What a great honor. I will continue to work hard on my path of pursuing art.
Those were two very simple sentences, accompanied by a photo. There was no complicated copy, no pretentious photography composition. On the eve of the art exhibition, Yan Yu simply posted on her Friendship Circle.
“Thank you to the organizers for the invitation. It is a great honor that my painting has been recognized. I will continue to work hard on my path of pursuing art. Additionally, I welcome everyone to visit the City Art Museum during the exhibition period.”
The accompanying photo was of the painting she had completed by hand and already sent to be framed—<Time’s Reflection>.
The photo was taken simply, even showing the subtle glimmer of the not-yet-dried oil paint on the canvas’s edge, and the tree shadows cast across the image from the window. But this actually allowed the painting’s slightly lonely quality to be presented without reservation.
Not long after the Friendship Circle post was published, Yan Yu’s Mobile Phone began to continuously emit soft vibration notification sounds.
The red number of likes climbed rapidly.
Soon after, comments popped up one by one:
“Junior, amazing!! Congratulations!”
“Wow, this painting is beautiful! The mood is incredible!”
“Such huge improvement, truly envious…”
“Yan Yu, keep going! I’ll definitely come support the exhibition!”
Most of the commenters were classmates or acquaintances from the same department.
Yan Yu patiently replied “thank you” to each one, her fingers tapping lightly on the Screen, her expression calm.
However, the Ripples stirred by this post went far beyond these surface-level interactions.
A certain someone who was clearly watching closely, who had set Yan Yu as a special notification contact, was at that very moment staring at their screen, their fingertip hovering over the like and comment buttons, hesitating repeatedly… but ultimately just silently watching, leaving no trace.
That person was Dai Feng.
She was currently in a boisterous scene that was completely at odds with her.
Dai Feng’s home was a European-style manor with a vast footprint, located in the suburbs of the city.
Tonight, it was brightly lit, filled with the fragrance of perfume and the shimmer of fine attire.
Dai Feng’s father, the Boss Dai, known in the business world for his ruthless tactics and romantic escapades, was hosting a lavish welcome banquet for his newest lover, a young woman who had just “returned from studying abroad.”
Dai Feng grew up in a complex blended family.
Her father had been married five times and divorced four. And yet, only with his first wife—Dai Feng’s biological mother—had he produced a child: Dai Feng.
Every subsequent wife, no matter how young, beautiful, or scheming, had failed to give the Dai family another child.
This had become a hidden worry for Boss Dai, and it also made Dai Feng’s position in the family extraordinarily delicate.
She was the only legal Heir, yet she was also the “obstacle” left behind by her father’s romantic debts and failed marriages.
Early on, Dai Feng’s relationship with her father had already plummeted to freezing point.
She despised her father’s frivolous attitude toward love and marriage, and she even more despised the eternal hypocrisy and scheming that filled this house.
She preferred to live year-round in her city apartment, rarely setting foot in this cold “mansion.”
Tonight, she had been forced to come back.
The moment she entered, she was met with suffocating luxury decor.
The young woman at the center of everyone’s attention, dressed in this season’s haute couture with flawless makeup, was clinging to her father’s arm, laughing with flirtatious charm.
Seeing Dai Feng enter, the woman’s eyes lit up. She immediately put on her most proper posture, swayed gracefully over, and spoke in a voice so sweet it was cloying:
“Xiao Feng, you’re back? The trip must have been tiring, right? Come, we’ve all been waiting for you.”
Dai Feng stopped walking. She didn’t take the champagne glass offered to her. She looked the other woman up and down, then curled the corner of her lips into a cold smile utterly devoid of warmth.
“Save it.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for the small circle around them to hear clearly.
“My stingy dad is only willing to spend money on you while the novelty lasts. You know what? I bet within three months, you’ll be packing your bags and leaving, just like all the others before you.”
The moment she finished speaking, the surrounding area fell into dead silence.
The woman’s smile froze on her face. The color drained from her skin at a visible rate, and her carefully made-up eyes instantly welled with barely contained humiliation and fury.
She was at the most “triumphant” moment of her life, surrounded by flattery and adoration. How could she endure such a public, merciless slap to the face?
“You…!”
She trembled with rage, pointing at Dai Feng, but unable to form a complete sentence.
Dai Feng’s father’s face also darkened. He barked:
“Xiao Feng! Watch your mouth! Apologize to Aunt Lin!”
“Aunt Lin?”
Dai Feng raised an eyebrow as if she’d just heard a joke.
“Dad, your sense of seniority is truly something. She doesn’t look that much older than me, does she?”
With that, she couldn’t be bothered to look at the woman’s pale face or her father’s livid expression any longer. She flicked her neat high ponytail, turned, and walked away without looking back, leaving the nauseating noise behind.
She walked through the lavishly carpeted Corridor, until she reached the room reserved for her in the manor’s side wing. She closed the wooden door, sealing out all the clamor, and only then leaned against the door panel, letting out a long breath.
“Annoying.”
