Chapter 224

In addition to Shi Tingyu, the art group consisted of two other teachers: Professor Qi, who specialized in traditional Chinese painting, and Professor Tian, who was an expert in oil painting.

Professor Qi had a beard that reached just below his chin, which he liked to stroke from time to time.

Professor Tian, in his fifties, had a scholarly and gentle demeanor, with slightly long hair and a black hat on his head.

Since there were only three people in the art group and Shi Tingyu was the only woman, she was assigned a separate room.

However, calling it a separate room wasn’t entirely accurate.

Because at night, Lu Weiguo would come over and stay with her.

After they had almost finished organizing their belongings, the three of them stepped out and started chatting.

Professor Tian already knew about Shi Tingyu.

People in the painting and calligraphy circles paid attention to news within their field.

He had seen Shi Tingyu’s name in the newspapers years ago and had admired her work ever since.

As a fellow oil painter, Professor Tian greatly appreciated Shi Tingyu’s works.

Professor Qi, on the other hand, sighed inwardly. After such a long period of cultural interruption, the field of traditional Chinese painting had few promising talents left.

Seeing someone as young as Shi Tingyu achieve such success made him both relieved and pained by the decline of traditional Chinese painting.

The three exchanged their views on painting.

Both professors had weathered many storms and had no airs of arrogance typical of artists. Instead, they were very modest.

Shi Tingyu had received systematic art education from the future, combined with the original host’s overseas study experiences, giving her unique insights into various works.

The three of them had a pleasant conversation.

At this time, people from the neighboring dormitories came out to greet them as well.

The question-setting had not yet officially started, so everyone was eager to socialize.

Having been suppressed for so long, everyone here was highly educated and didn’t want to miss this rare opportunity for exchange.

Among these people, Shi Tingyu stood out like a crane among chickens.

It wasn’t just her striking appearance but also because she was the youngest among the question-setting teachers.

Looking around, apart from Shi Tingyu, the youngest of the twenty or so teachers was at least in their mid-thirties.

There were relatively few women; including Shi Tingyu, there were only eight female teachers.

Everyone was curious about Shi Tingyu and couldn’t help but inquire about her.

The two professors from the art group felt proud and started explaining Shi Tingyu’s accomplishments to everyone.

Shi Tingyu’s resume was indeed impressive, earning her many compliments.

At this moment, a white-haired physics professor walked over. “Young lady, is your surname Shi?”

Shi Tingyu nodded in surprise.

The professor quickly asked, “Is your father Professor Shi Qianshi?”

Shi Tingyu was genuinely surprised this time. “You know my father?”

The physics professor laughed heartily, his voice full of energy. “I’ve long admired Professor Shi.”

Upon hearing Professor Tian introduce Shi Tingyu as someone who had returned from abroad, he had his suspicions.

He hadn’t expected her to actually be Professor Shi’s daughter.

At this moment, he felt that her achievements were not surprising at all.

When asked, it was family genetics.

With parents who were professors at the research institute, the child’s intelligence was certainly not in question.

Some people who didn’t know who Professor Shi was asked about him, and the physics professor explained. When they learned that her parents were professors at the military district research institute, they were full of respect.

Shi Tingyu hadn’t expected to receive such attention, but her parents’ achievements were theirs. She felt she wasn’t doing too badly in her own field either.

Just then, Lu Weiguo came over holding Shen Shen.

The atmosphere around them instantly became strange.

The teachers present were all scholars, and seeing someone like Lu Weiguo for the first time, they couldn’t help but feel a bit startled. But then they noticed the child in his arms, and the contrast was striking.

It seemed a bit disrespectful that the soldier responsible for security and safety was carrying a child.

Shen Shen saw his mother and started babbling, reaching out his little hands towards Shi Tingyu, clearly wanting to be held by her.

Shi Tingyu reached out and took her son.

The little guy, fair and lovely, placed his little hand on his mother’s shoulder, his chubby face against hers, full of dependence.

Seeing this, the crowd finally realized something unusual.

Professors Tian and Qi, both painters, were used to observing people closely. They couldn’t help but notice how much the child resembled Shi Tingyu.

Professor Tian couldn’t resist asking, “Xiao Shi, is this your child?”

Shi Tingyu smiled and held Shen Shen’s small hand, waving it towards Professor Tian. “Yes, this is my son. Shen Shen, say hello to Uncle Tian.”

Lu Yunshen looked at Professor Tian with innocent eyes and opened his mouth, making an “ah” sound.

Professor Tian felt like he was looking at his own grandson.

To be honest, his own grandson was older than this little one.

“Hey, my grandson is older than this little baby,” he said, stepping forward to play with the baby. “Shen Shen, right? I’m Grandpa Tian.”

According to age, Professor Tian was indeed of the grandfather’s generation, but considering his colleague relationship with Shi Tingyu, calling him Uncle Tian was also appropriate.

The little guy wasn’t shy and giggled when Professor Tian played with him.

A beautiful child laughing felt like flowers blooming around them, making everyone envious.

Shi Tingyu introduced Lu Weiguo to everyone.

“This is my husband, Lu Weiguo. He’s responsible for security and safety here.”

Perhaps due to the presence of Lu Yunshen, Lu Weiguo, as his father, also became more welcomed.

When Lu Weiguo first arrived, others were a bit intimidated by him, except for the two from the art group.

They were the first to greet Lu Weiguo now.

The main reason was that Lu Weiguo had good bone structure. For artists, what mattered more were the proportions and features, so they didn’t think Lu Weiguo looked unapproachable.

Lu Weiguo, for his part, softened his usual stern expression and acted courteous and polite.

His intention was simple: to make a good impression so that it would be easier for his wife to get along with these people in the future.

However, he underestimated the situation. Not only had Shi Tingyu already gained a lot of goodwill on her own, but Lu Yunshen had also added to her positive impression.

Most of the teachers here either had grandchildren or grown children. Seeing such a beautiful child instantly won their affection.

Many people claim not to like children, but they often can’t help themselves when encountering a particularly adorable one.

The love for beauty is universal.

At this moment, the difference between men and women became evident.

The grandfathers could still maintain a bit of composure, but the grandmothers had no such reservations.

They crowded around, busy playing with the child.

Even though they had grandchildren of their own, they had to admit that Teacher Shi’s child was more beautiful than theirs.

The key was that the child wasn’t spoiled or shy.

He laughed when you played with him and didn’t cry when he got upset.

He was very endearing.