Chapter 53: Onlooker

Shi Mengxi sat on the first-floor sofa, hugging her tablet as she scribbled and sketched. Her left hand cradled the milk she had just bought.

The first floor had already been measured, and everyone else had gone upstairs. She was the only one there now.

So she took off her mask and took small sips through the straw.

The warm liquid spread from her mouth downward, and the paper cup’s outer wall carried the same heat. This was the cup Lu Jia had stuffed into her hands earlier.

She couldn’t drink coffee anymore these days, and just now in the shop, she had only sat quietly in the corner.

She hadn’t expected her little junior sister—who had been dragged away by Professor Sheng—to be so righteous, noticing her and even taking the time to order a cup of milk separately.

Shi Mengxi knew about Lu Jia and Professor Sheng’s progress, from the end to the restart. Lu Jia had shared it all with her candidly.

Having personally experienced the sourness of love, and seeing the atmosphere between the two now, she had advised her several times to try being more direct. But Lu Jia had refused no matter what.

Now, seeing Sheng Shubai follow along, Shi Mengxi looked up just in time to catch the woman gazing distantly toward the staircase.

Lost in thought and then snapping back, she met those indifferent eyes.

Sheng Shubai wasn’t actually familiar with Shi Mengxi. She only knew she was Rong Yi’s student, living under the same roof, and that their relationship was close.

Even though she had vaguely noticed before that Shi Mengxi’s gaze toward Rong Yi carried something unusual, before meeting Lu Jia, Sheng Shubai had never thought in that direction.

After all, a professor and her direct-line student—not only rare, but a matter of professional ethics.

Moreover, with that colleague’s rigid, by-the-book personality, how could she allow such a thing to happen to herself?

But after paying close attention a few times, she discovered that Shi Mengxi had actually dared to do it.

And… she had even broken the window paper.

Although Lu Jia refused to talk about it, Sheng Shubai had pieced together the whole story from that one brief encounter that morning.

Now, looking at Shi Mengxi again, it had been a long time since she had seen this student in the College Building. She was the one surprised.

How had she suddenly turned into this state?

Having spent so many years at the bar, Sheng Shubai had seen all sorts of young girls heartbroken. She had also witnessed Sheng Ling’s decline day by day back then.

But no matter how dim their eyes or how dazed they were, it was never like Shi Mengxi’s current appearance.

Compared to the daze from a romantic setback, this student seemed to exude more of… an air of illness around her?

Sheng Shubai and her were only acquaintances who nodded in passing, so she didn’t know the other had just been discharged from the hospital. But in her heart, she secretly sighed that her colleague was truly heartless, wounding this young kid into such a state.

Seeing Shi Mengxi nod politely toward her, she curved her lips slightly, then headed upstairs.

She circled the second floor, got pulled by students to answer a few questions, but didn’t see Lu Jia.

It wasn’t until she reached the exhibition area on the right side of the third floor that Sheng Shubai spotted two young women standing very close together, their backs to her, pointing and gesturing at a certain corner—probably estimating dimensions.

She didn’t know when Lu Jia and Qin Yuan’s relationship had become this good.

Sheng Shubai didn’t make a sound. Her heels clicked on the tiles anyway, so she didn’t go over to disturb them.

She glanced around at the empty walls nearby, then looked out through the glass. The sky was covered in overcast clouds.

The gloomy weather made her mood feel somewhat low and irritated.

Sheng Shubai had other things to do today and hadn’t planned to join the painting club’s activity. If it weren’t for…

Never mind, it wasn’t important.

She turned and walked a bit farther away, focusing on the scenery outside the window.

But the weather was bad; aside from the empty plaza outside the Art Museum and the overly familiar swath of landscaping, there was nothing else to see.

Until the discussion over there seemed to wrap up. Sheng Shubai turned back at the right moment, meeting Lu Jia’s smiling eyes.

The girl’s tone was soft and warm, carrying a hint of surprise. “Professor Sheng, how come you’re here?”

Her obviously uplifted tone pleased her a little.

Glancing impassively at Qin Yuan, who was taking a call not far away, Sheng Shubai replied, “It got boring over there, so I came to take a look. Need any help?”

“It’s pretty much done already.”

Lu Jia waved it off, then pointed at the girl over there, her eyes curving. “There was just that fixed pillar display stand at the corner over there—we were racking our brains over how to arrange it. Luckily, little junior Qin Yuan gave some suggestions.”

Before heading to the café, she and the other Academy Research Association members had discussed it for a while but couldn’t come up with a good plan. It always stuck out awkwardly.

Fortunately, Qin Yuan had come over proactively.

The girl often visited jewelry exhibitions and had seen plenty of similar pillar displays. With a few words, she suggested turning it into a work display form.

Sheng Shubai gave a bland “Mm, that’s good.”

She had painted watercolor for so many years and organized or co-organized countless exhibitions. Just now in the café, she hadn’t heard this kid mention any difficulties at all.

So unwilling to trouble her?

Her mood, which had improved slightly, soured again.

Sheng Shubai didn’t show it on her face. She just checked her watch. “I have something later, so I’ll head out. Dinner together tonight?”

