A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

In the afternoon, the air in the art academy classroom was filled with the smell of paint and turpentine.

Next to the podium stood an old-fashioned plaster statue, covered with a thin layer of dust.

Fine dust particles floated silently in the beam of light, and the propaganda posters for migrant workers on the wall were already curled at the edges.

Ye Wenxi sat in the first row, near the podium, holding a fountain pen in his hand, with a brand-new notebook open in front of him.

The professor, surnamed Zhu, was in his fifties and wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit. He was standing in front of the blackboard, sketching an old-fashioned dyeing and weaving pattern with chalk.

"Today we'll talk about folk dyeing and weaving patterns," Professor Zhu's voice was slightly accented and gentle, "focusing on the methods of combining local plant dyes with traditional fabrics. Look..."

He pointed to the pattern on the blackboard, "This is blue-printed cloth from western Hunan. It uses indigo fermented from Isatis root. The patterns often feature bats, pomegranates, and peonies, symbolizing many children and blessings."

Ye Wenxi listened and took notes, the pen scratching softly on the paper.

Professor Zhu then discussed several dyeing techniques, including tie-dyeing, batik, and clamp dyeing, as well as methods for fixing the color of plant dyes.

Although she had the vision of a futurist, these traditional crafts were all things she had never encountered before.

"So," Professor Zhu suddenly put down the chalk, turned around, and scanned the classroom, "I'd like to ask everyone, in the traditional color schemes you're familiar with, what are the five colors referred to in the 'Five Colors Theory'? What directions and meanings do they correspond to?"

The classroom was silent. The students looked at each other, and no one uttered a sound.

Professor Zhu's gaze swept around the classroom before finally settling on Ye Wenxi: "Ye Wenxi, do you know?"

"Huh?" Ye Wenxi was taken aback when her name was called.

She stood up. After a moment's thought, she answered in a clear voice: "Green, red, yellow, white, and black. Green in the east belongs to wood; red in the south belongs to fire; yellow in the center belongs to earth; white in the west belongs to metal; and black in the north belongs to water. This is the traditional five-element color scheme, and also the most commonly used basic colors in folk dyeing and weaving."

Professor Zhu's eyes lit up, and he nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent! Truly living up to your reputation. It seems that Ye not only excels in design, but also has a solid foundation in traditional skills. Let's all give Ye a round of applause!"

A round of applause erupted in the classroom.

"Uh..." Ye Wenxi's forehead was sweating profusely, and his toes awkwardly dug at the ground inside his shoes.

She quickly waved her hand, "Teacher, you flatter me... I've just read a few books without really understanding them."

"No need to be modest, sit down." Professor Zhu smiled and continued his lecture.

The bell rang, and Ye Wenxi quickly packed up her notebook and pen, preparing to leave, when Professor Zhu leaned out from the podium: "Ye, please stay a moment."

Ye Wenxi stopped and turned around.

Professor Zhu stepped forward, his face serious: "Student Ye, it's an honor that you chose my course. Actually... I had heard of you before you enrolled. I listened to your previous presentations at the school, and they were all excellent."

Ye Wenxi smiled sheepishly, "Professor, you're too kind."

"Well, it's like this," Professor Zhu cleared his throat, "I have a research project on traditional folk dyeing and weaving, and I need some people with practical experience to participate. I know you're very busy, so I've already applied to the school. If you're willing to participate, you can use the research project to offset some of your class time. Of course, it depends on your schedule."

Ye Wenxi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Thank you for your trust, Professor. I will look into the details. If time permits, I will consider it."

"Alright, alright," Professor Zhu smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Then give me an answer as soon as possible so we can make arrangements."

"Okay, goodbye, professor."

Ye Wenxi walked out of the classroom and let out a long sigh of relief.

Today is her third day of school.

On the day of enrollment, Vice Dean Wang Mingyuan personally received her, took her on a tour of the campus, and introduced her to the relevant department heads and instructors, explaining her special circumstances in detail.

The school took her very seriously, and the teachers were very polite to her.

Instead of staying in the dormitory at the Academy of Fine Arts, she found a decent state-run guesthouse between the Academy of Fine Arts and the Light Industry Bureau to make it convenient for her to travel between the two places.

In the past three days, she has attended several seminars, given a presentation to the entire faculty and students, and taught several professional courses. All in all, she has almost filled the required class hours for the past two weeks.

Tomorrow morning, she still needs to go to the Light Industry Bureau to register the design.

Once things are settled and there are no major problems, I plan to return to the military region.

As Ye Wenxi walked out of the teaching building, the autumn sun set even faster, casting its light on the yellowing leaves along the roadside, turning them orange-red.

A gust of wind blew by and it got a little chilly, so she wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Suddenly, she heard someone call out from behind:

"Ye Wenxi... Ye Wenxi!"

Ye Wenxi turned around at the sound and saw three men and three women standing by a small bush not far away. The group was pushing and shoving each other, elbowing each other, as if they were trying to choose someone to talk to her.

Ye Wenxi smiled warmly at them: "Gentlemen, is there anything you need from me?"

One of the boys was pushed forward and walked up to Ye Wenxi: "Ye Wenxi...do you still recognize us?"

Ye Wenxi looked at the group of people, a little embarrassed: "Um... I don't quite remember, I'm sorry."

The boy said, "A few of us are your classmates!"

Ye Wenxi suddenly stood up. She had seen them once during the initial class meeting, but it was a rushed meeting, and she didn't really remember their faces.

"Oh, hello, hello, excuse me. May I ask... is there anything I can help you with?"

The boy glanced back at his companion, then turned back:

"I was just thinking... since we're classmates, I wanted to get in touch. I was thinking of having dinner together, do you have time?"

Ye Wenxi was still thinking about calling the clothing company and Sister Tan to explain things when she got back. She glanced at her watch and said, "Sorry, classmate, I still have some things to take care of... I'll have to do it another time."

The male student looked quite dejected: "Then...what about tomorrow? How about we invite you to dinner tomorrow?"

Ye Wenxi shook her head: "I'm afraid tomorrow won't work either. I might not be at school tomorrow."

"Okay..." The male student said, turning around with a cold smile on his lips.

Ye Wenxi continued walking out of the school.

The remaining people gathered around: "How was it? How was it?"

The man said, "They're too arrogant to ask you to come."

One of the girls pouted, "I knew she wouldn't have time. She's different from us."

The others were all talking at once:

"What's the difference? Aren't we all here to go to school?"

"Exactly... if you're going to be a student, you should act like one. Instead, you're spending all your time doing speculative and profiteering..."

Another classmate quickly tugged at the boy's sleeve: "Hey, hey, be careful! Don't talk like that. Those things are all supported by the higher-ups."

"Do you think I'm afraid of a speculator like her?" the boy muttered. "You guys shouldn't be praising her so much. As college students of the new era, we should keep our minds clear and not follow the example of those capitalists."

The others looked at each other, not daring to say anything more.