Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 477 When shall we trim the candles by the west window together?

"Director Chen!"

Yu Xian happily rushed into her boyfriend's arms. Counting the days, it had been almost a month since she had seen Chen Zhe.

She wasn't by Chen Zhe's side when he was at the height of his popularity.

Fortunately, no matter how busy Chen is, he will always find time to call, even if it's just a short sentence like "I drank a lot today, I'm going to sleep now," cosjie can understand and be satisfied.

Director Chen is working very hard, and I can't fall too far behind. I must achieve a good ranking in the exchange competition among the eight major art academies.

Yu Xian wasn't actually that career-driven, but she didn't want to be a trumpet creeper clinging to an oak tree, so she tried her best to become a kapok tree that shared the burden of cold waves, wind, thunder, and lightning.

"I miss you so much~"

Yu Xuan closed her eyes happily, smelling the soapy scent of laundry detergent on Director Chen's collar, and felt inexplicably at ease.

"Hehe~"

Chen patted the cosplayer's back with his palm: "Someone's watching."

"Just look."

Yu Xuan's voice was as languid as a cat's: "I don't care what other people think!"

"The key is that it's not someone else."

Chen leaned close to the cosplayer's ear and whispered, "It's my mom."

"what?"

The cosplayer was startled and suddenly looked up, only to find that Mao Xiaoqin had arrived late.

Fortunately, Empress Dowager Mao did not intend to disturb them. She simply watched the sweet actions of the young couple with a smile, as if she could see her son and daughter-in-law's daily life at home twenty years from now.

"Auntie~"

Yu Xian was surprised, delighted, and a little shy.

"It's ok."

Mao Xiaoqin said with a smile, "You can pretend I don't exist and continue hugging for a while."

Mao Xiaoqin, after all, is a medical student who went to university. As a parent, she is not strict, but she is a bit stubborn, has a moderate sense of humor, and can occasionally use some jokes that are popular among young people.

"Alright then, Auntie said she doesn't mind."

Yu Xuan turned his head and said seriously, "Director Chen, shall we hug for another 20 minutes...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he started laughing out loud.

Cosplay is the kind of lively person who is well-liked by the elders in her family. Even if she throws a little tantrum or acts a little temperamental at her in-laws' house, they will all tolerate it with a smile.

What's more, she's so sensible.

"Xiao Yu, why haven't you gained weight yet?"

Mao Xiaoqin held Yu Xian's hand and said with some heartache.

The main reason Yu Hsien-ching lost weight was the disaster that happened a few months ago.

Although most of her relatives came to Guangzhou to attend the monument erection ceremony and thus escaped the disaster, a small number of distant relatives unfortunately perished. In addition, due to the similarity of Sichuan and Chongqing accents and customs, Xianmei always silently shed tears whenever she saw news of the rising number of victims.

Chen Zhe saw this was unacceptable, so he pulled his parents, Lao Yu, his grandmother, and all the people close to the cosplay girl to discuss a solution.

In the end, Professor Guan suggested that Yu Xuan should change her environment and shift her focus.

Fortunately, art students don't have final exams; as long as their grades meet the requirements, they're fine. So, as soon as the monument-erecting ceremony ended, Professor Guan immediately took his students to visit renowned teachers and see old friends.

Under the guidance of these experts, not only can her professional level and skills be improved, but this mandatory approach also keeps her from paying attention to those news reports.

The effect was quite good. Every time Chen Zhe talked to Yu Xuan on the phone, he could feel that her condition was getting better day by day.

Chen Zhe also told Cos Sister that the annual membership fee for the learning network in the Sichuan and Chongqing areas has been reduced to 99 yuan, and it is directly free in the most severely affected areas. In conjunction with the government's various measures, it helps children in the disaster areas readjust to the pace of learning.

This price is definitely a huge loss for the learning website, which relies on a rough-and-ready model of "funding the way and advertising as the foundation".

But so what?

Chen Zhe didn't even publicize these measures; in those superficial places, he was desperately trying to put on a show.

But the things I genuinely wanted to do lacked the motivation to be flamboyant.

That's how people are; true passion often remains hidden.

