Chapter 70: Studio Opening 2 & Past with the Teacher

Qin Ruyan always held her teacher in high regard. She listened intently to the instructions given by the person on the other side of the video call. They chatted for a while before ending the call.

H Country.

Jennifer hung up the video call and made a phone call.

“Ship the treasure of the store back to Xiaoyan.” She hung up the phone after saying that.

Four years ago, she met Qin Ruyan at the Xiang Family’s triennial designer competition.

She still remembers that she had short hair that reached her ears back then, and her work was a black strapless dress. It had no embellishments, no excessive decorations, and the lines were slightly messy.

She hadn’t paid much attention to it at first. The design was actually quite ordinary, nothing special. She was about to pass it over when she saw Qin Ruyan walk up to her.

The newcomer had fair skin, her features held a youthful rebelliousness, her almond eyes were calm and serene, her entire being exuded an air of coldness. Jennifer’s heart skipped a beat. This girl gave her the feeling of someone on the brink of despair, searching for a glimmer of hope.

She took the drawing from the girl and nodded at her, turning to leave. She couldn’t help but call out to her.

“Young lady, wait a moment.”

Qin Ruyan hadn’t held much hope. She knew her work wasn’t very outstanding, and being called back by the judge, she subconsciously turned her head. Her eyes lacked any sparkle, her whole demeanor was a bit low.

But since someone had called out to her, she still stopped and turned around.

“Teacher, did you call me?”

Her voice was clear and cold, her manner polite, revealing her well-mannered upbringing.

Jennifer hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I’ll give you a theme. Can you redraw it on the spot?”

She didn’t know what this girl had been through, but judging by her appearance and the way she spoke, she guessed she was from an Eastern country like herself. She didn’t know if it was an illusion or if she could truly move people with her drawings when she saw the black dress earlier. She wanted to verify her guess.

Qin Ruyan pursed her lips, pondered for a moment before speaking. “Okay.”

She took her bag off her back and casually sat down on the ground. She took out drawing paper and a pencil from her bag.

“I didn’t bring any other tools, only drawing paper and a pencil. Is that alright, Teacher?”

Jennifer saw a glimmer of light in her eyes now, guessing that she genuinely loved to draw. She smiled.

“That’s fine. Draw a family portrait?”

Qin Ruyan was taken aback. She tightened her grip on the pencil. She lowered her eyelashes, and after a long moment, she looked up, her gaze flickering.

“Okay.”

After saying that, she took the drawing board, placed it on her lap, and picked up the pencil, starting to draw on the paper.

As soon as Jennifer called out to her, the voices of the crowd around them softened. Almost everyone present knew that Jennifer was not only a judge today but also the founder of the Xiang Family. If she wanted to keep someone, would that person need to continue the second and third rounds of the competition? Everyone unconsciously focused their attention on this side.

Now everyone was quiet, watching a plain-looking Eastern girl sitting on the ground drawing.

Half an hour later, Qin Ruyan stood up. She walked forward with no expression on her face and handed the drawing over.

“I have to go back to school for class. I’ll be leaving now. Thank you for your time today.”

After saying that, she bowed slightly before turning and leaving.

Behind her, Jennifer looked at the drawing. She furrowed her brows. A family portrait should be happy and joyful, but this girl’s drawing…

The picture showed a little girl looking at the backs of her parents leaving. She cleverly used the pencil to blur the background, giving it a sense of emptiness and suffocation.

Other families’ photos all exuded happiness and harmony, but this girl’s family portrait gave off a sense of despair. A despair that was predetermined.

She tightened her grip on the drawing paper, took a deep breath, and looked up at Qin Ruyan’s back. Her figure was thin and lonely, her silhouette desolate. Jennifer frowned and made a decision.

“Go check on this child, find out where she goes to school, and see if there’s a chance to recruit her.”

It wasn’t that Qin Ruyan’s painting was good, but Jennifer felt her painting could touch people’s hearts.

A single family portrait could evoke a sense of sadness and despair. Jennifer hadn’t felt this kind of impact from a drawing in a long time, where she could see the pain behind the artist simply by looking at the picture.

Qin Ruyan had just returned to school when she received a call. The person on the other end politely introduced themselves and told her she had passed the interview directly and didn’t need to go through further rounds. She could come for an internship anytime she wasn’t in class.

She paused in the middle of taking a sip of water, her voice polite and cool.

“Is this the teacher who asked me to draw on the spot today?”

She was a little surprised. Compared to those who showcased their skills, her work was much inferior. She even regretted it afterwards, feeling like she hadn’t drawn well. Yet, she had caught the eye of the judges.

“Yes, Ms. Qin.” The other party naturally knew her basic information since they had contacted her.

“For detailed information, please come to the headquarters when you have time. Jennifer will personally discuss it with you.”

This was the first student Jennifer had personally chosen in nearly ten years, so the person in charge naturally didn’t dare to be negligent and subconsciously lowered their posture.

Qin Ruyan was stunned. Was there such a good thing? She quickly agreed, then felt she was too excited and not calm enough.

They chatted for a few more sentences, confirming the time and location for her to visit, before hanging up the phone.

Later, she met Jennifer and learned that she was also the founder of the Xiang family. They talked a lot, mostly Jennifer talking and Qin Ruyan listening, occasionally responding with a few words.

“Little girl, I really liked your painting that day. I was satisfied with both of them. I asked you to redraw on the spot because I wanted to confirm if it was my illusion. You didn’t disappoint me. You can easily convey your thoughts through your work, making people feel them. I haven’t met such a talented child in a long time. If you’re willing, would you like to be my apprentice? I’m about fifty and haven’t found a successor yet.”

Qin Ruyan was stunned. She didn’t expect Jennifer to personally take her on and even accept her as a student.

After a brief thought, she nodded.

“But I’m still in school, and I might not be able to manage both.”

Seeing her agreement, Jennifer also smiled, her posture relaxed as she leaned back in her chair.

“Don’t neglect your schoolwork. Come over when you’re not in class. I’ll teach you, and you can also keep me company and relieve my boredom.”

Qin Ruyan nodded and called out, “Teacher.”

Jennifer happily nodded and gave her a large red envelope.

“I’m Chinese just like you. We can’t lose our country’s traditions. Take the red envelope, otherwise it means you don’t acknowledge me as your teacher.”

Qin Ruyan could only accept it under duress.

Jennifer took a sip of water before emerging from her memories.

In her store, she had placed a dress that had made her famous when she first founded Xiang. She remembered Qin Ruyan had murmured when she first saw it.

“Rebirth.”

She gave Qin Ruyan her prized possession, the dress named by Qin Ruyan. Such a smart girl should understand the intentions of her teacher, right?