“To be looked down on like this…” The Manga Research Club President wore an expression of disbelief. “To have our manga skills denied by a complete outsider.”
Jian Shuye said nothing. The meaning she conveyed was already clear enough.
If the manga the Manga Research Club itself produced couldn’t even pass Jian Shuye’s scrutiny, then perhaps this club had no reason to exist.
Club Member Yuki looked puzzled. “But, President, does our work need her approval?”
“Right, right! I almost got dragged into your logic!”
The Manga Research Club President snapped back to reality. “Our manga only needs the approval of the Student Council and our advisor teacher. As for you, even if you say it’s no good, it means nothing.”
Lin Yi felt a pang of guilt. This President was really out of the loop. She seemed to have just mentioned that Jian Shuye was already the designated next Student Council President.
She was like the Crown Prince Overseeing State Affairs, just waiting for the old sovereign above to retire at the right age before taking full control of Zhuming Girls’ High.
Jian Shuye replied, “Let’s make a bet.”
“No.” The Manga Research Club President shook her head. “I’ve already heard from Ji Yin about what happened with the Classical Literature Club. Gambling with you is a complete waste of time.”
“Even if I have the authority to reclaim your club classroom?”
“Then you’d need to have the advisor teacher say that.”
‘Is this the composure of a senior student?’
Jian Shuye said nothing more. She took the lead and walked out of the Manga Research Club’s classroom.
Seeing Jian Shuye leave, Lin Yi had no reason to stay either and hurriedly followed.
“Wait up, Shuye.”
Jian Shuye slowed her pace, waiting for Lin Yi to catch up.
“I think… the Manga Research Club completed their work, it’s not exactly…”
“That manga magazine wasn’t produced by those three.”
“Huh?”
Lin Yi didn’t know about this.
Jian Shuye turned her head to explain. “I once conducted an inspection of the Art Club. Out of the current forty-six club members, I have a clear understanding of each member’s drawing level and technique.”
Lin Yi was stunned for a moment.
“You mean…”
“Ghostwriting.”
Jian Shuye continued walking forward as she spoke. “I can’t be one hundred percent certain yet, but one more trip to the Art Club should yield results.”
Recalling their first meeting, Lin Yi remembered Yan Jianxing telling her that this seemingly powerful and imposing beauty before her was from the Art Club, there to gather material.
Although it was later confirmed she wasn’t an Art Club member, the fact that she had spent time there certainly wasn’t false.
After all, Lin Yi had seen Jian Shuye’s painting skills before, in the room at the Victoria Grand Hotel.
That unfinished painting was still lying in Lin Yi’s drawer.
So she silently followed behind Jian Shuye, descending from the fifth floor to the second.
The Art Club held a very high status at Zhuming Girls’ High. Prestigious art colleges across the country genuinely recruited students with artistic talent through specialized art exams.
And Zhuming Girls’ High was a famous aristocratic all-girls school in Suizhou City; nurturing art exam candidates was naturally within its purview.
Just the fact that the Art Club occupied two entire classrooms on the second floor and had three advisor teachers spoke volumes.
Jian Shuye arrived at the Art Club door. She didn’t even need to knock; the teacher inside supervising the girls’ painting opened the door for her.
“Shuye, you’re back to…”
“Teacher, I’d like to review the assignments the club members submitted a week ago.”
“Huh?”
Jian Shuye looked up. “May I?”
The female teacher nodded. “You may, but…”
“Then pardon the intrusion.”
Lin Yi followed inside, clasping her hands together and silently apologizing, then stood behind the painting girls.
The air was filled with the smell of paint. The young girls were unleashing their talent on pristine canvases, sketching fantasies that did not exist in the mortal world with their brushes.
‘They paint so well.’ That was Lin Yi’s genuine thought.
Although they fell short compared to Jian Shuye, what kind of person was Jian Shuye?
