The art studio was set up in a circular corridor.
The curved walls of the corridor were adorned in vibrant colors. and the blank spaces were decorated with framed paintings and masks trimmed with lace. At regular intervals, square niches were carved into the walls to hold stone or clay sculptures. Even the ceiling beams were not left bare—they were hung with handmade works by students over the years, such as painted fans and umbrella covers.
Most students entering the art studio had changed out of their white school uniforms,fearing they might get stained with paint. As a result, Yu Sui and Yang Feiwen, who were still wearing their uniforms, stood out conspicuously.
Yang Feiwen, buzzing around the studio like a bee, returned to find the two people he was waiting for—one bent over, tidying up art supplies, while the other sat on a low stool, holding a rolled-up painting. One leg was bent, while the other stretched out recklessly and arrogantly, blocking the way.
Surprisingly, the person whose path was blocked didn’t get angry. He merely nudged the leg aside and stepped over it, his demeanor affectionate and indulgent.
Witnessing this scene, Yang Feiwen couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Is this how brothers from prominent families behave? He actually saw a hint of indulgence in Minister Yan.
As the most frequently-mentioned figure in the room, Yan Xiu’s every stroke of the brush drew attention, even now that he was sitting in a corner of the studio.
Several boys and girls who were somewhat familiar with Yan Xiu had already glanced over a few times. Now, seeing Yang Feiwen approach, they also stood up.
They had no ulterior motives; they were simply curious about what Yan Xiu had painted and what style it was this time.
“Is the minister done painting?” a boy asked casually, slinging an arm over Yang Feiwen’s shoulder while his gaze drifted past him, landing squarely on the painting in Yu Sui’s arms.
Yu Sui lifted his face, his long, curled eyelashes giving him a gentle and quiet appearance.“It’s done,” he said.
In his arms, it felt like a private possession.
“Well…” The boy raised his chin suggestively, his eyebrows, eyelids, and cheeks all tensing with effort, as if he were trying to etch the words “I want to see” into his eyes.
“Why don’t I see the painting?” a girl asked.
Another girl reminded her, “It’s rolled up. Yu Sui has it.”
But Yu Sui showed no sign of letting go of the painting. The young master raised an eyebrow, lost in thought.
At that moment, he didn’t really want to show it to anyone. Before he could figure out how to brush them off, Yan Xiu, who had finished packing up beside him, patted him lightly on the back. “Alright, let’s go.”
A group of onlookers sighed in disappointment.
These people were sharp—they could tell from the reluctance in the duo’s demeanor that it was best not to push further. Only the boy who had spoken first couldn’t resist asking one more question, “Hey, Minister—since you sat in the corner today and are being so secretive, did you take on a private commission?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the girl next to him laughed, “What did you say? Who in our school is so rich that they can afford to hire the Minister for a private commission?”
“True,” the boy didn’t refute.
Yu Sui, the wealthy one, stepped out of the art studio and silently glanced at Yan Xiu’s signature, which was visible everywhere along the corridor. As the lucky recipient of three of Yan Xiu’s paintings without having paid a single cent, he felt both proud and conflicted.
So conflicted that even Yan Xiu noticed. “What are you thinking about?”
Yu Sui replied, “I’m thinking about how much money to give you.”
“Why would you give me money?” Yan Xiu asked.
Yu Sui smiled. “They say your paintings are priceless.”
“…” Yan Xiu turned his face away. “I gave it to you.”
“I know.” Yu Sui seemed to be in a good mood. “But even brothers keep clear accounts. I can’t keep freeloading off you forever.”
Yan Xiu was momentarily speechless, his eyelids and eyebrows twitching slightly. He didn’t know which part to criticize first, then realized that what Yu Sui said made sense at first glance. His expression turned cold, and he bluntly refused, saying, “If you have too much money and find it troublesome to carry, then just contribute it to the class fund.”
Yang Feiwen trailed behind them, only now catching on to something from their conversation. He glanced at Yan Xiu, then pointed at the scroll in Yu Sui’s arms and mouthed silently, “What’s in the painting?”
Yu Sui curled his thumb and pointed at himself. He glanced at Yan Xiu, only to find that Yan Xiu wasn’t amused by his gesture. Instead, the moment their eyes met, Yan Xiu looked away, as if annoyed.
“Hey.” Yu Sui nudged him lightly.
Yan Xiu ignored him.
Yu Sui: “Minister?”
Two seconds later, Yu Sui called again: “Gege?”
No response.
“…” Yang Feiwen shivered.
Yu Sui pursed his lips lightly, thinking to himself, He really is angry.
