novelraw Chapter 011: Sketches on Display
Chapter 011: Sketches on Display
The art college next door.
The painting department building, third floor studios.
The air was filled with the mixed smell of turpentine and pigments.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the French windows, casting a long shadow of the easel.
Today's topic is—
The elderly professor, with his gray hair, stood on the podium and adjusted his reading glasses.
""eager"."
"Draw the person you most want to see right now, or the moment you most want to experience. It should be emotional, not just about technique."
Wen Ning sat in front of the easel, twirling a charcoal pencil in her hand.
I'm a little worried.
The person you most want to see?
Her mind went blank.
In this world, she had nothing to hold her back except that cold, impersonal home.
The pen tip touched the paper.
I don't know why.
A picture suddenly flashed through my mind.
A stormy night.
Under the streetlights.
The man, dressed in a black windbreaker, was soaking wet, yet he had wrapped her up tightly.
And when he took off his glasses, his eyes, slightly red from staying up late, were so deep they seemed to draw you in.
Wen Ning pursed her lips.
Hands move faster than brains.
Start by sketching the basic shape, laying down the main colors, and outlining the lines.
rustling.
The sound of charcoal pencils scraping across drawing paper was particularly clear in the quiet studio.
Half an hour later.
A sketch has been completed.
The man in the painting is sitting sideways, looking down at a book.
A high, straight nose and a sharp jawline.
And those iconic silver-rimmed glasses.
Although it is just black and white lines, the cool, aloof, and yet gentle aura is vividly portrayed on the paper.
Especially those eyes.
When Wen Ning was painting, she inexplicably added a little bit of light to those always indifferent eyes.
That was the look in his eyes when he peeled shrimp for her that day at the porridge shop.
"Stop writing."
The professor stepped down from the stage to inspect the area.
He stopped when he reached Wen Ning's back.
"Um……"
The old man stroked his chin, and his eyes lit up.
"The lines are smooth, and the structure is fine. Most importantly, the spirit is captured well."
He pointed to the man's eyes in the painting: "Those eyes...they're telling. Looks like our department's most beautiful girl has someone she likes?"
Wen Ning blushed.
"Teacher, I'm just... a model for casual drawing."
"How can you draw such expressive eyes just by sketching?"
The professor grinned, his face crinkling with smiles. "Alright, keep this painting. It'll be prominently displayed at the joint art exhibition between our two schools next week."
Wen Ning was dumbfounded.
"Teacher! No! This can't be allowed to fail!"
What if Jiang Ci sees this after it's posted online?
Isn't this just a disguised way of saying "I have a crush on you"?
"This is homework. I'm the teacher. I can fail it if I say so."
The old man ignored him and simply took the painting away.
……
the next day.
The "Time Corridor" connecting University A and the School of Arts.
This is a public area between the two schools, and also a gallery showcasing artworks.
On the display board in the very center.
The sketch titled "He" was placed in the most prominent position.
Students kept passing by.
Some people stopped to watch, and some took pictures.
"Holy crap, is this a painting of Jiang Ci?"
"Absolutely! The nose, the glasses, exactly the same!"
"The signature is... Wen Ning? The most beautiful girl in the oil painting department?"
"Wow, this is how art students confess their feelings! It's so romantic!"
The news spread like wildfire.
In less than half an hour, the A University forum had new material again.
Breaking news! The most beautiful girl in the next department drew Jiang, the campus heartthrob! It's so sexy!
A University Startup Incubation Park.
Limitless Studio.
Holy crap!!!
A thunderous roar shattered the sound of coding.
Jia Pengxiu stared at his phone screen, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
He suddenly jumped up from his chair and rushed to Jiang Ci.
"Brother Ci! Brother Ci, look! You're about to become a sensation!"
Jiang Ci is fixing a bug in the underlying logic.
He frowned deeply when he was interrupted.
"If you don't want to write code, go run laps."
The voice was chillingly cold.
"No! This is a really big deal!"
Jia Pengxiu shoved his phone in front of Jiang Ci's face, "Your sister-in-law drew you! And it's on display in the art gallery!"
Jiang Ci's fingers paused as he typed on the keyboard.
My gaze fell on the screen.
It was a somewhat blurry, candid photo.
But the person in the painting is indeed him.
Moreover... it was drawn with great care.
That kind of expression can't be drawn just by looking at it a few times.
"I heard there are a lot of people gathered there now."