"How about Auntie stays in the capital for a few more days?"

Yu Xian also took Mao Xiaoqin's hand: "Eat a little more with me, and I might turn into a little fat boy."

"Okay!"

Empress Dowager Mao forgot that she still had work to do and immediately agreed: "Auntie will definitely fatten you up."

What should I do if Chen Zhe dislikes me?

"If he dares to complain, we'll kick him out of the house first!"

……

Listening to the heartwarming conversation between the "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law," Chen thought to herself that Empress Dowager Mao had once been quite fond of Sweet Sister.

Later, he brought his daughter to his mother's house first, so his mother naturally accepted her as her daughter-in-law.

If she knew that Song Shiwei hadn't gone far away either, I wonder what Empress Dowager Mao would feel. I reckon she would slap herself hard first.

Lost in thought, Chen followed the crowd all the way to the subway entrance of the airport.

Huh? Taking the subway?

Chen blinked: "We still have luggage, so why don't we take a taxi?"

Why take a taxi?

As if by magic, Yu Xuan pulled two brightly colored bus cards out of his pocket: "I've bought the bus cards. Whenever I have time, I'll take Auntie to ride the subway around."

"that is!"

Mao Xiaoqin is also a middle-aged woman who manages her household well, and she also agreed to take the subway.

"Ok."

Chen casually pulled his hat brim down a little and said with a smile, "Two votes are greater than one vote, so I can only submit to the collective."

Chen Zhe wasn't out of touch with reality; he was just worried about being recognized by someone while taking the subway.

Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary. The cosplayer, wearing a brown pleated skirt and showing off her slender white legs, received more attention on the subway than he did.

So, in this swaying train carriage, Chen listened to Mao Zedong and Yu Xuan chatting while watching a special feature and promotional video about the Olympics playing on the LCD screen.

Every now and then, volunteers wearing red ribbons will walk through the subway to provide help and information to passengers.

The opening ceremony is on August 8th, and now the capital is filled with talk of the Olympics.

Chen Zhe was well aware that as the Olympics drew closer, the heated discussions about "Zhongdachenzhuo" and "the richest man" would gradually fade away. Of course, he had already gained a lot from the retrospective.

While garnering significant attention, it also served as a "bridging" element between the disaster and the Olympics.

This garnered favor from higher authorities, so the learning network received support from governments at all levels.

Now that the hype is about to die down, Chen feels he needs to quickly resolve the difficulties he's encountered, such as the fact that the mobile company in the capital is still unwilling to grant access.

Of course, maintaining the company's popularity is not difficult. For example, they could choose a future Olympic champion as a brand ambassador. Chen plans to implement this as soon as he returns from the capital.

"cute?"

Yu Xian suddenly leaned closer, her red lips exhaling a fragrant breath.

She wasn't referring to her slender legs, but rather to the image of the Olympic mascots on her bus pass.

Was it designed by the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts?

Chen asked.

"No, it was designed by the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University."

The cosplayer pouted and replied.

Chen smiled and said, "Maybe we'll see the mascot designed by the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts next time our country holds a large-scale event."

This can be considered a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the design team for the mascot "Bing Dwen Dwen" of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics came from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

However, Chen Zhe felt that now that he had been reborn and preserved the last remaining member of the Lingnan School of Painting, the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts might have a greater say than in his previous life.

……

About an hour later, we finally arrived at our destination.

Andingmen in Dongcheng District is next to Yonghe Temple and is said to be located on the edge of the Second Ring Road.

Even more surprisingly, this is a detached courtyard house.

When Chen Zhe heard about it on the phone from Sister Cosplay, he was a little surprised. He originally thought it was a loan from Professor Guan's friend, but later he found out that it was a property under Professor Guan's name.

It's understandable when you think about it. The Lingnan School of painting has a history of over a hundred years. Now that it has been passed down to Kwan Wing-yee, it's not just a collection of honorary certificates, but also countless collections.

Take this courtyard house in the Second Ring Road for example. It may not be worth much now, but in ten or twenty years, if it doesn't have two or three small fortunes, the seller won't even give it a second glance.

