Hearing this low and magnetic sound, Shen Li’s footsteps paused slightly, and she looked in the direction of the sound.

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties was standing not far away, looking in her direction.

He was tall and handsome, with a refined and gentle temperament. His gold-rimmed spectacles added a bit of a scholarly air to him.

Even though there were traces of age on his face, it was not difficult to see the refined and handsome features from when he was young.

However, this face was really unfamiliar to her.

Shen Li hesitated and said, “You are–”

The man opposite her smiled.

“I am Shi Yang.”

So that was him.

Shen Li had long heard of this Chinese painting expert. She had heard Yu Pingchuan mention him a few times before, so she was not unfamiliar with him.

However, today was indeed the first time she had seen him in person.

She nodded slightly.

“Hello, Shi Yang.”

At this moment, the sunlight was just right. She was wearing a baseball hat, and the brim of the hat cast a shadow on her clear face.

Her brows and eyes were blurred in the shadow, so they could not be seen clearly. All that could be seen were her straight nose and sharp chin, which were exceptionally beautiful.

Shi Yang’s gaze froze for a moment, and his smile deepened.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you, but I’ve never had the chance. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the teaching building behind him.

“I’m here to give a lecture. What about you?”

He was the vice-chairman of the Art Association and was also the most famous Chinese art master in the country. It was perfectly normal for Xijing Academy to invite him here.

Shen Li understood and said, “I’m here to deliver something to Teacher Yu.”

When she was outside, she would usually still address Yu Pingchuan as Teacher Yu.

Shi Yang nodded. “In that case… you should go and look for Teacher Yu first. Don’t delay any further.”

Shen Li’s tone remained indifferent but polite.

“Goodbye, Teacher Shi Yang.”

After saying that, she turned around to leave.

However, just as she took a step forward, Shi Yang suddenly called out to her from behind.

“Shen Li.”

Shen Li paused in her footsteps and turned around to look.

Shi Yang’s smile was warm and sincere.

“I forgot to mention, I really like your paintings.”

It was very rare to receive the appreciation and recognition of such an expert in traditional Chinese painting.

Any young artist would probably be very happy.

However, that praise did not stir a single ripple in Shen Li’s heart.

Firstly, she did not care whether any people unrelated to her liked her paintings. Secondly, Yu Pingchuan had already relayed that sentiment to her.

However, out of courtesy, she still nodded.

“Thank you.”

After saying that, she continued to walk forward.

Shi Yang looked at her back, his gaze fixed.

It was only when she turned a corner and completely disappeared that Shi Yang shook his head and smiled as he muttered, “So proud, as expected…”

A thought seemed to come to his mind and the smile on his face faded. He did not voice out the rest of his sentence.

After a moment of silence, he turned around and left.

…

Previously, Yu Pingchuan had said that he would wait for her in the studio, so Shen Li went straight over there.

When she arrived, she saw more than ten students in the studio, focused on their paintings. Yu Pingchuan was standing in the corridor as he watched over them. The room was silent.

Shen Li knocked on the door.

“Teacher Yu.”

A clear and melodious voice sounded, breaking the silence. Yu Pingchuan looked up and saw that it was her. He immediately smiled.

He walked over.

“Ah Li, why did you come here so quickly?”

Shen Li handed the canvas over. The corners of her lips curved slightly.

“I was just following your orders. I did not dare to be late.”

The students in the classroom also looked up. When they saw that it was Shen Li, they immediately became restless.

“Is that Shen Li?”

“It’s her! Why is she here?”

“It looks like she’s here to deliver something to Teacher Yu. But she’s so beautiful in person!”

“I really like her paintings! It’s a pity that she’s on a different campus from us. We don’t usually get many chances to meet her. Our luck is pretty good today!”

For the students of the Xijing Art School, especially those who studied oil painting, Shen Li was a benchmark that everyone looked up to.

She had studied under Mei Yanqing and was extremely talented. Every painting of hers was capable of fetching a high price in the market.

The main point was that she was not even nineteen years old yet.

Many people would never be able to achieve her achievements in their lifetime. How could they not envy or admire her?

Yu Pingchuan chuckled.

If it were any other day, he might have started to manage the discipline, but today was different.

Hearing them praise Shen Li, he felt extremely proud and happy.

Shen Li looked into the classroom and said, “Then I won’t disturb your class –”

Hearing that she was about to leave, Yu Pingchuan immediately asked, “Do you have anything else to do this afternoon?”

Shen Li shook her head. There was only one pre-experiment left to do this evening. There was indeed nothing else that she had to do.

Yu Pingchuan waved at her and smiled.

“Then you should stay here for the class too! The timing is just nice. After this class ends, you can come back to Shuiyuan Shijia for a meal with me.”

Shen Li had not been to Shuiyuan Shijia in quite some time.

Shen Li was stunned. “Class?”

Yu Pingchuan coughed.

“Why? Don’t you want to attend Senior Brother’s class?”

Shen Li said, “… Alright.”

Since Yu Pingchuan had already said this much, there was really no reason for her to reject him.

Hearing her affirmation, not only Yu Pingchuan, but the students in the classroom were also excited.

Shen Li was not a student of the Xijing Art School. Furthermore, her seniority in the art world was very high. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend classes with her!

“There’s another seat over there. You can sit there!”

Yu Pingchuan raised his hand and pointed at a seat in the corner of the classroom.

He knew that no matter what class Shen Li attended, she was always inclined to sit in the back row. Hence, he had already arranged a seat for her.

As soon as he said that, the two boys closest to her could not help but exclaim, “F*ck!” They were overwhelmed at the honor.

What kind of treatment was this?

The rest of the class threw envious glares at them.

Shen Li walked towards that seat.

When she really sat down, the two boys became a little shy and nervous again. They merely greeted her with red ears and did not dare to speak again.

Shen Li had randomly come in the middle of the class, so she did not intend on doing any actual painting. Even after sitting down, she did not use her canvas.

However, she was not bored, because the boy beside her quickly tried to talk to her again.

“Shen… Shen Li? Could you help me take a look? How can I improve on this section here?”

Shen Li glanced at his drawing.

The topic of their class was to copy the works of the masters. This particular boy had chosen a portrait of Mei Yanqing in his early years.

Both Yu Pingchuan and her were disciples of Mei Yanqing. Their painting techniques and styles were similar to each other. The boy had indeed found the right person to ask for advice.

She raised her eyes and looked at Yu Pingchuan.

Yu Pingchuan had also noticed what was happening and found it quite interesting.

“Ah Li, why don’t you tell him about it?”

Shen Li nodded and stood up to walk over.

Everyone in the classroom turned around and saw Shen Li standing next to the boy. She raised her hand and pointed at his painting, saying something in a low voice.

The boy fell into deep thought at first, then a look of realization appeared on his face.

“I understand! Thank you, boss!”

The boy in front could not help but raise his hand as well.

“Boss, could you help me take a look at mine?”

Shen Li raised her eyes slightly. Before she could say anything, an indifferent voice came from the side.

“You’re copying Ronai’s painting. I don’t think it’s very suitable to look for Shen Li’s opinion, is it?”