Chapter 348: Volume 1, Chapter 348: Weird Comics (18)

She signed: "You also need to stay safe."

Wen Chijin responded.

…

Taking the 9 a. m. train to the city, the journey was far, riding a green-skinned train, reaching the city took over ten hours.

A couple sat in the seats ahead, in the throes of new love; the girl constantly lay in the boy's arms, their cheeks rubbing, very intimate.

Jiang Zhi lifted her eyes and happened to see the boy lower his head to kiss the girl, his cheek flushed with a faint blush; she quickly lowered her gaze, pretending to read.

Wen Chijin walked over with a cup of hot water, his gaze catching the red of her ears, he paused for a few seconds, his peripheral vision sweeping over the couple seated ahead.

He raised his hand and patted her shoulder, "Have some water."

Jiang Zhi shook her head to indicate she wasn't thirsty.

The girl sitting across from them was very outgoing and talkative, assuming they were a couple, she smiled and said, "Your boyfriend treats you really well; he even went out of his way to get you water."

Jiang Zhi could read lips, and when she saw the girl say the three words "boyfriend," she hurriedly waved her hands to explain.

But she was deaf-mute and couldn't speak, and they couldn't understand her sign language either, leaving her momentarily at a loss.

Wen Chijin said, "She's my sister."

The girl, hearing this, apologized embarrassedly, "Sorry, sorry, I got it wrong."

Jiang Zhi's nervousness eased, and she signed to him, "Do you want to take a nap?"

It was a sleeper berth, with beds both upper and lower; Wen Chijin slept on the upper bunk, it was still early, and Jiang Zhi had no habit of napping.

Wen Chijin shook his head: "Sis, I'm not sleepy."

Their communication was one person speaking while the other signed; the couple ahead noticed, looked at Jiang Zhi with sympathetic eyes.

They also hadn't expected that such a good-looking girl would be deaf-mute.

No wonder, from the time the train started moving until now, she hadn't uttered a single word.

Jiang Zhi's senses were sharp; she noticed their sympathetic, pitying glances, her body tensed slightly, and the fingers holding her paintbrush gradually tightened.

She rarely went out; besides studying, she stayed at home. One, she didn't want to trouble others; two, she didn't want to be pitied.

At school, her classmates were all disabled like her, so she didn't feel special; but once outside, she felt different from others.

This time Wen Chijin didn't speak, but signed like her: "Sis, are you hungry? These are the biscuits I bought at the store this morning."

Jiang Zhi indicated she wasn't hungry, lightly curled her lips, and showed him the quick sketch she had drawn after boarding.

It was the scenery flashing past outside the train; she glanced at it, remembered it, and sketched it roughly, full of atmospheric feeling.

She never drew people, only landscapes and architecture.

Wen Chijin didn't understand drawing at all.

But each of the girl's paintings was filled with hope and light, giving a warm feeling.

Just like her as a person.

"Nice." His fingertip lightly glided over the drawing board, his dark, lightless pupils reflecting that picture.

…

Outside the window the light grew dimmer until it was swallowed by darkness; the train glowed with faint light, and everyone soon went to sleep.

Jiang Zhi couldn't sleep from nervousness about tomorrow's competition, constantly flipping through her past drawings, her thoughts drifting far away.

So she took her sketchbook and quietly climbed down from the upper bunk, seeing the boy with his eyes closed asleep on the lower bunk.

Wen Chijin slept in a proper, steady posture, lying flat, the blanket pulled over his shoulders; weak light cast on half his face, the other side in a faint shadow.

Jiang Zhi couldn't help but pick up her pen and begin sketching lightly in her notebook.

By the time she became immersed in her drawing, the boy had already opened his eyes and was silently watching the person standing beside the bed.

She stood for a long time without feeling tired, her eyebrows slightly raised, focused and earnest.

After an unknown interval, Jiang Zhi lifted her eyes and unexpectedly met the boy's dark pupils.

"Sis, are you drawing me?" he asked silently.

Jiang Zhi's pupils contracted suddenly; her nervous hands flailed, she stepped back and almost bumped into the upper bunk's rail behind her.

Wen Chijin quickly sat up, extending an arm to block her head from hitting backward.

Jiang Zhi lost her balance, lunged forward, and struck his arm; her nose filled with his scent.

She quickly stepped back and apologized to him.

Wen Chijin lowered his arm, raised a finger to point at the sketchbook in her arms, and with a slight upturn of his lips asked, "Can I take a look?"

Jiang Zhi, face flushed and heart pounding, shook her head, avoided his gaze, and scrambled up to the upper bunk as fast as she could.

Fortunately the boy didn't follow; she buried her face in the pillow, her ears exposed and red.

…

The next afternoon she arrived at the lodging arranged by the competition staff.

The competition she would enter was the arts contest held in the capital Jing Shi, highly authoritative.

The competition consisted of three rounds, each lasting five hours, drawing according to a prescribed reference and given words, with no restriction on style.

Many people came to compete, most of them top students from prestigious schools.

Jiang Zhi was among the most special of them.

Led by staff to the backstage of the competition venue, the lounge was nearly full of people, all contestants.

Wen Chijin couldn't accompany her backstage, but as a family member he had an entry ticket and could sit in the audience to watch.

As soon as Jiang Zhi sat down, she saw several people in front rise, looking reverently toward the entrance.

She couldn't help but look up, seeing a young man walk in with steady steps.

Yu Shian?

A male student who looked exactly like Yu Shian, wearing glasses, walked over to find a seat.

Coincidentally, the only empty seat was next to her, and the male student, holding his backpack, sat down beside her.

Jiang Zhi had countless questions in her mind.

This was clearly Wen Chijin's dream, so why did Yu Shian appear?

Yu Shian still looked aloof and solitary, unapproachable, emanating an aura that kept strangers at bay.

He was quite popular among this group, yet many who tried to approach him for conversation were coldly ignored.

Not a word was spoken the entire time.

Until the competition began.

They followed the staff onto the stage.

The audience below was a sea of people, and the bright lights shining in front of her eyes were somewhat glaring.

Jiang Zhi picked up her brush and threw herself wholeheartedly into the painting.

As contestants left one by one, fewer and fewer people remained on stage.

By the time Jiang Zhi finished painting, her waist was sore and her back ached.

However, she finally completed it.

The first round of the competition ended just like that.

The results came out quickly.

Rows of contestants stood on the stage waiting for the announcement.

Jiang Zhi stood at the back, unable to hear outside sounds, and could only turn her head to look at the screen.

The top three paintings were displayed on the screen, and, as expected, her work appeared among them.

Jiang Zhi let out a sigh of relief.

However, when she saw Yu Shian, she knew that first place definitely wasn't hers.

So she prepared to accept second place.

"First place goes to a female student named Jiang Zhi; please come to the center to receive the award."

Everyone stared at each other, utterly shocked.

The host repeated it several times, but no one came forward.

The female student standing in front of Jiang Zhi saw her nameplate and hurriedly whispered, "You hurry up and go get the award!"