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“Definitely going!” someone, feigning drunkenness, yelled, “Is Shen Xi going?!”
It was past midnight when they dispersed. Lin Zhan teased Shen Xi about it: “Are you going?”
Shen Xi glanced at her and said, “I’ll go with you.”
She feigned ignorance: “Where are you going with me?”
He paused, his silhouette merging into the deep gray night. His voice was ethereal but firm.
“Anywhere you want to go.”
Lin Zhan’s breath hitched. After a while, she said, “Will you go anywhere I want?”
He replied in a deep voice, “Mm.”
Lin Zhan joyfully said, “Shen Xi, I want to...”
Shen Xi frowned, waiting for her to finish her sentence.
Lin Zhan laughed, pointing forward: “Go to the ladies’ room.”
“...”
________________________________________
Throughout the first semester, Lin Zhan’s romantic and artistic endeavors developed steadily. Once the first semester concluded with a few exams, the winter break followed.
“Going home for Chinese New Year?” Shen Xi asked her.
Lin Zhan coughed and said, “No, I’ll stay here and paint. I signed up for a class, so I don’t get rusty over the holiday.”
Shen Xi had guessed as much.
She didn’t particularly like staying at home, and now, with the art exhibition bet with Lin Zhengping, she was completely focused on this matter. She wouldn’t allow herself any mistakes and didn’t want her indulgence to make her miss any opportunity.
Painting more and exhibiting more to become familiar was a preliminary goal she set for herself.
Lin Zhan poked him: “You go back, you don’t need to stay with me. There’s a girl in my class who isn’t going home for the New Year either, I can be with her. And I can also go visit Zheng Yimian. All in all, it’ll be a perfect winter break.”
Shen Xi ruffled her hair: “I’ve planned it too. I’ll go back for a trip, and then stay here for the rest of the time. I’ll probably go back for seven days, just enough to spend Chinese New Year with them.”
“Then we have a deal,” Lin Zhan swayed her head, “My schedule is all packed. If I don’t have time to be with you, you can’t blame me.”
“It’s fine. If you’re not with me, I’ll be with you.”
A few days before Chinese New Year, Shen Xi packed his clothes and went home.
The night before he was due to leave, Lin Zhan called him and asked, “Where are you getting on the train tomorrow? I’ll see you off.”
“No need, it’s windy outside. I can go by myself.”
Some of his dormmates hadn’t left yet. Hearing Shen Xi say this, one of them chimed in: “Brother Xi is so considerate.”
Lin Zhan: “Then you need to be careful.”
Although she didn’t see Shen Xi off at the high-speed rail station, Lin Zhan still woke up early that day, bought Shen Xi breakfast, and saw him into a taxi.
Shen Xi: “Call me if anything happens.”
Lin Zhan pushed him into the car door: “Got it, got it. Hurry and get in.”
________________________________________
After a few hours on the high-speed rail, Shen Xi arrived home.
Ye Qian rushed out of her room, eager to talk to her son whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Are you adapting to the new school?”
“Are your classes busy?”
“How’s the school food?”
“Do you get along well with your roommates?”
Shen Xi answered each question simply, sat on the sofa, and started playing with his phone.
He sent a message to Lin Zhan: [I’m home.]
Ye Qian continued: “Tomorrow, your aunt’s family is hosting dinner. Wake up early and get ready.”
Actually, he used to not like going to such dinner parties; he usually had nothing to say when he went.
But this time, as if thinking of something, he asked Ye Qian: “Does Uncle Wang’s hotel have many public events every year?”
“Yes,” Ye Qian sat next to him, “Why do you ask? Do you want to stay there?”
“No,” Shen Xi said, “I have a friend who’s very good at painting and wants to hold an art exhibition. She’s worried about not getting enough exposure, so I want to hang some of her paintings at the events.”
“Friend? A boy or a girl?”
Parents always cared most about such questions.
Shen Xi paused, then chose to tell the truth: “A girl.”
“You actually have a female friend?” Ye Qian smiled. “How’s it going?”
Shen Xi: “It’s alright.”
