Seeing the familiar handwriting, An Yi immediately looked around.

There was no one in the neighborhood, and he didn’t know when this gift box was placed here.

He brought the things back home. Inside the box were neatly arranged two wolf brushes, a carving knife, and a golden cat ornament.

The ornament was the size of a fist, with the features of the cat carved lively and cute. An Yi picked it up, feeling unexpectedly heavy in his hand. Made of solid gold, it could definitely make a small dent in the floor if thrown out.

He looked at it for a long time, and Qiuqiu also came over curiously to paw at it.

“It looks quite like you.”

An Yi gently touched the nose of the small orange cat with his fingertips, and finally put everything away, placing them in the bottom drawer of the bedside table.

After the holiday, Xie Nancang set off for Northern Europe, and An Yi saw him off at the airport.

After they parted ways, An Yi returned to Ling’an and immersed himself in his ceramic sculpture work.

The National Ceramic Art Tour Exhibition in April was a major event in the industry each year, featuring classic works of masters and attracting works from young ceramic artists. The threshold was high, and An Yi knew that he could have a seat thanks to the organizer’s consideration of Xie Fei Nian’s relationship. Therefore, he became more determined to showcase his skills and craftsmanship.

He didn’t expect to create any stunning porcelain sculptures in a short period of time, but at least he wanted to live up to that admission ticket.

An Yi consulted with Xie Fei Nian and decided to make white porcelain.

Authentic Dehua white porcelain has an ivory color with a slight yellow hue, and under light, it will have a faint red tinge. To achieve this effect, the requirements for the raw material kaolin are extremely high.

Xie Fei Nian intended to train him, so he didn’t tell An Yi the clay ratio and let him figure it out on his own. An Yi repeatedly experimented with mixing and firing, putting in a lot of effort. However, it was precisely through these days of hard work and contemplation that he quickly reached a new level of mastery over the texture of the clay and the firing process.

On the day of the art festival, Xie Nancang specially flew back to accompany him in exhibiting.

He had been away for two months, and when he returned, his skin was slightly tanned, making him look even more mature and handsome. In contrast, An Yi’s hair was too busy to cut, tied into a small bun at the back of his head, making him look youthful, not at all like someone approaching 30 years old.

“Why did you come back early?” A few days ago in the video call, An Yi remembered Xie Nancang saying he had booked a ticket to return to China for May Day.

“I finished my holiday early and rescheduled my flight. Besides, this is your first art exhibition. How could I miss it?” Xie Nancang ruffled An Yi’s hair and said, “Take me to see your works quickly.”

Excited yet nervous, An Yi led him to a display case.

In sight was a blue and white dragon-patterned plum vase, with a simple and ancient style. The display card showed that it was jointly signed by Xie Fei Nian and An Yi, with An Yi responsible for the main blue and white pattern design.

Next to the blue and white porcelain was a white porcelain statue of a girl standing on waves, about fifteen centimeters tall.

The girl was slender and tall, her hands pressed to her chest, eyes closed in the wind, stepping on the waves, with the flowing silk skirt billowing behind her. Although it was porcelain, it was thin as a cicada’s wing, vivid and lifelike. From the overall silhouette to the detailed hair strands, skirt folds, and tassels, everything was exquisite and unparalleled.

This was the first work that An Yi had completed independently.

Dozens of nights with red eyes, countless revisions of the clay sculpture, anxious moments waiting by the kiln… This was the best result he could achieve at this stage.

He named this statue “Elegance”.

Xie Nancang’s eyes lit up.

Technical skill aside, what was most eye-catching was the innate temperament of the white porcelain girl. She stood on the waves, graceful and ethereal, with a hint of subtle sadness.

“An An, you really have a lot of charm.”

Xie Nancang really liked this piece of work, recalling many emotions from when they first met on the Fate Goddess ship last year.

After the exhibition ended, the organizers would conduct live auctions of the exhibited works. Those who wanted to collect them could bid with a paddle, and after winning the bid, they could choose whether to take the artwork home directly or continue to exhibit it on the tour, depending on the buyer’s preference.

The starting price for the auction of the white porcelain girl statue was twenty thousand yuan. Someone added five thousand, and Xie Nancang directly raised the paddle to fifty thousand.

An Yi held his arm and whispered, “Don’t bid anymore.”

“I really like it.”

Xie Nancang patted his hand back, telling him to calm down.

The person who had bid earlier hesitated and added another five thousand. Xie Nancang raised the paddle again, but before he could make another bid, a low voice sounded from the corner of the room, “Two hundred thousand.”

An Yi’s whole body shuddered and he followed the sound.

Unexpectedly, he met eyes with Yan Chen, who was sitting in the dimness.

They hadn’t seen each other for half a year, but with just one glance, the murmurs and exclamations in the auction hall faded away like a tide in his ears. An Yi could only hear his own strong heartbeat uncontrollably accelerating.

Xie Nancang raised the bid to three hundred thousand, and this time Yan Chen directly offered five hundred thousand.

This had already far exceeded the value of the artwork itself, and the auction hall couldn’t help but erupt in another uproar. An Yi held onto Xie Nancang’s arm, pleading, “Let him have it, don’t bid anymore.”

Xie Nancang’s face turned ugly, “Is he bothering you again?”

An Yi shook his head, forcing himself not to look back.

