Chapter 679: Extra Chapter: Yu Yu

Extra Chapter: Yu Yu

The first idiom Yu Yu learned was to observe words and expressions.

From as far back as she could remember, she knew she wasn't very much liked by her parents.

Her father's generation had deep roots in education and business; her mother came from a scholarly family, their family had been scholarly for generations, they were a well-matched couple, and to outsiders they were the picture of a model marriage.

Yu Yu's existence seemed never to have made this family feel complete.

Yu Mother's demands on her were strict; from the time she could speak, she required her to have proper bearing, proper speech, and proper grades.

At four years old she had to memorize over a hundred characters of ancient poetry; before bed she had to recite and review, and if she missed a single character she had to start over.

At five she practiced calligraphy.

At six she spent every day in the dance studio; the pain of stretching her legs and doing splits was normal, and even if it made her eye sockets redden, she had to endure it without shedding a tear.

After six, one after another, all kinds of cram classes came.

Her childhood was filled with one timetable after another, weekends included.

Over time, Yu Yu cultivated a perfect disguise.

She became adept at controlling her expression, always putting on a gentle, obedient smile in front of her parents.

In every public setting she was composed and flawless, becoming the model daughter her mother most wanted.

But no matter how hard she tried, her mother's gaze toward her was always critical.

Yu Father was busy with social engagements, rarely returning home year-round; when he did come back, he would merely ask a few perfunctory questions about her studies before shutting himself away in his study again.

The longest conversation between father and daughter was when she mustered the courage to ask, 'Dad, have you eaten?'

In her repressed childhood, Feng Cen, Liu Wanwan, and Sheng Ling were the only remaining light that shone in.

Feng Cen was one year older than her and had a fiery temperament.

Liu Wanwan was the same age as her, proud and willful, seeming hard to approach but actually soft-hearted despite a sharp tongue.

Sheng Ling's personality was much the same as Liu Wanwan's, and he occasionally had a sharp tongue.

The four of them had been inseparable since kindergarten.

They always appeared by her side when she was down, pulling her out of her low spirits.

Just after entering elementary school, Yu Yu was praised for the first time by her art teacher: 'Yu Yu, you draw really well, very imaginative.'

She still remembers that afternoon when she returned home, took the drawing to show her parents, her eyes shining with anticipation, and said, 'Mom, I want to learn to paint!'

Yu Mother didn't even look at it, furrowed her brows, and said, 'What's the use of painting? Can it put food on the table? Your job is to study, not to mess around with useless things.'

Yu Yu's hand dropped.

She shouldn't have placed her expectations on her parents.

The next day, Feng Cen waited at the classroom door for her and Liu Wanwan to finish school; seeing her come out, he stood up and said, 'Xiao Yu, are you unhappy today? Who bullied you?'

Yu Yu shook her head.

Feng Cen didn't believe her, grabbed her backpack strap, and said, 'Come on, I'll treat you to ice cream.'

Liu Wanwan, uncharacteristically, didn't go play but walked silently beside them.

Sheng Ling was also a loyal friend, walking behind them together.

After finishing the ice cream, Feng Cen had someone call and had Yu Yu come to his house to stay overnight, and Yu Yu visibly became happy.

By fourth grade, the school had a substitute art teacher surnamed Yan, in his thirties, with a good temperament.

Teacher Yan taught one class and then decided to stay at the school.

Many teachers said he had stayed especially for Yu Yu.

That was indeed the case.

After that class ended, Yu Yu began studying oil painting and traditional Chinese painting under Teacher Yan.

Art let her throw herself into it completely, and she was no longer anxious; Yu Yu loved it and studied it for two years.

Liu Wanwan loved to play these past years.

Sheng Ling was stuck in cutthroat studying.

Feng Cen was busy being the little tyrant and didn't pay much attention to what she did after school.

On the first day of seventh grade, when Yu Yu returned home from school, the sight before her made her whole body go cold.

Her room had been turned upside down, sketches scattered on the floor, the paint box flung to the ground, the colors mixed into a muddy mess, dirty and indistinguishable.

Yu Mother stood by the desk, her face grim and cold, and said, 'Yu Yu, what are you studying behind my back?'

Yu Yu's voice trembled: 'Mom, I...'

'Transfer schools.' Yu Mother cut her off, 'Next Monday you'll go to your uncle's place; I've already arranged the school there.'

Transfer schools?

Yu Yu panicked, and for the first time she spoke up in protest: 'I don't want to transfer schools...'

Yu Mother sneered, 'There are many things you don't want; do you think you can do whatever you want just because you want to?'

'Can painting get you into a good school? Can it give you a future? We've raised you this far; materially, you ask for what we give, Yu Yu, you've disappointed me too much.'

She seemed never to have asked for anything; Yu Yu lowered her brows and did not argue.

The next day, Yu Yu took the chance while Yu Mother was at her uncle's house discussing the transfer, and secretly went to the school.

Teacher Yan was sitting at his solitary desk when he saw her come; he waved in surprise, 'Xiao Yu? Why are you here at this time?'

Yu Yu stood at the doorway, not entering, and said, 'Teacher, I'm transferring schools.'

