The sky gradually darkened and only a small fraction of the sun remained on the horizon, hiding into distant mountains.

The thin sunlight changed from golden to warm orange-red color, passing through the large transparent glass windows and spilling into the room. There were tiny dust particles floating in the air, like fine quicksand.

At first, Shen Shang would give Yu Mian a brief explanation as she painted, but then he gradually stopped speaking and sat on the side in silence, quietly watching the picture created by the girl appear little by little on the snow-white canvas.

The trees appeared greener due to the rain, the wet branches were damp, the large green leaves were still dripping with water, and the gray and white chubby bird’s pair of round and shiny eyes were open, its thin claws hooked into the cracks between the branch as it tilted its head as if thinking about something.

The girl holding the brush also tilted her head slightly, observing whether there were any omissions in the painting and repairing some minor details from time to time. The brush rustled on the canvas.

That was, until Shen Shang’s voice broke the silence in the room, “That’s enough.”

Yu Mian turned her head to look at him, her dark eyes were crystal clear, reflecting the last ray of light from the sky, shining like black pearls soaked in water.

“Is there anything I did wrong?” She bit her lip and glanced at him before staring at the painting again.

Shen Shang shook his head. “That’s enough already.” He wasn’t stingy in praising her or the painting in front of him. “It’s much better than I imagined. Although you lack basic knowledge, I can see that you’ve been working hard. Your technique is good and has its own style, moreover, you’re good at making forms and your use of colors is very bright and fresh……”

“You seem to be more interested in Chinese painting?” He raised his hand and pointed to the life-like bird in the painting. “This is a very typical flower-and-bird painting method in traditional Chinese painting. Your painting is very flexible and lifelike, but your skill in outlining is a little bit worse. If I’m not mistaken, you probably don’t know much about sketching?”

Yu Mian listened attentively and seeing that Shen Shang could tell all those things from a single painting, her eyes couldn’t help but widen, filled with wonder and amazement.

“Yes…… I’ve always liked Chinese painting and I’ve been studying in my spare time. I really don’t know much about modern painting techniques.”

Because she couldn’t find any memory of Shen Shang in her mind, she wasn’t afraid that he would discover she wasn’t the other Yu Mian. Thus she then told him her situation in detail.

Shen Shang understood. “In that case, I will give you tutorials on modern painting. Since you have chosen to major in comprehensive arts, you must learn the methods of various art styles. You don’t have to be proficient, but you must be familiar with them.”

“But…… Teacher, hasn’t it only been two months since I started school? Do I need to learn so much?” Yu Mian felt dizzy thinking about the upcoming tutoring sessions that was to come.

As far as she knows, there were many types of arts. Including her favorite ink painting, there’s oil painting, mural, comic, printmaking, freehand brush work, gongbi^[1]a careful realist technique in Chinese painting, gouache painting, and so on. If she wanted to learn them all, it would definitely take a lot of time and energy.

Shen Shang raised his eyebrows lightly and said noncommittally, “If you don’t want to learn them, that’s fine. I can just teach you the basics.”

Hearing that, Yu Mian shook her head hastily. This was his brother’s friend and a teacher at the art school, so he mustn’t be an ordinary person. Moreover, after a short period of interaction, Yu Mian could naturally realize Shen Shang’s expertise in the field of painting. If she missed this opportunity, she might not be able to find a better teacher in the future.

What’s more, she also wanted to go further in the field of painting, and it would definitely not work if she only knows Chinese painting.

“No, I want to learn!” Yu Mian looked determined. She stood up and bowed to him. “Teacher, I’ll have to trouble you!”

Shen Shang was perfectly calm and collected. He gave a nasally hum, appearing very dignified.

Once she recognized her teacher and regarded Shen Shang as one of her people, Yu Mian naturally let go. Suddenly thinking of Shen Shang’s profile picture that she had seen before, she curiously asked, “Teacher, I saw your WeChat account. Is your profile picture painted by you?”

That day’s lesson had come to an end. Shen Shang had stood up and was putting down his rolled-up sleeves. His white fingertips were stained with a little color from the brush, leaving indistinct traces on the snow-white cuffs.

Hearing her question, he lowered his eyes and glanced at the girl with bright eyes. He saw her tilting her palm-sized face, her gaze full of curiosity that couldn’t be concealed.

Instead of answering, he asked, “What do you think?”

Yu Mian was taken aback. She puffed up her cheeks and pondered for a moment before hesitantly saying, “I…… guess so?”

This teacher looked like he teaches modern painting, but that profile picture was an authentic ink painting with an extremely high proficiency that it could be called a masterpiece. It wasn’t that Yu Mian doubted him, but that Shen Shang looked too young, making it difficult for people to believe that he had such a high level of skills.

After fastening the light blue crystal cufflink, Shen Shang withdrew his eyes from her face and landed on her fingertips. He spoke lightly, “Yes, that’s right. Is there anything you want to add?”

It took a moment for Yu Mian to react. Her little face lit up and she said in surprise, “So it’s really true!”