Given Yan Xiu’s usual demeanor, his emotional shifts were often hard to detect. The entire Class 3 Arts would rather analyze Lao Gu’s temper than challenge Yan Xiu, because they never knew when they might lose the privilege of leniency and end up running laps on the field.
Right now, Yan Xiu was in a low mood, and no one in Class 3 besides Yu Sui knew.
He still waited for Yu Sui to eat together as usual, brought him milk when they went to the field, and even cleared away the trash the two of them left behind when leaving the classroom.
On the surface, nothing seemed different.
He just wasn’t very responsive
To be precise, he wasn’t very responsive to Yu Sui.
Yu Sui had been swamped lately and had little time to seek out Yan Xiu. The only free moments he had were during class, mealtimes, and the evenings.
Of course, he wouldn’t disturb Yan Xiu during class, so during mealtimes, he tried every trick in the book to get Yan Xiu to say a few more words
He deliberately acted lazy, shoving his meal card into Yan Xiu’s hand and saying, “I want enoki mushrooms and tofu from window one, chicken drumsticks from window two, candied sweet potatoes from window three, braised eggplant from window four, and stir-fried bitter melon from window five.”
The cafeteria was packed, with the line for Window One alone stretching all the way to the entrance. Yang Feiwen stood up in surprise upon hearing this: “Sui’er, are you pregnant?”
“What?” Yu Sui’s lips twitched. “You’re the one who’s pregnant!”
Yang Feiwen: “If you’re not pregnant, why are you making things so difficult for your partner?”
Yu Sui stared at this friend who was a terrible teammate at critical moments, seriously considering finding a spot to bury Yang Feiwen alive, when he suddenly heard a laugh from above. It might have been a cold laugh or a mocking one, but regardless, it was a reaction.
Yu Sui abruptly looked up. Yan Xiu had already returned to his usual expression, his clear and bright eyes perfectly calm. He nodded lightly and said, “Okay,” then took the two meal cards and walked away.
Yang Feiwen looked at Yu Sui with a pained expression: “You little ingrate.” Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head again.
“Is this your idea of fun?”
“Bullshit.”
The young master couldn’t sit still any longer. He reached out and snatched Yang Feiwen’s meal card, then chased after Yan Xiu.Yan Xiu preferred light flavors and often ate at Window Five, which had the shortest line.
Yu Sui went over and saw Yan Xiu dutifully lining up at Window One. He couldn’t decide whether to be angry or amused, so he simply pulled Yan Xiu out and dragged him back to Window Five.
Only then did Minister Yan stir: “Not going to eat tofu at window one anymore?”
Yu Sui’s irritation flared, thinking to himself, I only want to eat at window five. Then, he glanced at Minister Yan’s coldly elegant profile and swallowed his words, muttering instead, “We have training later. We don’t have time.”
He paused, grabbed Yan Xiu’s arm, then rested his forehead on his shoulder, before sighing softly, as if pleading for forgiveness.
He didn’t notice the person in front of him slightly turning his head, a shadow settling into his neck, his face cold and stern, carrying an inscrutable air.
It was recess time for morning exercises.
From Class 1 to Class 4 Arts were completely empty, leaving a large gap in the middle of the running formation.
The PE teacher leading the run was at the front, accustomed to directing the classes behind to catch up with those ahead.
On the winding corridors of the opposite side of the building, facing the sports field, the faint sounds of musical instruments drifted over.
Yang Feiwen had slipped over to the neighboring room to play the French horn and returned with two boys from the school’s wind ensemble to find Yu Sui.
The seats in Yu Sui’s classroom were arranged in descending wooden tiers. In the far right corner stood a piano covered with a red cloth. The classroom floor was polished to a shine, and shoe covers were required upon entry
The shoe covers were slippery on the floor, and the two boys slid in with such momentum that their knees hit the ground, sending them sliding into a kneeling position right in front of Yu Sui. They didn’t even bother getting up, instead clasping their hands and bowing their heads in a formal gesture.
The handsome youth leaning against the steps, playing on his phone, was startled and pushed himself up. “What’s going on?”
The two boys said, “Sui, red alert, level eight!”
Yang Feiwen, who had walked in a bit slower, noticed Yu Sui’s confusion and explained, “Yandu has a warm-up competition before the exhibition, right? This time, we drew the international division of Shenghuang Affiliated High School. Unless something unexpected happens, they’ll face them in the first round.”
Wind and string ensembles usually performed together.
Most schools in Yandu disliked going up against Shenghuang Affiliated High School’s international division directly because of their exceptional financial resources, strong faculty, and advanced equipment. Just their lineup alone put considerable pressure on other schools.
