Zhu Siyu found that Dong Changyang is a very easy person to get along with.

Previously, she had been warned by her English teacher and thought Dong Changyang might look down on them art students and ignore them like the top student in her class.

But Dong Changyang is really nice.

Every day when they go out, he reminds her to bring things, and when they leave, he says goodbye to her. After the daytime classes, he even lends her his notes.

Zhu Siyu thinks this is just great.

Those who can attend this summer camp generally come from families with good conditions; otherwise, they wouldn’t casually spend so much money to let their children go out and broaden their horizons. However, because everyone has been spoiled growing up, once their habits clash and they can’t adapt, it’s easy for conflicts to erupt.

On her second day here, Zhu Siyu already knew several people had argued.

In contrast, Dong Changyang, her roommate, is simply fantastic.

“Changyang, today we’re going to attend Mr. Chen’s art exhibition,” exclaimed Zhu Siyu joyfully. “Mr. Chen is now a venerable figure in our calligraphy and painting community. He studied abroad when he was young, and I heard his paintings are now sold by size, which makes them quite valuable.”

“I also know someone named Chen who paints really well,” Dong Changyang replied quietly.

It’s already been three days.

Since meeting Chen Huanzhi, they’ve almost met and chatted every day, and they’ve also been learning to paint together. Dong Changyang really can’t get used to not having any contact like this now.

“I’m definitely not used to it, but Brother Chen might not mind,” Dong Changyang said with a sigh.

The beautiful maidservants around Brother Chen always have bright eyes whenever they see him, and the house they live in is large and beautiful. Plus, he even has several sturdy horses. Riding those horses makes him look like the prince from a fairy tale, no doubt about it.

“If I don’t contact him, maybe he’ll still be happy,” Dong Changyang mused.

It’s like when you were a kid and you got a really special toy that you didn’t want anyone else to even glance at. It feels like if someone looks at it, it’s like they’ve taken a piece of flesh from your body.

Ah, it’s really annoying.

“Are there other Chens who are good at painting?” Zhu Siyu paused for a moment. “But currently, the most talented painters in our country are all named Chen. The elder Chen is Mr. Chen we’re going to see at the exhibition tomorrow, and the younger Chen is Chen Jie who won the ‘Scenery of the Three Gorges’ award last year. Miss Chen Jie seems to have studied in France on a scholarship.”

“Uh, he’s not that well-known,” Dong Changyang casually replied, quickly changing the subject. “Will Mr. Chen be coming to tomorrow’s exhibition?”

“Yeah,” Zhu Siyu glanced around and quickly closed the hotel room door. “Changyang, let me tell you something. Didn’t my dad donate some lab equipment to our high school before? So, my dad has a pretty good relationship with the headmaster. He secretly messaged me saying that Mr. Zhou Yang will also come tomorrow because Mr. Chen used to teach at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and mentored Mr. Zhou Yang a few times.”

“… I don’t really like this nickname,” Dong Changyang’s focus was elsewhere. “Why do you call me ‘Sun’?”

Zhu Siyu was friendly, just a bit too familiar. But Dong Changyang didn’t mind this kind of familiarity.

Girls of the same age, living together in a strange place, and engaging in activities together, can indeed quickly build an extraordinary friendship.

“Seems intimate, right?” Zhu Siyu scratched her head, trying to act cute to divert the topic. “It’s trendy now. Or do you want me to call you ‘Yang’ like in idol dramas?”

Dong Changyang knew his mindset was a bit off.

Yes, recently because of the popularity of idol dramas adapted from manga, many people in our class like to give each other nicknames, or they just call out the last syllable of someone’s name in a more artistic way.

If a name is just two syllables, it’s fine, but even when the name clearly has three syllables, they only call out one. Dong Changyang really can’t keep up with this trend.

“No thanks.”

“What’s wrong with the name ‘Sun’? It sounds grand right away. Because my surname is Zhu, and my name has the character ‘Si’, people either call me ‘Little Pig’ or ‘Spider’,” Zhu Siyu looked very resentful as she glanced at Dong Changyang. “Now that you have a nice nickname, others won’t be able to use unpleasant ones on you in the future.”

Is there really this kind of social relationship in high school?

Dong Changyang was shocked but could only accept Zhu Siyu’s “good intentions.”

“Annoying, you’ve distracted me and now I’ve forgotten what I was saying before.” Zhu Siyu pretended to complain, “I was saying…”

“Mr. Zhou Yang is also coming.”

“Oh, right, Mr. Zhou Yang,” Zhu Siyu looked seriously at Dong Changyang. “Originally, my dad could have sent me abroad, but I was young and he was worried. Later, when he heard our experimental high school hired Mr. Zhou Yang, he allowed me to attend this high school. Nowadays, those who are good at painting either start their own tutoring classes or focus solely on their own path, they don’t have time to teach others at all. Mr. Zhou Yang is young and responsible. His artworks have been appreciating in value, and everyone sees a bright future for him.”

“Yeah, I know about that,” Jiang Yu, the art teacher back then, also recommended Dong Changyang to the experimental high school because of Zhou Yang.

“Mr. Zhou Yang used to study oil painting, but later found greater success in traditional Chinese painting. He even integrates some oil painting techniques into Chinese painting and has won numerous international awards. They say he’s been a genius since childhood, and now that he’s hit a bottleneck, we’re lucky to have him join our high school. Because of him, the admission scores for our high school have increased by over ten points compared to previous years.”

