I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Chapter 35

The atmosphere between the two was just right; the promise they made for the future was like a newly sprouted seed, carrying the scent of moist soil.

Jiang Ye suddenly remembered something and changed the subject: "Oh right, your performance at the graduation party."

"Um?"

Xu Zhiyu is in a much better mood now, and her eyes are full of smiles when she speaks.

Hearing the words "graduation party" still left me feeling a little disappointed, but not as sad as I felt yesterday.

"I didn't tell the school you couldn't participate, so your dance performance is still on the list."

"……what?"

Xu Zhiyu was completely stunned. She subconsciously touched her cheek, where the skin was still throbbing slightly.

"But...but how can I dance on stage with this face?"

Jiang Ye chuckled.

He looked her up and down, then lazily asked, "Xu, do you dance with your face? Did you hurt your arm or break your leg?"

"No...no, that's not the case."

That settles it.

Jiang Ye winked at her, feigning profundity.

"I have a clever plan."

Without waiting for her reaction, he grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go back to school!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It was 3 p.m., with only two hours left before the graduation party started.

Jiang Ye dragged Xu Zhiyu along and ran all the way to the entrance of the school's music room.

On a sweltering day, Xu Zhiyu, wearing a hoodie, was panting heavily from running, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Ah Ye, why did you bring me here?"

Shouldn't you practice dancing in a dance studio?

As soon as she finished speaking, the heavy wooden door in front of her creaked open from the inside.

Zhou Xiao poked her head out from inside, and her eyes lit up when she saw the two of them.

"We've been waiting for you! Come in quickly!"

Xu Zhiyu immediately recognized that this was the music teacher in charge of grades four through six.

"Teacher Zhou?"

Xu Zhiyu was even more confused.

Zhou Xiao didn't give her any time to think and dragged her inside without saying a word.

In the music room, besides the familiar piano and music stand, there was a woman standing there, wearing a mask so her face couldn't be seen clearly, but her eyes were sharp and professional.

Zhou Xiao pulled the woman over, smiling smugly: "Let me introduce you, this is my best friend, Lin Qin, a professional makeup artist!"

Lin Qin took off her mask, revealing her refined and capable face.

Without any unnecessary movements, she slammed the large black metal makeup case she was holding onto a table in the music room.

The box latches popped open, and the three-tiered folding tray unfolded instantly.

The room was densely packed with makeup brushes, foundations, and palettes of all sizes. Under the overhead lights, the dazzling array of tools gleamed with a professional shine.

Xu Zhiyu opened her mouth slightly.

Jiang Ye reached out and pressed down on her shoulder, pushing her towards the chair and pressing her down.

"Sit down. Sister Lin is a special makeup artist for Jiangcheng TV. Normally, you have to book her half a month in advance to get her to work. You're lucky today."

Lin Qin glanced at Jiang Ye, a half-smile on her face.

"Don't flatter me. If Zhou Xiao hadn't tempted me with that set of rare vinyl records, I wouldn't have bothered coming all this way in this sweltering heat to take this side job."

After saying that, she walked up to Xu Zhiyu, reached out and pinched the girl's chin, looking her over from left to right.

Xu Zhiyu's left cheek was still swollen. Although the red finger marks had faded somewhat after a night of ice application, they were still a shocking sight on her fair face.

Lin Qin frowned, her eyes sharp.

"How did this happen? Who could be so ruthless?"

Xu Zhiyu lowered her eyes, her fingers twisting tightly around the hem of her hoodie, and remained silent.

Jiang Ye spoke calmly.

"I bumped into it accidentally, Sister Lin, could you cover it up?"

Lin Qin snorted softly, not exposing this clumsy excuse.

She gently traced the undamaged right side of Xu Zhiyu's cheek with her fingertips, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"This little girl has a really good foundation."

Lin Qin dropped her previous nonchalance and her tone became extremely professional.

"His bone structure is excellent, and his skin is clean, with not even a pore visible. Even with half of his face swollen, his facial contours are still top-notch."

"Tsk, it's good to be young."

The envy and jealousy in his tone were impossible to hide.

Hearing such straightforward praise, Xu Zhiyu's fair neck flushed slightly, and she lowered her head even further.

Lin Qin picked out a small concealer brush from the box and dipped it in some concealer.

"Close your eyes."

Xu Zhiyu obediently closed her eyes.

The bristles feel slightly cool to the touch as they brush against the skin.

Lin Qin's technique was extremely fast and steady.

Watching from the side, Zhou Xiao lowered her voice and asked Jiang Ye, "Are you really confident? Classical dance demands a high level of expression. She's injured; can she really capture that feeling? Besides, the school leaders are taking this gala very seriously."

Jiang Ye leaned against the windowsill, his gaze never leaving the girl in the chair.

"Teacher Zhou, don't worry, she can definitely do it."

The music room fell silent, with only the soft rustling sound of a brush brushing against the skin.

Lin Qin started working on Xu Zhiyu's left cheek.

Instead of using heavy foundation to cover the redness and swelling, she used an extremely fine brush to draw some red lines following the direction of the red marks.

Layer by layer of washes, stroke by stroke.

Time passed by, second by second.

An hour and a half later, Lin Qin stopped what she was doing, took two steps back, and snapped her fingers in satisfaction.

"Open your eyes."

Xu Zhiyu's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

Zhou Xiao immediately stepped forward and handed her a clean mirror.

Xu Zhiyu looked in the mirror, her breath catching in her throat.

The person in the mirror is still her, yet she looks completely different.

The right side of her face was clean and clear, retaining the innocence and purity unique to a ten-year-old girl, with only a very light touch of rouge at the corner of her eye.

On the left side of her face—the area that was originally swollen and covered with red marks—Lin Qin used a visually striking technique to paint a strangely blooming red spider lily.

The red petals spread along the contours of the cheek, and the direction of the stamens cleverly overlapped with the original fingerprint.

Not only did it completely conceal the marks of injury, but it also used the slight swelling of the skin itself to create a three-dimensional effect and vitality, as if a flower was about to burst forth from the skin.

Innocence and allure.

The extreme contrast blends perfectly on both sides of this small face.

Xu Zhiyu stared blankly at the mirror, not even daring to reach out and touch it.

Is this really me?

Zhou Xiao smiled, her eyes filled with amazement.

"Lin Qin's specialty is half-face makeup."

Zhou Xiao explained, her voice filled with admiration, "This makeup is practically tailor-made for the classical dance you're about to perform."

Jiang Ye straightened up, walked to her side, and nodded in satisfaction.

He arranged this matter when he came to the school this morning.

There are makeup artists backstage at the school graduation party, but they are not professionals and no one knows how to do this kind of makeup.

Fortunately, Zhou Xiao learned of his request and helped him find her makeup artist best friend, which led to the current Xu Zhiyu.

"How is it?"

Jiang Ye looked down at her, a slight smile on his lips.

"Has a fairy descended to earth?"

Xu Zhiyu looked up at him. Her left eye, painted with red spider lilies, exuded a breathtakingly cold beauty thanks to the eye makeup, but her gaze was still that of a cool and clean little girl who was completely dependent on him.

"Ano..."

She called out softly, her voice strained.