Chapter 1

The day before Labor Day, Yue Bai sat before her easel and sent Zhou Qingyan her usual message, asking if she planned to return to Home City for the May 1st holiday. Once she received a firm yes, Yue Bai packed up her textbooks, stopped by her dorm to shower and change, and then took a cab straight to Zhou Qingyan’s house.

Ever since Zhou Qingyan and Wen Mo had offered to tutor her in academics the previous year, they made a point of summoning Yue Bai during nearly every break when their schedules allowed. They would help her brush up on English and math.

The two had only just begun their freshman year at A University, which afforded them a fair bit of free time. Still, the campus lay a good distance from Home City, so they only returned during holidays.

With the Gaokao drawing ever nearer, their instruction had grown increasingly rigorous. Fortunately, Yue Bai was sharp and usually grasped concepts after a single explanation.

Standing on the doorstep of Zhou Qingyan’s home, Yue Bai drew in a deep breath and rang the bell. The door swung open moments later, revealing Wen Mo.

“Senior Sister,” Yue Bai said, licking her lips nervously before greeting her in a bright, clear voice.

Wen Mo shifted aside to clear a path. “Come on in.”

“Is Senior Sister Zhou not here?” Yue Bai settled onto the sofa, glancing around curiously at the absence of Zhou Qingyan. At this hour on a typical day, she would already be perched on the couch, picking out problems for Yue Bai to tackle.

Wen Mo handed her an apple and took a seat opposite. “Something came up for her at the last minute—she couldn’t make it. I’ve lined up someone else to cover math today. She should arrive any moment.”

Yue Bai hardly cared who the tutor was. What struck her was that Zhou Qingyan’s sudden issue meant Wen Mo had likely returned to Home City alone, just for her sake. A pang of guilt tugged at her heart.

“Senior Sister, my grades are already close enough to meet A University’s requirements for the art department,” Yue Bai said, cradling the apple and absently rubbing its skin. “The entrance exam results are out too. I passed the cutoff with a solid ranking. Factoring everything in, I should get into A University. And if not… well, there are other schools.”

Wen Mo kept her eyes on her phone, typing away without looking up. She clearly disagreed. “Close enough? Should? Other schools? Is that really how little faith you have in yourself?”

Yue Bai fell silent, at a loss for words. Her most recent mock exam had hit A University’s cultural score line, but the one before that had fallen just a few points short.

When no reply came after a long pause, Wen Mo looked up, her expression stern. “Have we not invested a ton of time in tutoring you this past year? And now you want to throw in the towel?”

Yue Bai kept her head down, not daring to utter a sound.

Wen Mo’s brows furrowed. Perhaps realizing her tone had been too sharp, she softened it. “I just don’t want you to squander the effort Yan Yan and I have poured into this—or the dream you’ve chased since you were little.”

It was rare for Wen Mo to speak at such length to her outside of lessons. Yue Bai knew she’d blurted out her doubts in a panic and wanted to backtrack, to explain herself. But before the words could form, the doorbell chimed sharply.

Wen Mo glanced toward the sound and sighed to herself. She nodded at Yue Bai. “That’s your tutor. Get the door.”

Yue Bai rose, clutching the apple without thinking. The bell rang three insistent times, spurring her to hurry over and pull the door open. Her eyes met those of the woman standing outside.

The stranger’s gaze was bright and kind, a gentle warmth radiating from her features. Delicate makeup enhanced her light blue blouse, which beautifully complemented her serene, water-like grace.

Yue Bai’s mind began to wander.

“You’re the little junior sister I’m tutoring today?” Sang Wan stood there with a radiant smile, her eyes locking onto Yue Bai, who remained rooted in place. Amusement danced in her gaze as Yue Bai continued blocking the entrance. “Not going to invite me in?”

Yue Bai jolted back to the present and scrambled aside. “Sorry! Please, come in.”

Sang Wan brushed past with a smile, trailing a puff of warm, inviting fragrance.

“Sang Wan, good to see you,” Wen Mo said, rising to her feet. “Sorry to impose today. Yan Yan got tied up and couldn’t get back.”

Sang Wan shrugged easily. “No need to apologize. I was heading to Home City for the holiday anyway. Happy to help.”

Wen Mo wasted no more time on pleasantries. She drew Yue Bai forward. “This is the little junior from Yuelan High School. Art major—her professional skills are solid, but academics need work. Gaokao’s in a month. Final push to boost her score as much as possible.”

Sang Wan arched a brow and leaned back against a cushion. “She seems… not the sharpest.”

Yue Bai had been dragged forward in a daze, then heard this blunt assessment while still processing the introduction. In her fluster, desperate to prove otherwise, she shot back without thinking. “I’m really smart! My parents always say so—no one’s smarter than me!”

The instant the words escaped, regret crashed over her. She clapped her hands to her face in mortification. That just made her sound even sillier…

A stifled snort escaped Sang Wan. “Is the little junior sister always this entertaining?”