The Ultimate Solution to All Problems. She had probably mastered all human skills with astonishing talent from the moment she gained consciousness as a child.
Lin Yi even had reason to suspect Jian Shuye also had a System; they just hadn’t exchanged the right passcodes.
Some of the girls began frequently glancing back at Lin Yi standing behind them.
In their eyes, this unfamiliar beauty was slender but not frail. Though wearing the same Zhuming Girls’ High uniform as everyone else, she exuded a unique aura.
Lin Yi’s sleeves were casually rolled up to her forearms, revealing a section of slender, pale wrist. No adornments decorated her wrist, yet its cleanliness was dazzling.
Tucking the hair by her ear behind it, she was carefully observing a girl’s painting.
The light of the setting sun fell on the crown of her head. Her hair fell naturally, not deliberately styled, partially obscuring her brows and eyes, adding a touch of hazy beauty.
The most captivating were her brows and eyes, as if meticulously carved by God, every detail perfect.
Her brow line was soft, neither thick nor thin. There wasn’t a trace of restlessness in her eyes, only pure gentleness and a faint melancholy.
The surrounding painting girls occasionally looked up at her, their eyes holding a mix of awe and envy, but no one dared to easily disturb this tranquility.
Even though they had seen a girl like Jian Shuye, upon seeing Lin Yi, they still paused their brushes, desperately trying to etch Lin Yi’s image into their minds.
Even the plaster statue before them, representing world-recognized beauty, seemed somewhat pale in comparison.
“Classmate, you paint really well.”
“Huh? Ah, r-really? Th-thank you.” The girl praised by Lin Yi quickly covered her cheeks. “It’s… it’s okay, actually. I’ve only been learning for less than a month.”
Lin Yi showed an envious expression. “Then you’re truly talented. Unlike me, I can’t even articulate what’s good about it. I can only say, it’s painted really well.”
“Thank you…”
Jian Shuye, returning from the other classroom, saw all the girls had stopped painting and were collectively staring at Lin Yi. Her eyebrows twitched twice.
Then, she deliberately加重 her footsteps, walking past Lin Yi.
Jian Shuye reached out, pinching Lin Yi’s sleeve. “Let’s go. Don’t disturb people here.”
“Hey, don’t pull, don’t pull! I’ll walk myself! My shoulder’s about to show—!”
They went all the way to the Myriad Phenomena Club classroom. Jian Shuye locked the classroom door, glancing down the hallway before doing so.
Lin Yi hunched her shoulders. “Did… did you find anything?”
“Some gains, but not many.” Jian Shuye turned on the classroom light. “Do you know how to determine each person’s artistic style?”
Lin Yi shook her head. Of course she didn’t know.
So Jian Shuye motioned for Lin Yi to sit down and took out a sketching pencil and white paper from a drawer.
“Here, draw a person.”
“Ah? Draw who?”
“Anyone.” Jian Shuye sat opposite Lin Yi. “Just make it a person.”
Lin Yi had no choice but to brace herself, take the paper and pencil, think for a moment, and start sketching a draft.
During this, she noticed in her skill栏 that [Drawing Lv.2] was changing to [Drawing Lv.2↑]. It seemed the System’s skills, besides being upgraded through completing tasks, could also be improved through personal practice, just like Attributes.
“Just a simple sketch. Is this okay?”
Jian Shuye reached out and turned Lin Yi’s sketch around.
Lin Yi had drawn Naruto.
“Who is this?”
“The Seventh Hokage.”
Jian Shuye turned the paper around again. “Draw another one. Male.”
Lin Yi didn’t know what riddle Jian Shuye was playing, so she had to draw another one.
“And who is this?”
“Sasuke.”
Jian Shuye pointed at the ears of the two figures. “Look. The two people you drew have the same details on their ears.”
“Oh. So you think the sample magazine author from the Manga Research Club and a certain girl in the Art Club’s work share the same ear details?”
Jian Shuye smiled. “You draw quite well.”