Teacher Yan's hand froze in motion, 'How so sudden? Where are you transferring to?'

'……' That day, the two of them talked a lot.

Yu Yu's steps were unsteady, her heart a barren wasteland, and she didn't know how she had walked out.

The city Yu Mother had arranged for her was two hours away from South City.

Yu Father happened to come here for business, and Yu Mother, worried that Yu Yu would keep playing at home, arranged for her to stay at a boarding school.

The coursework was heavy, and she had remedial classes even on weekends, leaving Yu Yu with no time to think about anything else.

Boarding life was dull; Yu Yu went to class, did remedial study, ate, and returned to the dormitory each day, maintaining only basic courtesy with her roommates.

The dormitory was a triple room, and she was always the last to return.

Once she returned to the dorm early; just after she went out to get her things and was about to push the door open, she heard one of them say, "How come she's back again? Wasn't she supposed to study until ten?"

Another chimed in, "Keep it down, don't let the other dorm residents hear, or else they'll talk about us next."

Yu Yu stood at the doorway, waited for them to finish, then re‑entered the dormitory; before bed, she silently counted in her heart how many days were left until she could leave.

Every night after the lights went out, the other two roommates would whisper and chat.

Around five in the morning, Yu Yu was woken up by the two of them, walked to her desk, and sat down.

She picked up the oil‑painting textbook, opened to the first page, gripped the brush, and recalled Teacher Yan's words: "You have great potential; you shouldn't give up."

……Potential?

Moments later, she suddenly put the brush down, closed the textbook, slipped it back into the drawer, and muttered, "Sorry, Teacher."

In her third year of junior high, a large art exhibition unexpectedly broke into her quiet world.

She took advantage of a rare half‑day holiday and went alone to view the exhibition.

In the vast exhibition hall, countless paintings filled the space, but only two works firmly caught her gaze.

One was a painting by the renowned Teacher Lin Tingsong, its conception distant and imbued with a noble spirit.

Beside it hung a work signed "Artist Name Yue Shu."

She stood before those two paintings for a long time, until the closing announcement played, before turning to leave.

Halfway through her first year of high school, Yu Mother, seeing that Yu Yu's performance was still decent, took her back to the southern part of A City and transferred her to Sheng Luo Middle School, where Liu Wanwan and Feng Cen studied.

She stood at the school gate, looking at that familiar school, caring only about one thing…

Would Liu Wanwan and Feng Cen still pay attention to her?

Throughout junior high, aside from a phone watch, she had no other means of contact.

It had always been Liu Wanwan and Feng Cen doing most of the talking, then coming here to find her.

Fortunately, the worry was unnecessary.

Liu Wanwan and Feng Cen were just as before, pulling her into their circle and also introducing her to a new friend.

That girl was called Mu Youyu, and she was very pretty.

Liu Wanwan joked that she should call her "Mu‑sister," and she obediently did so.

Later she realized that this Mu‑sister gave her the same warm, reliable feeling as Liu Wanwan and Feng Cen.

One day, by chance meeting at the Art School Hall, Mu Youyu actively asked her if she wanted to follow her to study Art School.

Yu Yu didn't know what to say; by then she had already discovered that Mu Youyu was Artist Name Yue Shu.

So, did she still want to study?

The answer was affirmative.

「……」

After a long time, in a first‑year PE class that wasn't cancelled, Yu Yu saw Teacher Yan again.

That class, Mu Youyu and Liu Wanwan skipped it, so they didn't see her, and they also didn't know that Teacher Yan had wanted to talk to Yu Yu.

Through chatting with Teacher Yan, Yu Yu gradually got to know his son, who was one year ahead of her, and she always called him Senior Yan.

After Mu Youyu returned to C Shi, the teaching matter fell through.

In her second year of high school, Yu Father and Yu Mother came back from elsewhere, Yu Yu wanted to board, but they didn't agree.

She didn't ask further; on the weekend she made plans with Senior Yan to go to the Ocean Hall, gazing at the creatures swimming leisurely inside the glass, when she suddenly recalled the origin of her name and blurted it out unconsciously.

Senior Yan laughed, "Where's the fish? Do you want to go eat fish?"

Yu Yu was pulled back to her thoughts, "Sure, senior, I'll treat you."

"Okay."

That night, Yu Yu returned home and saw her parents sitting on the sofa, holding her report card, already having a premonition.

Seeing her, Yu Mother's voice sharp: "Third in the grade? You still have the nerve to come back? I spent so much money hiring tutors for you, and this is how you repay me?"

"The original first place in your class left, and yet you got pushed down again—you can't even manage second?"

Yu Father: "The child is still young; next time she'll do well on the exam."

"Next year she'll be a senior—she's not little anymore!"

Yu Yu lowered her head and remained silent.

First place was Liu Wanwan, second place was Sheng Ling, and she trailed behind them by only two points.

To her mother, those two points were proof of insufficient effort.

"Tell me, where did you put your effort? Why can't you beat that Liu family girl? Back when they were kids, their grades were terrible, yet you used to beat them—why can't you now?"

