A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 39

“I’m not joking,” she said.

Nan Xue’s dark eyes quietly looked at her, sitting still, exuding a light, cold fragrance. Being so close, Nan Xue’s gaze seemed to observe Shu Yubai’s expression, almost tangible.

Shu Yubai could sensitively perceive her seriousness.

The winter morning was quite cold.

Shu Yubai held the breakfast Nan Xue bought—two buns and a cup of soy milk. She felt warmer, but Nan Xue, shivering slightly in the cold, remained silent.

Shu Yubai reached out to touch her hand.

Her hand was icy, soft, like a block of ice, slightly stiff.

Poor thing.

Running out early in the morning to buy breakfast, what was she thinking?

Shu Yubai glanced at Nan Xue. She sat on the wooden bench, white fluff drifting from her down coat’s hood, her dark eyes unblinking, her red lips silent, as if waiting for Shu Yubai to speak.

Her warm breath released faint white mist in the quiet morning.

“You don’t even like girls,” Shu Yubai said helplessly. “What are we trying for?”

Nan Xue stared at her, slightly nervous, and asked, “You don’t want to try with me, do you?”

“No,” Shu Yubai replied, lowering her head. Her soft, smooth long hair fell, lightly draping her waist, hiding her expression.

“Why?” Nan Xue’s fingers turned pale as she looked at her.

“No reason,” Shu Yubai said calmly.

Try?

She might want to, but she didn’t dare.

Does Nan Xue like her? She’s not even sure herself, which is why she said “try.” How does Nan Xue feel about her? Fondness? Or just a simple possessiveness between friends.

What if she gets deeply involved with Nan Xue and it doesn’t work out?

Besides, there were many other conflicts—family, status, wealth. Being together smoothly isn’t that easy.

In the heat of the moment, confessing seemed like a good idea, but now she felt calm.

It’s better to stay friends.

For a long time.

Shu Yubai glanced at Nan Xue again, who was wearing that cotton white T-shirt from last night, loosely covered by a down coat, her small face buried in the thick clothes.

All her earlier discomfort after the failed confession had disappeared.

Shu Yubai squeezed her hand and said, “Let’s go home first.”

Holding hands, Shu Yubai put Nan Xue’s hand into her own coat pocket to keep it warm.

Nan Xue glanced at her sideways.

Shu Yubai’s expression remained calm as she held her hand so naturally, without blushing or a racing heartbeat, seemingly without any other thoughts.

She really saw her as a younger sister.

Nan Xue looked away.

That’s good.

As they reached the door, she closed it firmly.

••••

“Not working today?”

Li Nian had cooked a pot of porridge in the morning, with red dates and longan, the aroma filling the entire room. She gently placed the pot on the table in the living room and turned to ask Nan Xue.

“No.”

Nan Xue stood up and ladled a bowl of porridge. “I have the day off today, thank you, Auntie.”

“Oh. Are you usually busy?” she asked.

“It’s manageable. There are many things I’m not familiar with yet, so my father is guiding me.”

Nan Xue lowered her head, her long eyelashes fluttering.

“That’s normal since you just graduated. It’ll get better over time.”

They chatted for a while.

Li Nian turned to get a spoon, with the little dog following her, wagging its tail. She glanced over and said, “Xiao Shu, give the dog some food.”

Shu Yubai squatted down and scooped a spoonful of dog food from a bag, sprinkling it into the bowl.

Just then, her phone rang.

She stood up to get it from the coffee table and saw it was her teacher calling.

Shu Yubai went to the balcony to answer, closing the sliding door behind her.

Nan Xue watched her quietly from the side.

Who is it?

It was a bit chilly outside.

Opposite them was a snow-covered green hill, with a small lake at its foot. It was the dry season, and the lake was already frozen.

“Teacher Su?” she said softly.

“Ying Ran is here for a lecture, but I’m not sure how long he will stay,” Shu Yubai’s teacher explained over the phone.

