Chapter 79: A Change of Venue and a New Endeavor

Taking the paintbrush, Chu Lenghu began to paint.

She mixed a deep shade of purple, establishing it as the foundational color of the night. After a moment of contemplation, Chu Lenghu then used an even deeper blue to darken the surrounding areas, creating a seamless gradient.

Next came the color of the rolling hills…

No sooner had she perfectly blended the color than Zhong Tian raised a hand, signaling her to pause.

“You could deepen the color of the hills a bit,” Zhong Tian suggested. “Given the current composition of your painting, a less prominent earthy yellow for the hills would appear much better.”

“Understood.”

Click—

From outside the room, the distinct sound of a lock turning suddenly resonated.

“Oh, my parents are back,” Chu Lenghu exclaimed, putting down her brush and standing up. “Teacher, I’ll be out for a moment.”

“Alright.”

It was the first time Zhong Tian had ever seen Chu Lenghu smile with such unadulterated joy.

On ordinary days, even her smiles were reserved, as if she were consciously reining in her expressions and demeanor.

Zhong Tian, in truth, understood. As professional astrophotographers, Chu Lenghu’s parents embarked on distant expeditions every summer for their shoots, leaving her with hardly any opportunity to see them throughout the entire break.

Thus, this was a reunion filled with the delight of long-awaited reconnection.

By all conventional etiquette, Zhong Tian should have stepped out to exchange pleasantries with Chu Lenghu’s parents. However, being profoundly awkward around other people’s parents, Zhong Tian simply lacked the courage to leave the room, opting instead to remain seated in stiff silence.

“Dad, this is my teacher.”

Zhong Tian immediately stood up, turning around with a palpable stiffness.

“Oh! Hello, hello!”

Chu Lenghu’s father courteously extended his hand to Zhong Tian, who, somewhat dazed, shook it.

“Hello…”

“It must be hard teaching Lenghu,” Chu Lenghu’s father chuckled. “Our family is planning to go out for dinner tonight, and if you’re free…”

“No, no, thank you.”

Zhong Tian hastily declined Chu Lenghu’s father’s invitation.

“Then perhaps another time, when you’re free.”

There were two types of people he simply couldn’t handle: overly enthusiastic individuals, and the parents of friends—or indeed, any unfamiliar adults.

Chu Lenghu’s father, unfortunately, embodied a combination of both.

This ignited in Zhong Tian an overwhelming urge to escape Chu Lenghu’s room at light speed, yet bound by necessary decorum, he could only steel himself, managing a strained smile as he dealt with Chu Lenghu’s father.

Turning back to Chu Lenghu, her father said, “Lenghu, be sure to keep studying diligently in the future.”

“Mm.”

Chu Lenghu glanced at the stiff-faced Zhong Tian, then addressed her father, “Dad, why don’t you go to the living room first? We need to continue painting.”

“Alright, I won’t disturb you then.”

Once Chu Lenghu’s father had exited the room, he let out a profound sigh of relief.

However, the thought of returning to Chu Lenghu’s home every weekend, and consistently facing her parents, filled him with an immense sense of dread…

Perceiving Zhong Tian’s troubled expression, Chu Lenghu returned to her seat, picking up her brush once more. “Um… Teacher, perhaps we could have lessons at your place from now on?”

“Cough…”

‘Had my internal turmoil just now been so obvious that it was directly perceivable…?’

“That could work…” Zhong Tian found Chu Lenghu’s suggestion feasible, as for him, troublesome situations were always best avoided if possible.

“But it would be an inconvenience for you.”

“No trouble at all,” Chu Lenghu chuckled. “I always feel like I’m inconveniencing you by having you come over every time.”

“Alright then.” Zhong Tian nodded. “I’ll send you my home address once I get back tonight.”

“Okay.”

****

Yu Yinlian ate her wontons while watching a video, a small bowl of them surprisingly taking her half an hour to finish.

Having tidied up her trash and wiped her hands with a tissue, she settled back onto her bed to continue watching her movie.

‘If only the dorm had air conditioning…’

Even though it was already September, the weather remained somewhat hot. Yet, she habitually slept under a blanket regardless of the temperature, which meant she would repeatedly throw off the covers to cool down for a bit, only to pull them back on again, continuing this cycle until she finally drifted off to sleep.

Fanning herself with a cheap fan bought from a roadside stall, she gazed at the air conditioner, which now served merely as a decorative fixture.

‘Weekend, please pass quickly…’

No sooner had this thought surfaced in her mind than she couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

Back when she hadn’t yet felt forgotten by the world, she used to eagerly anticipate the arrival of each weekend. Now, however, she found herself resenting them.

Of course, if the dormitories had electricity on weekends, she would undoubtedly rediscover her fondness for them.

Lying down on her bed, she exited the video app and stared up at the ceiling.

…

‘Perhaps I should try writing a novel.’

She downloaded WPS and created a new document.

‘Hmm… I’ll start with an outline.’

She intended to write a slice-of-life story.

Having occasionally read novels herself, she knew that slice-of-life genres weren’t particularly popular, and for someone in dire need of money, it was clearly not an optimal choice.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to write the trending genres…

Things like reincarnation for revenge, domineering CEOs, entertainment industry domination, quick transmigration, or substitute literature… While she might read such novels, the idea of writing them herself filled her with an inexplicable sense of shame.

‘If I can’t even bring myself to write it, then no matter how popular or profitable it might be, it would all be meaningless…’

She pondered, yet not a single word appeared on the page.

‘It’s so difficult…’

‘How can a slice-of-life story be both engaging and natural…?’

Unable to conjure any ideas, she decided to set the outline aside for now and explore various platforms to see how successful slice-of-life novels were crafted.

Consequently, she discovered a platform called BLB Light Novels.

After downloading the app, she entered BLB Light Novels and began browsing the recommended titles on the homepage.

“Hmm…”

‘Why are all the tags ‘harem,’ ‘yandere,’ ‘romance,’ and ‘slice-of-life’…?’

‘They all seem so similar.’

She scrolled through the entire homepage but couldn’t find the simple, ordinary slice-of-life story she desired.

‘It feels like… I won’t be able to thrive on this platform…’

Recalling the QD Novel Network and JJ Novel Network she usually frequented, it seemed their environments were even less suitable than BLB Light Novels.

‘So, this platform it is.’

‘If I simplify the popular elements and then weave them into my story, it should work, right?’

With that thought, she opened WPS and began brainstorming her outline.

****

“Let’s end today’s lesson here.”

Zhong Tian said, picking up his canvas bag, “Lenghu, you’ll have no problem if you just practice a bit more.”

“Understood, thank you, Teacher.”

“Alright, I’ll head back now.”

“Safe travels, Teacher.”

Zhong Tian exited the room, changed his shoes at the entryway, and then heard Chu Lenghu’s father’s voice from behind him.

“Hey, Teacher, let me drive you home.”

Upon hearing this, Zhong Tian quickly declined. “No, no, thank you, my place is quite close… only about a ten-minute walk. No need to trouble you.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble. We’re just about to head out for dinner anyway, and we’ll be driving, so it’s no bother to give you a ride back.”

“Well…” Zhong Tian hesitated, caught between a rock and a hard place by Chu Lenghu’s father’s warm insistence. “Then…”

“Alright… thank you.”