LRAPTC Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Art Exhibition (II)

In the end, the small sticky note was peeled off by Ji Yuanan and carefully preserved. He forgave Shen Jue so easily.

Zhao Youming was still talking, constantly complaining to Shen Jue about a model he had worked with before, “You simply have no idea how annoying he was. Not only was he late on the day of the shoot, but after it was done, he kept pointing fingers at the finished photos, complaining that I didn’t take them well enough and didn’t capture his true beauty.” At this point, he rolled his eyes, “Please, he just looks like that. He cakes his face whiter than a wall, but he’s not even that good-looking.”

Shen Jue listened absentmindedly, waiting for Zhao Youming to finish and stop. The phone screen suddenly lit up. Ji Yuanan sent him a message:

[What time are you coming back approximately? Do you need me to pick you up?]

It seemed that Ji Yuanan’s anger had completely dissipated. Shen Jue casually replied “No need,” thought about it, and added:

[I’m already on my way back, will be there soon.]

The message had been sent successfully. Shen Jue had to go back. He picked up his phone and said goodbye to his friend: “I’m leaving now.”

Zhao Youming, seeing Shen Jue get up to leave, subconsciously looked at the time, shocked, “Ah? So early? Seriously, you people with families are just different from us lonely old guys.”

Shen Jue waved his hand, ignoring his friend’s teasing, and walked out the door on his own.

The theme of this exhibition was called “Encountering Spring” and was held in a venue along the coast. On Saturday, Shen Jue arrived at the tail end of the opening ceremony. Yu Zhuo was wearing a black beret and a dark brown shawl, surrounded by people and unable to get away for a moment, so they had to go and view the exhibited works first.

Shen Jue stopped in front of a painting nearby. On the canvas, a little boy was lying in a green sea of flowers. Millions of flowers bloomed from his mouth, constantly spreading to the lawn. The entire painting continued Yu Zhuo’s consistent, vibrant style.

Looking at this painting, Shen Jue’s thoughts were rarely drawn back to the past. Yu Zhuo had a small habit when painting: he liked to hold a piece of candy in his mouth. Shen Jue didn’t know if it was because of this habit that Yu Zhuo’s paintings were so colorful.

Yu Zhuo had noticed Shen Jue’s arrival long ago. After signing his name, he refused the next fan who wanted to take a photo with him, “I have something to do. Could you wait for me a moment?” He asked the remaining people with a smile.

After receiving an affirmative answer, he quickly walked away like a gust of wind. Yu Zhuo walked behind Shen Jue and complained, “Why are you only coming now?”

The sudden sound interrupted Shen Jue’s thoughts. Shen Jue turned his head and casually comforted him with a few words, “Okay, don’t be angry.” Seeing Yu Zhuo remain silent, Shen Jue said again, “Anyway, I’ve already seen many of your paintings. Besides, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Yu Zhuo reluctantly accepted Shen Jue’s explanation. He looked at Ji Yuanan standing next to Shen Jue and pretended to be surprised, “Oh, Ji classmate is here too.”

Ji Yuanan remained silent, continuing to maintain his aloof persona in front of Yu Zhuo. The atmosphere became a little subtle for a moment. Shen Jue was worried that the two would end up disagreeing again, so he quickly distracted Yu Zhuo, “Your little fans are still waiting for you. Shouldn’t you go over there quickly?”

In the place where Yu Zhuo left, the sparse crowd gradually gathered again. “Alright. Then I’ll come back to find you later.” Seeing this, Yu Zhuo finally agreed.

Shen Jue watched Yu Zhuo re-enter the crowd, smiling and taking photos with new fans. He withdrew his gaze and said to Ji Yuanan, “Let’s walk around by ourselves first.”

It was entirely because of Shen Jue’s invitation that Ji Yuanan chose to visit this art exhibition. He accompanied Shen Jue around the first floor, superficially viewing Yu Zhuo’s “spring” through his eyes. Although he didn’t have a good impression of Yu Zhuo, Ji Yuanan had to admit that Yu Zhuo did have a certain talent for painting. In Yu Zhuo’s world, all things were colorful.

To match the theme of the exhibition, the floor of the exhibition hall was covered with a layer of dark green turf, and long wooden chairs were distributed everywhere for people to rest. In a remote corner, there was a huge tree, with branches covering the ceiling, and pure white petals scattered on the grass, like it had snowed. They sat side by side under this flower tree.

Directly opposite the chair, there was still a painting by Yu Zhuo hanging. It was a completely withered tree, with a budding flower blooming on its bare branches.