“Okay, then at dinner tomorrow, you can ask your Uncle Wang yourself.”
That evening, Shen Xi carefully went through his relatives who had good connections with his family and could potentially provide exhibition opportunities for Lin Zhan.
After listing and scrutinizing them one by one, he ultimately felt that his aunt’s family was the most reliable.
A large part of Lin Zhan’s art exhibition would likely be held in Z City, so promoting it here wouldn’t be very useful. He still needed to ask his aunt’s husband if he knew anyone in Z City.
The next morning, Shen Xi set off with Ye Qian and Shen Su.
At the dinner table, another round of pleasantries was unavoidable.
His aunt’s husband patted Shen Xi’s shoulder, sighing: “This kid has grown taller again. He was already really tall in high school, I didn’t expect him to grow even taller after going to university.”
“Your aunt told me you had something to ask me. What is it?”
Shen Xi explained the matter in detail.
His aunt’s husband pondered for a moment and said, “Hanging paintings is fine, but as you said, my hotel isn’t in Z City. Any events held here would mostly be attended by people from this area... I’ll ask my friends in Z City for you and let you know if I hear anything.”
Shen Xi pursed his lips: “Mm, thank you, Uncle Wang.”
After finishing dinner, on the drive back, Ye Qian, sitting in the passenger seat, asked Shen Xi: “You usually don’t care about your friends’ affairs like this. Why are you so invested this time?”
“Not a friend,” Shen Xi said calmly, looking down at his phone, “Your daughter-in-law.”
Ye Qian: ???
“When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell Mom?!”
Ye Qian immediately turned around.
Shen Su, driving, slowed down: “Just started dating?”
“It should be,” Ye Qian said, “Xi Xi shouldn’t be in an early relationship, but it’s only been half a year, and then...”
“We’ve known each other for a long time.”
“I knew it! We don’t have many relatives in Z City, so why were you so determined to go there... it’s because that girl is studying there, right?!”
Once they got home, Ye Qian’s full-scale interrogation was unavoidable.
Ye Qian was thoroughly enjoying her questioning.
Shen Su sat on the sofa, turning on the TV: “His own business, let him handle it.”
He thought for a moment and added: “Just don’t play with other people’s feelings.”
Ye Qian: “Find some time to bring her back for Mom to meet her, so I can check her out for you.”
“No need for checking,” Shen Xi stood up. “You’ll like her.”
She’s so cute, they’ll definitely like her.
Ye Qian: “Hey—you haven’t even brought her home yet, and you’re already so sure?”
________________________________________
Lin Zhan and the girl from the next dorm room were inseparable. During Chinese New Year, they solemnly went out for a hot pot meal.
After returning to the dorm and showering, Lin Zhan received a call from Shen Xi.
“Did you go out tonight?”
“I went out for hot pot,” she answered with interest, “What about you?”
“I also ate out.”
Hearing that her mood remained unaffected, Shen Xi finally felt relieved.
The two chatted for a while, nearing midnight.
Lin Zhan leaned on the windowsill and asked him, “Do you have fireworks over there?”
The school was strict, so no one set off fireworks.
“No, fireworks are banned.”
“Oh, I see...” Lin Zhan replied, a little disappointed.
“Do you really like watching fireworks?” Shen Xi asked her. “If you do, I can take you somewhere else to light them yourself.”
Lin Zhan: “Okay.”
She didn’t know how long he was silent, but the cheers of midnight rang in Lin Zhan’s ears. She moved her phone away to check the time, and when she put it back to her ear, she heard Shen Xi’s voice.
Steady, peaceful, and reassuring.
“Lin Zhan, come to my house next year, and I’ll take you to set off fireworks.”
She tapped her fingers on the windowsill, then replied after a moment, “Okay.”
________________________________________
At the beginning of the second semester, due to numerous awards and beautiful works, coupled with frequent appearances on bulletin boards, public accounts, and campus radio, Lin Zhan’s name quickly spread throughout the school.
She became a minor celebrity at the school.
School teachers began to pay more attention to her, always making sure to include her in exhibition opportunities.
