The beautiful figure froze when she heard Xiao Lin’s voice. She turned out, and it was none other than Wang Yuelan, who seemed equally as surprised. Clad in a black, mature-looking professional skirt, she held a file bag in her hands and was staring right at Xiao Lin as if she had seen a ghost.
Without a doubt, it was Wang Yuelan, whom Xiao Lin had just met two days ago. Xiao Lin thought that the two of them would never meet again, but it came as a surprise that they would meet again in less than a few days.
“Why are you here?” Doubts flashed in Xiao Lin’s mind.
Wang Yuelan quickly calmed down and smiled. “My colleague’s daughter wants to take an entrance exam to this academy. I just happened to pass by this city, so I stopped by to find out more about the academy and take some photos for her to see. What about you, why are you here too? You didn’t come chasing after me, did you? How about we find a place to sit and talk, since we were in a bit of a hurry before and we haven’t had a good conversation yet?”
Her last sentence was spoken in a somewhat teasing tone, and Xiao Lin smiled back before saying, “I’m here to look for a friend. I’m afraid I can’t stand them up. Maybe next time.”
Wang Yuelan curled her lips. His refusal was a bit too direct and too straightforward, although she was simply being courteous to begin with. She did not have the time even if Xiao Lin really wanted to go out with her, so the two of them quickly bid each other farewell.
After turning around and taking a couple of steps, the two of them turned their heads around in unison and looked at each other in bewilderment. They only sped up their pace after inadvertently making awkward eye contact.
“It can’t be that coincidental, right?”
“It has to be a coincidence.”
…
Xiao Lin did find Gu Chengyun in the painting room. The ponytailed girl with a youthful smile was sitting in her wheelchair in front of the drawing board. Instead of painting however, she looked quietly out of the window and began wondering.
“Gu Chengyun?” Xiao Lin called out softly, although he still attracted the attention of others in the studio.
There were very few people in the studio on weekends, but one of the girls there smiled at Gu Chengyun and said, “There seems to be quite a lot of people who came looking for you during the past two days, Chengyun.”
Gu Chengyun came back to her senses, then turned her head, and happily called out to Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin smiled and said, “I was worried that you’d forget me.”
Gu Chengyun blinked her eyes coquettishly. “How can I forget you when you’re about to become my brother-in-law soon!”
Xiao Lin was embarrassed. He did not know what Gu Xiaoyue and Gu Chengyun talked about, but the studio was not a proper place to chat. He greeted the other people and took the initiative to push Gu Chengyun’s wheelchair. By accident, he caught a glimpse of the painting that she drew on the drawing board and helped her tidy it up as well.
“You came at just the right time. I happen to be a little tired, so could you take me to the playground and look at the scenery?” Gu Chengyun asked.
When he walked to the door, Xiao Lin suddenly had a thought. He turned around and asked the girl who had just greeted him, “You just said that there are a lot of people who were looking for Gu Chengyun in the past two days? Who else was there?”
Gu Xiaoyue told him that the two sisters had depended on each other since they were young and had neither parents, relatives, or friends. Xiao Lin wondered who else would come to Gu Chengyun, other than her own classmates.
“A woman.” The girl gestured with her hands, but she couldn’t accurately describe the woman’s appearance. In the end she just said, “A pretty and sexy woman.”
“Thank you.”
There was a vague feeling in Xiao Lin’s heart. He pushed Gu Chengyun and asked as he walked, “Who was the woman who came looking for you?”
“She said she wanted to meet me and because she felt emotional after hearing about me. She expressed her willingness to sponsor me, but I refused since money isn’t something I lack.” Gu Chengyun did not really think much about it.
Xiao Lin frowned. “What is her name? Is it Wang Yuelan?”
“I don’t know, do you know her? Did you mention me to her?”
“Oh no, what I meant was that I haven’t mentioned you to anyone, but, um…” Mysteries suddenly began appearing in Xiao Lin’s heart. It was really strange, and the first thing that came to his mind was Wang Yuelan. After all, it was far too odd for that woman to even appear on that campus.
At that moment, Xiao Lin was a little annoyed that he did not have Wang Yuelan’s photos in his hands, but it was clear that Wang Yuelan was lying to him. When she left two days ago, she said that the company was in an emergency, but two days later she said that she went to the fine arts academy to help her colleague’s daughter find some information. However, it should be incredibly easy to find information about art academies in the digital age, as they were readily available on the internet.
Therein lies the question: if it really was Wang Yuelan, why would she come to meet Gu Chengyun? What was so special about Gu Chengyun?
Xiao Lin carefully looked at the paralyzed but very optimistic girl, to the point where the latter blushed and cowered slightly. Xiao Lin shook his head and casually asked what Gu Chengyun had talked about with the woman, but he did not get too many details. The two of them really did just engage in simple small talk.
“I actually thought it was a bit strange, but that young woman doesn’t seem to be malicious in any way,” Gu Chengyun explained in a comforting tone and assured that she did not completely let her guard down.
“Let’s put that aside for the moment. When did your sister say she’ll be here?” Although Xiao Lin suspicions were shooting through the roof, he did not want Gu Chengyun to worry about too much as she ought to remain happy.
“Hehe, first things first, you have to give me a detailed explanation of how you got my sister to be your girlfriend!”
“It’s just an act. I’m sure she explained it to you.”
“She did, but this isn’t like her at all. Hehe, I’m sure she really does feel something for you.”
“It’s only for ten days.” Of course, Xiao Lin did not want it to last for ten days, but he could not possibly say that in front of Gu Chengyun.
“Mmhmm, I know. Just like all those TV shows.”
The speechless Xiao Lin did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He simply patted Gu Chengyun’s little head and decided not to argue with a girl who had been deeply influenced by those romance television dramas. He opened the painting that he brought from the studio and changed the subject abruptly. “Did you just finish painting this? I didn’t look closely just now. I wonder what it is?”
In the center of the painting was a large island. There were golden beaches, fine white sand, a winding coastline, coconut trees swaying in seaside wind, rugged rocks on the island, a blue sky, and turquoise water.
One had to acknowledge that Gu Chengyun had stellar painting skills. Her piece depicted the beauty of the bay in a detailed and vivid manner. Xiao Lin admired it carefully and remembered Gu Xiaoyue saying that her sister enjoyed painting pictures of scenery around the world as a way to make up for her regret of not being able to travel.
He smiled and asked curiously, “Where is this in your painting?”
“Hawaii.”
Gu Chengyun seemed to have a moment of hesitation, which Xiao Lin keenly noticed. He asked, “What’s wrong? You don’t seem to like this painting very much?”
“No. This painting is actually still unfinished.”