She actually could solve that big problem, but she was too rushed and ran out of time…

In the end, Yu Yu merely lowered her eyes and said, "I will keep working hard."

"Keep working hard? You say that every time! Can't you ever bring home a first place? From childhood I've fed and clothed you, and this is how you repay me?"

Yu Mother's voice rose higher: "Besides, you're not allowed to enter that whatever Art Competition! Get out and reflect, don't come back!"

Yu Yu was shoved out the door, and the door was slammed shut.

Besides her clothes, she had nothing on her; she knocked for a long time, but there was no reply.

She finally gave up, began to wander aimlessly, intending to go to Liu Wanwan's house—her home was on a hill, just an hour's walk away.

She had walked less than ten minutes when Senior Yan happened to pass by, surprised, and brought her back to his home.

Yu Yu thought, "If I've been deceived, then so be it," and blankly agreed.

Senior Yan's house had only him; he bought her new clothes and cooked.

After eating, Yu Yu, feeling awkward, took the initiative to find a topic: "Senior, why did you dye your hair green?"

Senior Yan replied: "I lost a bet with my grandaunt."

Yu Yu exclaimed, "Your grandaunt still bets with juniors?"

After saying that, she realized it was inappropriate and was about to explain, but Senior Yan didn't mind and continued: "My grandaunt is only eight years older than me, so it's fine."

Only eight years older?

Yu Yu remarked: "Then she's really young."

"Yeah, she's still in school."

That night, they talked a lot, and Yu Yu laughed happily.

At dawn, after Yu Father and Yu Mother learned of this, they came to the school to cause a scene.

Feeling at a loss, Yu Yu went to C Shi to find Mu Youyu.

After that, things developed quickly.

Mu Youyu, Jiang Liangjin, Mu Xi, and Song Lujing went together to Yu Yu's home.

Mu Youyu told Yu Father and Yu Mother in an unquestionable tone that Yu Yu would study art under her from now on.

Upon learning her identity, Yu Father and Yu Mother dared not oppose her, so they only gave superficial agreement.

That night, Yu Yu returned to her bedroom, leaning against the door panel and slowly sliding down to sit on the cold floor.

She listened to the parents' new round of arguing outside the door, merely feeling exhausted.

She thought, it would be nice if she could have luck like Mu Jie's.

Yu Yu successfully went to B Shi to participate in the competition; with Mu Youyu's instruction and Teacher Yan's help, she won the gold prize.

In her senior year of high school, Yu Yu's life at home was rough and bumpy.

Mother's attitude toward her didn't change much, and Father remained silent as before.

Only when she was with Liu Wanwan, Feng Cen, and Mu Youyu did she feel truly alive.

The day before the college entrance exam, Yu Father and Yu Mother brought back an unfamiliar girl.

The girl had a slightly darker complexion, stood awkwardly in the center of the living room, head lowered, not daring to look at anyone.

The two of them treated that girl very well.

Yu Yu didn't mind.

After the college entrance exam ended, she said she wanted to go to the Art Department of C University.

Yu Mother scolded her all day long, saying things like "not pursuing a proper profession," "raising you for nothing all these years," and "how will you support your younger sister in the future?"

Yu Yu just listened quietly.

That day, Yu Mother suddenly said happily: "Yu Yu, the test results are out—you're not my biological child; you were switched at birth."

She felt relieved: "No wonder you've never resembled me since childhood—you don't look like me, your personality is different, you're so delicate; it turns out you're not my child at all."

Yu Yu stood in the living room, not feeling sad, and asked: "Do I need to go back?"

Yu Mother: "Do you have no conscience? We raised you all this time! I looked into your birth parents—they're already gone."

Yu Mother acquiesced.

Yu Yu no longer brought up the matter.

That girl stood in the corner, head bowed, not daring to speak.

Throughout the summer, Yu Mother repeatedly impressed upon her the demand: "In the future you must support your sister; even if you go away to college, you must manage household affairs—your sister is still young, she never went to school, so you need to teach her more and take care of her."

"Besides, you're going to university in C Shi; I think you should listen to your friend surnamed Mu and go to the Royal Academy of Y Guo. It would be best to bring our family of three along—since you came to our home, I and your father have never gone abroad..."

Yu Yu never responded once.

After hearing about this, Liu Wanwan directly stepped forward and provided a sum of money, persuading the Yu family to agree to sever ties with Yu Yu.

Yu Yu felt that this relationship should have ended long ago.

She was merely grateful that her parents had raised her to adulthood.

On the day her household registration was moved out, Liu Wanwan, Shen Ling, and Feng Cen together escorted her to the villa Feng Cen had bought in C Shi.

Unable to refuse, Yu Yu had no choice but to stay there.

Her birthday was held at a restaurant near C University, with only Feng Cen, Liu Wanwan, Shen Ling, Mu Youyu, Teacher Yan, and Senior Yan invited.

When the cake was brought out, the lights dimmed, and the candlelight shone on Yu Yu's face.

Mu Youyu held up her phone, opened video mode, and said: "Xiao Yu, make a wish."

Yu Yu smiled faintly: "Sure."

She blew out the candles and made a wish.

She hoped that they would all get what they wished for.