When she saw that painting, Yu Mian wanted to take the painter as her role model. Suddenly, she was told that her tutor was actually the great master. This feeling was like picking up gold while walking on the road. It was a completely unexpected blessing.

Inadvertently becoming a pupil of a great master, Yu Mian thought she had crazy good luck. She was so happy that she didn’t know what to do. Her big eyes and smiling eyebrows were curved like crescent moons.

She thought that Shen Shang was teaching her for her brother’s sake, but she was unaware of the faint upward tilt of the corners of Shen Shang’s lips hidden beneath his calm expression.

There were so many people in the world who paint but very few who truly love Chinese painting. Shen Shang had dabbled in various painting styles, but what he loves most was traditional Chinese painting. His grandfather was an internationally renowned traditional Chinese painting master, and his talent for the art was extremely high. After learning it from a young age, he had reached the pinnacle in traditional Chinese painting.

This style wasn’t like modern painting, where you enroll in a class to learn the basics and then build proficiency through a lot of practice.

Chinese painting was an art that pays attention to tradition. Even in the well-known art school, Shengming University, the Chinese painting major only accepts a dozen students a year. The teachers who teach were basically the masters of Chinese painting in the country. The teaching method was just like in ancient times, with one-on-one lessons after formally acknowledging someone as a pupil.

Shen Shang doesn’t teach Chinese painting classes nor does he have any pupil. He had excellent qualifications, so he didn’t think highly of those students, even if they have talent and were hard-working.

Today, he only came to the Yu family’s house at the request of a friend. Before coming, Shen Shang never imagined that he would meet a satisfactory pupil there.

Yu Mian was indeed weak in basics, but he could tell from the details in her paintings that she had a strong foundation in Chinese painting, though it was probably the result of both talent and diligence.

Perhaps because she didn’t receive proper teaching, her painting techniques were very varied. In his opinion, she was like a piece of rough jade. Because no one had carved it, it was beaten into an imperfect shape by wind and rain, but it also revealed its precious and flawless interior.

The fact that she was able to learn to this extent without receiving professional instruction was a testament to her incredible talent.

Most importantly, she had her own style.

There were millions of people who paint, but why were there only a few who were famous throughout the ages?

Because they have their own unique style, they stand out among countless crowds and were particularly eye-catching.

Style could also be described as personal color and it was the painters understanding of the world in front of them. Many times, when one wanted to know a painter, all one had to do was look at his/her painting.

For instance, Shen Shang. His paintings were distant and vast, yet free and uninhibited.

For instance, Yu Mian. Shen Shang could see the softness of the wind, the warmth of the sun, the freshness of the green trees, and the childishness of the bird from her painting.

Just like what he saw in her eyes. It was clean, gentle, and as clear as light.

Learning Chinese painting requires not only genuine love for it, but also extremely high talent and a pure state of mind.

And Yu Mian meets all the requirements.

So today was very rewarding for both Yu Mian and Shen Shang.

Both of them felt that they had gotten the better end of the deal and got along more harmoniously with each other. Yu Mian had always been easy-going and soft-spoken, while Shen Shang was very polite and graceful. Within a few words, they seemed to have known each other for a long time and were no longer as unfamiliar as they were at the beginning.

Shen Shang came over at three o’clock in the afternoon, and by the time Yu Mian had finished painting and he had another conversation with her, it was already getting late.

As the sun set below the horizon and the sky gradually dimmed, Shen Shang took his leave, not forgetting to give Yu Mian homework, which he would be checking tomorrow afternoon.

Yu Mian sent him out, and not long after, Father and Mother Yu returned home. After leaving the company to their son, they now had nothing to do. They usually go fishing and have afternoon tea in their spare time. Sometimes they would also go on trips or go shopping.

Surprisingly, Yu Xing also came back in the evening. When Yu Xing’s car drove into the gate of the villa, Mother Yu was extremely surprised.

“You usually come back once every ten days or half a month. How come you went home for two days in a row this time?”

Yu Xing changed his shoes at the door and ignored Mother Yu’s question. He never liked saying meaningless words and always felt that it was a waste of time and breath. After changing his shoes and walking into the living room, his sharp eyes met Yu Mian’s gaze that was quietly studying him.

He stopped at the foot of the stairs and asked, “How’s the tutor I found for you?”

Seeing him asking this, Yu Mian’s heart moved. Could it be that Brother Yu Xing came home this time because he’s worried that she wouldn’t like the tutor he found?

She pursed her lips and said sweetly, “The tutor Brother got is good. He’s very attentive when teaching. I like him very much.”

Yu Xing’s brows rose up slightly and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He knew very well what kind of character Shen Shang has. It could be said that his eyes were higher than his head, and few people could catch his eye. If the two weren’t good friends, he’s afraid he wouldn’t be able to invite him over.

Yu Mian actually said that he taught her ‘attentively’?

“Teacher also said that he’ll come often to teach me.” Yu Mian thought of something and added, “Brother, after Teacher teaches me for some time, can you give him a salary increase?”