Zhang Annian also chimed in, "Everyone's guessing who this is. Your sister-in-law's just asserting her dominance."
Jiang Ci stared at the painting for two seconds.
He didn't say anything.
But his furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
"boring."
He said that, but he didn't chase the person away. Instead, he picked up the water glass next to him and took a sip.
The corners of his mouth seemed, perhaps, faintly... lifted slightly.
"Shall we go take a look?"
Jia Pengxiu egged him on, "This is your sister-in-law's original work! What if some perverted guy who has a crush on you steals it?"
Jiang Ci put down his water glass.
Put your hands back on the keyboard.
"I'm busy. The bug hasn't been fixed yet."
"Then I'll go!"
Jia Pengxiu pulled Zhang Annian along, saying, "It's a waste not to see this kind of excitement. We have to go support your sister-in-law!"
Jiang Ci ignored them.
But after the two rushed out the door, he stared at the code on the screen, unable to type a single character for a long time.
……
Art Gallery.
Crowded.
Wen Ning had just finished class and was carrying a bucket of water for rinsing pens, preparing to go to the restroom.
As I walked down the corridor, I was stunned by what I saw.
Her paintings were surrounded by layers upon layers of people.
"Make way! Make way, everyone!"
Two boys pushed through the crowd and rushed in.
Wen Ning recognized him at a glance.
They were Jiang Ci's two eccentric roommates.
Jia Pengxiu stood in front of the painting, marveling at it.
"Absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing."
"Annian, look at that jawline. It's drawn even more handsomely than Ci-ge himself."
"And that look in his eyes, tsk tsk tsk, so full of affection."
Zhang Annian adjusted his glasses: "Indeed. It seems your wife has been observing the captain quite a bit."
Wen Ning, carrying a bucket of water, tried to slip away in the chaos.
As long as she runs fast enough, embarrassment can't catch her.
however.
God does not fulfill one's wishes.
"Hey? Isn't that my sister-in-law?"
With sharp eyes, Jia Pengxiu spotted Wen Ning moving along the wall.
That shout.
Like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
All eyes immediately turned to Wen Ning.
Wen Ning: "..."
I want to die.
Really.
Jia Pengxiu didn't understand the signal at all.
He waved enthusiastically, his loud voice making Wen Ning's eardrums hurt:
"Sister-in-law! Hello, sister-in-law!"
"The painting is amazing! It perfectly captures the essence of our captain!"
"Could we hang this painting in our studio? It'll ward off evil spirits and protect the house!"
A burst of good-natured laughter and chatter arose from the surroundings.
"Together! Together!"
Wen Ning's face instantly turned as red as a tomato.
He could barely hold the bucket of water up his arm.
She just wanted to hand in an assignment to appease the old professor.
How did it turn into a large-scale "public confession" scene?
And the person in question even came knocking on our door?
"Um... I don't..."
Wen Ning wanted to explain.
I wanted to say that this wasn't drawn intentionally; it was just something I drew casually.
But looking at Jia Pengxiu's excited face, the words of explanation stuck in his throat.
"Sister-in-law, don't be shy!"
Jia Pengxiu took out his phone and started snapping photos of the painting and Wen Ning.
"I'll send a video to the captain right now! Tell him to come and claim it!"
"If someone steals this, the captain will be devastated!"
Wenning's pupils were tremor-like.
Post a video?
Should we summon Jiang Ci?
Wouldn't that mean she'd be forced to commit suicide a second time in front of the real person?
"No! Don't send it!"
Wen Ning reached out to grab the phone.
But it's too late.
The video call connected.
Jiang Ci's indifferent face appeared on the screen.
The background is a cluttered studio.
"Brother Ci! Look!"
Jia Pengxiu pointed the camera at the painting, and then at Wen Ning, whose face was flushed.
"The portrait your sister-in-law drew for you! It's on display in the center of the exhibition! The whole school is watching!"
"If you don't come soon, this painting will be snatched away by a junior from the art academy!"
In the video.
Jiang Ci seemed to have stopped what he was doing.
He looked at the embarrassed Wen Ning in the camera lens, and then at the painting.
Through a screen.
Wen Ning could sense the amused, half-smiling look in his eyes.
a long time.
He spoke up from the other end.
The voice was deep and resonant, carrying through the corridor via loudspeakers.
"Look at the painting."
"Don't let anyone touch you."
"I'll be right there."