[Z: I’m done. Where are you guys now?]

[S: Next to a tree.]

They sat for a while. Two girls passed by, one with long hair and one with short hair. The short-haired girl whispered a few words in the long-haired girl’s ear, then turned back and ran to Shen Jue.

“Hello.” The girl greeted them, then raised the camera in her hand and politely asked, “Excuse me for disturbing you, I think you guys look very well-matched. Do you mind if I take a picture of you?”

“Don’t worry, my photography skills are pretty good.” The girl added confidently.

“Of course.” Before Shen Jue could speak, Ji Yuanan agreed. At this point, Shen Jue had nothing to refuse. Almost habitually, he raised the corners of his mouth at the camera. From childhood to adulthood, Shen Jue had experienced countless moments like this, but when Ji Yuanan got close to him, an indescribable feeling still quickly flashed through his heart.

The girl got a satisfactory photo, thanked them, and left with her friend side by side. Yu Zhuo finally arrived late, and he took the initiative to invite them, “I saw a restaurant nearby with a lot of good reviews. Do you want to go try it out later?”

Shen Jue looked at Ji Yuanan, wanting to solicit his opinion. Ji Yuanan responded with a smile, seemingly having completely accepted Yu Zhuo, as if the person who was at odds with Yu Zhuo earlier wasn’t him. Thus, the location for dinner was set.

The sky hadn’t darkened yet. The three of them secretly slipped out of the side door of the exhibition hall, crossed the road, and walked along the seawall. The tide gradually receded, revealing the mud and sand of the seabed. They walked all the way to the restaurant.

The three of them ordered signature dishes: seafood risotto, two servings of cream of mushroom soup, and Yu Zhuo additionally ordered a glass of fruit wine with a low alcohol content, which was a bright red color in the glass. After taking a photo, Yu Zhuo shared it on social media as usual. After the photo was uploaded successfully, he moved the phone to the side and said, “Then I’ll start eating.”

Ji Yuanan and Shen Jue sat opposite each other and lowered their heads to eat when they heard this. On their side, there was a large glass window. At this time, the sun had begun to set, forming large patches of purple-red sunset clouds. It was truly a beautiful scene, one they hadn’t seen in a long time.

They quietly finished their dinner. Shen Jue scooped a spoonful of mushroom soup and asked Yu Zhuo, “How long are you planning to stay in the country this time?”

“About a month, I guess.” Yu Zhuo thought for a moment, supporting his chin with his hand, “Jue, are you planning to see me off?”

Shen Jue’s hand holding the spoon paused, then he answered seriously, “If I have time, I’ll consider it.”

Yu Zhuo put on an expression as if he had expected this, not at all surprised by Shen Jue’s answer.

After dinner, it was completely dark. They parted ways at the intersection. Yu Zhuo sat in the car, waved goodbye to the two of them through the car window, and the taxi sped away. Shen Jue and Ji Yuanan crossed the road and continued to return the same way. They passed the seawall, stepped on the stone-paved road. The sea breeze was very strong at night, and their hair was blown around.

On the other side of the sea, the lights were dazzling. Ji Yuanan looked at the huge Ferris wheel and inappropriately remembered sitting in it once. The Ferris wheel turned halfway, reaching the highest point. He felt novelty and looked down at the scenery on the ground through the glass. The buildings became small and blurred in his vision. He suddenly wanted very much to ride that Ferris wheel with Shen Jue, but he didn’t know when that day would come.

“Ji Yuanan.” The next second, Shen Jue suddenly called him.

“Yes.” Ji Yuanan moved closer, making it easier for him to hear more clearly. He asked, “What’s wrong?”

“…Do you and Yu Zhuo not get along very well?”

Shen Jue’s voice wasn’t loud. Ji Yuanan barely heard it clearly. He euphemistically admitted, “Maybe a little.”

Actually, it was more than a little. Even Ji Yuanan was starting to reflect on whether he had been too obvious, but he still couldn’t treat Yu Zhuo with a normal heart.

“Actually, Yu Zhuo is just too enthusiastic.” Shen Jue said again.

“Is that so.” Ji Yuanan laughed and asked, “Aren’t you curious as to why I don’t get along with him?”

The number of people gradually increased, and someone started singing not far away. The singing carried through the sea breeze into their ears. Shen Jue didn’t answer. Ji Yuanan seemed to have expected Shen Jue’s reaction long ago, and didn’t ask anything further. So the two of them silently listened to one sad love song after another, and they could already clearly see the glass curtain wall building not far away. This road was finally coming to an end.