The auctioneer had called the bid three times on stage, and with the final hammer, it was sold to Yan Chen.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the buyers, Yan Chen stood up, looked deeply at the intimate figures sitting side by side in the front row, with a solemn face, and walked away.

An Yi had prepared himself to meet him backstage, but when the auction ended, he was informed that the buyer had already paid and taken away the white porcelain statue of the girl.

“Elegance” was the highest-priced piece at the auction and had attracted many people who wanted to catch a glimpse of the porcelain statue, but the buyer chose not to continue exhibiting it, adding another layer of mystery to it.

As for An Yi himself, due to this unexpected bidding war, he became a newcomer in the industry who was widely discussed and watched for a while.

Many porcelain merchants and collectors were curious and hopeful about this emerging young talent.

This was both pressure and motivation.

After returning to Ling’an, An Yi continued to study porcelain sculpture while also learning porcelain painting with Xie Fei Nian.

Xie Nancang repeatedly asked him five or six times whether Yan Chen had continued to pester him. An Yi couldn’t help answer helplessly, “Really, he hasn’t.”

Xie Nancang didn’t quite believe it. An Yi was someone who would rather endure silently than cause trouble for others.

“I’m not lying to you,” An Yi said truthfully, “The last auction was probably just a coincidence. We haven’t been in contact.”

“…Alright,” Xie Nancang instructed, “If he comes to find you again, be sure to tell me. I’ll definitely help you.”

An Yi couldn’t help but smile at this, “Yes sir, Xie ge.”

After the onset of summer in June, it was his birthday again.

Standing on the threshold of thirty, An Yi looked back at the tumultuous first decade of his adulthood. Seeing his fragmented and lost self at twenty-nine struggling in confusion and loneliness, it felt as if he was witnessing someone else’s experiences.

Those hurdles he couldn’t overcome, those rivers he couldn’t cross, now looking back, the hardships were still hardships, but they were no longer enough to push him back to the edge of the rooftop or the mast.

“Happy Birthday——”

Xie Nancang carried a birthday cake and came to the front yard, placing it in front of An Yi, who was preparing glaze water.

An Yi was wearing an old apron with colorful patterns, his face smeared with clay and paint. Before the burning candles, he closed his eyes and made a wish for the new year to make great progress and reach new heights.

This time, Xie Fei Nian didn’t give orders but personally cooked, making braised carp for his beloved student.

An Yi felt like crying as he ate. He missed his parents, his grandparents, and wanted to reunite with his sister under one roof.

Once emotions surged, it was easy to get drunk after drinking. After dinner, Xie Nancang wanted to carry him upstairs to rest, but An Yi shook his head, refusing. With red eyes, he wanted to go home to find his mom and find Xiao Ya.

Xie Nancang could only coax him while leading him to the neighboring house.

Unexpectedly, they bumped into the man smoking at An Yi’s door.

“What are you doing here.”

Xie Nancang’s tone was unfriendly, but Yan Chen just stared tightly at the person in his arms, who was intoxicated, and silently stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.

An Yi blinked hard, and in the brief moment of clarity, he saw Yan Chen’s face. He hesitated for a moment, then brushed away Xie Nancang’s hand and stumbled towards Yan Chen.

Step by step, like stepping on the tip of Yan Chen’s heart.

Yan Chen immediately stepped forward and tightly grasped his arms in his palms.

An Yi once again broke free from the restraint on his hands, but grabbed Yan Chen’s wrist in return, stubbornly leading him to his own bedroom.

Xie Nancang called out to him disapprovingly from behind, but An Yi seemed not to hear, leading Yan Chen through the courtyard and directly upstairs.

Xie Nancang could only helplessly follow behind them.

He didn’t feel at ease letting Yan Chen enter the room with An Yi.

An Yi was heavily intoxicated, stumbling on the stairs as he went upstairs.

Yan Chen wanted to carry him up, but An Yi fiercely pushed him away. His back hit the wall, making a dull sound of “thud.”

Flustered, An Yi raised a finger and shook it silently at Yan Chen, indicating that he shouldn’t touch him. Then he went to hold Yan Chen’s hand again, stubbornly leading him to his own bedroom.

Turning on the light, Quiqui dashed out, sniffing around the unfamiliar person’s feet in the room.

Yan Chen lowered his head and saw the little orange cat circling around again, feeling uneasy.

The strength on his wrist increased slightly as An Yi pulled him towards the bed, but then that force disappeared.

An Yi raised a finger again, indicating to him not to move.

So Yan Chen stood by the bed, quietly watching him.

An Yi was satisfied and withdrew his hand, then turned around and bent down. His figure staggered for a moment, and Yan Chen caught him in time, preventing him from hitting his head.

An Yi shook his head to clear it a bit. He leaned against the edge of the bed and squatted down, pulling open the bottom drawer of the bedside table.

The red gift box received on New Year’s Eve, along with the packaging ribbons and the greeting card, had all been restored to their original appearance, as if they had never been opened.

An Yi took it out and handed it to Yan Chen.

Yan Chen’s eyes turned red.

He struggled to hold back tears as he looked at An Yi, his voice almost inaudible, “Why, don’t you like it?”

An Yi patted the gift box and, speaking slowly due to being drunk, each word was unusually clear.

Like sharp knives.

“We agreed, no owing each other.”