Side Story 27: Art Exhibition

Physics Department, laboratory.

Kong Wenhan walked to Xu Zhe’s side and handed him a document.

“Senior Brother, you know German. Could you help me see how to translate this document?”

Xu Zhe was adjusting some equipment and did not raise his head when he heard him speak.

“German? Why don’t you go to Zhijin?”

He had spent a year at the Fino Laboratory in Bai City, and no one in the laboratory knew more about this than he.

The corners of Kong Wenhan’s mouth twitched, and he lowered his voice.

“How would I dare to! Senior Brother Xu Zhe, don’t you feel it? Senior Brother Shen’s mood has been particularly bad these days!”

Shen Zhijin’s personality was proud and distant, but he had always been polite and courteous to others.

But recently, for some reason, he seemed to exude a low-pressure tension, until even the people in the laboratory were trembling in fear, afraid of making any mistakes.

Kong Wenhan did not dare to get himself into trouble at this time.

Hearing this, Xu Zhe finally stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at him.

“Right? You guys felt it too?”

He had known Shen Zhijin for so long, but he had never seen him in such a state.

A boy next to him could not help but add his own two cents as well.

“Hey, do you guys think it’s because Junior Gu hasn’t been coming around much recently?”

Gu Tingyin was pursuing Shen Zhijin, and everyone in Xijing University knew about it.

Those from the Physics Department often had the opportunity to see her.

Sometimes, she would come here to attend lessons, and sometimes, she would come here for a meal.

Most of the time, she would come over with her sketchbook to draw.

Of course, everyone knew that she had other intentions.

Xu Zhe touched his chin.

“Now that you mention it, it seems to be true! Is it because she has been having a lot of classes recently and is too busy to come?”

“It can’t be, right? In the past, she attended many classes, yet hadn’t she still come here often? I also heard from my friends at the Art Academy that there will be several master art exhibitions in the Capital this month, so the students have a lot of free time!”

“Art exhibitions? Then, according to Junior Gu’s personality, she should have invited Zhijin to attend them together…”

“That’s right. If you really like someone, you would make the time, no matter what. If you ask me, I think… perhaps Junior Gu has given up?”

“Give up? Do you mean that she’s not pursuing Zhijin anymore? It can’t be… Junior Gu has been really good to him…!”

“I know, but what’s the point of me knowing? Come to think of it, Junior Gu had been chasing after him for a long time, yet Senior Brother doesn’t seem to have had any reaction. Which girl would be able to stand it? I think it’s already very rare for Junior Gu to have been able to persist until now.”

Kong Wenhan, who was at the side, did not feel like either person’s opinion sounded quite right.

He remembered what had happened at the bookstore that day.

If Senior Brother did not like Junior Gu, why would he have been embarrassed?

But recently, she really had not been coming here much, and he did not know what was going on between the two of them.

As Xu Zhe listened, he finally wavered.

“… What you’ve said is not unreasonable. Junior Gu is beautiful, has a good personality, and is talented in art. She’s a goddess! There are so many people who like her. There was no need for her to hang herself on an iron tree like Zhijin. As long as she’s willing to nod her head and find someone to fall in love with, it would be a simple matter. Why– Cough!”

Inadvertently, he looked up and coughed violently, his face flushed red.

“Ahem… Ahem… Zhi… Zhijin… Why are you… Ahem… here? ”

Shen Zhijin stood at the door with an indifferent expression on his face. No one knew when he had arrived or how much he had heard.

Kong Wenhan and the others also hurriedly stood up to greet him.

“Senior Brother.”

Was there anything more embarrassing than being caught talking behind one’s back?

Shen Zhijin’s face was expressionless. He nodded as usual and walked into the laboratory.

Everyone fell silent.

Shen Zhijin did not say anything. He did not even show any reaction, but everyone could not help but feel nervous.

A layer of invisible cold aura silently filled the whole laboratory.

It was so silent that one could even hear a pin drop.

Shen Zhijin turned on his computer and pulled up the observation data.

However, for some reason, the rows of numbers that he usually saw clearly now seemed like a mess.

On the sixth day.

Ever since they had parted at the bookstore that day, she had not come to Xijing University.

Was she now angry because he had not responded to her question and called her Yin Yin that day?

However–

Shen Zhijin pursed his lips slightly.

It was not that he had not wanted to, but he had felt that it was not a good time.

And she did not know how long it had taken him to finally regain control of his heartbeat when she had smiled and jokingly called him that name.

...

This alone had occupied his whole mind, so how could he have had the time to care about anything else?

However, she had never come back after that.

At this time, he finally realized that if she did not take the initiative to look for him, then even seeing her would become an extravagant hope.

He had already gotten used to her appearing in all the places he could see, but he had never imagined this moment.

She had disappeared from his sight and no matter how long he waited, he still could not see her.

The words he had just heard continued to ring in his ears, and his hands slightly tightened.

He closed his eyes and focused his attention on the screen.

Ten minutes later, the cursor was still flashing in the same place without having moved even half an inch.

There had been no progress, but the familiar numbers only seemed to irritate him at this moment.

Xu Zhe quietly came over and spoke in a lowered tone of voice.

“Ahem… Zhijin, I was just spouting nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart!”

...

The look from Shen Zhijin’s side profile was cold, as if he had not heard him at all.

Xu Zhe scratched his head.

“Actually, I have to say… this is also quite good. In the future, Junior Gu doesn’t have put in so much effort to run back and forth. You will also have more time…

Shen Zhijin suddenly stood up.

Xu Zhe was stunned.

“Hey, Zhijin, where are you going? These tasks haven’t been finished yet!”

As Shen Zhijin walked out, he said, “I suddenly thought of something. Please help me ask Professor Su for leave.”

Xu Zhe was at a loss. He looked at the computer and mumbled in disbelief, “What’s the rush? So much so that you didn’t even bother to turn off your computer?”

Based on Shen Zhijin’s style of doing things, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation.

He still wanted to ask a few more questions, but Shen Zhijin’s figure had already disappeared out the door.

Kong Wenhan looked over and clicked his tongue.

It was not without reason that his senior brother had bought those books.

Wasn’t this the biggest reason?

…

Shen Zhijin went directly to the female dormitory of the Xijing Academy of Fine Arts.

He knew that she only had one class at ten in the morning and would probably be back after lunch.

At the end of November, the Capital was already very cold. The weather was gloomy and gray.

Even in the morning, there was not much warmth.

Shen Zhijin waited for a long time. Finally, he heard lively footsteps and the sound of conversation from not far away.

His heart moved slightly, and he looked up.

At noon, one after another, the girls began to come back from class.

They finally noticed Shen Zhijin and someone whispered in surprise.

“Isn’t that… Shen Zhijin?”

He rarely came to the Academy of Fine Arts but he was very famous in Xijing University, so there were very few people who did not recognize his face.

Shen Zhijin finally saw a familiar face- Gu Tingyin’s roommate.

Previously, he had bumped into her once when he had come to send Tingyin off.

She was on good terms with Gu Tingyin, but today, she was holding another girl’s arm.

It was not Gu Tingyin.

Shen Zhijin took the initiative to step forward.

Many girls around looked over, their eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.

“Hello,” Shen Zhijin greeted her.

“I’m looking for Gu Tingyin.”

The girl was stunned for a moment, as if she was quite surprised.

“Senior Shen, didn’t you know? She went to the Zong Pei art exhibition with someone today! I thought that person was you–”

She seemed to have realized something and stopped.

Shen Zhijin’s hands that were in his coat pocket clenched slightly.

The two tickets to the art exhibition were gradually crumpled by him.