In the second semester, following her teacher, Lin Zhan collaborated with a few classmates to hold a student art exhibition.
Because of the extensive school publicity and wide promotional channels, many tickets for the exhibition were requested as soon as it began.
The only drawback was that Sun Qiqi was also participating in this exhibition.
Lin Zhan wasn’t afraid of her, she was just worried Sun Qiqi would pull some stunts.
But perhaps the previous incident made Sun Qiqi realize that even trying to sabotage Lin Zhan might not succeed, so this time she was a bit more restrained.
Lin Zhan initially thought Sun Qiqi had finally decided to leave her alone. However, when it was time to display the paintings before the exhibition, Lin Zhan realized that Sun Qiqi’s painting style seemed to have changed.
There wasn’t a huge change, as Sun Qiqi’s style was already similar to Lin Zhan’s.
But upon closer inspection... the sense of déjà vu was even stronger than before.
It was an indescribable sense of similarity.
On the day the exhibition officially began, everyone from Lin Zhan’s dorm was present.
Luoluo only took a quick glance from afar and then pointed to a painting, asking Lin Zhan: “Zhanzhan, is this yours?”
Lin Zhan shook her head: “It’s Sun Qiqi’s.”
“What the heck? It’s so similar?” The dorm leader personally went closer to examine it, then confirmed, “Why did she suddenly start imitating you?”
“You think it’s similar too?” Lin Zhan pursed her lips, “I thought it was just my imagination.”
“Intentionally or unintentionally?” Luoluo asked in a low voice, “If unintentional, it’s fine, but if it’s intentional, it’s very troublesome...”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just do my best with my own painting,” Lin Zhan paused, “I can’t interfere with her anyway, since it’s just similar.”
At first, it might truly have been a coincidence of ideas.
Because their ideas were similar, Lin Zhan posed too much competition for her. If she wanted to stand out, she had to desperately suppress Lin Zhan.
But now, it felt a bit like she was overdoing it.
“It’s obvious,” the dorm leader said, “She probably wants to surpass you too much, and her painting is very restless.”
Luoluo: “How can you tell she wants to surpass her too much?”
“It’s very obvious. Sun Qiqi has always privately thought she painted better than Lin Zhan, but the teachers pay more attention to Lin Zhan, and Lin Zhan wins more awards,” the dorm leader said. “I have a classmate in their dorm who once heard Sun Qiqi say that she definitely has to make everyone admit that she’s better than Lin Zhan.”
“That’s not how it should be, though. Splashing water during exams, imitating during painting... If she’s so capable, why doesn’t she rely on her own abilities?”
The dorm leader looked into the distance: “Alright, stop talking, she’s coming.”
________________________________________
The joint student exhibition received a good response. After all, Weida University’s art department was renowned, and the selected students were the cream of the crop, so their skill level was naturally evident.
After it ended, there was a media interview, and before the interview, they had to take photos.
Lin Zhan stood in the middle.
Sun Qiqi excused herself to go to the restroom first. After reapplying her makeup, she returned. Just as the shoot was about to begin, she called out “Excuse me, excuse me” a couple of times, pretending to accidentally squeeze past Lin Zhan.
Lin Zhan was pushed, and naturally, she could only move to the side.
The very center spot was left for Sun Qiqi.
Later, on that special interview page, after the title “A Close-up Interview with Top Students from Weida University’s Art Department: What are they like outside of painting?”, there was a group photo, with a smiling Sun Qiqi standing right in the middle.
The interview questions were for the five people participating in the exhibition, meaning the reporter would ask a question, and all five had to answer separately.
Lin Zhan remembered a girl complaining quietly as everyone was leaving: “What’s wrong with that Sun-whatever-her-name-is? She had to be the first to answer every question, but she hadn’t thought it through, stammering a lot before saying anything, wasting my time... I still need to go shopping later, and the stores will close soon. I don’t know if I’ll make it...”
She closed the newspaper and tossed it into a drawer.
Everyone has ambition, and she respected that absolutely. But being too eager for quick success wasn’t a good thing.
“Don’t dwell on that kind of stuff,” Luoluo said, “Just let her be.”
