Art University Adventures and Unconventional Blessings

While Xia Chu only managed to have breakfast past eleven, at the Mingzhu Residential Area, Luo Xuan and Bai Jingjing were already well into their lunch.

“Luo-jie (TL Note: A respectful address for an older sister or close female friend), is the meal to your liking?”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, it’s wonderful.”

“Is there anything that could be improved?”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”

“What would you like for dinner?”

“Mm-hmm… Oh,” Luo Xuan paused, setting down her chopsticks. “We’ll most likely be eating out for dinner. Even if we manage to get back early, there wouldn’t be enough time to cook, would there?”

‘Bai Jingjing’s cooking truly smelled divine. Was this the kind of life Xia Chu had been enjoying every day for the past few days? It was absolutely wonderful.’

Still, dinner was definitely going to be an outside affair, as their afternoon plans involved a ‘date’ at the Provincial Art University.

Luo Xuan paused for a moment, then added, “Moreover, I’ve found a guide at the Art University, who’s also a friend from our group chat. If she agrees, this could even count as an offline meetup, and we’d certainly find a place to have dinner together.”

“Oh, I see,” Bai Jingjing nodded her small head. “What about supper then? What would you like to have for supper?”

“Supper… wait,” Luo Xuan was slightly taken aback. “You and Xia Chu actually eat supper?”

Bai Jingjing mused for a moment. “Dinner tends to be a bit late, so generally speaking, yes, we usually do.”

“No, but you eat takeout. Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?” Luo Xuan posed her ‘soul-searching question’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to a profound or rhetorical question that makes one deeply reflect).

Bai Jingjing was also momentarily stunned, then countered, “Will I gain weight?”

“…”

‘Oh, right, Luo Xuan suddenly recalled. One of them gained all her weight exclusively in her chest, while the other seemed to accumulate both weight and age in hers. Indeed, they didn’t seem to have much to fear from gaining weight.’

‘Fine then, keep eating. May your ‘tuan tuan’ (TL Note: A playful term referring to breasts, often used in a humorous or slightly teasing context) grow so enormous it overwhelms you!’

The young woman huffed, shoveling her rice, while silently bestowing her ‘sincere blessings’ upon her two friends.

Having finished her meal, Luo Xuan finally received a reply.

[Apologies, I just finished my schedule. I only have one class later, and I can come find you after it ends. Go ahead and enter the school first; just tell them you’re here to see me.]

“Perfect,” Luo Xuan exclaimed, springing to her feet. “We can head straight over in a bit.”

Bai Jingjing emerged from the kitchen, untying her apron, and blinked innocently.

‘Just… just like that?’

“The guide has been found?” she inquired.

“Yes, it’s someone from our group chat; I’m not sure if you know her,” Luo Xuan explained. “She’s a teacher at the Provincial Art University. I only found out by chance, and very few people are aware of it.”

Bai Jingjing’s eyes widened in realization. ‘Our group chat truly is full of talented individuals,’ she mused.

“Oh, right, Bai Jingjing,” Luo Xuan suddenly remembered something. “I’ve always been a little curious: aren’t you studying right now, and why do you want to go to the Art University?”

“I took a leave of absence a few years ago due to some special circumstances, and now I wish to return to campus,” Bai Jingjing explained simply. “If all goes well, I should be able to enroll at the Provincial Art University this summer.”

“The Art University, huh?” Luo Xuan mused, recalling Bai Jingjing’s identity within their group. “Are you looking to further your studies in painting?”

“Mm.”

Bai Jingjing felt that her practice over the past few years had been decent, yet she still lacked some systematic learning and was slightly deficient in certain aspects.

Luo Xuan, meanwhile, found herself wondering why Bai Jingjing had taken a leave of absence, but she felt too awkward to ask directly. Then she recalled that Bai Jingjing’s second desired destination was the Provincial Central Hospital.

‘Emmm, I’ll ask her about it tomorrow when we go to the hospital.’

‘Speaking of which, if we’re going to the hospital, would we need to be sick or injured or something?’

‘And does an emotional wound count as an injury?’

While Luo Xuan’s mind wandered through these odd thoughts, Bai Jingjing silently finished packing her belongings beside her.