Even the typically cool Wen Mo’s lips twitched upward. She coughed discreetly to mask it.

To spare the girl some dignity, Sang Wan clamped her right hand over her left wrist, quelling her laughter by force. “All right, super genius. Ready to start?”

Yue Bai nibbled her lower lip and managed a stiff nod, her mind still tangled over the impression she’d made.

“Aren’t you supposed to show me to the study spot?” Sang Wan rose, tilting her chin toward Yue Bai.

Yue Bai snapped to attention and darted ahead. “Senior Sister Sang, right this way.” She’d caught Wen Mo using the name when she arrived.

Sang Wan eyed the figure leading her, accepting a sheet of paper from Wen Mo with one hand. Zhou Qingyan had handpicked these math problems for Wen Mo to pass along.

Sang Wan scanned them quickly, solving mentally in her head. She followed Yue Bai to the balcony at the far end of the living room.

A table and two chairs awaited there, along with paper and pens.

Sang Wan settled into a chair, legs crossed, and skipped Zhou Qingyan’s problems for now. She jotted two simple ones instead, handing them over to test Yue Bai’s level.

Twenty minutes later, Yue Bai set down her pen and slid the finished sheet toward Sang Wan. “Senior Sister Sang, all done.”

Sang Wan had watched every stroke from the start. Now, with the full solution in view, she had a clear read on Yue Bai’s abilities.

“Nice work overall, but you slipped here.” With a red pen, Sang Wan circled a line. “Wrong formula—it threw off everything after. And this problem has two cases; you only covered one…”

Head bent over the page, Sang Wan marked errors with the red pen, then scribbled correct workings alongside.

Yue Bai followed intently, her eyes tracing the pen’s path as she committed the explanations to memory. In the midst of her focus, Sang Wan frowned, flicked the pen once, and resumed. “Pen’s acting up—not inking right.”

“Here, you need to…”

For some reason, Yue Bai’s attention snagged on Sang Wan’s hand from that flick. Her fingers were slender and pale, shaped by years of pressing—perhaps keys or strings—with her thumb instinctively curling inward.

Yue Bai’s gaze lingered on a tiny mole at the base of Sang Wan’s right thumb. It danced playfully with each stroke, oddly endearing.

A smile tugged at Yue Bai’s lips. She straightened up, only to find herself staring at Sang Wan’s profile. Her skin gleamed like polished jade, flawless up close. Pores were invisible; the faintest down glowed in the sunlight. A petite, perfect nose led to full, rosy lips that parted and closed mid-explanation.

But it was the elegant sweep of her jawline that held Yue Bai captive, stirring an impulse to reach out and trace it.

“Junior sister?”

The voice yanked her back. Flustered, Yue Bai met Sang Wan’s amused eyes. “Did you catch all that?”

Yue Bai fidgeted with her fingers, licked her lips, and averted her gaze in embarrassment. She could hardly admit she’d been too mesmerized to listen.

Sang Wan let out a soft laugh and shook her head indulgently. “Too fast? Let’s run through it again.” She slowed her pace for a fresh explanation.

This time, Yue Bai absorbed it fully. Minutes later, the problems were second nature. Sang Wan assigned more of the same type, which Yue Bai nailed swiftly.

Sang Wan nodded approvingly at the flawless solutions, then flashed a teasing grin. “Very smart indeed. Though…” She paused for effect. “A tad distracted.”

Heat crept into Yue Bai’s cheeks as she realized she’d been busted for zoning out earlier.

For the next two hours, Sang Wan broke down key concepts in depth. Yue Bai worked through reinforcing exercises, and the session wrapped up.

Sang Wan stretched her neck to ease the stiffness, then remembered something. “You never properly introduced yourself to your senior sister.”

Yue Bai’s packing slowed for a beat. “Senior Sister, I’m Yue Bai.” She offered her name outright, secretly hoping for what might come next.

“Yue Bai? It’s the same color as the shirt I’m wearing today.” Sang Wan shook her shirt lightly, teasing her: “Moon white, oh. Doesn’t that mean we’re destined?”

Yue Bai gave a shy smile, her voice much more cheerful: “Yes.”

Sang Wan leaned back in her chair, sitting casually: “I heard you’re really good at art?”

Yue Bai finished packing her things. Hearing Sang Wan’s question, she sheepishly scratched her head: “It’s pretty good.” It was her usual modest reply.

Sang Wan looked at her noncommittally, her deep gaze like limpid water. As if possessed by a sudden impulse, Yue Bai continued, “If Senior Sister doesn’t mind, I’d like to paint a portrait of you.”

Sang Wan tilted her head.

Receiving no response, Yue Bai began to regret speaking without thinking. Some people don’t like others painting their portraits, and her proposing such a request without knowing Sang Wan made her seem very rude.

She awkwardly bit her lower lip.

However…

“I heard you want to apply to A University’s art department?” Sang Wan brushed her loose long hair aside and leaned back slightly: “Once you get in, how about I model for you then?”