“I know,” Lin Zhan climbed onto the top bunk, “I won’t let her affect me.”
“How are things with you and your boyfriend recently?”
“What do you mean ‘how’? They’re good.” Lin Zhan unlocked her phone and started looking at WeChat.
Luoluo hinted: “What the dorm leader said earlier, about whether you two have...”
“What?” Lin Zhan was startled, then her face instantly flushed red, “I still don’t know...”
“What do you mean you still don’t know?!” The dorm leader was surprised, “You two have such a good relationship, and you haven’t hit a home run yet?”
Lin Zhan rubbed her neck, not without regret: “Forget a home run, just thinking about it makes me sad...”
“????”
The youngest girl raised her head, her glasses reflecting countless sharp glints under the light: “I have reason to suspect he’s asexual.”
“Love is restraint, what do you know?” Luoluo kicked the youngest, but still quietly added, “Zhanzhan, but your boyfriend does seem a bit...”
“You can’t even tease him? Impossible, right? He can still be so calm in front of you?”
Lin Zhan fell into thought.
________________________________________
The next day, while the two were having lunch, Shen Xi suddenly asked, “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Are you free?”
Lin Zhan was almost excited.
“Yes! What do you want to do?!”
Shen Xi gave her a strange look, seemingly pondering something, as if he was afraid she wouldn’t agree to his request.
Lin Zhan immediately gave him confidence: “Yes, I’ll agree to anything you want to do!”
Shen Xi looked at her with considerable confusion, as if he didn’t understand why she was suddenly so excited.
He pursed his lips and said, “My aunt’s husband has a friend here who owns a hotel. During holidays, they organize promotional events with nearby businesses. I asked, and they usually hang paintings for more elegant activities to elevate their standing, so I thought...”
Lin Zhan immediately understood his intention, like a deflated balloon, she propped her face up and said, “You want to help promote my paintings, right?”
“Mm.”
“Then why did you make the buildup so mysterious, as if you were going to make an unreasonable request to me?”
She had gotten excited for nothing.
Shen Xi tapped the table: “Then what did you think I was going to say?”
The reason he was afraid she wouldn’t agree was that he had also considered whether she might not want his help.
“I thought you were going to make some requests you hadn’t dared to make before,” Lin Zhan mumbled, “Never mind, let’s eat dumplings.”
Shen Xi: “...”
She raised her hand and waved to the waiter: “Do you have dumplings here?”
The waiter smiled apologetically: “I’m sorry, we don’t.”
She let her mouth droop, her hand resting on the rim of the glass, pinching the straw to her mouth, and mumbled indistinctly: “Oh, that’s a shame, not being able to have dumplings is truly regrettable...”
“...”
Shen Xi looked at her, then a faint, almost imperceptible smile bloomed on his face.
“Yes, it is a bit of a shame.”
________________________________________
The next day, the two went to meet the owner at the hotel. The owner, seeing that they were friends of his relatives, was very polite.
First, he talked about a large outdoor party happening there in two months, with free drinks and generous prizes. He said Lin Zhan’s paintings could be hung in the corridor leading to the main event area, and she could also get a brief introduction.
Lin Zhan had already scanned her paintings and saved them on her phone. After the owner stated his ideas, Lin Zhan handed over her paintings.
Both sides essentially got what they wanted.
The hotel saved money on decorations, and Lin Zhan could showcase her work at a somewhat larger event.
So, the cooperation was very pleasant.
The owner gave them a few tickets and said they could bring friends to enjoy themselves if they had time.
They chatted briefly, then left.
There was a supermarket across the street. Lin Zhan wanted to buy candy, so she dragged Shen Xi inside.
After picking out some preserved plum candy and going to the checkout, they found the supermarket was having a promotion, with almost everything on the shelves on special offer.
Lin Zhan pointed at the gum on the shelf and said, “Shen Xi, look, this is on sale.”
His gaze shifted to a corner, where he saw another pile of discounted items. Shen Xi paused slightly, then glanced at Lin Zhan again.
She actually... had stars in her eyes?
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