“Shall we depart then?”

“Let’s go!”

****

The weather today remained gloriously sunny. Bai Jingjing, still clad in the same white hot pants from before, sat in the passenger seat as sunlight streamed through the front windshield, bathing her long, fair thighs in a dazzling, almost blinding white.

“Luo-jie,” Bai Jingjing softly called out to Luo Xuan, who was focused on driving.

“Hmm?” Luo Xuan responded, her hands gripping the steering wheel intently.

“When you’re driving, you should pay attention to the road ahead,” Bai Jingjing kindly reminded her. “You shouldn’t keep staring at your passenger’s thighs.”

“…” Luo Xuan’s mouth twitched awkwardly, utterly speechless.

‘Caught red-handed, right then and there. What was she supposed to do?’

Seeing the troubled expression on Luo Xuan’s face, Bai Jingjing pondered for a moment before tentatively asking, “Perhaps I should sit in the back?”

‘While I know this is partly my fault—I have legs, and I can’t exactly hide them—we are driving right now, and it’s better to prioritize safety.’

Luo Xuan’s emotions became complex in an instant, and she unconsciously blurted out, “If you go to the back… even if you’re in the back, I’d still see you in the rearview mirror.”

“That wouldn’t be the case,” Bai Jingjing stated with a serious expression. “Unless I were to lie down on the back seat or deliberately lift my legs, it would be quite difficult to see me in the rearview mirror.”

“No, it’s fine,” Luo Xuan gritted her teeth. “I simply won’t look!”

‘What on earth was happening? Who catches someone peeking at their thighs and then proceeds to analyze the situation with such earnestness?’

Under normal circumstances, this would undoubtedly be a sarcastic jab, but Luo Xuan noticed the innocence in her gaze and the sincerity in her tone, as if Bai Jingjing were genuinely concerned for her.

Bai Jingjing hesitated for a moment, then softly suggested, “How about this: you can still take a look occasionally. Just tell me beforehand, and I’ll help you watch the road.”

‘Don’t suppress yourself; holding it in must be quite uncomfortable.’

“…I truly won’t look anymore!”

Luo Xuan gripped the steering wheel tightly, then, after a moment’s thought, added, “I’ll take my time looking once we get home!”

“Oh, alright.”

‘Just look at her! She even said ‘alright’!’

The Provincial Art University was situated in the relatively quiet West District, quite a distance from their residence. Although the roads weren’t particularly congested, it still took them nearly an hour to reach their destination.

Even as they disembarked at the parking lot beside the Art University, Luo Xuan still couldn’t fathom whether Bai Jingjing’s earlier remarks had been sarcastic or genuinely sincere.

‘Never mind, she’d find out once they got home. For now, she needed to put those thoughts aside!’

Luo Xuan gently patted her own beautiful face, effectively banishing the strange thoughts from her mind, and refocused on the task at hand.

“We’ll go straight through the school gate, either the main entrance or a side gate will do; let me see which is closer,” she said, pulling out her phone to consult a map of the Provincial Art University. “It’s this way… In a moment, we’ll just tell the gatekeeper we’re here to see Teacher Liu Wanqing.”

“Mm-hmm, alright.”

Following the map on her phone, they smoothly arrived at the main gate. After explaining their situation to the person in the gatehouse, they were readily granted entry. Whether it was the influence of Liu Wanqing’s name or if she had made arrangements beforehand, the two successfully entered the school grounds.

“The Art University is truly massive; I’m getting dizzy just looking at the map. There’s still some time until the first class ends, and she’ll only come to find us after her class, so for now, we’ll head to… Bai Jingjing?”

Luo Xuan led the way for a short distance before realizing Bai Jingjing hadn’t followed. Turning back, she saw the young woman standing at the main entrance, a visible tremor of excitement in her demeanor.

‘How could she tell Bai Jingjing was excited? Because whenever Bai Jingjing grew agitated, her heartbeat would quicken slightly, causing her ‘tuan tuan’ (TL Note: A playful term referring to breasts, often used in a humorous or slightly teasing context) to sway noticeably.’

‘Such was the principle of transmission.’