her seat. She immediately ran to the bathroom to wash up and then climbed into bed.
“Should I be a little more shameless?” Chi Nuan pondered.
She took a deep breath and sent another message: “Teacher Song, can I come to your house for both lunch and dinner tomorrow?”
This startled Song Shixue, who was drinking water, causing her to choke violently. She furiously typed on the screen.
“Student Chi, are you pushing your luck?”
Chi Nuan knew when to stop. “Then, Teacher Song, where should I wait for you in the evening?”
“Four in the afternoon, outside the community gate.”
“Got it, Teacher Song, good night, see you tomorrow!”
Chi Nuan said “good night” again, only this time, she added “see you tomorrow.”
Chi Nuan wanted to fall asleep early, but she was too excited to sleep. Thoughts kept bubbling up in her mind one after another.
Four in the afternoon, does Song Shixue want to go grocery shopping with me!
Song Shixue… is she slowly starting to accept me? Or is she just using me for distraction, and after tomorrow, she’ll go back to ignoring me?
Chi Nuan wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep; our Teacher Song was also wide awake.
She lay half-covered in the darkness, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Is what I’m doing right?”