Last time I came to the capital, I didn't stay here because there were too many things in the side room. Later, Professor Guan specially tidied it up, so this time I have a fixed place to stay in the capital.

After exiting the subway, it took about ten minutes to walk to the entrance of the hospital.

Looking around, Chen saw that the area was full of courtyard houses, not the crowded courtyards with many residents as seen in movies and TV dramas. Almost all of them were single-family houses with one or two courtyards.

In the shadows of the alley, the figures were not criminals, but patrols of armed police.

"Tsk tsk~"

Chen Zhe seemed to be sighing about something as he followed Yu Xian into the courtyard.

After the door was closed, the whole world seemed to quiet down. The dim light from the floor lamps cast a hazy glow, yet it also illuminated the ancient carvings on the beams and painted rafters.

It evokes a sense of time travel, as if the moonlight that once shone on Li Bai and Du Fu is now shining on satellites and airplanes.

Where is Professor Guan?

Mao Xiaoqin glanced around. She had met Professor Guan at the memorial ceremony for Yu Xian's mother and had great respect for this old artist from Lingnan.

"The old lady should be asleep."

Yu Xuan pointed to a closed room and said, "Let's greet her again tomorrow, it's just..."

Yu Xuan paused for a moment. She didn't know Mao Xiaoqin was coming. There were only two empty rooms left in the courtyard. The other rooms were filled with her collection.

"How about Auntie sleeps in the same bed with me?"

Yu Xuan thought for a moment, then asked somewhat shyly.

"Sure, you can."

Mao Xiaoqin didn't mind at all. She even said with a smile, "It's a good opportunity for my daughter and me to have a chat."

"Okay! I'll settle Chen down first."

Yu Xian led Chen Zhe to an east-facing room. It looked antique from the outside, but inside it was fully equipped with air conditioning, a bathroom, and a television.

"These are the mattresses that were just aired out today. It's a bit chilly in the capital at night, so don't set the air conditioner too low..."

Yu Xuan had made preparations in advance.

Chen Zhe was too lazy to listen to any of this. He placed his hand on Yu Xuan's taut waist and said with dissatisfaction, "Why was it arranged that way?"

"What's the arrangement?"

Fish felt the warmth of her boyfriend's palm and asked, somewhat bewildered.

"If there aren't enough rooms, can my mom sleep alone?"

Chen sighed and said, "Come and squeeze in with me."

"Don't~"

Yu Xian's oval face flushed with a porcelain-like rosy blush, and she lightly pinched Chen's hand with the tip of her fingernail.

With her teacher and mother-in-law both present, how could she openly live with her boyfriend?

"How about this."

Chen's words became increasingly outrageous: "Let my mom and Professor Guan share a bed, and you and I will each have a room on the surface, but I'll come to find you in the middle of the night..."

"Geese, geese, geese~"

Yu Xian smiled and stopped her boyfriend from talking nonsense. Pointing to the pajamas on the bedside table, she instructed, "These are new and have been washed. I bet you thought it was too much trouble and didn't bring any pajamas with you."

"I bet you're all ready."

Chen retorted vehemently, "Why should I bring it?"

"Humph~"

Cosplay Sister doesn't have time to bicker with her boyfriend right now because Mao Xiaoqin is still in another room, and she's worried that it will be inappropriate for the elders to wait too long.

"I'll go run a bath for Auntie. Oh, and she usually sleeps on a hard or soft bed. If it's a soft bed, I'll put an extra blanket on top..."

Yu Xian was like a busy little bee, trying to appease Chen Zhe while immediately settling her "mother-in-law".

After taking a shower, Chen Zhe was still wide awake. He was a typical night owl, so he simply went out of his room and sat on a stone bench.

The moon shone brightly, a cool breeze blew, and the courtyard was as clear as still water. Occasionally, a stray cat would leap nimbly across the rooftop, its soft meows filling the summer night of the capital.

Although the door to Yu Xuan's bedroom was closed, two silhouettes could be seen whispering through the window.

Chen thought to himself, what was that ancient poem again? "When shall we trim the candle by the west window together, and talk of the night rain in Bashan?"

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(How did an online novel turn into an essay?)
(End of this chapter)