Chapter 38: The Unveiling of Mirror Flower

“How incredibly dull?”

Shen Congqing’s gaze froze. Her heart filled with disbelief, she fixed her eyes on Ye Qing’s utterly nonchalant expression.

Seemingly unable to accept this, Shen Congqing, unwilling to give up, pressed further:

“Perhaps she merely wished to express a unique perspective?”

However, Ye Qing’s immediate reply swiftly put an end to the discussion.

“Perhaps, but every time I read her text, I feel sleepy. I rarely manage to finish it in one sitting.”

Ye Qing spoke at a measured pace, her light, clear voice enunciating each word with distinct clarity. This made Shen Congqing fully grasp the extent of her failure.

Her eyes had lost their focus, and a faint sorrow brewed in their depths. Her vermilion lips parted slightly, yet for a long moment, she could utter no sound.

“How could this be…”

Shen Congqing murmured softly, like a golden retriever with drooping ears. Her usually confident tone deflated, clearly deeply struck by the revelation.

“So I tried removing those troublesome words from the visuals, and I found it didn’t affect the expression at all. Her artwork is truly magnificent.”

Hearing Ye Qing’s additional comment, Shen Congqing paused, then offered a relieved smile.

‘Yes, perhaps she is more suited to expressing her inner world through a paintbrush…’

“Speaking of which, Mirror Flower once released a comic without any text. The effect was truly striking, and I thought she had finally understood. Who knew she had just forgotten to embed the words…”

Just as Shen Congqing had managed to soothe her wounded heart, Ye Qing’s words struck another blow. She silently averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing with crimson embarrassment.

A sigh escaped Ye Qing. “Ah, Mirror Flower-senpai, you have plots, you have art style; you have text, you have paneling; you have… lewdness—ah, no, scratch that.

In short, everything you do is highly artistic. It’s a pity for such a talented artist. Why must you insist on touching a keyboard?”

Ye Qing let out a soft sigh, her voice filled with emotion, but she inadvertently let slip a remark. She quickly tried to backtrack, cautiously glancing at Shen Congqing’s expression, hoping she would overlook that insignificant part.

Instead, she noticed Shen Congqing’s face, which had shifted from embarrassment to anger, and her tightly clenched fists.

After a moment of silence, Shen Congqing spoke.

“Ye Qing, as Mirror Flower, I am very pleased to hear a reader’s true feelings. I will accept your suggestions. So, would you perhaps be willing to discuss—*plots*—with me in the future?”

Shen Congqing’s final words were practically squeezed through gritted teeth, each one brimming with indignant shame.

As her slowly processing brain gradually digested Shen Congqing’s words, Ye Qing was utterly dumbfounded.

‘Could such a coincidence truly exist in this world? Her nemesis, her teacher, and her idol were all the same person? Surely, this had to be a joke…’

“I’m sorry, Teacher Shen, I didn’t know that was you…”

“It’s fine. If you had known beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have heard any of this. So, Ye Qing, you’ve also drawn similar things, haven’t you?”

Pressed by Shen Congqing’s gentle yet irresistible tone, Ye Qing had no courage to prevaricate. She could only honestly hand over her account, all the while secretly praying that Shen Congqing wouldn’t click on her homepage.

Unfortunately, things rarely go as one wishes.

“Quite popular, aren’t you, Ye Qing?” Gazing at the homepage of an account with a black kitten avatar, Shen Congqing offered a faint compliment.

“With so many works, you must have put in a lot of effort… So, since there are existing works, let’s change today’s class topic to assignment guidance.”

Upon hearing Shen Congqing’s words, the black-haired girl, filled with bitter resentment, silently shattered.

‘It was over. Her ideal harmonious teacher-student relationship was gone forever…’

“The drawings are quite good, for example, this one… Wait, did you overlook something? How did this elf lose the battle in the blink of an eye?”

