The Romance of a Young Painter

Returning to City B again, Zhou Nianjiu felt like a lifetime away. The first stop of the party was near Xishan. Four years ago, it was a village in urgent need of demolition. Now it has become a forest of high-rise buildings. Looking around, Zhou Nianjiu couldn’t tell where he was Where is the old house of the Zhou family that Shen Guangji visited.

He found the hotel specified on the electronic invitation letter. The electronic screen under the signboard reads that students from the XX field of the Chinese Department of B University are welcome to stay. There is a list at the front desk. Complete the registration.

Fang Leye arrived after a while, and the two of them were in the same room.

"It's quite early, why don't you tell me so I can pick you up?" Fang Leye said. The two had just bid farewell in Feicheng a week ago. When I came to City B, I didn't inquire about the specific itinerary.

"Didn't you say you're going to close the little black room when you come back?" Zhou Nianjiu pointed to the laptop he carried with him, and said, "I brought it here, and I haven't finished writing yet?"

"The old one just left and the new draft came again, it's endless." Fang Leye winked at him and said, "You don't understand the troubles of famous writers."

Zhou Nianjiu said, "I see you are enjoying it."

Fang Leye spread his hands pretending to be distressed and said, "Have fun while suffering."

Zhou Nianjiu teased him, and let him set up a stall in the room to start writing, while she read the book she bought while waiting for the plane.

It was late at night, and the hallway quickly became lively, and the students who had a good relationship even got together in the same room to chat. Zhou Nianjiu and Fang Leye also came to say hello, but one of the two had a cool effect, and the other was too busy to type. Looking aside, all the visitors returned bitterly.

"I said Zhou Xiaonian, at least you should chat with people." Fang Leye closed the computer after paying the public rations, and said, "Didn't you see anyone so embarrassed that your face turned red?"

"I don't know what to talk about." Zhou Nianjiu said.

Fang Leye shook his head helplessly, and said, "Alright, I'll take care of the next one. It's time for Xihua to arrive, right?"

Sure enough, the Detachment of Women arrived after a while, and Xihua was also among them. Unfortunately, the girl's attention was obviously more focused on Zhou Nianjiu, who was silent and reticent. No matter how Fang Leye spoke, the other party just smiled politely and posed. Mingming didn't have much interest in him.

"Zhou Nianjiu, I saw your "Spring by Lake Como" when I went to country A last time. Although I don't know much about painting, your paintings remind me of the purest and most beautiful things in my memory. After seeing them, I feel at peace. But there is also an inexplicable feeling, if possible, I really hope to see that painting again." Xihua said.

Zhou Nianjiu is not clear about where his works are currently being exhibited. His paintings are all arranged by Steve's people, and his own identity in the industry is one of the new painters personally supported by Cahill, so he Said: "The agent is responsible for this, and I will ask him to send the exhibition schedule later."

Xihua smiled sweetly and said, "Then I'll come and find you later."

"Don't bother, just give me your mailbox number." Zhou Nianjiu casually handed her the hotel note on the table.

"That's it..." Xihua's smile froze for a second, and then quickly took over and wrote a mailbox number.

After the girls left, Fang Leye picked up the sticky note clip tied upside down on the table with flowers, and said indignantly, "It's actually a mobile phone mailbox, Zhou Xiaonian, you've already made it so obvious, why do girls still love you more?"

Zhou Nianjiu rubbed his tired ears from being bombarded by the girls, and said, "Obviously they were all around you just now."

Fang Leye was even more indignant, and said, "That's using me as a male girlfriend."

Zhou Nianjiu smiled, it's not that the girls who just arrived like Fang Leye, it's just that Fang Leye always only focuses on the most beautiful one, and he can't see other little flowers.

The dinner was held in the banquet hall of the hotel. Before the meal, a congratulatory video was played. Some old photos from that year and recent photos and videos were edited in it, accompanied by atmospheric background music and text. It was very youthful. The sensational meaning, some girls with more slender feelings even secretly wiped their tears.

Zhou Nianjiu watched the familiar or unfamiliar faces in the video change from the youthful ones when he entered school to the current youthful youth. What changed the most in the nine years was not the appearance and dress, but the once clear eyes, just like before. When talking about his paintings, he could clearly feel that she was indeed moved, but her body language revealed too much information, it was a kind of quiet seduction, she clearly knew her beauty and intelligence Knowing how to use it was something she was not proficient in when she was young.

After the video became popular, the dinner party became warmer and warmer. The classmates who hadn’t seen each other for many years seemed to have returned to the old days. During the banquet, the boys and girls formed a round table to greet and toast. At this time, even those who don’t usually drink will give face One or two sips, and Zhou Nianjiu is no exception. Over the years, he has planned to drink a little so that he will not pour it when he gets drunk. In the first round, some people also proposed to climb Xishan Mountain at night, and the latter got the support of most people.