Out of habit, she pulled out her Mobile Phone, unlocked the Screen, and scrolled aimlessly for a bit, as if trying to find something to distract herself.
Then, her fingertip stopped.
In the Friendship Circle update feed, the newest post was from that familiar, simple avatar.
Yan Yu.
Dai Feng tapped the photo.
The painting titled <Time’s Reflection> instantly came into view.
The river surface, scattered golden lights, the blurred silhouette of the city.
Dai Feng stared at it, for a long time.
The world within the painting was quiet and lonely, yet it carried a soothing power. It was as if she could feel the focused tranquility of the artist’s hand as they painted.
Looking at this painting, the stifling pressure that had been building in Dai Feng’s chest strangely began to dissipate bit by bit.
It was as if she had been silently comforted by the painting, by the person who painted it.
“Ah…” she muttered to herself in a low voice.
“This is much better for my mood.”
With that, she read the short caption carefully from beginning to end, her gaze finally settling on the date and location of the exhibition.
“City Art Museum… opening this Saturday.”
She murmured the words aloud, her eyes brightening slightly.
Saturday. She happened to be free.
And if she weren’t, she’d find a way to make herself free.
In that case, she’d go take a look.
To see Yan Yu’s painting, the truly completed work, hanging under the lights of the art museum.
And who knows… she might even have a Chance Encounter with Yan Yu herself there.
Once that thought surfaced, it couldn’t be suppressed anymore.
Dai Feng realized that just thinking about being able to exchange a few more words with Yan Yu, even just a simple greeting, caused a inexplicably sweet joy to rise within her.
She felt like she was playing a dating sim, and Yan Yu was the character she wanted to get closer to.
Every seemingly accidental meeting, every brief exchange, was like patiently building up Affection Points, one by one. Though the progress was slow, every tiny interaction brought her a little closer to her goal.
“An art exhibition, huh?”
She stared at her phone Screen, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifting. She murmured,
“An Art Exhibition sounds great.”
“Miss, did you say something?”
The elderly maid who had been silently standing in the corner of the room, upon hearing her muttering, softly asked in confusion.
Dai Feng snapped back to reality. She quickly pressed the Screen off, as if someone had caught her in the middle of some secret.
She cleared her throat, and in an attempt to cover it up, looked up toward the heavy night sky outside the window.
“I’ve suddenly developed a strong interest in art…”
The maid: “…”
She widened her eyes, staring at her young lady’s dead-serious profile, and silently thought to herself:
This is insane!
Art? Dai Feng wants to study art? What’s gotten into Miss Dai this time? Or… has she really changed her ways?
But Dai Feng didn’t answer her question. She simply avoided her gaze, quickly walked away, a hint of guilt revealing itself in her retreating figure.
At the other end of the city, inside a heavily guarded top-tier luxury mansion.
Bai Yan’er was also scrolling through her phone.
She had just finished an intense round of training. Her body still bore a thin sheen of sweat, with a few damp strands of hair clinging to her smooth forehead. She leaned back into the soft leather sofa, her fingertip gliding across the Screen.
Then, she stopped.
Yan Yu’s Friendship Circle post popped up.
Bai Yan’er raised an eyebrow slightly and tapped to enlarge the image.
Her gaze lingered on the painting for a moment.
It was indeed well painted. It had a kind of serene power that moved the heart.
But compared to the painting itself, she was more interested in the person who had posted it.
Last time, her Sister had tacitly allowed her pursuit. That had allowed a certain scorching desire in Bai Yan’er’s heart to spread silently, like a vine that had found nourishment.
She had been considering what reason and what method she could use to naturally and unassumingly invite Yan Yu out, to create an opportunity to be alone with her.
A direct invitation would feel too deliberate, and her Sister would most likely make an excuse to decline.
Moreover, on her Sister’s side… though she had given her tacit approval, the boundaries still had to be respected.
Now, it seemed opportunity had delivered itself to her doorstep.
An Art Exhibition. A public occasion of great significance to Yan Yu. As one of the exhibiting artists, Yan Yu would most likely be present at the venue.
“Hm…”
Bai Yan’er’s fingertip tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes.
“This time, this is a decent opportunity.”
She wasn’t breaking any agreement, right?
Since her Sister allowed her to pursue, then her going to the exhibition for a Chance Encounter with Yan Yu should also be perfectly reasonable.
Creating a coincidence in a public, high-traffic venue like an Art Exhibition, and then naturally intercepting her, would be far more natural and effective. Abruptly requesting a private meeting might alert this “prey” and make it escape ahead of time.
With that thought, Bai Yan’er’s plan was already taking shape in her mind.
She even started thinking about what to wear that day—something that would showcase her style as the younger Sister without being overly grand.
First, the Chance Encounter.
Then, find the right moment to naturally strike up a conversation with Yan Yu.
After that… perhaps use the excuse of asking about art-related topics, or mention a nice café nearby, and smoothly suggest moving the conversation somewhere else.
And finally, find a way to “spirit away” her Sister from that crowded, prying place.
With that thought, a smile curved at the corner of Bai Yan’er’s lips.