“Get to the point,” Dong Changyang said, starting to sound impatient.

With this level of detail, it’s no wonder Zhu Siyu complains about her Chinese grades; it would be strange if they were good.

“Uh, my dad mentioned that after we visit the art exhibition, Mr. Zhou Yang might ask us to paint a picture based on a specific theme, and he might even send outstanding works to Mr. Chen for comments,” Zhu Siyu whispered, looking like she had the potential to be a secret agent. “It’s a rare opportunity. If we get praised by Mr. Chen, our chances of qualifying for the National Youth Competition in the future will be much higher.”

With so many art students competing every year, if you paint based on a single theme, it’s hard to come up with something new. Sometimes, if you encounter a teacher whose aesthetic is different from yours, it can be very challenging. On the other hand, if you already have good grades and reputation, judges will immediately review your work, increasing your chances of achieving a good ranking.

There are countless art students across the country, but very few actually succeed in this field, which relies heavily on talent as you move up.

Though it sounds harsh, in artistic industries like painting and music, effort doesn’t always guarantee success. For most people, getting into university through hard work is often the pinnacle, as finding a relevant job afterward is considered a major achievement.

Dong Changyang also knew about the National Youth Competition.

“If you can win awards, it gives you a significant advantage when applying for universities through independent enrollment.”

In the past, Dong Changyang had also considered participating in competitions, but she knew her skill level wasn’t sufficient. Even if she did compete, she might not achieve good results, especially with distractions from daily life learning, so she had set it aside.

But now in high school, with more personal time, it’s necessary to prioritize participating in such competitions.

“Why did you tell me?” Dong Changyang curiously looked at Zhu Siyu. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to prepare on your own?”

“Am I that selfish?” Zhu Siyu said nonchalantly. “Of course, I know my own abilities. My dad thinks he’s a rough guy and believes girls should learn to play instruments and paint to be refined. But I’m really not interested in oil painting or Chinese painting. I just want to draw comics!”

“Comics are great too.”

“I feel the same way, haha. But I can’t even draw storyboards well,” Zhu Siyu laughed, then became serious again. “Taiyang, I’m serious. You must seize this opportunity. Even if you’re not the best, make sure to leave an impression with Mr. Zhou Yang.”

“Thank you,” Dong Changyang said earnestly, shaking Zhu Siyu’s hand.

Come to think of it, she was experiencing having a friend who was also an art student for the first time.

Back at No.13 High School, almost all her classmates were regular students. No.13 High School was bottom-ranked in the county, and art students had no chance of attending there.

“Don’t mention it,” Zhu Siyu patted Dong Changyang’s shoulder. “If you become a painter in the future, just give me a few paintings for investment purposes. I’ll hold onto them for appreciation.”

—— — — — — —

“It seems Changyang has made some good friends,” Chen Huanzhi murmured as he extinguished the incense.

He put away the gold hairpin.

Back home, Chen Huanzhi dismissed the maids and servants, then lit some incense and began observing Dong Changyang’s life.

Previously, Chen Huanzhi would have scorned the idea of spying on womenfolk.

Perhaps the wind had confused him on his way back, as Chen Huanzhi suddenly wanted to see what Changyang’s daily life was like.

From Dong Changyang going to classes with her roommates, chatting with other camp participants, to playing games with foreign students, almost everything fell under Chen Huanzhi’s watchful gaze.

Chen Huanzhi had never been so acutely aware of the vast differences between his world and the world where Changyang belonged.

In their Great Yan Dynasty, there were also some foreign merchants, but they looked down on those merchants, who in turn seemed to pay little attention to them. Some common folk, seeing those foreigners on the streets, even thought of them as “demons,” afraid they might eat their children.

Unlike the world where Changyang resides, where people can chat so openly.

Even without his help, Changyang could live quite brilliantly.

From what that girl named Zhu Siyu just said, a famous painter is coming to guide them. With Changyang’s skill, she should be capable enough to impress this master.

In other words, Changyang doesn’t really need his help.

Chen Huanzhi used to think he was the one helping Changyang more.

After all, with his wealth, status, and age, while Changyang lacked parental care, came from a poor family, and was a powerless girl, it seemed she needed his guidance to live a better life.

But gradually, Chen Huanzhi realized it wasn’t like that.It was Changyang who helped him more.In Changyang’s era, she had access to various excellent educations that people here couldn’t even imagine or enjoy.

It was his own arrogance.

Chen Huanzhi felt somewhat disheartened.

His family background and his own talents were enough to make him confident in front of all sorts of women. Yet, when facing Changyang, he realized the things he prided himself on might not be all that impressive after all.

At this moment, Chen Huanzhi didn’t notice that Dong Changyang had begun to act.

Zhu Siyu had always been one to fall asleep as soon as she touched the bed, and with the activities during the day, she was indeed quite exhausted.

Dong Changyang took advantage of her roommates being asleep, quietly snapped a mosquito coil in half, and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

She lit the half-coil of mosquito repellent.

“Huh, Chen Big Brother, why are you lighting incense?”

Dong Changyang’s voice directly reached Chen Huanzhi’s ears, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Oh no… This is bad.

Chen Huanzhi instantly abandoned his previous thoughts and now just wanted to find a suitable excuse to convince Changyang that he really wasn’t spying on her.