The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

The frosted teapot in Shen Ci's hand was crystal clear, and the orchid inside seemed to emerge from the mist.

A few orchid leaves are outlined with light ink, the lines flowing and graceful like clouds and water, the ink naturally spreading out in different shades inside the pot.

A half-open orchid adorns the scene, its petals perfectly framed, seemingly carrying a faint fragrance of the morning.

Looking at this exquisitely crafted painting within its small space, a subtle ripple flashed in Lin Ruochen's eyes.

He didn't make a sound to disturb her, but stood quietly behind her, watching her gently place the finished painting on the frosted teapot aside, mix her paint with a little ochre mixed into the indigo, test the color on the rice paper, and then take out another frosted teapot to continue painting.

Meanwhile, the experienced instructors began to patrol among the students, checking their practice results and providing guidance as needed.

As he walked slowly toward Shen Ci with his hands behind his back, he suddenly stopped, and for a moment even thought he was hallucinating.

He knew better than anyone how difficult the art of inside painting was.

Every turn of that curved pen within the dark belly of the bottle was a struggle against instinct.

When writing in reverse, one must constantly mirror and reverse the composition in one's mind; it takes years or even decades to develop what is known as muscle memory.

He had previously visited other universities and government agencies to promote inner painting. Each time, he would let visitors practice with ordinary materials, and he had even encountered some talented individuals.

But to be able to paint so well right from the start, and to produce such high quality work, is truly one of a kind.

His gaze fell on Shen Ci's hand holding the pen.

She seemed completely unaware of the gazes around her, absorbed in the painting.

This time it wasn't just a single orchid—slightly to the right of the bottom of the pot, she first used light ink to outline a stubborn rock, and then a stem of orchids slanted out from behind the rock, its leaves more graceful than those in the first pot. With each slant, it echoed the stubborn rock in a certain way.

The stone's heaviness supports the orchid's lightness, while the orchid's graceful movement breaks through the stone's stagnation.

It doesn't seem to be much different from the one before.

But the experienced craftsman could tell at a glance that this was a significant improvement over her previous work.

The old master's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

When Shen Ci finally put down her brush and slightly moved her wrist, the master craftsman couldn't help but ask, "Young lady, have you ever worked with inside painting before?"

Shen Ci gently placed the frosted teapot on the table, slowly stood up, and exuded a composure beyond her years.

"Today is my first time working with inside painting."

The master craftsman picked up the two frosted teapots drawn on the table, one in each hand, and carefully examined them.

He gently stroked the body of the teapot with his thumb while nodding repeatedly, the movements small but lasting for a long time.

"Good, good, good!" The old master craftsman exclaimed three times in a row, his voice filled with undisguised praise.

He took a deep breath, turned around and looked at Shen Ci with utmost seriousness, then solemnly asked, "Young lady, would you be interested in joining my inner painting studio?"

The sudden invitation startled Shen Ci slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

Although she had only been involved in inside painting for a very short time, she knew very well that she really loved this art.

However, she currently has to complete her heavy academic workload and is simply unable to manage both at the same time.

Seeing her hesitation and difficulty, Lin Ruochen, who had been standing quietly to the side, spoke up at the right time.

He walked up to Shen Ci, gently patted her shoulder, and made a tender suggestion.

"Youyou, Master Yang's studio isn't far from our school. If you're interested, I can take you there to have a look. You can make a decision after you've learned more about it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ci's eyes showed gratitude, and she nodded slightly to Lin Ruochen.

She clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed deeply to the master craftsman.

"Thank you for your appreciation. I really like inside painting and will seriously consider it."

The old master stroked his gray beard, his gaze falling on her with a mixture of satisfaction and expectation: "You are the most talented girl I have ever seen. I hope you can take this as an opportunity and think it over carefully."

"Keep practicing, we can talk about other things later."

Shen Ci sat down as instructed, picked up her paintbrush again, and with a light touch of her fingertips, dipped the brush tip in the inner painting pigment and carefully outlined the design inside the small snuff bottle.

Her eyelashes were lowered, and her expression was so focused that it seemed as if only the world before her eyes remained.

Lin Ruochen did not leave, his gaze falling on her slightly furrowed brows, her trembling eyelashes, and her hands holding the paintbrush, with distinct knuckles yet revealing a certain suppleness.

I felt a soft, hot sensation in my chest.

Why are there such beautiful and intelligent girls in the world?

It makes you want to reach out and steal her away, along with the light in her eyes and the ink on her fingertips...

As night deepened, the black sedan smoothly drove into Yun Jing Hua Fu.

In this prime piece of land, the Chinese-style garden is meticulously maintained, creating a tranquil and secluded atmosphere. Pavilions and towers are nestled among the swaying trees, while in the center of the garden stands a solitary, extremely luxurious villa.

Jiang Duo pushed open the door to the study on the second floor, and warm yellow light poured out.

On the large rosewood chair, Jiang Hexuan was leaning back, twirling a string of beads in his hand. When he saw his son come in, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly began to speak.

"Oh, what a rare guest!"

Jiang Duo walked to the tea table, picked up the purple clay teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, looked up at his father, and said with a hint of casual teasing, "I've only been away for half a month, how come I'm considered a rare guest?"

Seeing his father's lonely appearance, Jiang Duo couldn't help but scoff and pull out the chair opposite him to sit down.

"What, Ms. Ling has gone out of town to sketch again?"

He knew roughly about his parents' past.

My father used some underhanded methods to marry my mother. Before he was born, he kept a very close watch on her, afraid that she would fly away.

But a forced relationship is never sweet. After going through many twists and turns, the two ended up living as a couple who treated each other with polite formality but were actually at odds with each other.

Now that they're older, no one wants to go through all that trouble anymore. So my mother simply picked up her old hobbies again: painting, holding art exhibitions, and spending years sketching and painting outdoors, finally finding peace and tranquility.

"Oh, right."

Jiang Hexuan put down his teacup, his gaze falling on his son, his tone tinged with a hint of probing, "I heard that a young woman recently went to your house? What happened?"

Jiang Duo didn't even lift his eyelids, answering crisply and decisively: "My girlfriend."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hexuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"That's really like the sun rising in the west. Every time I took you to a banquet, you acted like you looked down on everyone. I thought you were planning to stay single for the rest of your life."

Jiang Hexuan did not inquire further about his son's girlfriend's appearance, character, or family background.

He didn't need to know these things; after all, his arrogant son had a sharp eye, and anything that caught his eye couldn't be bad.

He looked at Jiang Duo and asked only the most crucial question: "Does that young girl like you too?"