translated_Chapter 59

59: Standing Up for What’s Right

59: Standing Up for What’s Right

After eating something, his stomach didn’t hurt anymore.

The fatigue from the cold was still there, possibly due to the medication.

Qiu Ci curled up in bed, wanting to sleep a little longer.

“Covering your head like that, aren’t you suffocating?” Qin Yishan reminded him.

“Don’t worry about me.” A muffled voice came from under the covers.

Qin Yishan really didn’t bother him anymore. After finishing his own things, he slept on the accompanying bed.

When he was discharged from the hospital again, Qin Yishan insisted that Qiu Ci go to his place: “I really can’t just sit by and do nothing. Qiu Ci, you’re just a kid. Even though you can be discharged now, you’re still recovering. Come to my place.”

“No, thank you for your kindness.” Qiu Ci still insisted on going home himself.

Having his close older sister replaced by someone he’d only known for a few days was a bit difficult to accept.

This time, he bought food and holed up at home.

He’d go out again for the next dressing change.

He was also extra careful when sleeping, afraid of pulling the wound.

The result was that he couldn’t sleep well all night.

He opened his eyes and was still sleepy.

In the mirror, he could see not only the scar on his face but also the irritating bangs.

His hair had grown long, the front poking his eyes, the back sticking to his neck.

Qiu Ci found a hair tie left over from who-knows-when by Qiu Shi in the corner and casually tied up the back of his hair.

He was bored and wanted to pass the time.

But there were only his drawing supplies and daily necessities in the house.

He hadn’t even added a TV.

There were no games on the computer, and the phone’s message bar was empty.

It was clear that just a few months ago, he was still practicing calligraphy at the rosewood desk in the study, but now he couldn’t even hold a pen.

Looking at this pile of things, which he had painstakingly collected at the time, he now found them unpleasant no matter how he looked at them.

He slowly put all these things into a large bag.

Using his less-painful arm, he dragged it to the elevator, wanting to throw it away.

He happened to run into Qin Yishan.

“Why are you here again?” Because he had also gone out temporarily, Qiu Ci was wearing a mask.

Qin Yishan smiled, “I was a little worried about you.”

Qiu Ci wanted to drag the bag to the trash can, but he accidentally pulled his shoulder: “Hiss—”

The pain made him gasp.

Qin Yishan hurried over to help: “What’s so heavy?” When he opened it, it was full of strange things. Judging from the several paintbrushes, they must be the art supplies Qiu Ci used before: “You’re throwing them all away?”

“I won’t need them anymore anyway.”

Qin Yishan felt that he had changed a lot. It was obvious now.

Qiu Ci turned to go upstairs, but Qin Yishan stopped him: “Going out to play?”

“I’m not.”

Looking so scary, what was there to go out for?

“Let’s go.” Qin Yishan patted the car.

“I said I’m not going. The doctor said to rest.”

Qin Yishan followed him: “I haven’t seen you care much about resting or not resting. How about going to the mall to relax?”

Qiu Ci stopped in his tracks: “Don’t you have work to do?”

…

In the end, Qin Yishan still persuaded him into the car: “The best way to eliminate fear is to face fear, kid. You’ll be too bored alone at home.”

Qin Yishan watched him fasten his seat belt before starting the car.

He drove all the way to the nearest shopping mall and parked the car.

Qiu Ci was actually wearing a little too little.

He hadn’t put on particularly thick clothes when he went downstairs to throw out the trash, just wore a mask and went out.

Fortunately, there was air conditioning in the car, and it wasn’t cold inside the mall.

Qiu Ci had only taken a quick look last time, without doing much shopping. He wondered if that young man was still there.

Before he even reached the counter, Qin Yishan led him to a children’s area.

Newly opened interest classes were handing out flyers outside.

Many parents were waiting outside for their children.

Qiu Ci wasn’t very familiar with this mall and didn’t know there was this place.

He raised his leg, preparing to go to another floor.

But he saw a beautifully decorated art interest class.

Qin Yishan accurately captured his interest: “Want to go in and take a look?”

Qiu Ci hesitated.

Qin Yishan gently pushed him, and Qiu Ci took that step.

The two of them walked in, and a girl working there hurried over: “The two of you are?”

Looking at the two of them, the employee wasn’t sure how to guess their ages.

“Just looking around.” Qiu Ci said.

The girl immediately changed to the way she was taught during training: “Okay, at Yixing, we have children’s courses in sketching, color, and traditional Chinese painting, as well as corresponding adult courses. Whether it’s to cultivate children’s interests or for you to learn and get certified later, if you’re not interested in that, we also have some handicrafts…”

Hanging on the wall were simple sketches of scenery and some children’s paintings.

Qiu Ci minded his own business and didn’t care about the employee’s feelings.

Qin Yishan, on the other hand, nodded from time to time, responding to the employee: “Then how much does this course cost?”

“Because we teach in small classes, it’s generally 20,000 for a course, which is about four months, with one class per week.”

Qin Yishan didn’t understand the market here and inquired perfunctorily.

“Were these drawn by students?”

The employee demonstrated embarrassment with a smile: “They were drawn by the teachers.”

The teachers’ level?

“We have a trial class here, the two of you?”

Qiu Ci shook his head: “We’re just looking around, not trying the class.”

Although the two of them didn’t look very old, especially the taller one, who was obviously very rich, the employee really wanted to keep them: “We have a trial class that’s almost over. There are some elementary school children inside. Would you like to take a look?”

The employee had obviously not calculated the time well. A group of children jumped out, holding masterpieces that the teacher had drawn for them hand-by-hand.

The parents at the door were overjoyed. Their children were so talented.

Qin Yishan was also surprised. Even a layman could see that the level of this group of children was very strong among their peers: “Your teaching methods are something.”

“Huh?” Qiu Ci was amused: “You actually believe it? These were all drawn by the teachers.”

The employee quickly stopped him: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“These lines and shaping definitely aren’t done by someone without a foundation.” Watching the parents scrambling to pay: “It’s really easy to make money,” Qiu Ci sighed.

Qin Yishan was also startled by his words: “Say that when we get back, okay?” He couldn’t disturb their business.

“No, you may have misunderstood. Our teachers are all from art academies, so they definitely teach better.”

Qiu Ci rolled his eyes: “These paintings are all the same. You can tell at a glance that they were drawn by one person. Your art academy teachers are average.”

Several parents looked over curiously. The employee was a little afraid that it would affect business and was thinking about how to smooth things over.

The last child came out of the classroom, head down, holding a sketch with a shoeprint on it.

The employee stopped the child: “You see, not all children are the same. This child is just not as suited for drawing as the others.”

The child had probably already been scolded by the teacher. Now, being humiliated in public, and with no parents coming to support him, he was just a small figure, head lowered even further.

The parents began to comment one by one: “This child just isn’t good. Look, the lines aren’t straight, and the colors are a mess. Look at your little girl’s. See how straight the lines are, and the colors are even.”