Hearing Shen Congqing’s bewildered question, Ye Qing shyly murmured:

“Because everyone didn’t like to see it…”

Shen Congqing narrowed her phoenix eyes and scrolled down. As expected, the subsequent panels were filled with vast expanses of white space, accompanied by text that would make anyone blush.

“Hmph, interesting. It seems I truly am outdated; I can no longer understand the way young people express themselves…”

Ye Qing twisted her fingers, so mortified that she wished she could bury her face in her chest, but alas, her figure didn’t quite allow for it.

Yet Shen Congqing’s questioning was far from over.

“What does ‘hòu’ mean?”

“It’s an interjection…”

“Then what about ‘cold exterior, hòu interior’?”

“…”

Ye Qing’s small face grew redder and redder. She mumbled, unable to utter a sound, only pleading with Shen Congqing through her endearing amber eyes.

‘Forgive me, Teacher Shen, I’ll never again underestimate you…’

Sensing Ye Qing’s embarrassment, Shen Congqing curved her lips into a smile. For some reason, a hint of schadenfreude bloomed in her heart.

Having heard Ye Qing’s explanation, she likely understood. She couldn’t help but suppress an inner stirring, sighing inwardly.

‘—These young girls truly know how to play.’

“The drawings are good, but you’re not allowed to draw them anymore.”

“How could this be…” Ye Qing wailed, her face forlorn, uttering the exact same line Shen Congqing had said earlier.

Staring at Ye Qing’s pitiful little face, Shen Congqing couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“I was just joking, mimicking your generation’s way of speaking. If you truly enjoy this kind of work, I can even give you some pointers.”

Ye Qing’s eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly with delight.

‘I have never slandered Teacher Mirror Flower! Teacher Mirror Flower has always been my favorite illustration teacher!’

“As for the plot… we’ll find an opportunity to discuss it slowly later. This is a topic you’re interested in, so I’m sure we’ll have a very pleasant conversation.”

“How could this be…”

Shen Congqing’s willow-like eyebrows relaxed as she stretched languidly. She pushed herself up from the sofa and casually pulled on her pants.

Her previously swollen buttocks had, at this moment, returned to their most graceful state—no longer bloated, yet not too slender. They were perfectly restored, no longer causing her to display a troubled expression.

Even Shen Congqing was surprised. For some unknown reason, the magic within her had flowed exceptionally smoothly just now, swiftly carrying away her pain.

It had even doubled her vitality, making her eager to stretch and move.

“Let’s stop here for today. Thank you. If you ever need help, I can also assist you with similar troubles.”

Finally released from her ‘sentence’ and granted ‘parole,’ Ye Qing reluctantly waved her small hand, bidding farewell to Shen Congqing, all the while grumbling inwardly.

‘It’s a good thing she doesn’t know I was one of the culprits, otherwise, she’d probably be creating similar troubles for me instead…’

As she walked, Ye Qing suddenly recalled her previous arrangement with Little Tiramisu.

‘Come to think of it, it was scheduled for this afternoon…’

It was then that she noticed they had already sent her a message last night.

[Tiramisu: Sorry, Teacher Qingyu, I can’t come tomorrow ]

[I’m in so much pain I can’t sit or lie down. I have to stay home. Let’s reschedule for another day.]

Seeing that familiar, pathetic emoji, Ye Qing smiled faintly. She suddenly connected it to Shen Congqing’s situation, and an unsettling suspicion immediately arose in her heart.

[Qingyu: What happened to you?]

[Tiramisu: While I was working yesterday, two people were utterly dishonorable. It was clearly something that could be resolved with words, yet they resorted to violence and beat me into the hospital ]

[Once I recover, I’ll definitely teach them a lesson!]

Reading their blunt message, Ye Qing offered a bitter smile.

[Qingyu: Then I wish you a swift recovery.]

A moment later, she tilted her head in thought, then added another line.

[Don’t get beaten so badly you can’t get out of bed again.]