Lu Jia pursed her lips. “I’ve already made plans with Qin Yuan. I… can come find you after, okay?”

She lowered her voice on the second half, so only they could hear.

The implication was clear.

Sheng Shubai looked at her steadily for a few seconds, then hooked her lips. “Sure.”

Once the woman turned and went down the stairs, Lu Jia watched her leave until her figure vanished. Only then did she look back toward Qin Yuan.

The girl was still on the phone, her laughter faintly audible in the conversation.

Lu Jia walked a few steps away—eavesdropping on someone else’s call would be rude.

Before she reached the other side of the third-floor exhibition area, two girls waved her over, then pulled her toward the corner.

After spending these few days together, Lu Jia had gotten somewhat familiar with them.

One of the girls asked quietly, “Professor Sheng actually came to check on the New Year Exhibition?”

Lu Jia then remembered that when she first took on this job, she had overheard members discussing in private, all surprised about this year’s liaison professor from the Watercolor Department.

At the time, she was busy going to discuss the theme with Advisor Rong and hadn’t had time to ask why.

She wanted to know everything about Sheng Shubai.

She asked, “Why do you say that?”

Under their back-and-forth, she heard more details about that dispute from over a dozen years ago.

That year’s New Year Exhibition was the Art Institute’s first, held on a grand scale.

Several majors participated, not just graduates but undergrads too.

Rong Yi was the head of the Printmaking undergrads then, demanding perfection on the New Year Exhibition works’ themes. Sheng Shubai’s submission got held up by her several times, passing only after a heated debate.

Later, they needed to select students for explanations in each exhibition area.

Sheng Shubai was beautiful, with outstanding temperament, so being chosen was natural.

But on the eve of the New Year Exhibition, no one knew why, but she had a fight with Rong Yi. The slamming door was heard even downstairs in the dorms.

No one knew the outcome, but the next day, Rong Yi handled the Printmaking area’s explanations.

Rumors spread: one side shook her head in denial and silence, the other brushed it off lightly as not worth mentioning.

There were even whispers that afterward, none of the Printmaking major’s institute-level exhibitions, big or small, featured Sheng Shubai’s works in the Watercolor area—not even when friends invited her to visit.

But they had only been here one or two years and hadn’t noticed these details in past exhibitions, so they couldn’t confirm if the rumors were accurate.

Lu Jia fell silent.

The two protagonists in the story: one was her mentor who nurtured her carefully as a junior, the other… was the person she liked.

Without the full picture, she couldn’t take sides.

But Lu Jia felt she was overthinking it.

Her crush was her own business—what did it have to do with Sheng Shubai?

Maybe the woman didn’t care which side she took, as long as she fulfilled the contract.

Besides, so many years had passed. Both were eye-catching figures with their looks and personalities; stories passed down year after year, who knew what gaps or misunderstandings there were.

In recent academy encounters where the two crossed paths, it didn’t seem as tense as half a year ago.

Lu Jia schooled her expression and returned to normal.

The two girls across from her gave curious looks, but her tone stayed casual:

“Professor Sheng was worried that switching exhibition halls this time might leave us with tricky spots to arrange. She’s held exhibitions here in the Side Hall before, so she came to check.”

Was there even a one percent chance… that she came to see her?

Actually, when she first turned and saw Sheng Shubai, that thought had flashed through Lu Jia’s mind.

But after the woman chatted briefly and left, she dismissed it as wishful thinking.

If she had really come for her, why leave after just two sentences?

No way.

“Senior Lu Jia.”

Qin Yuan had finished her call and was walking over with a beaming smile.

Lu Jia checked the time and curved her lips. “The downstairs should be wrapping up soon too. Sorry to trouble you to wait another ten minutes.”

She had asked Qin Yuan for a favor earlier, planning to treat her to dinner afterward. But Qin Yuan had invited her first, citing the cover Lu Jia had drawn for her survey competition paper a few days ago.

After finalizing all the details, Lu Jia said goodbye to the other members and looked toward Shi Mengxi.

She hesitated for a few seconds. “…Senior sister.”

Lu Jia still wanted to ask if she really planned to drop out.

She… wanted to persuade her one more time.

But she saw Shi Mengxi gesture for silence through her mask and swallow her words.

After all, she wasn’t in her shoes and couldn’t truly empathize. But seeing Shi Mengxi like this now, she was probably not doing well.

Love was misleading.

It wasn’t until she got in the car with Qin Yuan and arrived at the Western restaurant in the city center that Lu Jia snapped back.

She had been to this place before.

Last time, with Sheng Shubai and two other friends. Afterward, back home, she had been stepped on the shoulder by the woman’s high heels.

Recalling that night involuntarily, Lu Jia lowered her eyes and barely suppressed her thoughts.

Inside the restaurant, the seat was still by the window.

This time’s two-person booth was much more private, with simple decorative partitions front and back.

Her phone vibrated.

Before coming, Lu Jia had reported today’s discussion results to Rong Yi, thinking it was a reply. But it was just an unimportant group notification.

Lu Jia lowered her head to type a quick acknowledgment.

Naturally, she missed the woman who happened to pass by nearby.

Or rather, the gaze cast her way.