translated_Chapter 60

60: Running an Art Class

“Oh my, how can anyone be as good as your Yangyang? The teacher praised him endlessly.”

That parent quickly waved their hand, “Oh, you’re flattering me. The teacher must praise every child. My child just can’t sit still.”

“Oh well, he’s a little boy.”

…

The parents complimented each other.

Qiu Ci lowered his head and asked the child, “Did you draw this?”

The child looked up, then down again, and finally nodded.

Seeing those eyes filled with tears, Qiu Ci felt a pang of sympathy. “Did you come alone?”

The child was being bullied like this, yet no parent had come to pick him up.

Qin Yishan also asked the little boy with concern, “Little friend, what’s your name? Where are your parents?”

The shop assistant said for him, “He comes to every trial class, but sadly he doesn’t have the talent for it, and his parents don’t care.”

The last sentence was true.

Qiu Ci couldn’t bear to see the child all alone, maybe it was related to his past in the orphanage. “At least it’s obvious that this child drew it himself. The overall feeling is much better than the mass-produced stuff the teacher gives your children. That fine arts academy teacher is just here to make money with some basic skills.”

The shop assistant was a little annoyed, “What do you know? You’re an outsider! Don’t smear us, or we’ll sue you.”

Some parents who were already hesitant about the price also began to waver.

“Suit yourself.” Qiu Ci didn’t want to say more. He snatched the child’s drawing, carefully admired it, then rolled it up and took off the hair tie from his own hair, putting it around the scroll to secure it simply. He handed it to the little boy, “Here, take it. You draw so well.”

The teacher must have belittled him a lot in class, not even willing to give him the same paper as the others.

But the child was able to distinguish space, size, black, white, and gray, which was truly a talent.

A middle-aged woman hurried over, pushing through the crowd and seeing her son holding the rolled-up sketch paper and crying.

Next to him were two young men, and the shop assistant who was anxiously making phone calls.

“Mingming! What are you doing?” The woman dragged the child over.

Qiu Ci, who was comforting the child, was interrupted when the child was pulled away, “Are you his parent?”

The woman looked up, “Yes, I am…”

Qin Yishan, seeing that Qiu Ci was about to say something he shouldn’t, quickly stopped him and spoke himself, “We saw him alone and were worried he might be in danger, so we helped him out.”

The woman glared at the child, “I told you not to come, but you wouldn’t listen, you stubborn thing!” She poked the child’s temple.

Qiu Ci reached out to stop her, “Don’t be too harsh on the child, he has talent.”

“What good is talent? He can learn to paint at home, why does he have to come out and learn? It’s so expensive, I can’t afford it. He does so poorly in school, yet he wants to pursue hobbies. He doesn’t even like studying, what hobbies can he have?”

The surrounding parents secretly felt proud after hearing these words.

“Yangyang’s dad, are you still signing up?”

“Let’s sign up. It’s not a lot of money, and I think we should support our child’s hobbies.”

“Then I’ll sign up too, it’s really not expensive.”

Qiu Ci sneered. He crouched down again and touched the child’s head, “It’s okay, your level, don’t rush. You’ll definitely become a great painter in the future.”

The little boy, with his wet eyes, hesitated for a long time, then handed the drawing to Qiu Ci, “For you, brother.”

Qiu Ci took it, “Mingming, right? I’ll remember you.”

The woman awkwardly dragged her child away.

Qin Yishan apologized to the art center properly.

“Okay, you’re just causing trouble. Let’s go.” Qin Yishan, seeing that it was getting late, decided it was time to take Qiu Ci home.

On the way, Qiu Ci was unusually energetic. He carefully observed his hands.

After learning that he couldn’t fully recover, he had neglected his rehabilitation for a long time.

“Tomorrow… are you free?” Qiu Ci asked.

Qin Yishan glanced at him, “I’m free, what’s up?”

“I want to go do rehabilitation, and then cosmetic surgery…”

“Qiu Ci? You have an idea?” Qin Yishan asked him.

For the past period, Qiu Ci had been in a nihilistic state of just eating, drinking, and waiting for death.

“Actually, it’s not like I can’t do anything.” Qiu Ci looked out the window at the city that never sleeps, shining with lights. “Are those art institutions and studios all about making money?”

“I’m not too sure, since I’m an outsider, but most of them are similar.”

“Then could I start one too?” Qiu Ci asked.

“It shouldn’t be difficult, since you have connections in that area.”

Qiu Ci nodded. Maybe he could.

In the following days, Qiu Ci became busy again.

He went to the hospital every day to change his dressings and do rehabilitation. The wounds on his body gradually stabilized and were not so easily torn open.

The cosmetic surgery was at Su Yuyang’s place.

It wasn’t Qiu Ci who specified it, but Qin Yishan found a reliable cosmetic surgery institution.

It was just a coincidence.

Several check-ups happened to coincide with Su Yuyang, who insisted on adding him as a friend.

The new year was only a few days away, and Qin Yishan returned to the United States.

Su Yuyang also went home for the new year.

Qiu Ci had no friends again. In previous years, there was Qiu Shi.

Thinking of Qiu Shi, he received a call from Qiu Shi.

“Hey, little brother, how’s your recovery going?” She seemed to be in a good mood, pretending to have forgotten their argument and sulking from the previous period.

Qiu Ci replied, “It’s not bad, it’s basically stable. I’ve scheduled cosmetic surgery for scar removal next month.”

“That’s good, what are your plans?”

Qiu Ci thought for a moment, “I want to open an art class.”

Qiu Shi didn’t understand, “Why do you suddenly want to open an art class?”

“I’m just bored, and I can’t study painting anymore.”

“Your hand, can’t it recover?”

“It can’t recover.”

Qiu Shi was silent for a while, “Do whatever you want. Come to my place for the new year, I’ll book your ticket.”

“Why aren’t you coming back to the country?”

“Come to Japan for fun, huh?”

It was never easy to refuse Qiu Shi.

“Okay.”

Later, Qiu Ci went to Japan for the new year.

He met Tsukimi Rin for the first time.

A girl who was more considerate than Qiu Shi.

After returning to the country after the new year, his wounds were almost healed. After the stitches were removed, he was reminded not to do strenuous exercise.

He also had cosmetic surgery to remove the scars.

Before summer, Qiu Ci looked in the mirror, and the person inside was almost the same as last year.

Although his hand was still unstable, after half a year of rehabilitation, he could eat and write.

It’s just that his handwriting was very ugly.

Seeing that things had stabilized, Qiu Ci also began to look for a location for his art class.

Because of the cosmetic surgery intersection, he had seen Su Yuyang many times in the hospital, and the two had become familiar.

Su Yuyang was very enthusiastic and lively. Learning that Qiu Ci wanted to open an art class, he analyzed the situation for him and looked for a good location.

Then there was the matter of students.

Qiu Ci didn’t have many requirements for students, but he had many requirements for teachers.

In addition to being from a fine arts background, they had to have teaching qualifications.

They had to be enthusiastic in personality, but also quiet, not to disturb the students’ own thinking, and try to guide them.

Ideally, they should have psychological credentials.

There would be no group lessons. Wherever there was a need in the studio, they would give individual explanations, after all, everyone’s progress was different.

However, this art class seemed to be going to lose money.

Su Yuyang calculated it several times and it was all losses, scratching his head.