"Going?" Fang Leye, who was already slightly intoxicated, leaned over and asked.

"Go and see." Zhou Nianjiu has been in City B for five years, and has been to Xishan no less than a hundred times, but he has never climbed overnight.

"Then I'll go too." Fang Leye stood up. He put a bottle of mineral water in his pocket, stuffed another bottle for Zhou Nianjiu, and said, "Take it, the canteen on the mountain is empty right now."

The moon was hanging on the top of the mountain. Apart from their group, there were many other people climbing at night. The shadows of the dense trees were also set off by the crowd without a hint of ghost. Zhou Nianjiu and Fang Leye walked at the back of the team without slowing down. At the top of the mountain, you can gradually see the lights in the houses below the mountain from the viewing platform. When those lights are on and off, some people come back, some people go to sleep, and some people leave.

Zhou Nianjiu said suddenly: "I still have something to do, I have to go first."

"Huh?" Fang Leye grabbed him and said, "This is almost reaching the top, why are you so anxious?"

"I'll go find Shen Guangji." Zhou Nianjiu said.

Hearing this name, Fang Leye woke up most of the time. He said, "You haven't drunk much, so you're crazy about alcohol. Little cousin doesn't know where he is right now. Where can you find him?"

"Go to his residence first." Zhou Nianjiu said.

"I told you that he hasn't been back for a while, so I told the security guard to call me as soon as he sees my little cousin." Fang Leye took out his mobile phone and said, "Look, he didn't contact me, right? "

Zhou Nianjiu said: "I always feel that I should go there and have a look."

Fang Leye was in a stalemate with him for a while, and finally lost in his stubborn eyes, and said, "That's fine, I'll go with you."

The two went down the mountain together.

Zhou Nianjiu made an appointment for a car, and when it was time to get in the car, Fang Leye vomited, and the driver refused to pull him no matter what.

Fang Leye clutched his stomach and said, "Master, I really don't have this amount usually, climbing mountains after drinking is too bad."

Zhou Nianjiu helped Fang Leye rinse his mouth, and said, "Go back to the hotel and rest, I'll just go over and have a look, I can't lose it."

Fang Leye's condition was not good, and he didn't insist on it, so he said: "That's okay, you should be careful."

Zhou Nianjiu got in the car, the driver thanked him for his understanding of the refusal, and then started to talk to him, seeing that he was not very talkative, so he stopped talking and turned the volume of the car radio a little louder.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the first night back in City B seemed to be as cool as the air-conditioning in the car. Zhou Nianjiu enjoyed the tranquility very much. Although he could already appreciate the different scenery from such crowded places, he was not used to it. The essence of putting yourself among the crowd has always been there.

He has never been good at establishing and maintaining regular interpersonal relationships. Jin Bao, the only friend in middle school who can be called a friend, cut off contact a few years ago. That cautious friendship did not stand the double test of time and space after all.And Fang Leye is always tireless. No matter how passive Zhou Nianjiu is, he always pulls Zhou Nianjiu into the crowd when he has the opportunity. Zhou Nianjiu sees it very clearly. The symbol of globalization becomes a part of the whole circle.Even if he left abruptly on such an occasion, Fang Leye immediately called the organizer and made up an excuse that sounded very reasonable.With friends like this, what can a husband ask for? Zhou Nianjiu feels that he is very lucky, whether it is family members, friends, or lovers who have always tolerated him with patience beyond ordinary people.

It was only half an hour's drive from Xishan to his residence in Beicheng, but Zhou Nianjiu felt that it had been a century. When he finally arrived, he got off the bus so impatiently that he almost forgot to pay the fare.The security guard at the gate of the community no longer remembered him. He explained for a long time, and then took out a photo of him and Shen Guangji and the key of the house, and the other party reluctantly allowed him to go in.

The long-lost small courtyard was opened again, the flowers and plants in the courtyard were still the same, the pomegranate tree grew quite a bit taller, Zhou Nianjiu did not linger in the garden, he changed into his slippers and entered the door, turned on all the lights, and then walked around the empty house , After finishing these, he sat on the sofa for a while, and then went to the bedroom to take out the pajamas he had worn before to take a shower.His hair was wet, and he couldn't find a hair dryer. In the past, Shen Guangji had prepared it for him in the bathroom in advance, but now that no one was there, he could only let his hair dry naturally.

This night seemed to be very long. Zhou Nianjiu sat in the living room for a while, then went back to the room and leaned against the bedside to read a book for a while, but still couldn't fall asleep, so he simply got up and went to draw. The door suddenly rang.

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The previous chapter has been updated with nearly a thousand words.