The teacher’s voice was patient and unhurried, gently reminding her, “I’ll take you to visit him when the time comes.”

“Wait…” Shu Yubai whispered, “I’m afraid he’s too famous, and I’m not qualified enough.”

“Don’t worry,” the other end chuckled softly. “You’re very capable.”

Shu Yubai held the phone, gazing at the distant green hill, as light chirping sounds filled her ears.

She responded quietly, “Thank you, teacher.”

“No problem.”

The teacher hung up.

Shu Yubai stood by the window, feeling slightly conflicted.

Ying Ran was Nan Xue’s uncle.

If she had known earlier that her teacher’s recommendation was him, Shu Yubai would probably have declined. With this rather delicate connection, she felt a bit hesitant.

Shu Yubai usually didn’t like to trouble others.

But on the other hand, her teacher was right.

Ying Ran was indeed suitable for her.

Ying Ran, like Shu Yubai, had a broad range of study, having learned both Western and Chinese painting, and had developed his own unique style, which was recognized within the industry. Ying Ran was good at painting people, whether it was elderly people or young girls, there was always a sense of liveliness, even with just a few strokes.

And the piece Shu Yubai was preparing for the exhibition was a portrait.

She wasn’t good at painting people, but portrait painting was closer to the theme of this large exhibition and had a better chance of being selected.

Teacher Su had already taken the initiative to recommend her.

It would be ungracious to refuse.

She gently placed her phone on the table—she would go.

She opened the door and entered the living room.

Nan Xue was sitting at the table, looking at her. “Who was that just now?”

“My teacher,” Shu Yubai said, pulling out a chair and sitting opposite her. “You don’t know her, she was the one who mentored me during university.”

“The one who mentored you and You Fu?”

“Yes.”

Shu Yubai lowered her head to drink the porridge.

Nan Xue looked at her, suddenly silent, quiet and still.

Her expression was somewhere between dejected and angry.

••••

Nan Xue stayed at her house for the whole day.

Sometimes she helped Li Nian sweep the floor, other times she watched Shu Yubai paint or practice calligraphy.

“Sister, teach me.”

There was a rather wide table in the study. Nan Xue moved a small stool over and sat beside her. She always remembered the day she saw Shu Yubai holding a little girl’s hand, teaching her to paint, with eyes full of gentleness.

Shu Yubai put down her brush.

“Okay.”

She was practicing small regular script, which was used for signing works. Nan Xue’s handwriting was quite good, but compared to a professional, it was still lacking. Shu Yubai gently held her hand, guiding her to write, while Nan Xue watched her profile.

Fair and delicate, her lips slightly red, long hair covering half of her profile, with long, thick eyelashes gently drooping, trembling like butterfly wings.

Nan Xue leaned closer, her gaze falling on the tip of the brush, but her lips brushed against some of Shu Yubai’s hair. Shu Yubai turned her head slightly, just avoiding it.

“Done.”

On the paper was a character.

Snow. (Note: Nan Xue)

Nan Xue glanced at it, her earlobes slightly warm, her heartbeat quickening.

In the evening, Li Nian sent the two of them out to buy groceries.

Nan Xue had driven when they came, but because she usually had a driver, her driving skills weren’t great. Shu Yubai thought about driving herself, but Nan Xue stubbornly shook her head. “Sister, I’ll drive.”

In the garage, Nan Xue opened the car door for Shu Yubai, then went to the driver’s seat and closed the door.

Shu Yubai sat there, and Nan Xue leaned over, slightly bending down, to help her fasten her seatbelt. She suddenly got so close that they were almost touching, and Shu Yubai stiffened slightly for a moment.

The person’s cold hair hung down, with a somewhat heavy texture, the ends lightly brushing against Shu Yubai’s collarbone. Looking down, she could see the swirl of hair at the crown of Nan Xue’s head.

There was a faint, gentle fragrance at the tip of her nose.

