Lord Yan, The Little Ancestor Has Fallen Off The Horse Again!
Chapter 390: Painting with the Students

Chapter 390: Chapter 390: Painting with the Students

"Whether you come after the exam is up to you," Jiang Wenshan couldn’t help but huff, school was about to start soon, and with the research level at Jing University, she guessed she’d have to live in the laboratory every day.

What was he in a hurry for? The person who should be worried was someone else.

"Sure," Yun Yue chuckled softly, handing him the bag she was holding, "You must have finished your tea, this is the new stuff."

Jiang Wenshan immediately narrowed his eyes into slits, politely accepting the bag, "Not bad, not bad, learning to respect your master, huh?"

Although he said that, he hadn’t actually finished any damn tea.

Such precious tea, he couldn’t bear to brew it, only occasionally calculating when to run, and to his surprise, she gave him another pack.

But of course, she couldn’t be allowed to see that.

While he was curious about how she had so much tea from Ming Tea House, he didn’t ask further.

Jiang Wenshan took her to the studio, where there were already several apprentices painting.

Wearing ABC badges, they looked surprised to see her enter, but upon seeing Elder Jiang leading her, they guessed her identity.

"Chairman, Miss Yun," Vice Chairman Du Chunsheng came forward to greet them. Younger than Jiang Wenshan, he was meticulous, "There are more apprentices for the assessment this year than in previous years."

Because of special circumstances, there was only this one assessment today, and the next wouldn’t be until the following year, hence why there was a significant increase in apprentices applying.

Luckily, the Painting Association was large enough to spare a few empty rooms to be used as studios.

"How are the apprentices this year?" Jiang Wenshan nodded slightly, looking over these fresh blood in the studio, each carrying the responsibility of inheriting traditional painting and passing on Chinese culture.

Du Chunsheng confidently said, "The quality is a notch higher than last year, and I think two C-level apprentices could become mentors."

The grades within the Painting Association were split into ABC academies, ABC-level mentors, followed by masters, and then grandmasters.

The Painting Association could count its masters on ten fingers, while there was only one grandmaster, Jiang Wenshan.

Jiang Wenshan nodded slightly again, indeed the quality was a grade higher than last year, and with Yun Yue added, the quality of this batch could be elevated considerably.

Only by standing out among these new apprentices and gaining their recognition and support could she secure a firm place in the Painting Association in the future.

"Miss Yun, your spot is by the window over there, next to one of my students. Do give him some guidance," Du Chunsheng pointed to the spot by the window, next to a 17-year-old boy with a youthful and refined demeanor, yet he painted with earnest diligence.

Yun Yue walked over, and immediately saw the information on his badge.

Ning Tingyu, age 17, C-level apprentice.

Noticing someone sitting beside him, Ning Tingyu turned slightly, his innocent eyes flashing with brightness.

"Hello, my name is Ning Tingyu, what’s yours?" He looked at her without blinking, she was so pretty, even prettier than a movie star.

He looked at her chest and noticed the absence of a badge, puzzlement showing on his face.

All who sat here were graded apprentices, how did she get into the Painting Association without a registration?

"Yun Yue." She was wearing a baseball cap, with her delicate brows and eyes soft, starting to organize her drawing board.

Ning Tingyu’s eyes instantly widened, he stood up excitedly, exclaiming, "You, you’re the new apprentice that Chairman Jiang recently took under his wing."

Whispers of curiosity came from around, all eyes stealthily glancing over at Yun Yue, subtly observing her.

Yun Yue raised an eyebrow, seeing his excitement and couldn’t help but smile, even more naive than Lin Xuanze.

"Let’s paint, your teacher said you can ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand."

After saying that, she started sketching with her paintbrush.

"Okay, okay," Ning Tingyu nodded dumbly, returning to his seat and sneaking a few glances at her, his earlobes flushing slightly.

Too beautiful.

Time flew by as they earnestly studied, and before long, it was dinner time.

Only the two of them were left in the studio, still working hard.

Ning Tingyu stretched his sore arms and, seeing his companion still intently painting, he couldn’t help but lean in, suddenly widening his eyes in surprise.

"Your, your painting is too beautiful, too real!" he exclaimed. Even his teacher didn’t have this level of skill.

Her painting was incredibly striking and evocative, with howling sea winds and dark, pressing skies, lightning flashing and thunder pealing. In the vast sea, a ship looked abandoned, left to the mercy of the waves. The people onboard clung tightly to the mast, panic-stricken, staring despairingly at their dire fate.

Yet off in the distance shone a sliver of light, like a path to salvation amidst catastrophe, giving people a glimmer of hope, a strength to persevere.

Every detail was meticulously rendered, from the expressions in the people’s eyes to such a degree that one felt transported into the scene.

She must only be a year older than him, yet her paintings bore the marks of many hardships, profound and imbued with deep meaning.

Yun Yue got up and lazily stretched her arms, smiling at his admiring gaze, a smile forming on her lips, "Let’s go eat first, it’s my treat."

"Sure, then I won’t be polite; let’s eat at the restaurant downstairs. It’s really good," Ning Tingyu said with a smile, his young face earnest and innocently naive.

Yun Yue took him to the restaurant downstairs. It was a bit pricey, and Ning Tingyu sat fretting over the menu.

So expensive.

"Maybe we should just go to the cafeteria instead." He hid his face behind the menu, leaning forward slightly under his breath, "It’s too expensive, I can’t afford it."

Everyone said the food at this restaurant was delicious and affordable, but he’d never had a chance to eat here until now. It was only after seeing the menu that he realized how exorbitant the prices were.

Even a small bowl of vegetables was 288, and a meal would certainly cost over a thousand.

One thousand yuan was almost half of his monthly living expenses.

A quirk of her eyebrow, Yun Yue took a closer look at his clothes and then said with a smile, "I said I’d treat you. We need to get back to painting after, so let’s eat here."

He blushed with embarrassment, "That’s, that’s too costly."

"Then you can treat me next time." Yun Yue propped her chin up, smiling at him. He was so different from Lin Xuanze.

Hearing this, Ning Tingyu reluctantly agreed but didn’t dare choose the expensive dishes, settling for the two cheapest ones.

Yun Yue glanced at the menu, noticing his nervous constant sipping of water, and chuckled, "One roast goose, and a few side dishes, please."

She turned to him, "Do you eat spicy food?"

"I can handle anything."

"Alright, then let’s go for non-spicy, and a bottle of sour plum juice."

After she spoke, she handed the menu to the waiter, who took it with a smile, "Okay, coming right up."

"How long have you been studying painting?" Yun Yue looked at him, her posture relaxed and casual, which helped him unwind a bit.

"Thirteen years now. I started painting when I was five, what about you?"

Speaking of painting, Ning Tingyu’s eyes lit up, filled with earnest passion.

"I’ve been at it for about eight years," she replied without counting exactly, aware she had met Elder Jiang eight years ago. He discovered her talent for painting and had been encouraging her ever since, which was when she began diving into art.

But she had never formally studied; it was all self-taught, probably adding up to less than two years in total.