This year’s string orchestra has been plagued with problems since the initial selection process, still lacking members. The only capable replacement, an outstanding senior from the previous year’s string orchestra, is currently taking exams in another city. Furthermore, the conductor of the No. 26 High School’s orchestra recently suffered a herniated disc and was currently recovering in the hospital.
Students like Yu Sui and Yang Feiwen, who were part of the system, were listed as members of the string ensemble. After some deliberation, the neighboring group had come to plead for help.
After listening, Yu Sui showed little reaction and said honestly, “I don’t think I have time.”
Yang Feiwen had already told them they were busy and squeezed in next to Yu Sui, leaning over. “I already said… Besides, we’re rehearsing for our own competition. We’re swamped.”
“What about conducting?” one of the boys asked
“Is conducting simple?” Yang Feiwen stretched out his hand, counting on his fingers.
“The vocal department wants Yu Sui to sign up, composition wants him, they even forced him into the opening recitation, and now with this on top of it all, where would Yu Sui find the time to save you?”
“But this is about the reputation of No. 26 High School…”
“Forget it, the face of No. 26 High isn’t modeled after Yu Sui’s.”
“…..”
Even after they’d gone to such lengths, Yu Sui still didn’t show any sign of relenting. Feeling a bit sorry for them, Yu Sui went to fetch two paper cups of water.
The boy looked at him pleadingly: “Actually, if it weren’t for going up against the Shenghuang Affiliated High, it wouldn’t be that serious—Yu Sui, didn’t they say your family invested in G7? Could you ask if there’s any way to pull some strings…”
“What are you talking about?” The other boy who came with him slapped him on the back. “Did practicing scramble your brain?”
He quickly shut his mouth, and after a while, he remembered and said again, “Sorry.”
The incident from last semester didn’t just blow away; anything that leaves a trace, it’s always possible for people to dig it up and discuss it again. When Yu Sui was nominated as a candidate, some people brought up the old matter. They still didn’t know the cause or the details, but that didn’t stop them from speculating wildly.
Because of the boy’s slip-up, they didn’t stay much longer.
Yang Feiwen patted Yu Sui’s shoulder as a gesture of comfort, blaming himself: “I shouldn’t have called that idiot over.”
“It’s fine.” Yu Sui really didn’t take it to heart. He hadn’t agreed simply because he didn’t have the time.
Yang Feiwen sighed in relief, pulling out his phone to find the recently issued notice. He reminded Yu Sui: “But I heard the International Department of Affiliated High replaced their team this time, and they’re much stronger than the last batch. Look at Gou Yuda and Zhou Yijia—haven’t their names always been on the national awards list? They look really familiar.”
“……”
Yu Sui propped up his leg, adjusting an image on his phone. It took him a while to perfectly frame the boy holding a salted fish within the square. He tapped confirm, then leaned over to look at Yang Feiwen’s phone screen. “What?”
Yang Feiwen handed it over for him to see: “These two. You should be pretty familiar with them.”
Yu Sui only glanced before looking away, replying casually, “Yeah, old acquaintances.”
“Yu Sui changed his profile picture again.” Zheng Zi’an clicked on Yu Sui’s avatar, zoomed in with two fingers, and held it up in front of Yan Xiu. “Xiu, did you draw this?”
The cool, handsome boy sat at his desk, his drawing board tilted, the bottom resting against his waist.
The dorm room was dimly lit, so he had several lamps placed around him, each casting different colors and angles.
He looked up and saw the avatar Zheng Zi’an mentioned and didn’t react much at first. After filling in the color block underneath, he took a tissue to remove the paint on his thumb and took his phone to look at it.
The young master hadn’t sent him a single message, but he had updated his social media.
[That’s enough.]
People in the comments were asking what happened.
Yu Sui didn’t reply to any of them, but he left a particularly fierce comment under his own post: [Someone has thirty minutes to consider whether to reach out to me on their own]
“……”
Lately, everyone had been so busy they could barely keep up. Yan Xiu, as one of the busiest among them, was checking his phone for the first time since returning to the dorm.
He glanced at the time—the post was made thirty-one minutes ago. A refresh later, it showed thirty-two minutes. Below, some bored people were asking if the “someone” had shown up after thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, Yan Xiu and Yu Sui’s chat interface remained perfectly calm.
After showing Yan Xiu his phone, Zheng Zi’an and Hu Fan sat at the same table, playing a finger-guessing game to decide who would take the next shower.
Yan Xiu’s sudden rise made both of them turn their heads, watching as he turned off the light, grabbed his phone, and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Zheng Zi’an instinctively asked.
Yan Xiu said, “Looking for someone.”
Zheng Zi’an exchanged a glance with the other two.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1