Nan Xue fastened the seatbelt, then straightened up and sat properly.

It seemed that the sudden closeness just now was unintentional.

The traffic moved along a clean street, and Shu Yubai looked out. There were many galleries, which piqued her interest.

“What’s wrong?”

Nan Xue had been watching her from the corner of her eye. Seeing Shu Yubai looking out the window with a calm expression, she asked.

“There are a lot of galleries on that street.”

Shu Yubai opened the car window, letting in a gust of cold air. Nan Xue followed her gaze.

“Shall we go take a look first?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Nan Xue parked by the roadside and accompanied her to visit the galleries.

They visited many galleries, each with various types of paintings. Nan Xue didn’t understand much but stayed with her.

“Is it boring?” Shu Yubai asked.

Nan Xue shook her head. “No.”

Then she couldn’t help but yawn.

Shu Yubai smiled at her. “You can go buy groceries for me. We need to head back home soon, and my mom will be asking me.”

Nan Xue nodded, got out, and turned the car around.

Perhaps due to the snowy weather, there were few pedestrians on the road. The grayish-white world had people dressed in thick down jackets, some wrapped in heavy scarves, hurrying along. A few cars sped by, whipping up cold wind and brushing off the snow on the branches.

Shu Yubai went outside and looked around.

There was a rather large gallery by the roadside.

In fact, this clean and tidy street had many galleries. Due to its proximity to the local art academy, most shop owners were in contact with students and teachers from the academy, and they sold their works.

When she entered that gallery, there were very few customers. The wooden floorboards made a slight creaking sound underfoot. Shu Yubai leisurely browsed through the gallery.

The paintings in the gallery were purchased by the shop owner and sold at a slightly higher price. The profit wasn’t much, but it was enough to maintain a decent living.

At this time, the shop owner was busy eating takeout at the counter.

There were also few customers.

Another woman in the gallery, dressed in a soft knit sweater with linen-colored long hair, a small bag over her shoulder, and wearing glasses, was looking at the paintings with interest.

Shu Yubai browsed through the paintings, not too close and not too far.

Suddenly, she paused when she saw a very familiar painting.

The painting depicted misty distant mountains and green willows, signed with the name “Yubai” in elegant small script.

She was slightly surprised. Wasn’t this painting at home?

This painting was created when she first won a gold medal years ago. She treasured it dearly and would never sell it, but the one on the wall here was…? She looked closer and saw it was probably a copy, though not a bad one.

“I want this one.”

Another woman in the store pointed exactly at Shu Yubai’s painting.

“Alright.”

The shop owner put down the takeout and held up six fingers.

“Six thousand?”

The woman looked down at her phone, preparing to pay, and asked, “Alright, WeChat or Alipay?”

“No.”

The shop owner shook his head apologetically. “Sixty thousand.”

“Ah?” The woman seemed hesitant and smiled. “I just moved into a new house and plan to hang this behind the sofa. Is it really that expensive?”

“Of course.”

The shop owner said mysteriously, “This is a gold medal work from an fine arts academy student. Look, the painting is quite large, and it took a long time to complete. It’s worth it.”

Whether it was worth it, the shop owner didn’t know.

Or rather, he wasn’t actually the shop owner but an employee responsible for selling the paintings. The more paintings he sold, the higher his commission, so he did his best to sell them.

The woman sighed, “Alright. I’m an outsider, not familiar with these things. I just think it looks nice.”

“Outsider?”

The shop owner smiled and casually chatted, “What do you do?”

The woman opened Alipay while smiling. “I’m a doctor.”

“Nice.”

The shop owner nodded and continued with his takeout.

As the payment page loaded, the woman walked over to scan the QR code.

Shu Yubai watched them quietly for a while. When the woman was about to make the payment, she gently blocked the QR code with her hand and shook her head. “It’s too expensive. Really.”

The shop owner and the woman both turned their heads. “?”

Shu Yubai said, “The real one isn’t worth that much. This is just a copy.”