Chapter 392 A Different Competition

Qin Ying nodded. "Please wait a moment, Miss Gu." She turned and walked toward the colorful canopy on the other side.

Gu Fei found a seat and sat down, waiting patiently.

Qin Ying returned a short while later, holding an envelope.

She walked up to Gu Fei and said, "Miss Gu, open it and take a look. With this, you can go directly to the academy to register for your studies."

Gu Fei opened it. Inside was a handwritten admission notice, stamped with the academy’s official seal and a smaller, personal one. The characters on the personal seal were in seal script, which Gu Fei couldn’t read.

She nodded, placed the admission notice back in the envelope, and handed it to Qin Ying. Then, she said, "Alright, Miss Qin. Let’s have our competition today."

Qin Ying pursed her lips in a smile. "Weren’t you the one who said she couldn’t even afford paper and brushes, Miss Gu? Painting pigments aren’t cheap, you know. I truly can’t tell when you’re telling the truth and when you’re lying."

Gu Fei replied coolly, "Likewise."

Qin Ying gestured with her hand. "This way, please, Miss Gu."

Gu Fei glanced over and saw several large tables set up with paper, brushes, and pigments.

She took a deep breath, then turned and took the cloth-wrapped bundle from Yan’er.

The two women took their places at the tables. Qin Ying smiled at Gu Fei. "Even though it’s the Lotus Festival, painting lotuses is a bit too simple, don’t you think? How about we paint portraits of court ladies instead?"

Qin Ying’s own specialty was figure painting; she was less skilled with flowers and birds, and even less so with landscapes.

Since she was determined to win, she naturally played to her strengths.

Qin Ying had been certain Gu Fei would object, but to her surprise, Gu Fei simply gave a slight nod. "Fine. We’ll paint portraits of court ladies."

She set her bundle on the table, then turned and found Sister Dan, whispering, "Sister Dan, can you do me a favor?"

"I’m competing against Miss Qin in painting. I need you to just sit over there, strike a pose, and hold perfectly still. The only catch is... you might have to stay like that for an hour or two."

Sister Dan hesitated. "Hold still for an hour or two? I... I don’t know if I can manage that."

She clenched her jaw. "Alright, I’ll give it a try. I’ll do my best to stay still."

Gu Fei had Yan’er place a chair in front of the table and asked Sister Dan to sit down. Gu Fei then helped arrange her into a relatively comfortable pose.

When she returned to her table, she saw that Qin Ying was already sketching an outline.

Gu Fei had never studied traditional Chinese painting, but she had learned to sketch.

It was a long shot, but it was all she had.

Using her bundle for cover, she discreetly took out a handful of pencils, an eraser, and a sheet of drawing paper.

Once her supplies were arranged, Gu Fei began to draw.

Qin Ying glanced over and smirked.

’Gu Fei isn’t using Xuan paper, but some sort of stiff-looking sheet. She’s not even using a proper brush—just scratching away with a little wooden stick. What kind of decent painting could she possibly create with that?’

’Now I’m starting to believe that Gu Fei’s family really can’t afford proper supplies. Even the way she’s holding that thing is wrong.’

Without a drawing board, Gu Fei felt a little awkward, but there was nothing to be done about it.

’She’d loved to sketch and doodle ever since she was little. In high school, she had even dreamed of applying to an art academy, but she eventually gave up on the idea because the cost was simply too high.’

’Studying art wasn’t just about the major expense of paper, pencils, and paints. Tutoring was expensive, too, not to mention the prep courses before the unified entrance exams, which could easily cost tens of thousands.’

’As an orphan, all she had was the old house her parents had left her. She was already planning to sell it to pay for university tuition. How could she possibly dare to make such a huge, uncertain investment?’

’And so, she had given up on art.’

’But she had spent a long time practicing her sketching, and her fundamentals were solid. Today, she would rely on that.’

At first, her hand felt rusty; it had been a long time since she had last drawn, after all.

But some skills, once mastered, become second nature. Gradually, Gu Fei found her rhythm, and the lines flowing from her hand grew increasingly smooth and confident.

After more than an hour, Gu Fei was nearly finished with her drawing.

Sister Dan had come to life on the page.